Candy Camp Was Delicious

For the past few summers, one of my best friends and her family would meet for a week at the beach. This year, for obvious reasons, we did not get together for a vacation at the beach. I still wanted to get together in some format, some way to see each other and get the kids together daily for a week virtually.

So I came up with... Candy Camp! 

I had hoped my friend would be able to work with me in creating it as an activity we could do together, but she didn't end up having the capacity. Her youngest daughter wanted to participate (the older one is a teen and has pretty much spent her summer shut in her room), but my friend agreed to it as an idea and okayed the week I wanted to have it. 

My kids were excited to do it, and I bought candy molds for chocolate bars and a kit for creating gummy candies. I planned out the themes for each day and the daily schedule, and I created a online packet with slides that walked the kids through morning activities and pages for afternoon independent work. I set up a Google Meet conference call, and we had kickoff meetings each morning and a wrap-up meeting most afternoons. 

The themes for each day were: 

• Monday - Design your candy
• Tuesday - Market research
• Wednesday - Make your candy!
• Thursday - Plan your packaging and advertising
• Friday - Present your candy and describe your commercial

We had so much fun! My kids really liked it, and my daughter even said, while going through the first day's packet, that this was like a real camp! 

And my kids were so creative! They designed very inventive candies, came up with names and logos, drew the packaging and ads, and developed how they wanted to commercials to go. Here are the candies: 

                

• Far left: Pookie's candy was muffin-shaped fudge with caramel inside and M&Ms on top.
• Far right: Pumpkin's candy was a gummy bar with a dollop of jelly inside and covered with a milk chocolate and white chocolate drizzled on top.
• Middle two: My candy (a white chocolate and milk chocolate version) had chocolate on top and bottom and a middle layer of peanut butter combined with marshmallow fluff and Rice Krispies

We learned some things while doing this camp, too. In addition to market research and branding, there were many teachable moments. For example, our candy making went from Wednesday into Thursday because making candy is a difficult process. We had to make three batches of fudge before we got the right consistency to get the caramel inside and set correctly. We had to figure out how to get jelly into the gummy candy, and we had to scrape off the first try at the chocolate shell because it wouldn't set. 

As I said to my kids late on Wednesday, "Making candy isn't easy! If it was, everyone would do it." 

It was also such a great way to see my friend and her daughter every day and feel like we were really doing something with them. Her daughter really enjoyed it, too, and she came up with an adorable, creative candy, name, and ad. I was quite impressed. 

So it was fun, informative, a great creative outlet, a good bonding experience from a distance, and absolutely delicious! If you ever have the chance to design and make your own candy, I highly recommend it. Just don't make too much, or your next camp will need to be figuring out how to let out your waistband!

While I've Been... Nowhere

I don't know about everyone else out there in the world, but I suspect most people are feeling completely stir-crazy... the way I'm feeling. I was doing fine for many months. But now we are about to start the sixth month of being shut in and limiting, well, everything. 

You see, last winter I learned I have hypertension, which puts me in a higher-risk category for COVID-19. And this spring I learned that when it comes to pandemics, I'm on the extremely wary side of the caution spectrum. Also, I've worked too long supporting the health market/industry/government and with too many epidemiologists to not be flat out terrified of this novel virus.  

So our household is locked down as much as possible. None of us meet people for social-distanced walks or lunches in a park. We don't chance any gatherings, do any shopping, or eat anywhere but home. Londo has done almost all of the required trips out, and we follow a strict process for anything that comes into the house.  

In general, we've managed pretty well. However, I realized recently that I've reached my limit in being fine staying in. I now truly have gotten stir crazy and frustrated. I feel isolated. I long to spend physical time with family and friends. I deeply miss activities in places I will not go these days. 

It occurred to me the last time I felt trapped at home, isolated, and lonely for other humans was when I had babies... and that is why I started this blog in the first place! So it seems like a good time to try to start writing again. 

I will start with what I have done during these pandemic months, and what I've learned from doing them. In the past five months, I have: 

• Stayed home with my husband, two kids, and two dogs.
  I have learned... it's a good thing I like the people I live with! We all truly like each other and enjoy the time we spend together. Except the dogs--they don't really like each other or get along.
• Learned to cook curries!
  I have learned... there are easy recipes that make cooking Indian food not as hard as I thought it would be. And apparently I LOVE chickpea and sweet potato curry!
• Been working out regularly, including doing the Insanity workout again, and 'm currently in the second to last week (I've done the workout in previous years two other times). 
  I have learned... even at 44, I can be in really good shape, and I still love crazy hard workouts. 
• Spent a week with the kids at my parents' beach house (near the beach, not right at it, and we did not actually go to the beach).
  I have learned... a change of indoor scenery is really nice, even if you don't go out anywhere. I need to do that again soon.
• Supported the kids through virtual camps (they each had three virtual camps).
  I have learned... although they didn't enjoy all of the camps, they did have fun and learned things. And it was good for them to be able to do things other than watch TV. This has been the summer of TV for them. 
• Created a camp I called Candy Camp for my kids and my best friend's youngest to do remotely. 
  I have learned... I can create pretty professional distance/remote camp, and it is really fun to make up your own candy and help your kids realize their delicious designs. 
• Had many virtual lunches, happy hours, teas, and chats.
  I have learned... I'm perfectly fine doing these things virtually in place of being in person. While not the same, it works for me as a substitute.
• Gone to the doctors' office, lab for blood work, pharmacy, grocery store (once), comic book store (once), and Goodwill's donation drive-thru (once).
  I have learned... I can shop for most things online and do most appointments virtually. 
• Gotten new kitchen appliances!
  I have learned... they make stove ranges with double ovens!!! And that people can really be great and supportive over the phone while you make big purchases. 
• Interviewed, accepted, and started a new job.
  I have learned... It is possible to leave a company and start with a new one all virtually. 
• Worked from home full time.
  I have learned... I'm really glad I redid my office/guest room last winter! Working from home is so much better if you have everything set up in a way that is conducive to the way you work and in an environment that makes you happy. 

Huh. I really have done a lot. There is a lot more I can do, also. Including writing again. 

First Camping Trip with Kids

Two weekends ago, Londo and I took the kids on an overnight camping trip. That's right, this Family That Travels went to the woods! And stayed in a tent!

I may not seem to be a camping or outdoorsy type of gal, but I actually love the outdoors and really have enjoyed camping. I have very fond memories of camping with my family, and I had a great time going with Londo and friends when we were in grad school. The trips haven't always been perfect, but that's part of the point. It's not just that I like the idea of camping, it's that I'm willing to accept that "roughing it" may be rough at time!

On the flip side, Londo has been camping regularly his whole life. He has all this knowledge about living in the outdoors, and he gets more enjoyment from nature (especially woods and mountains) than anyone else I know. He has all the gear and then some.

We've been wanting to take the kids for a few years, but Londo was concerned that the kids were too young. This year, we decided that they were probably old enough for us to try it. We decided we would go this year, this fall. Just an overnight at a nearby campgrounds to try it out. And that's what we did last weekend.

You know how you can like the idea of something but in reality it doesn't live up to your idea? Well, I'm happy to say that didn't happen! And it really was because of Londo. He made sure that things went smoothly, that there was enough to entertain the children, that we had everything we needed and that we were all set up.

It also went so well because we went with my brother, his wife, their teenager and their 5 year old twins. My brother and SIL were campers before having kids, their teenager is awesome, and the twins are fun and play really well with my kids. It was a smart plan to go in a big, fun group.

For this first trip, we rented a camping site at a state park about an hour from our house. My brother's family got the spot directly across from us. It was one of those spots that you pull the car up to and lay out your tent on a flattened, gravel surface. It had a metal, circular area for the camp fire, including a grill top for it. It also had a picnic table, an electrical outlet and was right near the bathrooms.

What can I say. We weren't going to rough it too hard for our first trip with a four year old and two year old!

The first unexpected issue we ran into was one I never suspected we'd have to worry about. Londo had laid out the tarp along the gravel and was just getting the tent ready to put up, when I realized that there were peanut shells EVERYWHERE. This was not some case of a few shells left behind and easy to clean up. They were all over every part of the gravel.

Okay, people. The first rule of camping is leave the area as you found. I don't care if peanut shells are biodegradable. They are litter when left behind all over the place. Not only that, but they are a serious health and safety hazard for my daughter who has a peanut allergy!

This campgrounds are specifically aimed at camping with families. And with peanut allergies on the rise, I find it irresponsible for people to leave behind peanut shells literally covering the ground. There were so many that Londo quickly abandoned the idea of sweeping them away. We ended up switching campsites with my brother's family, and then we all mostly hung out at our peanut shell-free campsite.

I know most people don't have to worry about a peanut allergy, and peanut shells are biodegradable, so I couldn't get too mad about it. It's just that we always have to be so aware of the peanut allergy. We can't leave it home even when we're camping in the woods. And that's why we bring the EpiPen everywhere.

Back to camping. It was my job to keep the kids occupied while Londo set up our tent and campsite. We started off looking at cool mushrooms, moss and bugs (that I didn't even flinch at, for the record). But after a while, they were starting to get interested in what Londo was doing.

So I came up with a game: Nature Scavenger Hunt! I gave them five things to look for (a red leaf, an acorn, a brown leaf, a gray rock and a white flower) and told them the boundries around the campsite where they could look. I helped them find the items and put them in their own piles on the picnic table.

One of the cutest things a kid said during the trip was my nephew who was looking for one of the items and having trouble. This adorable 5 year old says, "Oh who am I kidding. I'm never going to find it!" It was really hard not to laugh at that. Of course I helped him out a bit with that item, and then he ended up winning the Nature Scavenger Hunt!

After that, Londo and my brother taught my teenage neice how to build a fire, while the younger kids ran around inside our big, 6-person tent.

Food was a major source of entertainment. Londo cooked hamburgers and hotdogs for dinner, and we all sat at the picnic table enjoying the meal. Londo also brought a pan of popcorn to put over the fire, and my brother and SIL brought the makings for smores!

Londo also brought each of the kids a glow stick, which of course was a hit! Now there were two problems with those. 1. My kids did not want to put them down to go to sleep because they were so awesome, especially the Pookie who didn't understand why he couldn't keep it and stare at it instead of going to sleep. 2. There wasn't one for me. Hehe.

By bedtime, the kids were totally worn out and went to bed pretty easily--once I seperated them and put Pookie to bed first and then the Pumpkin, like I do at the beach house. When we try to put them to bed at the same time, they just feed off each other and go crazy and don't settle down at all. But Pookie first, then the Pumpkin works well.

Once asleep, the adults all hung out by the campfire, talking and laughing. My kids slept through it. My SIL went to hang out with her teenager for a while, and my brother, Londo and I stayed up a little later until I couldn't keep my eyes open any more. I crawled into the tent, snuggled up to the Pookie and fell asleep to the sound of crickets and two of my favorite guys talking about football.

You may be wondering how we all slept, four of us in a tent, including my not-so-great-sleeper daughter and my very-used-to-his-crib son. And the answer is: crappy--just as we expected. But because we expected crappy sleep, it did not ruin the trip or even really cause concern or dissappointment or frustration. We simply did not expect to sleep well, so when we didn't, it wasn't a problem.

The Pookie woke up crying and trying to get comfortable within 10 minutes of my falling asleep. I finally got him back to sleep by singing Hush Little Baby while jiggling him a little against me. He spent most of the night tossing and turning, sleeping on me more than not. Londo slept on the other side of the tent, next to the Pumpkin, and he said she helicoptered all night. So crappy sleep, but definitely some sleep. And we made it to morning!

One of my favorite parts about camping is waking up in the morning to the sounds of nature, remembering where I am and crawling out of the tent to see what the day is like. And it was a lovely morning.

We had eggs and bacon cooked on the campfire for breakfast. Then, my SIL and I took the kids on a hike through some trails, while the guys took down the tents and packed up the cars. The nature walk was awesome. We saw so many cool-looking mushrooms and moss, a catapiller, falling trees to climb over and even a white-tailed deer that ran right across our path only a few feet from us! We did take a slight wrong turn, so the hike ended up being longer than we'd planned, but no matter! There were piggyback rides and shoulder rides to help the kids along, stops for snacks and cool things to look at all along the way.

The trail ended at the lake, when Londo and my brother came walking up to us and finish the walk around the lake to where they parked the cars, with a brief stop at the lake's empty beach to play in the sand for a couple minutes.

The kids had an awesome time, as did the adults. Even the teenager admitted it was fun. My daughter even declared it the best time ever! In fact, everyone wants to go again as soon as possible! Because, you know, we're a Family That Camps!

Question of the Week - Behind Closed Doors

As I said I would, I've been making a lot of trip to my parents' new beach house this summer. In fact, last week I spent the week there with both my kids and my mom (although we had to leave early because the Pumpkin got a fever). While there, I share a room with my two kids. Right next to the room is the bathroom we use.

I've realized that I feel very much at home there when I go in the bathroom to use the potty (yes, I call it that now all the time. Having kids, you know?). In fact as I go into the bathroom, I have to remember that I'm not at home and really think about who else is in the house. This is because I almost never shut the door when I use the bathroom in my own house.

I'm not sure if that's normal. It might just be because I have so little modesty. It's not like I ever shut the door before having kids, so it's not a forgetful-parent thing. It's just easier to leave it open. I feel less disconnected from my family members. And I just don't care if my husband or kids sees or hears me go to the bathroom. Although there are certain times when I do need privacy and shut the door.

This week's question of the week is:

What do you do in the privacy of your own home that you wouldn't do elsewhere?

Do you walk around naked? Do you pick your nose? Do you sing at the top of your lungs? Do you shake your booty to music playing as loud as it can go? Do you and your kids run around screaming happily? What do you do at home that you don't do outside your home?

Question of the Week - Pick an Era

I actually went out to the movies with my sister on Saturday night. I KNOW! I didn't think it was possible either, but events worked out in a way that we were both able to make it to a late show. And the stop at Starbucks for coffee made it possible to stay up to watch it.

We saw Midnight in Paris, which was a really good movie. Not only did I enjoy the plot and acting and directing and all that, but the movie focused quite a bit on the main character's (Owen Wilson) love of the 1920s (in Paris, no less).

I fell in love with the 20s back when I was in junior high. It wasn't just that the whole literary and artistic movements caught my fancy, but I became fascinated with the breaking away from traditional Victorian conventions to more progressive ideologies. Women were fighting for the right to vote, to wear short skirts, to be treated more equally with men. Automobiles were becoming a normal part of life, and changing every aspect of day-to-day life, from making traveling more convient to providing a private place for young women and men to make out. Speak easies, flappers, gangsters, partying all night, going about without chaperones, defying proper conventions... And on and on. This era had a vibrancy to it, a feeling of the world on the verge of big changes.

I enjoy history, and there are many eras that I really like. The 60s would have been a fascinating time to live in. The Regency era would have been intriguing. Heck, ancient Greece would have been thrilling! But there is something about the Roaring 20s that speaks to me.

So this week's question of the week is:

What era are you drawn to? And in any particular location?

The 20s in Paris is obviously what I am drawn to. But would I actually live then? No, I don't think I'd pick any other era to live in (at least in the past--a future era however...). I really enjoy the modern conviences of today's world, like the internet. I really appreciate all the rights and abilities I have as a women, considering how women have been so limited in the past. I am able to have a wonderful family with an equal partner, work in a job I enjoy (and make good money on par with the men in my position), travel to locations I want to visit, read, write and enjoy other hobbies as I want to.

And most importantly, I am totally in love with my wonderful husband and fabulous children. Who knows what my situation in another era would be. Would my chilren be this healthy? Would I be able to care for them as well as I can here, now? Would I have even been able to get pregnant, considering our need for fertility treatments?

After all, we weren't all Cleopatra in a previous life. Someone would have had to have been the village lunatic and all the serfs working the land.

What about you? What time period do you love? Would you want to live in a different time? And would the location matter? Do you think you could adjust to any time, any where, or are you happy right where you are?

And does anyone else love the Jimmy Buffett line from Boat Drinks, "You pick the century and I'll pick the spot"?

Question of the Week - There's an App for That

Well, I did it. I got an iPhone. For years I had been balking at the idea of "smart phones." I didn't need a phone that was smart. I need one that would make phone calls. And maybe take pictures. Okay, I liked the texting ability too (though not while driving). But that was IT. That was all I needed. When I was off the clock, I wanted to be disconnected from the world! Unlike all those people (*cough*Londo*cough*) who couldn't get away from work, I was happy to say that I wasn't on the computer so couldn't get my email.

But then these "smart" phones started having more and more cool stuff. And the designs were getting really usable. Touch screens? Very cool. Connect to the internet and look up information whenever you want, settling arguments and resolving brain farts in an instant? That'd be pretty nice. Ability to take high-quality pics and load them directly to Facebook? Keep talking. Being able to tweet from where I was with funny thoughts that my fellow tweeps might appreciate? I'm getting there. A calendar that I can take with me and send invites to my hubby's calendar from whichever doctor's office I'm in? Um, well, that DOES sound convenient. Games and entertainment for myself the kids while we are waiting in some line? I could really use that. The ability to pick up my Nook book and continue reading it no matter where I am? SOLD!

Really what did it for me is when I realized that this little pieces of technology were not "smart" phones. They are barely even phones. These things are Pocket Computers! So let's phrase the question this way: caramama, do you want a computer that fits in your pocket? HECK YEAH, I DO!

And that is exactly what it is. It's a pocket computer like on all the sci-fi shows that take place in the future. But... THE FUTURE IS NOW!!!

Londo and I had been talking about upgrading our phones because mine was totally outdated (and not smart at all) and his crackberry blackberry kept crashing. Plus we had these credits towards new phones that we needed to take advantage of. We put it off for a few months mostly because of money, but also because I was researching which Pocket Computer would best meet my needs (turns out, any of them!).

Finally, I was about to go to the beach for a week without hubby and kids, thanks to my torn meniscus. I wanted to be able to be in touch with them regularly. And I knew I'd need surgery when I got back. With little movement possible while on vacation and laid up in bed after the surgery, a Pocket Computer would sure come in handy! And we finally made time to go to the store before I headed to the beach.

And thus began my love affair with Polly, my Pocket Computer (get it? Polly Pocket? Pocket Computer? Well, I find it amusing). Oh, the apps I can download! The music I can listen to! The calls that work good enough to get by. I love it more than I even thought I would!

I know that many of you out there have had a new-fangled Pocket Computer for a while now. Londo, for example, keeps chuckling at my amazement that it does this or that, since his smart phone has been able to do that for years, yet I would hear none of it before. And others out there do not have one of their own, but surely have seens these devices do some pretty awesome things. But I am new to this world, and I am happy to discover more and more.

So this week's Question of the Week is:

What is your favorite app for smart phones/pocket computers? Feel free to tell me about more than one!

Of course I love the Facebook app and the Twitter app. But oh how I love the Pandora app! Right there on my Pocket Computer! And the Nook app makes me so happy and has been so useful that I want to cry tears of joy! Games, notes, calendars, alarm clocks--they are all cool. But my favorite apps so far are the following:
1. iPeriod - This is a period tracker app, which not only accurately predicted my last period and ovulation, but also allows me to track all the symptoms which I've suspected are related to my cycle AND forcasts my period/fertile days 12 months ahead. When I told Londo about this app, he immediately requested that I download it to his Pocket Computer, and I set it up with a 7 day notification to be sure he was aware of my PMSing!
2. Money Journal - We have been working incredibly hard at paying off our debts, and it's been critical that I budget my money by getting out only a certain amount of cash each month, and that I keep track of exactly what I'm spending my money on. For example, I've had a lot of doctor's appointments lately, and that comes out of my overall budget. Thankfully, I've not been driving so I haven't had to pay for gas in a while, which is where I'm making up for the doctor co-pays! This app was easy to set up and it's always with me on my Pocket Computer, so I don't forget about the coffee and dessert I splurged on which is why I have only $10 left in my purse. I track by categories, and I was able to set categories for the kids' expenses I take care of too. I now know ahead of time how much I have left and where I need the money to go, thanks to this app.
3. CardStar - I scanned in all those bonus cards I use, and don't use, into this app. Now I don't have to clutter my purse with them or dig around to find them when in the store! It's really handy!

Yeah, it's a Pocket Computer. It's not the games and contact lists or even email that gets me all excited about having it. These little "smart" phones are what the Palms were, except more and better. This little personal assistant I carry with me helps me keep track of my life, entertain my kids and keep in touch with work my husband. I seriously am in loooooooove with it and keep it by my side always.

What about you guys? What apps float your boat? What do you use the most or have lusted over when you've seen it elsewhere? Are you all with me in loving these Pocket Computers? Do you believe the future is now?!? Or are you still carving out messages in stone?

Question of the Week - Birthday Party Themes

Well, I didn't mean to disappear for a week. Sorry about that. Work is just crazy busy right now. In the little spare time I had from work, kids and sleep, I spent reading books.

Between the two books for my two book clubs this month, I tried to slip in another book. I wanted it to be one I'd already bought, heard good things about and had been waiting to read. My mistake was trying to slip in book 1 of a trilogy. I loved The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, so much that I immediately had to read the next two books (Catching Fire and Mockingjay)! Though I read them fast, I still had to finish my next book club book, which was another amazing book called The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton.

So basically I've spent every spare second with my nose glued to my Nook. (I love my Nook!)

The biggest problem I'm now having isn't even catching up on all the wonderful blogs I read or even writing down the millions of things I want to post about. It's planning my daughter's 4th birthday party.

In a little less than 2 weeks, we will be having her birthday party at our house. It will be a family party, so no huge event planning is needed. But we have had the hardest time coming up with a theme. Last year, we did an Arts and Crafts Party, and it was really awesome. I want to come up with something as fun and cool as that. I think I finally might have a good one, but I need to run it by Londo before announcing.

So I've spent a lot of time lately thinking back to the party themes I had for my birthdays growing up. Which brings us to this week's Question of the Week:

What were some of the best themes you had for your birthday parties growing up?

I have a July birthday, so I had a pool party at least one year. I also had a roller skating party. One year my brother and sister took a clown class and came to my party as clowns, which was so fun. But I think my favorite theme was a costume party, which I did for at least two birthdays. (Is it any surprise that I love throwing Halloween parties?)

What about you guys? Weren't parties different back when we were young? What themes did you have at your parties? What was your favorite birthday party?

Fun Family Shorts

Now that 2010 has closed, I thought I would write some snippets about what fun we've been having together as a family of four over the last year, especially recently. My daughter is 3.75 years old, and my son is 18 months old. Londo and I are really enjoying these ages--despite the frustrations of Three and the whining of 18 Months. We are a fun, silly family and that's what's making life so good right now.

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The other day, the Pumpkin told me that she and her brother were having pretend names. The Pookie was "Midnight," and she was "Kookie." She asked what my name was going to be, and then named me "Boopie." Unfortunately, when she said it, it sounded either like boobie or poopie, so I told her I wanted to be "Strawberry."

Then she asked Londo what his pretend name was. He said, "You may call me... Tim." I got a good chuckle out of that.

And then the game began. "Tim" sat on the couch, and any time one of us would get close, he would grab us and hold us. We would call for the others to come save us. It was so funny to hear my daughter call out, "Strawberry, we've got to save Midnight!" And save him we did.

And this game? We pretty much play many variations of it all the time.

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We were down at my inlaws for Christmas. We had a great time, and got to spend a lot of time with each other and my husband's family.

One day as we were all playing in the game room, the Pumpkin said we were going to go to a bird show. So we gave tickets and pretended to learn about and feed the birds. Then for some reason, Londo said he was a penguin. So he started walking around in a penguin waddle with his arms down at his side but his hands sticking out. If you've seen the Diego where he shows how to waddle like a penguin, you know what I'm talking about.

So then, the Pumpkin started waddling like a penguin, and they were both waddling around saying "waddle, waddle, waddle" and pretending to eat fish and giving penguin hugs.

Of course I jumped into the new game, and started waddling. The Pookie had been watching and laughing, but he is always quick to join in, too. So he did his best to imitate the waddling, and we all walked around in circles as a penguin family. It was really cute.

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When I was a kid, my family used to play a game we called "Stack 'Em Up." My dad would lie on the ground and call out "stack 'em up!" My brother, the oldest kid, would lie down on my dad. Then my sister, the middle child, would lie down on my brother. And then I, the youngest, would climb on and lie down on the top. My mom would watch (and I now suspect she also tried to make sure no one got hurt) and laugh. We'd all laugh. Though simple, it was a really fun game.

So of course I've started the same game at my house! Before the Pookie could play, Londo would lie down, I would lie on him and the Pumpkin would climb on top of me. Now, either Londo or I lie down, then the Pumpkin and then the Pookie climbs on top (while the other parent makes sure the Pookie doesn't fall). I can foresee the time when the Pookie is able that we will all be part of the stack!

We've got variations, too. Although it's supposed to go from largest on the bottom to smallest on the top for obvious reasons, occasionally we mix it up a bit, being very careful of smaller people below us. Also sometimes just the Pumpkin and the Pookie will play, and that's really cute.

I recently told my siblings and parents that we've carried on the tradition of playing this game, and my SIL said that my brother's family plays a similar game but they call it making a sandwich!

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One of the games the Pumpkin got for Christmas is called Elefun. It's this toy elephant with a very long tube of a nose. You put "butterflies" in the elephant, turn it on and it blows them out the nose. You use nets to catch the butterflies as they are shot out the nose, which is taller than me (but I am short)!

So the other morning, the Pumpkin wanted to play for the first time while the Pookie was around. I thought it was safe enough, so I got it out, handed both kids a net, and started it up. As we were laughing and cheering for each other, Londo joined in too!

I was so excited and happy to have the whole family play what is basically a game in the board game category! I have always wanted to have a Family Game Night once a week or every other week. We are close to being able to have that now, and that makes me happy.

A family that plays together, stays together, right?

Question of the Week - Something New

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year and New Year's Eve. Londo was not feeling well New Year's Eve, so I took the kids up to my sister's by myself, and we celebrated the Parisian New Year with her, my BIL and their kids. Why the Parisian New Year? Because it was 6:00 our time, so the kids were up and just starting dinner and we all got to say happy new year together! My almost-4-year-old daughter and almost-5-year-old niece had sparkling cider and the adults had champange. It was fun, especially since this was the first year my daughter had a clue as to what was going on. And we have fun hanging out with my sis and her family.

I'm working on some New Year's Resolutions, but I'm not ready to really write them down yet. Except for one: This year, I will do something I've always wanted to do but haven't yet done.

In fact, I think that every year I'm going to do one thing I've always wanted to, whether it's read a book or see a movie I've meant to read/see for years or go someplace I've never been before or do something I've never done before.

This week's Question of the Week is:

What is something that you've always wanted to do but haven't done yet?

Feel free to pick something you want to do this year, too!

I actually haven't completely decided yet. Maybe I'll do all of the things on my list, or maybe I'll just say I'll do one of the following:

- Go camping with my hubby and kids. (I've been with Londo before, but that was prior to kids, which will add a whole other dimension.)
- Read Jane Eyre. (I have seriously been meaning to read this book since high school. I can't believe I STILL haven't read it.)
- See the movie Sliding Doors. (I often think about the concept of this movie, yet never have actually seen the movie and have been meaning to since it came out in the theaters.)
- Get my PMP certification. (It's a project management certification for work. I've been talking about getting it for years, and now that I'm out of the baby-fog, I feel I really can get it done.)

What about you? Do you have things you've always wanted to do but never done? Any big adventures you want to plan? Any books covered with dust that you are dying to read? Do you think you'll do something this year that you've always wanted to do?

Question of the Week - Do You Believe in Magic

This is the first year that the Pumpkin really has any idea who Santa is. I wasn't sure I would play along with the whole Santa thing, but it just kind of happened.

The first year we had the Pumpkin, I had this big conversation with Londo about how I didn't think I'd want to do the "Santa thing." I felt like it was actively lying to our children to pretend that Santa really came to our house, left presents and ate cookies. Londo pointed out that it was a tradition in both our families and that he wanted to have presents from Santa for our kids.

At the time, the Pumpkin was still little, and I figured she'd never know. So I let it go, and we had presents from Santa. I justified it and the books about Santa in my mind as just stories, the way Frosty the Snowman is a story. It was just a passive omission that those characters weren't real.

But this year... Well, this year she knew who Santa was. This year was the deciding year for whether or not we played along with what I've decided to call "The Santa Game." And this year, as happens with many things in our lives, Londo and I flipped positions. Maybe we didn't change positions--it could be that I didn't fully understand his position, but I definitely flipped mine.

I knew that the bike she was getting and the ride-on excavator that the Pookie was getting were the Santa gifts--the big presents of the year that we write from Santa, as my parents did for me and my siblings into our adulthood. And I don't know, I just decided to go for it. Not realizing fully where Londo stood on the issue, I started talking to the Pumpkin about Santa and asking what she wanted him to bring her. We saw lots of Santa stories on her shows (she especially loved the Dora Christmas special, of course). I also started saying that we'd set out stocking and such for Santa.

In talking with the almost 4 year old, I made that step from passive omission to active deception. Apparently Londo was of the mindset this year that he didn't mind giving presents from Santa, but he didn't feel right about actively lying to the kids.

Whoops.

(The bigger issue that Londo has with the whole being good for Santa is the same one I do, which is we don't want to use Santa as a bribe/threat to get the kids to be good or they don't get their presents. First of all, it'd be an empty threat from us, because we are going to give them the gifts. Second, that's not the way we discipline, so it wouldn't be comfortable for us. Even before he said that to me, I'd already been careful about not making The Santa Game about bribes or threats. Instead, we've been talking about the importance of being nice and good to each other, especially around the holidays when people are doing nice things for us like getting us presents, baking with us and spending time with us.)

But the damage was done. I had started the ball rolling, and it wasn't going to stop. So Christmas Eve, the Pumpkin and I set out cookies and apple juice (cause he gets milk everywhere else) for Santa and an apple and bowl of water (her idea!) for the reindeer. We set out stockings and we talked about Santa coming that night. She was excited, and I have to admit how much joy I got out of doing those things. Those are the games of childhood, putting out treats for pretend people and animals, thinking about Santa coming with a big bag of gifts for all the kids, getting excited about stocking stuffers and big presents. And being the one to eat the cookies and set out a bike with a bow on it "from Santa"? It was neat to be the adult on that side of the ritual as well.

And so, here we are. We are doing The Santa Game at least on some level. We won't be super careful about hiding it from her, because Londo wants her to be able to figure it out and not feel like we tricked her. And her face and the Pookie's face when they saw the big presents from Santa and got to open their stockings and when she saw the cookies were gone and the apple had bites out of it? It was awesome!

So this week's Question of the Week is:

In what ways have you incorporated magic into your kids' lives?

Londo and I have yet to talk about The Tooth Fairy. Right now, she's just starting to understand pretend versus real, and I did agree with her when she said that Tinkerbell and fairies are pretend and I did tell her that ghosts aren't real. But I didn't enlighten her to the reality about mermaids, though, even when there was an opportunity. If she asks, I don't think I'll lie. But she didn't ask.

What about you? Do you have a Binky Fairy (I know @Cloud does!)? Do you do Santa? Any ghosts or goblins around for Halloween? Will there be leprechauns for St. Patrick's Day? Unicorns or wizards? What kind of magic exists in your house?

Question of the Week - Childhood Cartoons

It's amazing how much better one feels when one is on the correct dosage of medicine (and light therapy), plus a weekend of sleep and rest. I was having a tough week, but I'm doing better now. Hopefully I can get back into the bloggy swing of things.

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People on Facebook have been changing their profile pics to cartoon characters from when they were kids. I'm not going to get into urban legends about why this trend started or what changing your profile picture will do or won't do. I personally just thought it was a fun way to remember the cartoons from our childhoods. I especially enjoyed seeing who picked which cartoon. (I'm not alone in my love of Jem!)

Man, I loved cartoons when I was a kid. I was really into the action cartoons, although I also loved me some girlie girl cartoons as well. I wished that everyone had changed their profile pic, because there weren't nearly enough of my favorites represented. So I though this week's Question of the Week should be:

What were some of your favorite cartoons when you were a kid?

My absolute favorite was probably Voltron. In fact, I had changed my profile pic to be Princess Allura. A princess wearing pink and kicking butt with the boys? She was awesome. Along those lines, I also LOVED She-Ra, Jem, and Wonder Woman from Super Friends. I was also a big fan of G.I. Joe (Scarlet, Duke and Snake Eyes were my favs), Spiderman and Friends, Batman, He-Man and Thundercats. In the more tame areas, I liked Shirt Tails, The Warner Brothers (with Yakko, Wakko and Dot), Tail Spin and Smurfs (who didn't like the Smurfs?).

I told you I watched and liked a lot of cartoons! I have more, but I'm going to leave it off there.

What about you? What did you wake up for on Saturday mornings? What did you hurry home for after school? Did you go for the adventurous or the humorous cartoons?

Question of the Week - Taking My Mind Off Surgery

Tomorrow morning is the Pumpkin's adenoid removal surgery. I am (understandably) nervous about the whole thing, as is Londo. I hear that the adenoid removal surgery by itself is usually pretty easy and kids recover very quickly. But as Londo pointed out last night, we can never expect anything to be easy or even typical with our daughter. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst, I always say.

I took her to a pre-op physical with her pediatrician yesterday, and even though she has a cough and a bit of a cold, they gave her the go-ahead. The appointment was not with our regular doctor, but I did pass by our regular doctor in the hall and told why were were there and that her surgery is on Wednesday. Our doctor looked at me and said, (I quote) "Good. I really think this is a good idea and the right thing to do for her." She really thinks it will help the Pumpkin's breathing and generally improve her quality of life, possibly even her quality of sleep. That helped a lot to hear, especially from the doctor who knows (and doesn't judge) everything about my daughter.

I have to be honest though, I'm not counting on anything. My hope for this surgery is that she doesn't get as many ear infections through this cold/flu season. She had 5 ear infections and multiple additional times that fluid was backed up in her ears though not infected. The ENT said that her ears look fine and she doesn't need tubes. We think the adenoids being enlarged might be causing the fluid backups and subsequent infections.

So that's my hope. And that's enough of a reason to get this surgery done. In an ideal world, it will help her breath better and sleep better, but I am pretty resigned to life with a poor sleeper.

Anyway, I'm trying not to dwell on it too much. In fact, this week's question of the week is simply designed to try and take my mind off the upcoming surgery...

Got anything good to share?

I'll start by saying that Londo introduced me to Cee Lo Green's F@#% You, aka Forget You, song and video last night. Not only that, but then he showed me this video clip from Glee. I loved it, so I am sharing it with you. You're welcome. Also, I have no idea why I'm not watching that show, except that it's on at a bad time for me and my DVR.

What about you? Got a good story? Funny website? Awesome video? Please share something with me to help take my mind off my worries! TIA!

Question of the Week - Joining the Circus

I just finished the book Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. I LOVED it. It's been a while since I found a book this engaging, this enjoyable from cover to cover. It was well written and well researched, with interesting characters and a good plot. Best of all? It was all about the circus!

There is just something about the circus. Something dreamy, something magical. Even knowing that some of it is pure illusion, there is still a lot of hard work and the feats that people and animals can do is just amazing.

Londo's never been to the actual circus. When we were in grad school in Georgia, the circus was coming to town. I really wanted to take him, but he said he wanted to wait and go his first time with his own kids. That was so sweet that I didn't push it, even though I would have really enjoyed going to the circus. (A few years later, we did go to a Cirque du Soleil show, and though absolutely amazing, it's not the same as an actual circus.)

So I've been waiting... until we had kids... until the kids were old enough... still waiting, but the time is getting closer.

In fact, just yesterday, the Pumpkin was pretending that we were in a circus. She put the booster seat on the ground and stood on it like she was the ring master, and she called out to me and the Pookie, "Okay guys! We are in the circus. We are going to do tricks. Mommy, you go first!"

So I did some jumps and then bowed while she clapped. Then she did some silly dance, and we clapped. Then we got the Pookie to stomp his foot, which he does when someone says "stomp." He stomps one foot while saying, "stomp stomp stomp." And we clapped for him. It was great fun. But not nearly as much fun as we'll have after they've seen their first real circus! I can't wait to see what tricks they pretend to do then!

This week's question of the week is:

If you were in the circus and could do anything, what act/trick would you want to do?

Although I love the idea of doing an act with animals, I have always wished that I could be a trapeze artist. All that swinging and flying around from bar to bar. Flipping in the air and getting caught (hopefully!) and swung again. It sounds thrilling! I have heard that there is a camp or something that you can take somewhere where you can learn to swing on a trapeze. Maybe someday I can at least do that.

What about you? What would your circus act be? Did you ever dream of running off to join the circus? Did you ever threaten to send the kids (or pets) to the circus? I've done both, although not the latter actually to the kids. Yet. Heh.

Question of the Week - What Are You Drinking?

A couple months ago, I was annoyed at my husband. I don't even remember why now, other than it really wasn't a big deal. I'll be honest, I was PMSing and stressed about work and the kids had been sick (again!). I was doing dishes while he was putting the Pumpkin to bed, and I was thinking about some little thing that Londo did, getting more and more annoyed over what was virtually nothing (I mean, I literally don't even remember what it was now).

A glass and a half of wine later, I realized I was getting pissy over nothing. The mellow from the wine had kicked in, and I started to let it go. Instead, I started thinking about what a great dad and husband and worker and man he is. There he was, putting our daughter to bed after a difficult evening for all of us. I was cleaning dishes from the dinner he had made the family, drinking the wine he had picked up for me from the store. None of us are perfect, and he has a lot going on lately.

I also started thinking about a phrase he uses during some of our difficult times: I need you to cut me some slack. Written like that, it looks abrupt. But he never says it rudely. He actually says it or asks very nicely, and he often says that we should cut each other slack when we've got a lot going on.

So there I am, finishing up my second glass of Chianti, doing the last of the dishes, thinking to myself, "Yeah. I'm going to cut him some slack."

This could be a post about how we should all cut each other slack, or about how we should appreciate the good things our partners and others do for us, or about letting the little things go so that we don't stress out about everything, or about how we should all support each other especially during difficult times.

But it's not.

This post is about how I enjoy a nice glass (or two) of wine in the evenings, about how it helps me relax and enjoy things a little more. Some nights I don't have anything to drink, some nights I have a glass with dinner, and some nights I have a couple glasses after the kids go to bed. But since I've stopped nursing and I'm not pregnant, I have started to have wine more regularly to help de-stress. And I'm glad I am, for my sake, my husband's sake and my kids' sake! ;-)

This week's question of the week is:

What's your drink of choice?

Lately, my drink of choice is either Chianti or Chardonnay. My favorite mixed drink is vodka tonic, which happens to be my dad's drink also. My favorite drink for the beach is Captain and Coke. My favorite non-alcoholic relaxing drink is herbal tea. And my favorite morning drink is coffee!

What about you? What do you like to drink? Do you have different drinks for different occasions? Have you got a good way to mellow out at the end of a stressful day? Does it involve alcohol, like mine?

Question of the Week - At the Zoo

The rainy, cloudy skies cleared Saturday morning, making it a lovely day for an outdoor activity. It was sunny and warm, but not hot. A perfect day to go to the zoo! We packed up a day bag, put the double stroller in the car, and headed down into the city and to the zoo.

Since the Pumpkin was born, we've been to the DC zoo quite a few times. However, each time it has been hectic at one point or another. Either we leave late after a baby's morning nap and then don't have much time there in the afternoon, or we have to leave early for an afternoon nap. Because of the time crunch, we usually hit a few key spots and then go. This time, with one child who doesn't nap and the other who has napped in a stroller, we thought things might be different, though we were ready to be flexible.

We got there a little before 11:00 and saw the lions and tigers lying around looking beautiful. Then, we stopped in the restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we decided to stroll all the way to the top of the zoo (the DC zoo is on a big hill, and we usually park at the bottom). After all, neither Londo nor I could remember the last time we saw the animals at the top of the hill other than the Bird House. We usually were busy hitting other spots in our targeted visits.

By the time we got to the top of the hill, the Pookie had fallen asleep in the stroller. I got the Pumpkin out so we could walk around and see the cheetah and zebras, while Londo continued to stroller the napping Pookie. And then we continued down the path to so many other animals!

What a blast we had! The Pumpkin walked or rode on my back in a piggy-back ride. We took the time to visit houses that we had passed by in the past and to go down smaller paths to see animals like the giant anteater or the gibbons. Once the Pookie woke up (after about 45 minutes!), the Pumpkin went back in the double stroller with him, they had a snack, and we continued down the path all the way to the bottom to visit Amazonia, a house I'd never even been to before!

It was a beautiful day, and we all had so much fun. What a difference it is to be able to spend a leisurely, full day at the zoo seeing whatever we want. Not only did we get to see our favorite animals, but we got to see many others that we normally don't get the opportunity to see.

This week's question of the week is:

What is your favorite animal at the zoo? Or what is your kids' favorite animal(s)?

My favorite is the tiger, so we always make a point to walk around the great cats' habitat. My second favorite is the elephant, and we usually see them out in their yard, too.

My daughter says her favorite is the monkey, although at the DC zoo we see the orangutans, gorillas and gibbons, all of which she loves to see. We especially love to see the baby gorilla, Kibibi, with her mommy. She says her second favorite is the zebra, and we saw three of those at the zoo.

I think my son's favorite was the gibbon, since he kept pointing to the gibbon hanging and swinging at the top of the net over their yard, babbling excitedly at us and the gibbon. I think he would have liked the elephants, but he was sleeping when we saw them. Oh, he did also get really excited about the gorillas, sitting up and widening his eyes when he saw the first one in the yard.

What about you and your kids? What are you favorite animals at the zoo? Do you get to go much? Are you at a point where you can enjoy a whole day out there or anywhere?

Question of the Week - What Can You Do Now?

Before the 3.5 period of disequilibrium gets any worse, I want to write something good about my girl's age! And also the 15 month age of my son, before any disequilibrium strikes!

The caramama family had such a great weekend this weekend (for the most part). Saturday was an especially good day. The four of us had a lovely morning, playing around and cleaning up and setting up for a card game. Then some of Londo's college buddies came over, some with wives and kids.

You see, before kids, we all got together for cards once a month, usually at our house or my husband's BFF's house. We were the first of this group to have a kid, and since the Pumpkin's birth, the regularity of the games had gone way down. But now that other people are having kids, and now that our kids are getting older and a bit more self-sustainable, we are hoping to get back into having regular games.

Mostly, the wives/girlfriends don't play, and that was true before any had kids. One other female college friend and myself are usually the only women playing. And that's been a struggle for Londo and I over the past few years, because one of us either can't go or we take turns watching the kid(s). More often, it was me not going or not playing cards, because this is Londo's group of college friends, although I knew them at college. I would insist that Londo either play the whole time or at least most of the time, because it's an outlet that he really enjoys. Plus I'd be leaving to nurse the babies and try to get them to nap and whatnot.

Anyway, my point is that the games were tough to do over the last 3.5 years.

This past Saturday, we had the game at our house. It is a kid-friendly house, so wives came and a couple other babies came. After everyone got settled in, I put the Pookie down for his nap. At that time, I went with a couple other women on a walk with the Pumpkin and one of the babies. After the walk, it was time for the Pumpkin to have a rest (of course not nap), and so she sat on the couch watching a show while the ladies played with the baby.

And I went and played cards!

As the day continued on, both my kids were in and out of the dining room where the game was, often sitting with us, playing or eating. At one point, the Pumpkin went up to her room and brought down her dress up stuff. She and her brother then played with the dresses, shoes, beaded necklaces, feather boas, etc. at the edge of the dining room while Londo and I gave help here and there and continued playing.

It was really neat! This is how life continues once you are out of the baby stage! This is how you incorporate the kids into your lives as adults! Now that our kids are old enough, we can now get together with our friends and continue to enjoy grown-up activities while they play together and play around us!

So this week's question of the week is:

What can you do now that your kids are the age they are now?

Now that the Pookie is over a year, has been weaned and doesn't even need milk to go to bed, Londo and I take turns putting him to bed. This is such a relief for me. When I put the Pumpkin to bed, I no longer am putting them both to bed (unless Londo is working late or out of town). And a couple of times, Londo has put them both to bed! Not only is this a relief in general, but it also means that I can go away for an upcoming weekend with a girlfriend and possibly my sister!

As for the Pumpkin, she's just capable of so much now. But my favorite? Over the last few months, I've been able to do an amazing thing: Take a nap while my daughter is with me!

Now, let me break this down for you all. Let's say it's just me watching the kids, solo parenting. It's the weekend, and I'm tired. I put the Pookie down for his nap, and he's going to be out for 1.5 hours or more. Ideally, this is the time my daughter, who is NOT going to nap, should be resting. So I put on a TV show, something she hasn't seen a million times so it will actually hold her interest. Maybe I also set her down at the table with puzzles or with those markers that only color on the special paper.

And then? I lie down on the couch and take a little nap! My daughter even pulls up the blanket over me and gives me a kiss. She may wake me up between shows to tell me that one is over or which the next one is, but she generally lets me sleep.

It. Is. Awesome!

This is not something I could really do before. But now that she is old enough to understand what's going on, now that she doesn't need constant attention, now that she does fine playing or watching a show on her own, now that she is used to being around a bunch of kids napping while she stays awake, my taking a nap during the day around her is possible!

What about you guys? What are you able to do now that you couldn't do before? Are you able to do any pre-kid activities? Are your kids a little more self-sufficient? Can you sneak a nap in or hand over a bedtime? What's great about your kids' ages?

Question of the Week - Don't Leave Home Without It

First of all, I have a winner for the Rocking Pony Shirt Giveaway! I assigned every commenter a number and used a free online number generator to pick one number. The number picked was the one assigned to: Cranky Pregnant Woman!

Cranky Pregnant Woman, please email me at caramamamia at gmail dot com so I can get you in contact with Karen! Congratulations!

This week's question of the week is:

What won't you leave the house without?

For me, it's definitely my wedding ring. Although I often don't wear them while at home, I generally don't leave my house without my wedding ring, engagement ring and bracelet-watch. But if I'm going to the pool or somewhere where I don't want to wear my diamond and nice bracelet-watch, I will at least put on my wedding band. If I don't have any, I feel naked and wierd the whole time I'm gone. It was hard to go without them while pregnant and post-partum, but my swollen fingers forced me to for months (reason #4367 I don't miss being pregnant).

I also don't generally leave the house without some sort of makeup on--at least coverup. Before I became a mom, I always ALWAYS wore lipstick. But after having babies, I often go without lipstick even to work. This probably surprises any friends I've had since I was younger. But lipstick gets in the way of all the kisses I want to give my kids, so I have gotten used to going without it. But since I still break out like a teenager, I always put on coverup an loose powder.

What about you? What do you have to have with you or on you when you leave the house so you don't feel naked (besides clothes)? Has your phone become attached to you? A special piece of jewerly become part of your body? What can't you be without when out and about?

Question of the Week - Internet Writing

The Internet has changed the way we write. It's influenced how we speak and how we act and, I would even argue, how we think. Being a language person, I really love to think about how language changes and is influenced.

Consider the following ways of writing that are normal on the Internet, but perhaps were not the norm prior:
-Acronyms for often-used phrases (LOL, YMMV)
-Written sounds we make to convey speech (meh, gah)
-Use of punctuation to describe how we are speaking (emphasizing. every. word. A lot!!!)
-Purposely mis-spelled words for effect (teh, haz)
-Brand new words to describe brand new things (tweets, blogosphere)
-Emoticons/phrases to express, well, emotions ( ;-), I <3 your blog)

Those are just a few I thought of off the top of my head. I'm sure there are many more examples of how the Internet is changing our language.

This week's question of the week is:

What is your favorite new way of writing that you get from the Internet?

I've got two: the written sounds and the punctuation to show the speech pattern. I especially love the words "meh" and "gah!" And I'm a huge user of the periods between words and multiple question marks or exclaimation points. It's just cause I love. them. so. MUCH!!!!

What about you? Do you find yourself using the acronyms regularly or throwing some internet words out in real life? Do you like the changes in teh language or r u wishing everyone would still write out the words even if it means longer texts? Any cool interweb speak that I missed which you enjoy?

Question of the Week - Technology Gadgets

My birthday is next week (wooo hoooo! I LOVE birthdays, especially my own!), and I've been asking anyone who was considering getting me a present to get me one specific thing: gift certificates to Barnes and Noble. I'm sure you all have realized how much I love books, but I'm not going to use the gift certicates for books.

What then would I do with those gift certificates? Why, I'm hoping to get enough to purchase the gadget I've been coveting... a type of technology device that I've been badly wanting for over a year... the specific item that I've researched and compared to other types... The Nook!

When Amazon first came out with its eReader, the Kindle, I thought how fantastic it would be to have one some day. Over the years, I have kicked around the idea of purchase the Kindle, especially the Kindle 2. A coworker brought his wife's in last winter so I could see it and play with it and determine if it really was as awesome as I thought it would be.

It totally is.

It would be so much easier to bring more than one book with me on trips out of town or even to the doctor's office, easier to get books in time for book clubs, easier to read while nursing, and easier to use a booklight for nighttime reading, since it would attach to one spot and I wouldn't have to juggle pages and the light and whatever else. Yes, I would miss the feel of books in my hands and the book on my shelf to look at and the book to lend to other people. But honestly, we have completely run out of room on our shelves for new books, and I'm really liking the idea of reading the eInk that is standard on eReaders, with a ton of books right there at my finger tips!

I haven't been able to afford the Kindle. And last winter a coworker told me about the iPad that was coming out. I decided to wait and see what the iPad would be like to see if I'd want that more than an eReader.

Would you know it, I absolutely LOVE the iPad. I want one SO bad! It's better than an eReader, because I could blog from the iPad. But it doesn't make sense for me to get an iPad that just has wifi--I might as well just use my laptop in the places I can get access to wifi. The reason to get an iPad for me is for the 3G network, as well as the ability to read books in a hand-held device. But it doesn't use eInk, and I stare at backlight computer screens too much as it is. I can blog on my laptop. And most importantly, there is simply no way I could afford an iPad that includes the 3G network. Just ain't happening.

So I started thinking about the Kindle again. After considering the cost of the iPad and because the prices of eReaders are going down, it suddenly doesn't seem crazy expensive to get a regular eReader. I was about to ask for gift certificates to Amazon.

Then my sister told me about the Nook. It's really just like the Kindle, except slightly different features. I think I would love either, but I'm hoping to get the Nook. The reasons I'm picking it over the Kindle are: the touch screen to navigate and type, the ability to lend eBooks to other Nook users (and my sister bought one already!), and the fact that there is a physical location to go to for more perks and customer service. Even though I'm extremely displeased with Barnes and Noble's book return policy (it's even worse than Borders's return policy!), I think their general customer service is good.

So there you have it. I'm coveting the Nook eReader. If I don't get enough gift certificates for my birthday, I'll try holding out until I can get more for Christmas. The kids and the house are taking up all our money, so I can't just go out and buy myself one, but I really would like a little something for myself for my birthday.

And this week's question of the week is:

What technology gadget are you coveting?

I still so badly want the iPad, but I know I'll be very happy with the Nook (or a Kindle). I also have realized that I would love one of those new-fangled cell phones that connect to that interweb thingie and have useful and fun do-dads called "apps" on them, especially one with an app that works with the Nook so I could read my current eBook from my phone if I'm out and about with the Nook. This is the first time I've considered getting a cell phone for anything besides calls, text messages and pictures, all because of my lust for an eReader--oh, and to update my tweets!

What about you? What new device do you want to run out and get, if only you could afford it? What have you bought recently that was everything you dreams technology should be and do? I'd love to hear what you want and why, cause I truly am an IT geek at heart (and at work)!

Question of the Week - Monster Mash

Lions and tigers and bears? Those are nothing! Zombies and werewolves and ghosts? Now we're talking about some scary things! The mythical have always been more terrifying to me than mere ferocious animals. Though sometimes the terrifying has a romantic flip side or intriguing survival scenerios or some other aspect that we can't help but find fascinating.

This week's question of the week is:

What mythical creature do you have an affinity for?

For me, it's vampires. It's always been vampires. Before Edward Cullen was a twinkle in Stephanie Meyer's eye, I was hooked on Bram Stoker's Dracula. I read Anne Rice's Vampire Trilogy (it was orinigally a trilogy!) before Brad Pitt even heard of Louis de Pointe du Lac. I loved The Vampire Diaries way before the CW even existed as the WB, let alone thought of making those books into a show*. Before Buffy became a household name, I was one of the few who couldn't get enough of the campy Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie.

The romantic aspect of vampire stories has always had me hooked, along with the darkness and danger. In fact, I got hooked on the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer because I started watching Angel re-runs** and wanted to see the story line between him and Buffy. Being a fan of the romance novels, I believe I found my way to them through the romanticism of vampire stories (as well as the Jane Austen and the like). While I haven't yet seen or read the True Blood stories (no clue why, as they are high on my list of stories to get), I do own the DVDs of the only season of Kindred: The Embraced, as well as all the Angel and Buffy seasons.

So, I have an affinity towards vampires and vampire stories because the best ones are are sexy, dangerous and brooding, and often are great redemption stories (and I do love me some redemption stories!). I'm extremely happy that there has been a recent epidemic of vampire stories in books, movies and TV.

Meanwhile, my husband has an affinity towards zombies for entirely different reasons. He is thrilled with the recent outbreak of zombies in books, in movies and on Twitter***. He loves the survivalistic aspect of a zombie apocalypse. Though he has clarified to me that he prefers the zombie stories based on viral outbreaks than on voodoo or magic. He figures that if we he makes contingency plans for a zombie apocalypse, then he we are pretty much set for anything****.

What about you? Which monsters or other mythical creature do you have an affinity for? And why? Got any good recommendations for stories about any of these beings? Tell all!

*Although I think the show is alright, I still can't get over the fact that Elena has brown hair in the show. In the book, she totally had blonde hair, as you can clearly see on the cover of the original book (which I still own). The actress on the show is very pretty and plays the part fine, but I have always thought of her as a blonde. I just can't get over it.

**I have two things to say about those shows:
1. They are two of the best written shows on TV. Seriously well done. Totally worth watching every season. Don't be turned off by the first season of Buffy, because they were young and the show was just starting to find it's feet. Joss Whedon is a GOD!
2. As for Angel (David Boreanaz), va va va vooom! Is it any wonder I started watching the show?

***Oh, how The Blogess cracks me up! Also check out this post about zombie-fighting furniture.

****Although his best friend, who is terrified of zombies, pointed out on Saturday that my short legs which cause me to walk slower than them are going to get us (our family) killed by the zombies. Londo cheerfully pointed out that they will get only me killed. Thanks, sweetie!