THE ADVENTURES OF THE JAC ATTACK!

A Blog about a clever boy and a mom determined to out-smart him.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Summer

Our neighbor gave us a bag of fresh green beans from the garden and last night I cooked them.  Before steaming them with butter I snapped the beans and this mundane chore instantly brought me back to my childhood.  I remember hot sweaty evenings sitting on the front porch with the grown women, snapping beans from the garden.  I would try to listen to the adult conversations which seemed ultimately more interesting than my child sized interests.  We also spent long hours shucking corn and I remember feeling wary because the removal of each husk could mean the discovery of a embedded bug larva.

These front porch memories seem to epitomize the summers of my childhood.  We enjoyed slow hot days, marveled at the creation of "sun tea," and watched my mom work long hours in the garden.  Last night I taught JAC how to snap beans and I couldn't help but smile.  I was handing him the heritage of summer.

These simple summer memories bring me so much pleasure.  I wonder, what memories symbolize summer for you?  In this heatwave filled summer, what is your summer heritage?

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Unscheuled

This week I completely cleared my schedule for potty training "Boot Camp."  I realized I didn't want to ship 1,000 pounds of diapers to Nepal, so JAC needed to be potty trained.  I'm devoting my full attention to the cause.  I have been dreading this week because we get out of the house often.  We have friends to see and new places to explore.  I hated the idea of being housebound.

Surprisingly we have had a wonderful two days and a good bit of potty training success. Here's a list of some of our fun housebound activities.

1. Made homemade play dough and played for hours.  I tried to convince JAC to eat a bite but he would not be fooled.
2. Filled every window ledge with bird food and enthusiastically watched all sorts of birds.
3. Chased bubbles in the yard and beat them with our baseball bat.
4. Hit baseballs for the dog to chase.
5. Went on short nature walks around the block collecting favorite items in a basket.
6. Raced toy trains across the hardwood floors
7. Jumped off of every piece of furniture.

I'm about to check out my toddler activity book for more ideas.  Do you have any great suggestions?  I think tomorrow we'll plant seeds in the flower beds.  We will likely not live here when they blossom but JAC loves a good excuse to dig.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Better

In preparation for our open house we spent two days cleaning.  The closets are organized, the bathtub has fresh chalk, the floors are polished and the house is saturated in Pinesol.  The house looks perfect and as we flopped on the couch last night, exhausted Jess and I shared the same thought.  We are ready to move.  It is time.

Yesterday in the middle of scrubbing I looked at the basement stairway walls and thought it need a bit of touch-up paint.  I dug through old cans of paint and found the perfect matching beige color.  I went to work and in a few minutes I knew I had made a terrible mistake.  The paint was half a color too dark.  I madly tried to paint the whole wall before Jess learned of my mistake.  I wasn't fast enough and I had to hang doggedly admit my mistake.  Jess was frustrated - I could tell, but he never said a negative word.  He simply took over the painting and he completed the job with excellence.  As I watch I marveled knowing if the shoe was on the other foot my reaction would have been much different.  I spent the rest of the day trying to be nicer than Jess.

This morning I whipped up a quick breakfast while the boys slept in.  I was about to throw half dirty dishes into the washer but when I opened it and changed my mind.  Last night Jess had loaded the washer and each dish was perfectly rinsed, lined in even rows.  I couldn't mess things up.  I removed my dishes, scrubbed them twice and placed them neatly in.  I couldn't help but think, "Jess really makes me a better person."  It is remarkable how many simple moments we hold daily - an opportunity to inspire others to be their best version of themselves.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Dog House

I am half vaccinated for typhoid and a third vaccinated for rabies.  In a few weeks my vaccinations will be complete.  I will be protected from tetanus and Chinese Encephalitis.  As the kind nurse discussed vaccinations for JAC and myself she let me read a list of warnings of recommendations.  The consistent theme was, "If you plan to spend lots of time outside in Nepal you will need this vaccine."  I didn't hesitate.  I knew we needed them all.  We're an outdoorsy bunch.

Upon query I learned that we will need boosters of each vaccine for every new post.  I find it interesting that JAC will grow up with an ordered reality.  He will know that we are moving again and there will be a day the movers come.  There will be a day the dog is shipped in her box and there will be a day we receive shots.

With vaccinations largely behind us, we confront our next challenge.  We are trying to crate train our dog.  She will spend a long three days in her crate as she travels to Kathmandu and currently she is terrified it.  We have attempted to entice her with treats, bits of steak and a new toy but she remains unconvinced.  Today JAC tried to help too.  First he crate trained his toy dog and next he gave the crate a try himself.  I'm not sure if it changed Roxy's mind.  I'm pretty sure she thinks JAC will be riding to Kathmandu in the box and there's a part of me that loves this idea!





Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Bliss with a Bit of Nostalgia



Every summer Jess talks about Rita's Water Ice with great nostalgia.  Rita's is a popular frozen treat stand in the Northeast.  Jess grew up enjoying Rita's every summer but to our knowledge there was no Rita's in our area.  Last night I received and email from a friend describing a new treat stand in her neighborhood called Rita's.  I stopped everything and loaded up our gang that very moment.  It was only a few minutes before dinner but it didn't matter.  We drove straight to Rita's and enjoyed frozen custard and water ice and Jess was so happy!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

For my Chicas - Regaining Your Pre-Pregnancy Abs

Lately I have had a few friends ask my how to regain their pre-pregnancy abs.  Motherhood is an honored position.  It comes with the undying love of a small child but also stretch marks and paunchy ab muscles.  So, give yourself a break and know you're part of the club.  Instead of searching for perfect look for improvement.  Here are my quick tips of gaining improved abs.

1. Order a post pregnancy belly wrap.  Most women have separated ab muscles after having a baby.  Using a wrap will help hold your muscles in place while you practice correct posture and strengthen these muscles.

2. Do 30-45 minutes of knee lifting cardio 4-5 times a week.  The pot-belly that we hate is partially caused by weak lower ab muscles.  Lifting your knees will drastically strengthen these muscles.  This needs to be high intensity exercise ( you need to sweat).  Good exercises include running, stair stepper, running your apartment stairs, or high intensity kick boxing.

3. Do Daily Ab Exercises:  The core muscles are rare because they can be exercised every day without much rest.  Buy a set of ankle weights to add resistance.  Here are three quick exercises that I find helpful.  I often do them while I watch my son eat breakfast.

a. Flutter kicks: lie on your back with your legs straight out.  Elevate your feet 2-5 inches off of the ground and do small slow kicks.  Your legs must remain straight.  Try for intervals of 45 seconds kicking and 15 resting.  Repeat 10 times.

b. Hello Dollies:  This is the same as flutter kicks but instead of kicking when your legs are extended slowly do the splits making a "V" with your legs and then returning them to a straight position.  Try 12 -15 intervals.

c. Overhead kicks.  Lie on your back with your legs straight out. Try to roll up onto your shoulders and kick the sky above your head.  Try 12 intervals at a time.


***This is just my take.  If you have other great ideas I would love to hear them!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Consumed

I'm being consumed by consumables.  The wheels are slowly turning as our moving date grows closer.  It seems unreal that is less than two months we'll be living in Nepal!  We are so excited!  Our employer is paying to ship 2,500 pounds of consumable goods to Nepal.  This means that we can purchase a bunch of household goods that might be hard to find in Nepal and they will pay for the shipping.  These goods typically include cleaning products, paper products and non perishable food items.  I went shopping today for the first half of our list.  I filled my cart with olive oil, Pinesol, Gold Fish Crackers, toilet paper and Pepto Bismol.

In other unimportant news, we had a lovely run today.  The weather is perfect.  I'm about to go outside to read my book in the sun.  After our run we were playing near the river.  The river was very high from recent rains and JAC took his shoe off and threw it down the river.  I was instantly furious because we are always short a pair of shoes.  Well, some local maitenance workers saved the day.  They were removing debris with shovels and when they saw our distress they took mercy on us.  They used a shovel to retrieve the shoe and I was very happy.

How is your weather today?  What products from the U.S would your rather not live without? 

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Clean Up

A few weeks ago JAC and I had a huge show down about cleaning up a bowl of dry cereal.  I insisted he pick up his mess and he simply refused.  Finally I taught him how to vacuum up his mess and I felt triumphant.  This was a creative solution.  I was Wonder Mom! 

Well, JAC has fallen in love with the vacuum.  He'll now purposely dump a whole bowl of cereal on the floor and come running, begging to use the vacuum.  At least those little arms can reach way under the couch to vacuum the pieces I always miss!


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Cooked

I had the first in a series of dental appointments today.  As I looked to line up babysitters for JAC I marveled at how long the list of candidates was.  I can remember points in my life when I struggled to name off a single girl friend.  Here in D.C I have been surrounded by great women.

It is too hot to cook and I am making chicken salad for dinner.  My husband is giving me the best gift of all.  It is the gift of silence.  I love that man.  He is so willing to help and so easily understands my need for a quiet house.  He and JAC are doing yard work.  When I went to snap a quick photo JAC demanded that I go back inside.  He is bonding with his dad and I am not invited.  A few moments ago they burst into the kitchen and JAC was carrying a weather worn flower.  Every time they do yard work they bring me a flower snipped from the yard.

Today I was rushing around like a headless chicken.  I threw a load of wash in the drier and wondered what the loud thud was about.  I washed a pair of JAC's shoes.  They were Crocs and are now two sizes too small.  I had to laugh a bit. 


The mystery of the lost wallet has a new chapter.  Today my license and all of my cards were returned in the mail.  They arrived in an unmarked envelope without a return address.  My 40$ and wallet were missing but all of the cards were returned and I'm just thankful not to have to sit at the DMV with JAC again.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Hot and Getting Hotter

Today the radio announced that D.C was rated one of the hottest cities in the South sharing the title with border towns like Laredo, TX.  I think this might be a bit exaggerated.  After living several years in TX, DC often feels like a cool paradise.  Today the city is living up to its title.  It is HOT with an extra dose of swampy.

I once read a great book on contentment.  While I loved 98% of the book there was a section I completely disagreed with.  The book suggested not dreaming of being some place different but instead fully embracing the present reality.  Personally, dreaming of a cool mountain destination has made several rough days a bit more enjoyable.  I consider it a mental vacation of sorts.  I've spent all week thinking about backpacking through the Rockies collecting summits, sleeping in a tent and forgoing daily showers.  It sounds perfect.  It also sounds perfectly quiet.  I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to the chaotic din of child generated noise.

Since I won't be visiting Colorado any time soon I'll eat a cool fudge-cicle instead.  They're a perfect low calorie chocolaty solution to a hot day.  Or maybe I'll think about Kathmandu.  It's only 80 degrees there today.  Are you taking a mental vacation today?  What is your destination.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Summer




I love summer.  I love the sweltering heat.  I love long evenings playing outside in the twilight.  I love the delight of a little boy enjoying the spray park and I love the drive - in movie.  I love piles of library books and no appointments.  Summer is about freedom and it was great to have a free weekend to ourselves.  Here are some pictures from the highlight reel.   

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Loser

I'm feeling like a loser.  I keep losing things.  I lost my camera, phone and wallet.  I lost the wallet while picking blueberries.  The farm was supposed to call my cell if they found it and then I promptly lost my cell.  My camera was luckily found and if I have to look on the bright side - my car is really clean.  JAC and I removed the debris and vacuumed the car hoping to find the phone.

I'm not typically prone to losing things and it makes this all the more irritating.  Perhaps I have some level of repressed angst about moving to a far off land.  I'm a big believer in repression.  People talk too much.  They should just shove those emotions deep down and occasionally lose a wallet while failing to sort through their cluttered mind.

Now I am off to tackle mountains of laundry.  Perhaps I'll discover my cell phone in between my old jeans and some dirty socks.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Typical

I am hiding from my family in our basement.  I can hear my son racing around the house as my husband attempts to corner and question him about dinner.  "Is he hungry?  Would he like applesauce or turkey?"  This is our typical post trip routine.  The saturation of travel togetherness seeps in until I feel itchy - almost sick.  My husband is more understanding and much more accommodating than I could ever be and I relish the solitude offered by our basement.

Today we drove six hours through wooded countryside returning from a weekend trip.  As we arrived in D.C our son sleeping in the back I felt the moment almost iconic.  Our capitol a combination of skyscrapers and monuments juxtaposed against the natural glory of the Potomac River seemed alive with patriotism.  Red, white and blue clad citizens were gathering on grassy medians awaiting fireworks.  JAC awoke moments before our block and excitedly exclaimed, "My Streeeeeet!"

We spent the weekend knee deep in a stream catching crawdads, covered in dust from a tractor pull.  We fell asleep listening to backyard fireworks and the rumble of motorcycles cruising past our open windows.  This was the fourth of July weekend on a small town street.

The Gettysburg Battlefield marked the mid point of our return trip.  As we cruised by this hallowed ground the radio debated the growing divide in our country.  Immigrant families, AARP members and angry youth all debating taxes and anxiously protesting.  Commentators offered dire examples of differences too vast to be overcome and a country unwilling to compromise.  I couldn't help but think that not so many years ago differences were marked in battlefield positions.  The argument was more personal than taxes but instead the heartbreak of death.  Our country survived this chasm of dispute seemingly impossible to forgive by making deliberate choices to build something greater than the loss.

Today is our birthday.  It is shared by all Americans and is a day of unity.  Whether it is marked in our capitol with fireworks, or by  iconic road trips, or small town tractor pulls, we all stand on common ground today.  Our differences might be huge but we have survived battlefields of disagreements with determined forgiveness.  As we share in patriotic celebration, whatever street you are from, whatever your typical routine might be - today we can all embrace a history built in blood shed for a cause but also the daily decisions to forgive.