Jul 3rd, 2009 by javamom
I somehow neglected to plug in any information for the 4th of July into the Summer Fun Guide — sorry about that! Basically I usually look at the Washington Post guide.
I will tell you this — we have been in NoVA for 7 years and have not had a bad experience with any show we’ve been to — the only disappointments have been torrential rains.
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Jul 2nd, 2009 by javamom
While my brain is still humming along on the the theme of routine, can anyone explain to me why children have their own little routines they insist upon, and yet routines that would greatly contribute to their parents’ sanity go out the window?
For example, at some point in the day, EVERY week day, I will have the following conversation with JavaGirl while she, JavaBoy and I are out somewhere.
JG: Something’s missing?
Me (knowing full well what it is, but having learned that varying from the script doesn’t help): What?
JG: Daddy! Daddy’s missing?
Me: And where is Daddy?
JG: At work!
Me: And when is he coming home?
JG: At dinner time.
Sometimes I’m the one who says Daddy is at work, but there is no way we are going to get through this conversation without her pointing out that Daddy is not with us and without the conversation somehow concluding with an assurance that Daddy will be home for dinner. As if the man has not followed this basic routine M-F most of her life. But fine, I humor her. It’s a small thing to do.
Jul 1st, 2009 by javamom
One of the most challenging parts of parenthood is coming face-to-face with my love/hate relationship with routine.
It is very difficult to be a Type A personality with an creative person’s soul. I crave a certain amount of order and predictability and yet I hate to be tied down. I have two Christmas Countdown binders (no, really, I do) — one begins in August, and just in case I get off-track, a second plan begins in October — and yet since birth (seriously, ask my parents), I have resisted having a bedtime. I am incapable of following a daily routine to the letter. As for JavaDad… well, he’s so consumed with dreaming up brilliant technical things in his head that he loses track of time, and other concepts, without the rest of us to remind him from time to time to get his head away from the computer and, you know, eat… shave… those kinds of things.
Jun 29th, 2009 by javamom
Many, many thank yous to the wonderful blogosphere citizens who signed up as bTrendie.com members, tweeted, and blogged about the Spongebob cool-mist humidifier giveaway!
I submitted the list of participants to the List Randomizer on random.org to pick the three winners, who are:
Jun 24th, 2009 by javamom
I have a LOT of basil.
I mean a LOT. My mother brought me a sprig of purple basil from my great-grandmother’s garden a few years ago and it has turned into a hedge of basil, I kid you not. It is a wonderful bounty, and I love to share it — I gave each child in my son’s preschool class a plant to start in their own gardens and I’m always offering it to passing neighbors, strangers, the A/C repair guy…
Jun 19th, 2009 by javamom
Leave it to the ladies at JuiceBoxJungle to hit on a secret fear of mine…
More parenting videos on JuiceBoxJungle
… am I just another proud parent, or have I become <shudder> a “brag hag”?
Jun 18th, 2009 by javamom
You just gotta love a bargain… and FREE is a great bargain. Thanks to my new sponsor, bTrendie.com, I’m giving away THREE Spongebob cool-mist humidifiers by Crane. And you have THREE chances to win the contest!
Jun 17th, 2009 by javamom
In a very complex system… involving JavaDad, a blindfold, names printed out on slips of paper, and a shoebox… I am pleased to announce the winner of the PBS Super WHY! DVD giveaway….
Jun 3rd, 2009 by javamom
Hey, who needs a recipe when you have eHow and videos?
A couple of quick notes:
The list of ingredients actually only applies to some of the methods
Steps 2-6 are actually different cooking methods, not sequential steps
For some of the thicker pieces of asparagus, you may want to peel the thicker ends of the stalks with a [...]
Jun 3rd, 2009 by javamom
The JavaKids love vegetables.
I don’t know how I ended up so lucky… whether it was following my sister’s advice to feed them green beans as their first baby food after rice cereal, some sort of divine intervention, or winning some sort of genetic lottery… but many times, given the choice between some sort of junk food or raw veggies, my kids will pick the veggies. I have to pre-wash all vegetables before storing them in the fridge because JavaGirl will break into sealed packages of mushrooms and start munching on them when I’m not looking. JavaBoy can clear out a crudites platter at any party.
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