Walking In Memphis

We have a trip to Memphis coming up, and while our feet may wind up ten feet off of Beale, we're looking for recommendations for dining and things to do/see. Walking distance of downtown will be a plus.

We DO have a tentative jaunt to Graceland planned - it just feels like something that should be done when in Memphis.

Also, according to Google maps we'll be spending about 2 hours driving through Arkansas. I guess we'll have to see a site so I can make an official addition to my map.

In the meantime, throw out any suggestions you might have.

Fallout Day

Three and a half days off of school, wrapped around a holiday weekend filled with candy, family gatherings, and lax naptimes/bedtimes.

Need I say more?

My favorites for Dancing With The Stars this season:

Kristi Yamaguchi and Shannon Elizabeth for the girls.

Jason Taylor and Mario for the guys.

I get the feeling that professional dancer Karina Smirnoff is no longer seeing her former dance partner Mario Lopez...I'm not sure why. I looked around on the internet tonight, but can't find it on any gossip sites.

That's it. I'm toast and calling it a night.

Love Is Respecting The Mama

Getting bright colors when she says no sissy pastels.

...and making sure that everyone knows that "yes, she's really due in two months...I KNOW, she so doesn't look like she's that far along..." without (lovingly) adding, "the hag".

We passed along all our Hawaiian baby-ware.

Happy Love Thursday.

Lunch Anyone?

The girls had an early dismissal day today, and so I prepared the usual early dismissal day lunch of chicken nuggets and cheesy noodles. On the days that I just have E3 and F here for lunch I'm too impatient to wait for nuggets and noodles to cook and opt for something quicker and/or simpler. Like, nuggets and noodles is some elaborate gourmet lunch that I can't be bothered with, right?

So, I start the lunch prep as soon as we got home from picking up F, thinking the big girls would be arriving in about 20 minutes. Twenty-five minutes later, I was wondering where they were....but, maybe they stopped to help E1's teacher clean-up the classroom. Thirty minutes later I called the school...busy....busy...busy. Finally I got through and asked if the girls were still there.

Why, yes, they were. School doesn't dismiss today until 1:45 - not 11:45 like I thought.

Not a big deal, really.

Except I made more lunch than two 4 year-olds and I can possibly consume.

Petition

I'm thinking of starting a petition to change the name of Fifth Disease.

E1 got the 'slapped cheek' look on Thursday, and E2 followed on Saturday. Anyone who's ever had to inform their children that they have it, and has seen their children's eyes pop open in fear will join me, I'm sure. You have Fifth DISEASE.

I'm expecting E3 to follow suit, but I wonder how long I should wait before I release her to the presence of pregnant women.

I'd be happy with Fifth Virus, really I would...although, who was the lazy schmoe who came up with the original name anyway?

The Birds!

We've been having days every now and then, that set our minds thinking of Spring. Today is the warmest day yet, with the high estimated to be 70 degrees, I believe.

I can't help but think the teachers in the area are so grateful to be able to send the kids outside to run off some energy today.

With the warmer weather comes the birds. I received a charming little bird feeder for Christmas and it's become quite the hopping place for our fine feathered friends. Most days, we get to enjoy seeing Cardinals, nuthatches, sparrows, wrens, and the occasional Blue Jay. However, in these early days of Spring, there are all those roving bands of starlings - or whatever those black birds are; you see them descend upon a yard, field, or any expanse of grass, and soaring through the air in a seemingly endless expanse - like a bolt of bird fabric*.

E3 enjoys these bands of birds and likes to call out, "It's a FLOCK OF BIRDS!", which was even more fun to hear before she became more distinct in her pronunciation (AFWOCKABIRDS!), and we see them EVERYWHERE as we go about our day to day business; even in our own backyard.

Unfortunately, the marauders are looting my feeder at an alarming rate - and crapping all over the back porch. I demand that they return to the dark forests, or from wherever they emerged, so I don't go broke trying to keep the usual backyard birds fed.

*I could have sworn there was a sniglet for that, but maybe I'm confusing it with yard ribbon.

My Shovel Is Ready

Let's get crack-a-lackin', Spring.

Paradise Found

Rob and the girls sent me a Google Earth image of the location of the palm tree I've used in my sidebar photo. Our vacation house was just off-photo a little bit Northeast of the orange roof. Easy walking distance to Poipu beach, which is the same beach where we saw a monk seal sunning itself.

Hawaii is awesome.

Love Is...

Dreaming of Salt Pond Beach, Oahu

Happy Love Thursday

Knowing Herself, Or Knowing Too Much?

"Mom, I don't like those panties with the princess castle on them. Every time I wear them they give me a wedgie." ~ E3

I'm pretty sure "wedgie" was NOT in E1's vocabulary when she was four.

The Family Who Reads Together

...goes to get eye exams together. It's something like that, right?

Rob, E1 and I had our eyeballs examined yesterday.

Rob for his annual check-up.

Me because it's been over ten years since my last eye exam.

E1 because a week ago she casually mentioned that she was having trouble seeing some posters at the front of the classroom. After consulting with her teacher via email...and her teacher asking her about the things she couldn't see (some things were printed in a 68pt font!) we added her to our already scheduled appointment.

Why haven't I been to an eye doctor in over ten years? I haven't felt the need to go, of course. I always passed those screenings in grade school, and at my driver's ed exam. In fact, the time I went about 11 years ago was the first time I'd ever been to an eye doctor. The only reason I went that time was because I was changing jobs and the former job had vision insurance - I figured I should at least take advantage of that benefit before I lost it.

My eyes were fine that day - the most eventful part of the exam was when the doctor dilated my eyes...and then forgot I was there. I was the last patient of the day, and thankfully Rob was there to drive me home AND to remind them of my presence because the doctor then had to dilate my eyes again because too much time had passed. I guess that's the one reason having more eye exam experience would have been helpful - I would have known that they'd forgotten me.

Vision exams have changed a bit in the last 11 years - surprising, right? They took digital photos of our eye-innards and we got to see our optic nerves! WOO - good family fun!

Last night my eyes were fine too - a very minor correction that the dr said didn't warrant his recommendation for glasses. Fingers crossed that E2 or E3 inherited my vision!

E1 is a bit excited about her glasses (pink!) and informed us on the way to dinner that her American Girl book (probably The Care and Keeping of You) says that some girls consider their glasses an accessory. We can only hope her delight will last.

[Edit] It is SO wrong that they send you out there to shop for frames while your eyes are dilating. You can barely discern differences in style, much less read the price tag. I kept having to send E1 across the room so I could see how frames looked on her face.

Over A Month Early

I just plopped some cash I'd been stockpiling into Rob's hand and sent him off with the girls to buy himself a new grill. Ours has seen better days - we've had it for 13 years now - and it currently has only one hot spot where the food gets engulfed in flames. He's been talking about trying to find replacement parts for it, but I was hoping none were available so I could get him a new one for his birthday.

Over lunch today, we were discussing what we should have for dinner and decided to grill, which brought about the 'do you want to fight with the grill tonight' conversation. Rob suggested we go over to his Dad's to grill...but his Dad is off galavanting and won't be home in time for dinner.

And so, I told him Happy Birthday early (which caused the girls to begin singing 'Happy Early Birthday to you!') and sent him off to the hardware store. They've just returned home and reports are that there's a new stainless grill out there.

We'll be having tasty, tasty murder for dinner.