How did she get so smart?

There are times when Paige says things and we both just stop and stare at her. When we do, I can see the little wheels turning in her head and she puts 2 and 2 together correctly.

The other day we were going home from the library. It was time for lunch, then nap. Paige was hungry and wanted to stop somewhere to eat. We told her no. There were plenty of left overs in the fridge, and the library is only a couple of miles from the house. She wasn't going to starve to death before we got home.

There we were, sitting at one of the few red lights between the library and the house, and she looked out her window to spot it. A Popeyes Fried Chicken. Now, we've never eaten there with her. I don't think I've eaten there in the last 5 years. But my child can recognize a picture of a fried chicken leg. Silly Mommy had told her there was no where to stop and eat instead of explaining left overs for lunch. She pointed and said "We can eat there. They have chicken!"

Both of us looked at each other, then at her. I asked her how she knew they had chicken. She told me to look at the picture on the store. Both smart and sarcastic. What a combination! A few months ago she wouldn't have even noticed that building. She's definitely getting more involved with her surroundings, even those outside the car.

Gender Bias

We're trying pretty hard to avoid this. No dolls just because she's a girl and should play with them. On the other hand, we aren't not giving her dolls just because she's a girl. We're giving her the room to figure out what she likes to play with, and what she doesn't. Ultimately, we're trying to let her become her own person. I'm not so naive as to think we don't have a lot of influence over who she becomes. We know that we do have a lot of influence based on our likes and dislikes.

I think we're doing a good job of this overall. We have a daughter who loves to play in her kitchen, play with dolls, and pretend to be a princess. She's also the same child who loves to play with cars, tools, and dirt. She's just as comfortable with a tea set as she is a Bob the Builder workbench. She likes to wear pink, but usually comes home from daycare covered in dirt.

As for our influence, well, she's a girl who likes her comic book movies and science fiction. Paige asks to wear her Spiderman, Batman and Superman jammies more than the pink princess ones. She sits and watches X Men cartoons with Daddy. She watches Star Trek and Star Wars with both of us. She likes to play video games too. I've got the only 3 year old I know of who asks for humus, cous cous, fish, and zucchini. We've definitely exposed her to a variety of foods.

We're trying to give her the room to find her own way and identity. Right now, my child is a lot like me, a walking contradiction of things she enjoys. I hope she keeps it up.

Pictures of my new hair

This is my first attempt at fixing my hair myself. I think I did OK with it. I need to get a different size round brush though, maybe just a bit bigger.

Before picture:

That's from my girls night out for my birthday back in April.

After picture:


And:


You can kinda see the puffy in the back with this one.

Please excuse the mess, Paige was playing with her dollhouse this morning.

New Hair

I know, I promised you pictures of my new haircut tonight. I did get it cut, and it's adorable. Well, it was. I got drenched in the rain & it all fell. Wendy did a great job. Now, I need to wash it and start over. Then I can take a picture of it. Most likely you'll see it tomorrow. Wendy has promised to show me how to use the small curling brush & the wax to get it like I want.

Back to School Time

I've got just 1 more class. After I complete that class, I will have enough credits to sit for the CPA exam. My local university offers certain classes only in certain semesters. If I don't take the class now, I'll have to wait until next January. I don't want to take the class during tax season, so summer semester it is. I'll be in class Tuesday & Thursday evenings. I start class Tuesday, and my final is the end of July. Yes, I'm already looking forward to the final & class being over. I'm tired of being college. I want to be done.

The problem with being done? Then I have to actually sit for the CPA exam. That involves lots & lots of studying. The exam prep course is extremely expensive, about $3,000. Lucky for me, a coworker is willing to loan me his. One huge step down, several more to go before I'm ready to sit for the exam.

On other housekeeping notes, you will get new pictures posted tomorrow. I'm getting a haircut after work. I'm chopping off what hair I do have & going to a pixie. Again. I've had them before, and will go back to it. Wendy has me scheduled for 3:15-ish tomorrow. I'll take pictures. My dad has been in the hospital since the day after Easter. He's getting out tomorrow. My brother in law has had a setback in his cancer recovery. He should be out of ICU soon. Looks like things are looking up.

And his name is...

Ronon. As in Ronon Dex from Stargate Atlantis. It was difficult to come up with a name for him. He has a very out there personality & I needed something to compliment that. He's very in your face with K-9. And he's got this wild, fuzzy hair thing going on. All of that, to me, says Ronon Dex. Paige has agreed to that name and can pronounce it, which is a big plus.

K-9 is settling in to life with the kitten. He no longer hisses at Ronon when they see each other. K-9 is still protective of what he considers his spots. Spots like the bed & under the rocking chair. And yes, the fact that our cat sleeps under the rocking chair is further proof he's a freak. Ronon is getting used to K-9 as well. Ronon is hissing at K-9 less & bopping on the nose less and less often. Now, if we could just get him to stop hitting the dog on the nose, we would be doing good.

May Fest

Ronnie & I grew up in this great little artsy town on the coast. We live close enough that we get to go back often. Today we went back to see a new festival, only it's 3rd year going. May Fest is a typical street festival in our hometown. Lots of art vendors, some street fair food, and local musicians playing for the crowd.

First thing we found our friends who were set up: Mermaids Purse Naturals. You can visit their site here. Everything is all natural and handmade. Make sure to check out the Mother & Child section for the foamy soap. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy it. I like that it doesn't have an overpowering scent and doesn't dry out my hands when I use it. Oh yeah, and Paige likes it too. Her booty balm works pretty well also.

As I sat down to chat with Measha, the above owner, Ronnie & Paige went out walking around. We sat there chatting, catching up, when I heard it. The music. We went from Peter Cetera to the Macarana, to Blue Oyster Cult. One of the local bands covered all 3 back to back. It was probably the strangest music set I've ever heard. That's the kind of thing that makes a small town street fair so much fun. You just never know what you'll see or hear.