Monthly Archives: July 2007

>The good, the bad, and the perspective

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>We traveled to Chicago to see a White Sox baseball game. Husband likes to drive in and near big cities. If he’s in the passenger seat, well, let’s say it’s not pretty. So…I navigated and watched for signs while he drove. Husband is a train buff and models in HO scale. Chicago is a great city for trainwatching. We were getting close to our designated exit when husband pointed off to the right. I read the signs, “Honey, this is exit 21. We need 27 at least.” “No, no. Look at that train!” As we were leaving the park, he pointed again. I looked at the nearest billboard, totally confused. “No, no. The train! Did you see that engine? I have a great picture of that engine. Not just that kind of engine, but that exact engine!”

I guess it’s all in your perspective.

Now, the good/bad comparison.
Good: The tickets were free, a prize Amigo won at a minor league game.
Bad: Gas to fill the tank cost more than $3 a gallon.
Good: We visited my brother and stayed overnight with him, went shopping with his wife, played with his cats.
Bad: I’m allergic to cats. Even sweethearts like these three.
Good: He keeps a room cat free so I can sleep without allergy problems. What a considerate little brother!
Good: We picked up a coffeecake from the grocery store for breakfast. They had Husband’s favorite steak sauce, so we stocked up. (We can’t get it here in the North Country)
Bad: The cats tried to eat the coffeecake.
Good: Haha!! We hid it in the microwave overnight.

Good: The trip to the ballpark was smooth and quick, with no traffic problems.
Bad: We arrived two hours before game time.
Good: We found a good parking space in the handicapped lot, thanks to Amigo’s handicap permit.
Good: We had a lot of time to take pictures, put on our sunscreen, and listen to the live music outside the gates. A small band was playing classic tunes by Chicago and Blood, Sweat, and Tears. They made my babyboomer heart very happy.
Bad: It was hot, hot, hot. Amigo doesn’t do heat well.
Good: There was a strong breeze.
Bad: They don’t call it the Windy City for nothing. The wind snatched both husband’s and Amigo’s baseball caps, causing a minor panic on Amigo’s part.
Good: With my SuperMom reflexes, I caught Husband’s flying cap, while La Petite caught Amigo’s.
Good: Our seats were in the shade.
Bad: Our seats were extremely high up. Husband doesn’t do heights well.
Good: We left after the top of the third inning.
Better: The third inning was the best one, with the Sox scoring like crazy! They won, 6-2.

Score: Good — 12 Bad — 7
Good wins! It was a successful road trip.

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>Funday Sunday

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>

Who needs a watering can? I have these.

That’s peppermint and chamomile in the cappuccino cup, by the way. I got the seeds in a free sample pack from Celestial Seasonings.

The souvenir cups are rather pricey at the stadium, so finding a new use for them is quite rewarding. We’re going to a White Sox game this afternoon. It’s going to be hot, so I might just add to this collection.

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>So…will you be having any more children?

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>People think they can ask new moms that question, especially if the baby isn’t the firstborn. If the child is the newcomer to a large family (define large at any number you wish), folks might ask that with a laugh or with a semi-serious “how could you have more than the statistical average?” attitude. Either way, it’s what the late Ann Landers would have called an MYOB — a Mind Your Own Business.

When there’s a disability in the mix, the questions and the disapproval grow exponentially.

I am hearing impaired. It may or may not be genetic; I don’t know. There is no medical indication of the precise cause. I focus on treatment: hearing aids, training in lipreading, and the like. Most important, being hearing impaired doesn’t disqualify me from bearing children or raising them.

My 15-year-old son, “Amigo”, is blind and is on the autism spectrum. His vision impairment is genetic. Both Husband and I carry the gene for this autosomal recessive condition. No, we didn’t know it, but it’s really nobody’s business but ours. Our daughter, “La Petite”, may or may not be a carrier of this trait. It will only matter if the man she marries is also a carrier. Given that there is no test at this time (although there is a study in progress), she might never know. Should she have children, knowing that they might be blind? MYOB, turkeys. She’ll make that decision. she knows more than anyone what it means to live with a blind person.

So…will you be having any more children? Or the other question: since you know your children might be disabled, will you have any more? Most of the time, I greeted that question with a blank stare. It really didn’t deserve an answer. A business-style card that says, “Mind your own blankety blank business” would have been handy.

Well, new moms and moms-to-be, if you get that intrusive question, don’t you wish you could just hand them this? Then you won’t have to answer. Your questioners didn’t deserve your time, anyway.

This Blog Blast brought to you courtesy of the Parent Bloggers Network. Click here to read more on the same topic.

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>Daisy’s Top Ten List: #8 is (gulp) True! (so is #9)

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>8. Whenever possible, I shop early for Christmas. In fact, I’ve already started.

This is not from uber-organization; it is necessity. Starting at the end of November, we have four birthdays and Christmas all within eight weeks. If I didn’t shop ahead/ year round, we’d go broke by February.
What did I buy already? Eat your heart out, family, I’m not telling.

9. I am older than my husband.
His birthday is exactly two weeks after mine. I am two weeks older than he is.
By the way, his mother tells me he was born about two weeks after his due date. Um, honey? About that problem you have with getting places on time? Is it, perhaps, a birth defect? Just kidding. He’s not really a chronic latecomer. 🙂

In between thunderstorms today, I settled in and read more of Harry Potter #5: The Order of the Phoenix. I plan to re-read the entire series before the new one comes out in July. I finished #4 over the weekend, returned it to the library (the only book in the series that I don’t own), and started on Harry’s adventures before going back to Hogwarts for his fifth year. Thunderstorms are great reading weather. That is, except for the little detail of the power going out before the coffeemaker was done brewing…darn it.

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>Daisy’ Top Ten List: #7 is True.

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>7. I resist buying wrapping paper whenever possible.

It’s the green combined with the frugal in me. Wrapping paper seems so wasteful. Use it once, then throw it away. It can’t be recycled, it can’t be burned in the fireplace (too many chemicals), so it ends up in a landfill after one use. Does this make sense? Not to me.

My family gives me a hard time about this. I give in at Christmas, and I don’t complain if other family members buy wrapping paper (but it’d better be on sale!). But for birthdays, father’s day, and most other gift-giving occasions, I like to revive the first two Rs: reduce and re-use.

When I open my own presents, I carefully refold the paper for later. Smaller scraps will wrap stocking stuffers or combine with another coordinating wrap. Gift bags and tissue? Multiple uses. Small, attractive shopping bags? Again, multiple reuses. Bows? If possible, I set them aside to be part of another gift. Curling ribbon, well, I admit that’s hard to salvage.

But my favorite of the Green Wrapping techniques is this: last year’s cards become the next year’s tags. After Christmas (sometimes months later), I go through the holiday cards and cut them apart into gift tags. They’re unique and fun, and honestly — I haven’t bought gift tags in twenty years.

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>Funday Sunday with the family

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>Summer fun includes baseball! Amigo plays in a league of his own, and the family goes to games and enjoys the sport. It helps that our Milwaukee Brewers are doing well this year. It might actually be tough (gulp) to get tickets to Miller Park!
So here’s the family with three of the famous racing sausages. Sausages from left to right: Hot Dog, Polish Sausage, and Bratwurst. Family: back row, me and Husband; front row, La Petite and Amigo. Missing: Italian and Chorizo (Chorizo is new this year and doesn’t have a bendable toy — yet).

Oh, about that missing Italian sausage. Listen, Mario, like I said — you can run, but you can’t hide. I’ll be checking the pasta cupboard next.

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