Meet Petie

and Petula. (isn't that fun to say?!)

Anyways, this project came about because Luc suddenly began picking up the volcanic rock we've been using as a doorstop. And while it looks cool, I don't want him accidently dropping it on his sweet little toes. And he loves birds. And making a bird couple was better than one lonely birdie. Maybe later I'll continue the bird family, but for now they're enjoying their honeymoon phase. Petie and Petula.
I used fabric scraps I've been collecting for the past couple months. I knew they'd be pushed around our floors and have to withstand that plus any monkey handling, so I used an old pair of shorts, made of a heavy fabric, that didn't fit Alex anymore. I stuffed Petula (with green wings) slightly more which I like better, but she is smaller, so I'm not sure if the weight of her rice stuffing will be enough to resist the wind blowing our doors shut. We will see!

Petie!

Petula!

Undeniably cute

Curled up like a cat on the mountain of pillows on the big bed.

Luc and his favorite stuffed animal.

Addendum

After I read the post I wrote really late last night, I realised:
1. Pictures always make the blog posts better.


2. I am addicted to using parantheses (spelling?) and have no inclination to quit anytime soon. (I'm too lazy to figure out how to make blogger switch to an English dictionary when you hit spell check)

3. I can't remember. (I'm going on 5 hours of sleep, people!)

4. The laundry is dry, but it's still sitting outside. And I think it might rain again. Ohwell.

Late night Lady Gaga musings

So this is a first.
I usually write blog posts in my head right before I go to sleep and have this crazy idea that I'll remember it all, complete with witty remarks, to actually write it the next day at naptime. (I sometimes can't remember words like "light" or "window", if that shows you how messed up my brain signals have become) That's why I haven't been posting nearly as often as I'd like. But tonight, I decided to get out of bed before the funny things were erased forever from my crazy sleep deprived mommy focused brain.
Tonight, Alex watched a soccer final, I think it was Lyon verses some German team. During halftime, the network showed music videos, as commercials are not shown on the public channels. So they were showing Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance". And I have to say, I was quickly won over with her outfits and weird imagery. Not so much the music.
I know I'm so late to the party, but she is f'in awesome! Hilarious! So over the top you have to give her credit!
Then the game flicked back on, and I then turned to the internet for a little Gaga research. And by research I mean I checked her out on wikipedia. I was blown away that she is only 24. I mean, yeah there's other stars even younger than her, so I don't know why I reacted with, "omigod! she was born in nineteen eighty SIX?!" Alex looked over at me and then quickly went back to watching the game. "I can't believe that!" I continued. I'm getting old.
Then I started flipping through pictures of her. I've seen some of them before, but never paid any attention. Not until tonight did I see what she wore on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. And of course then there's the kermit jacket and headpiece, of which I am entertaining semi-serious thoughts of trying to make now. (Le Grande Boucan is coming up, people! Wouldn't that be a fantastic costume?!) (also, where can I buy kermit puppets in bulk?) But the best thing so far has been the video for "Telephone", which I cannot stop watching. Obviously, it's not for everyone, and I get the feeling that if you know about her, it's either love or hate, nothing in between. Telephone is is just completly enthralling to me. The details are incredible and delicious! And I love that the cigarette shades are still smoking when she walks onto the scene. (By the way, they are so huge they look like my Dad's ridiculous "sunglasses" that he slips on over his regular glasses. Sorry Dad, unless they are covered with still-smoking cigarettes and you're wearing a Gaga outfit, they're just not as cool, but that's a different scary mental image altogether...) Oh, and Beyoncé, she is GORGEOUS in this video, yellow cowgirl and blue gemmed jacket whoa!, but when is she not, right? (Did I just make up a word? "gemmed"? meh, I think it works.) And what the heck did she sink her teeth into after uttering "You've been a very bad girl. A very, very bad, bad, girl Gaga"? Anyone?
In conclusion, this video is so happy-fun that it's made the computer desktop picture, edging out a recent family beach picture, and it makes me wish the words "Let's make a sandwich" could magically appear over my head from time to time.
Sidenote: I've stayed up long enough now that I can move the laundry rack because it's started raining.
I need sleep, internet. Goodnight.

Thoughts on Mommying

This morning started like any other day. Luc and I playing in between my taking care of feeding us breakfast, vaccuming (part of a never-ending war of sand coming in our appartment), and various other cleaning stuff. We even brushed our teeth together, something that is still so new and fascinating to Luc. Spending so much time together has allowed us to become very close, something that I absolutely treasure. To see him learn and progress day after day, and to share his new experiences with his "Papa" at the end of each day; well, it just doesn't get any better than that.
Uncle Romain has been visiting with us for the past 10 days, and the three of us had planned to go to Boucan Canot beach for a lunch picnic. We packed the cooler, the beach bag, and got everything situated, and meanwhile, Luc began to be fussy. I picked him up and tried soothing him, saying "Are you tired?", "Are you frustrated that Mommy isn't playing with you right now?" He cried more. He squirmed in my arms, so I put him down. "Would you like some water?" He pushed the bottle and my arms away. He hung onto my neck and cried some more. I walked around with him in my arms like that for several minutes. His crying didn't lessen at all. I looked at our pile of beach things, ready to be taken down to the car. "Would you like to go on an adventure?" This is what I always say to him when we're planning a trip out of the appartment complex, so he hears it a lot and knows what it means. He usually responds with a little happy-sounding noise and runs to the door. Instead, he cried and turned his head away from the door. Realizing at this point that he was no where near calming down, and that it wouldn't be fair to strap him into the car, and then expect him to be ok on the beach, I told Romain that I was going to try to put him down for a nap, and that we could meet him later at the beach. Luc has endured several days of no or very little nap time since his Uncle has been here visiting because we've been going to the beach more often. It didn't feel right to do that again today, especially with him being upset like this. We moved into his room and I rolled the window shutter down until it was almost closed, which is what we always do to prepare him for a nap. I asked him if he wanted to pick out a book. He calmed just a little so I went over to the book sling on the wall. He began crying again and pulled out a book and threw it to the floor. Hmm, that usually always helps. I pointed to the photos on the wall of a whale, an octopus, and some fish. He responded by crying and turning his head. Then I pointed to the fish garland on another wall that he loves to touch and giggle at. More crying. I tried to put him down on the big bed (we have a double sized bed in his room, next to his crib), but he only jumped right back in my arms. By now I'm a little confused. What is upsetting him so much? Is it his teeth? But he hasn't shown any signs of being bothered by his teeth before now. Is he just really tired? Did something scare him? He is crying so hard at some points that he is shaking. I try again with a book. No. His blanket. He throws it. His stuffed cat. He throws that too. I try singing. He screams more. I keep asking him questions, but he cries more and more. It's been 40 minutes and I'm beginning to think I am a horrible Mommy. For 10 minutes, I pace the floor with him in my arms, crying, shaking, but I say nothing, and try to let him calm down on his own. Finally, I try singing again. He lets out a big sigh, and relaxes a bit. I keep pacing and singing. I whisper, "would you like your blanket?" He lets out a little noise that I know means "yes". When I pick it up, he grabs it and curls up a little more in my arms with it. He brings it up to his face, and I know the smell of it is comforting to him. I pace a little more with him, and then ask if I can tuck him into bed. He says nothing, so I lay him down in his bed. He begins to cry again, and reaches out for me, so I pick him back up. Here we are, pacing the room, singing a bit, when I hear Alex open the door to the appartment. Luc picks his head up and hears his Papa's voice as he talks to Romain. Then Alex slowly pokes his head into the room. He gives kisses to us both and asks me if he should stay with them. Luc is curled up in my arms, with no indication of wanting to go anywhere, so I say "No, but it's nothing personal honey". He said "I love you" to Luc, and quietly closed the door behind him. Luc was finally ready to be tucked in about 5 minutes later, and as I did, he had the sweetest smile on his tired little face while gripping his blanket. I kissed him, and said "Sweet dreams my love, I'll see you when you wake up, I love you".
An hour and 15 minutes after all that had started, I emerged from his room. But I was not emotionally drained, or disappointed that we wouldn't go to the beach. I was content that Luc was happily calmed and soon to be asleep in his bed. Even though it was hard for me in the middle of it, I knew that sticking by him, allowing him to express himself, and not "letting him cry it out" alone was the best thing for him. I felt stronger as a Mom. Every experience like that has shown me that I am a very capable, loving, Mommy. And then Alex looks at me and says "You know what I was thinking when I saw you two back there? That Luc got the best Mommy ever."

Steps to make the world's worst TV show

Step 1: Decide that your TV show-to-be will be a "reality TV" show.

Step 2: Focus on typical teenage angst in the suburbs. Find teens that think they're parents are too strict and annoying, but catch them on camara snubbing and being rude to said parents. Provide video clips of the parents saying they can't control their teen and they don't know what to do anymore. The more tears the better.

Step 3: Find the poorest country in Africa, (according to IMF, and listed by GDP) which is The Democratic Republic of Congo. Then find a well-off family living in the capital and decide you could send these french suburban teens to live with this family.

Step 4: Title the show "I have the strictist parents in the world!" or something to that effect.

Step 5: Decide the element of surprise is the best way to inform two chosen teens; a 16 yr old boy, and a 15 yr old girl, that they will be sent to Africa for a few weeks. Give them the flight number when they arrive at the airport, and be sure to film their faces up close when they read "Kinshasa" next to their number.

Step 6: Film teens' arrival chock full of awkward glances going back and forth between them and their host family with five kids. Especially focus on their looks of shock upon driving through the city. End the day with the two teens sitting down with their host parents to discuss rules and responsibilities.

Step 7: Continue to film each teens activities (or lack of) each day, getting feedback from both sides, as the host parents decide they are lazy, spoiled, Metropole kids, and the teens regard their treatment in the home as too brash and mean.

I think I'll stop there. I actually couldn't finish watching the show, as I was fully disgusted and exhausted for the night. But I didn't fall asleep right away because I was up thinking about how each side must be feeling completely taken advantage of. The parents of the two teens involved in this show really boggle my mind. I don't pretend to be an expert in psychology or know anything about these families personally, but it seems OK to assume that complaining on TV about your teen being too spoiled or rebellious doesn't DO anything to help the situation. How could they think that getting involved with reality TV would help the obviously very damaged relationship they have with their teens? And the people who came up with this lousy idea for a TV show, where could they take advantage of people very easily? Oh right, the poorest country in the world, a place where a recent war is still having ill-effects on the country. Let's stick two rich, (a relative term considering where they are) white kids who have never been to Africa, have no idea what to do, think, or feel about the situation, in said country and see what happens when they get MAJOR culture shock. Maybe it will shock them into cleaning up after themselves a little when they get home. My guess is no, they will probably resent their parents even more. How about the host family? They probably got a lump of money from agreeing to be on the show, but also a lump of resentment at these kids who will go back to their rich life at the end. In my opinion, they were used for the entertainment and shock value the show provided. And the two teens? They just need their parents to be a bit more caring about them. Well, actually, a lot bit. I am cringing at the thought of how this ordeal likely drove the gash deeper between the teens and their parents. (When I say that incidently, the teens are not siblings; I'm talking about two teens and their separate families). Ultimately, it boils down to culture shock, and how it was unfairly placed upon these kids, and the family who hosted them.
Worst. TV. Show. EVER.

Easter trimmings

Egg Dying: works so much better with a dye kit. And white eggs. I fully admit this after romantisicing the idea of using natural dyes. It sounded great in theory; tumeric for yellow, red cabbage for blue-violet, and beets for a reddish pink. I could make purple green and orange by using two dyes for one egg.
The only problem? No beets or red cabbage to be found here at this time of year. At least, not in the Petit Marché in the past week. So I made do with what I had. I suppose if I was really motivated I could have found some juices or powdered drink mixes to dye the eggs, but I ended up picking half a dozen of the lightest brown eggs I had, and hard boiling them with a spice we use in making a cari. Oh, and I had wanted to make stripes by tying string on, but realised that rubber bands are reccommended for good reason. That idea got ditched rather quickly.


Not a huge difference in their original color, but still a pretty, rich yellow hue.
Which I then decided was too boring on its own, so I busted out the sharpie markers.
Luc was fascinated by them, and for the first time, he was able to play with an egg without my fear of his breaking it and getting it everywhere.
I showed him how we peel off the shell,
and then he went to town.
Next up on decorations, I got a heart shaped oasis (those green foamy things used in flower arrangements) and cut some pink baby roses to fit it. Then I gathered some of the leaves and pinned them to the sides of the oasis. I really liked how it turned out!

Uncle Romain arrived on Saturday!

Easter morning with the beautiful sun coming up. Although it looked pretty, I think I'll leave the chocolate in the fridge next time. Mmmm, irish bread in the background....
In the previous week, I made seven of those little bunny finger puppets you see sitting atop the golden chocolate eggs. I found the tutorial at the Purl Bee, which is a fun, creative, and crafty little site that you should check out if you're into that kind of stuff.
And lastly, the cake. Oh, the cake. It was fun to make AND delicious. WIN! It's a 2 layer carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (a bit too runny, but I'll get the proportions right next time). I used gummi worms that I cut to look like carrots, and melted dark chocolate over some shredded coconut and formed a little birds nest with jelly bean eggs. And you know what's amazing? We actually got this cake a quarter of the way around the island, down a rocky path, to a secluded surf beach without messing it up at all. (An easter miracle?)
Luc is screaming in this picture. Translation: let's eat this cake NOW!


Happy Easter everyone!