tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25820719268237929642024-03-18T20:45:29.135-07:00indelible ediblesErin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.comBlogger380125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-9305553392416658572014-07-06T20:58:00.000-07:002014-07-06T20:58:24.408-07:00mom and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad dayI was reading journal entries from last September, and found one that was particularly exhausting. A detailed account of a stressful day with the kids: Genghis, 3, Xena, 18 months, Isis, 2 months. It read like "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day". So much so, that I spent an hour tonight re-writing it in Alexander's style.<br />
<br />
So, for your enjoyment, here is "Mom and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day".<br />
<br />
********<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I went to sleep 2 hours ago, and now it’s time to wake up.
And when I got out of bed this morning Genghis greeted me with a very stinky
diaper and just when I got him changed and was ready for a quiet read on the
couch Baby Isis woke up crying and I could tell it was going to be a terrible,
horrible, no good, very bad day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p>***</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
At breakfast Genghis had a hot meal served to him and Xena
had a hot meal served to her but for my breakfast all I got was cold leftovers
after nursing Isis.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I think I’ll send my kids to boarding school.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p>***</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In the morning, Isis was content on her play mat. Genghis
was happy building with Legos. Xena screamed about everything. She took Genghis’s
toys and he took hers in revenge. I said, If you guys don’t stop it right now
you’re going straight back to bed. No one even answered.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no
good, very bad day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p>***</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
At morning naptime Isis slept much better than 18-month
old Xena.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When I thought Xena had settled down I was about to play
games with Genghis but then Xena started wailing nonstop. Who needs naptime? I
could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p>***</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I could tell because just when I got everyone settled outside
for fresh air (and some distance), someone started using a jackhammer next
door. Xena protested loudly about the noise.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You’re going back to your nap, I said to Xena. This time
you will stay there until I come and get you or until you fall out of bed and
land in boarding school.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p>***</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I drew 10 balloons with sidewalk chalk for Genghis and
then I felt guilty about Xena and we went inside to get her. Guess who was
almost asleep when I opened the door?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p>***</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That’s what it was because after lunch I tried to put Isis
in a back carrier to make life easier but found it just made her cry. Try again
next week and we’ll fix it, I told myself. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Next week, I replied, I’m sending my kids to boarding
school.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p>***</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
By 1pm I put all 3 children to bed and was ready for a
break but none of the children were asleep and Genghis and Xena screamed and
laughed for an hour and dumped their water bottles all over their beds and on
the floor and<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p>***</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
when I came into their room and saw the mess I scolded
them for being wet and awake and I sent Genghis to my bed for a nap, spending the
rest of my nap time soothing Isis in her bouncy chair and listening to Xena cry.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I am having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day,
I told everybody. No one even answered.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
***</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So then everyone got up from naps. Xena, Isis, and I
watched part of Pride and Prejudice together during snack time. But Genghis was
a whining disaster. Motherhood may make you love your kids but it can’t make
you always like being with them. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p>***</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When Abe came home he was very stressed out about dissertation
revisions that were due Tuesday. Xena brought a dump truck full of sand into
the house and was careful as could be except when she dumped it into the
bathroom I had just cleaned. And while the kids got in more trouble, I think I
called the boarding house.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p>***</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We had frozen Chinese stir fry for dinner and I hate packaged
food.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Isis fussed all evening and I hate fussing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
***</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When I sent the kids to bed, they didn’t want to sleep
and I found Genghis and Xena an hour later totally naked in Xena’s crib and
then everyone cried for a long time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
My mom says some days are like that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p>***</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Even at boarding school.<o:p></o:p></div>
Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-53479099546115623002014-05-22T21:49:00.002-07:002014-05-22T21:49:34.878-07:00my floors and rug are spotless ... and it only took 2 hours of awkwardI was in the middle of working out early yesterday evening when someone knocked on my door. Of course. Because this was the night I chose to wear just a sports bra on top for my work out. After scurrying to the bedroom to pull on the most convenient top (a fleece jacket of all things), I opened the door to 2 college-age guys holding a stack of promotional somethings.<br />
<br />
The first thing one of them said was, "Have you been working out?"<br />
<br />
I wanted to be offended, but realized I probably looked this harried <i>before </i>working out. and it would have been a lot worse to have the question put to me then.<br />
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/22/Kirby_Wii.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/22/Kirby_Wii.png" /></a><br />
Turns out they were from Kirby. The vacuums, not the game. I <i>thought</i> they were offering to clean my rug for free. 15 minutes.<br />
<br />
Of course, I figured they'd have all the promotional, try-to-sell-you stuff piece at the end. But since Isis has spent the last 10 months spitting up profusely on our rug, I figured it was a good deal.<br />
<br />
The 15 minutes actually meant that it would be 15 minutes before they came back to get started. This was good, because I still had 8 minutes left of my workout.<br />
<br />
The Kirby duo knocked on my door as I was doing my cool down (read: washing the dishes). They brought in the most complicated vacuum I have ever seen and spent the next 2 hours vacuuming and shampooing my rug and my entire living room, kitchen, and dining room floor. (Don't get too excited - my whole house is only 950 square feet.)<br />
<br />
While I sat there.<br />
<br />
Watching.<br />
<br />
It was weird. They were demoing the vacuum, so I felt like I had to sort of participate. I mean, I wasn't paying them. I wasn't going to buy anything. At least I could ... pay attention ... ???<br />
<br />
Plus, they were strangers. I didn't want to give them too much breathing room.<br />
<br />
What does one do in this situation?<br />
<br />
I picked 3 behaviors and rotated through them.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Thoughtful attention. This meant watching the guy vacuum and change attachments while nodding and commenting on the superiority of the product. </li>
<li>Assistance.. You know, important things like lifting the rug corners, picking up loose papers and toys. and wiping all the spilled milk from the table before it dripped down onto the clean floor below. I also got the guy a glass of water.</li>
<li>iPad cruising. Trying to find something interesting and useful to do on the ipad so I had the mobility to stay out of the way / keep an eye on things, but also feel productive.</li>
</ol>
<br />
You know, in many ways it felt like going to my first completely awkward first dance as a 14 year old.<br />
<br />
But, man, does my rug look awesome.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-67828596720879517152014-04-24T14:12:00.003-07:002014-04-24T14:12:45.611-07:00small wins in getting organized digitallyI love being organized. I've even taught my kids that, as we pick up the house each night, we should triumphantly shout "We are creating ORDER!"<br />
<br />
And so, of course, I love it when I find a tech tool that actually sticks with me to make my life more organized.<br />
<br />
Here are four.<br />
<br />
<i>(Disclaimer: I'm not really reviewing any of these, just raving about them and giving you more details than you want about how I use them.)</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/si0cgkp2rkVX5JhhBYrtZ4cy2I1hZcrx8aiz-v8MjvPykfhT7-YAM2B8MNi0OCF9AQ=w300" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/si0cgkp2rkVX5JhhBYrtZ4cy2I1hZcrx8aiz-v8MjvPykfhT7-YAM2B8MNi0OCF9AQ=w300" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>1. Evernote</b><br />
It really is like having a digital notebook. I use <a href="https://evernote.com/" target="_blank">Evernote </a>to ...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Bookmark websites</li>
<li>Collect my ideas or do brainstorming</li>
<li>Take notes on my phone at events, meetings, etc. Because I use Evernote as a place to store ideas, I actually reference these notes again in the future.</li>
<li>Keep running meeting minutes for regularly scheduled meetings I have with various clients. It's so helpful to have meeting minutes in one running document.</li>
<li>As a replacement for creating a new Word document every time I want to write something down digitally. I have so many Word documents that turned out not to be important enough to be a full-fledged document (research on a topic, proposals that never went anywhere, lists of items to do or things to remember regarding a specific project). Now I can start a note in Evernote and if I need to eventually copy/paste it into Word I can.</li>
<li>Access my files anywhere. Evernote has a desktop app that syncs with the online version so I can access with or without internet.</li>
<li>Have an automatic backup for my notes.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WRmKZr-SL9w/TwOs-NUQpiI/AAAAAAAAG3U/F_NPTp32hSo/s1600/jv1xqasy82.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WRmKZr-SL9w/TwOs-NUQpiI/AAAAAAAAG3U/F_NPTp32hSo/s1600/jv1xqasy82.gif" height="166" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>2. Plan to Eat </b><br />
<br />
I already talked about <a href="http://www.plantoeat.com/ref/usxwihqzdz" target="_blank" title="Meal Planning Website">Plan to Eat</a> extensively, <a href="http://indelibleedibles.blogspot.com/2012/09/meal-planning-solution.html" target="_blank">here</a>. To recap, I use Plan to Eat to ...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Keep all of my recipes. (After about 2 hours of entering in my paper-copy recipes, I've never had to do it again. All my other recipes come through the web.)</li>
<li>Not have to decide what's for dinner every night. I plan 4-7 days of dinners at a time, shop for those days, and just look up my menu when it's time to cook.</li>
<li>Make grocery lists. And by "make grocery lists" I mean sit back and watch the program automatically populate my grocery list based on my meal plan <i>and </i>sort the list by section in the grocery store. As long as I remember to bring my phone, I never forget my list.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Basically, meal planning is something that never stresses me out anymore.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://beta.mevvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Trello-logo-on-mevvy.com_.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://beta.mevvy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Trello-logo-on-mevvy.com_.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>3. Trello</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://trello.com/" target="_blank">Trello </a>is a fun interface for to-do lists that has worked extremely well for the following ...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Ongoing to do lists. Whenever I think of something I have to get done soon, or get done eventually, I make a note in Trello. When I'm ready to think about getting something done, I open it up and choose from all the notes I've collected through the day or week. It's a great way to put nagging tasks to rest - if not by actually doing them, by at least writing them down.</li>
<li>Group planning and execution. Abe and I have shared boards in Trello for projects we are in on together (like home improvement). It's a great way to quickly pick a project, list out the dependencies, and start checking them off.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/xISNMehvByzh2OiqV4ozJl1mhoKy_3ngjLny6FXZzlVpzVSsmddw-OosOMEfoy_kSYj9=w300" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/xISNMehvByzh2OiqV4ozJl1mhoKy_3ngjLny6FXZzlVpzVSsmddw-OosOMEfoy_kSYj9=w300" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>4. Pinterest</b><br />
<br />
Okay, everyone knows <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>. But here's how I find it especially useful ...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Visual brainstorming. We've been doing some major redecorating lately (read: painting our walls) and it is incredibly helpful to search for specific color schemes or rooms and get hundreds of beautiful photos showing different designs and ideas. Pinterest has helped me understand and extend my taste.</li>
<li>Project-based. I don't go on Pinterest without a specific project in mind. I want to paint an accent wall in my bedroom. I need ground cover in my backyard. I want quiet time projects for Genghis during the afternoon. I need to make a poster advertising an Easter Egg hunt.</li>
</ul>
Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-89757646226427240792014-04-07T16:42:00.000-07:002014-04-07T16:42:37.704-07:00how to survive hand, foot, and mouth diseaseIn the last 10 days, our entire family contracted <a href="http://www.webmd.com/children/guide/hand-foot-and-mouth-disease-topic-overview" target="_blank">Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease</a>. It's basically Chicken Pox meets Strep Throat. You get a fever for a day or two, and then you break out in a rash that is particularly bad on your (surprise!) hands, feet, and mouth. But it's the inside of your mouth and your throat, making it nearly impossible to eat or speak.<br />
<br />
We are all almost better. And now that I have 10 days' and 5 people's worth of experience on the subject, I thought I should write a short how-to guide for surviving this disease. Partly, I'm hoping this is helpful to other parents who may have Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in their future, because it was hard for me to find real, practical tips for dealing with this. And partly, this is just personal therapy to put the last week behind me.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Adults can get this disease.</b><br />
<br />
I was under some strange illusion that adults do not get Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Not true. When caring for a child with this disease, use caution and possibly surgical gloves and a face mask.<br />
<br />
(I'm not kidding. You do not want to catch this sickness.)<br />
<br />
<b>2. Foods you can and cannot eat. </b><br />
<br />
If you contract this disease, this topic may become something of an obsession to you. In general, eating and drinking will feel like swallowing broken glass. But we found that the following general principles worked well:<br />
<br />
Principle 1: Eat things made mostly from enriched white flour<br />
Principle 2: Avoid acidic foods like citrus and sugary foods<br />
Principle 3: A foods' softness or crunchiness doesn't always correlate with your ability to eat it<br />
<br />
My favorite foods were soft white bread and butter (lots of butter), pita bread, pancakes, white cheddar Cheese-Its, chicken broth, vegetable broth, and smoothies from Jamba Juice. (These actually hurt a bit, but the cold help dull the pain and it was worth it)<br />
<br />
<b>3. Mouth sores aren't created equal.</b><br />
<br />
We found high variance in level of discomfort in eating with our children. Xena (2 yrs) was totally unfazed. She spent one day with a fever and refusing any food, and the next day was pretty much better. Genghis (3 yrs) ate only popsicles for a few days (which were too painful for me to eat). And Isis (8 mos) seemed not too fussy about bottles but didn't want anything solid.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Warm baths feel great on the rash. </b><br />
<br />
Really, when is a warm bath not a good idea?<br />
<br />
<b>5. Don't try to get anything done while you are sick.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
For me, this translated into watching Amazon Prime Instant Videos for hours on end after the kids went to bed. For Abe, this translated into wiring our living room with a web cam and Raspberry Pi to test out an idea he has in the realm of life hacking and quantified self.<br />
<br />
To each his own.<br />
<br />
For our children, this translated into about 10 feature length films while they were feverish, followed by days and days of boredom while we, the parents, took our turn being sick. I have no advice for how to get through this. Only the encouragement that you will survive. Really. You will. And the kids probably will too.Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-18436800370165506412014-03-16T20:29:00.002-07:002014-03-16T20:29:34.038-07:005 things happening in my life<b>1. Stumps. </b><br />
<br />
We picked up a bunch of tree stumps a few weeks ago that were up for grabs in our church's parking lot. Okay, that makes it sound like we just popped the trunk and threw a few logs on our way home one Sunday afternoon.<br />
<br />
Not true.<br />
<br />
We geared up in old jeans, sturdy shoes, and work gloves, rented a truck on Abe's day off, and caravanned over with the truck and 3 kids in the car. While Abe and I hefted stumps into the pickup, the kids played on devices in their car seats. And by hefted I mean grunted, strained, and turned purple in the face moving these unbelievably dense pieces of wood. About 40 of them.<br />
<br />
I have affectionately re-christened our backyard "stump land". We have big plans for play areas, sitting areas, and a wooden path. The only thing standing between us and those big plans is stump treatment and sealing, a circular saw, and some time.<br />
<br />
They really are pretty stumps.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Crawling. </b><br />
<br />
Isis is quickly turning into a master crawler. She finally figured out how to go around the kitchen table to get from the living room to the kitchen, instead of just getting stuck under the dining room chairs. Her favorite backyard activity is to escape her blanket and bee line to either the garden mulch or the water hoses. Yum.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Little Herbals. </b><br />
<br />
Also on Isis. Several months ago Genghis started calling her Little Herbals. The name has stuck.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Pictures on the wall. </b><br />
<br />
After over 8 months of living in our new home, we finally hung pictures on the wall. I think I was unknowingly going through artwork withdrawal because I now find myself just sitting on the couch for long periods, staring at our decorated walls and thinking, <i>that looks so good. no, like, so ridiculously good.</i> It doesn't. It's nice, but nothing more.<br />
<br />
I guess staring at yellow-neutral walls for 8 months can really get inside a person.<br />
<br />
<b>5. No whining policy. </b><br />
<br />
Hm. I don't really want to write about this because it is frustrating. Let's just say that a certain member of the family has really latched on to whining as a go-to tactic for attention, help, and general life strategy. We are trying to clamp down with a no whining policy. Bracing myself for another day.<br />
<br />
I should go look at those pictures again.Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-61471565060258917712014-02-22T21:10:00.002-08:002014-02-22T21:10:43.124-08:00traveloguing part 3: chitwanLast round of photos from our mega-trip over Christmas.<br />
<br />
While staying in Nepal, we took a side trip to Chitwan National Park. We stayed in a cozy, rustic lodge. It was the perfect contrast to busy, loud, dusty Kathmandu. Greeted with a warm fire in the commons area, hot lemonade, and damp hand towels for washing up, we felt - perhaps a little too much - like Colonial English enjoying an afternoon tea. We had to embrace the feeling, really, because the place and people were so accommodating. Hand delivered hot water bottles at the foot of the bed each night. Unlimited hot chocolate. Local dancers as evening entertainment. Unlimited hot chocolate. Staff making up Eden's bottle multiple times a day. Oh, and the unlimited hot chocolate.<br />
<br />
Highlights of Chitwan:<br />
<br />
1. Elephant safari. We rambled through the jungle, and spotted peacocks, wild boar, many birds, and a rhinoceros. Our elephant took down trees with its trunk. Xena tried to leap from the elephants back only about 10 times. And Isis enjoyed a nice bottle about halfway through the ride. It was a bit bumpy but she managed well.<br />
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2. Building sand castles in the dirt walkways. Modest sand castles. This kept Genghis occupied for<br />
much of the down time.<br />
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3. Walking through a local village. I was amazed at how clean and tidy the village was, especially coming out of the Kathmandu shock. Humble, but well-cared for home. It was a real reminder of the daily conveniences I take for granted, and the silly problems I worry too much about.<br />
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4. Swimming. The pool was unheated, but Abe's brother braved frigid water to the delight of Xena and Genghis. I made it in just past my ankles.<br />
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5. Ox cart and canoe ride. Riding on the ox cart through meadows while hearing the distant sounds of cow bells clinking and sheep braying was almost a parody of idyllic. <i>But it was real!</i> Next time I need to imagine a happy place, this will be it.<br />
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(note: 3 sleeping children. also idyllic.)</div>
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And a few other random shots.<br />
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Xena cannot be contained!</div>
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Except with screens.</div>
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Too many airports.</div>
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Genghis meets the hammock.</div>
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Fire in the lodge.</div>
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Dining accommodations.</div>
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Play fort on the lodge grounds.</div>
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Grandma and Xena.</div>
Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-71831434772076570842014-01-22T20:53:00.002-08:002014-01-22T20:53:30.202-08:00traveloguing pt 2: kathmandu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If going to Hong Kong was a little difficult, going to Kathmandu may be considered downright crazy. We stayed here for about 5 days, sandwiching a 2-day trip to the Chitwan National Forest in Nepal which was a highlight of the trip and a post for another time.</div>
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I read before going to Nepal that the best recommendation for Kathmandu is to get out as soon as possible. I can see why. Urban. Crowded. Dusty. But I also found the city captivating, vibrant, and unique - I was glad for a chance to get to know the place a bit.</div>
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I'm actually having a hard time finding words to describe our experience there, although I have some vivid memories that I believe are very uniquely Kathmandu. And I'm afraid if I don't get this post out now, it will just never happen. So here are some photos - but for me I wish I had the thousand words instead.</div>
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Driving through the city.</div>
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Eating momos near the market on a night out from the hotel with bros-in-law. Poor Abe sick and on child duty.</div>
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Xena vs dragon at the hotel.</div>
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Genghis vs. dragon. We spent a lot of time at the hotel.</div>
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I got a night out. Abe got to do an early morning flight over the Himalayas.</div>
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At the Pashupatinath Temple. Xena is saying Namaste.</div>
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The first two days in Kathmandu were spent doing a mural art project at a local school. The children helped to paint this 2-wall mural designed by Abe's brother.</div>
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Complete.</div>
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More city pics.</div>
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And more. We sadly don't have any photos of the morning that Abe and I together took the 3 children out for a walk to the market. The street looked much like the one above. We were trekking through it, me with Isis on my back, Abe with Xena on his and Genghis riding his shoulders. Once we arrived at the market, which is a known tourist location, we had several shop-keepers ask to take a photo of us. Sadly, we forgot our own camera. Maybe try an image search for "crazy american family in nepal"?</div>
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Isis looking great in my scarf. Every Nepali wanted to squeeze her cheeks. I mean, how could you resist?</div>
Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-65015248020811407252014-01-16T10:22:00.001-08:002014-01-16T10:22:26.344-08:00traveloguingThe real results of our <a href="http://indelibleedibles.blogspot.com/2013/10/challenge-of-week.html" target="_blank">passport photo extravaganza</a> was an amazing trip over Christmas to Hong Kong and Nepal to visit Abe's family. All of the immediate family gathered to celebrate Abe's dad's 60th birthday. It was also our first time to see where his parents have been living for the last few years.<div>
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A few travel stats from the trip:</div>
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- 13 days</div>
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- 8 airplanes</div>
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- 65 hours in airports or on airplanes. For our family of 5 that multiplies out to 325 hours or 13 1/2 days.</div>
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- Travel by airplane, taxi, train, double-decker bus, ferry, ox cart, canoe, and elephant.</div>
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- 16,000 miles traveled, give or take.</div>
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And, some photos from Hong Kong. Credit: most of these are courtesy of Abe's dad, who is an excellent photographer!</div>
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Streets of Hong Kong.</div>
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Building where parents live. Check out the sweet circular picture window at the top! </div>
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Birthday dinner! </div>
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Skyline. </div>
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In the days that followed, we were so grateful for the ipad mini Christmas gift. </div>
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Isis at her adorable best. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyAubVyuMgiDDyBbuCtnJJAzADvNx-pNcUaeoFX_WeKzl6iZaHFd9nhjY_eNJYExieLWr4AS0Y25V87xUluW9ersaleozWceZJQpa6GbZ4q9byLtVomgIShPyTdTshEsCh_KzUmsSPoM/s1600/IMG_7298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyAubVyuMgiDDyBbuCtnJJAzADvNx-pNcUaeoFX_WeKzl6iZaHFd9nhjY_eNJYExieLWr4AS0Y25V87xUluW9ersaleozWceZJQpa6GbZ4q9byLtVomgIShPyTdTshEsCh_KzUmsSPoM/s1600/IMG_7298.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Xena waiting to pounce on prawns. </div>
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Lots of random sleep time.</div>
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Stanley market.</div>
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With kids in tow. </div>
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Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-7359791202512343842013-12-14T19:56:00.000-08:002013-12-14T19:56:34.623-08:00life, last month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A few moments captured on camera.</div>
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Genghis playing with some of his best friends: Xena, Dump Truck, and Excavator.</div>
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Xena with pipe cleaners and a strainer. Interestingly, I did this same activity with Genghis when he was Xena's age and posted about it <a href="http://indelibleedibles.blogspot.com/2012/04/pipe-cleaners-and-colandars.html" target="_blank">here</a>. By way of comparison, it was clearly more successful with Xena.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabrzo_UeMD2Ix3r765w2NhM323OpDZUxevUeIih8OeeLMNYPbgTA8GViTHnfY_J_DbyZkqvnMjZC9BHj75yTbAoAu_O7C9341erYU_UjYJu1xWmJtXZ2neRh4WeawNOk9Q1gthyczQ-E/s1600/IMG_7258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabrzo_UeMD2Ix3r765w2NhM323OpDZUxevUeIih8OeeLMNYPbgTA8GViTHnfY_J_DbyZkqvnMjZC9BHj75yTbAoAu_O7C9341erYU_UjYJu1xWmJtXZ2neRh4WeawNOk9Q1gthyczQ-E/s320/IMG_7258.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Genghis made a train out of toy tubs one morning before preschool.</div>
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As a side note, here's our Christmas playlist this year. Feel pretty good about this one.</div>
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Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-90581950459770242302013-11-05T15:27:00.001-08:002013-11-05T15:27:17.351-08:00halloweenNow that the Twix and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are gone from our candy bag, there's not much left of the Halloween spirit here. Anyone want one of our Crunch bars?<br />
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And, after looking through our selection of costume photos, I'm determined to hire a professional photographer to follow us around everywhere we go. Life around here moves too fast for stills.<br />
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Our costume theme was Children's Books.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jQx558S20dzoLGDAU-WXEfq-CdbWcBxi7l8hSsMNpqrI08rrRzr7K7aQp3f2LvRsso7N3Uvt2u5DKSDxCBRz9rY6gSdbQOJ9d20_I-hZM85HYCL8jCOSDkVa39opY8GQQwI1IDPi1TU/s1600/IMG_7223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jQx558S20dzoLGDAU-WXEfq-CdbWcBxi7l8hSsMNpqrI08rrRzr7K7aQp3f2LvRsso7N3Uvt2u5DKSDxCBRz9rY6gSdbQOJ9d20_I-hZM85HYCL8jCOSDkVa39opY8GQQwI1IDPi1TU/s320/IMG_7223.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Genghis was the Excavator from "Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site". Costume chosen by him, designed by Abe. </div>
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Xena was Max from "Where the Wild Things Are". Costume chosen and designed by me.</div>
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Isis was the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Costume revamped from Genghis's 3 years ago. (Sorry, Isis.) The best thing about her costume was when I would carry her in her back carrier and wrap the costume around us both, so I had a caterpillar dangling from my back.</div>
Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-60038532889423559532013-10-14T14:13:00.000-07:002013-10-14T14:13:49.395-07:00challenge of the week<b>The Challenge: </b>Get passport photos for children ages 3, 18 months and 3 months.<br />
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<b>The Solution:</b><br />
<a href="http://sproutsenroute.com/diy-passport-photos/" target="_blank">This tutorial</a> + <a href="http://www.idphoto4you.com/" target="_blank">this software</a>. Add a camera, stool, sheet of butcher paper, 2 parents, and children. Mix briskly on a Sunday morning.<br />
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<b>The results:</b><br />
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<i>Oh geez.</i>Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-74997843653751842792013-09-24T15:24:00.000-07:002013-09-24T15:24:23.353-07:00there is life after grad schoolWe have had many good things to celebrate in our family lately:<div>
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- moving into a new home</div>
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- Abe finishing his dissertation</div>
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- welcoming baby Isis</div>
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- being completely and totally finished with the phd program</div>
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- enjoying amazing California weather</div>
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- Abe having no more dissertation work to do on every evening and weekend known to man</div>
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- starting a nanny with the kids so I can work part time, and Genghis starting preschool</div>
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- no more dissertation</div>
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Did I mention that Abe finished his dissertation? We are free! It took longer to complete the "last stage" of his thesis than it did to grow and birth our baby. But it's done. Done. Done. Done.</div>
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I am just a little bit completely ecstatic.</div>
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But if the last 9 months have taught us anything, it is to simplify our lives. In keeping with that, I have decided that it is time to officially announce the scaled-back scope of this blog.*</div>
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I love capturing the stories, moments, and absurdities of life in the form of blogging, but it's just not happening right now. At the same time, I humbly recognize a devoted group of readers whose Number One purpose in reading my blog is to see photos of our three fabulous rugrats. So, I am going to try to post photos regularly, maybe with captions and stories as a bonus.</div>
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Some day, I want to tell stories again. For now, I will work on just living them instead.</div>
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With that said, here are a few photos.</div>
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Xena at a great garden in Palo Alto. </div>
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Genghis and Xena at the garden. </div>
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Super smile from Isis! </div>
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Genghis reconstructing the Hong Kong skyline and harbor out of legos, based on photos sent from grandma. </div>
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* Okay, I'm pretty sure no one really cares about the stated purpose of said blog. But writing it down officially will help ease my "A-type" mind.</div>
Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-90415096025406694582013-08-28T20:13:00.000-07:002013-08-28T20:13:19.975-07:005 things that made me happy today1. This morning, while finishing my breakfast, I was treated to this scene: Genghis clad only in his Thomas the Train underwear and Xena's giant brown and turquoise hair bow, jumping spasmodically around the living room (he calls this "dancing") to <i>We Wish You a Merry Christmas</i> being played on an oversized floor piano.<br />
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2. I dusted our house from top to bottom <i>for the first time</i> <i>ever </i>(meaning, since moving in over 2 months ago). With hardwood floors, dusting necessitates a lot of sweeping and moving furniture and sneezing. Especially if you have 10 weeks of accumulated dirt. But the house feels so clean and fresh, except by the two diaper pails we have next to the bathroom. Remind me again that we won't have children in diapers for the rest of my existence.<br />
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3. I signed a contract to continue some evaluation work for a museum group that I have really enjoyed working with in the past. It's one of those few times when you make recommendations for how a museum should move forward with evaluation, and then they have the means and enthusiasm to actually do it.<br />
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4. Homemade chocolate chip cookies. Enough said.<br />
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5. The replacement cord to my digital piano arrived in the mail. I lost the cord in the move, and after looking in box after box wondering where I mislaid it, I finally ordered a new one. It felt silly to have the piano looking pretentiously like a normal upright piano but total useless with no power. Sadly, I don't have plans to play the piano even now that we have power. But the kids have loved it. Someday I will play again ... Also, I finally found the original cord later this afternoon while I was dusting. Go figure.</div>
Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-52460561200081011492013-08-23T15:29:00.002-07:002013-08-23T15:29:59.297-07:00friday photosOne of the many awesome things my mom does is hand craft a special outfit for each of her grandchildren to wear for their blessing day in our church. We did Isis's blessing a few weeks ago. Here are some shots to show off her gown. I love the colors mom chose, almost as much as I love Isis's stubborn ebony mohawk.<br />
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<br />Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-28029439341330354642013-08-19T20:31:00.003-07:002013-08-19T20:31:52.863-07:00this post is really just about the photosWhen I venture out with my brood of 3, ages 3 and under, people usually tell me I am either very brave or very busy. More appropriate adjectives might include the following: tired, insane, easily brought to tears, envious, or crazed and possibly dangerous.<br />
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Today at the playground I met a grandmother who told me she had 4, ages 3 and under: the 3 year old, a set of 1 year old twins, and a newborn. It was such a relief to realize things actually could be harder. I asked how she got through it. She thought for a moment and then said she had no idea - it was all a blur.<br />
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And somewhere between dragging the 3 of them to the doctor's office for Isis's check up, coming home and trying to feed all 3 of them at once, and then wondering at 8:30pm if I should get something to eat myself, I realized that she is 100% right. Later in life I may have no clear memory of this time period. And that may not be a bad thing.<br />
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Cynicism aside, each of our three kids is awesome. Here are long overdue photos of each of them.<br />
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<b>Isis. Now 1 month.</b></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><b>Xena. Almost 18 months.</b></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><b>Genghis. Just turned 3.</b></span></div>
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<br />Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-75064076845723791982013-08-12T14:28:00.001-07:002013-08-12T14:28:00.234-07:00Big brother ...<p>... is sometimes a good thing.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5G5lUbXYx2OiIrSvpH7xGYlSGkjN182a1j5vUtCaaxdKe4kVNlUrLMoDoG-BOEQipg_4Th03W9lHqtVVZl_zvm0sm3W4wDZRjkkTJy-MfvgJ_hN20xAO3yGgfK8IG2HSGj0_F6TTZRVD/s1600/IMAG0746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5G5lUbXYx2OiIrSvpH7xGYlSGkjN182a1j5vUtCaaxdKe4kVNlUrLMoDoG-BOEQipg_4Th03W9lHqtVVZl_zvm0sm3W4wDZRjkkTJy-MfvgJ_hN20xAO3yGgfK8IG2HSGj0_F6TTZRVD/s640/IMAG0746.jpg"> </a> </div>Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-67022092316479253182013-07-29T22:07:00.006-07:002013-07-29T22:07:55.684-07:00we had a baby!Born on Monday, July 15, 2013. She is calm, happy, and easy going. These will be critical personality traits for a 3rd child.<br />
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We've decided on Isis as her blog name. Isis is an Egyptian goddess, of motherhood and nature (depending on what sources you look at: I reviewed the wikipedia page and an obscure website on Egyptian goddesses and dance). Anyway, the meaning of Isis connects pretty well with the meaning of her given name.<br />
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I don't know if we have any choice about what family we're born into. But if we do, I'm convinced that Isis chose our home as much for her siblings as for us parents. Even at 2 weeks, she is fascinated with them and loves to be in the room with them. In turn, they shower her with kisses, hugs, and "soft touches". Xena throws in a few claws across the face, but I think her intent is mostly to get Isis to do something a bit more interesting than look around with a somewhat vacant expression. <br />
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Here she is!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSkaHzuS6MDJK3Tz_kO6f3-uFngnxLtQ4_Xtks7wadW-NJgPbeBY_affCnxjgxO24Jt6cz2GiE93tEKp_YVCWWbKKhaQEiWvy51UcryXtCa7YjL-pWyQq0aWUF5o2AaDBPkmvxspKQEY/s1600/IMG_6786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSkaHzuS6MDJK3Tz_kO6f3-uFngnxLtQ4_Xtks7wadW-NJgPbeBY_affCnxjgxO24Jt6cz2GiE93tEKp_YVCWWbKKhaQEiWvy51UcryXtCa7YjL-pWyQq0aWUF5o2AaDBPkmvxspKQEY/s320/IMG_6786.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I love her scrunchy face.</div>
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Tired and happy.</div>
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<br />Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-8283462797985081392013-06-25T21:51:00.002-07:002013-06-25T21:51:51.629-07:00we bought a house!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This has been in the works for a while, but now that I'm sitting in our new 3rd bedroom-office writing this, I think it's official.</div>
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We bought a house!</div>
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I could go into the story of the 1 month whirlwind of looking at homes in a frustrating sellers market, the 2 months of craziness that was being "in contract" for the home, the 2 weeks of packing/cleaning/leasing our apartment, and the last 3 days of unpacking and starting to settle in to our new home.</div>
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But honestly, it's not something I want to relive in great detail.</div>
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Instead I will do a digital victory dance (da da da dooby da da) and enjoy the idea that we now live in a home of our own.</div>
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At some point I anticipate posting photos. For now, here's the exterior photo from the real estate listing. </div>
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Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-24535570799156996842013-06-17T12:54:00.001-07:002013-06-17T12:54:10.443-07:00I am an Evaluator-MotherThis morning I read a blog post by Shannon Hale (author of Goose Girl, Austenland, Princess Academy, to name a few), where she describes how being a writer and a mother works for her.<br />
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As I was reading it, I thought, <i>This totally describes my feelings as an evaluator-mother. I should write my own blog post about my thoughts on the subject.</i> And when I was done reading it I thought, <i>Never mind. Sentiments completely captured, and by someone who is a professional writer.</i><br />
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So, if you want to know what life feels like for me as an evaluator-mother, read Shannon Hale's post here: <a href="http://oinks.squeetus.com/2013/06/writing-and-mother-how-i-sort-of-do-both.html">http://oinks.squeetus.com/2013/06/writing-and-mother-how-i-sort-of-do-both.html</a>.<br />
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Points that particularly resonated with me:<br />
- Maintaining balance means saying no to a lot. And sometimes this means excluding other opportunities and friendships to the point that you don't have to even say "no" anymore because no one is asking...<br />
- Being an evaluator and being a mother pretty much precludes most other hobbies, social time, house maintenance, etc. Except mindlessly watching TV at the end of a long day. I can still do that.<br />
- Sundays are crucial days of rest and rejuvenation. I would die without a Sabbath.<br />
- Everyone has their own passions and balance that (hopefully) they can find a way to accommodate. My choices might not always end up being the right ones, but I <i>am trying</i> to choose what's right for me and my family.<br />
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(As a side note, listing evaluator first in <i>evaluator-mother </i>is no reflection of priorities. The other way around just doesn't sound right.)Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-28591561725408704132013-06-08T14:57:00.002-07:002013-06-08T14:57:39.086-07:00never go back<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have a list of things to accomplish during kids' naps today, but they would all require me to get off of this bed. </div>
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Hello, blog post.</div>
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Today, I want to commemorate a few things I would never go back to.</div>
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1. Classic peanut butter. A few months ago we started eating natural peanut butter (my definition: the only thing on the ingredient list is peanuts) from Costco. It is deliciously non-sugary and not a pain to stir to get the texture right. The hardest part about the switch was remembering to look for it in the fridge not cupboard.</div>
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2. A single computer monitor. My main computer is my laptop. It has a home on my work desk, next to an external monitor. I always hook it up so I can work from two screens. Now I am almost incapable of getting anything done without having 2 monitors' of workspace (current blog writing excepted). It is unreal how much time I spend comparing between two applications (e.g. looking at a webpage while taking notes in a word document, or writing an email while checking numbers on an Excel file). Being able to see both simultaneously is a huge gain in productivity.</div>
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3. Bedroom without a ceiling fan. Okay. This is a lie. I currently do <i>not</i> have a ceiling fan in my bedroom. But every night as I lay in the stifling air trying to sleep, I fantasize about ceiling fans.</div>
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4. Using a mouse to navigate in Gmail. In Gmail, you can enable keyboard shortcuts that let you navigate through your inbox, open/label/archive emails, send replies, etc. It's actually kind of fun to open my email in the morning and fly through all the junk mail, deleting it all with a few keystrokes in under 30 seconds.</div>
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5. Self checkouts at the grocery store. I am constantly tempted to go back on this one: I'm at the store, ready to check out. The "live" checkout lines are so long, and there's only one person ahead of me at the self checkout. Surely it will be faster this time. </div>
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But a fundamental law of nature declares that either 1) that one person ahead of you is completely at a loss for how to use the self checkout, bogging down the entire system and tempting you to think horribly negative thoughts about them OR 2) you have more produce than you thought you did and you have to look up the item number on each one, place it on the scanner and wait, and then bag it. Over and over and over again until you think you are going to die. </div>
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Only use self checkout if you can answer yes to all of the following:</div>
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1. You have less than 10 items.</div>
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2. None of those items resembles a fruit or vegetable.</div>
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3. There is absolutely no wait in the self checkout.</div>
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4. There is at least one other person in the live checkout.</div>
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5. You feel 100% confident in your ability to use the self checkout.</div>
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Bonus: here's an outdated picture of the kids. It's the most recent one I have that doesn't require additional downloading from a device. Plus, I like to think Xena is looking up to read my list of self checkout rules. Learn young, little one.</div>
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Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-22933258193225358252013-05-05T22:11:00.003-07:002013-05-05T22:11:32.488-07:00five characteristics of this week<b>1. House negotiations.</b> We have been extremely lucky to get an offer accepted on a house in the area. As we've watched the market, we're convinced this is the last house that is going to fall in our price range as home prices accelerate at an astounding rate. Nothing is final yet. We have some rounds of negotiations to go through because of discrepancies in the house disclosures, and the bank's appraisal of the home needs to clear. If we can't resolve some of these issues, we may be renters for a while longer.<br />
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Regardless, we've spent hours and hours this week learning the ins and outs of the house's problems, and figuring out the best ways to negotiate repairs. Abe and I have a reputation for over-thinking things, and our combined powers of data analysis, game theory, and list-making have played out in full force this week. Late nights, spreadsheets and formulas, lots of back and forth with our agent.<br />
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<b>2. Heat wave.</b> It's been very hot here all week. I forgot what it's like to really be hot and it took a few days to realize why I always felt uncomfortable and parched. Now that I've remembered concepts like "central air" and "light clothing" and "drink lots of fluids" I feel better. Of course, the heat wave broke today and we'll be back to mid-60s for the next week.<br />
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<b>3. Sleep deprivation.</b> The combination of hot weather, thinking about the house, and uncomfortable pregnant condition has made sleep very difficult. Some nights I was up late working. The nights I went to be early, I couldn't fall asleep. And every morning, Genghis was more and more eager to start the day bright and early. We made two trips to Target to find just the right clock to hang in his room, with a colored "7" and little hand. We set the clock behind by about 20 minutes, and have imposed a strict rule that children are not allowed out of the bedroom until the little hand and the 7 line up. It has worked delightfully well. Tomorrow I think I will set the clock just a bit more behind...<br />
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<b>4. Desperately needed family time.</b> Abe is working hard to finish his dissertation on nights and weekends, which has resulted in almost zero family time in the last several months. As it turns out, our family really doesn't function very well without him playing with and teaching the kids after work and on Saturdays. This week Abe had more flexibility in his schedule and we ended up with several afternoons and evenings together. It was lovely. The kids loved having Dad back. Eight more weeks, and the dissertation should be finished. Please!<br />
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(As an aside, we've decided that a famous quote by past LDS Church leader J. Reuben Clark, about being in debt, could be rewritten to accurately describe finishing a dissertation: <i>"May I say something about Dissertations? The Dissertation never sleeps nor sickens nor dies; it never goes to the hospital; it works on Sundays and holidays; it never takes a vacation; it never visits or travels; it takes no pleasure; it is never laid off work nor discharged from employment; it never works on reduced hours; . . . Once you're ABD, the Dissertation is your companion every minute of the day and night; you cannot shun it or slip away from it; you cannot dismiss it; it yields neither to entreaties, demands, or orders, and whenever you get in its way or cross its course or fail to meet its demands, it crushes you."</i>)<br />
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<b>5. Promising fiscal year.</b> I secured a few California-based contracts for my work, which is a big win for me to have before the baby comes. I also managed to get a wage bump for some ongoing contract work I do. We decided to finally bump our entertainment budget up by 50%. The responsible thing to do would have been to put all the extra income into savings. But with a bigger budget, we went out for dinner and ice cream. Seeing Xena delight in her first soft serve ice cream cone (she would look at us and giggle in between most bites) was very much worth it.Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-47904298595147250872013-04-23T21:44:00.001-07:002013-04-23T21:44:18.288-07:00"i will throw it at mom"There comes a moment in every parent's life. A moment they've anticipated and feared. A moment they've read about, talked about, watched how-to videos about.<br />
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For us, that moment has arrived.<br />
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<a href="http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/common/UND/UND-Thomas-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/common/UND/UND-Thomas-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Toilet training.<br />
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Okay, I actually attempted this moment a few months ago. In January we did a "trained in a day" boot camp complete with practicing on a doll, candy rewards, and lots and lots of toilet talk. It was a total fail. We were all tired and frustrated by about 4pm and couldn't go on. After that, I tried the laid back approach of just asking Genghis with some frequency if he wanted to wear his underwear instead of a diaper that morning or afternoon. The response was always an adamant "no".<br />
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But the reasons to press forward with some expediency have been piling up. Genghis is ready. Life is only going to get more complicated for the foreseeable future. The thought of changing and washing diapers for three children is completely unimaginable.<br />
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So yesterday afternoon, I told Genghis he was too big for diapers. My "method" is to cut myself off from diapers as an option during awake times, remind Genghis of the utility of the toilet (prior experience has confirmed that he does know how to use the toilet), clean up messes like its just spilled milk, and celebrate milestones with high fives and positive feedback.<br />
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Genghis' counter-response has been interesting. When I rolled out the plan yesterday afternoon, he refused to wear underwear. He opted to sit in the bathroom for an hour, naked, instead. Here are some snippets of our conversations.<br />
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"Genghis*, do you want to pick which underwear to put on?"<br />
"No! I want to put the underwear in the bathtub. No. I want to put it in the trash can."<br />
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"Are you ready to put on your underwear?"<br />
"I will take it and throw it at Mom."<br />
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"We're going to get ice cream when Dad gets home."<br />
"I want ice cream."<br />
"You need to wear your underwear to go outside to get the ice cream."<br />
"I don't want ice cream."<br />
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[Enter bathroom, Genghis is sitting in the sink, covered in layers of liquid soap with his underwear piled around him.]<br />
"I am washing my hands and my legs."<br />
"Yes, you are."<br />
"And I am wearing all of my underwear."<br />
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He finally decided it would be okay to wear underwear if he could put it on when it was tucked inside of his shorts, so they went on together. Whatever.<br />
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Today, Genghis took a different tack. He was very excited to put underwear on in the morning. And he made it the whole day without any accidents, and also without ever using the toilet. (The nap time diaper was a sight to behold. Also, we went swimming in the afternoon.) Still, there was a solid 5 hours of morning playtime in there. I have always described Genghis as strong willed.<br />
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I don't know whether to consider this a success or not. But mostly I wonder what he'll do tomorrow.<br />
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*Except I used his real name. I don't think he's aware he has an online sobriquet.Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-10350194900127595512013-04-13T21:28:00.003-07:002013-04-13T21:28:52.781-07:00etiquette in childrearingFamily dinner tonight inspired Abe and I to submit a series of questions to the Miss Manners column regarding etiquette toward our "house guests".* A sampling:<br />
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<i><b>Dear Miss Manners,</b></i><br />
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<i>Recently, we had a dinner guest bypass the serving spoon and use his bare hands to help himself to the main dish on the table. We politely removed the serving dish from his vicinity, and he responded, "But I want to grab it!" We asked him to use the serving spoon instead of his hands and he simply repeated (though in an escalated tone), "Want to GRAB IT!"</i><br />
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<i>What further course of action would you suggest?</i><br />
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<i>Sincerely,</i><br />
<i>Serving Up Trouble</i><br />
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<i><b>Dear Miss Manners,</b></i><br />
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<i>We had overnight guests last night. After retiring for the evening, the guests proceeded to call out from their quarters at regular intervals throughout the night, demanding our attention. We saw to it that their dietary and digestive needs had been thoroughly attended to, that their quarters were reasonably comfortable, and that they had appropriate attire for the night. We were puzzled as to the nature of their distress. Additionally, despite the apparent total lack of sleep during the night, our guests were eager to start the next day "with the sun" as it were.</i><br />
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<i>Can you suggest techniques for assisting our guests to have a more comfortable night's rest - or perhaps an effective method of sound-proofing?</i><br />
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<i>Sincerely,</i><br />
<i>Sleepless in San Francisco</i><br />
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<i><b>Dear Miss Manners,</b></i><br />
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<i>We have an awkward dilemma. Two of our guests have chosen to consistently engage in forceful squabbles over the recreational items we have provided for their enjoyment while staying at our home. At what point is it appropriate to spank a guest?</i><br />
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<i>Sincerely,</i><br />
<i>At the End of My Rope</i><br />
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<i><b>Dear Miss Manners,</b></i><br />
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<i>Halfway through dinner last night, I looked over to see one of our dinner guests standing on his chair, completely nude, and draped in spaghetti noodles.</i><br />
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<i>As hostess, what would be the appropriate response?</i><br />
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<i>Sincerely,</i><br />
<i>Lady Godiva</i><br />
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*We didn't actually submit any letters. Do etiquette columns still exist?Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-46557874696848989542013-04-05T15:10:00.000-07:002013-04-05T15:10:04.102-07:00friday photosA few snapshots from Xena's first birthday, a few weeks ago. Going through our B+ pictures, I decided that something really cool should happen to us so a documentary filmmaker can follow us around and take all the photos and videos for us.<br />
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In the meantime...<br />
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Xena wasn't very interested in her birthday cake, just the candle. But I assure you, this <a href="http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2013/02/chocolate-tres-leches-cake.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+melskitchencafe%2FNvNP+%28Mel%27s+Kitchen+Cafe%29" target="_blank">Chocolate Tres Leches cake from Mel's Kitchen Cafe</a> is divine. Considering this is about the 2nd cake I've ever attempted to make from scratch, I would rate it pretty easy and fool-proof.<br />
<br />Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582071926823792964.post-23301485990164267922013-03-26T15:42:00.000-07:002013-03-26T15:42:23.533-07:00that is so 23 weeks ago<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So I've been behind on a lot of things. One of which is mentioning that when I get dressed in the morning, I put on something that looks like this:</div>
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Answers to questions you may or may not want to ask:</div>
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1. I'm due in July.</div>
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2. Genghis will turn 3 years old a week or two afterward.</div>
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3. We characterize our emotional reaction to this development as "surprised excitement".</div>
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4. It's a girl.</div>
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5. While we love all of our children, we strongly hope that she continues Xena's legacy as "most calm and agreeable baby in the universe".</div>
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6. I'm feeling pretty well. Physically, things are just starting to get difficult. I almost threw the lasagna at Abe the other day when he told Genghis to sit down at the dinner table like Mommy, and demonstrated by grunting his way into his chair. Emotionally, things have been more difficult that in past pregnancies. I usually feel like my normal self, but sometimes get pretty low (manifesting itself in lots of anger toward Abe, frustration with children, and sobbing while doing the dishes).</div>
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7. We have grand plans to fit all 3 children in our sedan.</div>
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8. I may or may not be considering how to turn our walk-in pantry into a nursery.</div>
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9. I may or may not be considering selling all of my maternity clothes after July.</div>
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Erin Gonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00885934413382895072noreply@blogger.com7