MiddletownJournal.com

What did you get for Mother’s Day?

By LucyB | Thursday, May 15, 2008, 01:40 AM

Before every gift-giving holiday, be it Valentine’s Day, Christmas or Hanukkah, the media always provides predictions — what we want, what we don’t want, how we’ll return what we got that we don’t want, how much we’ll spend, how much we spent last year, how gift cards are “the new black,” etc., etc.

But what we often don’t follow through with are the two most obvious questions: 1) What did you get? and 2) Did you like it?

Did you get a homemade card? A tissue-paper corsage? Get breakfast in bed or get taken out for dinner, or did you have to do the cooking (and the dishes)?

I’ll go first: I had a rough weekend — Hubby and 9-year-old were on a father-daughter campout from Friday to Sunday, and older son came down sick with some type of virus that had him on the couch moaning with pain and feverish, so I played nursemaid to him, placater to toddler and also volunteered at a school fundraiser. By Sunday afternoon I was tired and snarly. I even left Hubby a mountain of dishes as penance for his abandonment in my “time of need.”

But he saved the day in true Mighty Mouse fashion: He poured me a mimosa and presented me with a half-dozen roses and a basket full of stress-relief aromatherapy products from Bath & Body. Then we tripped off for dinner at Mimi’s Cafe, located in the suburbs of that faux city The Greene. All in all a good day, not counting our pitifully sick 12-year-old.

I’m offering you a forum if you want to praise or pan your partner’s/children’s picks. Speak now or forever hold your peace!

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Two more days for Boonshoft exhibit!

By LucyB | Tuesday, May 13, 2008, 01:54 AM

I recently took the kids to the Boonshoft Museum, on DeWeese Parkway in Dayton, for an afternoon of discovery. We hadn’t been there in a while; it was actually the first visit for my 2-year-old.

My older kids — ages 12 and 9 — have been there many, many times, though. Three incidents that come to mind:

1) At about age 8, my older son constructed such a complex contraption at the water play area, that when he plugged the final piece in, it started spouting a fountain about 10 feet into the air and all over the parents standing nearby. Oops!

2) Daughter, at age 4, got stuck at the top of the climbing tower, and I was (am) too plump to get to her, so her 8-year-old brother had to rescue her. I know, I know, there’s an age requirement, so she shouldn’t have been up there in the first place, but she was a quick little thing and I was (am) too plump to catch her.

3) I hit my head so hard on one of the low door frames that I fell to my knees and nearly blacked out. I think it was in the veterinarian’s office. The details of the rest of that visit are a bit fuzzy, for obvious reasons.

Despite these embarrassing moments, we’ve had lots of fun peeking at the animal skeletons, big bugs and mummies; dancing in the light room; playing dress up; watching the otters; “shopping” at the general store.

(Although I do wish some handy volunteer would re-create the animal costumes for the see-through stump tunnel — the old ones are getting rather ratty.)

On our most recent trip, the kids had a ball checking out the Engineer It! exhibit, which is only going to be in town till May 14. You have two more days to catch it. (Check it out here.) They especially enjoyed building arch bridges with giant blocks and constructing a quake-proof tower (especially relevant with the recent tragedy in China). The toddler loved messing with the paddle boats. It’s so fun to watch your children having fun while learning at the same time.

You can almost see their brains growing right before your eyes — which would be a really cool exhibit, come to think of it.

I missed the white alligator that was visiting the Boonshoft a few years back (bummer), so now I always try to check for upcoming exhibits that pique my interest. There’s a Chinasaur show, fossil vault and giant snapping turtle coming this summer, so don’t miss out!

Most years, we buy a family membership pass, which is a great way to help fund a local attraction and at the same time enjoy discounts to places like the Cincinnati and Cleveland zoos, the Indianapolis Children’s Museum and COSI.

Want to check out the Boonshoft but don’t have the extra cash for the admission price? (adults, $8.50; kids 2-12, $7) Here’s a little known secret: Every third Tuesday is Free Family Fun Night! Fifth Third Bank sponsors the event, which I believe starts after 4 p.m.

And don’t forget to bring two quarters and a shiny penny for the kids to crank out a souvenir on your way out. That’s still my 12-year-old’s favorite part of the outing!

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‘Juno’: It’s a must-rent!

By LucyB | Saturday, May 3, 2008, 01:55 AM

Most parents don’t get baby sitters often enough.

Skyline, the schoolyard and ‘Spiderwick’ notwithstanding, we don’t go out to eat often enough, we don’t get together with friends often enough, and we definitely don’t go to movies often enough.

Some parents I know have never even been away from their children overnight, which I think is a darn shame. I mean, I love my kids to the core of my being, but a weekend away with Hubby is pure bliss.

We have to steal our ‘me-time’ moments when we can. That’s why I say: Thank God for DVDs!

We’ve rushed the kids to bed more Saturday nights than I can count, eager to make nachos, mix a cocktail and settle back with a good movie. Last Saturday night — with “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” tempting us from its little jewel box atop the TV — I turned to Hubby and asked if he was ready to put the kids to bed. He said, “It’s only 7:30!”

Maybe I get a little too eager for “date night” to begin.

Anywho, on with my mini review of ‘Juno,” the best movie I’ve seen in a while.

You’ve read the reviews: Wise-cracking pregnant teen makes hard choice. But, oh, ‘Juno’ is so much more than that. It’s the kind of movie that you’re sad to see end.

The talented cast — including Oakwood’s own Allison Janney — created quirky characters that really stick with you. Watching the dynamics between father and daughter, stepmom and stepdaughter, pregnant friend and nonpregnant friend, prospective adoptive parents, and the teenage lovers felt so real, it hardly seemed like they were acting.

Ellen Page simply charms the screen. The scenes have this duality thing going, portraying real-life scary issues with the floaty feeling of teenage surreality. Like “Napoleon Dynamite” with an edge.

And the choice that Juno made surprised even me, someone who prides herself in being able to unfold a movie’s plot before anyone else in the room.

‘Juno’ is sweet, witty and wry. Give it a try!

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Cloth diapers — are they nuts?!

By LucyB | Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 01:34 AM

Just in time for Earth Day: An actual cloth diaper service for the Dayton and Cincinnati area — just like in the olden times!

Well, better, actually. Way back when my mom started having babies — in the days before video baby monitors and car seats (!) — disposable diapers had yet to hit the superstores, which hadn’t been invented yet, either. She tells horror stories of soaking smelly diapers in an even smellier pale. In the immortal words of Boris Karloff, and I quote: “Stink. Stank. Stunk.” YUCK!

No wonder she had her girls potty-trained at 12 months.

But it sounds like a new business started by my co-worker Amy Hruschak and her husband PJ has gotten around that problem. No soaking needed at home! Good Natured Baby uses a washing process developed by the National Association of Diaper Services consisting of several hot-water rinses, minimal bleach use, balanced pH levels and monthly bacterial testing.

From the looks of their informative Web site, Good Natured Baby Diaper Service in Liberty Twp. has solved all the problems for you. What they’re offering is a healthier alternative for your baby, and for the earth.

For just $20 a week, you can be absolved of the guilt that most of us feel when we toss yet another soiled Pamper into the garbage. I don’t even want to THINK about how many diapers our family has added to the world’s waste pile!

For those of you who would like to take a step torward a healthier planet, but are unsure of making a commitment, Good Natured Baby even offers a two-week trial period.

So if you’ve wondered about cloth diapers, give the Hruschaks’ site a look-see. It’s a noble undertaking by a nature lovin’ family. I wish them much success on their bottom line!

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Birthdays and braces

By LucyB | Wednesday, April 16, 2008, 01:41 AM

At some point this year, I lost track of my own age (they call that dementia, don’t they?) and thought I had already turned 42, thereby missing part of my 41st year.

I didn’t realize my mistake till my Birthday Eve. It went something like this:

Me (to self, looking forlornly into the mirror): “(Heavy sigh) I’m almost 43. Another year bites the dust. (another sigh)”

Me (to self, in surprised voice after doing the math): “Hey, wait a minute! I’m only going to be 42!”

I have renewed vigor now. I’ve come up with a plan on how I can regain my lost youth: I’ve decided that this will be my 41st birthday, since I was cheated out of the full year the first go-round. This is will be 41(b) — like a 401(k) only younger. And I promise I’ll jump to 43 next year. …

I’m going home at 2 a.m. and waking up Hubby to share a glass of birthday champagne and a fancy DLM pastry a friend at work brought me tonight. Hubby and I both have April birthdays — I’m only seven days older — so we feel it’s our birth right to party the whole week long.

And thus begins the annual Week of Old Fart Jokes at our house, with Hubby never missing an opportunity to remind me that I’m MUCH older than he is. …

Hubby took the kids and the Birthday Girl to “breakfast for dinner” at First Watch (a Newspapers in Education event), which was a big sacrifice for him. He may be the only person in America who doesn’t like pancakes, omelettes and bacon at any time of the day. Weird, huh? He should consider it payback for all those jokes. …

Best present ever: After spending the afternoon of my birthday at the orthodontist’s office with my 9-year-old daughter, listening to scary talk about the actual out-of-pocket cost of a perfect smile and seeing scary pictures —no one looks good with their lips peeled back— of her crowded canines, our wonderful ortho (Dr. Stephen Burke) said we should take it slow and wait to see what happens as she loses more baby teeth.

No braces yet! Hooray! A 6-month reprieve for my wallet! …

Speaking of expensive tastes: The good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, my daughter will have her first double-digit birthday in France this summer. She is so excited she just may burst by then.

And who could blame her? The anticipation of patisseries, French cheeses, and melt-in-your-mouth pate has kept me going these long winter months.

Happy Birthday to Me!

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Does your minivan really need two DVD players?

By LucyB | Thursday, April 10, 2008, 01:48 AM

I must rant.

I was shocked and appalled when I saw the commercial for the latest version of the Chrysler Town and Country minivan.

The Scene: A normal-looking mom, standing with two normal-looking kids, tells a sales dude that they’ll be taking an eight-hour trip.

The horror! Whatever will she do?

Any parent’s reasonable answer? Buy a minivan with two — count ‘em, two — DVD players!

(Click here to see the overindulgent “mother’s helper” in action.)

Your children will never have to interact with one another, or you, again.

Think how proud you’ll be, flying by languid landscapes and breathtaking sunsets. Zipping past roadside Americana and historic landscapes. And all the while, the kids can zone out to the umpteenth showing of both “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” at the same time. It’s a dream come true!

How quiet your ride will be, and that’s the main goal of a family vacation, isn’t it? Forget all that mumbo-jumbo about “making memories for a lifetime.” Who really needs to see the World’s Largest Teapot, anyway?

Enough venting. Here’s my advice:

Pack a bag. Pack some snacks. Throw in a map and a book or two (for when the kids start crabbing at each other). Load the family into the minivan — the one without even a single DVD player — and head out on the highway.

Talk. Laugh. Sing. Enjoy each other’s company, for heaven’s sake.

Grab life by the gas cap while you still can.

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Wisdom of boys: Why God likes them better

By LucyB | Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 11:49 PM

I was walking on the schoolyard with a 7-year-old friend today when he slipped his backpack on backward, giving himself a great round belly full of books.

“Look,” he said, patting his protuberance. “It’s the new fashion.”

Then I decided to pick his little brain for blog fodder:

“That way you can see what it feels like to be pregnant,” I said with a grin, motioning to a pregnant mom across the lawn.

Belly Boy: “That’s just for girls.”

“I know. We’re lucky,” I said, leading him a little closer to the edge.

BB: “No, we’re lucky. We don’t have to worry about that stuff.”

Me: “Yeah, guys just have to sit around and act worried.”

BB: “… and worry about whether the baby’s a girl or not.”

That boy is wise beyond his years.

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