A few thoughts while thanking the Hurricane Gods that Irene didn’t hit us harder…
Ariel likes to be the DJ in the car (or at least exert total control over the music selections by clearly and with utter conviction stating her demands, even if she’s not able to physically run the show from her car seat), and lately, she’s been feeling Lady Gaga. Yesterday in the car she demanded the “Chachi” song, and was not at all pleased with my inability to immediately provide it. I of course was racking my brain to figure out what she wanted, and was afraid that maybe the classic show “Joanie Loves Chachi” had a theme song I didn’t recall, and somehow she had become fond of it. I think everyone can agree that’s a harrowing thought. Turns out she wanted “Paparazzi.” Which from now on will always be, to me, the Chachi song.
Ariel is in that nether world between school and camp right now (this period is of course lovingly referred to by moms throughout the northeast as “Purgatory”), and Belle took the girls out yesterday with a friend to the mall. There was a place to throw in a coin and make a wish, and Ariel wished that the Red Sox win the World Series, despite the efforts of her friend’s Dad, Mr. Fabulous, to corrupt her into making a pro-Yankees wish. Now, first of all, obviously Mr. Fabulous’ behavior was reprehensible and he now finds himself in grave danger of receiving a far less flattering nickname. Like Mr. Stupid Head or something. But more importantly, how about that Ariel! I’m just lucky she’s too young to ask me for a car, because I’d have a hard time saying no right now. Dodged a bullet there…
Ariel went to a birthday party last week and there was a special guest star who showed up right before it was time for cake. None other than the Amazing Spider Man. His performance was indeed quite amazing, as he practically cleared out the room just by walking in. His costume was so scary to this group of 4-year olds that at least 3 kids immediately burst into tears and 2 others ran for the exits as if the Grim Reaper had shown up instead of poor Spidey. This was despite the fact that Spider Man appeared to be about 5 and a half feet tall and maybe 140 pounds soaking wet. Mrs. Fabulous remarked to me that he needs to start P90X or something. To her credit, Ariel was not one of the kids trying desperately to flee the scene, and she even tried to calm down one of her friends who wasn’t enjoying the super hero’s presence in the least bit. I was pretty darn proud of her.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
August 23, 2011
I travelled last week for business and when I’m away from the girls for a couple days it’s easy to forget about all the difficulties of raising kids and just focus on the good stuff. So that’s a great thing to do from time to time. I’m sure Belle wishes SHE could do that from time to time, even if she probably doesn’t need the dose of perspective as badly as I do. In Woody Allen’s film classic “Manhattan,” he makes a list of some of the little things that to him make life worth living. For his character, Isaac Davis, it was Cezanne’s apples and pears, Louis B. Armstrong’s Potato Head Blues and his ex-girlfriend’s face. For me, there’s lots of things, movie popcorn, Red Sox games at Fenway, The Wire and West Wing, Doonesbury, and the music of Michael Penn to name just a few. But what about the wife and kids? Well, since you asked…
Jasmine wrapping her arms around me when I get her at night (she’s crying, I pick her up, and she just melts onto my shoulder. Honestly, it’s pretty sensational)
Ariel singing Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” (she gets every word wrong but thinks she knows all the words. It’s fabulous)
Jasmine’s smile when I walk into the room (doesn’t matter what’s going on, the kid just lights up when she sees me. Makes me feel like a million bucks)
Trademark Ariel moments - like the other day, she walked into my office in wearing a Princess Tiana dress with her wand, to show me how beautiful she looked. Then she came back 2 minutes later with a mirror in her hand and said “Now you just have GOT to see me.” (True, Ariel. Very true.)
Jasmine laughing when tickled (just like her older sister when she was a baby, she has the best laugh ever)
Belle’s face when one of the kids does something good, or new, or unexpected (the look of pure joy)
Now if I can just remember these things whenever Ariel screams at me for no reason, or Jasmine pretends she’s going to kiss me and instead bites half my face off, then I’ll be fine. :)
Jasmine wrapping her arms around me when I get her at night (she’s crying, I pick her up, and she just melts onto my shoulder. Honestly, it’s pretty sensational)
Ariel singing Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” (she gets every word wrong but thinks she knows all the words. It’s fabulous)
Jasmine’s smile when I walk into the room (doesn’t matter what’s going on, the kid just lights up when she sees me. Makes me feel like a million bucks)
Trademark Ariel moments - like the other day, she walked into my office in wearing a Princess Tiana dress with her wand, to show me how beautiful she looked. Then she came back 2 minutes later with a mirror in her hand and said “Now you just have GOT to see me.” (True, Ariel. Very true.)
Jasmine laughing when tickled (just like her older sister when she was a baby, she has the best laugh ever)
Belle’s face when one of the kids does something good, or new, or unexpected (the look of pure joy)
Now if I can just remember these things whenever Ariel screams at me for no reason, or Jasmine pretends she’s going to kiss me and instead bites half my face off, then I’ll be fine. :)
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
August 10, 2011
Last night during her bath Ariel debuted her latest creative masterpiece. She wrote a song, which goes something like this... Vagina, vagina, vagina, vagina, VAGINA!!!! That verse then gets repeated. Often. And the bridge is eerily similar. As is the chorus. It’s quite a song really. I see Katy Perry doing a cover version some day.
Ariel told me the other day that I’m an AMAZING colorer (she’s so right too). This obviously begs the question – if I decide to switch jobs, how prominently do I feature that on my resume? Between work experience and education, right?
Ariel does a great job of really straddling the line with some of her behavior between cute/funny and disturbing (I’m sure this is true of many 4 year olds). Let’s see which side she’s leaning towards lately, shall we?
First, she said she had to go to the bathroom but then her vagina (clearly among her favorite words these days) and tushy changed their minds. I vote CUTE/FUNNY
Next, she started shaking her butt at me and telling me over and over again to “touch my booty!” Tougher call, but I’ll still go with CUTE/FUNNY
Finally, she started walking around her room with her doll’s head stuck firmly between her legs. Yeah, that one was a wee bit DISTURBING.
So, 2-1 for CUTE/FUNNY. Not bad, really…
Ariel told me the other day that I’m an AMAZING colorer (she’s so right too). This obviously begs the question – if I decide to switch jobs, how prominently do I feature that on my resume? Between work experience and education, right?
Ariel does a great job of really straddling the line with some of her behavior between cute/funny and disturbing (I’m sure this is true of many 4 year olds). Let’s see which side she’s leaning towards lately, shall we?
First, she said she had to go to the bathroom but then her vagina (clearly among her favorite words these days) and tushy changed their minds. I vote CUTE/FUNNY
Next, she started shaking her butt at me and telling me over and over again to “touch my booty!” Tougher call, but I’ll still go with CUTE/FUNNY
Finally, she started walking around her room with her doll’s head stuck firmly between her legs. Yeah, that one was a wee bit DISTURBING.
So, 2-1 for CUTE/FUNNY. Not bad, really…
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
August 3, 2011
Ariel called me a light switch the other day. It was clearly meant as a put-down, though it was one of those, “I’m-a-4-year-old-so-anything-I-say-no-matter-how-silly-and-meaningless-is-INDESCRIBABLY-funny-right-now” kind of put-downs. In the past I’ve been a kookie head, a lollipop, AND, apparently, at times, I wear (or perhaps AM, as it wasn’t entirely clear) banana pants. I mention this because I want this out there – if in 2015 the cool way to “dis” somebody is by calling them a light switch, we all know who started the trend.
The other day Ariel decided she HAD to call her best friend (the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fabulous). This was her first ever real phone conversation with a friend, and if it was any indication, I don’t see any limited-minutes phone plans in her future. They talked for at least 45 minutes (while Ariel multi-tasked with my iPad) and probably would have kept going longer if we hadn’t interrupted. I have no idea what was being discussed, but I’m fairly certain it wasn’t the ongoing debate over the debt ceiling. At one point her grandmother dropped by for a visit. She walked over to Ariel to say hi, and was quickly dismissed from the living room as an unnecessary interruption. Of course Mr. Fabulous and I were thrilled about this whole development, since those were 45 beautiful, self-sufficient minutes during which we weren’t being asked to color or play princess or anything, but it IS a little scary to think of the damage this girl is going to do with a cell phone one day. I mean, she’s 4 years old for God’s sake.
The other day Ariel decided she HAD to call her best friend (the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fabulous). This was her first ever real phone conversation with a friend, and if it was any indication, I don’t see any limited-minutes phone plans in her future. They talked for at least 45 minutes (while Ariel multi-tasked with my iPad) and probably would have kept going longer if we hadn’t interrupted. I have no idea what was being discussed, but I’m fairly certain it wasn’t the ongoing debate over the debt ceiling. At one point her grandmother dropped by for a visit. She walked over to Ariel to say hi, and was quickly dismissed from the living room as an unnecessary interruption. Of course Mr. Fabulous and I were thrilled about this whole development, since those were 45 beautiful, self-sufficient minutes during which we weren’t being asked to color or play princess or anything, but it IS a little scary to think of the damage this girl is going to do with a cell phone one day. I mean, she’s 4 years old for God’s sake.
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