Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, It's Back to Work I Go

It's finally official.  In just over one month, I'll be returning to full-time work again after twenty months at home with Henley.  Queens University of Charlotte has offered me an Assistant Professor of Mathematics position (non-tenure track), and I have accepted their offer.

I have very mixed emotions about returning to work.  I'm very grateful to Queens for the opportunity to return to academia after taking so much time off, and I'm excited to be teaching again.  Since my position is non-tenure track, I'll almost exclusively be teaching introductory mathematics and statistics courses and will have the luxury of doing research when I have time instead of feeling required to find time to do research.  I feel very blessed to receive a full-time offer in an economy where so many still struggle to find employment.  Plus, I'll be working once again with Jay, which will be very nice.

Of course, I'm not looking forward to being away from Henley so much.  Since her birth, she and I have never been apart for more than three of her waking hours at a time (and that has only happened on two or three occasions).  Thus, we've grown quite attached to each other and very fond of spending time together.  It will be a big transition for both of us, and I'm pretty sure it will take me much longer than her to adjust to all the changes coming soon.  After extensive research and visiting of childcare facilities, we recently enrolled Henley in a Montessori school nearby.  She's excited about starting school this fall and getting to be around girls and boys her age, and I think/hope she will really enjoy being there.

I recall talking with one of my colleagues while at a conference a few years ago about having children.  At the time, Jay and I were still not completely sure that we were going to try to have a child; however, we had been giving it lots of thought.  During my conversation with my colleague, I mentioned that I was fairly certain that Jay and I would not both be able to have tenure-track jobs while trying to take care of a young child.  I just didn't feel like I would be able to manage everything as well as I would want if I tried to do it all, and I know now that my feeling at that time was right.  Last fall, I was not ready to return to work (even part-time).  This fall, I realize that it is time to return.  I also realize that I'm a very lucky girl to have been able to stay at home with my precious daughter for so long and then return to the profession of teaching in a position that will continue to afford me quality time with my family.

Two Restaurants

It's been a while since I posted anything about The Summer of Lunch.  Earlier today, we finally tried Dish (one of the restaurants in Charlotte that Guy Fieri visited on Triple D), so I figured that today is a good time to provide an update.  After seeing the restaurant several weeks ago and then looking at the menu on its website, I had been looking forward to making our way back to Charlotte to give this place a try.  A picture of their chicken and dumplings appears in Dish's online gallery, and the dish looks exactly like the type of chicken and dumplings I love.  The gallery also shows lima beans as a side option.  Thus, I already had decided that I would be ordering these two items during our visit.  Unfortunately, Dish no longer serves lima beans, so I opted for pinto beans.  They were just okay... nothing special.  I was most disappointed with the chicken and dumplings.  I received a big bowl of dumplings that were covered with very little broth/gravy and just a bit of chicken.  The consistency of the actual dumplings was not what I prefer, either.  Jay ended up eating most of my dish, and I ate some of his mac-n-cheese, which was okay.  Isn't that the way it often goes?  A restaurant that you're so excited about visiting turns out to be a big disappointment.

My favorite restaurant thus far this summer is Cluck-n-Cup.  We just happened to notice it while driving to another restaurant one evening.  The name was interesting, so we decided to take a closer look.  The restaurant is not open for dinner, and we couldn't really figure out much about it from just looking at the storefront.  After checking out its website and reading some reviews at other sites, we decided to go for lunch on a Wednesday since the chicken pot pie is a special on that day and since the restaurant appears to be named after this particular dish.  We didn't have high expectations, but we were pleasantly surprised.  The chicken pot pie is AMAZING, and the sweet tea is just as it should be -- very sweet.  The food is priced very reasonably, too.  We definitely will be going back for more chicken pot pie and to try other things.

Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice

I decided on the title to this blog because, as I considered the topic on my mind, I thought of this silly Mother Goose rhyme from my childhood.  I'm sure that as soon as you looked at the title you automatically thought of the question that precedes this response, which is, "What are girls made of?"  Based on a quick Google search of this nursery rhyme, it appears that its origins date back to the 19th century.  Thus, for quite a long while, young girls have heard that they are made of sugar and spice and all things nice.  Meanwhile, boys have learned that they are made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails (side note: I always thought the rhyme said "snakes" instead of "snips.").

Given this rhyme and many other opinions regarding the differences between the sexes, I suppose that I should not be surprised when people talk about how Henley must want to have her nails painted because she is a girl or automatically wants to carry a purse because all little girls want to carry a purse.  Now, it is true that Henley is intrigued by painted toenails when she sees them -- probably because she has never seen my fingernails or toenails painted (or her dad's for that matter).  I don't have anything against painting nails.  In fact, several years ago I painted my nails quite frequently; however, I really don't have any desire to paint them right now.  The polish always chips away from fingernails too quickly, and my big toenails seem to have some sensitivity to nail polish.  I guess what surprises me is the automatic assumption that Henley wants to have her nails painted and that she wants them painted because she is a girl.  It would seem that both toddler girls and toddler boys would find nail polish interesting because it's usually colorful, and they are learning all about colors during this stage.  Nail polish also makes body parts about which they are learning look different.  Thus, I would think that little boys would be just as happy to have their nails painted as little girls would be.

With regard to purses, I have read many times in developmental literature about how toddlers enjoy going through bags that contain lots of different items in them.  Thus, I would bet that little girls and little boys would equally enjoy rummaging through a purse or carrying one around that has been filled with items.  At this point, Henley has shown no real interest in carrying a purse, but I imagine that she will at some point.  I actually find purses quite useful and carry mine with me most of the time that I am away from my house.  I'm actually not sure how men get by without them, and I love the episode of Seinfeld about the European carry-all.  I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I find it difficult, if not impossible, to believe that carrying a purse is an innate quality that exists for girls but not for boys.  By watching Henley during the second year of her life, I have seen that toddlers learn so much about their surroundings by observation.  As Henley looks at pictures of children, she tries to figure out which ones are girls and which are boys, and she actually does quite well at it.  When she guesses wrong, I can see her focus on the picture and observe everything about it that she can use to determine that the child is a boy or girl.  In a similar way, if young children only see females carrying a purse, it is likely that they will soon determine that girls carry purses and boys do not.

I sometimes wonder if my mind would be occupied by the same thoughts if I had a little boy instead of a little girl.  Would I wonder why no one cares if he wants to paint his nails or carry a purse?  Would I find statements such as "boys will be boys" as interesting as I find them now?  I'm guessing that the issues I would ponder would differ to a certain extent; however, I'm pretty sure that I still would struggle with societal expectations of infant and toddler behavior based on gender.  While I do believe that some differences between girls and boys are innate, I also believe more and more each day that many are not.

Hotel Pillows

What's up with hotel pillows?  During the past four months, Jay, Henley, and I have stayed overnight at three different hotels (one Hampton Inn and two Hilton hotels).  At each hotel, the pillows have been extremely soft and completely collapse when pressure of any sort is applied.  They offer practically no support and are pretty much useless.  Because I use a very firm pillow at home, I find it difficult to obtain much sleep on the flimsy hotel pillows.  Fortunately, I remembered to take a pillow with me on our trip to the beach.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take one to Kentucky this past weekend for a quick trip that was planned at the last minute to pay our respects to a family friend whose sister had passed away.  Now, I understand that most people do not want a pillow that provides as much support as my pillow provides; however, it seems like some compromise is needed.  A couple of years ago, we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express and were given a few options for pillow type.  Couldn't Hampton Inn and Hilton provide the same service?  I will say that I'm at least happy to see that the pillows are not feather pillows.  I seem to recall having issues with this at several hotels years ago.

Lots and Lots of Fruit

I've always loved this time of year and not because of the weather -- my favorite weather season is the fall.  I love this time of year because there is so much fresh fruit available.  During the winter months, it seems like bananas, apples, pears, and occasionally grapes are the only tasty fruits available.  Beginning with late April and continuing through the end of July, there are so many options for fresh fruit.  During the past week, I've enjoyed fresh strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, grapes, watermelon, and bananas.  I add fruit to my cereal, eat fruit salads for lunch or dinner, and snack on fruit at other times.  Even so, fruit remains in the refrigerator.  Both my parents and Jay's parents gave us a gallon of cherries this week, and I'm pretty sure we won't be able to eat all of them before they go bad.  I need to decide if it's worth freezing any of them.  If I had to choose a favorite fruit, it would be difficult; however, I'd probably go with blueberries.  I've already purchased a few pints from the grocery store this spring, but I'm really looking forward to getting some local berries during the next month.

No Lunch Dates for Week 3

Things didn't go as planned this past week for The Summer of Lunch.  On Thursday morning, we visited The Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville and had hoped to stop by The Davidson Soda Shop on our way home for lunch; however, the battery on our Jeep gave out while we were at Lazy 5, which required us to postpone our lunch date.  Although we were able to get a jump start for the battery, we were afraid to turn off the engine for the remainder of our trip because we figured that the Jeep wouldn't start again.  Thus, after our drive through Lazy 5, Jay dropped Henley and me off at home and then went to get a new battery for the Jeep.  Although we ate at restaurants a few times last week, none of them were new to us.  We finally visited The Davidson Soda Shop for an early dinner yesterday, and we liked it.  It's located just across the street from Davidson College, so I'm sure it stays busy during the fall and spring semesters.  I ordered a grilled cheddar cheese with bacon and tomato on sourdough bread with a side of sweet potato fries to be dipped in maple syrup, and the sandwich was crispy -- just the way I like it.  There are lots of items on the menu, and I'm sure we'll dine there again.

No Need to Keep Saving It

A while back I posted that I had seen a hairstyle I liked in an Eddie Bauer catalog and had decided to let my hair grow out.  Several months later, my hair is now long enough to nicely go into a pony tail; however, it's also getting long enough to take quite a while to wash, dry, and style.  Plus, as is usually the case with me when I'm letting my hair grow out, I have started missing my shorter hair.  I am growing tired of hair being on my neck when not in a pony tail.  Unless I change my mind between now and tomorrow, I'm planning to make an appointment to get my hair cut short again.  I guess I should throw away the picture that I have been saving from the Eddie Bauer catalog.  I won't need to show it to my hair stylist again.

Cheering Me On

Since the weather forecast indicated that showers were likely later today, I knew that I couldn't put off exercising until this evening.  Thus, I went for a jog this morning at 10:20 even though I wasn't really in the mood to do so. I often spend my jogging time productively in thought or enjoying singing songs silently; however, I found myself not really doing much of anything mentally speaking as I completed the first third of my normal route.  During the last third, my mood improved quite a bit.  There was a nice breeze that seemed to be pushing me along.  In addition, the tweeting of the birds and rustling of leaves in the trees was much louder than usual.  It was almost as if the breeze, the birds, and the leaves were cheering me on as I finished my course for the day.

Week Two of The Summer of Lunch

This past week we visited two new restaurants for lunch.  We had been wanting to give the first place a try for several weeks, and we went on Tuesday.  It recently opened in Birkdale Village and is called Bad Daddy's Burger Bar.  Since it's known for its burgers, that's what Jay and I both ordered.  I reviewed the online menu before going and noticed that A.1. Steaksauce was not listed among the many options for condiments.  Given that A.1. really is a must for me when eating a burger, I must admit that I took a small container with me and added the A.1. to my burger after our server left the table.  Although the prices were a bit high for burgers and fries, the food was really good.  Bad Daddy's serves breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays, so we'll likely visit again on a Saturday morning (and this time I won't have to "brown bag" any items).

For our second lunch spot, we had planned to eat at The Flying Biscuit Cafe in Charlotte because we were going to be in the Queen City on Thursday; however, we changed our plans at the last minute.  My copy of Southern Living arrived in the mail, and Jay decided to peruse it while I was doing something on the computer.  This month's copy includes a page about "Charlotte's Best Cheap Eats," and one of the places listed is The Diamond Restaurant.  After looking at the menu online, we decided to go there and save The Flying Biscuit Cafe for some other time (especially since this would not have been Jay's first visit to The Flying Biscuit).  We were not disappointed by our change of plans.  Jay loved the squash soup at The Diamond, and I thought the fried chicken was really tasty.  It's somewhat of a dive atmosphere, which brings me to my second reason for being happy that we chose to eat there last week.  It turns out that The Diamond is just down the street from two restaurants that have been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives: The Penguin and The Dish.  When we saw them, we realized that we needed to add them to our list of places to try this summer.  I'm especially looking forward to going to The Dish.

It's The Summer of Lunch!

Well, it's official.  Jay and I have declared this to be The Summer of Lunch for The Wills Household.  Even though summer does not officially begin until June 20, we kicked off The Summer of Lunch earlier this week at Bobbee O's Barbecue in Charlotte and then visited The Egg Cafe in Davidson earlier today.  There are many restaurants in Charlotte, Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson that we have not yet tried, and we decided that this is the summer to do so.  In addition, we figured that an early lunch might be our best option for a couple of reasons: (1) lunch prices are usually much better than dinner prices and (2) early lunch fits better into Henley's routine than dinner.  Our goal is to do lunch at two (or more) new places a week (eventually revisiting our favorites).  We'll see how it goes.  So far, we know that Bobbee O's Barbecue will not get a second visit.  The food was just okay.  We'll probably eat at The Egg Cafe in Davidson again.  The food was pretty good, and we have a card to get 15% off there each time we dine with them for the rest of the year.  I should mention that I added Just Baked Cupcakes in Cornelius to today's outing.  Although the stop technically wasn't part of our lunch, I have been wanting to try their cupcakes for a while.  Thus, in the spirit of The Summer of Lunch, I asked Jay to stop at the bakery on our way home from Davidson.  We shared a chocolate cupcake and an Oreo cookie cupcake, and both were very tasty.  The actual cupcakes were plenty moist, and the icing was light.

The Truth Value of Statements

One of the topics I love to discuss in mathematics classes is the truth value of a statement.  Lately, it seems that people have been creating lots of power point slides to post to Facebook that include statements that are accompanied by some picture.  It is evident that the slides have been created to provide comfort to the one creating them or to someone else.  It's interesting to see the same slides show up in my News Feed multiple times.  The problem, of course, is that the statements on the slides often are fundamentally false.  A statement should not automatically be considered true simply because someone else (possibly famous) made the statement.  In addition, including the statement with a pretty picture or typing it with a creative font does not affect its truth value.  Further, we should not be tempted to accept a statement as true simply because it makes us feel better about something going on in our lives.  There have been occasions when I have wanted to include a comment below a posted slide to let my Facebook friend know that the statement on the slide is false.  So far, I haven't felt comfortable enough to actually go through with typing the comment and then pressing enter.  This post will have to do for now.

Holding Hands and "Good Night" Routine

Henley, Jay, and I made a trip to the mall yesterday afternoon.  While I was busy shopping for a new swimsuit, Jay strolled Henley around to keep her entertained.  I also spent several minutes away from them while trying to decide on which soaps to purchase from Bath & Body Works.  By the time I was finished doing both of these things, Henley was quite ready to spend some time with me again.  As we walked through the mall with Jay pushing Henley's stroller, she held her hand up and indicated that she wanted me to hold it.  So, of course, I did.  Since she didn't want me to let go, we continued walking through the mall with me holding Henley's hand while she was sitting in the stroller.  It was a rather sweet couple of minutes.

For many months, Henley has enjoyed patting other people's heads and saying, "Pat, pat," while doing so.  She even does it to herself.  I think she must have picked it up from reading Mommy Hugs because the mommy monkey hugs her baby with a pat (and I always do a "Pat, pat, pat" while reading the book to Henley).  A few weeks ago, I was getting ready to read Henley a few bedtime stories while rocking her, and Jay was leaving her room for the evening.  We always make a big deal about Daddy leaving and make sure we tell him Good Night.  Well, that night, Henley held out her hand with her fingers balled up into a fist and indicated that she wanted Jay to kiss her hand.  He did, so she kept holding out her fist for him to kiss it over and over until he left her room.  It now is part of her "Good Night" routine with Daddy.  Like the "Pat, pat," I think Henley must have picked this up from Daddy Kisses because there's a part where the daddy squirrel gives his pup a kiss on the paw.  Henley also usually asks about Daddy after he leaves the room, so I'll ask her what he's doing, and she'll reply, "Chores."  During the day when she asks about Jay, I ask her where Daddy is, and she says, "Work."

It's really true that children change so quickly and learn so much during their second year of life.  It's so much fun to watch Henley grow.  I love to hear her talk and to watch her take pride in her accomplishments as she learns new things.  I know that years from now I won't be able to remember everything she does at this point in her life.  I hope that by writing about a few of the things, I'll be able to capture those memories for a lifetime.

I Love Bubbles!

A couple of months ago, Henley saw one of our neighbors blowing bubbles and loved them.  We had a small container of bubbles at home, but the bubble wand was really tiny and only produced a couple of bubbles at a time, which really wasn't very exciting.  Thus, we went to our local dollar store and purchased two different containers of bubbles.  One container is about a foot long and an inch or so wide, and it definitely produces the best bubbles.  Just about every time we go outside to play, Henley asks me to get the bubbles.  She watches for a minute or so as I blow bubbles through the wand; however, my fascination with the bubbles always outlasts hers.  I love to see how many bubbles I can produce with each dip.  Sometimes, I get several dozen, which I think is amazing.  I also love to see the different colors and how the colors change when the sunlight hits the bubbles.  In addition, there's something really calming about watching the bubbles get caught in the breeze and float towards the sky.  Some of the bubbles last quite a while before they pop. 

You know, it would probably look quite strange for an adult to spend an afternoon blowing bubbles without children around.  Isn't it nice that having children (or being around children) gives adults the opportunity to enjoy simple childhood activities?

Those Cute Little Feet

Whenever we're in the car for more than 5 or 10 minutes, Henley loves to take off her shoes and socks to let her feet breathe.  I think it's so cute when she crosses her feet.  We went to Winston-Salem yesterday afternoon to celebrate my birthday and my younger brother's birthday with my family, and I took the camera with me.  Since I had the camera in the car, I decided to take a picture of Henley's feet on the way home.  Below are two pictures of her feet.  The first one was taken January 18, 2011 when Henley was just over one month old.  The second one was taken yesterday.  It's amazing how much those teeny feet have grown in 15 months.  Henley's current shoe size is 6.

Patio Swing

That's right... I'm posting twice in one day!

Jay and I recently decided to purchase new patio furniture.  We only had a bistro set, and we decided that we needed something more substantial now that Henley likes to be outdoors.  For several days during Henley's naps, I searched patio furniture options on various websites.  I couldn't decide whether to purchase a dining set that accommodated at least four people or a conversation set.  I didn't want to spend a large sum of money, and Walmart seemed to have several nice things in our price range.  Thus, we decided to visit the Walmart in Concord to see what the furniture looked like in person.  At the time, I wasn't even considering patio swings because I didn't think one would look right in our back yard.  Also, to be honest, I never really considered myself to be a "patio swing" person.  Growing up, it seemed like older couples were the only ones who owned patio or porch swings.

As we started looking at the options at Walmart, Henley spotted one of the patio swings and wanted to give it a try.  She loved it!  In fact, our very active daughter who usually keeps one of us busy chasing after her while we're shopping was perfectly content to swing for quite a while.  When we returned to the Garden Center after shopping for other items in the store, she and I passed several happy minutes in the swing once again.  That night, Jay and I decided that we would purchase one of the inexpensive dining sets so that we also could buy the patio swing.

After Jay spent several hours putting our swing together, we all gave it a try.  Henley loves it; however, I actually think I love it even more than she does.  Although our patio receives the morning sun, it is shaded in the afternoon and evening.  Thus, it's a great hang-out spot after Henley's afternoon nap during snack time.

Since Jay and I both turned 35 this year, we're probably one of those "older couples" that I remember from my childhood.  Perhaps that's why I'm now the proud owner of a patio swing with a canopy top.

Henley enjoying our new patio swing

Children's Medication Warnings

For the past week, I have been dealing with a runny nose, itchy eyes, and occasional sneezing.  Earlier this week, Henley started having the same symptoms.  Her nose has been like a water faucet, and she has grown very tired of me chasing her around the house to clean it.  I'm definitely going to need to wash her stuffed animals in a day or two.  I'm not sure whether our problems are allergy related or the result of a cold.  Since Jay is starting to feel badly, too, I'm thinking we likely have a cold. 

Anyway... the other night, I was trying to decide whether or not to give Henley some children's allergy medication (the CVS version of Benadryl) that Jay had recently purchased, so I decided to review the warnings on the package.  Although I'm aware that adults take children's medication at times, I still find it funny that the warnings for children's medication include the following:

1. Ask a doctor before use if you have trouble urinating due to an enlarged prostate gland.
2. When using this product,
• Avoid alcoholic drinks,
• Alcohol, sedatives, and tranquilizers may increase drowsiness,
• Be careful when driving a motor vehicle or operating machinery.
3. If pregnant or breast-feeding, ask a health professional before use.

Greedy Nan

One of my favorite poems in a book of nursery rhymes that I read to Henley before naps and bedtime is:

"Come, let's to bed," says Sleepy Head.

"Wait a while," says Slow.

"Put on the pan," says Greedy Nan.  "We'll eat before we go."

I've seen a few other versions online, but I like this version best.  I wonder whether I like it best because it's the version I read every day or because the wording really is superior to that of the other versions.

Those Three Little Words

From the moment Henley was born, Jay and I have said, "I love you," to her many, many times a day.  Last week, she started saying it back.  She's even said it to grandma and grandpa a few times.  Although I know she doesn't really understand the meaning of what she is saying, it still warms my heart to hear her say it.  Of course, when Jay and I first heard Henley say, "I love you," back to us, we responded with a heartfelt, "Awwwww."  Now, she often says, "I love you," and then immediately says, "Awwwww."

Sweet Sixteen

No.  This post is not about how excited I am that the NC State men's basketball team made it to the Sweet Sixteen, but I am really excited.  It's about my family.  I was looking at a family photo taken at the wedding of my brother Jonathan to my sister-in-law Amanda, and I noticed for the first time that there are now sixteen of us.  The last time we took a family picture there were twelve of us, so we've grown quite a bit since then.  It was so nice to spend time with my family during the wedding celebrations especially since it had been over a year since I had seen my older brother's family.  The older I get the more I appreciate and love my family members.

Here's the picture:

Taken by Pat Spry on March 11, 2012

Steaming Cup of Coffee

One morning earlier this month, I was working in the kitchen while Jay and Henley were rolling a ball on the floor in the family room space.  Jay had placed his cup of coffee on the counter in front of me, and the morning sun was shining right on it.  As I looked into the family room to see what Henley and Jay were doing, I noticed steam rising from Jay's coffee cup and thought it was so lovely that I should try to capture it on camera.  After taking the first picture below and telling Jay about it, he took the second picture.

 

We missed Dadda!

Jay attended a conference in Savannah, Georgia on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  It was the first time he's been gone all night since Henley was born, and we were so glad to pick him up Saturday afternoon. 

When the weather is nice, Henley and I will take walks outside around the time Jay comes home in the afternoons, so she has become accustomed to looking for Dadda's car.  While outside with her Thursday afternoon, she pointed to every vehicle that drove by and shouted, "Dadda!"  Even though she often does this, I'm usually able to tell her that the vehicle is not Dadda's but that his car will be coming soon.  On Thursday, I kept telling her that Dadda had to work all night and wouldn't be home.  When we walked back to the front side of the house, she saw Jay's car (we had driven him to work Thursday) and, of course, shouted once again, "Dadda!"

Although I managed to get everything done while Jay was gone, I definitely missed him.  Things seem to run much more smoothly when he's around to provide assistance.

My parents spent Friday night and Saturday with us, which was really nice.  Henley loves her Mama, but she understandably grows tired of just being with me.  She was so excited to spend some time with Grandpa and Grandma, and I enjoyed watching her play with them.  This was their first overnight visit with us since Henley was very little.  Just having them here to watch Henley while I went to the restroom, took a shower, etc., made everything a bit more relaxed for me.

We drove to Queens to pick up Jay Saturday afternoon, and I kept telling Henley that we were going to get Dadda.  She was so excited when we pulled into the parking lot at Queens and when she saw Jay walk up to the car.  I was excited, too. 

Henley's Playlist

So far, Henley doesn't like to watch cartoons on TV; however, about three weeks ago, she started wanting to watch videos on the computer.  I can't recall what we were doing at the time that we came across our first Sesame Street music video, but I do recall that she LOVED watching it and wanted to view it again and again.  Jay and I grew tired of watching just one video, so we started selecting other suggested videos for her to watch.  She seems to know right away whether or not she's going to like a video and very clearly lets us know when she doesn't like one.  At this point, we have eleven Sesame Street videos that she really likes and all but two of them are music videos.  Today, I finally took the time to create a personal YouTube channel so that I could start a Playlist for Henley's videos.  Now, we'll be able to just select the Playlist and won't have to click on links to each video.

When Henley wants to see her videos, she points to the computer and says, "Vibeo!"  Of course, she doesn't get to watch them every time she makes this request; however, she gets really excited when we say okay, which is probably 3 times a day.

As a result of watching the Sesame Street videos, Henley now loves Elmo, which sounds something like "Belmo" when she says it.  We went to Target the day before Valentine's, and I was trying to find a small toy to purchase for her.  As soon as she saw a tiny stuffed Elmo, she became very excited.  Thus, the stuffed Elmo and an Elmo book were her Valentine's gifts from Jay and me.

Last Night's Dream

I haven't dreamed about teaching in quite a while, but I did last night.  The dream seemed very real, too.  One of my classes had a test scheduled for the day about which I dreamed.  Although I had prepared the test and placed a copy of it in my bag, I didn't realize that I had overlooked making copies of the test until I checked my bag just before class began.  Knowing that the clock was ticking for my students to take the test, I rushed out of the room to the nearest room with a copier (and it seems like someone from NCSU was there to help me).  Unfortunately, the copies were printing way too darkly for students to be able to read the problems, so I quickly left that room and headed for another one with a bigger and better copier (and I think that someone from Queens was there to help me).  This time, the copies came out of the printer all messed up.  I knew that minutes were passing and students were barely going to have time to complete the test.  I also knew that most would be unhappy if I had to postpone taking the test for a class period since they already had studied.  As I tried to figure out what I should do, I woke up.

It's true that the dream is not particularly interesting.  Nothing completely crazy happened.  It's just surprising to me that the topic of last night's dream was making copies of a test for students to take.  What brought that on?

Such Variety

While eating my Pacific Rose apple earlier today, I was thinking about how many apple options are available at the grocery store nowadays.  When I was a child, we primarily shopped at Winn Dixie, and I seem to recall a very limited selection of apples: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith.  There might have been a few more, but I don't remember them.  I never was a fan of the Red Delicious apples because they always seemed a bit chalky in texture and tasted bland.  My favorites today include the Jazz, Pink Lady or Cripps Pink, and Honeycrisp.  I recently tried the Opal apple for the first time (simply because I thought the vibrant yellow color was interesting), and the apple was okay but definitely not a new favorite and certainly not worth the high price per pound. 

With such variety now available at the local grocery store, it's easy to now enjoy an apple a day!

New Blog Title: Think and Wonder

I decided to change the title of my blog homepage.  The new title is a sentence in Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Thinks You Can Think, and it seems to more accurately reflect the type of blogs I post than the old title did (even though the old title perhaps is a bit catchier).  I like having a place to jot down some of the things about which I spend time thinking and wondering.

Finding Value in Cleaning House

A few weeks ago, I saw for the first time the following quote, "A clean house is a sign of a wasted life."  A picture of a woman scrubbing her tub had the statement written above her.  To my surprise, there are t-shirts, bags, buttons, aprons, etc. available for purchase that have this statement prominently featured on them.  Thus, I must conclude that many people agree with the statement, and I'm guessing that some of those people look to the statement with satisfaction when their homes are not clean.

I disagree with the statement for many reasons.  Many individuals earn their livings by cleaning homes, and their work is valuable.  I happily clean my own home and do not believe that I'm wasting my life by doing so.  On the contrary, I find the act of cleaning to be very beneficial.  While cleaning, I have time to think about problems and solutions to those problems.  I have the opportunity to get some exercise when mopping floors, for example.  I also have the great satisfaction of starting and completing a task, and I can really see the results of my labor when I'm finished.  After cleaning, I get to enjoy a clutter-free house for a period of time, which always improves my mood.  In addition, the more I clean, the easier it is to keep a clean house.

I'm sure I'll never have a spotless house, but I hope I'll always find value in cleaning my home.  Instead of thinking of a clean house as a sign of a wasted life, perhaps we should simply think of it as a clean house.

Reading Children's Books

While reading books to Henley each day, I find myself evaluating how well the books are written.  Nearly all of the Dr. Seuss books that we have are of high quality (even though I think that The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites could be a bit wackier and does not always stick to the "opposites" theme).  I also think that the author of the Gerald and Piggie books does a great job.  There are some books, however, that would have benefited from additional editing.  For example, Pooh's Party is one of the books in Disney's Classic Pooh category.  Overall, I like the book, but the last page always bothers me.  Here's what is written, "At last it is undone.  Inside is a Special Pencil Case with pencils inside.  'Thank you,' says Pooh happily.  What a Lucky Bear!"  Why did the author use "inside" twice in the same sentence?  The author could have said something like, "At last it is undone.  Pooh's gift is a Special Case with pencils inside."  We also have a book about Christmas that uses the word "okay" twice on the same page, which seems unnecessary.  Given that children's books are not very long and often are read more than once a day by caregivers to children, it seems like the authors would carefully select each word.  Of course, I'm sure that children do not evaluate the quality of books in the same way that adults do, and the books are written for the children not the adults.

Is It Better Not to Know?

It's inevitable in life that we are not going to be liked by everyone.  It's just not possible, and that's okay.  There are, however, individuals in all of our lives with whom we would like to find favor.  But, what if we don't?  What if these individuals don't like us for reasons that are beyond our control?  If circumstances require that we have some type of relationship with these individuals and if we aren't going to be able to change their opinion of us anyway, is it really useful to know that they don't like us?  Or, is it preferable to be kept in the dark about it and to go through life thinking that they like us?  The older I get the more I think that I would prefer not to know.  After all, if we aren't going to be able to change their opinions of us, knowing that they don't like us just makes us miserable when we are around them and/or think about them.

Having It All

About two weeks ago, I read the following blog: What if Some Women Don’t “Want It All”?, and it has crossed my mind several times since then.  The idea that a woman (or man) must have a successful career, spouse, and child(ren) in order to "have it all" is the author's focus.  I found this blog interesting for many reasons, but I also found many of the comments to the post useful.  It's been helpful for me to recognize the following: (1) there is no single definition of "having it all" that applies to all women (or men), (2) it's okay if we don't achieve whatever our idea of "having it all" is, (3) we might be able to "have it all" just not all at the same time, and (4) our definition of "having it all" likely will change over time.

With regard to (1), I know that many people have no desire to marry and/or have children; however, these individuals might very well be able to achieve their life goals and, in doing so, satisfy their definitions of "having it all."  What I'm trying to say is that "having it all" need not be limited to those with a certain marital status and/or parental status.

I could spend a lot of time writing about this topic, but I'm out of time for today. 

More Than Last Year

I noticed that I only posted six blogs last year.  Thanks to my goal of writing more quickly, I already have posted six this year, and we're not even halfway through the month of January.

New Perspective

Some people are able to make choices and never look back or question whether the choices made were the best choices.  Unfortunately, I am not one of those people.  Although I carefully consider options when making decisions regarding both significant and insignificant matters with the hope of making the "right" choice, I still catch myself thinking about the other options after the choice has been made.  (Of course, I should emphasize that this is not the case for every decision I make.)  I have noticed, however, that I do not spend as much time questioning significant choices from the past now that I am Henley's mother.  It occurred to me sometime after giving birth to Henley that every (significant) choice I made prior to becoming pregnant made it possible for Henley to be my daughter.  Had I selected other options when making important decisions, it's highly likely that I would have either become pregnant at some other moment in my life or I would not have become pregnant at all.  If I had become pregnant at some other moment, I would have a child but that child would almost certainly not be Henley.  I find that really amazing, but it's true.  Now that Henley is a part of my life, I cannot imagine it without her.  As a result, I'm much more comfortable looking back on decisions made years ago without needing to ask "What if?".

Free to Roam

Henley started taking steps independently just a few days before she turned 11 months old, and a week or so later she was officially a toddler.  It's fun to watch her roam about the house throughout the day.  I often think that adults would look quite crazy if we seemingly aimlessly walked from room to room all day long.  As Henley roams throughout the house, she often stops to take inventory of the items in the lower cabinets in the kitchen and then carries some of those items with her to other locations.  Jay and I considered child safety locks for the lower cabinets, but we ultimately decided to move any dangerous items to other locations and continue to give Henley the opportunity to play with the remaining items.  Thus, a couple of times a day I find myself returning food items such as jello boxes or popcorn boxes to their designated places in the kitchen.  Henley's also becoming a bit more independent, and she often roams to another room when I have my back turned for just a moment.  As a result, I find myself saying Henley's name throughout the day and then going to search for her at her favorite spots.

A Bit Too Orthopedic

My younger brother is getting married in March, and I recently ordered a pair of black Clarks Unstructured shoes that are fairly dressy with a small heel in hopes that they would be suitable to wear with a gray dress that I'm planning to wear to the rehearsal dinner.  I was excited to see that the shoes were delivered to me just a few days after ordering them.  That evening, I tried them on and immediately noticed how comfortable they were and initially thought that I had made a good purchase; however, the more I looked at the shoes on my feet the more I felt that they didn't look quite right.  What was wrong with the shoes?  They certainly were comfortable enough and were a take on the Mary Jane style that I usually like.  As I looked down at the shoes on my feet, I couldn't help but think that they looked a bit orthopedic on my feet even though they didn't look orthopedic off my feet.  After Jay looked at the shoes on my feet for a minute or two, he agreed.  Since the orthopedic look is not what I'm going for, I decided to return the shoes.  Last night, I ordered a pair of Anne Klein shoes that are completely different in style from the Clarks Unstructured pair.  I hope they look good on my feet, feel good on my feet, and look right with the dress.  Otherwise, I'll have to start searching yet again.

Letting My Hair Grow

Several weeks ago, I was flipping through an Eddie Bauer catalog and noticed a long hair style that I liked.  It's been quite a while since I've worn my hair long, and I decided that now is a good time to grow it out.  For the past two weeks, my hair has looked awful.  My short hair style had lots of layering, and the lower layers have not been cooperating as they have been getting longer.  Yesterday, I finally had a decent hair day, so I'm hoping that the worst is behind me.  I think it will take at least a year for my hair to reach the desired length.  We'll see if I make it that long before missing short hair.

New Year's Eve Dinner

A while back, Jay received a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory.  We decided to use it for an early dinner on New Year's Eve.  After Henley's nap, we drove to Charlotte and arrived at The Cheesecake Factory around 3:15, I think.  We were seated about 15 minutes later at a table that had tables directly beside us on each side (the type of table where one side has a very long booth that runs the length of several tables and the other side has two chairs).  Although I would have preferred a more private table, I was happy to get seated fairly quickly.  As we were taking our seats, a couple was arriving to be seated directly beside of us.  When the woman saw that we had a child with us, she made it very evident that she was unhappy about being seated next to us.  I figured that the couple was on a date and that the woman was worried that Henley would interrupt their privacy; however, I knew that wouldn't happen because Henley is always very good at restaurants (partly because she loves to watch people and partly because we try to take her at appropriate times of day for her schedule).  Well, it turned out that the couple was rather loud while looking through their menus and discussing every type of cheesecake, the man spilled his drink all over the table and himself, and the woman talked to us several times during the meal.  She commented on Henley's good behavior and let us know that her two year old son would never behave well at a restaurant.  I found it interesting that the woman had assumed Henley would disrupt her meal simply because Henley is a child.  Meanwhile, she and her husband ended up doing what she thought Henley would do. :)

The 15-Minute Blog

I've been thinking that I really would like to start blogging again.  It's been nearly six months since my last post, and that's way too long.  I often thought of a topic about which I would like to blog, but I never seemed to find enough time to do so.  Now that Henley is taking just one long nap a day instead of two shorter ones, I'm thinking that I should be able to find 15 free minutes to blog during most of her naps.  I think my biggest challenge will be convincing myself that I do not need to spend a lot of time editing what I'm writing.  I'm even having difficulty typing this post quickly because I continually want to change a sentence or word that I just typed.  Limiting my time, therefore, should be a good exercise for me.  I'll have to say what's on my mind and then move on.  Speaking of...