A PIZZA CUTTER: The Cool in Everyday Life
I’m starting an occasional feature called
‘The Cool in Everyday Life’.
This is not about how very cool it is to be the mother of a 4-year-old. It is very cool to have a little guy to hang around with and see the world through his eyes.
This is about cool, practical stuff. It’s not rocket science.
Here it goes.
Last fall I went to HomeGoods. (Yes, I’ve been since.)
I LOVE this store.
It is a great place to find presents and fun, cute stuff for every room in your house AND everything is discounted 20- 60%. If you’ve never been- go!
I found this super cool PINK pizza cutter and bought it for my mother-in-law. I started wheeling my cart away and said to myself – STOP!
‘Nicole, get another one for yourself; you are going to go home and John will say, ‘that’s really cool, did you get one for us?’ And I’ll say no. Why do I always do that?’
So I went back and picked up another one for our family. It’s very cute. But more importantly – it’s a really good pizza cutter and it has this cool, safe, protective cover… a must with little ones running around. By the way, it’s by Cuisinart.
This is just a pizza cutter. But it’s the best pizza cutter I’ve ever had.
Like I said above, this isn’t rocket science…
but if you were spending a lot of time today pondering which pizza cutter to buy- it’s the perfect post!
A HAIRCUT… MAYBE?
I’ve always cut my son’s hair. He has a lot of curly hair and it grows at lightning speed, and I like to keep it short, in a real little boy haircut.
We’ve been trying to convince him to get his haircut at Daddy’s barbershop up the street. It’s nice, I see tons of kids there. We’ve gone with my husband to get his hair cut, gotten lollipops they’ve given us, blah, blah, blah.
So we’re driving in the car yesterday, right by the barbershop.
I say to my son, in an effort to drive home the point of going to the barbershop
and that ‘everyone’ is doing it-
“I’m going to go to Daddy’s barbershop to get my hair trimmed soon.”
My son: “Good for you Mommy!”
Silence.
Not the response I was looking for.
MY ODE TO DC… AND THE TRAFFIC
I always get a little misty-eyed this time of year, seeing Rolling Thunder around the beltway traffic, coming into town…
and remembering what Memorial Day is all about.
But the thousands of motorcycles (which are very cool, especially to my 4-year-old) that come into town every Memorial Day weekend also make me think of
vehicles,
driving,
… and traffic.
So here it goes –
My Ode to DC and the Traffic,
or rather,
DC– I Love You Even Though:
I love DC even though it isn’t really a grid. Numbered streets run north-south and lettered streets run east-west. This starts at the Capitol building… but there are exceptions. And you have to pay close attention to the endings on street signs- NW, SW, NE, SE or you will not end up where you wanted to be… and everyone that you’ve made late will be annoyed (long story).
Avenues run at diagonals across the city and are named after states. They are supposed to be fast cross-city short-cuts, but I’ve lived here my whole life and the thought of using Wisconsin Avenue as a ‘short-cut’ is laughable. Have you ever been on an ‘avenue’ with so many lights?
Streets start and stop… and then start up again.
And then there are the circles.
There are at least 10 major DC intersections with circles. Just one of the problems with these ‘circle intersections’ is that the street you entered the circle on- may not continue on the opposite side of the circle or may jettison off at some weird angle that you weren’t expecting… and pass.
I love DC even though some streets, and I mean major streets, change from two-way to one-way, depending on the time of day.
This is CRAZY! I used to work on 15th street, which changes to one-way for evening rush hour… and see people driving the wrong way. What was really crazy was that it didn’t phase us after a while, my co-workers and I would just shake our heads and say something like, ‘yikes, somebody didn’t read the street signs.’
I love DC even though Metro Center has about 15 different exits and if you choose the wrong one you seem to be half-a-mile from where you meant to be (another long story).
But I love that when I walk down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol,
I still catch my breath.
I love that there are SO MANY museums, and activities and sights to see and do with my son… most of which are free.
Growing up here, I’ve always thought of DC as a very small city, with a Very Big Name.
The DC area is a place where you can run into people and old neighbors, and old friends, and schoolmates… walking down the street.
There is big business here and shopping.
There are beautiful parks and trails.
The change of seasons makes me smile and stop- every single time.
And of course, there’s the government. For such a small city, DC has an incredible number of patriotic and historical sights that you can see and even stumble upon… on any given day.
And you know what? I really like that.
An abbreviated version of this can be read at DC Metro Moms Blog.
I’M QUOTED
I’m quoted on Blogtations!
I love this site. It’s a compilation of great quotes from around the daily blogosphere. Check it out…
and if you go- scroll down for the BananaBlueberry quote on finger painting.
If you like a quote on Blogtations, click on it and check out a new blog.
This BlogLand or ours is getting pretty cool.
BlogLand… hmmm, can I copyright that? Has it been used? I’m off to Wikipedia!
Have a good Memorial Day Weekend!
A TREE FALLS THROUGH A HOUSE…
My husband’s uncle lives in Rehobeth Beach, Delaware.
Last week there was a terrible storm. Amidst all the lightening and thunder our uncle and aunt were calm. She was safely in another part of their home, as he went up to their bedroom,
sat down in his favorite chair
and put on a pair of socks.
As he sat there, putting on the second sock, he heard what sounded like an explosion…
A 100-foot oak tree fell through the house and landed four-feet away from him.
Having had no time to react- or leap or jump or run, he was then sitting there,
in his favorite chair,
putting on a sock
with a 100-foot oak tree lying beside him.
… Can you imagine?
My father-in-law didn’t know anything about the storm, but called him a little while later to check in to see how his spirits were-
because he was going in the next morning for test results on his kidney cancer.
Our uncle said to my father-in-law,
“I’m not worried a bit about the tests, I just had a 100-foot tree fall through my bedroom, four-feet away from me. If God wanted to take me, he would have done it that way.”
The test results the next morning showed he is now… cancer-free.
I think there is a life lesson in here somewhere.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT HORSE RACING? Can a Mutt Save the Day?
This time of year I hop on the bandwagon of horse racing, like everyone else. I enjoy it… and know nothing about it.
As everyone knows, Big Brown has won The Kentucky Derby And The Preakness. If he wins The Belmont on June 7th- he wins the Triple Crown, which no horse has won in 30 years.
But horse racing seems to be changing. Barbaro won The Kentucky Derby in 2006. He then shattered a leg at The Preakness and had to be euthanized the following January.
Eight Belles came in second at The Kentucky Derby this year. The filly then broke both her legs galloping after the race and had to be euthanized on the track.
Eight Belles is related to Barbaro. And guess who else is? Yep- Big Brown. Did Barbaro pass on a gene of weak front legs? That doesn’t make sense, how could it win races if its legs were weak?
But why are top horses in racing breaking their legs… ?
I do not think there is one answer or one entity to blame. However, horse racing is a HUGE business now. There is a lot of money involved. There is a level of money involved now that owners can pay whatever fee is required to breed their prizewinner with another prizewinner.
These horses are breeding offspring that are bigger and faster. But something has to change if horses keep dying.
America will not tolerate another Kentucky Derby where the second place finisher dies on the track.
So what’s the answer? I’ve read that these horses are extremely well cared for and their jockeys treat them as a member of their family. Is horse racing unconsciously breeding horses that are
too big and too fast.
Horse racing may someday, maybe someday soon, have to regulate breeding-
like say that 2 big-time winning horses cannot breed, or something like that…
Basically, the mutt may have to be re-introduced into racing. Mutts are healthy for a species…
I’m a mutt, my son is a mutt. Mutts are cool.
Mutts might just be the answer.
ANOTHER GREAT QUOTE ABOUT MOM
“Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.”
~Marion C. Garretty,
quoted in ‘A Little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul’
CATERPILLARS ARE EVERYWHERE- I’ve killed 2 already
Here in DC, it’s caterpillar season.
We have a small tree in our backyard that those small white moths chose to infest with 18 caterpillar nests (I just counted). Don’t know if the tree will make it, but that’s another post for another day. Ahh, nature.
Caterpillars are EVERYWHERE. They are on our house, our deck, our screened-in porch, the front steps, the sidewalk, the grass and the streets.
You have to watch where you step… I learned this the hard way.
My son told me to watch where I was stepping a few days ago. I thought I was…
My son: Mommy, watch where you’re stepping.
Me: I am honey.
My son: Mommy, lift up your foot.
I saw a squished caterpillar with a black ball of goo protruding from it’s nether regions.
My son: That’s not good.
Me: ( Thinking about what I’m going to say)
My son: That will go back in, won’t it? (pointing to the black ball of goo)
Me: (Pause) Yes, it will. I’ll just put it over here in the garden to heal (I know I’m lying to my child- YIKES!)
My son: (looking at me like he’s not sure to take the leap of faith that whatever Mommy says is true)
That was a few days ago. And since then he has told everyone to make sure they watch where they step because “Mommy stepped on one, but it was okay”.
Last night was the topper. My husband and I sat down with my son after dinner on our front steps to wave to the ice-cream man (my son didn’t want any ice-cream, but he wanted to wave to the truck- gotta love kids).
We went inside and started to get ready for bedtime. I got up from our couch that
WE JUST RE-COVERED 2 WEEKS AGO because of the too-numerous-to-keep-track-of
diaper, vomit, mucus, and food mishaps.
My husband looked at me with alarm. I looked down. A dead caterpillar was on the couch !!!!!!!!
My husband asked me to turn around.
My husband: Why don’t you go upstairs and change. We’ll meet you up there. (LUCKILY, My son was in the bathroom)
I quickly cleaned up the caterpillar insides off our couch and ran upstairs- because my son was flushing the toilet.
I had sat on a caterpillar outside and it there was black goo ALL OVER the seat of my pants.
How did I sit on a caterpillar ???!!!!!! UGH !!
It just reminds me: LISTEN to 4-year-olds. They’re smart!
THE TAO OF FINGER PAINTING
Anyone who has visited my blog in the past month knows,
Springtime is finally here in DC. And what better way to kick-start Spring, than a good finger-painting session.
Finger painting is fun, it’s inexpensive and it’s easy to clean up.
Go outside and paint, find some grass and paint the grass too.
All finger paints wash off with water, maybe a little soap- that’s it.
My son and I always start with strictly the fingers, then move to hands and then…
feet!
A few thoughts:
The Tao of Finger Painting
You can’t be mad and finger paint. You can’t be stressed and finger paint. You unconsciously relax when finger painting.
My son always has a grin on his face when he’s finger painting. So do I.
There is something really rewarding about making a picture with your hands…
Mixing colors and creating new shades never gets old…
No one gets old if they finger paint.
A GREAT COMEBACK LINE
Springtime has really come to DC. It has been beautiful this week.
So my son and I… and the jogging stroller, walked in to downtown Bethesda. My husband drove home from work and met up with us at Austin Grill for a spontaneous weeknight dinner out…
which I try to plan as often as I can.
Our waiter had on a T-shirt that said, ‘WILLIE’.
He was a good waiter and seemed nice so I said,
“Is your name Willie?”
As soon as the words came out of my mouth I noticed that just about all the waiters and bartenders were wearing some sort of T-shirt dedicated to Willie Nelson.
“No, my name is Chris… If my name was Willie, I wouldn’t wear this T-shirt.”
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I Was In The 2012 Show !
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Nicole’s Book
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