Family

Envy

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 1 Comment

We just returned from a week of family fun in Orlando.  It was really great and we got to spend a lot of time together as a family–something that we don’t always get to do with how busy we generally tend to be.  It was nice to “unplug” from work (mostly) and just get to relax and hang out.  Our resort was awesome and really kid friendly–which when you have kids becomes really important.  We spent a great deal of time at the pool(s), a marathon day at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, an inspiring day at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium followed by an afternoon at the beach and a rainy, rainy day at Legoland.  Overall, it was an amazing and exhausting trip.

What I liked best about our trip was watching our kids so very effortlessly make friends each and every day we were at the pool.  It was amazing to watch.  It was also very cool.  Some of the kids were their age–but mostly they were slightly older (2-3 years older).  One boy that Noah befriended was so nice that he helped Noah when he couldn’t stand in the pool and listened when Noah said he didn’t want to go any farther.  It is moments like this at gives me hope that we aren’t totally screwed as a society.  It is hard to remember the innocence of childhood and the ability to just get along with others who are so very different from you, when the world seems to be filled with hate and the rhetoric of difference as opposed to the bonding over similarities.

I watched them with envy and wondered when it happens, that switch from open acceptance to quiet judgement.  When does it become more about what someone looks like and does than who someone might be?

I was so proud of my children and not just for being able to make friends so easily but for the choices they made of friends to play with at the pool.  There was certainly no shortage of kids there, but each time they chose kids who were good kids.  They chose kids that were polite, kind and not the kids who were being aggressive or mean to others.  It was so awesome to see.

They just live life and go for it.  I am so envious of them.  I wish we as adults could do the same–just see each other as people and not by our differences.

We can learn so much from our children.

Gender Specific Play Time

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 2 Comments

UGH! Even the title of this post makes me cringe–just not feeling creative in the title creation.

Bill is leaving for a business trip today for the rest of the week.  The kids are used to me traveling for work, but Bill doesn’t travel for work much.  So, we originally planned to go to a movie and dinner as a family.  But Noah wants to see the Avengers (as does Bill) and it is almost 2 1/2 hours long and there IS NO WAY IN HELL OR ANYWHERE ELSE that Zoë could sit that long or even really be interested in the movie.  So we decided that Bill and Noah would see the movie another time.

Noah was crushed, but much to my surprise he didn’t throw a full-on tantrum.  He cried a bit, but then said he wanted to do something special with just his dad.  That then started that Zoë wanted to something special with me.  I suggested making dinner.

“That isn’t special or very fun!” pouty face.

So, I asked her what she wanted to do.

“Put on make-up.  That is what girls do.”

UGH!  I don’t own any “real” make-up.  I don’t wear make-up.  As I get older, I probably should, but I am too old to learn how to correctly apply make-up.  I think Zoë knows more about make-up application than I do.

So, I pulled out my make-up kit–which is really a Victoria’s Secret give-away that my mom got.  But for as often as I wear make-up (maybe some eye-liner or mascara 2x per year) it works just fine.  And Zoë is convinced it is just the right size for her.

So, I begrudgingly put some make up on her.  She was in girly girly heaven.

“Don’t I look pretty now mom.”

“You look just perfect and beautiful without it.”

“But I feel really pretty with it on.”–Oh brother.  But how can I not understand.  I always feel pretty after a pedicure.

Then she insisted on putting make up on me.  I limited what she put on me and we talked about how I don’t like stuff on my lips or face. So she did just a little blush and eye shadow.

“You look more beautiful mommy.”

How on this earth did I get cursed blessed with such a girly girl?  I am rapidly being pushed beyond my knowledge of all things girlie.

Then I had to get my toes painted.  She threw a fit when I told her should couldn’t paint all my nails a different color and that she couldn’t paint my fingernails.  I tried to explain to her that it wasn’t professional for me to have my toe nails painted a bunch of different colors.  So we compromised with one foot one color and one foot another color.  I have to admit she did a good job of painting for a 4 year old–she even wiped up where she painted my actual foot.  And I do feel pretty with my toes painted.  Damn.

Since we have apparently traveled back to the 50’s for one night, Zoë and I went to cook dinner.  She made tartar sauce for the fish and after she ate at least 3 forkfuls of relish, I put in the salt and pepper.

“Why do you use salt and pepper in lots of things?”

“They are considered spices and they add flavor.  There are lots of spices.”

“Oh so things taste good on our flavor dots.”

“Flavor what?”

“Our flavor dots.  On our tongue.”

“Oh…you mean taste buds.”

“No flavor dots.”

Okay, so flavor dots it is.  I for one am happy to have my Flavor Dots.

But I Don’t Want It On My Computer

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 1 Comment

So, my dad got an iPhone.  Lori–you should stop reading now 🙂 He was able to text me using SIRI–impressive.  He called to check-in with me and we talked about the phone, etc.  He really is enjoying having advanced technology.  But he is having a problem setting up his email.

“I can’t get my phone’s email to work.”

“What do you mean, Dad.  You have to set it up.”

“I tried to .  I’ll just go back to the store and have them help.”

“Dad, it’s not their job to set up your email.”

“Well, I typed in my user name and password and the phone says it can’t guarantee that user name.”

“Dad, do you have a gmail account?”–really, I shouldn’t have to ask this question right?

“I’m setting it up on the phone.”

“No dad did you set it up already with gmail?”

“No.  When I did Lori’s I just set it up on the phone and it was really easy.”

“Dad,  you can’t set up your gmail account on your phone until you have done it online with gmail.”

“But I don’t want the email on my computer.”  WTF?  At this point I am trying not hard to laugh.

“It won’t be on your computer–it’ll be on the internet.”

“I just want to be able to get email on my phone.  I don’t want it on my computer.”

“Dad, it won’t be on your computer.  But you can check your gmail account from anywhere–computer, phone, anywhere that has the internet.”

“Oh.  So I just go online and set it up.”

“Yes.”

“But I don’t want it on my computer.”

I give up at this point.

“It will be on your phone.  You can check it from your computer–but it will be on your phone.” I am no longer unable to hid my laughing at this point.

“Okay.  I don’t want you kids making fun of me.”

Well…sorry dad.  That is what kids are for.  But I totally love you.

Thanksgiving College School Style

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

My kids school is deep with tradition.  There are songs they sing, days they walk to school, ways the donate to those in need, etc.  Today was one of the best traditions that the school has–The Thanksgiving Feast.  I love the Feast and the community it fosters.  The entire school comes together.  The students (each and everyone) enter the gym in a linked line–all studets, teachers and administrators holding hands.  It is beautiful.  This was  Zoë’s first and Noah’s third.

As a parent, this never gets old.  Noah and his class sit with the 5th graders who are their buddies (the buddies loop–so Noah’s class got their buddies 2 years ago in pre-school) and Zoë and her class sat with their 3rd grade buddies–who will remain her classes buddies until Zoë’s class is in 3rd grade.  It’s a beautiful way to build relationships and foster a sense of family into the school.

Each class prepares several kinds of soup and everyone shares.  They sit in mixed aged groups and it is awesome to watch.  I’m so glad we are part of this amazing school community.

So Not Crafty

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

My kids love crafts and art and all that stuff.  I only say “all that stuff” because I am terribly uncrafty.  Terribly so.  It is almost embarrassing how uncrafty I am.  So, when the wonderful ladies at BabbaCo offered me a BabbaBox, I took it.  I have to admit, I was skeptical.  No only because I didn’t now anything about BabbaCo, but I am often skeptical of PR offers from companies.  I will state up front that I was not compensated for this review.  I was sent the BabbaBox to look at, regardless of if I wrote about it.  So, writing about it is my own decision.  I am writing about it because I know that there are other uncrafty mom’s out there like me.  the box comes with 5 crafts–all nicely packaged–with everything you need for them.

 

 

 

The theme for the October box that I got was Harvest and all the crafts are aligned with that theme and there was also a book included.  I wasn’t expecting a book. But I have to say the kids have loved it.  There were so excited when we opened the box.

Last night we finally opened it and decided to do the craft that was decorating a small canvas tote.  Let me just preface this by saying that my kids did this craft and they did a great job–but they did a 4 and 5 year old job.

There are 4 other crafts for us to do in the box and I have to say the box is great and a great tool to encourage the kids to do projects and for us to do projects together.  The boxes are delivered on a monthly basis and I can tell you that $29 a month for crafts to do with my kids–is worth every penny.  Especially because I don’t have to decide what to make and I don’t have to go to the overwhelming Craft store to try to decide what we could make.  All of that is done for me.  All I have to do is find the time and sit and enjoy my kids.

It’s also a great gift idea for the kid or family who has “everything” a few months of the BabbaBox might just be the perfect gift.