Kitty and Zip are dyeing the eggs this year. They’re very much into symbolism and like using wax crayons to draw what they deem appropriate designs on the eggs before coloring them. What constitutes an appropriate design? There has been some disagreement on that, which leads to spicy discussions between them. Last year Mr. Matterhorn was home for Easter. He decided we needed a theme for the egg decorations.
Can you guess the theme?
Does this photo help?
Posted in Family, My children
My valentine for Kitty suits her perfectly. It’s a family tradition to make valentine’s for each other, but when I saw this in the store I couldn’t resist buying it because it so perfectly symbolizes Kitty’s personality and style.
Her valentine is pink and brown; pink and brown are her favorite colors.
Her valentine has lots of sparkles; not only does she sparkle (especially when she’s happy), she likes sparkles – lots of them!
Her valentine has lots of hearts; she has a warm, friendly heart and likes to ❤ people. She’s the most socially outgoing of my children. Even at a young age, she liked making friends and would strike up a conversation with people who happened to be in her vicinity. We had to watch her carefully because she was very trusting. Through her we have befriended a variety of interesting, fun people we wouldn’t have gotten to know if it weren’t for Kitty, some of whom we still number among our friends today. Of all my children, she’s the one who will frequently come up to me, give me a hug and announce, “I like us!”
Kitty, I like you too! I more than like you. I ❤ you!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Posted in My children
Matches.
Boy.
Put the two together and you get
Fire.
Is there a boy who isn’t fascinated with fire? A boy who doesn’t want to make a fire when he can? A boy who hasn’t played with matches? A boy who hasn’t almost burned either himself or someone else?
That fascination has to be one of those Y chromosome things.
I see matches as useful items, not a source of entertainment. To me a fire is a source of warmth.
Boys look at matchbooks and see thrills, daring possibilities, dangerous excitement. They can’t resist.
My sons come by their fire fascination honestly. Family legend has it that when my father and a friend were kids (back in the 1930’s), they once set a barn on fire. Their purpose for doing so? They wanted to see the fire engines come. The fire engines did indeed come, but it wasn’t just a barn that felt the heat that day!
Today I came across a journal entry dated ten years ago. Mr. Matterhorn was 13 at the time.
"The other day, while waiting for everyone to come out of the house and get in the car, Matterhorn decided to see if he could light all the matches in a matchbook at once. He hadn't thought about how hot it would get and soon realized that if he didn't dispose of the flaming matchbook quickly, his hand would burn. He disposed of the matchbook quickly.
Himself came out of the house and noticed smoke coming from the plastic garbage can. Closer investigation revealed that the can contained a fire. Himself had to pour two buckets of water in the garbage can to put out the fire. It was a very quiet ride...
What was Matterhorn's comment later that day? He thought we should be pleased that he exhibited some common sense; he lit the matchbook near the garbage can, instead of inside the house!"
Posted in Boys, My children
My two oldest children have come home for the holidays! Mr. Matterhorn came from Alaska and Rose from California. We weren’t sure if Mr. Matterhorn would be coming, but he made it on Monday evening. Other than sleeping since he’s been home (!), he’s amused us with tales of his Alaskan experiences, has helped with the shoveling and even taken Zip to the newest toy shop in town. Rose has de-stressed from finals week and goes around singing and giggling at me. I had forgotten how amused she can be at what I say and the gestures I make when I talk. Just being myself! 🙂
Photo of the three of us at the Getty Art Center in LA, taken a year and a half ago. We look pretty much the same now with the addition of a beard on Mr. Matterhorn.
Posted in Family, My children
Doesn’t the title of this post sound like the title of a children’s story book? Sort of like “Curious George Goes to the Hospital”?
Tomorrow Kitty and Zip are playing in a music competition held at a university in the city. Whenever we talk of that university or the music competition, we smile, remembering the first time Kitty went there.
To preface this story, I should explain that our family has lived in a major metropolitan area for almost three decades. And by major metropolitan area, I mean we live near the second (or is it now the third?) largest city in the US. That city, Chicago, is home to more than a few high-rise buildings. Himself and I are quite familiar with high-rise buildings. Back in my career-girl days, I worked in several of them. And because our children have been to the city numerous times, we assumed that they, too, were familiar with the basic features of tall buildings.
However, it seems that when we’ve taken our children to the city, our destinations have been places that are relatively close to the ground: museums, parks, the zoo, and similar low-height places. Our children have also been to many malls, and they have known since their toddler days how to use escalators. Elevators? Well, our local library has an elevator that goes between the ground floor and the lower level, where the children’s department is. And there’s the three story elevator at Macy’s, but come to think of it, we usually take the escalator there. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that my children are not ignorant of the modern features of buildings in big cities; they are not country bumpkins who gawk in amazement at things city folks take for granted.
At least, I didn’t think they were – until a few years ago when Kitty went to the music competition for the first time. The university building in which the competition takes place is in an older, vintage, 1930’s era high-rise. By no means could it be called a skyscraper, although when it was built, it was one of the tallest buildings in the city. Like all tall buildings, elevators are avaliable to access the higher floors easily. So when Kitty, Rose and I went to the competition several years ago, we entered the building, found the elevator, and got in. A few students got in the elevator ahead of us and one of them pushed the button for the eighth floor. The music competition was being held on the ninth floor, so I reached out to push the ninth floor button.
Kitty protested, “NO, Mom! They want to go to the eighth floor!”
The students looked at her curiously.
I pushed the button.
Kitty was appalled, but sensed that she was making a scene, so she whispered urgently (and rather loudly) to me, “But, Mom, they got on first. We should let them go to their floor first!”
Puzzled, I responded, “Don’t worry, they’ll get there.”
She persisted and urged me to push the eighth floor button, insisting that the students should get to their desired floor first.
The students smiled and one of them may have laughed.
At that point I realized that Kitty thought the elevator could to one and only one floor on each trip up, somewhat like the one in our library, which travels between just two floors. In her mind, I had committed a social faux pas and a selfish act by pushing the ninth floor button. In doing so, she thought I cancelled the student’s push of the eighth floor button, thereby ensuring that the students would have to ride up to the ninth floor with us and go all the way down to the ground floor before being able to then achieve their goal of going to the eighth floor. I didn’t want to embarrass her in front of the students by laughing, but it was all I could do to keep a straight face as the elevator rose. Her jaw dropped when the elevator stopped at the eighth floor and the students got out. Her expression was priceless and then I did burst out laughing. Rose and I snickered for the rest of the day whenever we thought of Kitty’s ignorance of elevator protocol.
Kitty still does not like us to speak of that incident. She didn’t want me to tell Himself, but I simply had to. He and I delight in such happenings in the lives of our offspring. Don’t all parents?
Posted in Family, Life, My children, Things my kids say
Do children ever outgrow a desire to goof off when their parents aren’t paying attention?
Can you guess what musical title this drawing illustrates?
Zip drew it for his sister. It’s part of a new game they created: Drawing Charades. One of them draws a picture and the other has to guess what musical piece the picture illustrates.
Want to know? Come back tomorrow. 😉
Posted in Family, Life, My children
InglesideBelle 