10.31.2007

Opportunity of a Lifetime

This year Helen went back to the farm we visited last year. This time, she had a date. We took a friend from daycare, and they had a ball running around together.



You might recognize some of this stuff from the last post. But one of my proudest moments as a parent came when Helen cut in line on the slide. *sigh*







As I looked around me, there must have been over 300 people milling around with their children that Sunday afternoon. Picking out pumpkins, walking through the corn maze, or watching their children run around in a wide open space that's hard to find in their own neighborhood. At $5 a head, you can see where I'm going with this.

Next year, maybe people will pay to see the pumpkin patch in my backyard. I still have some small details to figure out, like how to fit a pumpkin patch on .17 acres of land, or how to grow the corn maze, or where to park 300 cars ... but I'm telling you, a farm is a gold mine in October. And I've got to cash in on Halloween myself, if only to pay for all the candy I'm giving away tonight.

Speaking of which, it's Pixie Stix and M&Ms. What were your favorite Halloween treats to get?

10.25.2007

So you want to learn to golf ...

Last month Brian played in a charity golf tournament for a cause near & dear to his heart: a summer camp where he worked for several summers, and made friends that will last a lifetime. (Or until his liver gives out, I forget which it is.)

Anyway, a few weeks prior to the tournament, Brian started shopping thrift stores for the perfect pants to turn into the classic golf knickers. He even got some pants for the guys in his foursome. Then he got out a needle & thread to make the necessary hem. Boy, he was proud of that hem work. I think the zippers will fall out before the hems do.

He searched for sweater vests, and he also found a website that sells the entire outfit, including the all-important argyle socks. He snagged a deal on several pairs, and apparently their group was quite a hit for the traditional foursome pictures.

Our Navy friend W. came into town for the weekend to stay with us. I happened to be at home when they stumbled in after a long, hot day on the links. The sweater vests were gone, but I think the fashion statement still comes through, loud and clear.

10.13.2007

Wonder Woman

Helen & I overdosed on episodes of Wonder Woman, Season 1 this week. Brian was watching the umpteenth football game of the week, and I couldn't take it anymore. So I said, "Helen, you want to watch Wonder Woman?" And she said, "Yeah! I don't wanna watch Cinderella, Mommy."

By the time the opening credits finished, she was HOOKED. Speaking of which, did anyone else remember the line from the theme song: "In your satin tights, fighting for your rights"? Yeah, me neither.

We made it through two episodes. Whenever Lynda Carter wasn't in her costume, she would ask me, "Where's Wonder Woman?" And I would say, "She'll be right back!"

I was 4 years old when this show first aired. Who were your heroes at the tender age of 4? I was addicted to the idea of being Wonder Woman. Of course, I was mesmerized by the dizzying magic of spinning into a new superhero outfit. God knows I used up all of the aluminum foil in the house making my own bracelets, spinning out on the front lawn. I even rode home on the school bus with paper bracelets taped on my wrists, and tiny stars drawn on them.

If only the awful acting and fake German accents weren't so painful to watch, I would have sat through the whole season. I have to say THANK YOU to my parents for enduring that. Back when that show was on the air, you guys must have been cringing the entire hour, and dreading the next week.

Either that, or Mom cringed while Dad said, "Where's Wonder Woman?"

But it suddenly clicked with me last night - even worse than all the bad acting was the horrifying message. Sample scene - an average of 3 times per episode - Wonder Woman rushes in to rescue Major Steve Trevor, who's under fire from the enemy, and as she races in, he smiles and asks, "Can you cook, too?" And she smiles back at him!

What a patronizing load of horse crap! I can't believe an Amazonian woman let him get away with that, and kept rescuing his sorry butt over & over again, even if the 1940's war-era "let the men do all the hard work" propaganda machine was in full swing. It was 1976 in Hollywood, for cry-eye! I realize Wonder Woman is all about woman power, and I'm only on episode 3, but good grief. Weren't ERA and NOW all the rage? Of course, it didn't help to have a former beauty queen running around in a bathing suit on national television as a symbol of all-feminine power, but it's such a missed opportunity to do something better.

Maybe I need to read the comic book and see where all of this came from, and do some research on how it translated to 1970's television. I realize I went on a bit of a rant here, but what I really meant to do was thank my family for putting up with this terrible excuse for an hour-long show. Really. Even if it was 1976, and the alternative was Fantasy Island or Love Boat. You guys, my parents deserve medals.

10.02.2007

When Did She Learn That?

Today I brought Helen home from daycare, and we went outside to play. After running around with the lawn mower, she hopped up on the swing with me and performed all of her new tricks.

She can sing the entire alphabet without any help.

She can count to ten without any help.

She can sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, skipping only one line and putting up her hands to show the diamond in the sky.

I knew I was paying that daycare a lot of money, and today, it was worth every single penny. Sometimes I feel so inadequate as a parent, not knowing how to teach her anything, except to repeat it over and over again, sometimes louder. And now she is telling me that she can do it. Message received, loud and clear.

This must be the rewarding part of parenting. I thought it was when she picks out a good nursing home for me.