Claudia’s Chapter

A three-year old’s mind June 15, 2008

So it’s been a while since I’ve had to call anyone at poison control, but apparently C thought we should get back in touch today.

I had the boys outside with bubble wands this afternoon, while A was painting the garage. A asked me to go inside to grab another roller. He stopped painting to watch the boys as the chased their bubbles about the driveway. I had gone less than a step down the basement stairs, which I heard A yelling “Claudia…get out here.”

I ran out expecting a scraped knee, and instead saw C gagging next to the patio set. Apparently he had made a bee-line for the gallon of liquid bubble soap, and literally grabbed it and chugged it to A and T’s horror.

I brought him inside and dialed good-old 1-800-222-1222. The operator assured me that he would be ok because it was labeled non-toxic, though she indicated that he might have a stomache ache later.

I gave him a snack and a juice, and then asked C what he had been thinking.

With a very straight face he said “I thought I could make my poop into bubbles”

Sigh.

Kucinich calls for Impeachment June 11, 2008

http://www.truthout.org/article/kucinich-introduces-impeachment-articles-against-bush

I know Kucinich is sometimes considered on the fringe.  However, impeachment is really just a constitutionally provided means of accountability.  Please join me in calling your state reps for support of this resolution

Decisions and the Makers May 31, 2008

We effortlessly judge leaders, politicians, scientists and theologians on the judgement calls that they make.

To the leader or politician, we ask “well, where did you get that evidence…? How did you come to that conclusion?:”

To the scientist, we ask, “was your method sound? did you all that you could to create a fair conclusion?”

To the theologian we ask :”how does your decision match those of the politician or the scientist, for surely their methods are more sound than yours?”

We ask. We wage war. We watch the underprivileged struggle. We listen to the heartbreak of medical findings lying in a coffin.

We ask and ask, yet we have no answers…just discussion.

Obama on what is Wright …or …Wrong… April 29, 2008

I’ve been following the Obama/Wright controversy closely, not because I think that the remarks of Obama’s pastor are relevant, but for the exact opposite reason.

When I think of chruch and religion as it is played out through society and the media, I think of a mute congregation listening intently to a charasmatic religious leader. We as a society think of religious participants as mutes following the word of God as told through their priest, pastor or other officiating members.

I was raised as a Christian, yet in a non-denominational setting. I remember my mother saying, “sometimes it is good to go to church not to agree with what your pastor says, but to more clearly articulate your own positions and understanding of God as they compare to what you heard your pastor speak of.” If you read the bible, you’ll see the folly of man, not the divinity of man.

I don’t believe, and after listening to Barack Obama, I’m not inclined to think that his beliefs were created by his pastor. Rather I think he believes that his pastor helped enlighten his path to the divine.

In the end though, Christianity provides the opportunity for a personal relationship with God. It has the potential to be a relationship that can not be swayed or amended because of the differing views of another person, even if that person is your pastor.

I think Obama was right to stay in that parish with “Wright’ for 20 years, because Wright’s sermons probably did help to shape Obama’s religious views. However that does not mean that Obama shared his social and political views. It is to Obama’s credit that he found the good in Wright and Wright’s views during this time, but did not let Wright’s views dictate his own actions.
When the Clinton’s went through their own personal and spiritual drama, it was Wright they asked to come to the White House for counsel. I’d like to imagine they did so because they shared his understanding of the possibility that religion has to change circumstance and provide hope, not because they thought Clinton’s chickens had come home to roost.

A long list of things more expensive than Bear Stearns’ Sale Price.. March 17, 2008

Oh what a mess things are when JP Morgan can buy BearStearns for just $2 a share.

Compared to this long-lived investment bank many things stack up as more valuable:

1. Paul McCartney (after settling with Mills for $48.6 million) at $ 751.4 million

2. You Tube ($1.65 billion)

3.DoubleClick ($3.1 billion)

4. Postini ($625 million)

5, Kelkoo ($579 million) Kelkoo?

6. BlueLithium( $300 million)

8. Zimbra ($300 million)….

Who would have thought even just a few weeks ago, that a bunch of start-ups with interesting names could easily be worth more than the investment banks who broker the deals…?

The Audacity of Hope when your 3 year locks himself in the bathroom. February 10, 2008

C managed to top most of his earlier accomplishments today.  A and i were in the dining room with a friend, when we heard T scream “Christopher is stuck in the bathroom!!!”

After an initial exchange of perplexed looks, a yell up the stairs to ask “What do you mean..? Is he having a hard time with the toilet?”

We heard, “No I’m stuck in the bathroom!!”

We went upstairs and realized he had managed to turn an 80 year old latch on the bathroom door, and had locked himself in.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t at all panicked.  I imagine at this point in his first 3 years, he’s realized that we always help him out of scrapes.

I bent down, and started talking through the door…”C, can you see the silver knob??”

“Yep”

“Ok, just turn it.”

I listened for a ‘click’ and realized that he was trying to turn it, but couldn’t.

It was a bolt lock and we didn’t see an easy way to ‘pick the lock’

A mentioned, how this proved what unlikely criminals we would be.

As we bantored on, realizing that he wasn’t going to be able to free himself and that we were not going to come up with an easy way to break into our own bathroom, Alex decided it was time for the big guns.

He said “C, I’m going to get the Ax.  Hold on.”

Only in our house does this prompt our 3 year old to say, “ok Daddy.”

So, up the stairs came Alex, gigantic wood-chopping ax in hand.

We told C to go to the back of the bathroom by the tub, because Daddy was going to break the door down.

I suggested we call the fire department.  A said “Pulleease. ” and swung the ax behind him in a motion to gain greater leverage.

And with that, A proceeded to smash out the top panel of the door and lifted C through the opening, before reaching in and unlocking the door.

Fortunately the closet door in the office fit the frame perfectly and a just switched them.

Obama was just linking hope to action, and I guess this was our little moment today.

Our family faced a challenge, and hope let us break down that obstacle,…that door… to the bathroom.

Early Literacy and Branding January 25, 2008

I’ve noticed that my own toddlers, and in fact, the majority of the under-4 crowd we hang out with, seem to learn branding in parallel to ABC’s and the other basic foundations of reading.

C has easily been able to recognize Target, McDonald’s, Trader Joes, Marshalls, Whole Foods etc for months. When T went through this phase I remember being slightly worried that I was emersing him too deeply into our consumer culture.

However, as I’m sure many early-education experts would have been able to tell me back then, is that I think this should just direct me to label more things.

Perhaps if I start labeling all the common things in our house like cups, clothes, plates etc, C will start to associate those words to the items in print.

Essentially it should be like ‘branding’ our household items.

Perhaps it will also help me on my path to a more organized house in 2008.

Stranger than Fiction. December 29, 2007

A and I officially just wasted almost 2 hours of our lives and a perfectly good opportunity to watch something worthwhile from Netflix.  Will Ferrel’s movie Stranger than Fiction focused on the premises of death, life, control, fate….Focused on the idea that an author’s character was in fact a very real person she was about to kill off, A and I felt like the author was actually trying to kill us too.

A is doing the dishes right now as an apology for ordering the movie.

If only  the maker could have been as nice.

It’s a good thing we didn’t invade Iran December 3, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/world/middleeast/03cnd-iran.html?hp

It’s been a while November 26, 2007

The holidays are once again upon us all, and I’ve realized that I’ve sorely neglected this blog lately.
I might add, that my neglect is not without reason(s).  In no particular order: Reasons why I haven’t been particularly good about blogging lately:
1. C was placed on a nebulizer

2. C threw himself down the stairs.

3. T had his first case of stitches after ramming himself into a pole at the playground.

4. C went back on the nebulizer.

5. A and I were working closely with the patent attorney to file, well, a patent.

6. I was writing letters to the insurance company to settle my claims.

7. C threw himself down the stairs again.  (this time we had to bring him into the doctor’s because I couldn’t be sure if he had hit his head or not.) He was fine.  The doctor advised me to look into Valium.  This is now the second practitioner at the pediatrician’s office to jokingly suggest Valium for me.  I’m starting to wonder what it would be like.

8.  Went back to the city to try on bridesmaid dresses.  Realized that even a thin mother of two should ALWAYS wear spanks or some sort of supportive undergarment when trying on bridesmaid dresses.

9.  C stepped on a carpet tack.  After a lengthy discussion with doctor (again) realized that he would not need a tetanus shot. Relief.

10. I’m planning C’s party.  For anyone who’s never planned a child’s party, be aware that it is much more complicated and filled with political angst that you would think.