tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89031192024-03-06T19:54:57.239-08:00Life with GazA tale of two nerds and their young daughter. Hilarity ensues.Lovely Wife Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01645249359214275003noreply@blogger.comBlogger310125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-38303780119907193102013-02-10T10:47:00.000-08:002013-02-10T10:47:37.865-08:00To boldly shop where Gazes have not shopped beforeGaz is about to encounter <a href="http://www.sciplus.com/">American Science & Surplus</a> for the first time. Be afraid. And probably also amused.<br />
<br />
My only regret is that I have too much reading to join in on the fun. I'm also knitting up a stylish black beret for her very first round of color guard duty at the upcoming awards assemblies at school.Lovely Wife Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01645249359214275003noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-11943901759059813752013-01-30T21:49:00.002-08:002013-01-30T21:49:29.230-08:00<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent">So,
Gaz's class wrote stories to put on the hall bulletin board. They were
shown a picture of a guy blowing a bubble, and told to write about it.
Most did a comedy thing, or a simple descriptive bit. Gaz's was longer
than one sheet of paper, so they had to tape an extra couple of lines
worth for her to finish. She's given me permission to transcribe, so
here goes (as close to original as I can manage):<br /> <br /> THE ROUND HOUSE<br /> <br />
One day when the Doctor came of his bubble house and his wife Ly'shia
had kissed him good-bye. He went into his TARDIS. When he looked
around he noticed he was in a bubble a man was blowing! There were lots
of bubble animals in there! They chased him all around until his house
appeared on the scene. Then, it rolled away. It rolled faster and
faster. The Doctor tried to catch up but it was too fast. It started
bounding and in mid-bounce, he jumped in and was safe again. His wife
was happy he was back because she needed help cooking. She was cooking
his favorite soup. Then it was time for bed. So both husband and wife
went to bed. The thing he didn't notice was there was something wrong
with the TARDIS. Something was broken inside the time travel mechanism.
Now it couldn't travel in time! When he did notice it took days to
repair. His eldest daughter, Kelly helped him take it apart and his
other children helped put it back together again. Then he went back to
his quiet life.<br /> <br /> I am informed that Ly'shia and Kelly are
friends of hers, and the bubble animals were originally Daleks, but she
had to connect them to the bubble picture.</span></span></span></h5>
Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-52092969065956314742013-01-30T21:17:00.002-08:002013-01-30T21:17:32.763-08:00We were discussing movies to watch in this weekend's mini-B-Fest (we get to watch movies late into the night and much of the next day, and George gets to study up so maybe we can do a family thing on Sunday). I brought up a time-travel movie I think she'd like, and she asks if it has the Doctor in it.<br /><br />So I start describing in very general terms what "Time Bandits" is like, and I bring up the fact that it has John Cleese and Michael Palin in it, from Monty Python. It took a couple of tries to describe John Cleese, until she goes "Oh, it's the 'And now for something completely different,' guy!"<br /><br />"Yes, and Michael Palin dresses up to be the 'It's...' guy."<br /><br />Then we digressed, and long story short, this next Halloween, we'll either be doing Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls, Wednesday Addams, or she'll be in old age drag, going up to people and not saying "Trick or treat" but saying "It's..." before I hit the recording of Sousa. As you do.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-13299750914047462442013-01-30T20:12:00.003-08:002013-01-30T20:12:29.653-08:00(transcribed from Facebook; I wish we had a widget that would do this automatically)<br />
<br />
To avoid dwelling on my increasingly crappy-ass week, I'm going to tell some Gaz stories.<br /><br />The other day, I came up the stairs and saw a sign taped to the door, "Jordon College." I'm sure she meant Jordan, because that's the college where Lyra grew up in "The Golden Compass," which we've been reading.<br /><br />Turns out, Gaz not only declared the apartment a college, she also cut her own aleithiometer out of posterboard and decorated it nicely, complete with tiny symbols.<br /><br />She also cut a polar bear head out of the same sheet of posterboard, and taped it to the arm of the couch, reasoning that it was the largest piece of furniture she could climb on that wasn't a bed.<br /><br />I have to hand it to her, she really does have fun with a book.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-71700041230971006382012-10-31T20:41:00.001-07:002012-10-31T20:41:53.914-07:00Off the railFor the first time since we abandoned our cosleeper* there is no bed rail on my side of the bed.<br />
<br />
In theory, it was to keep Gaz from rolling off the bed but she pretty much took over the middle of the bed from the start. When she was very small, I could tuck my arm around her to carve out a bit of bed real estate for her to enjoy, when she as bigger, she occupied with her own bulk easy enough. No one ever rolled over on her, and I never feared for anyone's sleep or safety.<br />
<br />
I know not everyone is into cosleeping. I also know most kids go back and forth from their beds to parent beds, and even though lots of parents share sleep with their kids, the difference between calling it cosleeping and trying to pretend like it doesn't happen seems to be more political than anything else. By which I don't mean Democrat or Republican--there's cosleepers on both sides of the aisle (seriously!). I mean that some people are willing to admit to cosleeping publicly and some are not.** And some just don't period. It's all good. No two parents or kids are exactly alike, even in the same house.<br />
<br />
But I have loved cosleeping. When I was still secretarying, I didn't feel so awful about being gone in the day because cosleeping made nighttime feel more like quality time with my baby. No, it wasn't always easy, but I always preferred the screaming baby next to me to the screaming baby all the way at the other end of the apartment (we have yet to live anywhere with bedrooms closer than "at the other end of the apartment"). It was convenient, and it ensured that I both got sleep and didn't drop a baby while trying to feed her in a rocking chair in the middle of the night when I had to be up at 6am.<br />
<br />
My favorite cosleeping story: sometime while we lived in Logan Square, around when Gaz was between 6mo and 1 year, I had taken her to bed and promptly fallen asleep myself. That night Gaz did not fall asleep with me right away, I found out, because when I woke up an hour or so later, I found her asleep on Mark's pillow and one of her stuffed toys under my arm. She had tucked me in and rolled over after she'd finished nursing. That night made up for the times I would wake up to find her just sitting there, staring at me; that was always creepy, no matter how adorable the baby.<br />
<br />
Back to the rail. It's real purpose was to keep *me* from falling out of bed. Gaz is an athletic sleeper, always surprising us with how she can flop into new and confusing positions without waking herself up. Most nights, the athletics involved feet and kneed pushing into me (especially my lower back or bladder), which meant I needed to roll away, and usually while I was asleep. If not for the faithful bed rail, I would have spent most of the last seven years with bruises from my face hitting my bedside table and the rest of me hitting floors and walls. It's the only way that sleeping with a tall child who'd sprawl over us like a puppy was possible for me.<br />
<br />
So it's going to be weird tonight getting into bed, and weird tomorrow getting out of it. It's been a part of my landscape for so long that it will probably take me a little while to get used to it being gone. What will I do without all the bruises on my thighs from inelegant returns to bed after a middle-of-the-night bathroom trip? But we just don't need it--when Gaz has a bad dream, I usually take her back to her room and curl up with her (and my relocated alarm clock) there. One night, after reading an especially awful case (studying child law regularly requires me to read awfulness), I camped out in her room because that was the best way to settle my brain. But we're pretty much settled.<br />
<br />
I do miss the Gaz-puppy pile sometimes, but she's growing and wanting her own space more. I will certainly not stand in the way of that, especially when it means that my sleep is less likely to be interrupted. I have always liked me some sleep.<br />
<br />
<br />
* The cosleeper crib attachment thing kept her just below mattress level on the other side of a raised divider, and it hurt too much to twist around that from a lying position to retrieve Gaz for feedings & diaper changes. It was much, much easier on my achey Cesarian incision to keep her in the "baby in-box" between us at night, which involved a minimum of midsection twisting to access her. <br />
<br />
** One day the neighbor kids were over with their mom and mom commented on Gaz's bed being well made, so I said "well she doesn't sleep there, so of course it's clean!" The relief on her face that her family was not the only bunch of weirdo sleep sharers on the block was amazing. I've since discovered that others of Gaz's friends have shared sleep with their parents more than most folks commonly share. I'm not going to out anyone, but I do think it's important to say these things out loud so that other parents know that they aren't "doing it wrong." If it works, it works. Who cares if some say it's abnormal? I say it worked for us. No need for further discussion.Lovely Wife Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01645249359214275003noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-6101789666613417932012-09-26T07:46:00.000-07:002012-09-26T07:46:02.116-07:00Good ThingsYesterday was open house at Gaz's school. During the little introductory thing once all the kids and parents had gathered in the classroom, one of the things Ms. E. talked about was helping kids who don't understand their homework. We have a lot of multilingual households, so she specifically said that if the parents can't help with homework because of language barrier issues, to let her know so she can work out some extra help. She then went on to say that there was just that day a student who had problems with the math assignment, and they had worked it out to everyone's satisfaction.<br />
<br />
Then Gaz showed me around. There are TONS of books, clearly well-loved, and they all have stickers on them with letters of the alphabet to indicate degree of difficulty, so Ms. E. can tell from across the room how intensive the reading is. I need to find a list like that, because it's hard from this angle figuring out what books are too hard or too easy.<br />
<br />
Eventually, I got to speak with Ms. E. personally, and she had many nice things to say about my little monkey. That kid who had the math trouble that day was one of the boys who sits next to Gaz and she was the one who helped him figure out the problems.<br />
<br />
I am a very proud mama.Lovely Wife Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01645249359214275003noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-30393974536479009412012-05-22T08:24:00.000-07:002012-05-22T08:24:04.109-07:00It's been AGES. I know. And I haven't uploaded any pictures in an embarrassingly long time either. I do post photos on Facebook, so if you're jonesing for Gaz, that's a good place to visit. (I know it's evil, but it's very convenient evil.)<br />
<br />
My first year of law school is done, and I have now started my first week of summer classes. (The fun never ends!) Gaz still has another few weeks of school before her vacation starts, and then it'll be day camp time again. This year she's going an hour earlier to camp to help get her ready for next school year, when CPS schools are allegedly going to be starting earlier and staying later. I don't think they've worked that out with the teachers yet, but in anticipation of them doing so, I thought it would be useful to get Gaz used to getting up earlier sooner rather than later. Besides, more time at camp means more play time, which is never a bad thing.<br />
<br />
First grade is going well. The report cards keep looking good, and while her listening grade went down, the conferences have all been glowing. My favorite part of life now is how much she likes reading on her own. She's always been into being read to, but it used to be tricky to get her to settle down with a book at home for some quiet time. Now sometimes she disappears and when I track her down she's quietly reading one of her books. Or she's quietly starting to read one of Mark's old science fiction paperbacks. Which has involved a bit of intervention (if she's going to go for the paperbacks, I want her reading the Terry Pratchett before the Mike Resnik), but still makes me happy that she's testing new reading waters. <br />
<br />
She's also writing songs! They range from actually clever for a six-year-old to a lot of "yeah, yeah yeah" pop babbling, often all in the same song. But I love it. One song she wrote a while back was about how we have to teach the boys not to kill butterflies. I think last night's song was about ancient simian ancestors, but sometimes it's hard to tell.<br />
<br />
In short, life is good although busier than I would prefer.Lovely Wife Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01645249359214275003noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-76553760673933296962011-11-19T22:01:00.001-08:002011-11-19T22:01:49.833-08:00Magic Toenail!So, on our trip down to the grandparents on Wednesday night, I played the soundtrack to Brak Presents The Brak Show Starring Brak for Gaz, and just tonight as she was reunion chatting with George, she suddenly brought up the Magic Toenail. The things that get stuck in her mind!Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-35391649937084935002011-10-23T22:11:00.001-07:002011-10-23T22:11:36.814-07:00Sci-Fi Songs<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">On the way home from a law school family thing today, Gaz borrowed my jacket, wearing it up over her head. She looked like a Jawa or a squat little gnome. She said she looked like a little Dalek, and George added “short and stout.” This led to the following:</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I'm a little Dalek, short and stout;</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Here is my plunger, here is my spout.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">When I see the Doctor, then I shout:</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">EX TER MIN ATE! EX TER MIN ATE! EX TER MIN ATE!</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><br /></p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-10211408605638634222011-10-16T16:46:00.001-07:002011-10-16T16:46:31.291-07:00POWERPUFF!I introduced Gaz to the PowerPuff Girls soundtrack yesterday during shopping, which led to some youtube investigation (since our collection got lost along with all our other children's DVDs at the time two moves ago), and OH MAN, I HAVE CREATED A MONSTER!Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-80071372810935072952011-10-15T16:29:00.001-07:002011-10-15T16:35:35.962-07:00Shopping!<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">So, the other week, Gaz and I were doing the weekly shopping, such as we usually do, and we ended up taking a turn down the toy aisles in Costco. She did the usual “ooh, look at the cute Hello Kitty thing!” and “wow, Barbie laptop!” and “that's a great kitchen set” sort of business, and I was all “yeah, yeah, very nice.” But we went down the other aisle, then, and she's all “Awesome, Legos!” and “that's a cool model car” and “I want that science set, it's got a real microscope!” and … you know, I couldn't muster the same sort of annoyance.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Oh, we still didn't buy anything, I told her that up front, but I was just pleased that her interests range all over the place. I think it would have been more egalitarian of Costco to organize their toys more randomly, mixing up the science kits with the Barbie playsets, but I'm not in control of those things, sadly.</p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-26573902552962318602011-10-12T16:32:00.001-07:002011-10-12T16:32:31.485-07:00<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Monday, Columbus Day, Gaz had the day off school, so I had to take a day from work for childcare. We went to the Field Museum with these passes George had received, and amid our various adventures, we wandered into a taxidermied-animal room with a lot of art students sitting and sketching. Well, after seeing what they were doing, Gaz asked for paper and a pen. She spent the next hour or so making tiny pen sketches on my little notebook.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">At some point, we'll have to post some of the sketches, but all the way home, Gaz was on about going and finding things to sketch, and how she was going to make her room into an art studio. When I mentioned indoor still lifes, she was amazed. She didn't do anything about it yesterday, but I come home tonight to see a number of sketches of various household items. Also a birthday song to Batman, but that is incidental.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><br /></p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-69753678482706578512011-10-08T20:56:00.000-07:002011-10-08T21:24:28.302-07:00(Posted to FaceBook during showing Gaz "The Princess Bride" for the first time)<br /><br />Cristina George Rizen: Baby's first "inconceivable!" :D<br /><br /><ul><li>Cristina George Rizen: And now she's fencing with Auntie Aiiieee. And now they're playing Aiiieee's guitar.</li></ul><br />(Admittedly, the last didn't have much to do with the movie...)Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-42466680426724325932011-09-21T20:45:00.000-07:002011-09-21T20:45:07.838-07:00In Bosnia, You Get a Free CatWell, you get the free cat if you set out food and the cat likes you enough to keep coming around an let you pet it.This is one of the stories Gaz has related to me from one of her school friends, whose family is from Bosnia and who sometimes gets to visit. I love it, not only because it's a cool story, but because she's thinking about places that aren't here, learning that things are different and not-so-different in these distant places. I hope she gets to see all the wonders of the world, preferably on her own dime, but I would gladly use her as my excuse to do some globetrotting if I could.<br />
<br />
Gaz has almost finished three weeks of school now, and today was open house day. I got to meet her teacher, who not only seems very nice, she's a Loyola alum. That just makes me like her more, since I have yet to meet a reprehensible Rambler. And Gaz is, in Mrs. H's own words, an angel in class. A very messy angel, though--I saw in her desk, and couldn't help but clean it out a bit. I did leave the lollipop wrapper in there, but put all the pencils and crayons in their proper place, and I located the long lost eraser. But the important things are that she's doing very well (100% on her first spelling test), she's focused in school, and she's tolerating the after-school time with the neighbors reasonably well.<br />
<br />
It's Marathon Kids time again, and she's crazy excited about that too. She's talked one of her friends into coming with us to the kick-off. I'm not sure how well this friend will do with running a whole mile, which is what Gaz tries very hard to do, and might even succeed this year, with her longer legs and increasing stamina. I got her to run with me for a half a mile one Saturday before she got distracted by a playground <br />
<br />
School for me is very intense and makes blogging and photo uploading even more sporadic. It's been a good Gaz day, so I wanted to get this down before I fall alseep. Which will be very soon.Lovely Wife Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01645249359214275003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-51309720340238138262011-09-03T17:42:00.000-07:002011-09-03T17:44:50.016-07:00Gaming!From G's FB status:
<br />
<br />Cristina George Rizen
<br />Gaz's first Star Wars RPG game was a rousing success!
<br />
<br /><ul><li>Mark Mitchell: She got bored during the description parts, and a lot of the plan-making and such, but she did really well with the action scenes and the one segment where we asked her to role-play. We fed her some lines, but she did the performance and came up with her own expressions and reactions. It was awesome. Well, within the realm of gamer "awesome."</li><li>Cristina George Rizen: And since it edged into bedtime, we started losing her earlier than she might otherwise have been okay for.</li><li>Bill Sanderson: Hey, maybe Fletcher can play over Skype. He's been bugging me again recently to play again.
<br /></li></ul>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-53872029894912619892011-08-30T18:47:00.001-07:002011-08-30T18:47:36.428-07:00More fun.The daughter is back from staying by herself with the grandparents ("by herself" meaning no parents). Overheard from the other room: "No, I don't think we can wear swim flippers to bed..."Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-11771319566386222032011-08-20T12:59:00.001-07:002011-08-20T17:36:05.000-07:00Catch-upSince I discovered FaceBook, I've been using it as a much more convenient posting of random fast observations and recollections. It has been pointed out that I'm neglecting some of Gaz's best bits here, and there's a segment of the audience that doesn't use FB. Therefore, let me go through and see what I can mine.<span class="messageBody">
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<br />Hoarse from all the high-pitched shrieking on both sides that is an intrinsic part of Daddy-Daughter Tickle-Time. But it's good cardio.</span><form rel="async" class="live_111292268952696_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=111292268952696&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Monday, April 4, 2011 at 7:33pm">April 4 at 7:33pm</abbr></a>
<br /></span></span><ul><li><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000475161806">Josh Dearing</a> <span>All is fair is a tickle war. </span><abbr title="Monday, April 4, 2011 at 11:30pm">April 4 at 11:30pm</abbr> ·</li><li><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> <span>Including a 40-year-old man cackling like an overcaffinated Wicked Witch of the West.</span><abbr title="Monday, April 4, 2011 at 11:40pm"> April 4 at 11:40pm</abbr> ·</li></ul>---
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<br />Me: Wait, did you just say, "I'm a child of Death?"<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Daughter: No, I said I'm the child of Death.<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Me: How is that better? Why do you say that?<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Daughter: Because... I... spread death? I spread Death!<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Me: How do you spread death?<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Daughter: I put it in a simple little bag. And then I give it to people.<span class="messageBody"><span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Me: I gotta say, I haven't seen you do any of that.</span><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=117203781694878&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 8:33pm">May 1 at 8:33pm</abbr></a></span><span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom"> <label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label></span></span><label class="deleteAction stat_elem UIImageBlock_Ext uiCloseButton" for="u647605_1"></label>
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<br /><ul><li><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> Me: Are you doing this just to get me to post it on Facebook? Daughter: YES! I just want a Facebook page all my own!<abbr title="Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 8:34pm"> May 1 at 8:34pm</abbr></li></ul></form><span class="uiStreamFooter"> ---
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<br /></span>Wife: (upon Daughter's discussion of something objectionable) Let's not talk about that at the dinner table.<span class="messageBody"><span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Daughter: Okay, I'll go talk about it in the other room. (leaves the table, goes into the other room, speaking is heard indistinctly, returns) Okay, I'm done talking about it!</span><form rel="async" class="live_120877411327515_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=120877411327515&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 6:07pm">May 18 at 6:07pm</abbr></a></span> <span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom"> <label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label></span></span><ul class="uiList uiUfi focus_target fbUfi"><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=566673067">Cristina George Rizen</a> The something objectionable was omitted from this post because we already have all the future embarrassment material we need. More would just be tacky. May 18 at 7:36pm</li></ul>---
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<br />Daughter wants me to read her the Tickle Monster book that comes with these Tickle Monster gloves. I keep saying "You're not going to tickle me" as she wiggles her fingers in the gloves.<span class="messageBody"><span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Daughter: Come on, I have to! My fingers are hungry for tickling!</span><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=121115394637050&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 8:31pm">May 19 at 8:31pm</abbr></a></span> </span></form>---
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<br /><span class="messageBody">Just finished reading the Daughter an hour of collection 1 of "Thor: The Mighty Avenger." It's an all-ages book, got a bit of (non-graphic) violence, some suggestions of complex themes, but nothing up front, and quite a bit of action of the "smack it with a hammer" variety. And the art is gorgeous, the faces expressive, the framing and action just wonderful. So, yeah, a good hour well-spent, there.</span><form rel="async" class="live_121559111259345_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=121559111259345&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 10:13pm">May 21 at 10:13pm</abbr></a></span></span></form>---
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<br /><span class="messageBody">That's my girl! Thanks, Greg!</span><div class="mvm uiStreamAttachments clearfix"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="external UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_MED_Image" href="http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g60/golem21/agathablockingbullets.gif" title="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><img class="img" src="http://external.ak.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQCO1TvkkL3-sezS&w=90&h=90&url=http%3A%2F%2Fi53.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fg60%2Fgolem21%2Fagathablockingbullets.gif" alt="" /></a><div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_MED_Content fsm fwn fcg"><div class="uiAttachmentTitle"><strong><a href="http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g60/golem21/agathablockingbullets.gif" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span>http://i53.photobucket.com/alb</span><wbr><span>ums/g60/golem21/agathablocking</span><wbr>bullets.gif</a></strong> </div></div></div></div><form rel="async" class="live_146827698723906_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiStreamFooter"><div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_ICON_Content"><span><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=146827698723906&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 11:42pm">May 22 at 11:42pm</abbr></a></span></span></div></div></form>---
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<br /><span class="messageBody">She's a little less controlled on her sword-work, but we have time to fix that.</span><div class="mvm uiStreamAttachments clearfix"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="external UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_MED_Image" href="http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g60/golem21/agathaswordfighting.gif" title="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><img class="img" src="http://external.ak.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQCY2-cATD0VqkOH&w=90&h=90&url=http%3A%2F%2Fi53.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fg60%2Fgolem21%2Fagathaswordfighting.gif" alt="" /></a><div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_ICON_Content"><div class="uiAttachmentTitle"><strong><a href="http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g60/golem21/agathaswordfighting.gif" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span>http://i53.photobucket.com/alb</span><wbr><span>ums/g60/golem21/agathaswordfig</span><wbr>hting.gif</a></strong> </div><span><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=104826782941123&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 11:53pm">May 22 at 11:53pm</abbr></a></span></span></div></div></div><form rel="async" class="live_104826782941123_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"></form>---
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<br />Daughter was reading parts of her homework aloud, and doing it in weird voices from word to word.<span class="messageBody"><span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Wife: "It's like living in a Monty Python sketch."</span><form rel="async" class="live_126423547439568_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=122427277839195&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 6:55pm">May 25 at 6:55pm</abbr></a></span> <span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom"><label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label></span></span><ul class="uiList uiUfi focus_target fbUfi"><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/jesika.ellis">Jesika Sanders Ellis</a> I suspect she comes by this naturally ...<abbr title="Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 6:57pm"> May 25 at 6:57pm</abbr></li><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> Ahem. I have no idea of what you speak, madame...<abbr title="Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 6:57pm"> May 25 at 6:57pm</abbr></li><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/QuaidProQuo">Tim McQuaide</a> What.... Was she saying: "Ni, Ni, Ni"?! ;^)<abbr title="Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 6:58pm"></abbr></li><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> No, more " soft LOUD" over and over, then she shifted to " EVERYBODY only me" over and over, and continue for pretty much anything that passes through her consciousness. That reminds me, she may be up for some Monty Python soon, but they sometimes get weird-gory, so I'm not sure about that.<abbr title="Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 7:01pm"> May 25 at 7:01pm</abbr></li></ul>---
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<br /><span class="messageBody">Gaz has been changing up lyrics lately. She sang "Bat Hat!" recently ("na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na, BAT HAT! BAT HAT, BAT HAT, BAT HAT!) and now she's singing "Pink Fluffy Death-a-Corns Dancing on Rainbows." She's pretty nuts; glad we kept her!</span><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=125291877552735&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 7:29pm">June 7 at 7:29pm</abbr></a></span> </span></form>---
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<br />I hate to always make these posts about Gaz, but honestly, she's the most significant thing that happens to me on a daily basis. Today we did our shopping while she was dressed as Batgirl, with the mask and everything. And she insisted on hitting the comic shop to show off.<span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource">
<br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=126423547439568&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 11:05pm">June 12 at 11:05pm</abbr></a>
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<br /></span></span><span class="messageBody">So it's been a long and cranky day for the girls, and very tiring for me, too. But on the way home from an "emergency" dinner out, Gaz and I get to talking about Doctor Who again. She wants to be a Companion, both on the show and in real life. And she wants the Doctor as her dad. On the show only, she reassures me with a squeeze of my hand.</span><form rel="async" class="live_127126150702641_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=127126150702641&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 9:47pm">June 15 at 9:47pm</abbr></a></span><span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom"> <label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label></span></span><label class="deleteAction stat_elem UIImageBlock_Ext uiCloseButton" for="u804415_1"></label>
<br /><ul><li><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> After that, the plans get a little impractical. June 15 at 9:47pm</li></ul>---
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<br />(after a trip)
<br />Made it in, and Gaz's front tooth is so loose it hangs out of her lips, looking like a cartoon baby mouth. I arrived and she immediately started trying to bite me. Tonight, after some reading (Marvel Women graphic collection; they also picked up a Wonder Girl collection), I asked her how her day was, she said:<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Daughter: "Crunchy."<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Me: "Crunchy? Is that all?"<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Daughter: "And meaty."<span class="messageBody"><span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>It's all about the tooth.</span><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=129624547119468&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 2:04am">June 25 at 2:04am</abbr></a></span>
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<br /></span>Also, this exchange at bedtime:<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Daughter: "I'm going to sleep, but you may see me sleeping with my eyes open."<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Me: "... I think that means you're just going to be faking being asleep."<span class="messageBody"><span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Daugher: "Huh? What was that? You woke me up!"</span><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource">
<br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=129624617119461&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 2:04am">June 25 at 2:04am</abbr></a>
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<br /></span></span><span class="messageBody">Spent much of the evening helping Gaz create a character, then for tonight's reading, it was the introductory sections of the "Star Wars Role-playing Game - Revised and Expanded Edition." West End Games version, of course. She said "It's really interesting, and it's also boring, which makes it perfect!"</span><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=130478810367375&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 9:15pm">June 28 at 9:15pm</abbr></a></span> <span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom"> <label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label></span></span><ul class="uiList uiUfi focus_target fbUfi"><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> Her character is Starfire Strawberry, who is as tall as Mom and has pink hair with blue streaks. She's got good Dexterity, superb Knowledge, Strength, and Technical, and she excels at Blaster and First Aid. We figured her archetype is "Young Action Scholar." Overall, I figure she's going to be a kick to see Gaz play. June 28 at 9:17pm</li></ul>---
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<br /><span class="messageBody">Going to be an early night for me, but I had to report that Gaz was talking about accidentally washing herself with "death" today (she says she thought it was her soap, but it was a bar of death) and then she is a Dalek out to give me death. She's even got the rising-strident-voice of the Dalek delivery down.</span><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=130772807004642&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 8:08pm">June 29 at 8:08pm</abbr></a></span><span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom"> <label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label></span></span>
<br /><ul><li><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> It's scary how much she's adapting the things we show her to her own craziness. And she's still all pink and girly. Weird.<abbr title="Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 8:09pm"> June 29 at 8:09pm</abbr></li><li><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=691496779">Char Iversen</a> I would not want to meet your daughter in a dark alley way...<abbr title="Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 8:14pm"> June 29 at 8:14pm</abbr></li><li><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/dillon.moorehead">Dillon Moorehead</a> Davros is not pleased with the soap<abbr title="Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 8:56pm"> June 29 at 8:56pm</abbr></li></ul></form>---
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<br /><span class="messageBody">Today, going to pick up dinner, Gaz and I chatted Star Wars, specifically Starfire Strawberry's background. I asked about her parents, and she said her planet had been blown up! So naturally, I assumed she was from Alderaan. This makes it easier for her a) to join the Rebels, and b) to have either Mom or Auntie Aaiiee play one of her dead parents' family friends, who look out for her. Good drama, little girl!</span><form rel="async" class="live_131679080247348_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=131679080247348&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Friday, July 1, 2011 at 7:56pm">July 1 at 7:56pm</abbr></a></span><span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom"><label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label></span></span><ul class="uiList uiUfi focus_target fbUfi"><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> There was also a thing about going to the Imperial Academy, but realizing it was evil during her first class and walking out, arriving back at her home planet in time to see it all rubble-ified. We worked that part out together.<abbr title="Friday, July 1, 2011 at 7:57pm"> July 1 at 7:57pm</abbr></li><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> She also wanted to be friends with Princess Leia. I said probably not before the explosion, but I understand she makes a concerted effort to meet survivors, afterward. So, yes, Star Wars princess-meeting can be achieved, dear.<abbr title="Friday, July 1, 2011 at 7:59pm"> July 1 at 7:59pm</abbr></li></ul></form>---
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<br /><span class="messageBody">Not to detract from my previous post about the wonders of AC, but the girls are now home, and Gaz is watching The Avengers cartoon (I should say re-watching) in her costume of paper-plate mask and former-Halloween-costume axe. She's an axe-wielding superhero. It's too bad that Axe Cop is already taken!</span><form rel="async" class="live_142060982542491_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=142060982542491&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 5:52pm">July 24 at 5:52pm</abbr></a></span><span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom"> <label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label></span></span>
<br /><ul><li><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> Kang the Conquerer: Greetings, Avengers. I have come from your future to deliver a message to Captain America. <abbr title="Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 5:56pm"> July 24 at 5:56pm</abbr></li><li><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> Gaz: That message is "die!"<abbr title="Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 5:56pm"> July 24 at 5:56pm</abbr></li></ul></form>---
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<br /><span class="messageBody">Things I found out during Gaz's bath. 1) we die suddenly and for no reason. 2) evil babies eat us. 3) we repeatedly turn into many things, such as tables, scrubby toys, automobiles, and lamps. 4) evil babies continue to come eat us. 5) Gaz likes singing about evil babies.</span><form rel="async" class="live_142104192538170_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=142104192538170&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 8:17pm">July 24 at 8:17pm</abbr></a></span><span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom"> <label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label></span></span>
<br /><ul><li><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> Also, a) at some point, we become spirits and/or souls, depending. And that's when the dinosaurs come eat us. Also b) dinosaurs eat souls, apparently.<abbr title="Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 8:18pm"> July 24 at 8:18pm</abbr></li></ul></form>---
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<br /><span>(while watching animated Thor put the smack-down on some Frost Giants with lightning)</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Daughter: Wow, those guys are really dead!
<br />Me: Actually, they could just be shocked unconscious. Frost giants are pretty tough, you know.<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Daughter: (singing a sprightly tune)<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>They are so deaaaad<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>Hooray they are deaaaad<span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span>We'resohappyyou're deaaaad<span class="messageBody"><div id="id_4e4ffed6a22dd1a59381705" class="text_exposed_root text_exposed"><span class="text_exposed_show">Dead-dead-dead-dead-dead deaaaad</span></div></span><form rel="async" class="live_143017919113464_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=143017919113464&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 7:33pm">July 26 at 7:33pm</abbr></a></span><span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom"> <label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label></span></span>
<br /><ul class="uiList uiUfi focus_target fbUfi"><li class="ufiItem uiUfiLike uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix"><a class="UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_ICON_Image" tabindex="-1"><label class="uiUfiLikeIcon" title="Like this item"></label></a><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> As I was writing this, I asked for a reprise so I could get the rythym, and she added "then the evil babies will cooome/and eat all of the deaaaaad..."<abbr title="Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 7:34pm"> July 26 at 7:34pm</abbr></div></li><li class="uiUfiComments"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1552743606">Greg Collins</a> Yep. They're dead. D-E-A-D, dead. Thor doesn't mess around when it comes to Frost Giants. : )<abbr title="Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 7:39pm"> July 26 at 7:39pm</abbr></li><li class="uiUfiComments"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> Yeah, but it's a kids cartoon! WE know Thor don't hold back, but the kiddies don't get to look at murder too much...<abbr title="Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 7:41pm"> July 26 at 7:41pm</abbr></li><li class="uiUfiComments"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1552743606">Greg Collins</a> Hmm. Good point - hadn't thought of it that way. Guess it could fall under the Coyote/Roadrunner syndrome... What would Thor do if he ran out of Frost Giants, anyway?<abbr title="Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 7:42pm"> July 26 at 7:42pm</abbr></li><li class="uiUfiComments"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> If no frost giants existed, Thor would have to invent them.<abbr title="Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 7:44pm"> July 26 at 7:44pm</abbr><span class="comment_like_560492 fsm fwn fcg"><a class="uiTooltip comment_like_button" rel="dialog" href="http://www.facebook.com/browse/?type=likes&id=143021472446442">
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<br /><span class="messageBody">Gaz Types: frst you die, then the evl babes et yoou. then the evil cows et yor skeluten. then the evil babes tac out yor har. then yor har ets yor bran.</span><form rel="async" class="live_143451335736789_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=143451335736789&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 6:08pm">July 27 at 6:08pm</abbr></a></span><span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom"> <label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label></span></span><ul class="uiList uiUfi focus_target fbUfi"><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> Mark again. She said this is how I'm going to die. You heard it here first, folks: my hair will eat my brain.<abbr title="Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 6:09pm"> July 27 at 6:09pm</abbr></li></ul></form>---
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<br /><span class="messageBody">Thing I Actually Found Myself Saying To A Six-Year-Old Tonight: "No, he's not a zombie. Well, he is dead, and he's reanimated, so I suppose he's kind of like a zombie. A science fiction zombie. Look, Kai's just this walking dead guy, and he never lets you forget it..."</span><form rel="async" class="live_143977875684135_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=143977875684135&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Thursday, July 28, 2011 at 9:44pm">July 28 at 9:44pm</abbr></a></span><span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom"> <label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label></span></span><ul class="commentList"><li class="uiUfiComment comment_569980 ufiItem ufiItem"><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix uiUfiActorBlock"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> <span>And it all started because there are times when I can't stop myself from humming or singing this: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYoq6sovr8Y" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://www.youtube.com/wat</span><wbr>ch?v=wYoq6sovr8Y</a></span></div></li></ul></form>---
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<br /><span class="messageBody">Gaz and I are about to go on the birthday-party-day shopping trip, but she's too busy talking to Auntie Aaiiee (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=587807806">Angeli</a>) about the evil babies, once again. Girl invents a cosmology, she sticks to it. Surprising for a 6-year-old.</span><form rel="async" class="live_144605518954704_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=144605518954704&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Saturday, July 30, 2011 at 9:37am">July 30 at 9:37am</abbr></a></span></span></form>---
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<br /><span class="messageBody">So, we were reading about animals in National Geographic Kids, and she tells me about these bees that landed on her arms, but didn't sting her. This sounded awesome, but then she commented she could see their mouthparts moving saying "hi." Then she spoke of these three foxes she spoke to and hugged and spoke to before they ran off, showing imagination in full force. "I swear, I must be some sort of Nature God," she says in wonderment. "Except alive, of course."</span><form rel="async" class="live_148097471938842_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=148097471938842&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Saturday, August 6, 2011 at 9:27pm">August 6 at 9:27pm</abbr></a></span><span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom"> <label class="uiLinkButton comment_link" title="Leave a comment"></label></span></span><ul class="uiList uiUfi focus_target fbUfi"><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> I just gotta love the basic assumptions of the universe she shows. Like all gods must be dead, or something. It's awesome.<abbr title="Saturday, August 6, 2011 at 9:29pm"> August 6 at 9:29pm</abbr></li><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/keith.gapinski">Keith Gapinski</a> You ought to start a religion. I'd join. =)<abbr title="Saturday, August 6, 2011 at 9:37pm"> August 6 at 9:37pm</abbr></li><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/dan.shike">Dan Shike</a> I knew your child would be awesome in such a fashion.<abbr title="Saturday, August 6, 2011 at 10:38pm"> August 6 at 10:38pm</abbr></li><li class="ufiNub uiListItem uiListVerticalItemBorder"><a class="actorName" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002157700624">Mark Mitchell</a> As it turns out, Gods are invisible and influence things secretly, like the spirits of the ancestors (which she's familiar with because of G's Mexican heritage), so logically, Gods must also be dead, just like the ancestors. Makes sense, don't it?<abbr title="Saturday, August 6, 2011 at 10:43pm"> August 6 at 10:43pm</abbr></li></ul></form>---
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<br /><span class="messageBody">So, we agreed that if she wanted to, Gaz could start watching The Fellowship Of the Rings. And she did! She managed her way through the first disc of the Extended Version (longer, yes, but better, and it comes with that convenient half-way break). We had a number of pauses to remind her of names, relationships, goals, and prepare her for spooky bits. But she got a grin and a shiver from "If you want him, come and claim him!" like I hoped she would.</span><form rel="async" class="commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=151827478232508&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Sunday, August 14, 2011 at 11:08pm">August 14 at 11:08pm</abbr></a></span></span></form>---
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<br /><span class="messageBody">Second half of Fellowship went down easy this evening. She reacted to a few jump-scares (which she correctly identifies, now), and didn't really have issues with the fight scenes. It kept her attention generally pretty well, but as soon as they started talking about destiny or "no one chooses to live in the times they do" then she starts babbling or looking around or whatever. It'll come, it'll come.</span><form rel="async" class="live_152300258185230_131325686911214 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" method="post" action="/ajax/ufi/modify.php"><span class="uiStreamFooter"><span class="uiStreamSource"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=152300258185230&id=100002157700624"><abbr title="Monday, August 15, 2011 at 10:18pm">August 15 at 10:18pm</abbr></a></span></span></form>---
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<br />Since then, we've seen The Two Towers, and this afternoon, while G sleeps off some of her icky feeling, we're looking at the Return of the King. Well, I am. There's a lot of talky stuff, so Gaz is fidgeting with a Mr. Bump cooler that's been left out. She'll get more familiar with this stuff later, I'm sure.
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<br />Hope that catches everyone up!
<br />Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-31437602695703317262011-07-24T20:57:00.000-07:002011-07-24T20:57:01.850-07:00Stop the Presses!I finally uploaded <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgiegrrrrl/sets/72157625453556228/with/5972902750/">pictures</a>! Not a lot (I haven't taken many the past few months), but they're all good. The link just goes to the Gaz set, but if you like pictures of clouds and trees, you might want to check out the rest of my photostream.Lovely Wife Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01645249359214275003noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-1253833239930558432011-07-09T05:31:00.000-07:002011-07-09T05:31:01.289-07:00School and other thingsSchool's been out for a few weeks now, but I wanted to recap some items from the kindergarten year:<br />
<ul><li>Having volunteered a few times both in the classroom and at mealtimes, I can say that Mrs. K. did a hell of a job in light of the kids and their various behavior issues, and that she was a much more fair judge of Gaz's academic and social situation than I was (more on this in a bit).</li>
<li>The kids really don't have time enough to eat either breakfast (seven minutes) or lunch (12 minutes). I hope that Mayor Emmanuel's plan to extend the school day gives at least a few minutes more to either meal, preferably lunch.</li>
<li>It only took me most of the school year to figure out that most of our after-school meltdowns were on days when I let Gaz play for more than 15 minutes on the playground after school. She needs to run and climb and hang out with her friends, but she also needs a substantial recharge period after the stresses of the day. Now I know to show up with a proteiny snack and get us heading toward home after 10-15 minutes of play. She has many opportunities to play with the neighbor kids, so she's really not being deprived.</li>
<li>The final report card? Perfect.</li>
</ul>I take back my grumpiness about Mrs. K. Having watched her at work, she constantly displayed more patience and demanded more correct behavior than I had expected. She didn't rule with an iron fist, more like a well-worn leather gauntlet. It was a hard bunch of kids. Some are very poor, and some clearly come from homes where they do not get much attention or affection. One little girl whose backpack I fixed continued to run up and hug me every time she saw me the rest of the school year--the wonders one safety pin will do. Some kids were clearly intelligent but lacked focus or were intelligent but obviously spent a lot of time around mean people. The children weren't mean spirited, even the the one kid who usually looked and behaved like a rabid caveman, but they clearly displayed their upbringing. This makes me all the more conscious of what I am teaching Gaz by my example. <br />
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Gaz has been promoted to the gifted class, along with a number of her friends. We are all excited and relieved. Two of the neighbor kids have already gone through this class with this teacher, so we know in advance that she's pretty tough and doesn't have much patience for silliness in the kids. I think this will be good, if difficult at first, for Gaz. She's smart, but easily distracted. With the whip being cracked on everyone, and the less-than-interested-in-learning being removed from the classroom equation, I hope she'll improve her focus and learn to reign in her own goofiness, at least at school.<br />
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Right now we're enjoying day camp. It cramps our travel plans, but she's having a great time, making new friends, and she gets to go on a field trip every week and has pool time every day, weather permitting. She keeps calling it school, though, and that's a bit strange to me. But considering that it runs identical hours to actual school, I suppose it makes sense. It's a little culture-shocky, despite its fun, though. At school she's the ethnic minority, but at camp . . . let's just say that there's not one but two Madisons in her age group. Strange that there's not more of the younger neighborhood kids at camp. We do see a number of her school friends after camp lets out, and they usually cavort together on the playground for a while. <br />
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And with that, I better post this before I forget again.Lovely Wife Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01645249359214275003noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-14777426548289509702011-05-27T21:48:00.001-07:002011-05-27T21:56:22.366-07:00Travelin'So, we're up at Aunt Emily's for the weekend, and the Intrepid Screaming Nieces (tm) are all clamoring to sleepover with Gaz. The two elder are going to be overnight with their father tomorrow, though, so they get priority tonight, while the youngest will have full run of Gaz tomorrow night. Whee!<br /><br />The drive was... crazy. What is it about people on the highway that makes them bad drivers? I mean, we're all adults, someone changing lanes ought not to make the entire lane of traffic behind them stop. What are we, fresh out of driver's ed? Fully stopped in the fast lane no less than seven times (probably more) and only ONCE was there a lane closure, and no accidents or someone pulled over. I bring this up on the Gaz blog because we were not even out of Chicago, much less Illinois, before Gaz starts asking if we were almost there. Oh, no, sweetheart, we've got six more hours, because of this traffic. Time was, the trip would take six hours total, but not on this weekend!<br /><br />She watched some stuff on the way up, though. A Kim Possible movie which she hadn't seen in months, and her favorite disc of Samurai Jack (the one that starts with the "Jump good!" episode). She got involved and excited about the story, which didn't help George's headache any (she's been under the weather a bit this past couple of days), but I liked the fact that she was staying interested in a narrative. That generally means a lengthening of attention span, and that's good! She was pretty quiet on the trip, though, so no gems to share.<br /><br />Incidentally, we're also on FaceBook, if you're on there, gentle reader, and it's usually more convenient to share bits and pieces on there. Just FYI.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-62542211513004818252011-04-07T18:15:00.000-07:002011-04-07T18:15:47.908-07:00Report Card time againAnd we were unsurprised by another good one. There's still room for improvement, but all her teachers were very excited about her work and her behavior. Her gym teacher thanked me as soon as we walked in the door for raising a polite kid. I am grateful that these lessons have soaked in, even if they aren't always obvious from her home behavior.<br />
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Our little Gaz is quite the athlete! She's jumping higher and farther than anyone else in her class, and Mr. S. says that she's got the natural ability to do well in sports, which is something that Pehpaw Charley has been saying for years. Ah, validation! :)<br />
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While chatting with her teacher, Gaz sat down with a dry erase board and wrote out some adorably misspelled sentences. But this is the goal: not spelling but just getting comfortable using words (that at least make sense to Gaz) to express thoughts and feelings and actions. And boy did she. I should have copied down everything she wrote, but I was also trying to carrying on a sensible conversation. Gee, and I wonder why teacher conference day always wears me out.<br />
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We're doing well right now. We've had some dramatic ups and downs this school year and some spectacularly bad days, but things are more or less leveled out. Even still, Gaz constantly complains that school is boring. She likes it, but it's really not challenging her. Many days she's got her homework half done before I get back to the table with my cup of tea. She does a good job of guessing at spelling, and she writes the best S's in the world. Mrs. K. said she plans to really advocate for Agatha to get into the gifted class (they did finally test the kids, but the results aren't in yet; Gaz said it was hard), so we'll see. Maybe soon we'll be hearing "Mom, it's too hard!" <br />
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And it's book fair time, too, so we've now moved into the world of Goosebumps and the Poison Apple series. So far she's not spooked by them, but it's hard to tell with her. She gave me one of those looks when I told her that my favorite silly song when I was a kid was "Go Get The Axe."<br />
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In not-Gaz-related, but still schoolish news, I've accepted admittance to a very fine (but not too fine) law school, and will be matriculating in August. I will try really hard to keep this occasionally updated, but after mid-August it might be more Mark than anything here.Lovely Wife Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01645249359214275003noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-1958956841387567622011-02-14T17:28:00.000-08:002011-02-14T17:36:19.147-08:00Happy Valentine's Day!Gaz is intensely into Valentine's Day, and has been for at least a year; last year, she was building the buttons for her Box Batmobile, and she had a heart button that would tell her it was Valentine's Day, although we broadened its function to cover all holidays.<br /><br />In any case, so I bought both of my ladies cards on the way home from work, and let me tell you, there's nothing sadder than a Walgreens Valentine's card display late on a Valentine's Day afternoon. But I found perfect ones, anyway. So, they, the two ladies in my life, realized I'd gotten them something, and they hadn't gotten me anything. So they "secretly" set out to make something for me. "Refrigerators!" they claimed. "Lasagna!" "Baby Poop," Gaz insists, though LovelyWifeGeorge vetoes this. "I'm right over here in the chair, people," I keep wanting to say, but I'm too amused by the whole process.<br /><br />Well, at one point in this event, Gaz turns to LovelyWifeGeorge, and says "Mommy, can you cut out my heart?"<br /><br />...<br /><br />I admit, both of the adults in the room lost it a little bit there. I mean, immediately, I go to the Aztec place. I can only imagine LovelyWifeGeorge does the same.<br /><br />And then Gaz follows up with "Oh! I mean refrigerator! Can you cut out my refrigerator?"<br /><br />It's a laugh a minute, in this house.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-2878889030617450782011-02-10T09:07:00.000-08:002011-02-10T09:07:48.769-08:00Briefly: LiteracyI'm under deadline, but wanting to post this before I forget again.<br />
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Gaz is reading, with little to no help from us. Every day so far this week, her Roberto tally starts with a book that she's read aloud to us, and finishes up with what we've read to her (another visit to The Voyage of the Basset and our first foray into The Wonderful Wizard of Oz). She wrote some simple words on her homework last night (it was "extra homework for smart students only," so Gaz said) and not only did I not have to give her any help, she was off and writing before I could even offer assistance.<br />
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Last weekend she read The Monster at the End of This Book to Gabe, and I suspect she will read to him again after his baptism on Saturday. She is really looking forward to reading a story to Trixie, and also to giving her some hand-me-down dress-up clothes.<br />
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This morning I also attended the awards ceremony for the kindergarten and first grade kids, and Gaz got the only two awards kindergarteners can get: perfect attendance (in your face, winter!) and good citizenship.<br />
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Basically, we're all glowing with pride over here, and working to keep the good momentum going.Lovely Wife Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01645249359214275003noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-3568153035808638862011-01-24T04:43:00.001-08:002011-01-24T04:46:43.269-08:00New Niece!<div style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;"><a bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29858210@N02/5382767824/" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5249/5382767824_23ee012270_m.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29858210@N02/5382767824/">DSC01726 ps</a><br />
Originally uploaded by <a bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" href="http://www.flickr.com/people/29858210@N02/">malicious planet</a></span></div>One week ago today, Mark and I got a new niece and Gaz got a new cousin. My brother Sean and his wife Hillary welcomed little Trixie into the world with a bit of drama, but that seems to be the way with these Rizen babies anymore. <br />
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Gaz is very, very excited, particularly since she just got to meet her future godbrother, Gabe, earlier in the month. She was very good about sitting calmly, and even sang to him and rocked him a little as he slept. It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen. Until we get down to Kentucky, that is! <br />
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Or, if we could get all the goils together in one place . . .we might all develop pink poisoning, but I'm sure it would be precious.<br />
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Now, Trixie is not her standard issue nickname, but unfortunately I have a bad habit of giving Gaz multiple nicknames and using them often. I've been calling her Bee for years for no good reason, and while I have tried very hard to stop, I figured an alternate nickname would probably be safe to avoid confusion. Fortunately for me, Trixie's other auntie had the same idea! So now we can both go on annoying our respective siblings. The world is as it should be. Gaz is so pleased with the new cousin that she isn't even insisting that she (Trixie) be named after her (Gaz) anymore. Now that's love.<br />
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If anyone can spare a good thought for Trixie, she's being a lazy nurser and isn't bulking up as fast as a baby ought to. I am confident she'll figure it out sooner or later, but I'm sure she'd appreciate some cheerleaders. :)Lovely Wife Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01645249359214275003noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903119.post-23042838358652555392011-01-14T15:25:00.000-08:002011-01-14T15:27:42.978-08:00GahJust gah. Gaz just came in to show me she's naked and just about covered in marker ink. It's not the kind that washes off, or dries fast, either, so she's pretty much banned from the couch for the next hour or more. Anything she touches will get marker ink on it. And now she tells me she's off to decorate her back.<br /><br />I swear, that girl.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960137867157042784noreply@blogger.com1