Yay, we're all moved in. We have minimal belongings, so it didn't take very long to unpack. We still need a few more shelving/storage type items though. It's going to be a struggle to finish off these projects. Hopefully, I won't let them languish for too long.
I would post some pictures, except my camera battery has died and the battery charger has gone missing. I know I packed it somewhere, but have yet to find it.
Another P-U
ESK had another P-U moment this morning. She was holding unto the couch and straining, so I went over and asked her, "Are you P-Uing?" Still holding unto the couch and semi-squatting, she whispered weakly, "Pee...Uuuu..."
For all you experienced moms out there: When do you start potty-training? I know it's still early yet (ESK is only 17 months), but I'm thinking about getting her a little potty, just so she starts getting used to seeing it around.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Moving Day
We're moving. Again. Although we're only going a short 10-minute drive away, I have mixed feelings about leaving our downtown neighborhood, especially with rising gas prices. Our new home is more suburban, so mo more walking to the store and no more public transportation. I'll miss it for sure.
But for now, it doesn't even feel like we're leaving because our apartment isn't close to being packed up. Hubs and I keep saying, "Wow, we still have a lot of packing to do". But we don't actually pack anything up. I wonder when the panic will set in??
P-U!
Little ESK is learning a new word every other day. Yesterday, we were in the elevator and she got the "i'm making a poopy" strained look in her face. Hubs and I chuckled. Presumably when she was done, she started waving her hand in front of her face and said loudly, "P-U!" And sure enough, when we got home and checked her diaper, there was plenty of reason to say "P-U".
But for now, it doesn't even feel like we're leaving because our apartment isn't close to being packed up. Hubs and I keep saying, "Wow, we still have a lot of packing to do". But we don't actually pack anything up. I wonder when the panic will set in??
P-U!
Little ESK is learning a new word every other day. Yesterday, we were in the elevator and she got the "i'm making a poopy" strained look in her face. Hubs and I chuckled. Presumably when she was done, she started waving her hand in front of her face and said loudly, "P-U!" And sure enough, when we got home and checked her diaper, there was plenty of reason to say "P-U".
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Shared Parenting
Just gobbled up this interesting article from the upcoming NYT's magazine about shared parenting. Basically, it follows a few parents who have tried to go even Stevens on parenting duties. That's right 50/50, halfsies, down the middle.
Obviously, this isn't for every family, but it does raise interesting points about the sociological roots of why women usually become the caretakers and men the breadwinners, as well as great statistics on the ratio of housework and childcare that each partner takes care of. Did you know....
- A stay-at-home mom does twice as much housework than a working dad.
- Even in households where mom does work, mom still does the same ratio of housework (2:1) in comparison to the dad.
- AND despite gains in women's rights and more women in the workforce, this 2:1 ratio hasn't changed much in the past 90 years.
- With childcare, the stay-at-home mom spends 15 hours a week to dad's 2. For working parents, it's mom's 11 hours to dad's 3 hours with the kids.
Obviously, this isn't for every family, but it does raise interesting points about the sociological roots of why women usually become the caretakers and men the breadwinners, as well as great statistics on the ratio of housework and childcare that each partner takes care of. Did you know....
- A stay-at-home mom does twice as much housework than a working dad.
- Even in households where mom does work, mom still does the same ratio of housework (2:1) in comparison to the dad.
- AND despite gains in women's rights and more women in the workforce, this 2:1 ratio hasn't changed much in the past 90 years.
- With childcare, the stay-at-home mom spends 15 hours a week to dad's 2. For working parents, it's mom's 11 hours to dad's 3 hours with the kids.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
What's your "madeleine"?
I was reading this NYT op-ed piece about the salmon shortage this year and it made me think.... What is my madeleine? What's that one food that is a taste of your childhood?
The madeleine is a French cookie and a reference from Proust's In Search of Lost Time. In the book, the protagonist takes a bite of a madeleine and is immediately flooded with memories of his childhood. If you've seen "Ratatouille", the evil critic Anton Ego's madeleine is ratatouille.
I have a few, but my ultimate culinary memory from childhood is my grandmother's sahm-kae-tahng (chicken soup with ginseng) with rice and pickled radishes (not spicy). One spoonful of rice soaked in the soup, and then my grandmother would place one piece of radish on top of the rice mound. Then down the hatch. So good.
Another meal that has a lot of good memories attached is Sunday afternoon ramen and kimchi with the family. I think it may have even been Sapporo Ichiban. A little bit of egg, some green onions, and if we had it, ggak-du-gi (radish cubes).
What's your madeleine?
The madeleine is a French cookie and a reference from Proust's In Search of Lost Time. In the book, the protagonist takes a bite of a madeleine and is immediately flooded with memories of his childhood. If you've seen "Ratatouille", the evil critic Anton Ego's madeleine is ratatouille.
I have a few, but my ultimate culinary memory from childhood is my grandmother's sahm-kae-tahng (chicken soup with ginseng) with rice and pickled radishes (not spicy). One spoonful of rice soaked in the soup, and then my grandmother would place one piece of radish on top of the rice mound. Then down the hatch. So good.
Another meal that has a lot of good memories attached is Sunday afternoon ramen and kimchi with the family. I think it may have even been Sapporo Ichiban. A little bit of egg, some green onions, and if we had it, ggak-du-gi (radish cubes).
What's your madeleine?
Monday, June 2, 2008
Angry Asian Lady
I was going to write a delightful post about my entertaining weekend. Fun in the park, SATC movie, parade, etc. But instead, I'm going to vent about a really annoying experience I had this afternoon.
We are in the process of closing on a home (can't even bring myself to write about for fear of jinxing the process) and have been dealing with our mortgage. The bank we chose is one of the largest financial institutions here on the West Coast, so I considered them pretty trustworthy. Up until this point, they had been pretty good about communication and customer service in general.
Since we are first-time homebuyers, we are going through all the documents with a fine-tooth comb, mostly so we understand exactly what we're paying for. We have, from their perspective I'm sure, some pretty annoying and nit-picky questions. And since hub's work schedule doesn't allow him to make calls during the day, I have become well-acquainted with our mortgage associate... Let's call him Jack.
Today, I called Jack with a list of questions (written down and checked off as he answered them), including one about our escrow account for tax purposes. Basically, we felt as if they were asking for too much money in escrow, even if it was for taxes. I asked him repeatedly to make sure that the amount they were asking for was correct and that the reason he was giving me was indeed correct. And he confidently told me that was in fact the case. Simply company policy and state law, he said.
Of course his answer made no sense. And so when I talked to hubs, he was getting increasingly frustrated and called Jack himself....
Lo and behold, hubs gets a TOTALLY different answer! An answer that actually made sense! Basically, the bastard made up a story, pulling numbers out of the air, telling PURE fiction to satisfy my "annoying" questions! Sometime after I hung up with him, he must have talked to someone and gotten the real answer. So when hubs called, Jack had his ducks in a row and an intelligent answer to give.
I cannot even express to you how angry I've been feeling all afternoon. Jack thought he could get away with telling the silly little lady, essentially, lies (!!) and patted me on the head and sent me on my way. He didn't have the courtesy to even put me on hold for a minute, ask a co-worker or superior for the correct answer, and tell me what I needed to know.
For me, the moral of this story is that in order to get anything done in the business world, you can't be nice. You have to be pushy and demanding. Unfortunately, that kind of behavior is a stretch for me. As a woman, I am conditioned to be nice. Demanding for service and threatening to take away my business feels so unpleasant! Anyone else have a story like this?
We are in the process of closing on a home (can't even bring myself to write about for fear of jinxing the process) and have been dealing with our mortgage. The bank we chose is one of the largest financial institutions here on the West Coast, so I considered them pretty trustworthy. Up until this point, they had been pretty good about communication and customer service in general.
Since we are first-time homebuyers, we are going through all the documents with a fine-tooth comb, mostly so we understand exactly what we're paying for. We have, from their perspective I'm sure, some pretty annoying and nit-picky questions. And since hub's work schedule doesn't allow him to make calls during the day, I have become well-acquainted with our mortgage associate... Let's call him Jack.
Today, I called Jack with a list of questions (written down and checked off as he answered them), including one about our escrow account for tax purposes. Basically, we felt as if they were asking for too much money in escrow, even if it was for taxes. I asked him repeatedly to make sure that the amount they were asking for was correct and that the reason he was giving me was indeed correct. And he confidently told me that was in fact the case. Simply company policy and state law, he said.
Of course his answer made no sense. And so when I talked to hubs, he was getting increasingly frustrated and called Jack himself....
Lo and behold, hubs gets a TOTALLY different answer! An answer that actually made sense! Basically, the bastard made up a story, pulling numbers out of the air, telling PURE fiction to satisfy my "annoying" questions! Sometime after I hung up with him, he must have talked to someone and gotten the real answer. So when hubs called, Jack had his ducks in a row and an intelligent answer to give.
I cannot even express to you how angry I've been feeling all afternoon. Jack thought he could get away with telling the silly little lady, essentially, lies (!!) and patted me on the head and sent me on my way. He didn't have the courtesy to even put me on hold for a minute, ask a co-worker or superior for the correct answer, and tell me what I needed to know.
For me, the moral of this story is that in order to get anything done in the business world, you can't be nice. You have to be pushy and demanding. Unfortunately, that kind of behavior is a stretch for me. As a woman, I am conditioned to be nice. Demanding for service and threatening to take away my business feels so unpleasant! Anyone else have a story like this?
Sunday, June 1, 2008
First Parade
Things I've noticed about Portland people: 1) sincere and open 2) a little kooky. If you drive around Portland, you'll notice a popular bumperstickers on cars that say, "Keep Portland Weird". So, every now and then, you'll get these strangers who will come up to you and harmlessly say something kinda strange. Sincere kookiness.
A shining example of a weird tradition here in Portland is the Starlight Parade, one part of the many events that make up the two-week long annual Rose Festival (Portland is also called the "City of Roses"). It's a night-time parade with brightly lit floats with the typical marching bands and even princess and queens in tiaras and gowns doing the pageant wave (not sure if they were in earnest or ironic).
I know this all sounds like standard parade fare but it's hard to explain why the whole experience was such a spectacle. Let's see... there was the large group of Star Wars storm troopers, the Elvis riding on a really tall unicycle, the tap-dancing step dancers.... And then there were the crowd members watching the parade: a random group of joggers that ran through the middle of parade dressed in togas, the person standing next to us in the head to toe bee costume (including bright yellow face paint and oversized glasses), the woman dressed as a pink flamingo riding a homemade bike built with tires from a truck...
It was ESK's first parade and she loved it. Here's a picture of her with a new friend and a trio of Royal Rosarians (still not sure what they do?!):
New Home
We closed on a new home yesterday! After renting for so long, SK and I cannot believe we are homeowners. This confirms that we are in complete adulthood. Weird.
A shining example of a weird tradition here in Portland is the Starlight Parade, one part of the many events that make up the two-week long annual Rose Festival (Portland is also called the "City of Roses"). It's a night-time parade with brightly lit floats with the typical marching bands and even princess and queens in tiaras and gowns doing the pageant wave (not sure if they were in earnest or ironic).
I know this all sounds like standard parade fare but it's hard to explain why the whole experience was such a spectacle. Let's see... there was the large group of Star Wars storm troopers, the Elvis riding on a really tall unicycle, the tap-dancing step dancers.... And then there were the crowd members watching the parade: a random group of joggers that ran through the middle of parade dressed in togas, the person standing next to us in the head to toe bee costume (including bright yellow face paint and oversized glasses), the woman dressed as a pink flamingo riding a homemade bike built with tires from a truck...
It was ESK's first parade and she loved it. Here's a picture of her with a new friend and a trio of Royal Rosarians (still not sure what they do?!):
New Home
We closed on a new home yesterday! After renting for so long, SK and I cannot believe we are homeowners. This confirms that we are in complete adulthood. Weird.
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