Batman is ... DEAD!!!

The Dark Knight was killed today. He succumbed to the vicious lips of our newest housemate, (S)Moochy.

After the dogs muddied up the floors, I sent them to the basement playroom to chill while Bela napped. I heard them barking and ramming the door so I took them a bowl of water and it was then that I saw a horrific sight. Stuffing everywhere; Bruce Wayne's alter ego laying limp upon the floor. I gasped for a full minute. "What did you do?" I implored. There was no question in my mind, or that of my canine companions, who had done this deed. (S)Moochy hung his head in shame, almost as if he were awaiting a smack on the nose. I spared him, saying only "I need to blog about this!" as I ascended the stair.

His body will be laid to rest quickly and without fanfare. I shall use one of the trash bags our own young hero likes to fashion into capes.

Woo-hoo!! Mary Jane Heppner-Gamble, a locally renowned creative movement teacher has agreed to come to Griffin's 5th birthday party to teach the youngsters how to move like superheroes. I am so excited because the kid tends to get the shaft as his birthday is only ten days before you-know-who's birthday. Griffin's party will rock!!! Take that, Jesus! (kidding, of course).

Tree

Here is a photo of G-man in Tree Pose, which he learned from Ms. Sybil, the yoga teacher at his nursery school. Notice the cool Harry Potter tie and the tough guy facial expression. Pure Griffin!

Quote of the Day

Today's quote is from Life Coach Hal Runkel, the creator of Screamfree Parenting. I hope to someday write a little about why I like this system and how I learned about it, but for now, here it is....

"While your children certainly need your guidance, they don’t need you to need them. This ironically increases the amount of stress that your child faces. Think about it: Placing your own sense of significance on the shoulders of your children is not a loving thing to do at all."

Toddler Bela is tearing apart the house, I'm trying to write a menu and grocery list, and we all need some breakfast. So, for now, adieu.

Mr. Monocles

About a year ago, Griffin created a character named "Mr. Monocles." Sometimes he is a good guy and sometimes he is not. Lately, perhaps in the last week or so, Griff has started wearing monocles, squeezing tiny, round toys into the bones of his eye socket. I remember doing this when I was a kid, too. For him, a big part of it has to do with Batman's foe, the Penguin. A long time ago, I read that it is normal for young children to pretend to be the bad guy because it makes something very scary less so, and gives them a sense of control.

Turns out, by the way, the thing I needed to finally recover from the cold from hell was ... SLEEP! I got some this weekend, taking naps in the afternoon both days, and sleeping in on Sunday morning. Yay! Unfortunately, Bela was awake a big part of last night. I'm not sure what was up with that. Teeth? Stomach upset? Hunger?

In the neverending saga of my phone troubles, I am out of minutes for the month of November. The new minutes start next Tuesday. I will have to increase my plan. Grrrr...

Green Apron Announcement

I have taken a seasonal position at Williams-Sonoma, the place for cooks. So far this gig is pretty tight. I went in to "work" on Sunday night and got to enjoy a delicious potluck and some adult company. Last night, I watched videos on ladder safety and giftwrapping. And, I got a sweet green apron and a name tag ... with MY name on it!

An Ode to My Cold

Marcy Playground wrote a song about having a cold. In general I am not a big fan of their's (their one big, breakout hit was "Sex and Candy" which just grossed me out, for some reason). So for the past ten years I have wondered about the title of this other, cooler song. I've even done a few google searches, yielding nothing, until today, when I am so utterly sick of being sick.

Here is a link to the video for "It's Saturday" on YouTube -- to hear the song without the annoying stuff at the beginning of the video, click in by about 40 seconds. The line "I've got some kind of disease," has practically been my hypochondriac mantra!

I also like MIA's "Paper Planes". The song has a sweet, floaty girl voice that hip hops weird lyrics mixed with fun sound effects.

One more YouTube video, that actually relates to being a mom, from my college roommate Sara, who is also now a mom. To my mom, if you watch any of these videos, watch this ONE!! Funny, funny stuff....

Green Goo

I have had a cold forever. For so long, in fact, that I'm no longer counting days, but weeks. It is sort of in my head. It is sort of in my chest. Mostly, it is right in between the two hemispheres of my body, right in my throat chakra.

This morning I had had enough of the whining and tattle-telling that characterize Griffin's current relationship with his baby sister. He ripped a toy from her hands, lost control of it, and it landed on my head, which in retrospect is kind of amusing. When I sent him to a timeout, my voice was so deep it scared me, all because of the gooey stuff stuck in my throat.

Griffin likely has the same cold, or a variant, as I do. Poor little kid! He has been very sensitive the past few days. I am quite certain that the cold has been a contributive factor to his crankiness towards his sissy. He has also been very sensitive with his friends at school, and cried twice yesterday when they were chasing him in the yard. He did a great job of telling his teachers what was happening and asking them for help. Their response was equally great - they told the children that their rough games were not making Griffin feel safe. "Safe" is a term that 4- and 5-year olds really GET.

I tell the children to rest, but here I am, not napping with my one and only chance.

Ooh, but there is a story about green pest control on Day to Day right now. Hmmm.. I wonder if Orkin would consider some of these tactics for ridding my home of its ant population? The integrative pest management companies they are profiling on NPR do cool stuff like bug birth control, bug vacuums, and a bug-sniffing dog.

Cloth Diapers for Sale (Not Rent!)

Cloth Diapers for Sale, Not Rent, As in the classic song, "King of the Road"

I have the following cloth diaper package for sale, please e-mail me if you are interested in purchasing it.

30 prefolds (the cloth part)
8 bummis (including 1 polar/fleece bummi, 4 patterned bummis)
1 bumkin all-in-one
3 pro raps
1 iplay swim diaper
2 laundry bags
All packed inside a Diaper Champ by Baby Trend!

The diapers are recommended for babies 0-6 months. Bela was able to wear them a little bit longer because she is small. They are in fairly good condition. None of the prefolds are terribly stained, and everything has been washed, re-washed, and washed again. :)

I am asking $40 (just the dipes/covers cost me about $200 from Earth Baby last August) so this is a good value. And you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you are helping make the earth a better place for your child. Remember: it may take up to 500 years for ONE disposable diaper to decompose.

All Quiet on the Blogging Front

So the posts have been rather slow to appear lately. Why, I ask myself. Have I begun to already lose interest in blogging? Am I really that much busier, and if that is the case, what, pray tell, have I been doing?? No, I think the main problem is that I don't know who the audience is for this thing -- if I even want there to be one. Very few people know The Jolly Mama exists.

At the outset I had two, competing thoughts about this issue of audience. First, I wanted to use it to show potential employers that I was comfortable with writing on the Web. One freelance gig said it was "favorable" for candidates to write their own blog. All well and good. Here is The Jolly Mama, the carefully edited day-after-day-in-the-life of a mom and her two kids, told through the framework of the mom's interests -- yoga, kids' television, etc.

I also thought it would be a good way to keep friends and family, both near and far, abreast of our antics and adventures. What a great way to post photos -- something I am notoriously bad at sharing with everyone! The blog has been a good memory keeper for me, as well. A benefit that I hadn't fully considered beforehand.

But, in the end, it has been consistency -- the boogeyman of effective mothering -- that has tripped me up. Just jotting something -- anything -- down everyday. Devoting just 15 minutes to a single task. Not caring if it is not perfect. Arrrggghhh! Well, carry on, I say. Carry on.

Am I a Martyr or a Mother?

Today has been a walking meditation. Bela woke me up at 5:00 a.m. and, unable to get her successfully back to bed by 6:00 a.m. when Griffin woke up -- also WAY too early -- I gave up. I was not content, however, to simply greet my two little sunshines with a smile and bowls of cereal. I bitched. I threatened. And, inwardly, I felt very, very sorry for poor little ol' me who didn't get enough sleep ... and guilty that I was being so very, very undisciplined. Until I began to incorporate a few of the habits I've learned from meditation. As each negative thought would bubble to the surface, I would label it and then let it go. That "poor little ol' me" bit? Martyrdom. Goodbye, martyr!

Video Stars

Two little videos coming - one of Bela from a couple weeks ago and one that Griffin made yesterday (note the "special" effect!)