How to Get your 8-Year Old Boy to Help you with Anything...

Out of my peer group, I am pretty sure that I have the oldest child. I have older siblings who have teenagers now, but no friends. For those of you stuck in lthe deserts of ittle-kid land (full of weeping and wailing and sticky mystery goo on EVERYTHING), I'm here to tell you there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I have crossed through the Valley of Despair and I have reached the Promised Land on the other side. I recently discovered how to get Andrei to help with anything around the house. Anything.

Setting: Anywhere, but usually at home. Characters: Me, the boy
Doing something that I usually care to avoid, such as mowing the grass, doing the dishes, taking out the trash, carrying groceries up 2 flights of stairs (why is my kitchen on the TOP floor of my house!?), folding laundry, vacuuming, etc.
Me: Oh no! I have this terrible job that I clearly do not want to do. Oh well. I'm the mom in this family. I guess I have to suck it up and do it, even though it may be physically strenuous or simply disgusting. That's because good moms take care of their families. I sure wish I had some help with this job, though. Too bad your father isn't home.
The Boy: You shouldn't have to do that gross job, Nana. Let me do it for you.
Me: No. You are my sweet child. I would never ask you to help me do this horrible thing. Please, continue going about with your daily agenda of running around and making too much noise.
The Boy: No. I want to help.
Me: Well, I guess if you really want to. But you don't have to. It's your choice.
The Boy: I absolutely insist. You will not do this job. I will do it for you.
Me: I would never allow you to do a job this distasteful on your own. How about you lend me a hand and we'll complete it together.
The Boy: Why, thank you! You are so kind.
Me: No, child. You are the kind one. I'm so lucky to have someone around who will lend me a hand. Would you care to take a break from this job now? You've been working for 2 entire minutes and must be exhausted.
The Boy: Are you tired?
Me: Nope. I'm fine. I'll probably just keep doing this until it gets done.
The Boy: Then I'll keep working until the job is done, too.
Me: Wow! Thanks! You are really growing up!
End Scene.

I'm trying EVER so hard not to abuse my new found power. I'm also trying to remember to be grateful for this stage that this will most likely only last for 2-3 years (if I'm LUCKY). Andrei is now in the short span of time between little kid and teenager- big kid: children who are old enough to actually be of assistance while still being willing to contribute. I'm telling you. PROMISED LAND.

Birthday Party

Tomorrow is Andrei's birthday party. We decided to throw him an impromptu gathering in honor of his 8th before he takes off for NYC for the rest of the summer. I am sad he won't be with us on his actual b-day, but happy we were able to pull things together in time to throw him a little shindig. We're having a pool party at one of the coolest public pools of all time. If you are in or around P-Town tomorrow, give me a shout-out and I'll text you the info. Otherwise, happy 8th birthday tp our not-so-little guy! I can't believe how fast he's growing up. I remember the first time I met him when he was barely 8 months old. It's so strange to think that 8 years later we're a family.

Operation: Magazine

So I realize that my chances of winning this magazine contest are slim to none, especially since I'm sure I'll be competing against some heavy hitters in the blogosphere like her, or her. Still, though, I've checked out some of the blogs of these ladies and I think I might have a shot. In order to prep for the impending photoshoot, I've been doing a little DI'ing (that's D-I-ing, not dying) and have already used up nearly a full can of Krylon metalic champagne spray paint. I have also invested a little of my hard-earned moolah at Roberts AND Michaels on some white flowers and candles. To top it all off, I have been washing and drying about 5 yards of muslin, which will soon be turned into some epic throw pillows and one show-stopping tablecloth.

Now to tackle the mantel. I've been seeing this little beaut in homes everywhere.

I could kill myself for not being the first person I know to own this poster because of it's socio-cultural importance and because it would be a really rad excuse to have a large graphic with a crown in my home. Of course now I can't buy it because that would mean jumping on a bandwagon, and I truly hate bandwagons. I still really want something that has the same feel as this graphic, though, and perhaps something WWII-ish. This is the best I have come up with so far:

I really dig it, although I'm not super excited about the color scheme. Maybe I can photoshop it a bit and come up with something more appropriate to rest atop my fireplace, like this:

It's a U.S. Gov PSA that was hung all over to remind people of what to do in the event of a bombing raid. The original was a really long banner, and I just condensed it down into poster-sized proportions. I like the message, and the subtle reference to air raids because I usually feel as if I'm in the middle of a nuclear blast. Fun!

In combination with my quilting project, this week is shaping up to be pretty killer.

The Challenge

I saw this mentioned on Nie Nie's blog a couple of days ago and it sparked my interest. I'm considering giving it a shot. It would be just the challenge I need in order to get my summer cleaning done, plus I've been DYING for an excuse to make some new throw pillows for the formal living room. Let the games begin.

Done Deal and Chicken Pox?

We sold the house, finally! Hooray! We had our closing last Wednesday and signed over our investment property to the local health care megaplex for a tidy profit. We picked up the check for said profit Thursday. Now to get busy finding somewhere to invest again.
In other news, we may or may not have a case of the chicken pox at our place. Andrei woke up Monday morning with a bunch of mysterious red bumps all over his cheeks. They look like pimples without whiteheads, or like tiny burns from the size of a pin head to the size of a pencil eraser. I thought they looked weird, but he has really bad skin and always has some sort of rash or bumps or whatever, so I put it on my list of "things to keep an eye on but not worry about right now." He was fine all day, although a tad irritable. Today, though, he's been a hot mess. I tried to go out shopping earlier to spruce up the place because I may or may not enter photos of my house into a contest for a magazine. Andrei was fussy and difficult at Michaels. At Home Decor Fabrics he lay down on the ground groaning for 10 minutes while I browsed. I had to carry him out of the store. Needless to say I didn't buy anything at either place. He said he was tired and didn't feel well, and that he wanted to take a nap. That's REALLY out of character.
We went home and he tossed and turned in my bed for nearly an hour. He then decided he was well enough to go to Costco, so I took him, and while shopping there I noticed the mystery bumps have spread to his upper arms, back, and legs. He said he thought they were mosquito bites because they were itchy. He is now in the media room downstairs watching Coraline (possibly the best kids' movie EVER) and munching on popcorn. Aside from itchiness and fatigue he is also complaining of a stomach ache, achy joints, and sore lymph nodes on his neck.
All you moms out there (or non-moms with kid experience) does this sound like the chicken pox? Should I take him in to get checked out, or wait a few more days to see if whatever it is clears up on its own?

Sneak Preview

Here's a little peek at what we've been working on around my house lately. I'm so excited!

What do you do in the Summer Time?

Ah, summer vacation. We're exactly 2 1/2 weeks in and so far we've:

Gone to Italy

Hiked the "Y" three  four times

Made virtually every dessert known to man

Played in the Sprinklers

Cleaned the House thoroughly

Gone on Scavenger Hunts

Played with TONS of friends

Made 2 quilts (at least started them)

Played in the Rain

Played in the Garden

Ate a ton of strawberries

Slept in a lot

Attended a giant Mexican wedding

Enjoyed an impromptu Mission Reunion

How are you celebrating the season?

Growing up...

When my husband and I got engaged one of the biggest question marks left in my mind was his son. Andrei was not even a year old at that time, and the idea of being a step-mom at 21 years old was both intriguing and terrifying to me. I've always known that it would be difficult to impossible for me to have my own children, so I was encouraged by the fact that some of the pressure to carry on the family name would be taken off my shoulders. I was also terrified by the challenges I knew we would face. The challenge of dealing with the child's mother who has a rocky relationship with my husband; the challenge of handling a child who was born into such a difficult situation (his parents have never been "together" in his entire lifetime); the challenge of navigating a relationship with my husband with a child already in the mix; the challenge of bonding with the boy himself and creating a parent-child relationship; the financial challenges of having to fork over $350/month in child support to a woman who spent that money getting her hair done and buying new clothes while I was forced to wear holes in my jeans and give up most of my single-gal beauty routines...

It hasn't been easy to say the least. There have been really bad times and kind of bad times, but there weren't very many good times until just a couple of years ago. In fact, it wasn't until just recently the good times have started to outnumber the bad times. Today as he and I were climbing "Y" mountain and enjoying a pleasant one-on-one conversation about the things that are important to an 8 year-old boy, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude for this journey that he and I have been on. Somehow over the past 7 and a half years this child has become the light of my life. I honestly did not see that coming.

When he made the transition from infant to toddler I was worried that I was going to miss having the baby around. I waited and waited for the sense of loss and the baby hunger to kick in, but somehow that never happened. The older this boy gets, the more delightful he is to be with and I have never at any point felt a sense of loss for the infant that he was. I guess that's because when we started out, I did not know  that the sweet little baby I was carrying around in my arms would one day be my friend. That's something that the parenting books don't really prepare you for. Go fig. 

Today while I was picking up laundry from his room I noticed the distinct aroma of "Sweaty Boy." I am pretty sure this means we have officially made the transition from "Little Kid" to "Big Kid." In just a few more years we'll be watching him, God willing, make the transition to teenager. Is it weird that I am looking forward to that? I guess I just figure the best is yet to come.

Thoughts about our Vacation to Italy

Okay. For the sake of brevity I'm going to try to condense this down from my normal travel-log style of vacation reporting and just talk about the major things we did and my overall impressions of Italy. We were really blessed to be able to spend so much time there (a week and a half) and to see so much of the country (thanks Emily! best vacation planner EVER). Also, for the sake of brevity, I'm not uploading pictures. If you want to see the pictures please let me know and I'll send you the link to the Picassa album, or easier yet, just check my facebook page. There are four albums on Facebook.
So here's the trip in shorthand.

Location: Rome
What we saw: The Coloseum, The Pantheon (Rafael's tomb, major Roman site), Palatino Hill (Roman ruins), The Spanish Steps, Piaza Nuvona (famous piaza/fountains), The Trevi (famous fountain), The Vatican/St. Peter's Basilica (home of Michelangelo's Pieta' and the Sistine Chapel), The Opera, several pizzarias and gelaterias, everything in between
Thoughts: Rome is a beautiful city. It is very clean and the public transportation is adequate. We stuck with mostly touristy areas but never felt like we needed to be excessively cautious (beyond normal traveler's precautions). The best food we ate in Italy (with the exception of one outstanding B&B) was in Rome. The ruins were spectacular. All in all, it was an outstanding time. Wow. I get why it was the center of the world for so long. P.S. if you are ever going to see an opera, see it in Rome.
Location: Naples/Capri/Pompeii
What we saw: The ruins of Pompeii, The Island of Capri, The Train Station, Marina, and Castelo area of Naples
Thoughts: Pompeii is remarkable. We spent 4-5 hours there and I felt like we barely scratched the surface. The area is serene and beautiful, the ruins were even more amazingly preserved than what I thought they would be, the size of the city far exceeded what I was prepared for. I was struck by the overwhelming sense of tragedy and loss that permeated even the most remote corners of the city. It felt like the residents of Pompeii were still there. I don't doubt that some of them were.
Capri was the most beautiful place I've ever been. I have no words to describe it. We took a private boat tour around the island (a MUST if you ever make it there) which left me speechless. The only regret I have is that the blue grotto was closed due to unfavorable sea conditions. Even so, it was possibly the most perfect and peaceful day of my life.
Naples is a hole. Seriously. It's dirty, loud, crime-ridden, the residents appear to be insane. They are really gorgeous people, though, and the food was excellent. I wouldn't recommend visiting the city as a tourist as it is dirty, crime-ridden, and kind of boring, but as a place to leave our stuff and crash after our long days at Pompeii and Capri it was adequate.

Location: Venice
What we saw: Venice, Murano
Thoughts: Venice is one of the oddest places I've ever been. The entire time I was there I lost track of time. I would find that 15 minutes on the bus felt like an hour and an hour at Rialto market felt like 15 minutes. There is no way to describe it except to say that time has no meaning in Venice. It's as if it doesn't exist at all and you are just living in the moment. It may be the most beautiful city in the world. I don't know. I haven't been to that many cities, but as far as Mexico/US/GB/France/Italy go, it's tops. The residents are kind of snobby, though. The food was amazing. In fact, in retrospect, take back my comments about the food in Rome and apply them to Venice. Or don't. It's kind of hard to rank. Let's just say I ate well the entire trip.
Murano was so quaint and the glasswork an odd combination of awe-inspiring artisanship and kitsch, much like the rest of the city. Our only regrets were that St. Marks was under renovation and the entire facade was covered with scaffolding. If you ever go, plan to spend most of a day at Rialto Market. You won't be disappointed.

Location: Firenze a.k.a Florence
What we did: Saw "The David", went to church, visited the Uffizi, visited Ponte Vecchio, visited the Piaza Michelangelo (I think that's what it's called)
Thoughts: Florence was one of the lowest key places we visited, partially because we had planned to climb the dome at the expense of racing through the Northern Italian countryside to get there by 5 pm closing time. We arrived at 4:50. They wouldn't let us in. Please note that in Italy closing times appear to always be 15-30 minutes before the listed hour. It was okay, though, because it allowed us to see "The David" without having to wake up at the crack of dawn or wait in line for hours. If you ever go to Firenze, don't miss "The David." We stared at it for nearly an hour, I think. I could have stayed a little longer. It is amazing. The Uffizi also did not disappoint. So many world masterpieces crammed into one building it was hard to take it all in. The stand-out for me, though, was Boticelli's "Birth of Venus." The food wasn't the best we had, but it was adequate for our needs, and the B&B was very nice. We went to church at a branch in Florence. It was mostly Spanish and/or English speakers, or so it seemed. Ironic. Final thoughts: Driving in Florence is a nightmare. If you go, rent a bike or moped.

Location: Pisa
What we did: Went to the tower, ate dinner
Thoughts: Pisa is a little tiny town with absolutely NOTHING except for the extra-famous tower and tourism-related businesses. That was okay with me, because that was enough. The tower was cool, and super kitchy in an awesome way. We took tons of dorky photos and stared at it for over an hour. Then we ate dinner. I had the pesto Gnochi. It was okay. On our way back to the car we saw some sort of super-Catholic processional through the town square. No one could tell us what the giant parade was for since most everyone we saw were also confused tourists. It was cool, though. I'm glad we had an excuse to pass through, despite the lack of readily available public bathrooms.

Location: Tuscany
What we did: enjoyed scenic vistas, visited the ancient medieval town of San Gimigiagno, ate the "2009 World Gelato Championship's Winning Gelateria"
Thoughts: Tuscany is SO overplayed thanks to that idiotic book/movie "Under the Tuscan Sun." When I told people what I would be doing in Italy they all seemed mildly impressed (Sistine Chapel, Venice, etc.) until I got to the Tuscany part, at which point they started speaking in voices only dogs could hear and foaming at the mouth. I mean c'mon. It's beautiful, but compared to the Sistine Chapel? Really? You'd rather get hit on by a 20 year old Italian and eat scones than sit at the feet of some of the World's greatest masterpieces?
These were my thoughts going in to Tuscany. Of course we still went because we couldn't NOT visit it. You don't go to Italy for a week and not at least pass through Tuscany. This may be, after all, the only time I ever will make it to Italy, but still, my expectations were low.
I was wrong, though. It is stunningly beautiful, almost embarassingly serene. We stayed at an AMAZING B&B which was really more of a quaint Italian Villa. Our breakfast was cooked for us by a fat Italian grandmother, as little tan Italian boys ran around playing soccer. I understand what the fuss is about, now.
Still, the Sistine Chapel rocked my world and I hate Diane Lane.

Location: Bamarzo
What we did: Monster's Park
Thoughts: Monster's Park is this weirdo hole-in-the-wall attraction I read about on some travel blog and thought "Hey! That looks cool! We should go!"
It proved to be a pain in the butt to get there and admission was WAY overpriced, in my opinion. Overall, I would have felt kind of P-O'd except that as we were wrapping up our tour of the place we were caught in a sudden cloud burst and had to seek refuge for about 45 minutes inside the mouth of a giant ogre's head carved into the side of the mountain which, luckily for us, had hilarious accoustics. The results were epic, and possibly the most fun/funniest thing we did in Italy. I seriously recommend getting an acoustical granite ogre's head for your next home improvement project.

After Bamarzo we dropped Emily and Brent of at the airport and spent one more night in the outskirts of Rome. It was frustrating dealing with the driving situation in Rome and the jerks at FCO will forever be on my list of worst airport experiences ever, but we made it back in one piece with only one delay and will forever be grateful for our experiences in the country of Italy.

Photo Essay

The last 3 days have been crazy. First we

Then we

And

and

Then we

When we woke up, we

and

and

and

and

We were tired. We were also hungry, so we

Afterward, we

and

Now it's time to

again.

Tomorrow we are going to

See you in a few days!