Ok, so a couple of days have now gone by. I think. I don't know. I've been too traumatized and worried over Lucian sleeping in his own room.
Wait, did I say sleeping. Oh, I meant falling asleep long enough for me to leave the room and get comfortable and then have to listen to him have a meltdown when he realizes he's in his own room. I didn't really mean sleeping. I don't really know what sleeping really is anymore. I give up. I know what becoming unconscious for a couple of hours is. Like this morning, we survived another night of the ... he's crying .... wait, lets see if he'll stop and fall back to sleep ... ok, I think he fell asleep. Crap. No. He's having a conniption. I'll go rescue him. In a couple of minutes. Ok, YOU go rescue him and bring him to bed with us.
Well, at least there is one little difference though. He isn't demanding to use me as a human pacifier for the last 2 nights and I've resisted the urge to plug him on to make him quiet. He has been satisfied with just being free from the cage, or um, crib and happy to just snuggle up with us. So that, has been one small improvement. I get to be unconscious for a little longer at one time. Yay for me. And Dadda can almost get a whole nights worth of sleep in too, except for his own stress induced nightmares.
So, I have a little confession to make. I secretly like it when I get to go into his room to rescue him because he is extra cuddly to me now. He actually wants me to hold him and snuggle him and pick him up. Why is it that when he has a major meltdown, the kind with the runny nose and shakes, that I have to pee all of the sudden and I try taking him into the bathroom with me and set him down on the floor but that's not good enough. So then I have to try and hold him while I go, you know....sorry TMI, I know...too bad....parents will empathize. So, I have to ask for forgiveness because I have to put him down because if I don't go pee before, then I'll be stuck rocking him and consoling him with a full bladder and dreading every moment.
Sigh. And, if you must know, it is approaching 3 am and I can't sleep because he keeps waking every other hour crying. I know he isn't feeling well and has a runny nose so that might be part of the problem. So, I can't be totally mean and let him cry it out when he's sick. I just don't feel right about it. It makes me so sad when he cries so hard that he gets all worked up and shivers. Then I feel rotten.
So, I thought perhaps the crib was the problem. Maybe he just doesn't want to sleep in his crib. He knows how to climb in and out of the queen sized bed that is also in his room so I was thinking maybe I'd let him sleep in the big boy bed with his nursing pillow and maybe that would help. He seems to like it so far for the past few hours. I left the door open and walked around and made some noise to see if he would climb out of bed and come out after me, but he didn't. I tried different settings on the noise machine too. I like the crickets chirping. I can hear them on the baby monitor in our room so it's like having 2 sound machines for the price of one — which was free thanks to the King of the Garage Sale, a.k.a. Opa D.
Now, I'm sitting here debating on what to do. I put a bigger pillow on the side of him while he's sleeping and I have him laying closer to the wall because I'm not sure how much he'll roll around and if he'll fall off the bed and onto the floor or not. The bed is not super high off the ground but I just don't know, so I tried to put up some type of barrier. But, I'm not sure what to do now because I don't want to close his door for fear he will wake in the middle of the night or a few hours from now and tear his room up out off frustration. I don't have his room baby proofed enough to the point that he should be in there completely alone and unsupervised. He could take his diaper changing table apart and have diapers and baby wipes everywhere if I did leave him in there unsupervised. Not harmful, but not a fun clean up either. So, now I'm paranoid. Do I go in there and try moving him to his crib where I know he'll be safer or do I just throw in the towel, go sleep in there on the bed with him or bring him back to our room.
Ah decisions decisions. I think he may be asleep for sure but I just don't know how long it will last.
Well, I better go peek in on him and see and try to get some shuteye myself whatever it takes. We got some runnin around to do in a few hours.
Joy.
January 31, 2008
January 30, 2008
The First Favorite Song
A little while ago I posted on my feelings about how Lucian started saying the word 'no.' It's now something cute we revel in.
Well, I now have KT Tunstall to thank for that! Lucian has loved her song, "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" since he was six months old and now, at 18 months old, he loves to dance and sing to it. I caught him on video – almost – singing to it. It just amazes me how much of an appreciation for music he's got at such a young age. I hope it will stay with him.
January 27, 2008
Day 1, Week 2
Something Is Different
There is a big empty space in our bedroom where Lucian's crib used to be. Yep, the big boy is now sleeping in his own room. I say he is sleeping 'now' but I know darn well I'm going to jinx myself by saying anything and it will be a miracle if I can finish this post before he wakes up screaming.
It's a strange feeling. I have a bit of anxiety over it. I have mixed feelings. I look around our bedroom now and there isn't really anything of his in here anymore. There is a photo frame of him on my nightstand, but that's about it. I bet if I dug around a little, I could probably find a sock of his hiding under our covers. If there isn't one there now, there will most likely be one there before the night is through because I've already made a deal with myself and him that if he wakes up in a panic attack in the middle of the night and can't get back to seep on his own, I'll bring him to bed with us.
I know I shouldn't but we'll see how it goes. Baby steps for both of us.
Man, I feel so guilty for sticking him all the way over there all alone but it's been long overdue. It just had to happen. I'm a little on edge my ears perking up at all the little noises, but nothing is coming out of the baby monitor, so far so good.
I even set up a little touch lamp on a table next to his crib and showed him how to use it to turn on the light if he needs to. He he he he, so funny...most parents give their kids a lovey — some kind of stuffed animal to comfort them. Nope, not my kid. He would sleep with that lamp IN his crib if I'd let him. MY kid wants to cuddle up to something electronic for comfort.
Health Journal - Week 2
Well, on Friday I got hit like a ton of bricks with some flu bug thing. It started out as a head cold and then I got achy. Nate was just getting over the same thing and Lucian has had a runny nose for the past couple of days. Luckily we've all gotten our flu shots so I'm hoping the worst of it has passed. I started feeling much better today, but I know I'm not out of the woods yet. I fear it's one of those colds where you start to feel better and back to yourself and then you go back to doing everything full throttle instead of taking it easy and then you end up even more sick. Soooo, I am going to try to take it easy for the next couple of days. I'm going to try and give myself permission to be a little lazy whenever I can.
It won't be easy since I begin teaching my weekly adult night courses this Tuesday and Lucian has some appointments on Thursday and Friday.
Normally, each Sunday, my goal is to post about my progress with my adventures in weight loss. Well, since I got sick, I haven't had the energy to work out. And, get this....I broke my freekin scale!! ha ha ha Actually, it's a digital and I've had it for several years now and the thing finally started reporting a Lo light on it indicating that the battery was low. Well, now it's dead. The reason it's dead is because it takes a fergin 9 volt battery. This is not a popular battery that lives in the junk drawers in our house. I know there is one somewhere but I have yet to find it. Oh, who the hell am I kidding, I have yet to LOOK for one either.
So, I can't weigh myself and I was too lazy to go dig out the measuring tape. I'm sick, remember? I'm just happy right at this moment because I can breathe out of both nostrils at the same time and I've been able to type this whole thing so far without sneezing or blowing my nose.
Butt — ha, get it, butt — I did post about my progress in which there has been none so does that count for anything? It is part of the program right? I'm still holding myself accountable for the plan, right? This past week, I didn't pig out on any junk food and I did, up until Friday, work out every other day. I also tried to up my water intake and I was good at taking my vitamins each day. I think I may have forgotten yesterday though.
So that's that. I came, I blogged, so there.
Sleepless in Tucson
Oh, and another thing I'm going to try to work on is my sleeping problem. I don't normally buy into all this celebrity hype, but I have to admit, the death of Heath Ledger (RIP) has brought out an awareness to something I'm dealing with right now which is sleeping problems. I also have an undesirable relationship, in my eyes at least, with sleep aids. Every couple of days I need to take a Tylenol PM. If I don't, I don't get sleep. I could stay up for days unless I forced myself to sleep. Or at least I could go for days on a couple of hours here and a couple of hours there. That's another part of my weight problem I realize too. Not getting the sleep I need will not help me lose weight, so I know it's something I need to work on. And, I need to be able to sleep without any mother's little helpers either.
I know putting Lucian in his own room will not be some miracle cure because he has not yet weaned. I know the middle of the night feedings are part of the package, but I need to also learn along with Lucian, how to get back to sleep once I've woken up in the middle of the night. I suppose it will be a process for us both.
So, speaking of which, I soon need to close the lid and turn into a pumpkin. Sweet dreams to us all!
There is a big empty space in our bedroom where Lucian's crib used to be. Yep, the big boy is now sleeping in his own room. I say he is sleeping 'now' but I know darn well I'm going to jinx myself by saying anything and it will be a miracle if I can finish this post before he wakes up screaming.
It's a strange feeling. I have a bit of anxiety over it. I have mixed feelings. I look around our bedroom now and there isn't really anything of his in here anymore. There is a photo frame of him on my nightstand, but that's about it. I bet if I dug around a little, I could probably find a sock of his hiding under our covers. If there isn't one there now, there will most likely be one there before the night is through because I've already made a deal with myself and him that if he wakes up in a panic attack in the middle of the night and can't get back to seep on his own, I'll bring him to bed with us.
I know I shouldn't but we'll see how it goes. Baby steps for both of us.
Man, I feel so guilty for sticking him all the way over there all alone but it's been long overdue. It just had to happen. I'm a little on edge my ears perking up at all the little noises, but nothing is coming out of the baby monitor, so far so good.
I even set up a little touch lamp on a table next to his crib and showed him how to use it to turn on the light if he needs to. He he he he, so funny...most parents give their kids a lovey — some kind of stuffed animal to comfort them. Nope, not my kid. He would sleep with that lamp IN his crib if I'd let him. MY kid wants to cuddle up to something electronic for comfort.
Health Journal - Week 2
Well, on Friday I got hit like a ton of bricks with some flu bug thing. It started out as a head cold and then I got achy. Nate was just getting over the same thing and Lucian has had a runny nose for the past couple of days. Luckily we've all gotten our flu shots so I'm hoping the worst of it has passed. I started feeling much better today, but I know I'm not out of the woods yet. I fear it's one of those colds where you start to feel better and back to yourself and then you go back to doing everything full throttle instead of taking it easy and then you end up even more sick. Soooo, I am going to try to take it easy for the next couple of days. I'm going to try and give myself permission to be a little lazy whenever I can.
It won't be easy since I begin teaching my weekly adult night courses this Tuesday and Lucian has some appointments on Thursday and Friday.
Normally, each Sunday, my goal is to post about my progress with my adventures in weight loss. Well, since I got sick, I haven't had the energy to work out. And, get this....I broke my freekin scale!! ha ha ha Actually, it's a digital and I've had it for several years now and the thing finally started reporting a Lo light on it indicating that the battery was low. Well, now it's dead. The reason it's dead is because it takes a fergin 9 volt battery. This is not a popular battery that lives in the junk drawers in our house. I know there is one somewhere but I have yet to find it. Oh, who the hell am I kidding, I have yet to LOOK for one either.
So, I can't weigh myself and I was too lazy to go dig out the measuring tape. I'm sick, remember? I'm just happy right at this moment because I can breathe out of both nostrils at the same time and I've been able to type this whole thing so far without sneezing or blowing my nose.
Butt — ha, get it, butt — I did post about my progress in which there has been none so does that count for anything? It is part of the program right? I'm still holding myself accountable for the plan, right? This past week, I didn't pig out on any junk food and I did, up until Friday, work out every other day. I also tried to up my water intake and I was good at taking my vitamins each day. I think I may have forgotten yesterday though.
So that's that. I came, I blogged, so there.
Sleepless in Tucson
Oh, and another thing I'm going to try to work on is my sleeping problem. I don't normally buy into all this celebrity hype, but I have to admit, the death of Heath Ledger (RIP) has brought out an awareness to something I'm dealing with right now which is sleeping problems. I also have an undesirable relationship, in my eyes at least, with sleep aids. Every couple of days I need to take a Tylenol PM. If I don't, I don't get sleep. I could stay up for days unless I forced myself to sleep. Or at least I could go for days on a couple of hours here and a couple of hours there. That's another part of my weight problem I realize too. Not getting the sleep I need will not help me lose weight, so I know it's something I need to work on. And, I need to be able to sleep without any mother's little helpers either.
I know putting Lucian in his own room will not be some miracle cure because he has not yet weaned. I know the middle of the night feedings are part of the package, but I need to also learn along with Lucian, how to get back to sleep once I've woken up in the middle of the night. I suppose it will be a process for us both.
So, speaking of which, I soon need to close the lid and turn into a pumpkin. Sweet dreams to us all!
January 24, 2008
If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em ?
My son is only 18 months old. In a few days he'll be 19 months old. Yep, I just checked the calendar. It's true. As much as I try to cherish every moment, each day, he gets more and more independent and I feel like the time I have with him is just slipping away like sand through an hour glass.
I am loving being a SAHM, but I like a break from him once in a while, I'm only human. Like now, while I'm blogging. I am truly enjoying MY time just to myself to surf the web and research topics that interest me, read other blogs, comment on others' ideas, gather my own ideas and document things that are of interest to me.
Even as I type this though, I'm wondering how much of this time is really for me and how much of this time is for him. I won't lie, I really do lose sleep over it at times. I can become so immersed in it all that I feel overwhelmed. I spend so much time researching how technology affects kids and families and how I want it to affect our family. I just came across something that has validated these concerns.
Reality Check
I was just surfing some blogs and websites when I came across a PBS presentation site where you can watch a video documentary called "Growing Up Online." The date on it is January 22, 2008, so it's very timely, just a couple of days ago. I've now watched 2 segments. I had to stop after the 2nd and start blogging about my reaction to it before I forget the thoughts I have at the moment. I feel a little sick to my stomach. I feel scared. I feel really overwhelmed. But I also feel justified that now I have more reason to keep doing what it is that I do in technology education and consulting. Already I feel so immersed and overwhelmed with all that is out there, but I feel even more pressed to forge on. I wish I could put my finger on it all, but it's impossible to keep up. At least I can say I'm trying and doing the best I can.
After viewing this documentary so far, my parenting philosophy is 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.' Lucian is going to use technology and there is no way around it. Not in this house. Not with a science teacher for a Dad and Mom who does IT consulting and technology education for a living even part time. He's not even 2 years old and I've already set up an iMac for him in his bedroom. His crib isn't even in there yet, but the computer is. He already plays with it. He has known how to use a keyboard and mouse since he was six months old.
So, am I feeding him straight into the Lion's mouth by showing him how to use a computer at this age? Am I pushing him into something undesirable? Am I growing a hacker? Is that bad?
I have just accepted the fact that this is the reality and I've reaffirmed my commitment to do the best I can to prepare myself, my husband and family to join him and become a part of this process. It's the evolution of technology and we're all caught up in it. It's a part of our lives.
Does Technology Make the World a Smaller Place?
Socialization for me used to mean I would talk to my friends or family on the phone or hang out at a favorite place or in a home. We would share ideas on the fly. Unscripted. Real time. It used to be that my friends and family were within driving distance. It used to be that my friends and family were a phone call away.
Then I met my husband online. He lived on the other side of the country. Even though he was willing to make the move to my side of the world, I decided to spread my wings and try a new place to live and have since grown to like it. It's very different being long distance from my family and friends, but this is life and now I have to find a way to cope with these changes. I still wonder though, how in the future am I going to explain to Lucian how his Dad and I met. That's a whole other topic!
One saving grace has been the webcam. So far though, my Mom and Dad are the only ones I ever talk to on it. Even trying to get them to go online to use the webcam sometimes is like pulling teeth though. They're too busy or I'm too busy. Plus the technology is only so great. Sometimes there is a lot of time lag in the conversation so we end up talking over each other. But, it's way better than nothing. Seriously, I wouldn't be able to live on the other side of the country if I didn't have technology.
Having a baby has made it more difficult to find the time to communicate. Once in a while, I get on the horn and talk but that can only happen when Lucian is either napping, sleeping, or really really occupied. With a 2 and 3 hour time difference back 'home' it can be pretty close to impossible to find and make time to blab on the phone and give someone my full attention. So, if I really want to be able to express myself, I have to do it late at night when everyone is sleeping. It can be kind of lonely at times despite all that is available on the WWW.
Does the Internet Open Up to the Edge of the Universe?
This laptop is my portal to the world right now. Sometimes I don't know what I would do if I didn't have it. Is it an addiction? Is it a crutch? Is it a replacement for the real thing? I've asked myself these questions a million times over. I still don't have a definitive answer. All I know is, if I want to reach out to another human being, I open the lid and send an email or post a blog. Communication all happens with the keyboard and trackpad. I can edit, delete, save, copy and paste. I can be confident because I can polish my experience and make it feel the way I want it to.
It's really amazing how much is out there though when you journey into the realm of social networking. It can be downright scary. Just when I get to thinking that technology can bridge the gaps between space and time, I realize how many off ramps are on this new bridge. It's not just a straight line.
Will I Still Feel the Same Later?
Another reason, a very important reason, for why I blog is self preservation. I love to help others by posting reviews or tips or references, but most of the time, I do it because I'm hoping one day I can reflect back on this. I'm not yet sure why that is important to me now. Maybe because like I mentioned in the beginning, I feel like life is slipping me by, quickly and I want to hold on to it just a little while longer. It's my way of savoring it. Preserving it. Keeping time.
One of the things I want to look back on in the future is how I feel right now about raising Lucian to be a responsible human being. I have a lot of opinions about how I would like for him to turn out. I'm really nervous about what kind of teenager he'll be. Will he still respect me when he becomes a teenager?
Even at the toddler stage, he's already starting to push me away. It's scary. This is only the beginning and already I'm a basket case thinking about it. I'm just hoping that by being active and trying to learn whatever I can about new technology, it will keep me in touch with him. I'm looking for a way to accept the distance that will come between us. What will be enough to live with? How will my life adjust to his as we both grow up?
I'm going to go and watch the rest of the video documentary now. It is definitely a reality check so far. I hope you'll watch it and share your thoughts with me.
I am loving being a SAHM, but I like a break from him once in a while, I'm only human. Like now, while I'm blogging. I am truly enjoying MY time just to myself to surf the web and research topics that interest me, read other blogs, comment on others' ideas, gather my own ideas and document things that are of interest to me.
Even as I type this though, I'm wondering how much of this time is really for me and how much of this time is for him. I won't lie, I really do lose sleep over it at times. I can become so immersed in it all that I feel overwhelmed. I spend so much time researching how technology affects kids and families and how I want it to affect our family. I just came across something that has validated these concerns.
Reality Check
I was just surfing some blogs and websites when I came across a PBS presentation site where you can watch a video documentary called "Growing Up Online." The date on it is January 22, 2008, so it's very timely, just a couple of days ago. I've now watched 2 segments. I had to stop after the 2nd and start blogging about my reaction to it before I forget the thoughts I have at the moment. I feel a little sick to my stomach. I feel scared. I feel really overwhelmed. But I also feel justified that now I have more reason to keep doing what it is that I do in technology education and consulting. Already I feel so immersed and overwhelmed with all that is out there, but I feel even more pressed to forge on. I wish I could put my finger on it all, but it's impossible to keep up. At least I can say I'm trying and doing the best I can.
After viewing this documentary so far, my parenting philosophy is 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.' Lucian is going to use technology and there is no way around it. Not in this house. Not with a science teacher for a Dad and Mom who does IT consulting and technology education for a living even part time. He's not even 2 years old and I've already set up an iMac for him in his bedroom. His crib isn't even in there yet, but the computer is. He already plays with it. He has known how to use a keyboard and mouse since he was six months old.
So, am I feeding him straight into the Lion's mouth by showing him how to use a computer at this age? Am I pushing him into something undesirable? Am I growing a hacker? Is that bad?
I have just accepted the fact that this is the reality and I've reaffirmed my commitment to do the best I can to prepare myself, my husband and family to join him and become a part of this process. It's the evolution of technology and we're all caught up in it. It's a part of our lives.
Does Technology Make the World a Smaller Place?
Socialization for me used to mean I would talk to my friends or family on the phone or hang out at a favorite place or in a home. We would share ideas on the fly. Unscripted. Real time. It used to be that my friends and family were within driving distance. It used to be that my friends and family were a phone call away.
Then I met my husband online. He lived on the other side of the country. Even though he was willing to make the move to my side of the world, I decided to spread my wings and try a new place to live and have since grown to like it. It's very different being long distance from my family and friends, but this is life and now I have to find a way to cope with these changes. I still wonder though, how in the future am I going to explain to Lucian how his Dad and I met. That's a whole other topic!
One saving grace has been the webcam. So far though, my Mom and Dad are the only ones I ever talk to on it. Even trying to get them to go online to use the webcam sometimes is like pulling teeth though. They're too busy or I'm too busy. Plus the technology is only so great. Sometimes there is a lot of time lag in the conversation so we end up talking over each other. But, it's way better than nothing. Seriously, I wouldn't be able to live on the other side of the country if I didn't have technology.
Having a baby has made it more difficult to find the time to communicate. Once in a while, I get on the horn and talk but that can only happen when Lucian is either napping, sleeping, or really really occupied. With a 2 and 3 hour time difference back 'home' it can be pretty close to impossible to find and make time to blab on the phone and give someone my full attention. So, if I really want to be able to express myself, I have to do it late at night when everyone is sleeping. It can be kind of lonely at times despite all that is available on the WWW.
Does the Internet Open Up to the Edge of the Universe?
This laptop is my portal to the world right now. Sometimes I don't know what I would do if I didn't have it. Is it an addiction? Is it a crutch? Is it a replacement for the real thing? I've asked myself these questions a million times over. I still don't have a definitive answer. All I know is, if I want to reach out to another human being, I open the lid and send an email or post a blog. Communication all happens with the keyboard and trackpad. I can edit, delete, save, copy and paste. I can be confident because I can polish my experience and make it feel the way I want it to.
It's really amazing how much is out there though when you journey into the realm of social networking. It can be downright scary. Just when I get to thinking that technology can bridge the gaps between space and time, I realize how many off ramps are on this new bridge. It's not just a straight line.
Will I Still Feel the Same Later?
Another reason, a very important reason, for why I blog is self preservation. I love to help others by posting reviews or tips or references, but most of the time, I do it because I'm hoping one day I can reflect back on this. I'm not yet sure why that is important to me now. Maybe because like I mentioned in the beginning, I feel like life is slipping me by, quickly and I want to hold on to it just a little while longer. It's my way of savoring it. Preserving it. Keeping time.
One of the things I want to look back on in the future is how I feel right now about raising Lucian to be a responsible human being. I have a lot of opinions about how I would like for him to turn out. I'm really nervous about what kind of teenager he'll be. Will he still respect me when he becomes a teenager?
Even at the toddler stage, he's already starting to push me away. It's scary. This is only the beginning and already I'm a basket case thinking about it. I'm just hoping that by being active and trying to learn whatever I can about new technology, it will keep me in touch with him. I'm looking for a way to accept the distance that will come between us. What will be enough to live with? How will my life adjust to his as we both grow up?
I'm going to go and watch the rest of the video documentary now. It is definitely a reality check so far. I hope you'll watch it and share your thoughts with me.
Words We Can No Longer Sing
Money for Nothing by Dire Straits came on the music channel today while I was cleaning the house. This is one of my favorite songs and I LOVE to crank it up especially in the beginning during the famous guitar riff. You know the one. I cranked the song so loud that I could hear it over the vacuum cleaner because I didn't want to miss it. I love it when Sting sings the backup vocals. It's fun to replace his line with "Don't stand so close to me" because, you know, it's the same notes.
Anywho, I proceeded to jam while I vacuumed, playing the proverbial 'air guitar' except it was my version of the 'vacuum guitar.' Lucian would wander around gittin jiggy with it (na na na na na na na nah) every so often too.
So, I am just singing along, and Lucian is looking at me like I'm a retard (oops, maybe I shouldn't say that word either) and all of the sudden, I noticed that they fudged one of the lyrics. What the!? I was being so goofy I didn't exactly pay attention to what word at first, but I knew something wasn't right. My ears were now perked. I heard it again.
The word they muffled was 'fagot' — as in "a bundle of sticks or twigs bound together as fuel." Oooooh, wait, I get it, they mean the OTHER 'f-word that rhymes with maggot' in this song. When I heard the "modification" they made to the song, it made me stop playing my 'air vacuum guitar' and stand there in my living room with a perplexed look in my face. Lucian just kept on doing his little baby dance.
keyword here: oblivious
In all of the years they have been playing that song on the radio, I have NEVER heard that word changed or removed or fudged over. I mean, it wasn't until the Steve Miller Band's "Jet Airliner" lyric "...funky shit goin' down in the city..." was made PC by using the word "kicks" that I even realized that they were singing the word shit!
I wonder how it is then that "Money for Nothing" went as the original for so much longer?
It really made me stop and think about how different life was back in the 80s. As tweens, my friends and I thought nothing of it to dress up like a hooker, I mean, Madonna, and sing songs about virgins ("Like a Virgin") and prostitution ("Call Me"), sex (just about every disco song that ever existed), masturbation ("She Bop") and various other topics that are taboo. And, we were just a bunch of gay, I mean, happy, kids having fun. No one was complaining about he said this word and she wore this outfit. Okay, well, they were but we were oblivious to it.
And I only learned about a year ago that "She Bop" is about, um, flicking the old coffee bean.
Times are really different now. The "N-Word" ranks right up there with the "F-Word" which is now the "F-Bomb" but still different than the "F-Word that rhymes with maggot" that offends boys who like boys. Nowadays, you can even get fired for using the "N-word." I am NOT proud of my upbringing when it comes to this, but I don't fault my family because it's how they were raised, but it took me a long time to train myself to not use phrases like "N*gg*r-rigged" or "see if you can 'Jew' him down on the price" because it was just common speak and we weren't even from the south! That alone proves that kids absorb what they learn around them, just like I did growing up. At least I recognize how wrong it is now, but some people just don't and that's how examples get made.
I just think it's interesting that I'm repulsed by the N-word and the C-word that rhymes with bunt cake, but before today, I had NO problems jamming loudly to a song that talks about 'boys who like boys' and monkeys who bang on bongos.
All I can think about now is how differently I see things now that there is so much controversy in the media over words that are used. It's even more magnified now that I have a child. I can almost imagine Lucian stopping me sometime and saying, "Mommy, what's a fagot?" (I'll tell him it's a pile of sticks.)
But then again, maybe I won't have to field these questions, because by the time he's old enough to ask, gangsta rappers will 'represent' and stop using the N-word and all the other bad words will be muted or changed on all of our favorite songs.
Right?
I'll just have to remember this while I'm singing along so I too skip over the no-no words and don't blurt out what the artist intended to be in that spot.
Anywho, I proceeded to jam while I vacuumed, playing the proverbial 'air guitar' except it was my version of the 'vacuum guitar.' Lucian would wander around gittin jiggy with it (na na na na na na na nah) every so often too.
So, I am just singing along, and Lucian is looking at me like I'm a retard (oops, maybe I shouldn't say that word either) and all of the sudden, I noticed that they fudged one of the lyrics. What the!? I was being so goofy I didn't exactly pay attention to what word at first, but I knew something wasn't right. My ears were now perked. I heard it again.
The word they muffled was 'fagot' — as in "a bundle of sticks or twigs bound together as fuel." Oooooh, wait, I get it, they mean the OTHER 'f-word that rhymes with maggot' in this song. When I heard the "modification" they made to the song, it made me stop playing my 'air vacuum guitar' and stand there in my living room with a perplexed look in my face. Lucian just kept on doing his little baby dance.
keyword here: oblivious
In all of the years they have been playing that song on the radio, I have NEVER heard that word changed or removed or fudged over. I mean, it wasn't until the Steve Miller Band's "Jet Airliner" lyric "...funky shit goin' down in the city..." was made PC by using the word "kicks" that I even realized that they were singing the word shit!
I wonder how it is then that "Money for Nothing" went as the original for so much longer?
It really made me stop and think about how different life was back in the 80s. As tweens, my friends and I thought nothing of it to dress up like a hooker, I mean, Madonna, and sing songs about virgins ("Like a Virgin") and prostitution ("Call Me"), sex (just about every disco song that ever existed), masturbation ("She Bop") and various other topics that are taboo. And, we were just a bunch of gay, I mean, happy, kids having fun. No one was complaining about he said this word and she wore this outfit. Okay, well, they were but we were oblivious to it.
And I only learned about a year ago that "She Bop" is about, um, flicking the old coffee bean.
Times are really different now. The "N-Word" ranks right up there with the "F-Word" which is now the "F-Bomb" but still different than the "F-Word that rhymes with maggot" that offends boys who like boys. Nowadays, you can even get fired for using the "N-word." I am NOT proud of my upbringing when it comes to this, but I don't fault my family because it's how they were raised, but it took me a long time to train myself to not use phrases like "N*gg*r-rigged" or "see if you can 'Jew' him down on the price" because it was just common speak and we weren't even from the south! That alone proves that kids absorb what they learn around them, just like I did growing up. At least I recognize how wrong it is now, but some people just don't and that's how examples get made.
I just think it's interesting that I'm repulsed by the N-word and the C-word that rhymes with bunt cake, but before today, I had NO problems jamming loudly to a song that talks about 'boys who like boys' and monkeys who bang on bongos.
All I can think about now is how differently I see things now that there is so much controversy in the media over words that are used. It's even more magnified now that I have a child. I can almost imagine Lucian stopping me sometime and saying, "Mommy, what's a fagot?" (I'll tell him it's a pile of sticks.)
But then again, maybe I won't have to field these questions, because by the time he's old enough to ask, gangsta rappers will 'represent' and stop using the N-word and all the other bad words will be muted or changed on all of our favorite songs.
Right?
I'll just have to remember this while I'm singing along so I too skip over the no-no words and don't blurt out what the artist intended to be in that spot.
January 22, 2008
Review of the Touch Free Diaper Pail by Graco
We have the Diaper Champ from Baby Trend and the Touch Free Diaper Pail by Graco. The Diaper Champ was a baby shower gift and of course, as shown below, I won the Touch Free from DadLabs.
Thanks, DadLabs! You rock!
Here is my honest opinion. Overall, these are both very good diaper pails. If I were going to purchase one of them myself, knowing what I know now and even being the geek that I am, I would spend my money on the Diaper Champ. The Diaper Champ contains the smell better, holds a little more diapers in it at full capacity, is slightly easier to change bags, and doesn't use any consumables like specially-made bags. You buy it, you use it, end of story.
Or, as in our house, you get it as a gift, you use it, you train your toddler to use it and hope they will continue to use it if a sibling comes along. Remember, teach your tots that throwing away dirty diapers is cool! Car keys — NOT COOL!
The Scoop (rhymes with poop)
There is about a $20.00 difference between the two depending on where you shop. The charcoal filters for the Touch Free are hard to find for a good price. Last time I checked, you could only get them through Graco directly or Sears. I have a hack for this though. Keep reading.
The Touch Free on the other hand, looks cooler, functions cooler and our curious toddler has a lot of fun making the lid pop open with the remote sensor. Sometimes we have to trick him by switching the remote sensor off and putting it into manual mode. Then we lay a guilt trip on him and tell him that be broke it.
Just like guilt trips my parents used on me, it didn't work on him either. He still messes with it.
There were some comments and suggestions made that perhaps a remote control could be used to operate the Touch Free. I am a dork so I honestly tried to use the remote that came with my Mac just to rule out for you all that it in fact DOES NOT operate the diaper pail. Besides, the remote sensor is flat on the top of the surface so unless you rig a mirror or something, I'm not sure that a remote would ever work at this angle, but I'd still like to see someone try.
I really like how clean the Touch Free stays. It looks nicer in our son's room and it's a neutral beige that blends in. (They also make it in a pretty lilac color as well. Look at me, I'm a pretty diaper pail. I make poop look pretty.) The Diaper Champ is white with blue trim and sometimes it has a tendency to get a little bit of poop on it if you don't wrap up the diaper tightly enough into a swan shaped origami figure before plopping it in. (ok, trying to chuck it in from a few feet away) (Sorry Dad, I didn't inherit your basketball grace.)
As for the smell, let's face it, sometimes I think our son harbors WOMD in his diaper. (Weapons of Mass Destruction, shhh! Don't tell anyone.) So, even Fort Knox couldn't keep that smell locked in. Although, perhaps a proton pack might do the trick? I think the Diaper Champ holds the smell in best but it's hard to tell because I think it might be that you have to change the Touch Free a little more frequently so maybe not as much stink accumulates.
Diaper Pail Hack
They both use standard kitchen trash bags so you don't have to waste money on those special sausage casing-type bags. The Touch Free does cost you extra in that you have to replace the batteries for the remote sensor AND you have to replace a charcoal filter once a month. That's the price you pay for coolness though. Unless you're cheap like me. When these batteries run out, we'll probably replace them with rechargeables to save a little on that cost. I skip the $3.49 charcoal filters and instead use a .99¢ 'stickup' air freshener in the lid. I just remove the little clippy thing-a-ma-do that holds the charcoal filter and adhere one of those stickups there instead. When the lid opens, the 'aroma' is that of Spring Fresh Poopy Diaper instead of just Fresh Poopy Diaper.
View the full demo from DadLabs here. There isn't anything these Dads won't do to bring you the "the scoop" — pun intended. For more great comparisons on diaper pales, check out this from their site.
Check out www.dadlabs.com and have a laugh. Drink some beer. Watch parents drink beer. Watch parents drink beer and give really good parenting advice.
Seriously!
How many times did I use the word poop?
There are only 2 times in your life when you get to use the word poop a lot without taking a lot of crap for it: When your ARE a preschooler and when you HAVE a preschooler.
Thanks, DadLabs! You rock!
Here is my honest opinion. Overall, these are both very good diaper pails. If I were going to purchase one of them myself, knowing what I know now and even being the geek that I am, I would spend my money on the Diaper Champ. The Diaper Champ contains the smell better, holds a little more diapers in it at full capacity, is slightly easier to change bags, and doesn't use any consumables like specially-made bags. You buy it, you use it, end of story.
Or, as in our house, you get it as a gift, you use it, you train your toddler to use it and hope they will continue to use it if a sibling comes along. Remember, teach your tots that throwing away dirty diapers is cool! Car keys — NOT COOL!
The Scoop (rhymes with poop)
There is about a $20.00 difference between the two depending on where you shop. The charcoal filters for the Touch Free are hard to find for a good price. Last time I checked, you could only get them through Graco directly or Sears. I have a hack for this though. Keep reading.
The Touch Free on the other hand, looks cooler, functions cooler and our curious toddler has a lot of fun making the lid pop open with the remote sensor. Sometimes we have to trick him by switching the remote sensor off and putting it into manual mode. Then we lay a guilt trip on him and tell him that be broke it.
Just like guilt trips my parents used on me, it didn't work on him either. He still messes with it.
There were some comments and suggestions made that perhaps a remote control could be used to operate the Touch Free. I am a dork so I honestly tried to use the remote that came with my Mac just to rule out for you all that it in fact DOES NOT operate the diaper pail. Besides, the remote sensor is flat on the top of the surface so unless you rig a mirror or something, I'm not sure that a remote would ever work at this angle, but I'd still like to see someone try.
I really like how clean the Touch Free stays. It looks nicer in our son's room and it's a neutral beige that blends in. (They also make it in a pretty lilac color as well. Look at me, I'm a pretty diaper pail. I make poop look pretty.) The Diaper Champ is white with blue trim and sometimes it has a tendency to get a little bit of poop on it if you don't wrap up the diaper tightly enough into a swan shaped origami figure before plopping it in. (ok, trying to chuck it in from a few feet away) (Sorry Dad, I didn't inherit your basketball grace.)
As for the smell, let's face it, sometimes I think our son harbors WOMD in his diaper. (Weapons of Mass Destruction, shhh! Don't tell anyone.) So, even Fort Knox couldn't keep that smell locked in. Although, perhaps a proton pack might do the trick? I think the Diaper Champ holds the smell in best but it's hard to tell because I think it might be that you have to change the Touch Free a little more frequently so maybe not as much stink accumulates.
Diaper Pail Hack
They both use standard kitchen trash bags so you don't have to waste money on those special sausage casing-type bags. The Touch Free does cost you extra in that you have to replace the batteries for the remote sensor AND you have to replace a charcoal filter once a month. That's the price you pay for coolness though. Unless you're cheap like me. When these batteries run out, we'll probably replace them with rechargeables to save a little on that cost. I skip the $3.49 charcoal filters and instead use a .99¢ 'stickup' air freshener in the lid. I just remove the little clippy thing-a-ma-do that holds the charcoal filter and adhere one of those stickups there instead. When the lid opens, the 'aroma' is that of Spring Fresh Poopy Diaper instead of just Fresh Poopy Diaper.
View the full demo from DadLabs here. There isn't anything these Dads won't do to bring you the "the scoop" — pun intended. For more great comparisons on diaper pales, check out this from their site.
Check out www.dadlabs.com and have a laugh. Drink some beer. Watch parents drink beer. Watch parents drink beer and give really good parenting advice.
Seriously!
How many times did I use the word poop?
There are only 2 times in your life when you get to use the word poop a lot without taking a lot of crap for it: When your ARE a preschooler and when you HAVE a preschooler.
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