Posts from the “Good day” Category

Pea’s most excellent day

Posted on June 6th, 2013

Sushi Ice cream Wonderful lunch companions Feed a rabbit Hold a garter snake (and release in a safe spot) Chase chicken Watch sheep running Pet farm dogs See ducks Swallows’ nest with babies (and Mama and Papa swallows) Gorgeous Oregon spring/summer day (high of 80, sunny, slight breeze) And it was nice for me as well — until the antihistamines started wearing off (good grief, but this is the worst allergy season I can remember in a long time).

Categories: Good day

Ms. Pea goes to law school

Posted on May 7th, 2013

After her piano lesson, instead of hitting OMSI like we usually do, I took Pea to the state park by the law school. It was a lovely day, and after three days of not going anywhere, I wanted to be OUT. (Also, because of the condo painting schedule, I’m stuck home waiting for someone to paint our door…and they gave a two-day window, for Wednesday and Thursday. Really, couldn’t nail that down?) So we were going to enjoy nature today, damn it. It was a good hike for her. Getting there was a lot of up and down hiking in lush forest, for about 1.20 miles. We saw three banana slugs, which prompted no screaming (two flies and a spider, on the other hand,…

Categories: Good day, Law, Portlandia

Gallbladders and Gardens

Posted on April 24th, 2013

Another day, another doctor’s appointment. Today it was mine, to get an order for a HIDA scan of my Schrodinger’s gallbladder (when scanned, it always looks normal). Since any dairy or animal fat right now makes me incredibly queasy, I’m subsisting on rye crackers and Lilly’s Smoked Tomato & Basil hummus.* (This is a perfect meal, but I suspect that I might get tired of it after a year or two.) I would really like to have my gallbladder out. It would be one less body part betraying me. We’d hoped to go to the zoo after the appointment, but there was no parking to be had at 10:30. Instead, I threw caution to the wind and took Pea to the Japanese Garden. It…

Categories: General Parenting, Good day, Portlandia

Average day…at least for today.

Posted on April 22nd, 2013

I am starting to read homeschooling memoirs and tips but, because I have a five year old (and not a fifth grader), most of what I’ve found doesn’t apply to our situation. (I continue to despise the word homeschool. If I contribute nothing else meaningful to the world, it will be a new word for what we’re doing. Just give me time to think of one.) In all honesty, I don’t know what an average day for us looks like, let alone a day in the life of an average homeschooler. As much as I love organization and would like to say “Monday is for reading, Tuesday is for music, Wednesday is for math,” that isn’t pragmatic. For one thing, I may wake up…

Categories: General Parenting, Good day, School

Sharing happy news (update to Ask AAL)

Posted on April 19th, 2013

Do you guys remember the question from the reader who was going to be sitting for the Florida bar exam while 39 weeks pregnant? Well. Not only did she have a huge, happy, healthy baby boy back in March, but she was also just sworn into the Florida bar. Congrats!

Categories: Advice, Good day

She speaks Lorikeet

Posted on April 9th, 2013

Sadly, the video file is too large to upload, but in it, she turns to me and says, “I speak Lorikeet, you know.” Then she proceeded to interpret for the birds. It was pretty damned funny. After the zoo, we ate at the restaurant, where I worked in some academics. We skip counted. We did “which number is larger?” questions. We played number guessing games. At home, it was time for piano practice, the one place I’m a total tiger mom. Seriously, I am a martinet about piano. I make it fun, but — maybe this is because I know how important it is, or maybe this is because this is something I know — she works harder on piano practice than in any…

Categories: Epiphanies, Good day

Sweet Dreams

Posted on April 8th, 2013

I went to wake Pea a little after 9 AM. (Yes, she will sleep in most days, no matter how early she goes to bed.) “Good morning, Pea,” I say. “Morning, Mama.” She stretches. “I had a dream about ponies and going shopping.” “Really? I had dreams about taking you to the zoo, but you had to take a shower first. So get up and get in the shower.” She starts down the ladder. “Oh, this is going to be so weird.” “Why?” “Because I’m doing this just like in your dream!”

Categories: General Parenting, Good day

And for my next trick –

Posted on March 14th, 2013

–I still don’t know. But I do know I’ve spent a lot of time with Pea and we’ve had fun. Museums, outings, even just hanging around. Not having the morning drama has been wonderful: the getting her ready, the gauntlet of cultists at school, the increasingly emotional drop-offs? No, I don’t miss it. I am most productive first thing in the morning and it’s nice to get the time back. I don’t regret the decision to pull her. I’ve still had time to write and read and make the occasional move in WWF. The dishes and laundry still somehow get done. She hasn’t asked once about going to school.

Categories: General Parenting, Good day

Diplomatic washing machine (a rambling update)

Posted on March 10th, 2013

I’ve discovered the way to avoid the time-distortion caused by DST is to stay up until 3 (or 4) a.m. reading a novel that I can’t put down. Because when the alarm went off to give Pea her antibiotic (“Alive and Kicking” — much mellower than the usual alarm song), I was so confused about what time or day it is that being off an hour didn’t matter. In other news, I enjoyed The Secret Keeper. Friday Pea and I spent most of the day at OMSI. We go regularly, but it was a better day out than most. We did an experiment with yeast and sugar in the chemistry lab. She impressed the older gentlemen working in the paleo lab by rattling off…

Categories: General Parenting, Good day

And the verdict

Posted on March 7th, 2013

We pulled her. I made up my mind Tuesday night and did it formally yesterday. As many people pointed out and I concluded, there are other ways to teach responsibility and follow through. Friend RGP pointed out there is value, too, in teaching Pea when to stop doing something that isn’t working. I was taught to mindlessly follow through with everything and doubt my own judgment. Additionally, my parents rarely stood up for me, but when they did — generally in a school setting — it made a huge impression on me. So, long story short, yesterday I was cornered by both kindergarten teachers (I had perhaps exchanged ten words with the other one, total) when I went to pick up Pea. They accused…

Categories: Good day, School