Posted on | July 31, 2011 | 28 Comments
i don’t know about any of you, but a huge majority of my adolescence was spent listening to Seattle bands – nirvana, alice in chains, pearl jam, soundgarden – and wearing flannel. no one can really mock me because everyone else was doing it, too, and living in the area it was unavoidable. besides, why you’d want to avoid such amazingness is beyond me.
this weekend we headed to the Gorge to see Soundgarden (along with Mastadon and Queens of the Stone Age) and seriously, it felt like i was 14 again. we camped, sat in the sun and the show itself was incredible. i’m undoubtedly getting old (as in, i just can’t hang like i used to be able to and i say things that sound sooo mom-like “who’s smoking pot? she shouldn’t be wearing that, she’s going to get her boobies sunburt. but why is it so loud?”) but if Soundgarden gets back together for a tour (1997 was the last time they toured), ends it in Washington and Chris Cornell has grown his hair out again? you bet your sweet bippy (whatever that is) that i’ll be there. we all had a blast.
sorry this post isn’t more articulate or on time. i have serious case of desert camping/hot sun/good friends/Chris Cornell hair-gazing hangover. i wore a target tank, gap jeans shorts and some flip flops. not the best ever SOS but at least i was wearing clothes (“she’s going to catch a cold!”). srsly though, so tired and happy. amazing weekend. hope you guys had a good one, too.
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Posted on | July 28, 2011 | 69 Comments
playgrounds. playspaces. playcenters.
supposed to be good old fashioned fun for the kiddos. slides! swings! other chitlins! nightmare for parents. ok, maybe i’m being dramatic. but seriously? i feel like every time we go to a playground/play place/etc i’m teetering on the edge of helicopter mom insanity. maybe it’s because i’m a first time mom, maybe it’s because i’m uptight, or maybe it’s because every other mom i seem to come in contact with at these places thinks a couple of slides and a swing is the perfect babysitter for their toddler. (my educated guess is the latter).
long gone are the days when we can stop by the park innocently and place Harper in a baby swing, push her adorably for about 20 minutes, then leave. nope. these are the days where she begs to go to the park and then insists on climbing like a monkey on the structure, me awkwardly following just in case she needs help, me telling her she can’t go on that, and then her screaming bloody murder as though i just shot her dog. these are the days we have to be everyone elses mom, too because their mom is too busy sitting in the wooden boat on her phone (true story). these apparently, are the days when 7 year olds can ride their razor scooters ONTO the play equipment and then send them barreling down the slides while their moms sit at the picnic table 50 yards away drinking coffee with the mom of the kid who’s over there throwing sand in babies faces (TRUE STORY).
a while back we met a few friends at a local play center. this place charges for children (and advertises as a place that is suited for such) ages one and up. 12 months. inside was a place structure shaped like a pirate ship, with a ladder to go up to a deck like thing, a slide coming down, etc. the floor level was a little nook where the kids could read books or what have you. Harper is great at going down slides by herself so i would help her up the ladder and walk around to watch her come down the slide. except one time i was walking around and saw a little window into the underside nook just in time to see my kid fall over 5 feet into it. a fire pole. that you could only see if you were playing on the structure. not too helpful if you’re 2 years old and don’t grasp the concept of a fire pole. thank god she was fine but it was horrifying and it took me weeks to stop having nightmares. she could have broken bones, gotten a concussion or worse. and the owner was like “oh, yeah that happens” as my child is doing the purple face cry and i’m fighting back tears. you know what else happens? me never giving you my money again.
side note: actually no one gives them money anymore, i just googled and they closed down. bai.
so i have no trouble admitting that i watch Harper like a hawk when we are at such places. having your child tumble down a hole to a wood floor 5 feet below will have that effect. i’m not crazy or anything, i just keep my eyes on her. if she needs help, i want to be the one to help her. make sure she doesn’t eat too much sand, put rocks in her mouth, you know the uge.
we make a weekly visit to another play center that i absolutely love. the staff is great, the place is perfect for toddlers and there is coffee. you know, the important stuff. anywho, the way this place is set up is you can sit at the tables and still be able to see your kidlet wherever they may be. i spend our time there alternating between sitting and chatting with fiona while the girls eat snacks and following them around from activity to activity. last week we were sitting and i was watching H play in a little car. a boy that was bigger than her got into the car and they were standing up looking at each other when all of a sudden the little boy started shoving her. i stood up. he shoved her again. i got there as fast as my feet would take me (5 large mama bear strides), passed his mother who was texting away, took Harper out of the toy and said, with crazy eyes, “please don’t push her! she’s littler than you!”. obviously, there are better reasons to not push people, like for instance it’s mean, but it’s just what came out.
as i calmed down i felt a little bad. this kid was probably three or four and we all know kids just push, hit, bite, etc because they are still figuring out how to you know, be alive and junk. but his mom pissed me off. i snapped at him because i was mad i had to say anything in the first place. pushing is going to happen, but you, texting lady, should be there to correct that behavior. this isn’t about me judging that mom – i’m sure she is a lovely person who i’d most likely even have a glass of wine with – it’s that i don’t know know how to discipline her kid, nor should i have to.
this is where i would ask you guys how you handle these types of situations – but i feel like it’s possible i don’t have much control over how i react? i think it’s just instinct? you push mah behbeh, i give you crazy eyes. ok no but seriously, tell me your stories and how you dealt. have you had to remove your kid from a similar situation? conversely, if your kid was showing bad behavior and you were otherwise engaged (for whatever reason), would you want someone to say something to your child?
should i just go back to blogging about succulents and roundhouse kicks?
Posted on | July 27, 2011 | 3 Comments
just wanted to pop in and let you guys know that Opal has re-opened! there are some pretty amazing things in there right now. vintage dresses, tons of vintage goodies for kiddos and a whole bunch of vintage pillowcase pairs (buy one or buy 2 to really mix things up!). i’m really happy with how the shop is turning out this time and i’m looking forward to continuing to fill it with things you will love.
happy shopping!
Posted on | July 26, 2011 | 27 Comments
remember best week ever on VH1? dude, i loved that show. it’s true though, the pacific northwest had the best weekend ever. the weather was gorgeous, and it’s a good thing since we had water related activities planned for both days. we are super lucky to live in a town on the water, and one of the greatest things about living in the puget sound area is that water is always a short drive if you don’t live in a water town.
saturday my mom, scot, harper and i went on a boat tour of gig harbor. it was H’s first boat ride and she did great (especially considering it was a 2 hour tour and she’s 2). it was gorgeous! and captain tom really knew his stuff so we got to learn a bunch of fun facts about the area. it went under the tacoma narrows, around point defiance and back to the harbor. it was kick ace.
sunday was equally as amazing. me and the girls piled into the durango and headed to Tahuya for Bree’s bridal shower. all she wanted was a garden lunch and beach day with the ladies and abbie (maid of honor) delivered! lunch, peach sangria, and floating on air mattresses all day? SIGN ME UP. any excuse to wear a floppy hat i bought at target for no reason except it was on clearance. success!
a few things learned this weekend: 1) one pieces? are AWESOME. things do not return to their preVious places after you have a baby. a ruched black one piece with a flattering neckline is what the doctor ordered. thank you to my amazing mother in law for the birthday gift, otherwise this girl would have been squishing into a 4 year old bikini because that is the last time i bought a bathing suit. and b) sunscreen, mandy. let’s think about that next time. if you see me in 10 years with a chicken neck, it’s literally because of the burn i have right now. CHEST ON FIYAH. PARTS FEEL HURTY. DUMB MANDY IS DUMB.
ahem.
what i was saying is, the weekend ruled. come visit me sometime. the end.
