Posted by: ppernick | November 28, 2006

Thanksgiving, and Snow

A few days behind, but belated Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Had a wonderful time over here.  We wound up with hosting a total of 10 (including Simeon).  Dinner started with Curried Pumpkin Soup made by B&B. This is the second or third soup of their’s that I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to eat.  Although I only had one serving, I have yet to desire anything less than 3 of any of their soups.  This was followed by delicous Stuffed Mushrooms (from C) and a Chicken salad from M&D.  I didn’t have any of the salad, but there didn’t appear to be too much left over.  Then came the main course – Turkey (carved by me and I) and Tofurkey.  Sides included Ari’s greenbean casserole, stuffing (meat and vegetarian options) and C’s homemade mashed potatoes (with a non-dairy option for me).  After a bit of resting and a few rounds of Wise and Otherwise, we topped the night off with a delicious Pecan Pie – another C creation.

All in all, this was a wonderful thanksgiving, spent with very special family and friends.  For any of you who read my blog – thank you for coming and making this year’s thanksgiving a very well deserved reason to give thanks.

….

Snow – the other Title-mentioned subject.  Well, it should be snow and ice.  The last couple of nights we’ve gotten a bit of snow.  In fact, I considered working from home yesterday but changed my mind.  Turned out to be the right thing to do.  Slipped a little on my way out of the neighborhood, but I wound up with a migraine and watching Simeon would have been a chore.  At least at work I was able to rest in the breakroom.  Left work a little early and beat the snow.  Which, overnight, turned into a layer of ice – stopped the entire city practically.  Ari took I to the airport this morning.  A 1.5 hour roundtrip drive which wound up taking 3.25 hours.  And apparently a nice view of the car in front of him doing a 540. 

So, I’m at home today with both boys.  Bundled up Simeon and went outside for a bit.  Let him sit in the snow a tiny bit before strolling our way to the supermarket for Milk.  Will get some pictures up soon.

Now, it’s time to get back to work.  To all the other seattelites – enjoy he slipping and sliding! 🙂

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Posted in Holidays, Winter Storm

Posted by: ppernick | November 22, 2006

Sleeping – or lack of

If I had any doubts whatsoever as to what Simeon wants when he wakes at night, they are long gone.  After 4 -5 trips to Simeon’s room last night, I finally gave in and brought him back to bed with me.  We were both asleep again within minutes and neither of us woke until the alarm went off.

Part of the problem is probably a level of attachment to mommy and daddy.  Another part of the problem is laziness on the part of mommy and daddy.  I think a lot of it started soon after the time change and the coldness of winter.  We changed to sheets that neither of us want to leave, and Simeon was still waking at the same time (though now an hour earlier).

I don’t know about Ari, but my thought process became – it’s so close to the time we need to get up, I’ll just bring him back to bed.  MISTAKE!  Over the last week or so, he’s been waking earlier and earlier.  Last night, was my proof that what he wanted was to sleep with mommy.  Me sleeping on the floor of his room was not enough.  I tried putting his plush caterpillar in his crib and playing the classical melody setting.  It helped, but he would wake as soon as it stopped and notice I was no longer there.

So, last night, after 2 days of little sleep and 3 hours of even less, I gave in.  *sigh*  I need to get a simple cd-player with speakers in his room and see if continuous classical music helps.  Talking to Ari this morning, he thinks rocking with him is the first step – get him used to not being in our room and staying in his own.  I think we’re in for a very interesting phase of his life.

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Posted in Simeon

Posted by: ppernick | November 22, 2006

I'm relaxed and typing

I should be asleep.  Or at least heading upstairs.  I’ve cleaned up the kitchen a bit and the dish washer is running.  But rather than going to bed, I’m sitting here in front of the computer.  I’ve finished the bottle of Syrah that the girls and I shared and I’m now working on fishing the Malbec that Ari must have started.  I’m…relaxed. 

…

Looks like it’s time to lower the crib mattress.  Though I don’t know how.  Ari will have to do it tomorrow. Simeon managed to jump out this morning.  I woke up and heard him wake while I was changing.  I was trying to get my pants on when I heard a pause in crying and a thump. Moments later he was crying again.  Still the ‘I want your attention NOW’ cry and luckily not the I’m in pain cry.  I still rush to get over there and find a boy on all fours peering out his room with a “hrm…I don’t think I should have been able to do that but woohoo!” look.

…

Had lunch at the daycare today.  They had their Thanksgiving lunch and a bunch of moms (plus a dad or two) came to eat with the kids.  We all got our lunch from the little cafeteria and took it to the kids’ room.  It was nice to chat with other parents and find out interesting stories you don’t always get from the teachers.  Like Simeon and Sarah getting into a hair pulling / screaming match a few months ago.

…

I invited a few girlfriends over this evening since I had the house to myself.  It would have been more of a girls night (and more of a free night for me) had Simeon not been around.  I love him dearly, but I have to admit I’m looking forward to an upcoming concert when I’m out with a bunch of girls and get to have a night without being mom.  I don’t feel I was a very good host.  My guests wound up doing most everything except the pasta :s.  *sigh*  At least we had good conversations.  We’ll all be at the upcoming Microsoft holiday party – it’s nice to have a good group of friends.

And that brings us back to now – where i’m sitting at a computer and about to refill my empty glass.  Mmmm…this malbec is good.  And I should be sleeping well tonite.  Hope Simeon does too…  Hope I wake up if he doesn’t…

Before I go though, I have to share a fun story from yesterday that I didn’t already blog about.  As I was on my drive into work, I noticed a motorcycle cop driving along the shoulder.  He approached my car, matched my speed for a minute, then stopped where he was on the shoulder.  Yes…one of Simeon’s purposes in life at this time is to be my HOV lane buddy.  THANK YOU SIMEON!! 😀

 

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Posted in Daycare, Friendship, Simeon

Posted by: ppernick | November 21, 2006

Impressive

A blind teenager who has mastered the art of echo location.  Completely blind since 2 years old due to cancer.  Though watching this video, it’s hard to believe he can’t see – though playing video games with his back to the television does help.

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Posted in Random, Video

Posted by: ppernick | November 17, 2006

25 for 25 Anniversary Dinner

Wednesday night, Ari made arrangements for a friend to watch Simeon so we could join other friends at the Barking Frog for dinner.  Every March and November, a number of restaurants take part in the 25 for 25 program.  25 restaurants with special 3 course menus for $25/person.  Usually the entrees alone are $25 for more at these restaurants.  We’ve missed the last few so I was really happy to find an opportunity to go.  And, it was very sweet of Ari to arrange for us to go, especially considering it was our 3rd year anniversary.

I will admit that I wasn’t very impressed the last time I went to this place.  We had such a large party, that they sat us at the large stone table encircling a fireplace.  The idea is nice, but it restricts you to conversations with only those sitting right next to you, and the set up makes it difficult to hear even those conversations.  I was also not 100% thrilled with the food, though now, a few years later, I can’t even remember what it was.

This time, however I was extremely happy with the everything.  In fact, I was impressed with the service by the time I was even sitting down.  As I walked in the door and mentioned I was with a party, the lady asked if I she could take my coat.  Then, noticing my attire, mentioned she would grab a black linen for my slacks.  I didnt’ quite understand her meaning until she showed me to the table and replaced the white linen napkin currently on the table with a black one.  Apparently, napkins have a tendency to leave fuzz and if I’m wearing nice grey slacks, white fuzz would be quite noticable.  Needless to say, I mentioned it to people a couple times last night.

Then there was the wine selection.  Ari and I decided to share a bottle of wine in celebration of our anniversary.  So, after glancing through the wine list, I asked the waitress for some help.  I like Chiantis and Meritages the best, but didn’t see either listed.  With her help, I narrowed it down to two options, finally settling on the 2001 Grant Burge “Holy Trinity” – an Australian wine that resembles a Chianti.  O.M.G.  I am usually lucky if I finish one glass of wine with my meal.  I drank half the bottle.

Last, but certainly not least, was the food.  Wonderful!  I had Butternut Squash Soup, Coriander Crusted Ahi Tuna and Viva La Chocolat!.  The wine went perfectly with it all.  The soup was smooth and silky with a little nutmeg and sage oil spread on top.  I don’t like the texture of rare Tuna, so I requested it be cooked a little more.  It was laid on a bed of pasta with a smokey tomato sauce and cooked just right.  The couple pieces that looked like it may be a little too rare for me were perfectly sized tastes for Ari :).  Last but not least was dessert.  I noticed on the regular menu they had a Creme Trio (Passion Fruit Bavarian Mousse, Mango Ginger Flan and Creme Brulee).  They couldn’t substitute it for existing 25 for 25 menu items, but since Ari and I were celebrating we ordered it anyway.  The Mousse was a little too sweet for me, but I loved the rest.  To complete the special menu though, I had the chocolate.  I’m not always a big chocolate person, and it did eventually get too sweet for me, but it started off deliciously wonderful and the Pomegranate sorbet was really good.

Overall a wonderful night that changed my impression for the better of this restaurant.  I’d definitely consider going here again next March or November.

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Posted in Anniversary, Celebration, Food, Review

Posted by: ppernick | November 9, 2006

Halloween Update

A top view and a dirty view…how’s that :). 

That was my sandwich.  I took a bite, then he took it out of my hand.  Let’s just say I wish the outfit was not hand wash.

I haven’t updated with Simeon stuff for awhile, so a couple of updates:

  • He’s so close to taking a step – or so the daycare staff tells me.
  • His new hobby, when in our room, is to go to the bathtub and turn on the water.  I just wish it was the cold water handle that was accessible.

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Posted in Halloween, Holidays, Simeon

Posted by: ppernick | November 7, 2006

Campaign Phone Calls

This year, I didn’t vote in the primaries.  Partially because of timing and partially because I hadn’t done any homework on the issues and didn’t want to vote blindly.  However, I discovered that my lack of voting made me a target.

For the last 3-4 weeks, I was getting phone calls from the democratic congressional candidate for my district.  I answered the first one, but didn’t want to talk to them after that – I’d told them what I was going to tell them and I wasn’t going to make a decision on the phone.  Then, they called again.  I wasn’t going to pick up, but Ari wanted to talk to them.  They asked for me.  After listening to their pitch, I put Ari on the phone so he could ask his question(s) (even the guy on the phone tried to keep from laughing out loud when I did that).  Then, within the last couple weeks, I was getting phone calls every couple days.  I made Ari answer the phone as I wasn’t going to talk to them.

On Sunday, I mentioned to Ari that I should be getting a phone call that evening.  Not 10 minutes later the doorbell rang and guess who was calling.  I asked why I was getting all the attention and not my husband.  Apparently, they knew which way he was going to vote.  By not voting in the primary, and not saying either way on the phone, I was still an undecided and therefore I was to be constantly harassed.

Last night, or maybe it was this morning, Ari and I watched yesterday’s episode of Olbermann’s Countdown.  Apparently the republicans are using robo-calls for their political telemarketing and are using them in such a way to make people think it’s the democratic party candidates.  Basically, the message starts off with the name of the democratic candidate and then continues to say negative things about them.  However, most people listen to the name of the candidate and hang up rather than hearing the rest of the call. 

It’s kind of interesting and ironic in a way.  The democrats start copying some of the republican strategies for campaigning and the republicans go the next step and try to beat their own game.  

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Posted in Marketing, Politics

Posted by: ppernick | October 31, 2006

Words don't describe the feeling

When Simeon first started at the daycare, I was asked to bring in family photos for a collage.  A day or two later, a family collage was taped onto one of the cabinet doors. 

This morning I noticed Simeon standing in front of his collage looking at the pictures.  The head teacher then mentioned that when he gets really tired he goes over to the collage and cries.

As I said above, words don’t do justice to how that makes me feel.

Birthday Shout Out
A day late in posting, but not in calling — Happy Birthday J!  You better not have paid for your birthday dinner. 🙂

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Posted in Daycare, Happy Birthday, Simeon

Posted by: ppernick | October 26, 2006

Happy Birthday Simeon!

Yes, I’m late mentioning it here, but the party and celebration were on time.

365 days ago this past Sunday (October 22) was a very hard day.  I think it may have been the most work Simeon has had to do so far in his short but very busy life.  This year things were a little less hectic.  Right now his work includes the installment of 3 new teeth and the upgrade of flat-surface crawling to the more interesting stairwell climbing.

It was quite helpful to have my parents and brother here.  I wound up with a nasty headache Sunday morning and it took awhile to really get myself going.  They did a wonderful job of getting Simeon down for a nap, helping decorate and get everything ready.  I was still attempting to get rid of the headache by the time the first couple guests were showing.

The party was fun.   Simeon managed to get in a good nap that morning and was very much into the ice cream cake this time around.  Though whether he ingested more or absorbed more, I’m not 100% certain.  Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to get an afternoon nap.  He went to bed a little early that night but decided he should wake up early too.  He woke up around midnight and refused to go back to sleep for a little over an hour.

All the gifts were wonderful.  His library collection continues to grow and more and more of his toys play music and make noise.  He loves the little musical chair/nighstand my parents gave him, the elephant my mother-in-law crocheted is just wonderful and makes him smile, the cat book especially that Miss L gave him continues to be a favorite part of his growing library, and he immediately took to waving the rattle my brother gave him.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a full year.  Amazing to think that a year ago, I was sitting in a hospital bed holding a 7 lb 12oz, 20.75″ baby in my arms and this year I’m running after a 22lb, 2’4″ little boy.

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Posted in Celebration, Happy Birthday, Simeon

Posted by: ppernick | October 26, 2006

Car fun with family

My parents and brother came in town over the weekend.  The trip started off…interesting.  My parents met Ari, Simeon and me at Crossroads and after lunch, we split up – Ari, my dad and my brother in one car, my mom, Simeon and me in the other.

The excitement started when my mom, Simeon and I were headed home.  I had just gotten onto I-90 and was merging into the HOV lane when we heard a pop and the car began to wobble.  The smell of rubber and the sight of smoke screamed for me to pull over.  After calling AAA to come help me change the flat, we waited – my mom keeping Simeon occupied and happy, me calling the nearby dealership in search of a tire and Ari with a status.

I kept thinking I should have been able to change the flat without calling AAA, but as it turns out I needed a tow truck.  When the AAA guy arrived, we went to the trunk, removed Ari’s bike and found…tire sealant.  Rather than providing any type of spare with the 2005 Honda Accord V6 Hybrid, Honda thought that tire sealant would be just fine and this way they can reduce the weight of the car.  Reality check!  Tire sealant doesn’t fix all problems.  After adding the sealant, I went to get Ari’s bike back in the car only to discover a pool of sealant forming.  Turns out the sidewall had burst and sealant doesn’t stay in a tire that has a hole in the side.  Apparently Honda realized their stupidity with the 2006 model and added an inflatable tire kit[1].

The flat wound up taking the rest of the day and quite a bit of time on Tuesday as well.  See, I had towed the car to the Honda dealership no more than 5-10 miles away thinking they would have a tire for me. HAH!  We had to call them the next day to find out that they were calling around looking for a tire.  We called them the day after that to find out one could not be found and they would get a tire around the end of the week.  48 hours after leaving the car at the dealer, the 15k maintenance had been complete and a spare had been installed.  By Tuesday late afternoon I was driving away from Costco with 2 new rear tires and at least $60 richer than I would have been had the dealer replaced the tires (that’s not counting labor cost).

So as not to have one huuuuge entry, I’ll continue in a new post.

[1] I should say the American Honda team realized their stupidity.  According to the owner’s manual , the Canadian Honda team had already figured this out and included an inflatable tire kit with their 2005 model.

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Posted in Family, Honda

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