Snapshot

Today, 10:11 am. Ginger is napping. I am lying in euphoric paralysis on our brand new Tempur-pedic mattress that has just been delivered. Hazel wanders in.

"Mommy, what do I smell?"

"That's polyurethane. It's coming from my new mattress. I know it smells yucky but it will go away in a few days."

"No, it's not yucky."

"Oh. You like that smell?"

"Yep. It smells like...like...BROWNIES! Yum, yum!"

Moving Lessons

We are still in limbo, staying at my parents' house until our stuff comes, supposedly Saturday. Painting the girls' rooms at the new house, window shopping at IKEA, taking care of other little stuff, but mostly sick of being homeless. Painting walls and sitting in traffic between Fairfax and Arlington have given me plenty of thinking time. Here are a few notes to self on the moving process:

• You have to stop living in the place several days before the movers come if you expect to be ready. It's impossible to be ready if you're still trying to live there, especially with kids.
• Movers are scumbags, a necessary evil, considering the alternative. When you work hard to choose the right mover, checking reviews, fine print, Better Business Bureau, and obtaining several estimates, and the one you choose still underestimates your costs by almost half, the moving team foreman turns hostile regarding the tip for his guys, and they bring your stuff almost a week later than promised, it is a reminder that moving is a gigantic hassle, no matter how you do it.
• Choosing the right shade of green paint is very tricky business. Totally, totally worth it to buy samples of all shades you're considering, paint them on the wall in question and check at different times of day before buying the gallons. Green is not to be trifled with.
  
• Now is the time to double up on patience with the kiddos - their life is turned completely upside down and their understanding is limited. Their stress is manifested in really obnoxious ways but try to see it for what it is. While nearly impossible, also try to get them enough good sleep and healthy food.
• Start packing even earlier than too early. Pack, pack, pack. It takes four times longer than you think. And don't avoid the awkward stuff, just pack it all. Don't keep things out because you think you might use it in the months before your move - you won't because you'll be too busy packing! Tape is your friend.
  
• If you're moving to a new location where you'll need to register your car and get new drivers' licenses, check the websites ahead of time and make sure to pull all needed documents so you can take care of business while you're waiting the extra week for your stuff to come, instead of sadly realizing some of the information is packed in a box somewhere and in the hands of the dregs of society.
  
• Be nice to Ed. Not only is he working hard to get things done and help with the girls, he's putting up with you.
  

Genius on Accident

Many of the world's greatest ideas, discoveries and inventions happened on accident. Newton's apple, Doc's flux capacitor, et cetera. It seems to be no different in every day life, especially in parenting since there's no way of guessing what in the world is going to work, and no kid is the same. I'm amazed at the stories other parents tell of how they get their babies to sleep, how they keep their toddlers from taking off their diapers, how they get their kids to clean their rooms or sit still for haircuts. All genius out of necessity. Here are a couple of my contributions.

"Eat Your Vegetables" - No surprise that veggies are not popular at our table. I do what I can - sneak them in, threaten and reward, look the other way, depending on the day. One night we had a side salad, and Ed and I both served up using tongs like the ones pictured. I offered Hazel some salad and she said no as expected. It was a whatever, look the other way, night. So Ed and I were chatting over dinner and we didn't notice that Hazel had become fascinated with the tongs and was carefully serving herself some salad, a few lettuce leaves at a time. I told her she could serve as much as she liked but she had to eat everything she put on her plate. To my amazement it worked and the kid ate a pile of salad*, and still does whenever the tongs are out. Genius.

"Five More Minutes" - Recently Ginger has shifted her morning wake time from 7-7:30 to 6-6:30 which quite cramps our style, since Ed gets home late and her crib is in our room. We usually pull her into bed with us in the hopes she will chill out or even sleep a little longer like she used to, but she is rearing to go and we get climbed on, kicked, whomped and talked to for the next 20 minutes or so until getting up sounds better than putting up with her any longer.

Last night, though, while getting ready for bed, I had an idea. I saw some plastic Easter eggs in a cupboard, which reminded me that on Easter Ginger played very nicely and quietly in her crib after waking up, playing with her basket contents...and eating jelly beans out of plastic eggs (see picture.) So I put together an everyday basket for her - a sippy cup of water, a book, and two plastic eggs - one with Cheerios and raisins and one with gummy fruit snacks inside - and put it in her crib. I was so proud of myself, and Ed was impressed. Of course the best part was that it worked. I don't know what time she woke up but I did hear some water slurping and egg shaking. But when she did stand up and call to get out, I finally looked at the clock. It was 7:10. And the eggs were empty. Very genius.

What accidental genius ideas have you stumbled upon, either in parenting or regular everyday life? Do share, you never know how many people may fall on their knees and gratefully proclaim you GENIUS!

*"Salad" means mostly lettuce and a few carrots or cucumbers. At one produce store I found these small Mediterranean cucumbers that have soft skin and no seeds; she loves those and eats them like crackers.