07
No Shoes? Come On In
You are now entering a shoe-free zone
If you’re a friend or family member of mine, then you know the routine by now:
Take your shoes off at the door, please.
Yes, I am one of those people.
I could blame my need to be shoe-free on my OCD tendencies. I’m certain they are largely responsible. But you could also blame it on a trip to Japan some years back or the influence of my shoe-free sister who has lived throughout Asia for many years. Or you could blame it on the fact that I used to live in one of the dirtiest cities in America. If you have ever stepped foot in San Francisco, you know what I’m talkin’ about. The streets of San Francisco might be beautifully breathtaking but if you ever look down (no, don’t look!) you will find yourself walking in a cesspool of trash and human waste. So when I was living in a downtown SF apartment with WHITE WOOL CARPET (I know, what the hell was our landlord thinking?!?), I finally put my foot down to wearing shoes indoors.
It’s not easy being shoe-free but I do try to make it easy for my guests. When we moved to our new house last year, I made a nice take-off-your-shoes area. I have a leather bench in my entrance hall where people can sit comfortably and remove their shoes. I also have a basket of clean socks and slippers for people to use, and I clean my hardwood floors daily (please don’t say it). I even have over-the-shoe booties for workers or for people that choose not to remove the shoes. Yes, I really am that crazy.
Still, some people complain about it, most notably *ahem* certain husbands. The Dude is definitely not happy about the rule, only because he claims that it’s hard to put his shoes on every morning in the garage. I get that that. We have a shelf for all the shoes near the garage door, but no place to sit. It’s easier for me since I don’t usually wear shoes with laces. I’m sure that the Monkey will complain about it, too (as well as all his friends) but to all of them I say this: when you clean my house to my ridiculously high OCD expectations that no housekeeper has ever lived up to and why I clean the whole house by myself, then you get to make the rules. Until then, Mama rules this shoe-free roost.
Do you have have a no-shoe policy, too, or are you like The Dude who thinks it’s ridiculous? I’d love to hear from you.
05
Born to Run? Not Quite.
My new kicks! Hey, I might not be a runner yet, but at least I can look the part.
I love to exercise, but running was never something I enjoyed. I would only run when necessary, like when I was chasing a ball or dribbling one. The other night I had a dream that I ran a marathon. I’m not quite sure what prompted a running dream all of a sudden. I’m surrounded by runners, especially on Facebook, but that never seemed to motivate me to kick up my heels.
Chances are, watching the images of the recent NYC Marathon entered my subconscious, which then forced its way into my dream zone. I awoke early the next morning with an urge to run. And I did. I ran one mile. Two days later I ran another mile, 2 minutes shorter than the previous run. I even went to my local running store last night and bought a new pair of shoes. If I whip out the credit card, you know I mean business.
Baby steps. A mile here and a mile there. I’ll try and run every other day and see how it goes. My goal? I hope to run a 5K within 2 months. From there, who knows. What I do know is this. It’s not so much about losing weight or looking good (although those stubborn last 10 pounds from pregnancy would not be missed). It really is about my health. I have a 2 year old that is all-boy. He loves to run and chase things, especially me. And one thing is for sure…I refuse to have a 2 year old kick my ass.
Are you a runner and have any tips? Please share!
02
Express Yourself
Eat your heart out, Pollock!
At every stage of life, nothing can quite soothe the soul and foster creativity and imagination like artistic expression. For children, this is especially true. Many therapists use art therapy as a means to understand someone who is too young to express him or herself with words. There is not one person who cannot create something in an artistic form, whether it’s with sketching, painting, sculpting, writing, poetry, music, singing, dance, or drama. I believe that parents who limit or neglect artistic expression in their homes are doing a huge disservice to their children. It’s not about talent. It’s about expressing oneself. Children often feel like they don’t have a voice in the world and art can help them speak.
As a 24 month old toddler, this is the perfect time to introduce the Monkey to different art forms. The best way to do that is just let the little one create. I put some newspaper or a vinyl tablecloth down on my kitchen table and lay out different supplies. We use playdoh, clay, and a small amount of different uncooked pastas, which is a great way to introduce little ones to different textures and the art of sculpture. We will go outside and use chalk to graffiti our fences, driveway, and sidewalk. We use crayons, markers, and stickers to create masterpieces. Like most children, the Monkey is really quite good at abstract expression. We’re working on portraits, but we’re not quite there yet.
In addition to creating our own art, we often venture out into the world of art. The Monkey was born in San Francisco and we started visiting museums with him before he was even a month old. Sure, he slept through most of the trips, but when he was awake it was quite a stimulating experience for him. We moved to another area of California that is filled with museums, many of which cater to children. It is something I greatly enjoy doing with him. He might not be able to understand the different periods of art or tell me how he interprets a certain painting, but I know he is taking it all in and expanding his creative side. (continues…)
31
Winners of the Threadless.Com Contest!!!
The 3 winning numbers!
Random.org selected comments #12, #14, and #18!
Congrats to the 3 winners! I will e-mail you your $25 gift certificate code.
Congrats again and happy shopping!
28
Baby Einstein: Genius Guaranteed! (or your money back)
The Key for Harvard? Yeah. Right.
Pardon me for being blunt, but if you’re someone who actually thinks your kid is going to become a brainiac from watching videos of funny puppets, drooling babies, and flying toys, well, then you’re clearly no Einstein yourself.
Just sayin’.
For those not in the know, I’m talking about the refund offered by Disney for the Baby Einstein videos. That’s right. Disney will refund your money if you’re not happy with the product or, in other words, your kid is not any “smarter” from watching their DVD’s. Baby Einstein is calling it the “DVD Upgrade/Moneyback Guarantee” and they will refund up to 4 Baby Einstein DVD’s purchased between June 5, 2004 and September 4, 2009. The offer is good through March 4, 2010.
I have at least 4 of those DVD’s and I will not be returning any of them.
My kid just turned two years old and he no longer watches Baby Einstein, but he used to watch it a few times a week (among other videos) starting from around 8 months. Despite the fact that those videos drove me crazy, we watched them because my kid loved them. Why wouldn’t he? Crazy graphics, flying objects, catchy music, cute drooling babies, talking puppets…it might make you want to hurl something at the TV but it’s very fun for little ones, to say the least. But is it also educational? Will it make him grow up to cure cancer or create world peace? Is he a future Doogie Howser or Bill Gates? Highly unlikely. Should he actually grow up to be a genius, (which is *ahem* very likely), I doubt I’ll be framing those Baby Einstein DVD’s right next to his Nobel Peace Prize and diplomas from Harvard. But, in all seriousness, here’s what I really value from Baby Einstein and other baby/toddler-oriented videos – they are pure entertainment. (continues…)