I just have to say...

I have loved rocking my babies to sleep. I approach with dread the day that Finn decides he wants to put himself down. There is nothing better than breathing in that sunshine and rainbows smell off that little blond head and snuggling his little body until he slips off. I would never ever trade the few years I've had of rocking my kids to sleep, despite the wakings and re-rockings we've been peppered with, for having a "trained" baby.

I know I've posted this poem before, but it bears repeating:

Song for a Fifth Child

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Harvard Project Implicit

I've taken the race test before, but I just found this Fat/Thin one. I love these tests. Take one for kicks! Here are my results to my test. No big surprise to me there. Here is a link to the list of available quizzes.

PROJECT IMPLICIT

You have completed the Fat - Thin IAT.

Your Result

Your data suggest a slight automatic preference for Fat People compared to Thin People.

Thank you for your participation. Just below is a breakdown of the scores generated by others. Most respondents find it easier to associate Fat people with Bad and Thin people with Good compared to the reverse.

Many of the questions that you answered on the previous page have been addressed in research over the last 10 years. For example, the order that you performed the response pairing is influential, but procedural corrections largely eliminate that influence (see FAQ #1). Each visitor to the site completes the task in a randomized order. If you would like to learn more about the IAT, please visit the FAQs and background information section.

You are welcome to try additional demonstration tasks, and we encourage you to register (easy) for the research site where you will gain access to studies about more than 100 topics about social groups, personality, pop culture, and more.

SATs

Public kudos to Conor for his 1550 SAT score! Good job, birdy-brain!

My reference to Canon in D reminded me of this hillarious rant on Pachelbel:

1. Song that always makes you sad?

The Only Living Boy in New York (Simon & Garfunkle), I Do (Jude), In My Life (Beatles), Bring Him Home (Les Miserables)

2. Last thing you bought?

A pineapple.

3. Last person you argued with?

Probably Conor, I don't argue with very many people.

4. Do you put Butter .. putting the peanut butter on?

What? I don't know what that means.

5. One of your stuffed animals' names as a kid?

Matilda ( I liked old lady names even then)

6. Did you ever own at one time a Barenaked Ladies CD?

Nope. Conor has a couple I think.

7. Favorite day of the week?

It makes no difference, they're all the same.

8. Favorite Sundae topping?

Caramel and nuts.

9. Did you take Piano lessons?

Yes.

10. Most frequent song played?

Canon in D. It's the only one I remember.

11. TV show you secretly enjoy?

Celebrity Fit Club, Jack's Big Music Show

12. Would you rather play basketball or hockey?

I'm a beast at Field Hockey.

13. Date someone older or younger?

Out of the 4 that I would call "dated" 2 were slightly older, 2 were 2 years younger.

14. One place you could travel right now?

Anywhere but here.

15. Do you use umbrellas?

I can't without hearing that stupid "Umbrella, ella, ella, ella" song. Violet has a Hello Kitty one, that's about the only one we use.

16. Do you know all the words to the Canadian national anthem?

Oh, Canada! That's all I know.

17. Favorite Cheese?

That's like asking me which is my favorite child. I like basil cheddar. Num.

18. The Smith's or the Cure?

Smiths.

19. Do you prefer Blondes or Brunettes?

I significantly prefer dark haired people.

20. Best job you ever had?

I liked working for Starbucks. I haven't have any jobs I'd write home about.

21. Did you go to your high school prom?

Nope.

22. Perfect time to wake up?

8

23. Perfect time to go to bed?

10

24. Do you use your queen right away in chess?

I don't know how to play chess.

25. Ever been in a car accident?

Nope.

26. Closer to mom or dad... or neither?

Mom.

27. What age is this exciting life over for you?

Whatever age it is, it has passed.

28. What decade during the 20th century would you have chosen to be a teenager?

Hmm. That's a toughie. I like the style of the 40s, but progressively speaking, I probably wouldn't have dug it. I guess I'd have to go with the 60s if I couldn't choose the one I actually was a teenager in.

29. Favorite shoes you have EVER owned?

I had these rocket dogs. They were grey suede and had velcro straps. I loved them, and they got lost...I think in Omaha. I'm digging my new Kangaroos though.

30. Do you have an article of clothing you have had since you were in high school?

Not anymore. I had a shirt from when I was 14. I finally got rid of it. It was completely threadbare.

31. Were you in track and field?

Have we met?

32. Were you ever in a school talent show?

No. I was in plays and such, but no actual talent show.

33. Have you ever written in a library book?

God, no. Who does that?

34. Allergic to?

Religion

35. Favorite fruit?

Hmm. I like mangos. I like raspberries.

36. Have you watched sex and the city?

Not of my own volition. I think it is mind-numbing.

37. Baseball hat or toque?

Toque? Who goes around wearing a toque as a fashion statement? On a side note, I hate baseball caps on girls. I like hats. Just not baseball caps.

38. Do you shampoo first in the shower or soap?

Shampoo! I'm adamant about that.

39. Wet the toothbrush or brush dry with the toothpaste?

Wet. And I've always brushed my teeth with hot water, which other people seem to find strange.

40. Pen or pencil?

Pen. Really good dark inky pens.

41. Have you ever gambled at a casino?

Just a bit.

42. Have you thrown up on a plane?

Yes. I was pregnant.

43. Have you thrown up in a car?

Not IN a car, but I vaguely recall Justin having to pull over to let me throw up. Very vaguely.

44. Have you thrown up at work?

Yes. Pregnant.

45. Do you scream on roller coasters?

Doubtful. I haven't been on one in years.

46. Who was your first prom date?

We've established that I did not go to prom.

47. Who was your first roommate?

Jenny.

48. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk for the first time?

Beer, I think. I don't remember.

49. What was your first job?

I worked for a weight loss clinic.

50. What was your first car?

Mazda 626 (1987)

51. When did you go to your first funeral?

I don't remember how old I was. 10 maybe?

52. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown?

17. To Mississippi.

53. Who was your first grade teacher?

I don't remember. My kindergarten teacher was Mrs. Hartline.

54. Where did you go on your first airplane ride?

My sister took me with a friend on a little tiny plane ride.

55. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with?

I never snuck out of my house.

56. Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them?

Kevin. Yes.

57. Where did you live the first time you moved out of your parent's house?

With a cult.

58. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?

Conor.

59. Who's wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or a groomsmen?

My cousin. I was a "junior bridesmaid??"

60. What is the first thing you do in the morning?

Make breakfast for the kids if Conor hasn't, make Conor's lunch.

61. What do you do for fun?

Buy toilet paper, milk, and diapers.

What-to-do poopsy-woo?

OOBLECK! For those of you who have never experienced the joys of oobleck, here's the scoop:

Oobleck is made from cornstarch and water. The term was originally coined in the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck, and was later adopted by this fascinating non-Newtonian fluid. When pressure is applied, the mixture acts as a solid and can be rolled into a ball. When the mixture is free of pressure, it returns to a liquid state. My kids and my dear physics buff, Conor, had never known the joys of oobleck, so I whipped up a batch.

Oobleck is made by mixing 2 parts cornstarch to 1 part water (ish...). I just dump a bunch of cornstarch in a bowl and add water until it I like the consistency. That's how I cook, that's how I make goo. A little food coloring is always fun too, but I didn't have any...at least I didn't have any I could find.

The solid/liquid properties are brilliantly displayed on a Spanish TV show as the hosts run across a pool of Oobleck



Here is Conor explaining to me what I had just made:

And what does Violet think of Oobleck? Aside from having to wash her hands every 37 seconds...

little girl in the big city

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Conor has applied to 2 schools, both of them in the city. Since the life I want is not one of him being gone an extra 3 hours a day commuting, we're planning on moving closer to the city. Conor has continually told me to look at houses in the city, and I have continually refused and looked at outlying areas. Yesterday I called him and said "you know how you tell me things all the time, and I never believe you until I find them out for myself?" "Yes," he says. "Well there are some awesome houses in Chicago proper in good areas in our price range." "Yes," he says.

I suppose with 2.8 million people in Chicago proper, there would have to be something, hmm? I have hated to admit to myself that the reason I didn't want to look in the city is that I'm a scaredy cat. We live in Aurora, for goodness sakes. Crime ain't so grand here either. I am officially suburban. I assumed that houses in the city don't have clean streets and yards and garages and such. I assumed that we couldn't drive, and I'd have to haul the kids around on the bus. The BUS, people. I don't know how to use a BUS! I don't even understand how people know where they're going. And then there's the train. All these colors! Red, green, blue, purple, chartreuse, puce, I have no clue where they go or stop or come from. Looking at houses has kind of started to cure me though. There are garages. And yards. And decks. And driveways...with cars in them. I've started to get a little more excited at the prospect of living in the city. But I feel like a country bumpkin.