Gem’s Gems 2014 Wrapup

Gem’s Gems 2014 Wrapup

My kid says some funny stuff, and every year I post a round-up of some of her best lines.

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enjoy.

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 Ambition

G: I can be anything I want when I grow up?
Me: Sure, what do you want to be?
G: A unicorn

Me: wanna watch a movie?
G: No. I must rule the world.

Me: you talk about being a princess a lot. do you ever think about being an engineer or a teacher?
G: Princesses never lie to their mommies
thus endeth the career counseling session

g: “I’m gonna be a kid for a long time?”
me: “yep, you are going to be a kid for a long time.”
g: “I love being a kid! Grownups work while kids play.”

G: Do you know what my superpower is?
Me: What is it?
G: writing… and thinking. oh, and snoring.

G has decided that now that she is a kid instead of a baby, we are going to have to change the nicknames by which we refer to her. The list is long and I won’t go through them all, but Baby is out, Sweetpea is still ok, and on and on.
So what do you really want me to call you? I asked.
Genevieve. Or you can call me the Judge.

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That’s my girl!

G, on the way to the party last night: “I’m bringing the party with me, I carry it in my heart.”

G, fists in the air: “Even though I small on the outside, I big and powerful on the inside!”

space-alien

this is the space alien that lives in the space volcano. they are not monsters, they are just not from here. I learn new things from my little one every day.

“I want to keep doing this mischief thing forever”

G’s word of the day: Accigently – when you make a mistake, but do it carefully

card shark | CoffeeJitters.Net

card shark

G: DADDY! daddy DADDY! daddy
Me: Genevieve! Daddy’s office is not a yelling place
G: I was trying to find him using echo location

“when I see a baby, the love goes right into my heart and then I sing it out”

applause sign | CoffeeJitters.Net

what? your living room doesn’t have ann applause sign? she hung this sign a couple days ago when we failed to perceive that her dancing was a performance. sign says: if you like my dance, clap.

Me: when you wake up tomorrow, it will be your last day of being 4
G: Oh, good, I’m REALLY tired of being 4

train to Denmark

she arranged the stools into a train, and she has her trusty atlas. the library thinks its time to close, but we are on a train, on our way to denmark to see a pig

G, to another kid at the playground: “That’s my mom and dad over there, and they both love me and I both love them.”

“it’s a good day for dancing”

invincible yoga girl

it took some doing, but she finally climbed up on that boulder – then she stood up and started in on yoga poses ‪#‎invincible

Very angry little girl in time out: I’m just going to take a sharp saw and cut off my room from the rest of the house and sail away.
apparently she likes to travel in style: with dress-up clothes, fancy bed, and toys.

shoe-phone

I told her about Get Smart, and the shoe phone…

G: what does BFF mean?
Me: that means Best Friends Forever
G: like you and me?

picnic -2

my girl packed us a picnic

G, clinging to my back: “Can you turn your head around and look at me?”
Me: “no, my head only goes side to side, it doesn’t go to the back”
G, grabbing head: “I can fix that”
Just one of the many things that my kid says that would totally creep me out if it was anyone else

G: I would be happy to trade my computer for your computer
Me: my computer isn’t working very well right now.
G: Then I will trade this lego figure for your computer

G: close your eyes and I will sing you a lullaby so you can sleep better tonight
Me: awww, that’s sweet
G: ♫ Old McDonald Had a Farm… ♩ ♬

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For the love of books

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waiting for the library to open

waiting for the library to open

riveted | CoffeeJitters.Net

riveted

G: I want to give these books to other kids who don’t have any books.
Me: That’s a very nice thing to do.
G: Well, these books are bad
Me: why are they bad?
G: Well it’s not nice to hop on people, its not nice to mess up people’s houses, and kids should never cross the street without holding a grownup’s hand
bas-seuss

G picked up an English/Russian dictionary and tried to read it. After a few frustrated minutes, she throws it down, stomps away, and pouts with her arms folded across her chest…
I ask her about it…
G: “that book is for a different day”

walk-and-read

attempts reading while walking. at least mom was there to pay attention to boring details like stairs

“when you learn about light, that’s called light reading”

G just told me she is writing a book. The title: The world of make believe is real… ly cool

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People just don’t measure up to animals

G, reading a book about different kinds of birds: “not all birds lay eggs”
Me: “sure they do, all different kinds of birds lay eggs”
G: “the boys don’t”
‪#‎facepalm‬

caterpillar

Awwwww. it’s a cute little baby butterfly

the kid is campaigning for a pet at our new place, so I asked her what kind of pet she wants
me: do you want a pet rhinoceros?
G: no that’s to big
me: how about a pet whale?
G: no that would splash too much and get everything wet
me: how about a pet orangutan?
G: no that would throw poop everywhere.
We’re running out of options here

pig farmer

you might think those look like toy trucks, but you’d be wrong. they’re pigs, and shes a pig farmer

“Butterfly to the rescue!”

rescuing worms | CoffeeJitters

rescuing worms from the sidewalk

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The parenting books didn’t warn me about this

G: Why wont you make another baby so I can have a sister?
Me: my body has too much trouble making babies
G: you just need to practice more

G just informed us that the guards at her office called and they really need her to come in to work right now.
most creative attempt at getting out of bedtime yet

spider brush

I was enjoying G brushing my hair till Aaron walked by and suggested she use a real brush. Me: why? what is she using?

“Mommy, how do you spell body parts?”
– she was searching for something to watch on Netflix

“ok, mama, I’ll be good, but just to make you happy”

Me: tell you what, I will let you watch one tv show before you go have some quiet play time in your room
G: if you can decide to let me watch one show, you can decide to let me watch two

G, deadpan, to me: were you there when the Earth was still flat?

G: You’re not my real mom!
Me: Is that so? Who is?
G: Maleficent

G informed me that last night she had the best dream ever. she dreamed that she was Snow White. I asked her if she cooked and cleaned for the dwarves, and she said yes. I asked her if she was going to clean up her mess in the living room… “Mom! It was just a dream!”
Just trying to make her dreams come true

“I’m serious, Mom. I’m as serious as a first grader.”

“my little tooth is so excited to get out of my mouth”

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 My little chef

G, at dinner: have you made this before?
me: yes
G: and you made it again anyway?

G: I want to make Daddy a cherry pie for his birthday
Me: I just bought ingredients for coconut cream pie, because it’s his favorite
G: I think Daddy wants cherry
Me: did you ask him
G: Daddy, do you want a surprise?

G: Mommy I’m going to watch over you forever
ME: that’s sweet
G: I’m going to watch to make sure you never make this food again

G: I’m so hungry I don’t care what you give me – except if you give me something I don’t like.

G, to me: When I grow up and have a restaurant, you can be one of my chefs
Me: what about Daddy?
G: he can clean and eat

ice cream

ice cream is deliciouser than ants on a log

G: when I grow up and have a restaurant it will have a special room with comfy chairs for sick people, and I will give them special tea to make them feel better, and daddy will play guitar.

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The Fashionista

G: “I don’t even know who St. Patrick is. Why does he get to pick what color I wear?”
nothing bashful about the pink she’s wearing today

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favorite mode of transportation: dancing

G, to Aaron: too bad you don’t have my glorious hair

fashionista

oh how I love these outfits she puts together

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 Ready for Kindergarten

backpack

she wanted to practice wearing her new backpack today so she would be ready for kindergarten

picnic | CoffeeJitters.Net

breakfast picnic: she wanted to test her new lunchbox to make sure it works. kindergarten countdown: 8 days

G: Every time I look outside, it’s still dark out
Me: Because it’s still night time
G: But how will I know when to wake up for school? I don’t think morning will ever come

Gem's first day of Kindergarten | CoffeeJitters

first day of kindergarten

end of first day of kindergarten

the end of the first day of kindergarten

dancing on the way to school | CoffeeJitters.Net

dancing on the way to school

Kindergarten school picture | CoffeeJitters

kindergarten school picture

 

I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next year.

Gem’s Gems 2013

Gem’s Gems 2012

Outside looking in: a flash-forward peek at my future in parenting

Outside looking in: a flash-forward peek at my future in parenting

My daughter recently competed in her first chess tournament. I was more nervous than she was.

She’s only 5, and I worried about sportsmanship, I worried about whether she would have fun. I worried about whether she would get bored, or scared.

She was just excited that she would get to play chess: Five games of chess  – with other kids.

outside looking in

And trophies!

outside looking in

She wanted one of those trophies.

So we got up at the butt-crack of too early to get up on a Saturday morning, and still had to run to school to get there in time to check-in, because, of course, late check-in means forfeiting the first game.

So, we get all checked in, and wait. Why is it that the big days in life seem to involve so much waiting?

Finally, we got the pairings, and the judge for the Kindergarten tournament introduced himself, recapped the rules,  reminded the little ones about sportsmanship,

and…

and…

ushered all the parents out of the room.

So we sat on the floor in the hallway, we parents of the 25 kindergarteners duking it out across chessboards in that classroom. The door to the classroom had a thin window, and the parents rotated throughout the game play, taking turns peeking through the window trying to get a glimpse of what was going on in our child’s game.

outside looking inI got a little glimpse that morning – a preview of my future in parenting.

More and more, as she gets older, her important events will take place outside of my control. I can lead her up to the door, but she has to take it from there.

I don’t think they’ll let me in the room when she takes her SATs either.

I’ve said it before, and I still believe that parenthood seems to be one big, long, excruciating yet joyous exercise in letting go.

And the chess tournament? That went very well. The kids were all well behaved, and gracious winners and losers. As a whole, they seemed to be pretty good at getting their pieces into the middle of the board, but only a few of them were closing the deal. There were a lot of stalemates.

Gem had one draw, lost 3, and then because there were an odd number of kids, there was a bye every round. Gem got a bye on the fourth round. She was more disappointed about not getting to play that game than any of her losses.

But in the end, since this was kindergarten, she did get her trophy, along with all the other kids.

outside looking in

 

And she still loves playing chess.

YSC, the Tour de Pink, and #GivingTuesday

YSC, the Tour de Pink, and #GivingTuesday

A couple months ago, after a Tour de Pink training ride, my friend and fellow cancer survivor, Karen Lawson, posted a selfie on Facebook, and wrote, “Love these legs and the 57 HILLY miles they just carried me up.”

ysc tour de pink

Erin Johnson and Barb Greenlee
ysc tour de pink

I was surprised when my eyes welled up at reading her post.

In the nearly 5 years since my breast cancer diagnosis, one of the things I’m still working on is forgiving my body, and learning to develop compassion and even appreciation for my body – mutant genes and all. Cancer felt like a betrayal; my own body turned against me. I’ve learned that I am not alone in feeling this way. Many other cancer survivors are also working on developing healthier and more compassionate relationships with their own bodies.

This is one of the many ways in which connecting with a network of young breast cancer survivors through the Young Survival Coalition (YSC) has helped me in recovering from the physical and emotional toll of cancer and treatment.

For more on how the Young Survival Coalition (YSC) helped me, and other young women with breast cancer cope: Normalizing – in a good way 

The big fundraiser for YSC each year is the Tour de Pink, a challenging, yet scenic 200+ mile bike ride, one on each coast.

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It’s not a coincidence that YSC raises money with a bike ride – a physical activity that takes dedication, months of training, and builds strength and confidence in the participants. That’s right in line with what YSC is, and who they serve.

These photos and quotes are from dear friends of mine who participated in this year’s Tour de Pink.

ysc tour de pink

Brian and Erin Johnson

People often ask why I would ride my bike 200 miles. My response is simple: “because I can.” I’m only 34. I’ve been through so much and lost so many friends because of breast cancer. I can’t cure cancer. I can’t bring the 40,000 that will die from this dreaded disease this year, but I can push myself for 200 miles and raise funds for YSC.

Yes, I ride because I can; and because I know that if ever I’m unable, my sisters will ride for me.

– Erin Johnson

ysc tour de pink

Erin Johnson and Barb Greenlee
ysc tour de pink

Barb Greenlee and Erin Johnson
ysc tour de pink
ysc tour de pink

Last year was my first TDP ride, and to be honest, I did it for myself. I wanted to challenge myself to ride 200 miles after taking up road bike riding just a few months before. I was really proud of myself when I finished the 2013 ride and couldn’t wait to ride again this year.

My reaction when I finished this year’s ride was quite different from the self-satisfaction I experienced last year, and it surprised me. While I was happy I had successfully completed the three-day ride, I felt another wave of emotion as I was sitting on the beach at Point Mugu. All the riders had crossed the finish line, had lunch, and were preparing to board the bus back to Thousand Oakes. I took a moment to sit quietly with myself, on a bench a bit removed from the heart of the activity, and just took it all in.

I looked at all the riders — survivors, supporters, friends and family — and realized that every one of them had some burden they were carrying, whether it was the angst associated with their own diagnosis, doctor’s bills, sore muscles, whatever. But at this moment, they were all lost in the revelry of having completed a really tough ride together.

Everyone was happy and celebrating, and forgetting — maybe just for this brief moment — all their other worries. It moved me to tears, and it was then that I realized that I do this ride not only for myself, but for everyone else participating as well.

It sounds cliche, but the collective burden carried by everyone else riding is so much heavier than my own. I HAVE to ride, even if it takes up my weekends to train, I need to juggle child care, and I have to ask my friends and family for donations (again).

I’m riding again next year.

– Sheila Cain

Tour de Pink 2014
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It’s #GivingTuesday. I love this new tradition. We are nearing the end of the year, so it’s time to think about giving, especially after a month of focusing on gratitude. I give my time and energy to the Young Survival Coalition, mostly because they helped me keep it together during and after cancer treatment.

You don’t have to ride a bike 200+ miles to help address the unique needs of young women with breast cancer. You can donate to YSC directly today. These funds are used to provide an online meeting place where young women can connect with others in similar situations to safely and discreetly discuss issues like the impact of cancer on body image, sexual dysfunction, raising children while going through treatment, pregnancy and cancer, fertility and many other issues. YSC also sponsors local groups were young women can meet up face to face, provides funding for educational programs, and treatment guides for young women who are recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

[Photos provided by Sheila Cain and Erin Johnson]