Four Feet More

Eamon's in a contradict-everything-I-say-in-a-high-pitched-voice phase, and it's extremely tedious.  During one loud episode, during which I childishly held up a "What do we want?  COOPERATION!  When do we want it? NOW!" strike sign, Eamon yelled, "What do you mean by cooperation???!!!"

Ah, yes.  I guess it would be a good idea to clarify that, wouldn't it? 

The teacher in me took over and I grabbed a piece of chart paper to begin my mini-lesson on cooperation.  At the top I wrote, "COOPERATION" and underlined it.  Below that I made two columns, one headed with a drawing of an eye an the words "Looks like" and the other with a drawing of an ear and the words "Sounds like."  As an afterthought, I inserted the word "Family" before the "Cooperation" title.  This chart is a trick I learned in my GLAD training, an I do it every year with my students.  I'm not sure why I didn't think to do it with my kids.  Chart prepared, the four of us sat around the table and began brainstorming what cooperation in a family looks like and sounds like.  These are the things we came up with: using kind words, asking "How can I help?," teamwork, and encouraging each other.  Another interesting idea that came up, which wouldn't have occurred to me, is "Walking together."  When we are out in public, Vika generally walks far behind us and Eamon walks far ahead.  The kids and Jeff noted that when we all walk together, we are cooperating and being more of a family. 


It was a good lesson, and I think the kids have a better understanding what we mean by cooperation in a family.  I've spotted both kids standing in front of the chart (which we've hung by the kitchen), reading over the bullet points on their own.  We are also able to refer to the chart when someone needs a reminder about cooperation.  This worked against me the other day, when I was feeling irritable and Vika pointed to the chart with the reminder, "Is that a kind voice, Mama?"  Oh brother. 

Things have been a little tough here lately, and it seems that Jeff and I are making far more negative comments to our kids than positive.  It must be a burden on their self-esteem, so we took a step back and did another activity to remind everyone of the good things we see in each other.  I took some photos of the kids' faces and put them in the middle of a square piece of paper.  One page was for Eamon and the other was for Vika.  Around their picture, we wrote the good qualities and things we love about each child.  Eamon's page says things like: loving, caring, funny, affectionate.  Vika's says words like: determined, helpful, adventurous and loving.  The kids ate this activity up.  It was good for them to hear the things we love about them, and to remind them that despite the rough patch we're going through, they are great kids and we feel lucky to have them in our lives.  These pages have an added benefit for Jeff and I as well.  When the kids are driving us nuts and we're reaching our breaking point, we can look at the page and remind ourselves of the good things about each child.  It kind of helps put things in perspective and helps us focus on the child as a whole, not just the bad behavior he or she is currently displaying.

I got this idea from mom, and thought that since this month marks the start of a new decade, it would be nice to recap the decade that passed.

1999

• Jeff and I buy our first home.
• Vacation in Cancun – we climb to the top of Chitzen Itza (although I thought I might die in the process)

2000

• Y2K – nothing special and thankfully the world did not come to an end.
• Jeff quits his job at UPS and goes into real estate.
• Jeff, Ali and I travel to San Diego in the summer.
• I buy my first ever brand new car! Mel, James and I take it on a road trip a week later.

2001

• September 11^th – awful, horrid day.
• Jeff, Ali and I visit Disneyworld.
• Jeff and I get engaged on June 9^th (after a day-long scavenger hunt in which I actually had to dig up a treasure chest containing my ring!)
• Although we didn’t know it at the time, Vika was born in Russia.

2002

• Jeff and I get married on April 28^th and honeymoon in Australia.
• Jeff and I decide we could easily live in Australia.
• Vacation in Hawaii to celebrate my birthday.
• Trip to Chicago to visit my uncle’s family and my grandpa, and to attend the baptism of my cousin.
• Mom and Ed get married.
  
• We didn’t know it at the time, but Eamon was born in Russia.

2003

• I learn I am finally pregnant, but lose the baby 2 months later.
• Road trip with Ali to visit family in Arizona and see Arches National Park in Utah.
• We try again to get pregnant, but this effort is brief as I am over it already!
• I begin taking night classes to get my teaching credential.

2004

• Jeff and I begin the adoption process.
• We travel with Ali to London and Paris.
• Still working on my teaching credential.
• Jeff’s mom passes away, and the hub of his family (a wonderful person) is gone.

2005

• I quit my job at Stanford to begin student teaching.
• Jeff’s dad passes away.
• In June, I get my teaching credential.
• We get a referral for Vika and Eamon, and after 2 trips to Russia, our adoption of them is complete!
• On Christmas Eve, we bring our kids home.

2006

• I begin writing in this blog.
• Jeff and I adjust to being the parents of two very active children who speak no English (but learn it rapidly).
• I work as a substitute teacher so that I can spend time at home with the kids.
• Jeff and I take Ali and the kids to Chicago to visit my uncle’s family and my grandfather, who is now living in a nursing home.
• Family vacation in Disneyworld.

2007

• My brother Joe gets married!
• Road trip to Arizona with Mom & Ed and Joe’s family. We force our spouses and kids to join us on a trip down "memory lane."
  
• In July, I get my first full-time teaching job! I teach 6^th grade and become good friends with my teaching partner/mentor, J9.
• Ed’s mom passes away.
• Gramps passes away in October – we travel to Chicago in December for his memorial service.

2008

• I get my first ever pink-slip when my district lays off all new teachers.
• Vacation to Disneyland where we meet up with Mel and her family.
• I am rehired at my school and begin teaching 5^th grade.
• Ed’s father, Grandpa Clyde passes away.

2009

• My nephew Tyson and cousin Alex are born!
• I get laid off from my teaching job again (this is an annual occurrence for new teachers in our school district).
• We take the kids to Disneyworld in the summer.
• In August, I am rehired at my school, this time as a kindergarten teacher.
  

What adventures/memories/milestones did the past decade bring for you? If you write a list, please include the link in my comments so that I can check it out!

For some insane reason, Jeff and I thought it would be a good idea to take the kids to the snow. Since we live in the Bay Area, we can't just go outside and play in the snow. For us, a snow day begins with a 4-hour trek to Tahoe on the border of California and Nevada. We got up early, packed the car, and hit the road. Fortunately, the kids were still tired, so they were quiet for the first 2 hours of the drive. However, at 2 hours and 5 minutes in, we began getting the incessant "How much longer?" questions. And when we stopped to buy our Sno-park permit at a Sports Chalet along the way, the questions became, "This is it? Where's all the snow?" I would have thought that us being in a shopping center parking lot would have tipped Vika and Eamon off to the fact that we had not yet arrived at our final destination. I was wrong. When we finally did start seeing snow along the side of the road, the kids could hardly contain themselves. Little squeals of glee and anticipation replaced all their questions. It was with happiness and relief that we finally pulled into the Sno-Park.

The day was beautiful. There were a few clouds overhead and the snow was white and powdery. Jeff showed the kids how to slide down hills on their feet and engaged in a snowball fight with Eamon. Then he found a green inner tube which someone had left behind, and immediately began trying to blow the thing up. His efforts were in vain though, because all the air kept escaping through the gaping hole on the side of the tube. This, apparently, is why the tube was abandoned. Never one to miss an opportunity, Jeff folded the tube-carcass in half and used it as a makeshift toboggan to slide down a hill. He gave Eamon a turn, and really, it was a pathetic sight. The thing only slid so far, and Eamon was trying so hard to have fun with it. Some other snow-goers took pity on us and lent Jeff their sled. Both kids took turns, laughing all the way down the slope and through the trees.

In the meantime, I began building a snowman. Growing up in Arizona and then moving to California has not afforded me many opportunities to play in the snow. In fact, never before had I built a real snowman. I made a small little lump of a thing once, but that doesn't really count. I set to work on this snowman with gusto. He was going to be life-sized, with a scarf, a hat and gloves. Sadly, the powdery snow made this task a bit more daunting. I soon learned that I had to hold my hands over the snow, warming and melting it slightly, so it would stick together. This made the project take MUCH longer than anticipated. The kids and Jeff helped out a bit, but they soon lost interest and went on to more rewarding activities. I was tenacious though and finally completed the snowman's body (which was life-sized, if you are a three-year-old). I sent Vika off to get some sticks and Jeff and Eamon to the car for accessories. Here's our family with the finished product:

We named him "Snicks" (a combination of "snow" and "sticks"), and several families came by to admire our handiwork. By this time, the clouds had grown thicker and it started to snow. My toes were numb, Eamon's hands were frozen, and we were all hungry. Scrambling up the slope, we rushed to the car and ate a quick lunch. Eamon buckled himself into his car seat declaring, "I'm done with the snow Mama. I'll just wait in here." The poor kid's hands were red from the cold and his jeans were soaked through (we really were not dressed for the snow). But Vika wanted to make snow angels, so the kids rushed outside, plopped down on a snow bank, and began waving their arms and legs furiously. The shock of the cold along their whole body did both kids in, and they were a shivering mess, barely able to walk back to the car. It would seem that their hardy Russian blood has thinned during these years in California.

Changing Vika and Eamon into warm, dry clothes proved to be quite an ordeal. I have never heard them moan so much! Little pansies. ;) After what seemed like an epic struggle, we had them stripped of their wet jeans and shirts, and changed into snuggly fleece. With the snow coming down a bit harder, we pulled out of the park, dodging snowboarders being pulled by other cars along the way (what's up with that?), and made the long journey back home. It was a fun, but exhausting day. My uncle, who lives in Chicago, commented that it was sad we had to make a special trip to the snow when his family lives with it "every friggin' day" from December through April. After how long it took my toes to defrost, I can't say I envy him. Although it would be nice to be able to make a snowman in our front yard someday. Even if it is just a small little lump of a thing.

Ah, camp. That childhood rite of passage, which I did not experience until last week, at the ripe old age of 35. Every year, the fifth graders at our school go to Science Camp. As a teacher, I was also required to go to camp, and despite my dislike of camping in general, I had a good time. It was great seeing our fifth graders in a whole new light, experiencing things they had never encountered before. One student in particular, R, is a bully on campus and spends A LOT of time in the office. But at camp, R really blossomed! He conquered his fear of heights, worked well as part of a "survival team," and even showed impeccable manners at the dinner table! R comes from a poor, Hispanic family and had never even been in the woods before this trip. I hope it made an impression on him and he learned what a great kid he truly is.

Another interesting part of the trip was T, a girl whom I taught in first grade, but thankfully is in another classroom for fifth grade. T has oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). If you don't know what that is, look it up - it's very interesting. T was in my group, and she hit the ground digging in her heels. We started off with wilderness survival skills and a lesson on using a compass. T refused to differentiate between the arrows on the compass, and despite the intervention of several parents, she maintained her stance that the spinning arrow was the one she should follow. It was actually kind of amusing to watch parent after parent try to coax and persuade T to use the compass correctly. Finally, I intervened saying, "T, if that's the way you want to use the compass, go ahead. Of course, you may get lost in the woods, but I'm sure we'll be loud enough that you'll find us eventually!"

After that, T pretty much gave up the compass fight.

Then it became all about not stepping on any plants because either they were poisonous or she didn't want to hurt them (it's pretty hard to avoid plants in a forest). Or she wouldn't climb over a log because there was a single ant on it. Finally, all the parents caught on to her game, and it became a bit of a joke among us as to how T would react to each new situation. If the camp counselor asked everyone to sit down, T stood up. When she asked us to stand up, T sat down. Finally the counselor took me aside and said, "What is WITH that girl?!"

T wasn't the only stresser of the trip though. There was also the usual fifth grade girl drama, which for some reason, I became the mediator for. "Mrs. P, N is trying to steal my friends!" Or, "Mrs. P, I need to move out of that dorm because none of the girls are talking to me! They're all mad at me for some reason!" *sigh* It was exhausting! I don't think the girls appreciated the advice I gave them either, which was basically, "This is why when I was your age, I hung out with boys!" Oh well, my pearls of wisdom only go so far.

What the heck am I supposed to do with a newborn for 4 hours?

I agreed to watch my nephew, Ty, this Sunday, and I'm not sure what to do other than feed him and change his diaper as needed. Never having had an infant myself, I'm feeling a bit inadequate.

Any tips for keeping a newborn entertained?

This year's Halloween was a huge success. The kids enjoy it more every year. My mom's neighborhood really goes crazy for Halloween, so we take the Vika and Eamon over there for trick-or-treating. It was fun to see them running from house to house, laughing in joy over the holiday. Here are some other highlights from the evening.

• Every time Mom's doorbell rang, Vika and Eamon ran to the candy basket yelling "Customers!" They were very good about passing out candy equally.
• While trick-or-treating, we came upon a house blaring Halloween music. As the kids were getting candy, Michael Jackson's "Thriller" came on. Eamon got this huge grin on his face, began shaking his butt, and then danced all the way down the sidewalk - much to the amusement of everyone around. I believe one of the men at the house even said, "That kid's awesome!" Vika just rolled her eyes and hurried on to the next house.
• My stepfather, Ed, likes to scare the neighborhood teenagers by dressing all in black, with his face covered in black nylons, and sitting still as a statue on the front porch. It's fun to watch the teenagers walk around the corner and then stop in their tracks, unsure of whether or not Ed is real. This year, Jeff joined Ed on the porch, and they got this one kid good! He was about 14, wearing a long black cloak, an orange glow-necklace, and was acting all cool in front of his friends. Then he rounded the corner and saw Ed sitting on the bench next to the front door. He stopped dead in his tracks and wouldn't move any further. His friends were egging him on, but he wasn't budging. Little did the kid know that another shadow (Jeff) was slowly rising up behind him. Jeff tapped the kid on the shoulder with a stick and yelled, "AHHH!" The boy shrieked like a little girl and ran screaming through the front lawn and down the street with arms flailing at his sides. It was hilarious! He never did come back to get his candy....

The only sad note this Halloween: there is an appalling lack of Snickers, Twix and Kit Kats in my kids' trick-or-treat bags. What am I going to eat after they go to bed? I certainly am not going to steal any of their Big Hunks or Laffy Taffy. *sigh* I guess I'll have to buy my own candy this year.

I hope you all had a great Halloween!

I hope you all had a fun 4th of July! Here are some images from our day.

This week of Spring Break just flew by! It's been a good one, although not as productive as I would have liked. I'm much more content to sit and read a book than do any actual work, which means that I still have a stack of papers to grade and lesson plans to write. Oh well, I've still got 2.5 days before I have to go back to school.

Easter was a fun time. My uncle from Chicago is visiting with his family, so Vika and Eamon got to spend sometime with their cousins. Here's the three little ones (Vika, Eamon and Macaroon) after a successful Easter Egg Hunt.

We were able to spend some time with Uncle T and the family on Monday as well. We all went to a local Bocce Ball place, played a game (which the guys won) and had lunch. Jeff takes his Bocce very seriously.
On Tuesday, Jeff and I took the kids to Thyme for Tea, where we had a Victorian tea and wore silly hats. Vika espeically enjoyed it and spent the whole time sipping tea with her pinky up.


The rest of the week has been spent recovering from my chest cold and experimenting with yarn. I tried kool-aid dying, which was a lot of fun. My first batch was supposed to be a self-striping dark-red and pink sock wool (I used Black Cherry and Blastin' Berry), but it wound up being more of a varigated red. It still looks cool though, and the smells as the yarn was brewing took me right back to my childhood. Last night I experimented with Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade and wound up with a lovely pale aqua yarn that I may use to knit Vika a shrug or something.

That's it for now. I've got several more interesting posts swirling around in my head, so maybe I'll get the motivation to write them down. Or maybe I'll just go back to my book...

It was a rainy weekend here at Chez Four Feet More, and a few of us are sick (yep, I caught the cold too), so we decided to stay indoors most of the time and try to recuperate. However, staying indoors can be boring, so Jeff and I had the brilliant idea of spicing things up with a surprise living room picnic for the kids.

Jeff went shopping, and I set the scene. Blanket on the floor in front of the couch, picnic basket with various items in the garage for Jeff to fill with food after he returned home, and a fire blazing in the fireplace (built with a Duraflame log and the charred remains of some real logs left over from the previous evening).

The picnic went great! The kids were excited about the surprise and giddy over the novelty of eating on the floor. After lunch, the plan was to make s'mores for dessert. Only, since I had made a Duraflame fire, we didn't want to toast marshmallows over those flames. Who knows what kinds of chemicals could burn into them, and then be ingested by us? Vika and Eamon suspected that we would not be eating s'mores and began protesting loudly. I was a little disappointed too - I wanted me some s'mores!

Never fear, Jeff had a plan. He began dousing the Duraflame log with ashes. Over and over he tried to smother that log, but the dang thing kept combusting! Finally, he was able to put the fire out, leaving a smoking, black and gray heap in the fireplace. At this point, we were still under the impression that we could save the log for future use, so I ran to the kitchen for a cookie sheet and some potholders to transport the log from the fireplace to the back porch. We ordered the kids to sit on the couch, safely away from any potential fire dangers and got to work.

Ever so gingerly, Jeff nudged the Duraflame onto the cookie sheet, managing to keep the log mostly intact. However, a bigger problem soon arose. Maybe it was the jostling movement of the log, or perhaps it was the increased ventilation in the fireplace, but suddenly, smoke began billowing from every crack and pore in the Duraflame's waxy, sawdust surface. A massive gray cloud surged into the living room as Jeff quickly moved the log to the backyard. The fresh air only made the situation worse, and soon, our entire backyard was filled with a thick, bluish-gray haze. In the middle of the haze was Jeff, holding a hose on “mist” setting and trying to douse the log. Meanwhile, I stood inside, watching the scene through the sliding glass door and wondering how long it would be before some good Samaritan called the fire department to report us. Clearly, the “mist” setting was not working, and alternate measures were needed. Dragging on my boots, I yelled to Jeff to put the hose on “shower,” and ran outside with the intent of finding some sand to smother the log. I rushed to the garden and threw open the shed. No sand! So I started digging up garden soil to smother the log (plan B). Fortunately by then, Jeff had completely drowned the log, and it was no longer smoking.

We stood there silently, staring at the wet charred remains for a while before heading back into the house.

When we got inside, we were greeted by two excited kids saying, "Can we do that again? That was fun!"

In between breaks in the rain, we took the kids to the park to try out their "wheels."



































How tough does Eamon look?

One of the gifts Vika got for her birthday was this cookbook, Pretend Soup. The book is full of recipes specifically designed for young children to do with their parents. These recipes were tested by preschool teachers and their students, and reviews from the children/critics accompany each dish. Some of my favorites are, "This is a happy taste" and "It's so good I would like to do it five times in a row!"

During a lull in the day, I pulled out the cookbook and instructed Vika and Eamon to put on their aprons because we were going to make lunch. Their eyes grew big and round, and with squeals of delight they ran upstairs to get their personalized aprons (thanks mom). For lunch we made quesadillas, which were very simple, but a huge hit. Vix and Eames were disappointed when I made them save some for Jeff to eat for his lunch (greedy little buggers were ready to polish them all off). We've also made some "popovers" which are like puffy little bread things that you can dip in maple syrup, jam or honey. My gourmet husband may roll his eyes a bit at this idea of dessert, but the kids will enjoy every minute of it.

If you have preschool age kids, I would recommend checking out this book, or one similar. I really thought cooking with the Vika and Eamon would be tedious, messy work. But it was actually quite fun! And the kids got so into their roles as restaurateurs that they even did most of the clean-up themselves. I may not be much of a domestic diva, but this was definitely a great afternoon bonding experience for me and the kids.