Regarding: Disappearance

Sorry I vanished. There were llamas. And oceans. And cenotes.


Update to come.

Feminism 101

Sometimes, having me as a nanny is like being in an elementary school level feminism course. We talk about how sometimes girls are told they should behave a certain way, or how boys are told the same thing. We discuss where these ideas come from, why people think of them as "truth," and how important it is to be aware of all of this.

Today, Clover asked me about Barbie, and if there is an equivalent for boys-- that is, something that teaches boys how to act, the way girls are taught how to "be" by Barbie (granted, one small example of the social indoctrination that occurs).

She was thinking of this! All by herself! Without being prodded in that direction!

YAY!

A+ in Feminism 101

The Naked Bridesmaid?

This weekend, my friends got married. Aslan and Hans have been pronounced Mr. and Mrs., the bride was kissed, the people danced, the tea lights refused the stay lit, and we all ate cake. After the reception, we relocated and continued to the party.

Over the last few months, Aslan has taken to calling me her 'naked bridesmaid.' That is, I had "all of the stress, none of the dress." Though not a member of the bridal party, I threw myself wholeheartedly into the preparations, parties, and adventures relating to the wedding. I like planning. I like weddings. And I love Aslan and Hans.

I like the title "the naked bridesmaid" much more than I like "code name Blythe," so that's what I'm going to go with. Of course, I'll still BE Blythe, but that won't be the title of the blog anymore. Despite not being Aslan's naked bridesmaid anymore-- as the wedding is successfully completed-- but I still think it sums up my behaviour in general.

I like to be involved. I like to help. I like to plan. I do like to be thanked, but I don't need it to be "official"-- I'm perfectly happy to just jump on board and be excited!

I am, you see, The Naked Bridesmaid.

Wait, I'm not OLD, am I?!

Me: Well, yeah, I guess we could watch Bugsy Malone sometime, but I only have the video. Do you guys have a VCR?
Neptune: What's a VCR?

An OK Problem To Have...

Me: Guys, put down the books, it's time to eat.
Neptune and Clover: (remain absorbed in their books)
Me: NEPTUNE! Book down. CLOVER! Put. The. Book. Down.
Neptune and Clover: (don't even notice I am talking)

Oh, well, compared to a couple of years ago, it's pretty great:

2007:

Me: Neptune, Clover, let's do 20 minutes of reading
N and C: NO! NONONONONO! (insert moaning, whining, crying, and stubbornness here)



So you see, sometimes it's ok that they don't listen to me the first time around.

The Biggest Compliment I Have Ever Received

Due to their mother's insane travel schedule (ie gone WAY more than either she or the children would prefer), birthday celebrations were put on hold this year. Despite the fact that the children's birthdays were way back in February, we will be celebrating their "unbirthdays" this summer. That's right-- there will be cake, a pinata, games, and crafts just about six months after their actual birthdays.

And I get to help plan it, because, you know, I'm here. With the children. During the summer.

And, well, because I'm pretty fond of such events. As it appears A has figured out by now.

SO, long story short, there are unbirthdays to be celebrated. The tricky part is scheduling. Though A doesn't have to travel to Asia anymore, that doesn't mean her weekends are completely open, and so we had to do some careful scheduling. The first available, reasonable weekend was July 10th/11th... the weekend I am going to be out of town for Aslan and Hans' wedding. I mentioned this to Clover, told her that I would not be offended in the SLIGHTEST if she wanted to have her party while I was gone, but that I wouldn't be available that weekend.

She paused, considered it, and then decided to wait an EXTRA MONTH for the party. That's right. The girl tacked on FOUR MORE WEEKS OF WAITING so that I could be there. (She thought it would be "easier." Heh. I am amused as this concept. What would I do that would make it easier? It's quite possible that she just thinks three adults are necessary to keep this birthday running smoothly.)

Anyway. There you have it. The biggest compliment I have ever received-- a ten year old delaying her (already delayed) party for a month, so I could be there to help things go smoothly. Either she likes more, or thinks I'm useful, or both. I'm good with any of these options.

Cutlery, Cleaning, and Corkscrews, oh my!

I have a problem.

I have gone absolutely head-over-heels giddy for all things domestic. I look longingly at throw pillows. I used a birthday gift card to buy salt and pepper shakers. I used another gift card to buy a set of kitchen knives (to be fair, they are brightly coloured, so that makes them more legitimately exciting). I LONG FOR CLOTH NAPKINS (specifically the yellow "lettuce edged" ones at Bed Bat and Beyond-- $14.95 for 6. Outside of my budget for napkins). I bought half of my cutlery (service for four) with a coupon, and it was one of the highlights of my weekend.

THIS IS BAD, PEOPLE!

Well, I guess THAT part isn't so bad. After all, my salt and pepper shakers are cute. My couch is super comfy. Those kitchen knives are genuinely pretty cool.

THIS IS WHERE IT GETS SCARY:

On Saturday, I was helping my dad do a little bit of cleaning. During the process, I found myself getting truly excited when he said I could take some of the family rags (you know, old hand towels or cloth napkins that are now good for nothing more than cleaning). This is not FANCY. We are talking LITERALLY, RAGS. And I was getting excited.

But what really made me concerned? Really really?

He had a new toilet cleaning system.
And I was practically taking notes.


Is it obvious that I need an apartment of my own to fawn over?