Heard on the monitor this morning upon waking up

"Mommy, Daddy! All done! Up! Up!"

Fun in the basement

It is currently 11* outside, -1* wind chill, and so we spent some time in the basement. On the agenda was a little Sesame Street, going down the slide, running the school bus down the slide, throwing Steve while standing at the top of the slide, fighting over the slide, and finally hibernation for Ava while Steve played some tunes on the piano.

Board Mee Mee

Mee mee scheduled for 9 a.m., Friday January 25, 2008. Present were James Wallace, Ava Pauline, me, Mrs. Butterworth, and the Duck. (James also says duck now!). We were waiting for the Chairman, Steve to arrive, and we ate pancakes while we waited. Steve never arrived, so we decided to postpone the meeting and just stick with pancakes.

Mothers Little Helper(s)

Today at Chez Thuringer we are doing a little laundry. James is very enamored of the washing machine, which causes Ava to get very upset that she isn't helping. (She never was interested until James was, of course.) I have tried putting James in charge of the washer and Ava in charge of the dryer (she can reach the "on" button) but that is not good enough for our girl. James doesn't care that she stops and pitches a fit that he is putting all the clothes from the basket into the washer, he just pushes on, and with each article of clothing, identifies the owner. My pajamas, "Mommy!", P.J.'s t-shirt, "Dada!" but with his own stuff he won't say "James" or "mine!". He enjoys all the buttons and knobs on the washer and is getting to the point where he lets me tell him what to push and I let him do it. He has a blast. Ava puts the soap in (she can reach) and I have her help me sort socks. It takes a while longer to do the laundry but turns it into fun for the whole family!

Still Life of Citrus Bounty

Or "We Will Not Get Scurvy", or "Look, now we can make yummy lemon bars and watch Daddy turn orange from eating so many tangelos!"

Watching Clifford the Big Red Dog in the Basement

And of course, having schnacksh!

Thinking about the economy

So this afternoon listening to NPR, they were discussing the tax rebate that is part of the stimulus package. That the idea is for people to get a little extra cash in their pocket from their Uncle Sam, to go and spend how they would like. Thinking about this made me a little perplexed. Why stop there? Why are you going to send me a check and make me think "Woohoo I have money for a new flat screen t.v.!" when we (Americans) are having such a hard time making ends meet that we are relying on credit! People have such a hard time that they are deeper in debt than ever. And I am not even addressing those working minimum wage, or 2 part time jobs with no benefits, and there are plenty (way too many) families like that out there. I am talking about families who have one working adult making a pretty good wage, and that live maybe not frugally but there's not much spending that is not necessary. New tires, new garage door. Medical. Dental. It's insane. My first thought was that if we received a check it would go straight to the credit card. Wouldn't getting out of debt be a better way to stimulate the economy?

Yesterday's Weather Report 7:30 a.m.

According to our friends at the weather channel yesterday at 7:30 a.m., the temperature was 6*, and the wind chill was -6*. After briefly worrying about P.J. freezing on his way to the bus, I was transported when they reported it would be 60* in Lisbon. Snapping out of it we bundled up in hats and mittens and coats and drove our little bird to school.
This morning there was more snow on the ground, and it was still flurrying. The roads that were well traveled were not the snow/ice mess that the side streets are, but instead a mess of slush. A little slippery. But by the time we picked up Miss Ava, the sun was shining and the slush was melted and working on those side streets a bit. I hope it stays clean and not too wet as we are in for a doozy of -15* wind chill tomorrow. I think we may stay in.

New Words (ones I can comprehend, anyway)

Part of the trouble with the boy, I think, is his frustration in trying to communicate. Every day is getting easier for him, and we even have a few new words. He knows Doggie, and I think tries to say Fred. Not sure on that one though. He squeezes Steve and says in his deepest voice, "Uddoo" (cuddle!). And yesterday, upon waking and requesting Dada several times, was appeased when I was told he would call us after his meeting. "Meemee?" he asked. The response was the same, and we went back and forth on this all morning till he got to talk to Dada.

From where did this ethereal creature appear?

She's Set to Begin Working on the Railroad Right After Breakfast

History Lesson: Goldwaters Department Store

While wrapping Christmas gifts for the chickens this year, and looking for a small box that would accommodate the six small cars that "Santa" procured for the boy, I came across a small Goldwaters box in the Christmas Wrap Stash. Such a lovely box, and you know it came from Gram. I began to wonder about the history of the box, and hence, the history of Goldwaters. So here you have it. (Found on Wikipedia.)

Goldwaters department store was a chain store that was founded in Gila City, Arizona in 1860. The store moved to Phoenix in 1872. The store was founded by Michael Goldwater, grandfather to Barry Goldwater, famous politician and excellent photographer. Diamonds acquired the chain in 1983. In 1989 the family reclaimed the store logo and reinvented it as Goldwater Foods. I remember there being salsa that was sold at Jacquelines in old town Scottsdale, but not sure what else there was. Very specialty, and upmarket.
The department store was located at many malls in the Phoenix metropolitan area. In Tucson it was at El Con Mall and Foothills Mall, both of which became Diamonds in 1983 and Dillards in 1984. In Phoenix the locations were Metrocenter, Paradise Valley Mall, Park Central (!!!) and Fiesta Mall. It seems that in 1989 these stores became either May and Co. or Robinsons, all becoming Robinsons-May in 1993, except for the Park Central location. This became Office Depot, and according to Wiki, the whole of Park Central is now offices. With the monopoly that is Federated, the remaining stores became Macy's. The flagship Goldwaters store was opened in 1961 at the Scottsdale Fashion Square, and after is incarnations as May and Co. and Robinsons, is slated for demolition to become a new Barney's New York.
I can imagine the inventory in that inaugural year, the dresses, the mens suits, the kids coats. What cosmetics did they sell? I bet it was amazing. And I can imagine Gram going down there (can you imagine what Indian School looked like back then???) and finding an awesome sale. A true blast from the past.

Heard on my ipod yesterday whilst cleaning the bathroom

"If you don't got Mojo Nixon then your store could use some fixin'!"

Plus, we used carline yesterday when taking Ava to school due to James' fever, and while picking her up I was the only one in line NOT in a minivan! I was so grateful, but then today I saw two (yes, TWO! Here! In our little burg!) Eurovans, so got on Ebay to remind myself how we cannot afford one and all, and they sure are purty. I think if we ever needed to get another (read bigger due to more chickens) that is the one I would lobby for. I know Daddy wants his MegaFordF65000 SuperDuperPower Diesel, but I would give it a shot. No new cars in our future anyway. Love the no payment. Can't not do that. Speaking of trucks, I was telling Ava this morning on the way to school that she and I drove Daddy's Nissan truck when he got his new (to us anyway) Ford, and that I would take her to Costco and purchase large bulky items like diapers and toilet paper, and cram them in the truck so I wouldn't have to put them in the very back for fear they would blow out. Whenever we put stuff back there I would look in the rearview all the way home expecting a bag of groceries to explode all over Oak. Never happened, and I am not sure I am over that, if we were to get another truck. Later. Much, much later.
That's all for now y'all. Off to find the ipod (Ava was listening yesterday) and clean the upstairs bath. Bye!

311

Friday afternoon I called the city's 311 line (Mayor Richard implemented this- you just dial 311 and they take care of you. It's insane and I wasn't sure it would work.) to ask about a huge gaping pothole at the end of the alley at Curdes. I was told they would take care of it. I thought, "Heh, right." But Saturday morning when I left for the Y sure enough both potholes had been filled. Thanks Mayor Richard!

Alert

James, after showing an interest in the potty, has since developed a great disdain for it. However, he is well aware of a mess in his pants and alerts us to the "oop". There is a big to do with the "Oop! Oop!" and some running around wondering what to do until I get him under control and get him upstairs to get some clean pants. This morning was no different. We were playing in the basement when on the slide he sounds the alert- and getting him down the slide and up the stairs was a matter of huge proportions. First, we had to stop the alert. Then we had to get down the slide. Then, although I had grabbed a Steve, we had to go back for the other one. Then of course, we needed juice. After an hour and a half, we made it upstairs. Now he is letting me know that he is "All done!".

Sunday sweetness

The chickens in their Sunday best on our way to church. James looks adorable in the sweater he received from "Santa", and Ava is darling in her church tag sale Talbots dress. We caught them early enough in the day before the terror begins for their cuteness.

the '79 Lincolns was Robbed!

Not an actual 1979 Lincoln, mind you, but PJ's soccer team who didn't make it out of the playoffs successful. No matter. The guys played well and had fun, and it's my understanding that a number of them have expressed interest in playing again next session. I hope they keep the name. Even if they don't (the car that inspired the name is no longer a team mascot as it were) there's an awesome shirt! Congratulations fellas!!!

Life's a Breeze: A Story in Three Parts

PART ONE:
In 1953, Joe Breeze was born and grew up in Mill Valley California at the foot of the Marin County mountain that would become known as the birthplace of mountain biking. In his early teens he was touring California by bike. At 16 he began road racing bicycles, and at 17 took a cycling tour of Europe where he was impressed with the cycling infrastructure of Holland. His father rode his bike to work, and these two things seemed to put him on the course of his life. In 1974 he built his first road bike frame which was soon in demand. In 1977 he agreed to make a strong, light mountain bike frame for his friend Charlie Kelly to replace the old bikes (from the '30's and '40's!) he and his friends were riding around offroad and that were not holding up to that challenge well. In order to work out the kinks he built one for himself first, which he raced at the Repack downhill time trial and won. One thing led to another, and he continued his groundbreaking work and was inducted into the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame in 1988, it's first year. Fast forward where his interest in bicycle transportation outweighed his interest in recreation, where in 2002 Joe began producing a line of bicycles made for transportation type purposes.*
PART TWO:
In 2004 after deciding to move halfway across the country to South Bend Indiana, we also made a decision to become a one car family. Moving to a much smaller town would make that a possibility. Less impact on the planet, less impact on our pocketbook. We did fine with one car for quite a while. If I needed the car for any reason, Ava and I would take PJ to work and pick him up afterwards. If we were fine without the car, he would drive to the office. I actually have fond memories of waiting outside the City/County building in downtown South Bend anxiously watching for PJ to come through the doors and when Ava would spot him she would squeal with glee. Squeal. Glee. Really. But when I ballooned out of control with a tiny James in my uterus, it became clear we needed another form of transportation. It would become too difficult to transport Daddy with two small kids, and with doctors appointments etc. it would become messy with him taking the car. So PJ got himself onto the internet and started researching bikes. He knew from his college days a couple of guys who thought that Joe Breeze was the King of Bikes, so he started there. The Breezer quickly not only made the Short List, soon it was The One. So the next step was to head to St. Joseph Michigan, about 45 minutes away by car, where we purchased the Villager. This bike was seriously impressive. It was strong, lightweight, comfortable, had a built in generator light for the front and rear. A commuter. It was a no brainer. We took it home and PJ rode without fail. He actually enjoyed riding. When we purchased the bike we were living on Adams Street, about 1.5 miles from his office. I made the rule that there would be no riding in thunderstorms, so on days were there was too much snow or ice to ride, or on days that there was lightning he would take the car. Otherwise he enjoyed the ride. He was also asked to serve on a panel about riding to work during Bike to Work day. When we moved to Fort Wayne we made a conscious decision to only look for homes in neighborhoods where it would be a reasonable distance for him to ride to work. He has made an impression on several people in his office building who cannot believe he is as dedicated as he is. Due to his belief in riding, he has also been responsible for adding a trail linking downtown to Renaissance Pointe. Recently, however, the love affair foundered. The lights stopped working in the rain. Now he tried tightening the connections. Or jiggling them, I can't remember. I do remember having the bike up on the stand watching him spin the wheels with one hand while spraying water at the thing with the other hand while Ava and I stood watch making sure the lights worked. We thought all was fine. Until last night when PJ got home and there was a lot of grumpiness due to the fact that he rode home in the rain AND in the dark because the lights didn't work. After some gruffness, he decided to take my suggestion and contact the company. The shop where we purchased the bike no longer carried that brand, and there is nowhere around here that does, and since it's such a special type of thing it's not like any old person could fix it, so I thought, just go to the source. So he did. He stormed upstairs and sent an email, calmed down, we had dinner and we all went to his playoff game of soccer (another post on that next). We came home from that and put the kids down, and he went out for a drink with the team. I relaxed in front of the t.v. for a while with my secret crush when the phone rang.
PART THREE:
The time was 9:58. And I thought it was PJ. And the caller ID did not say Fort Wayne with PJ's number. So I was ready to let it out for whatever telemarketer was calling (it would have to be those darned FOP since I am on the do not call and they call me monthly looking for more money). But the caller ID said "Joe Breeze". I did not immediately make the connection. I answered and the caller asked for PJ. Which I thought was weird because I am the one who usually talks to the FOP. Then he told me why he was calling. I about fell over. He was the nicest man, and said that although he rides in a lot of rain and has not had that problem, he felt that we would be able to correct the situation. It was amazing. Truly the nicest man. I could not wait to tell PJ. He was pretty excited. He kept asking if I knew who I had spoken with. I have to admit I did not, but was impressed with him nonetheless if for no other reason than HE CALLED US AT HOME TO HELP CORRECT THE PROBLEM!!! That, my friends is the epitome of customer service. And that is the long and long of it. If you ever need a bike, I Highly recommend purchasing a Breezer. It's quite a bicycle, and the service is awesome.
*Borrowed HEAVILY from the Breezer website. Very interesting reading!
FOLLOW UP:
Joe was able to figure out the problem, and offered to correct it! A true gentleman and a true class act.

Sideways

Since James was roughly 7 months old, he has had the crib he sleeps in now. (The old one broke during the move to Ft. Wayne). When putting him down to bed, we would place him lengthwise into the crib, and in the morning we would find him tucked into the corner curled up like a little wombat. Now that he is almost 2 yrs old, we find him in the same position. I wonder if he has it figured out that he can lay another way and not have to fit his feet through the slats. It's like that Dr. Seuss book One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish:

Who am I? My name is Ned. I do not like my little bed. 
This is no good. This is not right. My feet stick out of bed all night.
And when I pull them in, Oh, dear! My head sticks out of bed up here!



Also his new thing is to fall down and pretend he is asleep when we go to get him.
He will holler at us till we retrieve him, but as soon as we open his door, he drops and plays
possum. Quite the little trickster.

Blue Jean Baby

So some friends of ours passed down some clothes from their two boys, and included in the last batch were some Levi 550's. They are a 2T, but slim, so I threw them onto the boy this morning. And how cute he was! They are a little snug, so will wash them in cold and air dry to get him in them a few more times this winter. PJ insisted I snap a picture of him in them, which was difficult, because James' schedule is FULL. Playing, running, up and down the stairs, Fussing (yes that is a capital F!) etcetera. But I did get him to stand still for a moment and then got him running away. What a view!

Just a new post

Not much new around here, I just didn't want the Don Schmidt post to be the last one there staring at me every day saying, "When are you going to post?". Now this will be the post to say that. Great. The new Vanity Fair arrived today with Harrison Ford and Shia leBoeuf on the cover for the new Indiana Jones movie. I am a big fan of Vanity Fair. Refined trashiness with thought provoking articles as well. And movie stars. In a good way, mostly.
I am ready for Ava to go back to school as her anger is increasing daily. I think she is ready to go back to school too. I think her attitude will improve in the next few days, not get worse. I am doing my best to keep a smile on my face and make sure that she knows we love her no matter what. Even when she is looking up her forehead at me (PJ says I do that) and using a rude and angry voice. Not allowed. At all. But said with a kind voice and a request for an apology that is followed with a hug. Seriously, all the stuff I have read says to acknowledge their feelings, be sympathetic, and let them know you love them no matter what as they do their best to push the boundaries and test everything they know. But this morning when pushed and I employed suggestions from the books and her sweet voice and lovely self came back, I was stunned. Seriously. It will be worth it to keep it up. That is easier than some of the suggestions from "The Happiest Toddler on the Block" which I am sure work wonders, but make me heave to consider doing them. Acknowledge the little ones frustrations back to them in baby talk. Seriously? That is hard to imagine. We got that book when having trouble with Ava, and I could not find myself able or willing to employ that method, and here we are with her years later incorrigible. So maybe I will have to suck it up. Beats getting hit in the face with a Steve.
We got a remnant of carpet and put it down in the basement with the slide, Ava's tent, a bunch of pillows and a couple of sleeping bags, the little tv and some books and toys. The kids really enjoy being down there playing. The only problem is that Fred takes up valuable real estate right in the middle of the sleeping bag in the middle of the pillows! I will have to rig a bed for him down there. I tried to get him to lay on the extra carpet pad next to the setup, but he was reluctant. Will keep working with him as well. Maybe I don't want another child after all...
It was WARM here today- 66* supposed to be the high today. We went on a nature walk but cut it shortish as James was pretty wet from falling down. The melting snow has made for damp conditions around here with Flood Watch a keyword during the weather forecast. The good news though, is that PJ rode his bike to work today, something he has not been able to do for a while. He got a new light (the kind that flashes). The old one was held together by electrical tape, and I am all for getting all out of the life of something, but this? Safety (and I) said time for a new light. He got one that is easily 2-3 times brighter than the old one and is slightly larger as well. I watched him ride away this morning and I really do think it makes a difference.
Okay I just remembered I have a mountain of laundry downstairs. Or I guess you could say a really big hill in our room and a really really big hill in the basement. I am off to conquer it. And do a little handwashing. And measure the dining room to see if the carpet remnant in the basement could be turned into a nice rug for the dining room. Hmmm. This is our life today. More soon.