Danulai's Journal

Misspelling

2008-11-20T18:59:00.002-06:00

Today I was working with a student on categories. I would roll a Scattergories die and it would come up with a letter, and I'd tell her to think of all the animals, or foods, or places that began with that letter. When she rolled a W I just told her to think of all the things she could that started with W since I figured it would be a tough letter.

She did surprisingly well. I was letting her write her lists on a dry erase board since she loved writing on the dry erase board, and when she was finished her list looked like this:

WING
WEB
WANG
WALL

I looked at her list for a moment before saying, "Wing, web, good job! But, um, what were you trying to write for that third one?"

"Wagon," she said cheerfully.

"That is not how you spell wagon," I said.

Yeah. Not at all.

Hair today, gone tomorrow

2008-11-16T17:23:00.003-06:00

I haven't gotten my hair cut since March or April. This isn't because I was growing it out for any purpose...I just didn't bother to get it cut. My hair had gotten pretty long and was driving me crazy, so I decided to get it cut.

I figured that since I had longish hair I should donate it. Unfortunately my ponytail wasn't donation length (ten inches for Locks for Love, eight inches for Beautiful Lengths). Then I found an organization called Matter of Trust that takes hair of all lengths and uses it to make mats that soak up oil at oil spills. I was happy that my seven-inch ponytail would go to good use. I was also happy because if short hair didn't suit me I could just say, "Oh, I cut my hair short because I wanted to donate it." Then people would think, "Oh, how noble!" instead of, "Jeez, what a jacked up haircut."

I got my hair cut today. I think I like it.

Here's the side view. I'm not wearing make-up, so you also get a stunning view of my freckles. Lucky you!

This is my ponytail.

It really freaks Mike out, so part of me wants to keep it around the house instead of donating it. I thought I might have the best of both worlds if I could donate it to my bald son.

But that didn't work out too well.

So I guess I'll mail it off.

Someday I would like to donate my hair to Locks for Love or someplace like that. But I guess the oil spill project is pretty cool too.

Philo's new favorite toy...

2008-11-15T06:43:00.001-06:00

philoonface
Originally uploaded by Lucky Haskins

...is my face.

Meme

2008-11-15T06:33:00.000-06:00

A is for age 28
B is for beer of choice: None, I’d rather have a Smirnoff “malt beverage.” But if I have to drink beer, I take Miller Lite.
C is for career: Speech pathologist
D is for your dog's name: I don’t have any dogs, but my cats’ names are Lucky, Edison, and Juneau
E is for essential item you use everyday: computer
F is for favorite TV shows: House, Law & Order, Girls Next Door (shut up, it’s fascinating)
G is for favorite game: Scrabble, I suppose, or Monopoly
H is for Hometown: a small rural town in Wisconsin
I is for instruments you "play: I used to play saxophone, but now, nothing
J is for favorite juice: Grapefruit
K is for whose butt you'd like to kick: Nobody’s right now, it’s too early
L is for last place you ate at? A local Chinese restaurant (although I didn’t eat “at” the place, I had delivery)
M is for marriage: Yeah, I’ve got one
N is for your middle Name: Mary (how Catholic!)
O is for overnight hospital stay: When I had Philo. That was actually three nights, I think, because I spent the first night in labor at home, and the second night in labor at the hospital, and then spent two nights there after he was born.
P is for people you were with today: Nobody yet, it’s 6 AM
Q is for quote: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” – Philo of Alexandria (I didn’t name the kid after him, but I did find out about him after we chose the name, and he was a neat guy!)
R is for Biggest Regret: Nothing really
s is for sex: Female? I don’t get this question.
T is for what time you woke up today: 6:07 AM
U is for underwear you have on now: Yep!
V is for vegetable you love: Potatoes!
W is for worst habits: Procrastination
X is for x-rays you've had: Only on my teeth
Y is for something yummy you ate today: Cookies Mike made (yes, cookies for breakfast)
Z is for zodiac sign: Sagittarius

You know you have a problem...

2008-11-12T20:53:00.002-06:00

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has a blog about how drinking is a part of Wisconsin's culture.

Maybe I'm a bad Wisconsinite, but I haven't had a single drink in over a year...pregnancy and breastfeeding will do that to you.

I do miss it, though.

NOT AMUSED

2008-11-09T19:11:00.002-06:00

Mike and I went to Target on Halloween and I saw this display. I was not amused for two reasons.

1. Christmas? Seriously? It was Halloween night. I know that the last quarter of the year is basically a long holiday season but October 31st is too damn early for Christmas items.

2. Those red things are snowball makers. Kids scoop up snow and use them to make perfectly round snowballs. Come on, when I was a kid getting your hands wet was payment for getting to see your personally crafted snowball smash upside someone's head. Kids today can make their own snowballs.

Seriously. Society is crumbling.

To the Republicans in the crowd

2008-11-05T16:21:00.002-06:00

Hey guys. I know that right now most of the country - 349 electoral college votes' worth, to be exact - is celebrating and you're just standing around thinking, how did this happen? How did McCain lose? And I know that most people aren't giving you a lot of sympathy because you voted for a party that has stood guard while this country took a nosedive. However, I do feel for you. In the past two elections I learned how much it hurts when you believe something so strongly and the rest of America decides to elect a guy who is the antithesis of your beliefs. It hurts, and it's scary, and I'm sorry those feelings might be preventing you from celebrating with the rest of us.

However, I think that there are a few things that even the most Conservative folks can take away from this election.

First of all, what a historic election this was. Say what you will about African-American voters turning out to vote for Obama solely because he was black...a lot of white voters cast their ballot for him too. Would this have happened fifty years ago? I don't think so. Would this have even been possible one hundred years ago? No way. In the span of one lifetime things have changed so much for the better.

Secondly, so many peoples' faith have been renewed in the democratic process. Yes, they didn't come out to support your side. But people got involved in the process, and that's always important. Maybe next time they'll come out to the polls for you.

Finally, it shows that anything is possible. Obama really is a Cinderella story. Yes, he spent a ton of money in this campaign, but that money came from us, people who believed in him. When people rally together for a cause they can make things happen. That's the founding principle of our government. Yes, it didn't go your way this time, but the process worked as it should, and that should be a good sign.

So take heart, Republicans. Enjoying being a part of this little bit of history. And if you want, come on over here and celebrate these things with us. Mike and I are still giddy about the Obama win.

My newest addiction

2008-11-01T21:02:00.002-05:00

Last weekend Mike was cleaning the apartment while I watched Philo and asked me to turn on some music for him. "Channel 915 has good music," he said.

"On the TV?" I asked.

It was indeed on the TV. I hadn't realized that our cable gets channels that have no programming at all except music. It's not even music videos, it's just music, like the radio except you see pictures of the artist on the screen. Our cable can do lots of things that I don't know about, like get me episodes of Trick My Truck through On Demand, but this really intrigued me. I flipped through the channels until I found a channel that made me gasp in joy.

It was all 90s music.

I love 90s music. One of my favorite radio stations occasionally has all 90s weekends and I listened happily. But now I could have all the 90s music I want all the time! I'm listening to it right now. The music is nothing award-winning - stuff like "Push" by Matchbox Twenty, "Barely Breathing," by Duncan Sheik, "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, and "All I Want" by Toad the Wet Sprocket - but it all makes me gasp and ask Mike, "Remember when this song was out?"

Listening to 90s music is kind of bittersweet for me. For one thing I'm aware that I'm listening to music from a previous decade, and if I keep this up Philo will eventually laugh at my music the way I laughed at my parents' music when I was a kid. But mostly when I listen to 90s music I feel the way I did when I was in high school and at the beginning of college. It's that feeling that the world was wide open, both thrilling and scary, a time when I felt achingly isolated and also connected to something so much bigger than myself, a time of possibilities and uncertainties and potential. Maybe it was the hormones or maybe I just wasn't as jaded, but everything was more intense and exciting and important then. I miss it.

So anyway, I'm happy that I found the new channel. Even if it will make Philo laugh at me someday.

A summary of this month's movement

2008-10-31T07:49:00.002-05:00

Philo has gotten more mobile this month.

Here he is on the 4th, looking like an airplane.

Untitled from Christine C on Vimeo.

And here he is on the 19th, rocking on his hands and knees.

Rocking from Christine C on Vimeo.

And finally, the 29th, where he scooted along the floor.

Untitled from Christine C on Vimeo.

He's going to be all over the apartment by the end of the year.

Hopefully, the last political post

2008-10-29T19:24:00.001-05:00

I'm watching the Obama political program. We need him to be president so much. If he isn't elected I'll lose my damn mind.

Little Monster

2008-10-25T19:18:00.001-05:00

littlemonster
Originally uploaded by Lucky Haskins

The kid in his Halloween outfit. SCARY!

Political Post

2008-10-23T06:45:00.002-05:00

So although Joe the Plumber turned out to be sort of a jackass the Republican party is still using him as their everyman mascot. They even have a thing on their website where you can make your own personalized anti-tax sign by filling in your name and profession. Then they email you a link to a downloadable PDF of your sign. Mine says:

I AM Christine
THE speech pathologist
DON'T TAX ME FOR WORKING HARD

They let me have that sign. Unfortunately I tried to make a few others which they declined to send me.

I AM watching
THE economy crumble

I AM Sarah
THE airborne bear assassin

I AM looking forward to
THE Democratic victory

You can see more sign ideas here (NSFW).

What's the matter Republicans, you don't like my signs?

P's Christmas Gift

2008-10-20T18:36:00.001-05:00

Mike has begun Christmas shopping for Little P already. He got P a singing Brobee doll from Yo Gabba Gabba. Brobee sings, "There's a party in my tummy (so yummy, so yummy)!" as seen in this video:

It's gonna be a looooooooong Christmas.

Desperately seeking....someone

2008-10-18T07:55:00.002-05:00

Last night Mike and I went to his cousin's wedding. The reception was held in a small banquet hall attached to an Italian restaurant. Mike wound up taking Little P out...we thought he just needed his diaper changed, but it turned into a thirty minute fuss-a-thon. So while Mike was walking P around I talked with my brother-in-law, Greg.

Now, Greg is an interesting character. He's kind of intimidating because he's loud, gruff, alcoholic, often grouchy and kind of racist. But underneath that he's a really nice guy. He cares about his family very much, and in between bouts of complaining he's showing off pictures of Little P and his friends' kids. He said that he sees how happy Mike and I are, and how great it is to have P, and he wants that for himself.

All together now: Awwww.

So yeah...I think that the right lady could be really intrigued by the contradictions in him, between the macho construction worker and the softie uncle, the tough Harley rider and the guy who looks after his aging parents, the guy who likes to go out on the weekends but would rather stay home with the right woman.

Oh, and he cooks. He cooks REALLY well.

So if any of you are in southern Wisconsin and single - or know someone who is - let me know. Greg needs a lady.

Torn

2008-10-13T18:24:00.002-05:00

This past summer I spent three whole months home with Philo. There were lots of frustrations - a tiny baby is not the best conversationalist and isn't very playful or interesting - but one aspect that I did love was the singleness of purpose that I felt. I was a mother. That's it. I was recovering from the delivery and coping with a newborn...nobody expected me to do anything but be a mom.

Now that I'm back at work I've found that I feel extremely torn. I was home sick today and I think the reason for my feeling awful was partially anxiety from feeling like I'm doing everything but doing nothing well.

I work. I don't have many materials, which makes treatment hard. I could make my own things - I did that at my last job. But I started at my last job when I was single (and, when I was dating, the guy I was with lived a few hours away). I could spend all day at work and all day making worksheets and games. I could spend my prep periods making activities for the kids because I could always stay after work to write my reports. But now every minute I spend at work outside my contracted hours makes me realize that I'm taking time away from my family, so I work as fast as I can to get as much done as I can, but sometimes it feels so haphazard.

I'm a mother. I spend as much time with my baby and as much time keeping up the apartment as I can. But it never feels like enough, and sometimes I'm so tired that it feels like I can't be as emotionally present as I'd like. I feel awful when I catch myself just going through the motions with my son instead of giving him the undivided attention he deserves, and enjoying every baby moment before they're gone forever.

Mike's and my second wedding anniversary is tomorrow. But what kind of wife am I to him? I feel like he gets the remains of my attention, after work and the baby have taken most of my energy. He spends a lot of time on the internet and a lot of time engaged in his various projects, and sometimes I wonder if I was a better companion for him if he wouldn't fill up his time that way.

And then there's me. I write in my blog sometimes, and talk to my friends on the phone for half an hour maybe every other day. There are things I'd like to do. But the idea of taking any time or money or energy from my other responsibilities makes me feel insanely guilty. Right now the baby is asleep and Mike is perusing a Brewers message board, but I still feel bad.

I hate this. I hate feeling pulled in a thousand directions and not getting anything done, that I'm not good at anything. Right now I feel like I'm not a good wife, not a good mother, not a good employee, not a good friend. I'm exhausting myself just being mediocre. How do people do this?

P & JP

2008-10-13T09:15:00.002-05:00

My little boy P with his cousin, JP. JP was born about three weeks after P so they're almost the same age. It was neat to see Little P with another baby. He's enjoyed seeing my friends' kids, but they were a year or two old. He seemed to enjoy being with someone his size.

Meme!

2008-10-09T18:17:00.003-05:00

I got tagged for a meme by Debra. You can add or delete questions as you want, but I didn't alter it much.

Questions:

1. Tent or RV camping?

I like both. But tent camping has a special romance.

2. If you could have a dream come true, what would it be?

I don't know - I reached all my goals (finish school, get a job, get married, have a kid) so now I have to think of new ones. I suppose owning my own home would be on the list, but that's not so much a "dream" as "something I should probably do." I suppose retiring and traveling around with Mike would be a dream.

3. What is the one thing most hated by you?

Lack of compassion. It's why I'm a Democrat ;-)

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?

I'd go nuts donating to charity, and give up a bunch to my family.

5. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

Being with Little P.

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?

Oooh, good question. I suppose loving someone, although being loved is wonderful.

7. How do you unwind?

Napping.

8. What is your bedtime routine?

I put Little P down, I shower and set out my clothes, I make sure I have the stuff I need for work the next day, sometimes I get some time to watch TV or putter on the internet, and then it's off to sleep.

9. If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?

I think I'd watch a music composer. I have no ear for music and I'm always curious how they come up with new songs since I can't do it at all.

10. What kinds of books do you buy?

Fiction. Also humorous books, or books with strong characterization.

11. Where do you see yourself in ten years time?

Still working, in a house in Milwaukee, and probably with another kid or two.

12. What’s your fear?

That Mike will die young.

13. When all men were created equal, were women as well?

Of course.

14. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

I check the clock to see if I can sleep any longer.

15. What’s your favorite magazine?

I don't have one.

16. Formal wear or casual wear?

Casual, although dress up is fun. These days, though, it seems like I'm lucky if I can get out of the house without spit-up on my shirt.

17. Mountains or seashore?

Seashore. I'd be afraid to drive on mountains.

18. If you’re a writer, do you handwrite or type your first draft?

No, I type everything.

19. What season do you like best?

I like summer - I LOVE warm weather and long days.

20. People I’m tagging: Oh, anyone who wants to do it is fine.

SWAG!

2008-10-07T17:42:00.002-05:00

Recently Jen had a contest on her blog where if you commented you were entered into a drawing to win some of the free promotional stuff that she and her husband had brought back from Vegas. She randomly drew three names of people who had commented.

I did not win this drawing.

But then they added an extra category where her husband, Bob, picked his favorite comment and I won that! I had left a comment that was a limerick. It pays to be creative! So I got a package in the mail that had my winnings.

Now, I have a confession. I love free stuff. When I volunteered at the Wisconsin Speech & Hearing Association convention as a graduate student I grabbed so much free stuff that I STILL have pencils and pens from vendors floating around my apartment. I don't know what it is, but promotional items are just...so...cool. So yeah, I was pretty excited to get that package.

The package contained:

- a flash drive
- a t-shirt (which I'm currently wearing, since the kid spit up on the other pajama t-shirt I was wearing)
- pens (one of which had a laser pointer, which the cats have enjoyed)
- a tote bag
- a stress ball shaped like a baseball (Little P liked this)
- a bouncy ball that lights up
- jelly beans (ate those immediately)

And...A RECIPE FOR POPCORN BALLS. A little piece of me died because it couldn't stand the excitement. For some reason it never occurred to me that I could manufacture my own popcorn balls, so I was pretty excited to find out that I could. I'm going to try that out.

So yeah, thanks Jen! It was an awesome surprise.

Before and After

2008-10-05T19:01:00.004-05:00

The kid is eating cereal every day now. Mike still refuses to feed him, but I give him some every evening. Normally I sit on the floor and feed him in his Bumbo seat, but I was tired of getting a crick in my back so Mike finally assembled his highchair. Here we see Little P all ready for some food.

And after.

Lovely.

Of course, now that we have a highchair I can't say the word "highchair" without Mike singing it like these guys do:

*sigh*

In other news, I got a bunch of swag from a contest that was run by Jen. That gets its own entry! It was pretty sweet! Hopefully I'll post pics of that tomorrow.

Thoughts while watching "Girls Next Door"

2008-10-01T16:47:00.002-05:00

I kind of wonder if Hugh Hefner is a little senile at this point. If my grandpa was running around in pajamas and a sailor hat, smacking the asses of twenty-year-olds and planning Arabian-nights themed parties...well...I'd be thinking about nursing homes.

Just saying.

Photos of a Brewers game

2008-09-26T12:32:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Mike, Little P and I went to a Brewers night game. It was the first Brewers game I had gone to all season and I was pretty thrilled.

We had seats in the terrace, which is way up high. The bleachers are about the same price and closer to the field, but I like sitting in seats with backs. We settled in for a night of baseball.

After we had sat for awhile someone came up and asked us if we'd like our seats upgraded. Even though he was wearing a Brewers organization shirt I was skeptical. Then he explained that he was looking for people to take the Midwest Express Best Seats in the House. It's a promotion that's given away at every game where two people trade their crappy seats for a pair of seats from an airplane that sit on this little balcony close to the ground in the outfield. We were also told that a guy with a video camera would come down and video us during the third inning and we'd be up on the scoreboard. We were thrilled.

These were our new seats.

They were pretty comfy and we had the whole area to ourselves.

Having a baby is a great way to get the players to toss you balls. A Pittsburgh Pirate threw him a ball once they were done warming up. Our seats were right next to the Brewers bullpen so at one point a catcher called me over to the railing of our balcony and said, "Excuse me, I'm going to throw this ball up to you, okay?" He was so nice.

Apparently germs don't matter if they're Brewers germs. It was funny because neither Mike nor I have ever walked away from a Brewers game with a ball, and in his second game ever Philo got two.

One of the nicest thing about the seats were that they were on a large, carpeted platform. However, the seats were bolted to one end of the platform. From time to time camera guys would film from our balcony and sit on the platform. But when we had the place to ourselves I could spread a t-shirt on the platform and let Philo stretch out and kick his feet. I think that was the only reason we came through the game without much fussing.

We got to see the sausage race. Hot Dog won.

We also each got to see our favorite Brewers pitchers warm up in the bullpen. I got to see Eric Gagne.

And Mike got to see Brian Shouse.

And the Brewers won in the tenth inning with a home run that drove in four runs. It was so exciting.

The only bad part of the night was when Philo got hungry right before the game started, so I began breastfeeding him. Suddenly the national anthem began and everyone stood up and faced the flag...which we were sitting under. I couldn't whip Philo out from under my shirt fast enough. I was also disappointed because we were sitting under the scoreboard, and watching the scoreboard is my favorite part of the game. If I had a scoreboard and racing sausages at home I wouldn't have to go to games anymore.

But oh my gosh...it was the best Brewers game I have EVER been to. I can't wait until Philo's old enough to hear all about the night he got those two baseballs that are sitting in his bedroom.

Walking

2008-09-23T21:00:00.002-05:00

I live pretty close to my job, so I walk to and from work. When I tell people this they have one of two reactions:

"Oh, how nice that you can walk to work. That's admirable. I'd never do it."

"Walk? You mean, like, with your feet? Without a car? You really do that?"

It's so odd because in Milwaukee people walked all over the place. I got used to being a pedestrian. We must have put about a hundred miles on the kid's stroller in the three months between when he was born and when we moved.

There are a number of reasons that I walk:

1. We never replaced my car after it was totaled and it's nice for Mike to have the van for his use during the day (although most days he doesn't drive either - he takes the kid for walks too).

2. I'm trying to work off my baby weight.

3. It saves gas.

4. It's peaceful.

5. I like having some transitional time between leaving work and arriving home - it helps me to not bring my work home emotionally as much.

But despite these compelling reasons people still think it's weird that I walk.

I think it's weird that people drive.

Thanks again, Kite!

2008-09-21T07:45:00.004-05:00

Sorry there have been so many baby-centric posts lately. I know they're dull. However, I wanted to show off what is quite possibly the COOLEST shirt the young'un owns.

It's a Tom Petty onesie. Oh yeah. My baby is a rock'n'roller*.

Today we're going off to my friend Erica's baby shower. Since my parents live in that direction, and since I'm bringing the kid, we're going to stop by my parents' house too. I was also thinking about asking my friends Meghan & Ross if they'd like a visit since they live out that way too ("that way" being "east") but figured it would be too long of a day for the kid. I'll try to see them the next time I visit my parents.

I remember in college how I'd sometimes get in the car and drive around for no reason, or how I'd drive twenty miles to the next big city just so I could go to Target instead of Wal-Mart. Of course, the fact that I had a Geo Metro that got about 50 miles per thimble-full of gasoline helped. But now that gas is around four dollars a gallon here Mike and I are driving a lot less, and when we do take a longer trip we try to do as much as we can in that area. Even when we're just driving around our city we try to do all of our errands at one time so we only take the car out once. We're definitely thinking twice before driving.

* That's a Tom Petty song. Ah, the post comes full circle!

The difference a month makes

2008-09-18T21:11:00.002-05:00

Apple Fritter is growing so fast. Here he was a month ago, not able to use his hands much at all:

And now today, using them with no problem.

He'll be four months old on Saturday. Weird!

In the meantime my job has been kicking my ass. Ugh. Yesterday I came into work at 6:45 and didn't leave until 5:45. I have to come in early to prepare for lessons (my caseload is so heavy that I'm using my evaluation time for therapy and my prep time for evaluations) and stay late for meetings. Granted, that doesn't happen every day, but I don't get paid enough to keep those kind of hours. Plus their training of new staff leaves something to be desired, so I'm learning to do the paperwork mostly by doing it wrong and then having people come up and tell me so. Great.

Tomorrow's Friday, and then it's the weekend. Thank goodness.

Our Weekend

2008-09-14T19:22:00.002-05:00

This weekend we went camping. Well, kind of. To me, camping involves a tent and a fire. This weekend we just sat in Mike's parents' camping trailer out in the woods. Both the fire and the tent were nixed because it rained the entire time. However, we did experience brief intervals of wilderness when the skies cleared.

See?

I actually really like going up there. We visit Wisconsin Dells, the big tourist spot in central Wisconsin, as well as some antique malls and other stuff in the smaller towns. At night the three of us curled up on the bed to read magazines (or, in Philo's case, chew on things) and listen to the old radio. There were only a few channels that we could get - a channel with religious programming, the local weather broadcast, and a hip-hop channel. It was odd to be sitting in the woods and listening to rap, but I had fun.

We talked. Mike and I don't talk enough anymore, not real talking. Mostly when I get home from work we talk about Philo and about our new positions...my job at the new school and Mike's new job as a stay-at-home dad. Then we collapse in front of the TV and the internet until both Philo and I fall asleep. This weekend we talked about everything and anything, silly things and serious things, and that was my favorite part of the weekend.

Unfortunately, this was probably our last weekend trip of the year. It's not fun to drive long distances in the snow and I'm not up for camping in the cold, so we'll probably be in our apartment until spring. That's okay. We had a great trip to end the summer.