ABC's

My little mermaid has learned how to work the computer's built in camera and subsequently, I have a large collection of still photo's of the top 3/4 of her head. Here is a cute video.And a couple of the stills:

Can you tell who taught her how to use the camera?

Today is broccoli day!

Little n turned 1 in September, and loved his mylar balloon as much as his sister did, does, I mean did.

Halloween was great fun. The kids were both superheros. M was a superprincesshero. The three of us went trick-or-treating. I tell ya, four years old and we're still getting down. As of now, M is still working on 

1) ringing the doorbell

2) saying trick or treat

3) holding open her bag

4) saying thank you.

She pretty much just stood there and said Happy Halloween as she ran down their drive, clutching a handful candy.

Tender boy moments....


And a typical N moment. This one's for you Mom!

Blustery Fall Days

So, Monday is our new official "family day," as N and I both have off. This past Monday we went to Folly Beach pier to fish. Boy, was it a windy one. Mermaid and N each had poles, but N manned them both, for the most part.

The following day we heade

d downtown and checked out the battery, as well as Waterfront Park. Big N recently told M the story of the turtle and the hare, as she has a tendency to run ahead and then be too tired to walk. Well, she missed the moral of the story and has since decided to run ahead while calling herself "the rabbit." This outing was no exception. A whirly, running, watery, beautiful outing.

The Economy for Dummies

You all know IYNPR and This American Life. Well, there are two great podcasts they've put out on the economic crisis that we are now in. The first one is one is on the housing crisis and how it came to be and the second one is on the economic bailout. Both so eye opening for me. 

#1 The Giant Pool of Money

#2 Another Frightening Show About the Economy

Just click on "Full Episode."

Don't forget to support your local public radio station!

Baby steps

So, little N is not so little anymore! He took his first few unassisted steps last week, is slowly getting weaned off mommy's milk and really enjoys to play now. With the winter slowly setting in, I have had the opportunity to dress him in some warmer clothing in the mornings. (Thanks for the clothes Auntie Em:-) And he thinks long sleeves are so weird! He examines his arms , tugs on the cuff and looks at me perplexed. What is this strange covering on my body? 

He really gets into his toys now, but he gets very easily frustrated when he can't get them to work correctly. He knows for instance that the button on top his farm truck says "Moo," or spits out the tune of Old MacDonald when pressed, and if he pushes incorrectly and does not get a sound he makes a sound. And it reminds me of Old MacDonald's squealing piggy. Same scenario if he can't line up a shape to fit inside where it's supposed to. Grunting and whining ensue. I'm telling you, patience of a thirteen month old! Oh! And he loves to throw balls. He and M play "fetch," where one of them throws a small ball and they both crawl like crazy after it. Whoever gets there first, throws it again. And N almost exclusively uses is right hand.

The Un-Brittany

Good news! Another great thing about M being in school is that she has begun singing. She often regales us with classics such as "The wheels on the bus," and "The days of the week." She also keeps a keen ear on the radio and has begun to learn the popular songs she hears.  Pretty cute when she sings Kanyes "American Girl." Not so cute when she sings "I kissed a girl." Thanks Katie Perry, I didn't think I'd have to explain that one so early. Her favorite one is Natasha Bedingfield's "Pocket full of Sunshine." And what all this has taught us is 1) Need to now filter radio like we do T.V. (I'm not going to hear any club songs coming out of her cutie mouth) and 2) We do not need to worry about her making it as a young Disney star, going to rehab, shaving her head and ending up in a psych ward. The girl is tone-deaf! Cute as a button but can't carry a tune in a bucket. 

Super... what!

I hope she does get the part of Eliza in the new My Fair Lady!

This says it all

Rod-

Gator gets 2 prozac (lt. blue pills)

    1 xanax (yellow)

Also - they'll need water (by the door)

If Gator makes a mess - I left towels on the stove - just throw them in the washer and I'll deal with them when I get home.

Thanks so much!

Happy Turkey Day

This is an old note that M found under the stove yesterday. It was left by the last tenant as instructions for how to care for her dogs while she was away. Nice, huh? Explains the lovely condition of the carpets.

Baby Flaunt

Little N is an Olympian eater, but even champ's need a nap once in a while

Here is the debut of his two,

 fine, new, front teeth.

                  

                          

So Happy!

My princess is part angel-YES THE DRESS STILL FITS!, and ALL co-co-nuts.

Incidentally, she has entered the feces stage of her personal humor. Most sentences now end it the phrase, "poo-poo, pee-pee in my diaper. ha ha ha ha ha."

Calling all mothers!

Check it out. This has been around for two seasons but I just found it. Funny women, funny mom stories written by real moms. Enjoy!

Dr Horrible FREE NOW!

Here is the website for the Dr Horrible sing-a-long blog mini series. Only until midnight tonight is it free, then gotta buy at iTunes for $1.99 episode.

xoxo to all

Wicked awesome

Future big screen hit!

How many copies of this do you think Mom would receive as a gift when it reached DVD? She might even surpass Ninja K's Dr. Seuss graduation blowout.

Tagged!

What were you doing ten years ago?

I had recently moved back to Charlotte from Wilmington - the "fire everything burned" move. I was kinda living on Round Oak with my family, but spending most nights at Heathstead with cool Norm and his friends, playing cards and trying to beat the sun to bed. 

Favorite snacks?

cheese in all it's delightful forms

Sunchips, 

tappanade

guacamole 

sushi

5 things on my to do list today?

Well, tomorrow. It's already late today.

Empty out M's suitcase

Get started on my nephews birthday present

Go to the Library

Update some bills/addresses

Go to laundromat with my cloth diapers

Things I would do if I was a billionaire?

Buy Norm any boat he wanted.

Shop at stores that serve complimentary champagne.

Visit my family any time I wanted to on my private jet.

Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro

Pay someone to organize all my photos/scrapbooks

5 jobs I have had?

Phone book deliverer 

mailroom clerk

model

hostess

pizza deliverer 

5 places I have lived? 

Albany, NY

Montecito, CA

Wilmington, NC

Palm Desert, CA

Charlotte, NC

5 random things people don't know about me?

I obsess over things I would not like to happen to my eyeball. ie: paper cut to it, having it poked out.

I have strong ambivalence towards bumper stickers.

I think This American Life is the greatest thing on the radio today.

I can recite all the prepositions in alphabetical order.

The only movie I ever walked out of the theater on was Toys staring Robin Williams.

5 CD's I would take to a desert island?

Joni Mitchell, Greatest hits

Counting Crows, Across the Wire (VHI Live)

Dave Matthews, Crash

Grateful Dead, American Beauty

Indigo Girls, Become You

5 people I tag?

Mom, Ninja K and Ninja E, E from "and some Wood not," and blondeB. Hey if Airman A is feeling frisky, go right ahead!

P.S. the non-bloggers can post in the comments section.

Burn This

For all of you aching for some great summer T.V...

The new season of Burn Notice (season #2)  premieres tonight at 10 on USA. The cable-less one here is excited to see that they have finally added online viewing as well, so I will check it out sometime Friday. Go to their website to find fun games (which kind of spy are you? and Sam's Stash) and eventually watch their videos. 

And, you can watch Monk/Psych, too!

Currently I've been watching NBC's past episodes of 30 Rock. So hilarious!!

N's New Trick

Check out what N learned this afternoon! So adorable.

Pool Time

Here's a couple of vid's of M in the pool yesterday. Her canonball is still more of a belly flop which all spectators find amusing and slightly painful to watch. She can swim all the way to the deep end now without help! We've had thunderstorms every day for 4 days now with last night bringing a spectacular lightening storm that lit up the sky like daylight for nearly an hour. So, we've had to get our "loop" time in earlier in the day before they strike. 

You know you love me

Can't get enough of me? Download my google gadget to iGoogle. (It's awesome..iGoogle, and my gadget.) Just click this link here and subscribe!

Footloose and Floatie Free

Happy day-after Father's Day to all the fathers out there, especially the father of D-Addy. Too cute! We had a great weekend visiting with Mommy H and Pap. Pap brought N down a fishing pole and a filled tackle box as his F-Day gift. They tested out the pole today at a tidal inlet and caught 2 baby sharks and 2 small unidentifiable fish. All were tossed back, but what a blast. M completely enjoyed her grandparents and spent time each day in the pool with Mommy H. She really had the full mermaid moves in effect, as on Thursday I had decided that 4 and 1/4 was too old to not be putting her face underwater. So without fanfare I grabbed M, bobbed up and down with her in the pool while counting 1-2-3 and then dunked her. Best thing I ever did! She immediately took off the floaties and has hardly put them on since. Now she doggy paddles, back floats, and definitely puts her face underwater (purposely and not.) Here is a scene from the pool now:

M: Hey Mom, look. I can put my face underwater.

Me: Awesome!

M: Look, Mom. Hey, Mom. I can put my face underwater.

Me: Wow! Your such a big girl.

M: Watch me Mom, watch me. I can swim without my floaties!

Me: Mm-hmmm

M: Watch me Mom, look. Watch Me. I'm a big girl, I swim without my floaties, and I put my face underwater.

Me: W-O-W

And on and on. She just needs to get down that talking while her head is barely above surface leads to water intake, and drowning. My favorite was the second day when she was in the 4' and her head quit bobbing above the water. Norm responded with the reflexes of an ex-lifegaurd and pulled her up for air quickly. She hardly took a breath before saying, "I put my face underwater!" Such a proud little mermaid.

G's First Published Fiction

Hey ya'll,

This is the story  I wrote that was published in C.O.D's literary magazine. Once on the page, look to the left hand menu and click on Ruby's Gift. Enjoy.

P.S. "Excuse me, there's two n's at the end of my name." Translation: It's Ga-linda, with an uhhh.

Track that book

I just heard about a great new website/game called Book Crossing. After you join online you can register your books by ISBN and release them into the wild at coffees hops, surf shops, park benches, etc. Then, when someone picks up and reads (or not) your book, they go the website and go to that specific books journal entry page to record where it is, where they found it, what they thought. It's like Where's George, but sooo much cooler. Books change lives. My username is gwendyland, come check me out later when I have time to spruce up my book reviews.

Martha Madness

So, we have yet to get cable T.V. service (but don't mess with my internet, ya'll) so I have had oodles of time to catch up on all the ABC network season finales that I missed. 

Spoiler alert if you are even more behind than I was!!

How awesome was the Desperate Housewives ending??!! My especially favorite part is where Brie turns into the Martha Stewart we all know she should be. Ahhhh. To have my heroine invade your lives every Sunday next fall as the screen version of Ms. Stewart is so satisfying. On a sadder note, only one box of books did not survive the cross country mailing. It contained my wedding planner, my homebirth notebook-with all ultrasound photos:( my recipe book from Omy (sis #1) and my Martha Stewart Handbook. How do I know this, you ask? I got a phone call while we were still home hunting in S.C from a guy who lives in Texas and received my wedding planner in the mail instead of his brother's package to him. I guess a mail truck from SoCal (that guy's brother lives in La Jolla) damaged a bunch of packages, because all they could make out of the wreckage was my wedding planner matched to his name?? He said he would mail it to me, but I haven't seen it yet. The other items from that box are lost to the wind and/or government warehouses. Au revoir, and you all enjoy the new redheaded version of Martha on your T.V.'s next fall.

Swiffer Lust

I am so currently in love with my SwifferVac (Thanks Gram!) It vacuums. It Swiffers. There is no cat hair too wispy or food bit too large. Macaroni, I fear you no more. Mighty Zeus, the commercials were right! Cordless, sleek, and unassuming...Swiffer, you have my heart.

Look, it's so easy even boys can use it. Baby boys.

Feline Fun

Madison is wallowing in her single cat-dom. She lies around majestically, halfway puts up with Noah's ungraceful petting, and hasn't peed on our stuff once. Ahhhhh, the wonders of kitty prozac.

G Job

I got the call today, on Sunday I will start at the Country Club of Charleston. Man, it will feel good to have a schedule again. M asks me "What's in the morning?" referring to the next day as soon as she wakes up and I haven't had an solid answer for weeks. Today we discovered a new playground and went swimming in the pool. I've got to say, so far the playground scene here is rather subpar. But we are persistent and if there's a great playground in town, we're going to find it!

Inspirational

Most of us here are Harry Potter aficionados. She gave a truly moving commencement address to the Harvard grads. Read the entire speech here, or watch the video. 

She talks of the benefits of failure, and the "crucial importance of imagination" as it refers to human sympathy. Wow.

Too Funny

Thought you'd like this one, Alex.

Welcome!

We are settling in nicely after our somewhat abrupt move to Charleston. We've got a cute little condo on James Island, which is just across the Ashley River from downt
own, and minutes to Folly Beach. We're slowly furnishing the place and getting settled. The kids have adjusted well.  Big N is working at a busy restaurant across the river from downtown called California Dreaming. He's rotating between the inside and outside bars. Outside he gets to wear his shades and watch as customers dock their boats before dining. Sweet. I am going to try my hand at club life and work at Country Club of Charleston. I'm excited for the change of pace and new opportunity. 

Kid News (quick up-to-date for some of you.)

N is the proud new owner of 2 bottom teeth. He recently learned to clap and is a food eating machine! Seriously, thighs of a warrior!

M loves having a pool right outside our backdoor. She is learning not to scratch her bug bites. Actually, I've taught her a bit too well because every time I touch my skin I get a "don't scratch it, you'll make it worse!" She also loves all the bridges here, her favorite being the Cooper River, or "triangle" bridge, as she calls it. She loves throwing sticks into the marsh behind our condo, watching the fish jump for flies, and playing at the beach. M's only request is that we find her a beach without any sand. Sigh.