Off to work!

Sometimes it's strange to be the one working in the house. I've said many times that Chris and I have a "traditional role" reversal: He's the stay-at-home parent, and I'm the worker at this point in our lives. So, it shouldn't surprise us that the kids react to this role reversal. In a classic family unit (do those even exist anymore?????), the mom would stay home with the kids all day long. When the dad came home, the kids would jump all over him and demand his attention since he'd been gone all day. Then they would stand at the windows and wave him good-bye the next day. Right? Well, maybe in some people's little worlds. Anyway......

My kids are Mama's kids. There's just no way around it. The boys, sure. We all hear about Mama's boys. But Paige is a Mama's girl too. My theory is that it's because I'm the one who heads off to work. They get to have their Daddy around all the time, and not me, so whenever I'm home they cling like little monkeys. Very sweet when I come home, but heartbreaking when I leave. Little Finn is just getting this all figured out. Just in the last week, he's started crying when I leave for work, and he'll even start to get fussy if he sees me in my work scrubs. Tonight I switched a shift at work unexpectedly. Aiden looked at the calendar and said, "But Mommy, it's Wednesday. You don't work Wednesdays." And I said that tonight I did. Well, the poor kid got a little angry with me and insisted that I couldn't go to work, and that I had to call them and tell them that I just wasn't going in. *Sniff sniff.....* Paige is the only one who seems like she could care less about it right now. As long as Pingu is on, she's golden!

I assure Chris on a regular basis that the kids love him just as much as they love me. It's just a case of them seeing him more. My proof? When he goes out for some time by himself- to a friend's house, or the grocery store even- he's not gone for 30 minutes before they start in with the "where's Daddy"s and "when's Daddy going to be home"s!!! Kids....

A new techie gadget

When Kelsey and Christie (my sis- and mom-in-laws) came out a few weeks ago, my mom-in-law brought a friend's Kindle with her. A Kindle is like a mini-computer that is about paperback sized that holds e-books. So, a hand-held book reader. I had heard of these before but never seen one up close and personally. It was pretty interesting. Just last night, I got an email from Barnes and Noble about the release of their own handheld book reader, the nook. Now, those of you who know me well (or maybe not well at all) know that I am an avid reader. I love books and have a collection of over 300 of my own. Maybe not such a a staggering number, buy hey, they're mine. I LOVE books- the stories they hold, the way they smell, the way they feel.... So, this notion of an electronic handheld that stands in for a book leaves me conflicted.



What I think would be good about having a e-reader:

• They are highly portable. About the size of a paperback or small hardback, but thin as a magazine.... You'd have tons of books at your fingertips without taking tons of books with you.


• They hold potentially thousands of books (in one place!), depending on what kind of storage option you choose.


• They say that the ebooks offered are going to be less expensive than the list price of many books, and that some books will be offered for free.


• With some programs, if you forget your e-reader at home, you can upload your book to your iphone or Blackberry for further reading pleasure.


• These hold not only books, but e magazines and e newspapers. And the nook is also an mp3 player.
• The e-reader can lay flat or be held in one hand. Making a mostly two-handed project into a one handed project. (I don't EVER break the spines on my paperbacks, so reading always requires 2 hands.)
  

What would not be good about an e-reader:

• It's an electronic gadget. What if it crashes? You could potentially lose all of you stored books. Chris assures me that my library would be maintained at either amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.... But what if the site crashed??? I just don't trust it. Plus, kids can be really hard on electronics- whether they are allowed to touch them or not.
• Reading on a computer is just not the same as reading a book. They have fixed the e-readers so the backgrounds aren't so bright, but not having trialed one, I'm not sure if it would help or not. Also, the e-readers only offer one page at a time viewing, which just feels odd for someone used to reading two side-by-side pages at a time.
• I love just sitting and perusing my collection of books. There is something very satisfying about seeing them all lined up on the shelves. All the bright colors, clever titles, and collected authors there in one place. And skimming the titles often brings back memories and feelings from the time when I read the book. One little hand held reader would be pretty boring to look at.
• If you have one and buy the e-books, do you also then buy a hard copy of a book that you particularly loved? Or, in acquiring an e-book reader, do you then re-buy all your old favorites to go in your e-book?
• it's just not a book.... Doesn't smell the same, doesn't feel the same......

I don't know if I would love one. I think for portability and convenience it's a great idea. And if one was rich and could buy books in duplicate, it would be a handy little thing to have around. Especially if you traveled a lot, or (like me) were prone to sticking a book into your pocket or purse no matter where you are going for the day.

Bottom line... I would love to try one out. Not likely to happen, since the reader alone is around $250.00. We're certainly not going to spend that kind of money just for me to try something.. what if I hated it??? Then I would have to load books on it, and I really dislike uploading things to electronic devices. It takes a long time, in a schedule where I already don't have much time. I bet I could get Chris to do it for me, though.....

If only Barnes and Noble would lend me one for a couple weeks......

I have a goal....

I'm going to be done present shopping for the kids before Thanksgiving for the holidays this year. I'm committed to it!!! I sat down last night and made a list of what they are going to get and started perusing the internet. So many places are having early sales and great deals right now that I'm not going to wait. Like I always wait.... Then end up being disappointed when I can't find the same thing at the same price later in the season. I've also got a list that has me spending about $150 each for the big kids- S-A-N-T-A gifts and all!!! I am, however, still stumped as to what to buy the little one.
I'll let you know later if i works out....

Why.....

....Why must children rise with the sun????

What a ham!

Apparently, I have Finn trained. In the past, Finn has always frowned at the camera with the "What the hell is that thing???" look on his face when I pull it out to take pictures. However, in the last 2 weeks or so, he has been all smiles when I pull the camera out. I better take advantage of that now.......

An Interesting Question....

So, Chris posed a very interesting question on his blog yesterday (that's at www.athomedaddy.com): Vampire or Lycan??? He was exploring the pros and cons of being either a vampire or a werewolf. Now, you'd have to be dead or living in a cave to not have heard of Stephenie Meyer and her Twilight series. I am a fan. We'll leave it at that. But it lets me take the vampire/lycan question of Chris's in a new direction: Which would I rater date, a vampire or a werewolf?

A question that I'm sure is being debated on blogs, IMs, posts, and chats everywhere. However, before that question can be answered, we must answer an even more pertinent question- Who's fantasy world are we living in? Stephanie Meyer's world of cold vampires and shapeshifters, Anne Rice's world of immortal beings struggling with morality, Patricia Briggs's, Laurell K. Hamilton's, or even Sherrilyn Kenyon's alternate worlds where vampires and werewolves each have different places in the hierarchy... Or are we in one of my all time favorite movie places- the world of the Underworld vamps and wolves?

Since her universe is so well known right now, and in honor of the movie that is coming out this month, let's go with Stephenie Meyer's Twilight world. In which case I would much rather date a werewolf. Here are a few of my top reasons:

1.) Have you seen those boys??? Whether on -screen or in my imagination, the 6'5 to 6'8, tanned, muscle bound shapeshifters have a much more commanding presence than the willowy, pale vamps.
2.) The wolves are alive. Vampires are dead. Yes, that makes them immortal and unchangeable, but change is not necessarily a bad thing. And SM's werewolves enjoy their own brand of longevity.
3.) As a chronically cold person, who actually wants to snuggle up to a marble cold, man-shaped statue??? Uncomfortable!!! And while the wolves run extra-hot, it's way more fun to take extra layers off than to put them on ;).....
4.) SM's Olympic coven is different in that they are a family unit; most of her vamps are solitaries, or travel in pairs. The wolves live in a large family-based and family-oriented community- and nothing is more important than family.
5.) The wolves imprint. If you happen to be lucky enough to be the object of an imprint, then your man will never cheat, never love any one else "that way", and never leave. You're lucky if your vampire mate leaves you alive, or doesn't kill you while trying to turn you.

Okay, yes, if your wolf doesn't imprint on you then there is the chance that he will on someone else- and that would suck. And yes, you'd have to worry about your man exploding into a horse-sized furry ball of fury if he ever really lost his temper, but what's life without a little excitement???

GO TEAM JACOB!!!

Happy Halloween

In the words of Aiden (every few houses), "This is the best Halloween EVER!!!!!!"

It looks as though Chris and I have instilled our love of Halloween into the kids. Starting with the pumpkin patch mid-month, to picking out costumes, carving pumpkins, and finishing with the Big Night of dressing up and trick-or-treating. We try to instill the sense of magic and excitement that we felt as kids. I think it worked this year. The kids were so excited, and had so much fun.

Aiden was a (very skinny!) skeleton this year accompanied by a pink and black Kitty Paige, and Penguin Finn. We had a bit of trouble with Paige and the face makeup, but finally got it all figured out. Aiden impressed us and wore his mask almost the whole time, and Finn managed to stay awake through the whole experience.

Chris stayed home to had out candy this year while I took the kids out trick-or-treating. We hit six streets and the kids got a ton of candy. All of which Paige will want to eat, and none of which Aiden will eat. It was great fun to see all the houses that were decorated, but the number of houses not participating in the holiday surprised me. Boo on them!

The weather was perfect when we started out- the sun was out and there was lingering warmth from the day. It got colder as it got darker, and by the time we were done, the kids were ready to take their "popsicle" hands back in the house.

We loaded into the car after trick-or-treating for a quick trip to the Kohlbeckers' place- they love Halloween more than we do, and always decorate their house to show it. I wish I'd taken my camera. It was scary, over the top, and so much fun!!!

Then it was back home for face washing, jammies, and bed. Whew! The kids said a million times what a great time they had.