Parkin'

There are a lot of things about kids that I just never considered before having one. For example, parenting is really just an exercise in figuring out what your kid wants to do, deciding if it is acceptable, and rolling with it...lather, rinse, repeat. Because, really, you don't have much control, or even say, of what they do, eat, play with, etc. It is all a big illusion. But that's another post.

This week's discovery is that kids have to learn how to play. We have been going to the park the last several nice days. We took G to the park last year, but she was too little to really do anything. We just plopped her in the swing and she loved it. This year, though, she is big enough to actually play at the park. And big enough to decide what she wants to play with/on. The first day we took her (last Friday, if you read my Twitter...and if not, why not?) she mostly just wandered around, looking at all the equipment, watching all the bigger kids, trying to figure out what the heck she was supposed to do. She tried some climbing, and we took her down the slide a couple of times, but mostly she just...wandered.

The next day we went to the park closer to home. This one has a sandbox. After some more initial wandering, she sat down in the sand, very timidly, and proceeded to spend the next 45 minutes piling sand, getting a little more into after 20 minutes or so.

Tuesday we went back to the park. This time, she ran right to the playground equipment. She was still a little timid. But after the 30th or so time down the slide, I think it's safe to say she's figured it out. What fun! (And exhaustion, since she's too little to do the slide by herself.)

Oh, CVS...you let me down. Big. Time.

Dear CVS:

I was walking around your store earlier today, minding my own business, texting my friend Kate about a pedi date, keeping an eye out for the...ahem, "feminine products" whose need brought me into the store, when suddenly, a vision opened up before me that stopped me dead in my tracks. Thank God I had my phone right there, so I could capture photographic evidence of this previously (assumed to be) "exstinked" item.

Do you see this, CVS? Love's Baby Soft aerosol body spray?!? OMG. And, right next to it? Ex'cla-ma'tion! One shelf down? (I didn't subject my phone GBs to the humilation of being used to capture it in digital glory) Giorgio, and Wind Song. I kid you not. It was right there, on your endcap shelf, next to the chocolate Easter bunnies. For God sake, CVS. Where is your shame?

Who? Who, I ask you, is buying this stuff? Don't today's teenagers have better olfactory sense? (scents?) Pre-teens, hopefully, need parental permission to purchase perfumary, and WHAT mother would allow an 11 year old to buy Sugar Kiss aerosol...cause, you know, you can just hold that spray nozzel down and go to town, offending the allergies of the whole block. Is it 40 year olds stuck in their 1987 18 year old glory? It really is just cruel that you still sell this stuff. I mean, some people need to step away from the ratting comb and the Aquanet, put down the crimping iron, and move on. CVS, you do not need to be enabling these people.

I hope in the future I see some better judgement on your part, CVS. I truly enjoy my Extra Bucks, and would hate to be forced to go to Walgreen's just because you errantly put a Giorgio tester in the hands of a heavy fingered Hannah Montana wanna-be who polluted the whole store.

Thank you.
Sincerely,

Kami

Daddy's Little Wonder Woman

Giuliana has taken to running around the house with her arms stretched out behind her, fingers spread wide. She can't tell me what's on her mind, but I image it's something like this: "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, I'm FLYING! Look at me go!"

I remember that feeling as a little kid. Do you? I would run around in circles, arms out wide, sure if I ran fast enough I would Take Off! I had a little thing for Wonder Woman at the time, too. I vividly recall putting on a leotard and some bracelets, sure that they would stop bullets. I may have considered jumping off the garage roof with my gold lasso....

This must have been about the time I was also learning how to climb down from the treetops. When I was three or four I would climb to the very top branches, and then have no idea how to get down. "DAAAAAAAADDDYYY! SHOULD I JUST JUMP DOWN???" His answer was always no. He would make his way up the tree and then help me climb down by telling me where to put my feet. I remember it was like one of those exercises in trust, where you free fall backward hoping someone will catch you. I was always scared he would let me fall if I missed a branch. When I got closer to the bottom he would often tell me to jump into his arms, and I was afraid he wouldn't catch me. He never missed, though. He was always there.

G appears already to have my penchant for climbing EVERYTHING REMOTELY CLIMBABLE. She hasn't started to scale door frames yet (one of my defining childhood accomplishments) but that's probably just 'cause her legs are still too short. We better make sure her bedroom windows are locked, this kid is headed for the roof someday, I'm sure of it. Luckily, she's got a Daddy who will always catch her when she jumps, too.

Look, I did.

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I seriously need to get a Twitter account, I could have bored you all day.

One long-ass, boring training


+ flip flop weather


= realization that my life is in need of a pedicure, ASAP.

At least I was able to catch up on my texting. Stay tuned, I have an even longer training all day tomorrow...who knows what I will entice you with!

Wordless Wednesday (Kinda) - Cutie Pie

I'm sorry, but have you seen how stinkin' cute this girl is? I know I'm totally harping on this lately, but I find I just can't help myself. I was editing some photos last night, and I couldn't stop myself from uploading a few (several) here. You're just gonna have to live with it.







More cuteness below.

Giuli-Bear-Love-Bug

Daddy Version


Mommy Version