Remembering Two Great Guys

April Fools’! I’m waiting for the first prank of the day. My Dad was big into April Fools’. Some well known jokes included: plastic wrap on the toilet seat; Molly the cat’s fur on a string and pulled along the kitchen floor like a mouse (whereas my Mom jumped onto a chair screaming); and setting the house alarm off (not funny to my very young brother who cried while I laughed at him). As “All Fools’ Day” comes again this year, I think of my Dad and smile. He would definitely be up to no good today!

Anyone who’s experienced loss knows the significance of that specific date. As the day my Dad passed away suddenly, August 1 will forever be the worst day of my life. It gets easier every year, but I still relive the morning my Mom called and we flew home from New Mexico. It was - by far - the saddest day. April 1 is that day for the Howroyds. My Dad’s sister, Lori, and my cousins lost their Dad (Uncle Jay) to a heart attack a year ago today. Jay was such an amazing person. Kind, funny, smart and witty. So on a day that should be fun-loving and humorous, I remember these two great men. I hope that April 1 will get easier for my aunt and cousins every year …. Love you guys!

fun at Scott and Jess's wedding, photo by Tightrope Photography

Patience

The world needs leaders, my colleague Dan said after I told him about Jill and her inability to wait in line.  Each day Jill comes home from school with a report.  It includes details like diaper changes, "I ate all, most or some of my lunch," naptime, things I did well today and things I need to work on.  Jill needs to work on being more patient and waiting her turn.  What are some ideas to practice this at home?  I think her patience will increase as she spends more time at day care and plays with the neighborhood kids after school at the playground.  But, as Dan pointed out, the world needs leaders, and it seems that Jill carries an in-charge personality and may be destined to lead.

It's been a challenge two or three days this week to get Jill to actually leave day care.  She's thrilled to see me but then gets sidetracked with toys, the chalkboard or other kids when it's time to put on her coat and walk out the door.  I guess that's a good thing.  We know she really enjoys it there!

Jill's been big on immitating us this week.  She puts on deodorant, stretches her hamstrings while sitting down and does yoga moves like child's pose.  She also dances and smiles while watching herself in the mirror, so much so that Tony made a comment this week like, "who needs a little sister when you have a mirror!"  The one-and-done or have a sibling conversation is for another post.  Have a good night!

Turkeys and Turbo Shots

I’d rather say “too short” than “good” every Monday when co-workers ask how the weekend went. I suppose good is the polite response. This morning I could have whipped the Ibuprofen bottle out of my drawer, pointed to the jug of water and told them about my Sunday night out. It’s easy to get carried away when you don’t get out much.

Anyways, back to the too short weekend. I was spoiled Friday afternoon when Tony picked me up from work (we normally carpool in then I take the T home) with Rachael. We got Jill at day care and drove straight to my Mom’s for a seminar with Sandy Alemian, An Invitation to Remember. This is the spirit medium my Mom and I saw in January. She’s a great speaker and she said many things that hit home for both of us. Her message was to live in the moment and think with your heart, not your mind. I took two pages of notes…

Saturdays are usually strong napping days for Jill. She boycotted it this weekend. Instead, while I was running a few quick errands, she started talking. Jill’s been saying Da-Da, Ma-Ma, Ra-Ra (for Rachael), kitty and a few other words sporadically. Saturday she very purposefully said Da-Da while looking right at Tony. She made the connection; her voice was stronger; and she was quite pleased with herself when he responded. Later that afternoon, we made the short walk to the playground (thank God it’s so close because it was chilly and windy). Tony got to see Jill in action on the slide. He even took a couple rides down with her. That was a sight!

Our normal weekend mornings consist of walks around the neighborhood. Sometimes we walk to the beach; other mornings we go all-terrain down a wooded path. This Sunday morning we were joined on our walk by EIGHT TURKEYS! I kid you not. Turkeys, in Quincy, on a peninsula no less! It was a riot! People were stepping out into the cold wearing just their pajamas to see the group wandering down the street and through fenced yards. One neighbor’s dog got loose and came barreling toward the rafter (aka group of turkeys, I had to look that up). It was a frantic escape! Some beelined it to the nearest rooftop and others hung out in the trees. That’s when we made our move to pass on the left... Jill and Rachael were amused.

The sun was shining this weekend but the air was cold and the wind was bitter.  Tony worked cutting wood for the porch in the driveway, shielded from the wind by the house.  Jill yelled Da-Da, knocked on the window and smiled at him every time he went to make a cut on the sawhorse.  We discovered a new children's music channel on Pandora.  Jill danced in the kitchen (I may have danced with her) while I chopped peppers and onions for Andrea's turkey chili recipe.  We baked our weekly supply of sweet potatoes, butternut squash and acorn squash. 

Jill's a climber.  She really enjoys navigating stairs, flinging herself up on the couch and the like.  So when she was entertaining herself very well on Sunday and it went quiet for about 7 seconds, I thought she was getting ready to scale her stroller again.  I rounded the corner and found her one step from the top of the chairs.  My heart stopped.  She was thrilled.  There goes my Mom of the Year Award.  Minus that incident, we had a really fun day of dancing and singing, painting, playing and cooking.

Tony and I were excited to get out of the house for adult interaction Sunday night.  We planned to meet Heidi and Houston at The Fat Cat and since my Mom kicked us out of the house, we arrived early.  There was a wait.  Ummm we never go out.  Sorry, but we're not waiting.  Tony suggested a restaurant a few doors down.  He looked it up on his phone.  Asian fusion tapas or something like that.  Right up Tony's alley.  You know that's not true!  Back to the Fox and Hound we go for pizza and boneless buffalo tenders.  And Trivia Night.  That was an added bonus when sitting at a table with the Master of All Useless Information Tony and Movie Buff Houston.  Heidi and I held our own.  We also shared a bottle of pinot grigio after a pint of Magic Hat #9. 

Tony and I went to bed around 10, which is honestly an hour later than a typical Sunday night, only to be woken up by a very upset Jill at 3:30.  She was uncomfortable, sitting up in her crib with tears streaming down her face.  We think she had gas bubbles from the regular pasta with parmesan cheese that she had earlier in the day.  It was the only item new to her diet that day.  Back to wheat pasta for sure!  Jill finally went back to sleep only to wake up again about 40 minutes later.  Our 5 a.m. alarm reset itself for 6:15.  That's more like it.  My headache could have been from the wine or the lack of sleep.  But getting up at 5 to sweat on the treadmill was not happening.  I would rather sit in traffic on the Expressway, thank you.  This morning I was thankful for my loving and patient hubby for pulling into the Dunk's drive thru when he saw the short line.  That medium coffee with turbo shot may have just saved the day!

Diaper Rashes and Faux Fur Thursdays

"Have you tried Triple Paste??" My fellow parent colleagues raved about this stuff. I'd never even heard of it. You mean there's creams, ointments, potions and lotions in addition to the ones we've tried? Some prescription, most not, the list is long. A+D, Mometasone, Butt Paste, Mupirocin, Nystatin, Lotrimin but Triple Paste? Tony, can you please stop at CVS on your way home and pick up really expensive diaper rash cream? Sure, why not? We'll add it to the basket. Hopefully it works. Which creams/ointments have worked best for you?

Diaper rash or not, Jill was styling in her faux fur vest from Gi Gi Smith today. If there was a Best Dressed award, she would be a strong contender. She was also a complete goofball in the tub tonight (notice the waves). Overall, it was a much better day!

The Forgotten Sippy Cup

This morning was a disaster. Halfway to the T came the realization that I didn’t pack Jill’s Nutri Grain bar. OK, no big deal. I didn’t pack her milk yesterday and I seamlessly swung into CVS and sprinted through the parking lot. Tony saw me while he was waiting at the light and asked me to please not do that again. I looked like a fool. Better than running through the store, I told him. Today was a different story. Today was a disaster.

We’d already passed CVS so we opted for a Panera stop. If I had known that Susie from Blue Cross and Blue Shield was buying breakfast sandwiches with different bagels and toppings for each for her entire office, I would have driven a few minutes out of the way and back to CVS. The wait in this line prompted an addition to Jill’s croissant order: a medium dark roast coffee for Mom. So I walk briskly through the parking lot, jump into Tony’s truck and start talking about how irresponsible I am. Tony doesn’t have lunch. Jill didn’t have milk yesterday. She has nothing to go with her grapes today. I’m losing my mind, and the like … My loving husband informs me that Jill is not upset with me; he is not annoyed in the least bit and could have made his own lunch; and the only person beating themselves up over these little things is myself. Good point. Deep breathes.

Arrive at day care. Fill two post-its of reminders for Jill’s endless diaper rash. Please tuck in onesie, don’t button. No juice, please, just water. Wipe with warm water and soft towels provided. Apply prescription cream mid-day. I check that everything is labeled in black magic marker. Peak into the fridge to grab her sippy cup. It’s not there. It’s clean in the dishwasher. So much for the deep breathing as I feel tears coming on and pressure building in my chest. Back to the house.

Grab stupid sippy cup. Back to day care. Michelle, the assistant director: “I tried calling your cell phone to catch you. I can’t apply Jill’s cream without the prescription information.” This is the ointment that she was using the majority of last week. This is the ointment that she chewed the box with the prescription information so I threw it away. Fantastic, I thought. This has been an awesome morning. Call the doctor’s office while sitting in traffic on the expressway and request the prescription information be faxed to my work. Arrive at work nearly an hour later than usual. Co-workers can tell something is wrong. All I have to mention is that we forgot the sippy cup this morning and all the parents nod their heads and smile. They understand. Thank God. More coffee, please.

What's Cooking?

Beef. It's what's for dinner. Not exactly while you're counting your WW points and trying to lose weight. Don't get me wrong: I love steak, hamburger, roast beef and any other red meat. We just don't eat it very often, especially during the week when dinner comes much later. My diet has shifted to even more fruits and vegetables (0 pts) than before. Tony didn't believe it either, until our grocery bill spiked. Fruits and veggies have to be purchased at Market Basket or we will go bankrupt. I will be thinner, but we will be in the poor house. I'm happy to report that despite the multiple birthday celebrations and alcoholic outings, I somehow managed to lose weight last week. Down 4 this round of WW at Work; down 24 from my heaviest days in New Mexico; down I'm-not-even-going-to-say-how-much from the pregnancy. A lot.

Although we didn't try any new recipes this weekend, we did manage to buy some meat in bulk then actually wash, separate, marinate and freeze it into smaller portions. I won't even tell you how many times we planned to do this, didn't bother and cooked 3 lbs. of chicken for two people. Chicken is great for leftovers. You can fold it in a sandwich (Tony likes to spice it up with buffalo sauce); throw it on top of a salad; press it between tortillas. But you can only eat leftover chicken for so many meals when it starts to dry out, nevermind bore your tastebuds.

Does anyone else love looking around other peoples' kitchens? Although I'm not a nosebag like my daughter, I enjoy looking in my Mom's fridge, freezer and spice cabinets. This is fairly new since my interest in cooking evolved and I feel like it helps with ideas. Lord knows I'm not getting any creative meal ideas from Tony. We all know he would eat cheeseburgers, pasta or steak every night of the week. My Mom and I recently tried a ridiculously easy tomato bisque recipe. The ingredients? Condensed tomato soup (the healthier version), diced tomatoes and a cup of Half n Half. It was delicious! I tried fat free Half n Half the next time around. Don't do it. It was awful. Sunday night we made the bisque with diced tomatoes with basil and oregano. So tasty!

kabocha squash, from Apple Pie,
Patis & Pate site

I had a goal in mind for tonight - A Tackle it Tuesday idea from Tony's cousin, Sara. I was going to clean the bathroom floor. Maybe tomorrow night. I did, however, manage to cook Tony's frozen Uno's pizza so that it was hot out of the oven when he got home and bake butternut and kabocha squash. I'd checked out recipes and articles about kabocha squash but had never seen it in the grocery store, or bothered to notice. I grabbed it this weekend from the Market Basket by my Mom's. I cut it in half lengthwise like the butternut squash, scooped out the seeds and baked it skin up for 45 min. at 400 degrees. I used my sister-in-law's tip to line the baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up and added a cup of water to the pan. Now that I have time to look up additional recipes, there are definitely more tastier ways to serve kabocha squash, but I wanted to try it plain and simple the first time around. I'm impressed! It's softer and smoother than butternut squash so I would definitely try it in a soup. Now that's getting crazy for me!! The best thing about both types of squash? Jill can enjoy them too!

The Soon-to-be Canning Family

Jess and baby Guy were showered with thoughtful cards, wonderful books, adorable outfits and more today. The shower was held at Nicole's house in Berkley. It was great to see many of the Cannings, Furzes and Ransleys, and I was really proud of Jill and how well behaved she was. Jill entertained herself and others and played with the other kids inside and out on the swingset for 3 hours! We can't wait for early May for the arrival of Guy Joseph, Jill's first cousin!

Here’s a list of 10 things we enjoyed this weekend; different things we noticed about Jill; and methods to keep it all sane. #3-10 are from Jess’s baby shower.

1. Saturday afternoon I organized Jill’s clothes for our overnight at Granna’s. Her pile included the beautiful pink and white sweater Gi-Gi Furze made, perfect for Sunday’s baby shower. It included diapers. I didn’t actually pack any of it.  Yes, none of it made it into the backpack.
2. Tony and I snuck out of my Mom’s house to grab diapers at Rite Aid. Low and behold we took the Rt. 138 loop back and pulled into Surly Johnson’s for a beer and appetizer platter. Relax at the bar from the madness known as Jill. Our kid has more energy than … us, that’s for sure!
3. Jill interacted with the many babies and toddlers at the shower. She approached 7mth. old Sophia (Nicole’s daughter) quickly then gently patted her on the head. “Gentle,” I repeated like she was petting the dog. Please don’t slap this kid’s soft spot, is what I was thinking.
4. Baby Lucy (Jen’s daughter) has quite the set of lungs! Jill walked into the room where Lucy was being changed and stood still. She listened to Lucy cry with a very concerned look across her face.
5. While Lucy was changed, Jill decided it was naptime and laid down on the rug in the middle of the room. There was far too much going on so she didn’t nap, but she thought about it, for about 4 seconds.
6. The sun was shining so we headed to the backyard and playground. Jill squealed and giggled as she rounded the corner to find Lexi, Nicole and Bob’s dog. This kid really loves dogs!
7. For an unknown reason, my Mom handed Jill a cup with “a little bit” of water. Well there was more water than estimated and it poured itself all over Jill’s chest and my sweater and leg (see pic) when Jill two-handed the cup and dumped it down her throat.
8. Do they make Swiffers for babies? Jill grabbed a damp paper towel and started wiping the wooden floor. Our house is a mess hunny, not Nicole’s!
9. Jill is a nosebag. I took her into the bathroom with me and she ran over to the vanity. Hmmm what’s in this drawer? And this drawer? Not your house, sweetie. Please shut!
10. A dare devil on the swingset. Jill played outside with 2-year-old Holly. They poked their heads through the circle at the top of the slide (I’ll try to get the pictures Jess’s cousin took with her phone) and I swear Jill would have thrown herself off if my hands weren’t connected to her bum at all times.