Our Culturally Diverse Crazy Busy Life

Yes we are still alive - has it really been almost a month since I updated the blog? How time has flown - not unlike anyone else - our lives have been crazy busy!! We are so lucky to have this crazy busy life!!! I know we are lucky because I now have a digital frame in my office. This was a Christmas gift from east coast Auntie L -thanks Auntie L. T worked diligently to get pictures on it. He loaded EVERY single picture we have on it - so now through out each day I see all the images our life - all of it - backyard redos, bathroom remodels, living room repainted, carpet redone, dining floor redone, science fair projects involving mold, K's room neat, K's room as a disaster area, a chronology of lunch boxes (the girls were having a difficult time letting go of old lunch boxes, so I took pictures of all 20+ of them and convinced them to give them to Goodwill), picture inventory of our belongings (taken after we were robbed and realized we did not know exactly everything that was missing), the photos of all the figurines in K's room (taken when she was unattended with camera), as well as numerous dance recitals, Christmas programs, Santa Photos, birthdays... Seeing how much we have and how full our life is each day via the pictures, has made me really feel lucky to have the life I have. I get a bit teary eyed as I realize how quickly the girls are growing up. Another bonus of the frame is that when I am talking to someone in my office, I can tell when a picture of a toilet or the muddy back yard pops up - they get a very perplexed look on their face while talking to me - it has become sort of an experiment - to see who asks and who just continues on with the conversation/question!!

To keep our lives as enriching as possible, we have been partaking of some rather diverse cultural events lately. In one weekend we began a Science Fair Project with K to see if we could make beach glass at home, attended the Federal Way Symphony (Kit's violin teacher is in the Symphony and we can get cheap tickets), went to Kent Kids' Arts Day - where K was part of the Irish Dance performance, and topped it off with a Hockey Game (Hooray for the Thunderbirds!).

This last weekend we then went to Great Wolf Lodge -a hotel with an indoor water park. It was awesome - these water parks and water slides are becoming quite addictive. I am now contemplating a family vacation (or perhaps retirement) where we travel around the world seeking the world's best water slide. (Thanks Aunt J for encouraging me to begin this addiction!!) Great Wolf also has this cool game called MagiQuest - you run around the hotel flashing a wand at objects while trying to complete quests in a little book - it is so cool. A great time was had by all. As we were pulling out of the parking lot - Kit asked "When can we come back". I was contemplating when the next time was that we could return!!

In between these crazy weekends T travels all over - I now just confirm if he is in the same time zone as us so that we don't call too late! And really appreciate the days he is home.

I have been busy at work - the stimulus package includes some funding to NIH - finally money for research (including stem cell research)- but it has it's hassles - in true government fashion - there is not a clear dispersal of the funds. Each scientist I support is working through how to get their hands on the money available. This has created and increase in work load for me, although it is exciting times to finally see some funding for research.

The girls have been busy cleaning their rooms, doing their home work in a timely fashion, listening when I ask them to do something, picking up after themselves and keeping the house neat and tidy (oh wait - I am dreaming again!!). Seriously - they have been busy - K made High Honors last trimester - HOORAY FOR K- GOOD JOB! Kit is studying insects in school and is very impressed that a cockroach can live for 2 weeks without it's head and this is due to the fact that their brain is in their butt. (I know some people that I think might have this same thing going on!!) She is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the silkworms for the unit- she envisions making silk for her and K to sew a nice dress. We will see how that goes!!

Weekend Fun

Last weekend on Saturday we went to the Pacific Science Center and "Lucy's Legacy" exhibit.  It was fun and even educational!  We could not take pictures in the exhibit but we did take some outside.  Check out Kit's hat and beads.  The beads are Mardi Gras beads daddy brought back from business trip in New Orleans - "They match everything".  The hat was purchased using a gift card and she loves it!

On the way home from Lucy - we stopped by dad's office - I tried to capture the view (unsuccessfully) in the picture.  Did you see how clean that desk is - it would lead you to believe he is a neat and tidy guy - NOT - it is fairly clean because lately he is never in his office - he is travelling!!

Sunday we spent time taking care of J & E so that Auntie T could have well deserved time out with a friend. It was so much fun - the sun came out and we were able to play outside.  J & Kit played in the playroom while K followed E around everywhere. E ended up falling asleep on K in the chair and both rested for 2 hours!! We had a great time. 

I HATE Packets!

Driving home yesterday in response to my daily question of "How was your day?"  

Kit states "I HATE Packets!"

"What are packets?" I ask.

"Packets are these horrible things my teacher gives us and she announces all happy - 'Now we are going to do packets'.  They are a bunch of worksheets stapled together in a packet and she has tons of them.  I hurried to finish the packet, and then she gave me another one and she has a whole bunch of evil packets on her desk. I HATE PACKETS - they never end!!"

Kit has always been a kid that wants to finish the project or task so that it is done and she does not have to have it hanging over her and she can do the things she enjoys (art or read)- while this can be a wonderful thing - it is obviously a frustrating thing especially with "evil packets".  I discussed with her that she could just slow down and work on each packet -a hazard of her working to complete work quickly is that she works too fast so that she can finish her tasks and misses details. 

It was a bit challenging to console her - oh how I can relate to this - in the last week I have put together 3 grant "packets", 2 budget proposal "packets", 3 interview schedule "packets", a regulatory "packet" and my desk has many more of these "evil" packets awaiting my attention!!

Turns out - I HATE PACKETS TOO!!

Bra/Panties Size L

The girls' school has various community service projects through out the year. Each class is responsible for one. For some of the projects the class engages the entire school in assisting (donating) to the community service project.  Kit's class collected food for complete Thanksgiving dinners for the local food bank. K's class does office duty and covers lunch for the office staff.  

The Kindergarten class community service project was "Have a Heart for Sacred Heart".  Sacred Heart is a women and children's shelter and all the students in the school were asked to go pick a heart on the tree by the Kindergarten class.  The hearts had items written on them that the shelter needed.  Kit came home with a heart that said "Bra/Panties Size L".  This brings me to a question - what is a size large bra and how the heck do you buy a bra for someone you have never seen or met?  Is a size large bra a 36 C or a 44 G?  I know someone who is a 32A - she has stated in a previous conversation that she cannot imagine wearing a C cup bra  - "a C cup must be huge". It is all relative - I see a 44G as a large size.  Prior to Kit obtaining the heart we were at Nordstrom Rack - K was shopping the bra rack (she loves lingerie) and found a 48 G bra that she proceeded to place on Kit and Kit "wore" it over to me to show me. "Lovely!"

I questioned Kit- "Why did you choose this heart?  Were there any other hearts available?" To which she replied - "There were lots of others available, this one was at the very top of the tree, I could see what it said, and I had to jump up high to get it, and I GOT IT!"  So she intentionally chose this item!! Not sure why I asked, but I asked what did the other hearts have on them?  Kit replied, "Boring stuff like diapers, formula, and blankets."  Yeah that is pretty boring - much more fun to torture mom with shopping for "Bra/Panties Size L!"

Although Kit and K wanted to go to Nordstrom Rack and get the 48G bra, we went to Target to shop for these items. I, myself, am very picky on the type of undergarments I wear.  As we shopped I was reminded how lucky I am that I can afford these items and afford to be picky as to the style and size.  We bought some sports style bras that were a size L and some packaged panties (same dilema -  is size L a 7 or a 10?)

K chose a much easier heart - "Twin Bedding". This came with another dilemna - what color - girl, boy, generic...  Bedding? Does that mean blankets and sheets? ...

I probably take this all to seriously - I am sure that for the women in this shelter, just to have any of these items is welcomed.  I am truly thankful that I can afford these items and can help those less fortunate.