This week’s Monday Listicles asks us to share 10 things from our closets. Ta da!
I was reading this Expatria, Baby post about the flooding in Jakarta.
We used to live in a crappy apartment. How crappy?
So it was a crappy apartment. But even as we complained about it, we could not get over the fact that for most of the world, it was a palace. Seriously, two people in a two-bedroom apartment? That only had holes in the walls for part of the time? And actually had a toilet and a tub and a sink? I am not being even slightly snarky when I say that we were always very aware that this is a lavish existence for most of the world.
We are incredibly grateful to live in our small house. Now there are three of us, and it has three bedrooms. And the walls and the plumbing are now under our control instead of the landlord’s. It really is amazing to us.
We know that while our lifestyle is modest for many in this country (and unbearable for the Kardashians and their ilk), it is beyond imagining for a great many more.
We’re all rich. We just don’t know it because we’re looking in the wrong direction. Maybe “aspirational” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Photo by Mr. Sandwich.
I’m thrilled to be a featured writer at Studio30 Plus! I’m writing about one of the ways my real-world parenting has diverged from my theoretical, pre-Baguette parenting–and how maybe, just maybe, the two are getting closer:
I used to imagine what I’d be like as a mom. I’ve always known I wanted children, so the idea of being a mom came pretty naturally. And I had a great mom, so I knew I wanted to incorporate a lot of what she did into my own parenting.
Also, I was going to be organized.
The mom in my head had a mudroom with hooks for jackets, hats, and scarves. She had a perfectly organized filing system. She had a system for keeping track of which permission slips and report cards needed to be signed for each child. And she cooked wholesome, nutritious meals from scratch, for the whole family.
To read the rest of the post, visit Studio30 Plus.
Forgive me for the rambling post. It won’t be the last.
Two months ago, I wrote that we were exploring speech therapy for Baguette, based on feedback from her school and our concerns about her confidence levels.
While we were able to get an in-network referral, it wasn’t possible to get a timely appointment. And while the public school system does offer free speech therapy, Baguette isn’t old enough qualify for it, and we didn’t want to wait until she is. So we got references and decided to pursue private therapy.
For nearly two months, Mr. Sandwich has been taking her to the therapist’s office twice a week, and the therapist has made some visits to Baguette in her classroom.
I have to be honest–I don’t really understand a lot of this. To start with, I haven’t seen the speech therapist since the original evaluation. For a host of reasons, it’s easier for Mr. Sandwich to take time away from work than it is for me. And a lot of the terminology is foreign to me; I’m trying to learn it, but I think that there’s a certain amount of irony that a field that is about improving communication uses jargon that gets in the way of communication.
The therapist’s concern isn’t so much about enunciation as it is about the way Baguette uses language; she apparently uses it internally rather than externally. (If this topic is new to you, do you understand what that means, or do you need someone to explain it to you? That’s the kind of jargon I’m talking about.)
The focus is on play, encouraging Baguette to communicate in specific ways. Right now we’re working on getting her to answer questions with “Yes.”
I spoke by phone with the therapist before Christmas, and she said that Baguette is “making wonderful progress.” People around us say that they see her being much more interactive with her peers, and that she talks more freely and confidently. We see that ourselves.
So you may understand my frustration and confusion when we learned that in addition to her twice-weekly sessions (at least one of which will be paired with a music therapy session), they want to add three occupational therapy sessions each week. If Baguette’s progress is so wonderful, why are we more than doubling–possibly even tripling–her therapy? Why does she need sessions every day?
People keep coming back to the fact that she plays with sand, often lying down in it and pouring it over herself. They say that this isn’t “purposeful play.”
So, in my effort to be a good and involved parent, I set out to research “purposeful play.” And I have no idea what it is. I see the phrase used, but I can’t find a solid definition of it. And I can find nothing about why the way Baguette plays with sand is bad. In fact, all I can find is that sand play is really, really good.
Next week we go to the in-network evaluation. I’m curious to hear what they have to say, and what services will be available to us. But right now I’m very, very skeptical.
This week’s Monday Listicles is 10 Best Movie Quotes. So if you’ve ever wondered what Mr. Sandwich and I sit around quoting, well, here’s your answer. And while we’re at it, do you recognize any of these?
1) “But I was going to Toshi Station to pick up some power converters!”
2) “Do a good job, get a better job.”
3) From Star Trek II: The Wrath of
5) “The trick is not minding that it hurts.”
7) “Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line.”
9) “That’s my secret, Captain. I’m always angry.”
10) NSFW because of language, but it shouldn’t be a surprise if you read my post about holiday movies.
This update is very out of date; we’ve had heat for about 6 weeks. But then there were the holidays, and Baguette got sick, and I got sick, and then work started, and that’s just how it goes. So, here’s what it looks like when your rooftop heating and a/c unit has to be replaced:
And it’s a good thing, because between colds and southern California’s version of winter, we’ve had plenty of opportunity to use it. Here’s to technology.
Photos by Mr. Sandwich.
So many blog posts, so little time! I have a number of posts in mind, some requiring a lot of photo editing and some requiring a lot of writing. Yet what I lack is the time to do either right now.
In the meantime, here’s a fairly recent photo of Baguette attempting to break into a store after hours so that she can play with their statue of an elephant herd.
Today’s Monday Listicles ask us to post 10 things we have no intention of changing in 2013. So here are some areas in which I plan to maintain status quo:
1) Hair color: This is not the year I let my gray grow in, no matter what you think my roots are telling you right now.
2) Starbucks: I still love my vanilla lattes with skim milk, and they still make an excellent treat.
3) Laundry: I’m going to keep air-drying as much of our clothing as possible.
4) TV: I’ll still have more shows in the DVR than I can possibly watch.
5) Slow cooker: This will still be a mainstay of my cooking.
6) Mobile tech: I’ll still rely on it, probably more than I should.
7) Ice cream: I eat it pretty much every night. It makes the day end on a happy note.
8) Blogging: I want to be open while continuing to write things that Baguette won’t mind reading later.
9) Style: I will probably continue to eschew patterns for the most part.
10) Family: They’ll continue to be the most important thing in the world to me.
Photo by chicagogeek, via Flickr. Creative Commons.
I’m going to eat more greens. Starting with this smoothie (kale, spinach, frozen fruit, almond milk–if you were wondering).
Also, maybe I should work on my food photography.
Happy New Year, everyone!
I had a “Best of 2012” post in the works, but I just wasn’t feeling it. What am I feeling?
Grateful. I’m really happy that this blog reaches people, whether few or many, and that people want to read what I have to say.
So thank you, readers. Thank you for your visits and your comments and your links. Thanks for coming back. It really means a lot to me.
And have a safe and wonderful New Year’s Eve!
Photo by woollywonderworks, via Flickr. Creative Commons.