Watch this, Mom!

Chez Lily

2012-01-29T19:33:00.000-05:00

I found these photos cleaning up my hard drive. Back in May, Lily decided to set up a restaurant on the back deck on a beautiful spring night.

Left arrow: line forms here. Center arrow: bug spray station (for comfortable outside dining). Right arrow: Baci.

The menu.

Lily was the waitress, the cook, and the owner.

The kitchen.

Finally, food on the way.

Yum.

She wore flowers in her hair

2012-01-22T21:48:00.002-05:00

Finally, Some Snow

2012-01-21T14:48:00.003-05:00

Not a lot - but enough ice to allow sledding on the street.

More St. Augustine

2012-01-18T08:52:00.000-05:00

Full set is on flickr, here.

What are the Odds?

2012-01-16T22:34:00.001-05:00

Two signs in St. Augustine, seen within an hour of each other. Rodriguez is my grandparents' last name; 52 was their street number; Almeria is the province in Spain they come from.

St. Augustine

2012-01-15T11:53:00.002-05:00

We spent a day in St. Augustine on our drive back from Christmas. Had a great time walking around the old city, visiting the fort, the Old Jail, and the Pirate Museum, seeing the disappointing Fountain of Youth ("It's fake!"), and eating dinner at the Columbia Restaurant.

At the St. Augustine Old Jail

Old Jail. We could have spent all day just there.

Magnolia Avenue

Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse.

At the Castillo de San Marco after a few hours
at the fun Pirate Museum.

Chinatown

2012-01-11T06:23:00.000-05:00

Blackberry camera and a lot of iPad apps.

Bucket List

2012-01-09T16:56:00.000-05:00

We fulfilled a long-time bucket list item by going shooting over the holidays. A million thanks to my parents' friends Ginny and Dave for taking us.

Don't piss me off.

Seriously, don't. I was good!

If you break into our house, hope that Michael is the one at home.

Peace River Wildlife Refuge

2012-01-08T15:38:00.006-05:00

More pictures from Christmas in Florida. These were taken a mere mile or so from my parents' condo. Not a bad way to spend Christmas!

More Christmas photos are on Flickr, here.

I did not pick this outfit.

Christmas

2012-01-01T23:06:00.008-05:00

Christmas Eve: A sick Chico.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve: Mom and Aunt Mary testing the sangria.

Christmas Eve: Aunt Mary, Lily, and Uncle John skyping with the Long Island contingent.

Christmas Day: Lily with her cow eyeball (to go with the dissection kit).

Christmas Day: modeling her gifts.

South of the Border

2012-01-01T23:01:00.001-05:00

We stopped at South of the Border on the way to Florida. As Lily said, "Does you think this place is a little shabby?"

Mike and Lily at the diner.

Lily enjoying a foot-long.

"Dear Santa, there is one carrot for each reindeer..."

2011-12-24T21:54:00.000-05:00

I don't really get it...

2011-12-21T22:43:00.002-05:00

Lillian of Ghana

2011-12-18T11:47:00.000-05:00

More Florida Pictures

2011-12-13T23:05:00.004-05:00

Found these photos I forgot to post, from back in October. Beautiful beach, which will forever be scarred by the trauma of Lily deciding to "hide" on us.

An attempt to be arty and salvage a tragically overexposed but cool shot.

The Swimmer

2011-12-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T09:36:00.002-05:00

Another wonderful Thanksgiving with the Baldwins. Thanks, guys, for the fun and for all the delicious food.

Chloe

Debbie teaching Mary how to make gravy (that's a joke).

Yum!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T10:54:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving 1966, me at Bebop and Grandma's house. Also the day I took my first steps.

Finally!

2011-11-21T23:18:00.001-05:00

A few more Florida photos. Sorry this took so long, Ma!

Me looking fancy

2011-11-15T22:08:00.000-05:00

Paca's Stuff

2011-11-06T22:04:00.002-05:00

Paca's purse: because you never know when you'll need a tape measure, magnet, or clothespin. My dad always says if you need a ham sandwich, you can find one in her purse.

Paca's pantry: because they were 2-for-1.

Love you Mom! :-)

Update, 11/7: Comment from my Mom deserves equal time: "Wait a minute, let me defend myself. I pick up the 'two for one' and then give one to the food pantry." But that's not as funny!

A Halloween Retrospective

2011-10-31T22:22:00.003-04:00

2004 - strawberry

2005 - Dorothy

2006 - cowgirl

2007 - princess

2008 - bride

2009 - Bat Girl

2010 - witch

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:57:00.004-04:00

Who says I can't bake? Can you find the bloody nose?

Good and evil.

Calm group shot.

And, as Michael jumped out of furnace room.

Mummy wrap.

Thanks, Aunt Lee, for loaning us the wings.

Florida

2011-10-30T13:35:00.003-04:00

Lily and I went to Florida for a long weekend a couple of weeks ago. Had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa, and, of course, Chico. Here's the first batch of photos.

Open House

2011-10-16T22:35:00.002-04:00

Went to Lily's 2nd grade open house last week. Saw this fabulous self-portrait (check out the nails):

Also saw this love note to the teacher (not by Lily). I love accidental kid profanity.

Last of the NY Photos

2011-10-10T22:40:00.003-04:00

At Aunt Lee's - getting ready to leave Lily with Aunt Lee for a grown up evening in the city.

Sunset on the High Line. The High Line is a public park built on old 1930s era elevated freight tracks on Manhattan's West Side.

With Tom and Joanna, celebrating Tom's birthday (a bit early, but it's a milestone one and what better place than NY to celebrate?).

iSad

2011-10-10T00:15:00.003-04:00

Steve Jobs memorial at Apple Store in Tysons Corner:

More NY

2011-10-02T22:02:00.004-04:00

Mary and Lily at Greenport's Maritime Festival.

Lucy: Little Dog, Big Attitude

Maggie: One of the prettiest dogs ever.

Photographic evidence of Joe tormenting Brett.

Tita Juana.

No place like home!

2011-09-26T21:41:00.000-04:00

Krupski's! More photos from the NY trip soon.

Bus Stop Shoes

2011-09-18T22:09:00.000-04:00

A Sad Goodbye

2011-09-16T23:21:00.001-04:00

Block Party

2011-09-04T20:14:00.003-04:00

We crashed a neighborhood block party today. These people have raised the bar way too high on block parties - moon bounce, sno-cone machine, slip-n-slide, face painter, balloon artist!

I've always thought slip-n-slides should be called slip-n-break-a-wrists.

Gina B and Lily

Goggle Girl

2011-09-03T23:00:00.000-04:00

First Day of School

2011-08-29T17:26:00.003-04:00

Hurricane Irene wasn't going to stop the first day or school (nor was the lack of power, a bath or haircut, or the cold sores on Lily's lip). Sounds like the day went well - haven't gotten the full report yet.

2nd graders go first!

Chicago

2011-08-27T16:30:00.002-04:00

My Fancy Neighborhood

2011-08-21T23:16:00.000-04:00

Best Voicemail Ever

2011-08-20T20:25:00.003-04:00

And More Wisconsin

2011-08-12T21:01:00.003-04:00

More Scenes from Wisconsin

2011-08-10T22:43:00.002-04:00

Courtesy of Aunt Claire's phone:

Apparently Lily learned how to play pool at camp aftercare this summer.

Helping dig post holes.

Somebody at the DMV is not on the internet

2011-08-09T23:53:00.004-04:00

If It Walks Like a Duck, Quacks Like a Duck ...

2011-08-07T20:22:00.001-04:00

The Punster

2011-07-31T21:39:00.002-04:00

My dad got honorable mention in The Week magazine's weekly contest!

The question: After a restaurant in Monroeville, PA, banned children under six because parents no longer try to keep fussing kids quiet, we asked you to name a chain of child-free eateries.

My dad's answer: Chucky Brie's.

Ha ha, that's good! Better than some of the winners:

THE WINNER: AARPY'S
Carol Koss, OKC, OK

SECOND PLACE: Totless Bar
Robert & Patricia Goetz, Pittsboro, NC

THIRD PLACE: The Really Happy Meal!
Bryan Drost, Twinsburg, OH

Full article is here.

He also won another restaurant/food themed contest a long time ago in The Suffolk Times. I don't remember the question, but his winning entry was "Liver-on-a-Stick."

Birthday Weekend

2011-07-24T12:23:00.004-04:00

Big doings for Lily's 7th birtday. As in the past few years, she opted to spend the day/night with best friend Ellie. The festivities started at noon on Saturday. It was so hot we skipped all of our exciting outdoor plans (pirate boat, pool) and played inside, followed by manicures, cake with the neighbors, a sleepover, pancake breakfast, and on Sunday, a visit to Ellie's community pool.

Science camp all last week.

BFF

Manicure.

At 6pm!

Guess who decorated her own cake?

Breakfast at Hole in the Rock Forest

2011-07-17T22:18:00.004-04:00

Every weekend morning, all year long - regardless of the weather, Mike, Lily and Baci take an early morning walk on one of our local trails. Lily and Mike have their own private language for the various trails - Broken Bridge Forest (although the broken bridge has been fixed), the Reservoir, Poo Park. I stay home - I let them do daddy-daughter bonding, and use the time to get stuff done around the house. This morning's hike was to "Hole in the Rock Forest," and, given the beautiful weather, the earnest invitation from Lily, and the promise of a breakfast picnic, I went along.

At the start of the trail.

The dog that keeps on ticking. I swear it's these walks that are keeping her alive.

Monkey girl.

The breakfast picnic.

The view from the picnic.

The namesake hole in the rock.

I should go on these walks more often.

Happy 4th Of July

2011-07-04T16:56:00.001-04:00

Another fun Fourth at the Archives.

Thank you DC Fire Dept. for cooling us down.

Claire's Latest Mosaic

2011-07-02T17:00:00.007-04:00

A two-window mosaic for Richard Montgomery High School. We figure there are about 10,000 pieces of glass here, all cut by hand. Gorgeous.

I did it!

2011-06-21T20:21:00.003-04:00

I now own a pair of Manolo Blahniks! They were 70% off, but still more than I have ever spent on a pair of shoes. Michael is incredulous (and not in a good way). But just look at them! I can wear them to work for years. I wore them today and felt like I could conquer the world. I can now cross this item off my bucket list. Although, they are soooo comfortable, going back to regular shoes now would be like going back to coach after flying first class...

Here's my original Shoe Scheme post in which I planned to sell random stuff on ebay until I made enough to buy a pair. I never got around to doing that, but now that I've discovered the Nordstroms' designer shoe deep discount rack, I may have to.

Camp Grandma and Grandpa

2011-06-20T21:06:00.003-04:00

Lily's in Florida with Grandma and Grandpa for a week - without us! It's going great, and I don't think she wants to come back. She probably realizes that back home her day won't consist of: pancakes for breakfast; rides on Grandpa's scooter; Chico; 2 trips a day to the pool; the Imaginarium; Grandma's world famous mac and cheese; after dinner games; evening movie.

Morning conversation and reading time with Grandpa, while Grandma sleeps in. My mom says I did the same thing as a kid.

Really Ma? Sprinkles on pancakes? What part of "easy on the sugar" did you not hear? :-)

At the nearby beach.

Helping Grandma make dinner. Lily's eating all sorts of things there she refuses to eat here.

We miss Lily a ton, but I'm so glad she's having fun. Thanks Mom and Dad, for making this memory.

Swim and Sleep

2011-06-12T12:09:00.004-04:00

Lily had a playdate/sleepover with Ellie last night. Photos courtesy of Ken T's iPhone.

Ready for Summer

2011-06-05T20:13:00.003-04:00

The sprinkler's in working order. Annuals have been planted.

Container plants cover the deck. Got a new table, and ate dinner on the deck all three nights this weekend.

Grandma and Papa Come to Town

2011-05-30T21:54:00.007-04:00

Grandma
Papa
Aunt Claire
Lily
Aunt Claire's roof
Art project
Aunt Claire, like Lily, collects animal skulls...

Horses

2011-05-22T22:20:00.011-04:00

Lily's been taking horseback riding lessons. Eight weeks of lessons ended yesterday, and today we went to the horse show at the stables.

Lily and Goldie.

Hanging around on the cross country course, waiting for the horses to come by.

No, that's not Lily, but Lily says she wants to do this.

And this. Gulp.

The donkey got mad at us.

Meet Dash, the horse Lily rode for class.

Last Soccer Game of the Season

2011-05-21T19:44:00.003-04:00

The 2011 Maroon Dragons. Yes, Lily's the only girl.

Post-game pizza party.

Random

2011-05-18T21:25:00.001-04:00

Cleaning up some old files.

Self-portrait in A1 bathroom.

Batala group at Rally for Sanity

Yardwork

Sunday Fun

2011-05-15T22:03:00.000-04:00

Saturday

2011-04-30T21:35:00.004-04:00

Opening Day

2011-04-24T21:38:00.004-04:00

Not much of an Easter - Michael was sick in bed all day. But we did enjoy the first sprinkler day of the season. The season has officially begun.

Luray Caverns

2011-04-22T20:31:00.006-04:00

We took a day trip to Luray Caverns today. We've been talking about going there for more than 20 years. It was really beautiful (but hard to photograph in the low light).

Our favorite spot - Dream Lake.

Lily really loved it. She listened to the audio tour for both kids and adults. The one hour tour took us 2 1/2 hours.

The weather was kind of crummy. After the caves we had late lunch in the town of Luray, then headed on home. Beltway traffic.

This is What Happens When Daddy Lets Lily Pick Her Own Clothes

2011-04-10T08:36:00.000-04:00

The Hairy Eyeball

2011-04-07T23:32:00.001-04:00

This dog stared at me my whole drive home.

Private Club: Danger!

2011-04-03T10:32:00.000-04:00

High Drama in the Forest

2011-03-27T16:17:00.002-04:00

On Lily's weekly Sunday morning forest walk with Daddy, she stepped in a mud hole...

... and lost her shoe.

Her solution: make a "shoe" out of bark and vines!

It kinda worked! Waiting for the Survivor: Kids franchise.

Spring Soccer

2011-03-27T10:31:00.000-04:00

Morning Vision

2011-03-21T21:35:00.000-04:00

Found Lily like this early Saturday morning. The lawn chair and plastic daiquiri cup were won at Bingo Night the evening before. The Fairy Tales book was mine as a kid and is her new obsession. The scraped knee was a "blacktop" injury at Bingo Night.

Magically Delicious

2011-03-17T20:17:00.001-04:00

12 1/2 % Irish, 100% leprechaun!

Bubble

2011-03-16T23:12:00.001-04:00

Bubble on a blade of grass. If you look closely, you can see me and our house in the reflection on the bubble. Didn't even use a macro lens for this.

Back from Hiatus

2011-03-12T15:41:00.002-05:00

I've been really remiss in not updating the blog in a month - busy at work, busy at home... sorry mom!

This was Lily's idea.

Two lost teeth in the last two weeks.

Skating

2011-02-12T20:17:00.002-05:00

Lily and Michael went skating this afternoon.

Lily started out with double-bladed skates. She'd only been skating once before, when she was two years old.

She quickly graduated to real skates (and a helmet). Michael was amazed at how good (and fearless) she was, and relieved he didn't have to hold her up the whole time.

Lily asked me to add this statement: "It was fun and I fell down sometimes but I got up."

The Readers

2011-01-29T11:14:00.000-05:00

Specificity

2011-01-28T23:11:00.002-05:00

Punta Gorda, FL

Florida

2011-01-23T13:42:00.006-05:00

I was in Florida last week helping after my Mom's shoulder surgery.

The patient.

The other patient.

Relatives!

Aunt Mary and Uncle John.

Lap pool.

View from the fitness center.

Night shot of fountain at the complex entrance.

Self-portrait in the sliding glass doors.

Gross but Cool

2011-01-21T19:27:00.004-05:00

Two and a half weeks' worth of bacteria growth. We're going to swab gross places in the house this weekend - toilet, faucet handle, under the garbage can lid.

Mad Scientist

2011-01-19T22:12:00.002-05:00

Lily got a "Disgusting Science" kit for Christmas.

This experiment was designed to mimic the digestive system. We had to coat a balloon with oil, fill with bread crumbs, squish them up, add vinegar, and then squeeze out to make bread "poo poo."

Upper left: mucus (really green gelatin, with the choice to go chunky or extra slimy); upper right: blood (red gelatin that we got to dry into scabs); in the center: petri dished we swabbed with samples from various body parts. Stay tuned for the spectacular results!

Guest Photographer

2011-01-10T21:45:00.003-05:00

Lily got a real camera for Christmas. Here are a few of her favorites of the 400 photos she took on Christmas day.

So this is her view of me most of the time.

Self-portrait with a little jazzing up in Photoshop.

The tree.

Bebop

2011-01-08T22:27:00.003-05:00

January 9 would have been my paternal grandfather's 105th birthday. He was one of the finest, sweetest men who ever lived, and we're so lucky to have had him into his 90s. In his honor, I think I'll go to a Golden Corral, order fried shrimp, and flirt with the waitress.

Baby Leo.

Bebop, Lee, and me in his backyard, with the rope swing just visible in the back.

Carving the turkey, like he did every year. My sister and cousins will take note of the hankerchief peeking out of his back pocket, and know why that makes me smile.

Lee, me and Bebop in North Carolina.

Ronkonkoma Fire Department Commissioner and lifetime member. They gave him quite a send off.

Happy Birthday, Bebop! We miss you.

Downtown

2011-01-01T18:38:00.005-05:00

Michael and Lily get home from Chicago tonight, so I occupied my last day by going downtown. I saw The King's Speech (pretty good), got a massage, and played with my camera (Lensbaby lens, which can make things look like miniatures, and HDR processing).

Our new skating rink.

Adding Insult to Injury

2010-12-30T20:10:00.001-05:00

My Dad's latest blog post.

Really Neat Blizzard Timelapse

2010-12-29T03:16:00.000-05:00

I'm definitely going to try this next time it snows!

December 2010 Blizzard Timelapse from Michael Black on Vimeo.

The Christmas Card Photo Shoot

2010-12-28T23:08:00.002-05:00

As usual, Lil was a trouper, but I did have to compensate her with an hour of soccer playing and playground fun. She doesn't actually pose - I just take a million photos and hope for the best.

The hat was worn to hide the much-disliked boy haircut.

Okay, so this one's not a keeper.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T16:39:00.004-05:00

Christmas morning at Don and Joann's. Lily was so patient while everyone got coffee!

She got a real camera!

Andrew, Stuart, Lisa, and John.

Frank and Claire.

Many, many thanks to Don and Joann for a lovely visit, to Uncle Emil for the wonderful Italian seafood Christmas Eve, and to Christine and Kurt for opening their home on Christmas day.

And to Michael for finally taking me to SuperDawg!

Santa Land Diaries

2010-12-19T15:27:00.003-05:00

Deb and Lee with Santa, 1970-1975. I look happy, but really, my stomach was in knots each time. I wasn't scared of Santa, but crazily self-conscious. I vividly remember standing in line at Macy's in Smithhaven Mall, on that black-and-white chevron pathway they had, with my heart pounding. What would Santa think of me? Would I remember what to say to him? Was I dressed appropriately? Would he like me?

I used to think I was the only kid who felt this way, but then I read this in David Sedaris' hysterical "Santa Land Diaries" (Holidays on Ice) about his experiences as a Santa's Elf at Macy's:

Some of these children, they get nervous just before going in to visit Santa. They pace and wring their hands and stare at the floor. They act like they’re going in for a job interview. I say “Don’t worry, Santa’s not going to judge you. He’s very relaxed about that sort of thing. He used to be judgmental but people gave him a hard time about it so he stopped. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about.”

Hair Cut

2010-12-18T14:48:00.002-05:00

Took Lily for a ridiculously expensive haircut today to try to recover from the horrible summer pixie haircut incident. Blackberry photos:

Much better!

Christmas #1

2010-12-17T21:57:00.002-05:00

We had mini-Christmas tonight to open gifts from my parents and Lee since we won't be with them on Christmas.

Fake hair.

Fake teeth.

More fake teeth. I think my parents did a lot of their shopping at the gag gift store.

Makeup head! I had one of these as a kid and loved it. At one point Lily said to me "Mommy, I need your help. You have a lot more experience than I do putting on makeup."

Fake hair, real microphone.

Lily was thrilled with all her presents - magic tricks, Squirmles (remember those?), paints, chore chart, MOMA doll house, magazine subscription, blobby color-changing nightlight, even the IKEA toffee laces. And, we've already started one of the science experiments in the Magic School Bus World of Germs kit.

Thanks Mom, Dad and Lee!

Starting to Look Like Christmas

2010-12-12T22:10:00.002-05:00

Putting the star on the tree.

Lily and Gina G. and their gingerbread train.

All dressed up waiting for Jack, or "Jackie," as Lily calls him, to arrive. She picked out this outfit especially for him, but don't tell him, okay?

Lily and Aunt Claire making cheesy enchiladas.

Holiday Spirit

2010-12-11T11:17:00.000-05:00

I've been remiss lately in updating the blog - busy. So, in the meantime, here's a repeat from two years ago. Enjoy!

Like mother like daughter.

Passive resistance.

"He can't see me..."

"Take her, let me live!"

Lily Painted Her Toes

2010-11-28T13:52:00.002-05:00

And the rug.

Thanksgiving - Part II

2010-11-26T21:43:00.006-05:00

The Baldwins. Not only did they cook most of the food, Mary even did the dishes. I'm the world's worst cousin.

Lily and Chloe taking a break.

After.

Debbie and Mary doing something silly.

Chloe and Baci helping with the dishes.

"My name is MusSelena Gomez," the totalitarian pop star.

What's Thanksgiving without a little hula hooping?

Mike done in by the turkey.

More photos on flickr.

Thanksgiving - Part I

2010-11-25T12:41:00.003-05:00

We overslept! Who oversleeps on Thanksgiving?? And we have guests coming (at least they are easy, fun guests who actually bring most of the meal).

Lily helped by scrubbing the bathroom floor. Really. Finally, some return on investment!

The annual dissecting of the giblets. (Yes, Mom, she needs to get her bangs cut.)

A Beautiful Fall Day in the Park

2010-11-14T21:06:00.001-05:00

Who am I to argue with Hunan Palace?

2010-11-10T19:09:00.000-05:00

Halloween

2010-11-02T21:46:00.003-04:00

"Can we go now, can we go now, can we go now??"

Our own jack-o-lantern.

Apparently this is terrifying to neighborhood children.

The haul.

The haul after Lily sorted it (sorting is very big in 1st grade.)

Accidental photo that came out kind of creepy.

A Beautiful Day for a Rally

2010-10-31T09:58:00.005-04:00

Braved the crazy Metro crowds to attend yesterday's Rally to Restore Sanity. It's not every day you get to see Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Bennett, and Kareem Abdul Jabar on the same stage.

Nice and close to the stage. It's good to know people who know people!

My favorite sign.

Lots of Halloween costumes. This was made out of candy!

Ugh.

Lots more pictures, especially of the signs, on my Flickr page.

Halloween Parade

2010-10-24T22:07:00.005-04:00

Today was the annual Halloween parade and party in the park. Perfect weather for it yet again.

Carving a pumpkin for the contest.

Neighbor Georgia was Wonder Woman.

Lily, Gina, Ethan.

Caitlin was a bag of jelly beans.

Mounted police led the parade.

I don't know this lady, but I couldn't resist!

G&G Come for a Visit

2010-10-18T21:51:00.005-04:00

My parents came for a visit this past weekend - my mom needed a Lily fix.

Lily's attempt to scare the squirrels away from eating her pumpkins. As you can see, it didn't work. Those are deer skulls that she found in the woods. Yup. We bleached them before we would let her touch them, of course.

G&G cheered on the Green Goblins, who once again lost to a team of midget professional soccer players. Lily took a ball to the face but persisted.

Grandma and Lily decorated the inside of the front door with paper bags, cut out pumpkins, and real forest debris. This is a project that only a former kindergarten teacher would take on.

Grandma and Lily also made a tu tu from one of those make-your-own kits. The instructions were unintelligible so they freestyled. Worked better as a hat.

Lily wearing the smashing Halloween socks brought by G&G.

It was a wonderful visit - thanks Mom and Dad!

The Green Goblins

2010-10-02T20:28:00.003-04:00

Fall soccer is off to a great start, even though the Green Goblins got clobbered by the Purple Whatevers today. Lily continues to have fun and her coach said she has a "high soccer IQ." She certainly does keep her head in the game, and keeps kicking even when she's on the ground!

Homework!

2010-09-27T21:25:00.006-04:00

First grade homework is a lot more intense than kindergarten homework. Lily wasn't that into it last week, so this week we made a big deal out of setting up a homework box and buying the necessary supplies for it.

Here's Lily organizing the box. She labelled the folders, and delighted in having her own stapler and scotch tape dispenser. Like mother like daughter. How long before she asks for her own filing cabinet for Christmas? (I was in 5th grade. And, in my defense, at least I wanted it to be red.)

We did this homework tonight - they're learning about maps in social studies, and Lily drew a map of her room. What, you don't know what all those objects are? Well, then, check out the key:

Yes, smack in the middle of the room is a pile of dog poo and pee (this isn't a frequent occurence at my house - a visiting dog last week had an accident in Lily's room and it made quite an impression on her). Also, notice the many shoes and dirty socks scattered about.

I hope her teacher has a sense of humor!

Claire's Latest Mosaics

2010-09-19T10:22:00.003-04:00

Deb versus Email

2010-09-12T08:34:00.006-04:00

My work email inbox - EMPTY! I've been trying to achieve this feat since we first got email in 1995. My email approach is to move an email from my inbox to the appropriate folder once I have dealt with it. There are thousands of emails in the folders on the left, but not a single one requiring my attention in the inbox.

Behold:

This means I have either reached peak performance or have become completely irrelevant. I'm thinking the former - I am involved in a major project at work, and still have multiple cross-referenced and color coded to do lists a mile long, but, at the moment, no one is waiting for me to respond to an email.

Ahhh, sweet victory.

It lasted for two whole hours, not surprising since it's a Sunday morning. Here's the offender, who is a wonderful person who is also working very hard on that major project, but who was promptly read and deleted.

Victory again, at least for a little while.

Mom versus TV

2010-09-11T13:03:00.004-04:00

Neighbor girls Frannie and Georgia came over to play today. I have a rule - no tv when friends are over. Not because I'm opposed to tv, but I'd rather save it for when I need Lily to be occupied and there are no other kids around.

The girls: Can we watch TV?
Deb: No. Play with each other.
The girls: We don't know what to do.
Deb: Figure something out.
The girls: There's nothing to do.
Deb: You can help me clean.
The girls: That's boring!
Deb: Play with something in Lily's room.
The girls: Everything's boring there!
Deb: Use your imaginations.
The girls: We're bored!! We want to watch tv!!
Deb: You'd better stop asking to watch tv and find yourselves a project, or I'm taking Frannie and Georgia home.
The girls: Harumph.

Three minutes later, they were making a bow and arrows out of sticks, string, and milkweed pods. "See?" I said. "You don't need a tv, you just need your imagination." Then, Michael told me the idea came to Lily yesterday, while she was home sick from school and watching Man vs. Nature ... on tv.

Frannie.

Milkweed pod arrow

A Great Way to End the Summer

2010-09-02T20:42:00.009-04:00

Lily and I flew up to Long Island last weekend for a 24-hour visit. My mom flew up from Florida, and Lee came out from the city. Mary B. had a combined graduation party for Mike and Kate. The weather was fantastic and it was wonderful seeing family. And the food - my god!

The Ladies.

We need a hammock in our own backyard.

Timmy and Steph

Paella: Before.

Paella: After. Kudos to Jeff, the non-Spaniard, for having become the family's best paella maker. Mary really outdid herself on the rest of the food. The appetizers were amazing, and she made 96 cupcakes of 5 different varieties.

Super-elastic bubble plastic.

Aunt Mary and Mom playing beer pong. Well, not really but it's funny to imagine it.

The Baldwins. A million thanks for the party!

We drove by our first house, on Avenue A in Holbrook. I don't remember it being so small and so close to the street.

And we drove by our old Cutchogue house. Lee and I used to jump over those trees!

There are more photos of the party on my Flickr account.