RBG

Edward woke me up at one in the morning. I assume my intention was to go upstairs and assure myself that his head wasn't pinned between the crib bars before wishing him well in his future endeavors and returning to the warmth and toddlerlessness of my own bed but when I walked into his bedroom he held up his arms and puffed out his bottom lip and I melted. So Edward slept with his round head burrowed into my neck (on the futon that I should just take out of his room so that I no longer have this kind of temptation) and I dozed at infrequent and uncomfortable intervals. Edward snores like a kid who needs to get his adenoids checked (mem: get Edward's adenoids checked) and he roots around the bed like a truffle pig. I waffle between who I would least like to share a tent with: Patrick who slaps and kicks in his sleep or Edward with the grunting and the snorting and the constant nudge nudge nudging. Caroline is delightful - when she sleeps she lies perfectly still and absolutely quiet, like Snow White on macabre display - but I rarely get the opportunity to snuggle with Caroline; probably because she is such an excellent sleeper once she finally succumbs that I never feel the urge to wake her up in the middle of the night and drag her off to the guest room with me.

Anyway, I'm tired but even fatigued I should have realized that there were better places to tuck the two checks I needed to deposit than...

I'll let you guess. As I was leaving the house to swing by the bank before getting Patrick from school today where do you think I decide to put the checks?

In my wallet?

In the zippered compartment of my purse, perhaps?

Did I walk the three feet to my desk and put the checks into one of the deposit envelopes that I stockpile for this very purpose?

No.

Instead I took two checks that I needed to deposit this afternoon and I wedged them between the pages of a library book that I was going to return. Even as I did so I thought, huh, maybe this isn't the smartest way to carry checks to the car and then I thought, oh I'm sure I'll remember. And I did remember. Just as I pulled back into our driveway with Patrick two hours later I remembered that I had forgotten to go to the bank but I had managed to go to the library and I had returned the book with money stuffed in it.

I say this objectively: sometimes my flakiness knows no bounds.

I volunteered to chaperon a field trip last week for Patrick's class and we went to the art museum. I fail at capital-A Art. Always have. As a child I would trudge dutifully through the galleries of Washington DC with my parents but I would always want to hang myself from the Calder. I keep thinking I am going to grow into Art; that I will finally develop some sort of sophistication and I tried, god knows I tried this time, but good LORD it was boring. I sympathized utterly with one of the kids in my charge who finally flopped onto the marble floor and groaned as the docent spent twenty full minutes discussing the kit-kat portraits of a 17th C German burgher and his grim wife. It was fun to spend time with Patrick's class (each as looney in his or her own way as my beloved Patrick is in his) but with the mind-numbing drone of the guide and the anxiety of keeping my group docile under increasingly difficult circumstances and the guilt I always feel when faced with wall after wall full of paintings I just don't get... it was not very fun.

But the reason I mention this is that I had about ten minutes of utter panic as I sat on the floor of Patrick's classroom on what I had thought was field trip day but everyone seemed to be going about their morning routine. There were no other parents around and as more time passed I thought, oh my god, I have gotten the day wrong and now I have been camping in the classroom for long enough that Patrick's teacher must know I got the day wrong and he is probably trying to figure out how to tactfully tell me to go home and come back tomorrow.

Because that is just the sort of thing I would do.

I had the time wrong. Not the day. Just the time. And not so far wrong that I couldn't pretend that I had come early on purpose. Although anyone who has ever tried to get Patrick to complete an assignment must realize that the kid comes from biscuit stock:

Me - Do you have math for tonight?

Patrick - No.

Me - Are you sure?

Patrick - Absolutely. No math. I am absolutely certain.

Me - Hey [Child Whose Locker is Adjacent to Patrick's] do you guys have any math to do at home tonight?

Child - Yes. Mathquest Packet. Page 31. Both problems.

Me - ????

Patrick - Ohhhhhhh, math. Right. Mathquest. Those problems. Yeah. I'd better go back and get that out of my desk.

Now that Patrick has found his people and we can observe his daily grind a bit more closely we have discovered that he is an organizational disaster of near-biblical proportion. I think he tends to be a bit, oh, let's say dreamy. When he is excited about something he cannot do the work fast enough - like the bridge project - but he tends to forget the less glamorous stuff like math homework or his daily reading goals. At the end of the week before last his teacher sent a note home reminding parents that the AR goals needed to be completed by the following Friday and that kids who had met their goals would get to attend the big AR goal party. I sent back a note saying that I was sorry to be so dopey but... what, exactly, are AR goals and did Patrick have any? He wrote back and said that they use this computer program called accelerated reader and the kids read books and take tests in the school library and then accumulate points toward their goals and he was pretty sure he had remembered to get Patrick set up even though he came late to the class.

I asked Patrick and he said, Ohhhhhh AR goals. Right. I forgot about those.

So on Monday morning I discovered this GIANT CHART at the front of the classroom with every kid's name and their goals and neat little figures representing the points they had all earned stretched out like so many ants at a picnic and all of the kids were buzzing around talking about their AR goals and I thought, really, Patrick, you forgot ALL THIS? And at the bottom of the chart was Patrick's name with his AR goal of 39 and his AR total of... zero.

Since I have already finished the second grade this was, of course, not my problem but I pointed out to Patrick that in general he needed to start doing the work he was supposed to be doing and maybe it would be a challenge to see how close he could get to 39 points in four days. How do I describe 39 points? Mrs Piggle Wiggle is worth three points. The Westing Game? Eight points. Calvin and Hobbes? Tragically, no points at all. 

All week Patrick came home in the afternoon and read and complained bitterly about the unfairness of it all and read some more. He wrote a couple of book reports and he took tests in the morning before school and by Friday he had somehow managed to cobble together the necessary points and he didn't have to sit in the hall (sit in the hall! it's all so retro at this school) during the big AR party and he was very proud of himself and I thought well thank heavens that's over. Now let us never speak of AR tests again.

So I was waiting in the classroom today and I noticed the GIANT CHART looked different and I went over to discover that they have new AR goals. I see Patrick now has to get fifty two points and I am still laughing. Fifty two! I refuse to involve myself. I will borrow books from the library for him and I will return said books (occasionally stuffed with checks) but beyond that I'm staying out of it. He may A and R without me.

(I did ask him why he opted to try to get fifty two points when the thirty nine were so painful and he said that his teacher assigns the goals and I said oh, well, alrighty then good luck with that and he said thank you.)

We had a house guest this weekend who enjoys photography and he offered to take some family pictures for us.

So we have this one of Caroline being all campy: "Read the book about Sam and the eggs and the ham? I love that book," she gushed.

I think this one is lovely.

 

And pretty pretty Edward with his new haircut.

Then the guest asked if we wanted a few of the family all together and I said well that might be nice.

(those underlined words each link to a different awful picture, you know) 

I have a whole new respect for holiday cards. There was not one goddamned picture in the set in which the majority of the family looks remotely normal, let alone one in which we are all smiling and facing the camera. And why didn't I realize that Edward's navy shirt and my black one would blend to make us look like floating heads? Why is Steve holding the remote control and why is he wearing that odd color? Why do Caroline and Edward keep staring upwards? Only Patrick behaved predictably, which is to say he was a complete pain from beginning to end.   

The children are kinda kicking my ass. I like driving Patrick - in fact frequently the commute is the most relaxing part of my day; we're listening to the third book in the Septimus Heap series and it is very entertaining - but it takes a solid two hours. Steve watches the twins while I'm gone which is great for everybody but by the time I get home he needs to get back to work again. I think I used to spread that shared daytime childcare out a little more... a shower here, a solo trip to the library there. Caroline and Edward are increasingly fun and funny but they require more maintenance than a couple of polo ponies. They need constant nonstop ceaseless unblinking perpetual attention and even then I discovered Edward eating AN UNQUARTERED GRAPE today that Caroline had gotten off the counter for him using means I have yet to discover.

Caroline and Edward flirted with toilet training in the Fall and I swear I gave it my very best effort. For two weeks I encouraged and applauded and not once, not one time, did either child manage to put anything remotely... productive anywhere near the potty. When Edward finally stood up from the little seat, walked around behind me and peed all over my back I declared the experiment officially over until further notice. Like the Overlook Hotel the potties were closed for the season, most likely to re-open with warmer weather. Recently, however, Caroline has been showing those little signs, giving those tiny indications that the connected parent recognizes as an interest in altering her habits.

"I WANT TO PEE IN THE POTTY!" she bellows.

"Open the door! Open the door!" she shouts as she pounds at the bathroom wall. "I want to sit on the potty!"

So I sigh and say, "Oh all right. If you must."

And she takes off her pants and pulls off her socks and stands impatiently while I assist with the diaper and then she sits for a millisecond before she races off again. Because really it is not so much that she is interested in doing anything whatsoever in the bathroom; she just wants to be naked and she has twigged to the fact that "potty" is the magic get-out-of-pants-free word. If I had my druthers I would continue to cram her back in that diaper until next year some time but you all gave such great advice back in September and were so convinced that they can do this that I have decided to bite the bullet and try potty training again. I continue to be deeply skeptical that a child of mine could be so wildly self-sufficient as to dispense with diapers before... well. But we'll see.

Finally, Steve and I are getting an overnight babysitter this weekend and wheeeeeee! I want to go to dinner and Steve wants to see Avatar and although I have nothing against Avatar I do feel like the only thing we DO is watch Netflix together so maybe an evening that involves a little more togetherness? Did I mention that this is the first time we will spend the entire night away from child/ren together, ever? Seven plus years, people. Please advise. Oh, and I was thinking about trying hotwire or priceline for a hotel deal since we don't really care - within reason - where we stay. Have you tried either?    

PS Sorry I did not realize that those pictures were so enormous. Lemme know if I need to take them down. 

Comments

[ali]

I hear you on the deadliness of art galleries. I actually have a theory that gravity is stronger in museums than anywhere else on the planet and that art galleries exert the strongest pull of gravity of all museum types.
And I also hear you on the homework. I battle with my 10 year old almost nightly, not so much to get him to do it but he seems to feel I should be doing it with him and I (as you so aptly put) have already finished grade 5.

[Amy]

Family pictures...GAH! Those Calvin and Hobbes cartoons where Calvin is making all those faces while Dad tries to take his picture? Funny for a reason. To other people. Ones without kids.
But yours are gorgeous! Love the picture of the two together.

[susan]

I did hotwire and got a great deal on a hotel in SF. I circled in on the area, requested 4 stars, and got it for 100 dollars which is good in SF. Have a great time! I wouldn't go to Avatar either- dinner and drinks afteward, somewhere nice!
I thought AR was not really great for a kid who reads a lot as my son did; I gave him permission to do as he wished. He really preferred nonfiction at the time, and not so much of the AR type books.

[jen]

I have used priceline for our trips to chicago and while it is never the spectacular hotel I dream of, I do still feel like I'm getting a deal, which may or may not be the deal they give to everyone anyway but still, I feel like I made an effort and it has always worked well.

We are flirting with potty training too but I think he's mostly into the free from pants aspect or the sticker aspect but then I don't want to discourage and so we try. There was one day he used the potty nearly the whole day (even stripping down and sitting on the toilet with his diaper on and not, mind you, a training toilet but a regular toilet) and I thought, well, well maybe this is working and then the next day...nothing. So who knows. I'm letting him decide mostly because I don't want to deal with it. If he asks to potty, he gets to go and if he does a good amount, he gets a treat. If he's just screwing with me and forcing out a bit of pee and went less than five minutes ago, no treat. So far though, I wouldn't recommend my strategy because we've been at it this way for about a month.

[Jen]

"The magic get-out-of-pants-free word" ... ha ha ha! And the family photos crack me up. Finally, my 4th grade stepson and I have similar conversations about homework: "Oh, that math!" I've got to trust that his creative spirit will be a boon to him some time in the future, because it's kicking my butt now.

[NGS]

Oh, priceline is fabulous. We got a hotel with parking in downtown Chicago for $90 a night. Oh, dear. Those were the days.

[Bethany]

Your family is Beautiful! I always appreciate your sharing :)

I've gotten great deals and awesome, over-the-top hotel rooms for a steal through Hotwire. You can see the star rating and read comments about the hotel you will be picking before you buy although you won't know the hotel's name. I think it's perfect if you don't care where you are staying and would be great for this purpose. Pick a top star hotel with good amenities/services and good comments at a great price and I think you'll be very happy! Go Hotwire!

I am in the pro-potty-training camp, but only when the signs are very clear that that's actually what the kiddo wants to do. I'm thinking that might not be the case right now with Caroline and Edward. I'm just saying you might spend more time trying to get clothes back on Caroline versus actual potty-training time. If your kiddo is truly ready to potty train, a lot of times it isn't a big hassle with a lot of run around. If you feel you're getting the run around, I would halt potty training and try again when you sense another window of opportunity (as you're doing now). Repeat as needed.

Keep us posted! ENJOY your time with Steve!! Whoo hoo!!

[Lisa]

Mmm pictures of Steve. Grrrr.

[Karishma]

oh, that picture of caroline and edward is just gorgeous. you should frame it and expand and show it to one and all. and those family pictures? hahahahahaha. oh man. honestly? putting all four of those picture on a holiday card, small size, would be absolutely hysterical, in my opinion. anyone who had kids would be saying AMEN!

also, after 7 years, you deserve a treat. go out to a nice dinner, have some drinks, be in a nice hotel, general idea is time together - children = relaxation.

[Anna]

Hahaha! We also tried to get a family photo last weekend since my Dad was in town to take it, and now have a similar set of pictures that at no time show all four faces with eyes open at once. My three-year-old does not pull faces nearly as good as Patrick's, though.

I've used Priceline a few times with good results - biddingfortravel.com has great city-specific advice with what hotels you're likely to get and what other people have recently paid. I usually browse the boards there before having a go myself. Good luck, and enjoy your child-free night!

[Jenn]

I was an *art major* and I think art museums are dreadfully dull. I don't like pondering the artist's vision and wondering what he/she was trying to convey by painting an entire canvas electric blue. I don't think I was a very *good* art major, but I managed to graduate with honors anyway.

[Christy]

I think Patrick must have taken his cues from Calvin's expressions when his dad was trying to take his picture. That last photo with his eyes rolled up is classic Watterson.

Re: hotwire -- I love it. I've used it several times and never been disappointed.

[sunflowerchilde]

Hmmmmm, I thought Avatar was really cool. The story sucked, but the 3D graphics were awesome. Totally worth the $18 I paid to see it in IMAX, and I will probably never watch it again, even for free on Netflix. On the other hand, I'm not sure it's cool enough for your first overnight alone in seven years.

[jlp]

I used Priceline (or was it Hotwire? I forget) in conjunction with www.betterbidding.com a few years back and was pleased with the results: as I recall, we got a 4 star hotel room in Manhattan for around $150/night.

[Aunt Becky]

Art, like so many things, makes me sleepy.

[Heather]

No no no on the Avatar. Personal interaction a must. But that's just me. I am so tired of staring at a screen with my husband.

I've had my 3 kids potty trained by 2 1/4 years. Generally pretty easy (for us) and positive, BUT you hit the nail on the head. A mother has to come running when she hears the magic word- in my case, "Ppppplrrlat". And sit there as long as it takes.

Oh, and we did do rewards, even for just "trying" at first, but said reward is not given until pants are back ON.

[beth]

I have educational issues with mandatory AR goals. It's a good way to encourage reading as an option, but also a good way to suck the joy out of it as a requirement. I'd be tempted to tell my kid to forget the chart, and send him to school with a book to read on the day of the big AR party.

[cee]

I love that Steve looks like a perfect Disney prince in every picture.

[Elizabeth]

I LOVE the family photos - so true to life. If everyone was smiling perfectly at the camera I would know it was a fake (from you family, from my family...from anyone's family).

All our gorgeous!

[Darlene]

A couple years ago, I took an adorable, professional looking picture of my 3 kids to put in the Christmas card. They were 3, 4, and 7 years old at the time. I took about 25 pictures and I let them do funny poses and faces for the second half. Since they knew they could control some poses and have fun, they cooperated so I could get the picture I wanted. I even considered sending one of the "outtakes." I have the best one of each at my desk at work.

[Ali]

I once showed up at my daughters preschool 2 hours prior to a scheduled event. I had a rare morning off, so I headed home, fell asleep and misread the clock, sending me into a panic to get there. I would totally leave cheques in a library book. You are not alone.

[Alexicographer]

A friend of mine once sent us lovely holiday photos of her children asleep, with a "nestled all snug in their beds" or maybe "dreaming of ... " or maybe just "may you have a restful [haha] holiday" caption. They were charming. And I love those photos of your family, but yes, I also get your dismay ...

We took my young adult stepkids to Europe and, among other places, the Prado. We split up and agreed to meet back up in 1.5 hours. 45 minutes later, my stepson tracked us down and told us he had "seen everything in here." He wasn't kidding. Had you been there, perhaps you could have joined him in the cafe?

[Daily Cup of Jo]

Potty training is a deeply mysterious process that you work on haphazardly, thinking it will never amount to anything, and then one day it does and I can't tell you a single reason why. Like I said, mysterious. I'm pretty sure, though, from what I've been through and what I've witnessed, that the advice of just letting them get there when they're ready is bullshit.

It's been so long since the husband and I went away for anything that wasn't a business trip for him -- oh, good luck, have fun and don't see Avatar. It's looooooong.

[Heidi]

Oh, I love the photos! Especially the THAT (well that might be nice) photo, where twenty lovely pudgy toes are visible.

Have a lovely date!

[TY]

definitely check out hotwire for the hotel. i have tried several sites, and it consistently gives me the best results. as for things to do... if you are staying in minneapolis, a drag show at the 90's is never dull. enjoy your night on the town!

[RocketGrl]

For an action shot of your daily life (as described here), I think pics 2 and 4 work well.

BTW - I put the checks into my back pocket and put them through the wash. Still pretty useless.

Two sites I use often are kayak.com and perfectescapes.com with the later being awesome for for cut rates on high end hotels.

[Nicky]

Dont give up with the potty training- I was taking my boy(then just 2) for a few months to the toilet, but nothing serious. Then in Jan, I decided I had to do this, and he was trained within a week!! Because he was ready, and he knew the "principle" of the thing...even though he wears a nappy at night, it's always dry in the morning, as he wakes us at night to go to the loo. I'm so impressed!

And we'r also getting a babysitter this weekend(my mom, who lives in another town) and we want to see a movie, or go for drinks, or both. Yay! we havent done this for 2.5 years....LOL

*Nappie - south african speak for diaper

[Clare]

I laughed so hard at that first photo. Patrick's face is so classic and your daughter with her finger. Totally brighened my day:) I also was thinking of how much your blog is one of my favourite ongoing stories. No AR goals needed there!

[Moosilaneous]

Seeing your blog come up on my reader makes my day.
Flakey is tough, but chalk it up to the advanced state of sleep deprivation. And on your night out, what about compromising and seeing live theatre? You will probably be happily surprised, and you'll have done something you can't do at home. Then drinks and hotel.
Have fun, whatever you do!

[Kate (Bee In The Bonnet)]

Hotwire gets my vote. I've gotten some fantastic deals there, though you don't know what you're booking before you actually get it. And in one particular instance, I was quite disappointed by what they considered "downtown", when, in fact, I knew the area we were staying in quite well, and I wouldn't have ever considered that hotel to be "downtown", even though it was not far off geographically.

But, if you aren't particular, Hotwire probably has better deals than Priceline for a higher star rated hotel. If you're just looking for a reasonably acceptable place to rest your head for the night, neither site will have that much of an advantage over booking directly through whatever hotel chain you choose. But for the 4-5 star kind of places, Hotwire is what I'd use.

As a kid I applied for and was one of four students from my elementary school chosen to participate in a special visual arts program where we learned about and produced art based around a certain theme (I was clearly, though sadly, more adept at the "appreciation" part than the "application" part...). The central part of the program was taking multiple field trips to local art museums and listening to the docents drone on and on and on for hours. I always wondered who *those* kids were who threw themselves on the floor out of boredom-- why are they not FASCINATED by all of this? And now I know. I suppose it arrogantly never occurred to me that other people weren't as intrigued by old paintings of some random German farmer as I am (not that portraiture is my favorite kind of art, but still.). I mean, I totally understood people having different taste in art (I don't know many others as captivated by modern/post-modern art as I am), but to hate art altogether? Never occurred to me that it was even a possibility. Thanks for the lesson in (duh) "the world is a wide, wide place with many, many different kinds of people and not all of those people will think like you do..." Sometimes I forget!

[Kate]

I've used priceline before and I think it's great if you're a little flexible. Just pick at least three stars and the location you like, and bid a price that is way less than you think it's reasonable. I've gotten, for example, $65 hotel rooms (at the Marriot)in San Franciso.

[Linda]

My kid *loves* to read. He whips out his book in school every chance he gets. If I made him read, he would never do it. He's just that kind of rebellious. I hope our system continues to spend their little enough money on stuff besides the AR system. *shudders*

[Laurie]

Oh, I love those photos! You simply must frame at least one of them.

Art museums are BORING, so you are not alone. And I cannot even count the number of times I have gotten a call from my library about stuff I have left in books....

[Cherylyn]

I feel the need to tell you that you always make me laugh! Those pictures had me rolling on the floor! I have followed you for years (years I tell you!) and you never fail to give me a mood boost. You have a gift for writing. Please don't ever stop!
P.S. I work at at library and there are lots of people who leave checks and all kinds of things inside books! You are not alone.

[Pam L]

Well, Steve, gets an A for being most on point in the photo taking, although he looked a little weary in the last effort, while Patrick did the Calvin thing to perfection!

And I guess referencing Stephen King for potty training is about right. As I've said, mine were both 3.5 before they were done with the training part, but they were really done and never even had one night time incident either, so there's that.

[Katelyn]

I absolutely love the family photos. We are currently numbered 2 plus the dog and so have fairly tame photos, but I'm looking forward to funny family photos with the birth of our first this summer.

As far as AR goes, I'm young enough to have participated in the program while in school. I was already a voracious reader to the point I used to get in trouble for reading when I was supposed to be doing chore. I worked the system and would find the book worth the most points that was allowed at the time and read it for the points. I then read whatever I wanted till it was time for more points.

My opinion: for a child who is already a reader, I don't think the program is all that beneficial except for MAYBE steering that child towards books they might not otherwise consider. I think the program is geared towards a child who is not a reader. Mainly, I think it easily gives teachers a tangible way to measure their students' reading.

[MLB]

Love the last photo where patrick is rolling his eyes up and steve looks like a deer in headlights. It is priceless.

[JustLinda]

We took our kids to the Art Museum last weekend. You know, we need to get them some of that there CULTURE. SpongeBob just isn't cutting it anymore.

My 5 year old said "I hate art. It's SOOOO boring. It just HANGS there."

I couldn't argue with that. She had a point.

[Monica]

Those pictures crack me up. I was thinking that Steve looked pretty normal...then I got to the last one where he looks totally spaced out lol. I think the second one of you and patrick looking at each other is actually really cute.

But anyways....what happened with the checks??? Did you go back and get them? What did the librarian say? Did you leave them? I need the rest of the story lol!!

[Debbie]

We've tried hotwire a good bit for hotels and always had a good experience. I would just go with at least three stars. Sometimes you can put in the same search terms on expedia and get an idea (by looking at the star rating) what hotels you might be getting. Good luck and enjoy. We've also never done a kidless overnight so I am jealous.

[thalia]

For me the key with potty training was not making it about the potty so much as about the pants (knickers? Underpants?). We went out together and bought Peppa Pig, Charlie and Lola, and In the Night Garden pants, and then she really really wanted to wear them, and in order to wear them she needed to use the potty or the loo. We had several accidents the first few days, then we were accident free for a week or so, then a couple of relapses, and now she's great.

We just got up one morning after reading lots of books for a while, buying the pants together etc., said no more nappies except for sleep, and went from there. Initially I took her every 20 minutes, then every 40 minutes, then every hour, then every 2 hours. Poo took longer than pee, but a month later we're mostly done with the 'training' thing and she asks to go rather than me needing to take her pre-emptively every hour.

I wouldn't start until you're sure they are up for it, though.

[Jen Antila]

Re: hotels- if you're heading to the city, for moderate price I have enjoyed Embassy Suites- manager happy hour and breakfast = guarantee of good marital time in between!

[Fakey]

Those pictures are great! There are only three of us, and we can't manage a good family photo either.

We call them Civil War Pictures. You know, the ones in which everyone has a different focal point or task. Like this: http://www.archives.gov/research/civil-war/photos/images/civil-war-005.jpg

We're not poor models, just students of history.

[Erika]

The checks--that's something I would do. Down to the thinking "hmm, maybe this isn't the best place for this, but I'm sure it'll be fine." And I love the pictures. All of them.

[Courtney]

Use www.betterbidding.com in conjunction with Priceline. Just search for your city, people will post how they bid, what hotel they ended up with, and its cost. I've always had excellent results bidding this way.

[Liz]

Try perfectescapes.com Their deals tend to come with free bottles of wine and late check-out. Lovely. Have fun!

[Christiana]

I kinda got into art galleries, but can't stand docents in general, so I would say that is beyond most 7 year olds if this nearly 30-yr-old can't handle it.

Love the pictures. sorry the family ones didn't turn out, though the last one isn't bad if Patrick had cooperated. My huband takes the Christmas pictures every year for my best friend's family and her 6 yr old ruined every picture this year.

My own Caroline is doing the same potty thing. Loves to sit on the potty and then run around w/o bottoms. I thought that would be better in say, May than in February, but hey, what do I know? we're doing what we can. I'll be trying panties on her soon.

[Steph]

Loved the pictures . . you look like Anne of Green Gables . . grown up.

My friend uses hotwire a lot and has had great luck getting really nice hotels in downtown Chicago for a decent price.

Good luck with potty training. They'll let you know if they are ready or not.

[HereWeGoAJen]

Use that last picture as your family Christmas card. Then show it to Patrick and see if he does better the next time. :) You'll either get a great picture next year or one of him making an even better face.

[Elin]

I just found a two-year-old escrow overage check tucked neatly in with our bank statements. In the envelope. Never opened.

It will take me about an hour of negotiating the automated menu, then waiting six weeks to get the reissued check, which will probably be tucked neatly in with our bank statements. And never opened for another two years, when I decide to shred the old bank statments.