William One and Me

I took Caroline and Edward to Target the other day. While it is nice for them to leave the house every now and again (my secret to Raising Twins Without [Maternal] Tears? stay in the living room. seriously) it meant that I had to get in and get out like Delta Force. In my haste it is not surprising that I made accidental purchases but it is particularly unfortunate that one of these missteps involved two dozen rolls of toilet paper labeled Ultra Mega. I guess I thought - if I thought about it at all, which I probably did not - that Ultra Mega referred to the size of the package when in fact Ultra describes the softness and Mega references the size of the roll, where "mega" is a euphemism for "a toilet paper roll the size of a fucking pumpkin."  The upshot is that I now have a billion of these gigantic rolls of toilet paper that do not fit into any holder in our house. Since one cannot throw away perfectly good personal cleansing tissue just because there is too much of it; a new roll has to perch on the back of the toilet until the circumference has dwindled sufficiently to be stuffed into the wall. It is driving me, ever so slowly, insane. I feel like I am living in a goddamned frat house when I walk into a bathroom and see the roll just sitting there. Are we barbarians? What's next? A kegerator?

In other news we paid our 2008 taxes today and I am pretty sure that I now have more money in my purse than we do in our bank accounts. OH MY GOD. Curse you... realized social system of production exchange distribution and consumption of goods and services.

I look back over the past couple years and I could kick myself for all of the money we spent on things like, oh I don't know, Legos and completely unnecessary but pretty kitchen remodels and rugs and extra shoes. It seemed so reasonable to assume that a lifestyle built upon a healthy combination of investment income and business earnings would be able to withstand the normal vagaries of economic shift but now I want to reach back a couple of years and shake myself until my teeth rattle for not putting everything we had into paying off our mortgage while turning our property into a self-sustaining, wool-producing, solar-powered farm. Well, farmette, I guess. Mini farm. Hobby farm. Holly Hobbie farm. But still. I feel like Gatsby would have in 1930 (if he had, well... I don't want to ruin it for you) - wondering if back in '22 it had been necessary to feed quite so many people quite so many shrimp. Do you know what I mean? Like I wish I had recognized the black cloud on the horizon for the plague of locusts it was because I would have stopped spending money and started cramming it into shoeboxes. Back when we had shoeboxes, what with all the extra shoes. The fact that we have sufficient toilet paper to see us through this, the country's most recent darkest half hour, is of but small consolation. 

I do take comfort in the fact that practically everyone in the world is struggling or worried that they may shortly be struggling; although when you think about it, that fact makes me kind of a bitch doesn't it? For what it's worth my mother, our nonresident bellwether, has recently started saying that things are improving and - unless she is just trying to cheer me up - I have no reason to disbelieve her. She knows things. So how are you doing on this domesday? Better than last year? Worse? The same?

On the plus side of the 15 April 2009 column Caroline slept all night, thirteen hours, and Edward just woke up once for a shish kebab around midnight. When you add their seven pm to eight-thirty am nighttimes to their three hour naps you get sixteen hours of solid babyfree time. I have finally attained my dream of an eight hour work day - and they said motherhood couldn't be unionized.

Speaking of things that are vaguely, well, whatever a woman left a comment on the Edward tossing post that asked, oh hold on, I'll quote it: "Just a quick question, and I've got my asbestos suit on: Is there a reason why you stand around taking pictures, instead of preventing one of your children from potentially injuring the other?" I read this to my mother who burst out laughing and said, "Because you take pleasure in the suffering of the innocent obviously. Next question?"

There really is no answer to this since it is less a question than a statement of assumed facts: 1. that I stood there 2. that there was actual potential for injury and 3. that I could have prevented it. One of the joys of my Christmas camera (you'll note that I did not include the camera in my list of lamented purchases) is that it takes a billion photos a second. I never know what I have until I upload the pictures and start to sift through them. When Caroline and Edward and Patrick were playing on the window seat I was all, snap snap snap snap, and they were up and down and over and rolling around. I didn't realize that she had thrown him over the edge until I looked at the pictures I had taken. Then I laughed for about five minutes - Caroline's mighty squat thrust, Edward shooting backwards like he had been launched from a cannon, Patrick with the damned bowl on his face... hilarious. We had made the space as safe as we could and as far as I am concerned they can play with it as they like. I cannot imagine racing over to keep Caroline from knocking Edward backwards any more than I can imagine making Edward give Caroline back whatever it was she was playing with before she started howling in protest for the millionth time. Or vice versa. Do I look like The Hague? They'll work it out, says I.

But I was intrigued by the notion that the image of Edward with his feet in the air bothered someone enough to prompt their first ever comment and an aggressive passive one at that (blog comments can be categorized thusly: aggressive aggressive, aggressive passive, passive aggressive and passive passive - and then the rest of you are normal.) I am always willing to consider the possibility that I am out of step with mainstream thinking on a topic. Believe it or not, while I reserve the right to defend myself, I quite like the comments that make me stop and think about my own actions or assumptions. Is that window seat hazardous? Should I have dropped my camera and made the children stop shoving each other? Is it possible that I am just a garden-variety sexist and the fact that the little girl was going old school WWF on her brother made me think it was cute rather than dangerous? I don't think so, but I guess I'm willing to consider it. If you were their parent (you lucky dog) would you have tried to stop 20 lb Caroline from pushing 24 lb Edward off a 15 inch high bench onto an 8 inch thick cushion? (show your work)  

Edward's molars are finally in situ and he has been a laugh riot ever since. Eating better, sleeping better, wearing bowls as hats... I take back everything I said about his antisocial tendencies.

Caroline on the other hand... jeesh.

I state now for the record: the process whereby baby humans acquire teeth is seriously flawed and as far as I am concerned both evolution and intelligent design owe me a written apology.

PS Go on. Ask me why I sat there taking a picture of Caroline's meltdown rather than smothering her with kisses.

PPPS To recap our questions from today: do oversized toilet paper rolls drive you crazy? do you wish you had been burying gold in your backyard since 1999 and/or do you feel poorer than last year? do you think Edward should have been given a bodyguard? do I look like The Hague? don't you hate teeth? isn't Caroline cute when she's distressed?

I think that covers it.

Comments

[megumi]

"Should I have dropped my camera and made the children stop shoving each other?"

Bwah ha ha! Like that is even possible among siblings (stopping the shoving I mean). This is just how kids play. You made the area safe and you also know the capabilities of your own children (I don't think Caroline would have been able to catapult her brother across the room or through the window), never mind with those passive aggressive comments and enjoy the cuteness.

[Nyx]

I don't usually comment, but as a fellow mother of twins, you are not being a bad parent by letting them settle the squabbles. No serious injuries were/are sustained and I have learned in the 2+ years parenting twin (devils) I mean boys, what goes around comes around,usually when the victim/perpetrator least expects it. I say the more photographic evidence the better. To amuse the parent and protect the innocent.

[June]

my husband just asked what i was doing and i said "commenting on julia's blog" and he said "the annoying one you read out of pure schadenfreude?" and i said NO, the WONDERFUL one i read out of giddy admiration. get my bloggers straight already!

[Angela]

June beat me to my own comment: I adore your blog!

[Toni]

I'm guessing that the commenter does not have multiple children. Heck, if I can just get them to leave each other alone for a short period of time - or play nicely, I count myself up for the day. And mine aren't twins.

I hear you on the taxes. My only hope is that all that stock that we still own will be worth something more than the paper it's printed on after all of this.

[jen]

Oversized toilet paper rolls drive me batty! Luckily our holder is flexible as to the size of the roll so Costco is our friend.

Hmm, I feel about the same as last year. Which means maybe worse off since you'd think generally people would expect to feel better year over year. But overall I feel very very lucky...you know house not in danger of being foreclosed, having food on the table, etc.

My thoughts with child rearing is how on earth will they learn if a parent is always interfering? Caroline would never have learned what a pleasure it is to take down Edward otherwise.

Teeth are horrible, yes. The drool is, well, wet and annoying. Shrieking/biting children irritating too.

Caroline is particularly adorable distressed.

Oh and congratulations on your sleep...huzzah.

[teki]

I adore the oversized rolls...but I also replaced the in-the-wall tp holder with one that will accomodate any size roll I want. Hate changing the roll that much.

Teething-our ped said if we teethed as adults we couldn't stand the pain. Yup, she said it was that bad. Poor kidlets.

[Paula]

Whew. Thank GOD I fall under the 'normal' category.

[Deborah]

As a mom of six I feel confident in saying that they all do survive settling their squabbles. Mine are all alive, therefore I am right.

My husband owns supermarkets. I've heard "People always have to eat" forever. Our bank accounts assure me people are eating differently.

Oversized toilet paper rolls are from devil. Caroline is from heaven (as are her brothers).

Love your blog.

[Kathy Napolitano]

LOL! Seriously. LOL! Did they think that you ran to get the camera rather than save your child? Honey I'd have to find the darn thing first. Pictures get taken when they get taken and yes sometimes things happen, especially when you have mulitple toddlers.

As for toilet paper. I'm usually happy if there is some in which ever bathroom I'm in at teh time.

My DD says teething doesn't suck less at 10years old.

And sleep... Congratulations may this trend last a long,long time!

[Julia]

Well, I don't know, Paula, do you?

[Maria]

HATE the oversized rolls. Epecially when standing at the store trying to figure out double roll/mega roll/ultra roll etc.

As far as the commenter, I figure she was just asking a simple question and got her simple answer. No biggie! I didn't think twice about the pictures, but looking back I could see how it might make someone wonder. The pictures are kind of deceiving.

[Laura]

You're way cuter than the Hague.

[KC]

Ooooh, Charmin needs to recall all those Mega rolls stat, if only to put enormous orange warning labels on the packaging to say, "Do not buy this, sleep-deprived thrifty-ish mom shoppers of Target!" The urge to get both Ultra and Mega in one has bitten me in the ass, too, and all I had to show for it was some flimsy plastic roll-holding appendage that was supposed to let said Mega rolls hang down low in their sockets like so many un-underwired post-nursing boobs around my house. Can you tell I am not a fan, either?

And point two: poorer, yes, indeedy! Especially because I VIVIDLY remember thinking to myself about one particular investment that had tripled that, nope, not going to sell that one because I would just spend the proceeds, so I would be GOOD and leave it be. Hah! I wish I had spent it on shoes rather than letting it evaporate into the ether.

Three, intervening will only create additional sibling rivalry. Wait until the talking starts. I like to think I have perfected the non-comittal, "oh, that must have hurt, hmmm" or "yikes, I wouldn't like that, either" when one of my team comes a-runnin' with a news flash of the latest sibling infraction. Of course, I don't have any siblings, so maybe they'll still hate me for never taking sides...

I do appreciate said poster's acknowledgment of aggressiveness by referencing the asbestos suit. Maybe just oblivious-aggressive, then, not so much passive?

[Kirsten]

One of my favorite pictures of my child is from last summer, when she was pitching a fit - I think because we had to leave the pool because it was CLOSING. And her face is all screwed up, and her mouth is wide open, and there are tears everywhere - and it makes me *laugh* every time. Does this mean I'm going to hell?

(Seriously - I'd tried to comfort her, and she was NOT interested and blew me off. So I memorialized the moment for posterity. Seemed fair.)

[Virginia Napoli]

I don't have twins... just a 1 year old and a large cat which as of now are both about the same size. I let them work it out. I can't spend my days worried about if he is going to pull her tail or she is going to bit him. As long as they are even grounds I let them have at. I have dishes and laundry to do!

[DIANE]

yes, yes, no, no, yes, yes and you forgot Davidson's, about which I know nothing.

I love the photos and the antics of your kids as reflected through the eyes of their mother! They are all very handsome and so very wonderful.

i have never gotten over your comment that Edward holds Caroline's hand when in the high chair. There is something quite wonderful there that must distinguish them from good ol singletons. :)

[beyond]

i have never been confronted with oversized rolls (thank goodness!) but rolls put in backwards (rear to front) drive me crazy.

[Kara]

1. I wouldn't know, since I have been buying toilet paper at Costco since I was in college (10 years ago?? ack), and have never looked back. Such a good deal! Don't have to run out to buy it so frequently since, um, it never seems to run out! Normal sized rolls! Two ply!
2. Yes, and no. Wish I had saved every penny when my husband was SELLING HOMES for a HOMEBUILDER (do you hear the tense music building in the background) instead of buying clothes at Gymboree for the babes and home furnishings from any store that would sell them to me (Homegoods, how I love thee). And I actually feel richer than last year because last year at this time was when my husband's community took a nose-dive and we were actually making NO MONEY, since he was commission only. End tense music. This year he actually has a job with a salary, albeit small, but not as small as NOTHING like last year.
3. Only if the bodyguard was me, as I would greatly like to come play in your kitchen with all of you.
4. Not even remotely. Well, okay, maybe a little. . .definitely northern European.
5. Don't know yet, since my 3 year old didn't get her first tooth until she was a year old (I know!), and then they just casually appeared, not seeming to bother her in the least. The five-month old's dental experience remains to be seen, so we may or may not have another easy time of it. Crossing fingers.
6. Absolutely.
and
7. There were only 8 comments when I started this, and I don't think I've ever hit your site when you had less than 50, so I just had to jump in. This is such a long comment now, though, that I'll probably be number 51 anyway.

[Meg]

I spent two years working in a store in the mall where we took pictures, 90% of which were of families. The first rule was : if there are two or more siblings in the frame under the age of ten, AT LEAST one shot will be of strangulation. One strangling the other, both strangling each other, what have you, but it ALWAYS HAPPENED. Only start to worry if they begin avoiding each other.

[Ally]

Yes, yes/yes, no, no, heck yes.

[Sarah]

I know things are bad in the economy but I live in a state that's hanging in there so far. And I am one of the awful people that just got a promotion and 19% raise at work and now make way more money than I thought I would at 28. But I work for Big Oil and am thus already inherently evil, so save your insults. :)

[GJM]

Thank you for giving me a good laugh...you reminded me of the time I took my kids to a farm and decided it would be really cute to get a picture of my son (who was just learning how to walk) standing next to a baby goat that was sitting on a chair. While I was busy acting like an idiot and trying to get my son to smile, the goat pushed him over and he smashed his face on a giant rock sticking out of the ground. Yep, I felt like the mom of the year.

P.S. This is the same farm at which a baby goat tried to eat my daughter's hair when she was a toddler. I still laugh when I think of her telling everyone afterward, "Baby goat eat mine hair." Now...if only I had a picture of that! :)

[elana]

To recap our questions from today: do oversized toilet paper rolls drive you crazy? do you wish you had been burying gold in your backyard since 1999 and/or do you feel poorer than last year? do you think Edward should have been given a bodyguard? do I look like The Hague? don't you hate teeth? isn't Caroline cute when she's distressed?

yes, yes, no, no, yes with the anger of a thousand aggressive commenters, yes!

[Ariella]

I feel vaguely bad about this, but I am making more now than I've ever made before and will probably make even more next year. Which isn't to say we haven't felt the pinch; my husband has been getting 75% pay since January. Thankfully I got my raise and a second job (teaching) at the same time, so it wasn't as noticeable.

As to whether I wish I'd sold? yes, yes and yes.

[Jujubee]

I don't know how I feel about the money thing. My husband and I have been living frugally for years to save for his MBA, which he will be finishing up this spring. It was paid for through a combination of loans and (lots) of our cash savings. We left a lot of long-term investments in stocks though. If I had had a crystal ball I would have kept the savings in cash and instead spent the investments we had in stock, thus realizing some of that lovely gain. Instead, now we are basically depleted of cash and our stocks stink.

Other the other hand, my husband has a great job offer (knock on wood) in a city we've always wanted to move to (Seattle). Rents are down right now because of the economy. And the fact that we've been living frugally for so long means that I'm not really living differently because of this downturn.

[Alexis]

****Mega Roll Extender****

Go here and get a FREE one! Delivered to your doorstep!

http://www.charmin.com/en_us/pages/extender_request.shtml

You can thank me later.

[Jen]

All these comments only to find that Alexis just stole my thunder. Rather dramatically, because I was just going to say that several years ago they were just sticking the new roll holder thingamabobs on the packages. I wasn't going to be all helpful and give a link or offer to mail them to you or anything (although I could, since I never seem to get the UltraGigaMegaMondo size rolls anymore.

[jana]

Ha, you crack me up. Sassy.

We have a video of my daughter weeping dramatically about something (okay, chocolate, and my refusal to give her more of said sweet) where I am not only filming her, but laughing audibly as the tears roll down her face. Don't feel bad...it's hilarious when they cry.

[Kelly]

Never bought an oversized roll of TP, thank goodness.

Money? I have 4 kids, never had money, probably never will.

I wouldn't worry about Edward, he's just biding his time. She will rue the day.

I have no clue about The Hague, you baffled me.

Teething sucks.

I have never seen a picture of Caroline that didn't make me want to smother her with kisses. She's beyond adorable.

[Maren]

Friend, my mother has been driven batty by our broken toilet roll holder in a bathroom that she doesn't even use. Her solution: a big ol' ceramic box that covers the roll; the roll spools out of the top like Kleenex. There are also a variety of admittedly cute toilet cozies out there, though they are pretty kitschy at the same time.

[kris]

do you wish you had been burying gold in your backyard since 1999 and/or do you feel poorer than last year? ...oh yes...instead of building a new house in 2006 (right before the market went to hell) and doubling to tripling our mortgage as my husbands line of business slowly started dying.... i lay in bed at night and think over and over how much easier our life would be if i hadn't insisted we move before i killed our redneck neighbors that woke me up every night at 2am screaming on their cell phone right outside our bedroom window...every freaked night.. i hope they rot in hell.....

[Kristin]

Oh honey...you are so much better than me. I have actually run to get my camera when the kids were doing stupid shit. I have a whole post dedicated to the video of my son dancing on the toilet.

[wavesh2o]

My twins are now almost 5. It's a beautiful thing that they are now old enough to be outside in our (fenced in) backyard, (somewhat) unsupervised. When the fighting starts, out they go to figure it out. They're as glad as I am it's spring.

Lost my job a week ago today. But severance, severance is a good thing.

[suz]

Best post ever; love the recap at the end. Thanks for a ray of sunshine in a somewhat rainy day!

[Elizabeth Ann]

Those huge toilet paper rolls drive me bat sh*t. My husband bought the biggest pack in the world of the biggest toilet paper rolls. And I swear to god they multiplied because we still haven't used them up. But I give you this!

http://www.charmin.com/en_us/pages/extender_request.shtml

Doesn't make them less annoying, but does keep me from screeching in OCD horror each time I walk in my bathroom.

P.S. I worked in child care while I was in college, and quickly learned. Kids don't make things a big deal unless you do (within reason) If one of them tripped or stumbled like a little drunken sailor, we all just clapped and said "yyyaaaayyyyyy!!!!" instead of gasping in horror at their defeat by the evil hands of gravity.
I laughed hysterically at that picture, its fantastic. Edward has the rest of his life to get back at Caroline for unceremoniously dumping his a** off the window sill.

[Skye]

My grandparents came to stay recently. My grandmother handily pointed out to me that I should stop my twin girls from climbing on our kitchen table. Yeah, I'll get right on that by no longer using the toilet, blinking, doing laundry, or allowing them out of their bedroom, or just getting rid of all my furniture.

I have a 9 year old and a 6 year old, I'm not new at this, but my 20 month twins are kicking my ass. You can't stop every infraction, and sometimes it's just plain funny.

[MindyMax]

I like the mega rolls 'cuz as the one person in the house seemingly responsible for the entire house's supply and mechanics of toilet paper, the fewer times I have to change it, the better. But they are making them so big that it's hard to get them to 'waterfall' over the top nicely without a bunch of ripping. My husband is all about the waterfall over the top.

We are also reeling from the economics and resisting the urge to cash in everything we have and move to somewhere that the $$ we still have left and move somewhere cheap - probably in a different country. Then we get practical again and realize 'we earned it once, we can earn it again'. Thankful for our two relatively stable, well paying jobs. I was planning to retire with my hubby in 8 years but am now resigned (as the younger mate) to continue working into my 60's. He will play golf and do laundry and be my 'house boy'. [I like that idea...for all the wrong reasons.] I also am planting vegetables and cutting coupons and am becoming pretty conscious of everything we buy and consume...and I've never been like that before. Never gave it a moment's thought. Now, I put things in my basket, think about it a little, think some more and put stuff back. Need vs. want is a constant mantra these days. Just feel it's required...don't think it's helping much but if feels like it is - so I keep doing it.

I didn't think twice about Edward ending up tossed by his sweet sister 'cuz the cushions were a well thought out 'safety' plan that proved to be needed. I actually applauded your forethought in doing that as preparation for the inevitable. They are kids. They will fall. And because you can't watch them every second and I agree with the 'let them work it out' philosophy of child rearing. It's harder to do in our house now that our sons are two teens - it's louder and noisy and more 'angry' these days but in general, we let them figure it out. Just no hitting allowed. Ever.

Teeth are a challenge - and you can look forward to orthodontia bills for three! Yipee!! You'll get to endure the whining and their suffering (after every tightening, every new band, etc.) AND you'll get to send monthly payments that are like CAR payments in exchange for the joy. Look forward to that and I'll check back with you in about 7-10 years on how it's going.

and I wouldn't think this possible but Caroline is even more lovely when she's crying. She's a beauty... and Edward is so sweet - all the time but even more with a bowl on his head.

And Patrick is just a sweetie all the time.

[Not My Mother]

I think teeth are badly designed full stop. What's wrong with a nice bony ridge like a tortoise, that's what I want to know.

And for heaven's sake, even I know kids move too hard to stop them. The window seat looks like fun to fall off. I bet that's what Caroline thought anyway.

Finance-wise, we're not too bad in Australia (YET) compared to the rest of the world but I see the cracks appearing in the sky and it scares the bejesus out of me.

[tgsdmom]

1. I do not think it's wrong to let kids play somewhat unprotected as long as they are in no physical danger and not screaming their lungs out. Also, people (including myself) tend to take pictures of their kids smiling. This can become boring. Other expressions are great too! Love your kids and love the pictures you take.

2. I never bought a huge toilet paper roll, but I did buy a couple of big packages of regular toilet rolls that our family members did not like. Now I feel bad about throwing them away, but I don't want to use them. So they just take space in the garage.

3. No special comments about the economy except that I am worried.

4. About teething - it varies between kids and it WAS terrible with #4. Regarding this subject: Removing wisdom teeth? Not pleasant! Also, I wish our teeth would grow constantly, like rodents', so we will need not worry about cavities.

[Emily]

You write well. I enjoy it ever so much.

Now, onto your questions:

do oversized toilet paper rolls drive you crazy?
Yes, they should at least fit on a regular toilet paper roll holder without any kind of extender.

Do you wish you had been burying gold in your backyard since 1999 and/or do you feel poorer than last year?
Yes and yes, especially since I haven't been working this year. :(

Do you think Edward should have been given a bodyguard?
No, not until that boy starts making an income. Seriously, what is he going to pay them with? Teeth? Gurgly laughter? Just no.

Do I look like The Hague?
No.

Don't you hate teeth?
I like teeth, especially my own. They are so pretty!

Isn't Caroline cute when she's distressed?
Yes, absolutely adorable. Thank you for sharing pictures. :)

[Kate]

Another mom of twin toddlers (boys) here. And I let them fight, wrestle, yell, play screaming tug-of-war over toys. Sometimes I ignore. Sometimes I photograph. Sometimes I watch and laugh. Turn-about is fair play - what goes around comes around - and whatever other cliche fits the situation. I step in if beating about the head with hard objects is threatened. Otherwise, I let them figure it out...

[kim]

I just... I think I just chortled. It wasn't pretty. Thanks Julia.

[s c]

I live 10 minutes from The Hague, and it looks occasionally posh and largely drab. I think I look a bit like The Hague, but I'm not sure the ratio is right for you.

[Andrea]

do oversized toilet paper rolls drive you crazy? Not really. Our rolls spend a lot of time on the back of the toilet tank anyway.

do you wish you had been burying gold in your backyard since 1999 and/or do you feel poorer than last year? We got a refund. However our investment accounts all suck.

do you think Edward should have been given a bodyguard? No

do I look like The Hague? I don't know... would you look Dutch in that case? And how does one go about looking Dutch?

don't you hate teeth? I have rarely noticed when my babies got them. Either they have high pain tolerance or I am an insensitive mother.

isn't Caroline cute when she's distressed? Totally.

P.S. What's the diff between passive aggressive and aggressive passive? I've been known to be PA in the past, but I don't think I've been that way here (on your blog). For some reason you don't bring that out in me.

[Amie]

Seeing as the incident with Caroline and the pushing took probably all of .00002 seconds, no I don't think you should have dropped the camera...there wouldn't have been time to save Edward even if you had. Some people like to get their panties in a wad and judge other parents to make themselves feel better I think. JMHO.

[Mer]

I have far more money than I did last year stuck in savings. But I'm terrified that should my husband lose his job (which isn't entirely unlikely) and we will be forced to pack up our belongings in a shopping cart and roam the streets. Well, at least that's what I'd think if I believed the media. I am worried and scared like most Americans, but I agree with your mom- the worst is behind us. I'm tired of the doom and gloom, overarching FEAR that has seized this country. It's exhausting to live like this.

On an unrelated note, I was wondering if you might be willing to email me about something. I know you have spent oodles of hours worrying about Patrick and his extra intelligence and how he'll fare in school because of it. My son is by no means Patrick smart- but he's WELL advanced in kindergarten (reading 3rd grade books and generally frightening me with the things he knows, understands and points out to me). He's also having some classroom behavior issues that are clearly related to boredom (ie, talking while the teacher is reading a book, but then getting 100% on the test even though he admits he wasn't really listening..) We just want to make sure he doesn't descend into a behavioral nightmare due to boredom, but I don't think the teacher is doing an exceptional job of keeping him challenged. How did you handle such concerns, which I believe you had? Any hints would be so appreciated! mlswain1@bellsouth.net Thank you!!

Meredith

[sasinny]

Jules, I didn't think it was possible to love you even more than before but today, you proved me wrong. Aside from the normal slathering of praise for your writing and commentary style, I love the mother that you are. Caroline is going to need every one of her WWF moves to survive 2 brothers so in my book, until she tries to throw one of them through the window behind the bench there, I say, "You go girl!"

[JenC]

At least there were cushions. I let my toddler walk into a sandwich board on purpose. I was getting tired of saying over and over again "look in front, watch where your going". I knew he would not get hurt.

[cooler*doula]

I'm sure someone has said this, but those mega, supers are supposed to be used with some sort of "extender". I can't picture how they'll work, and perhaps they were only available to the early adopters... But that might be your solution. Strangely, they do fit on our Ikea loo roll holders despite everything usually being smaller in Europe...
;)