catbird’s world

Nate likes to carry toys around in his mouth. We think he learned it from Pinto. He first did it when he started crawling, which makes sense — he didn’t have a free hand to carry anything. But now he does it while he cruises around the furniture, and only with one specific toy: a soft rubber car with a taxi sign on the top. He picks it up with his mouth by the taxi sign, then stands up and walks along the sofa, over to the chair, and back. Is this a baby thing or a Nate thing? Who knows — but it cracks me up to watch.

catbird :: Jan.27.2005 :: mommyhood :: Comments Off

My niece just started kindergarten this year. They have homework. With math problems. When I was in kindergarten, we learned how to share, cut with scissors, and make things out of pint-size milk cartons. Will Camille be better off for it? Or is she missing out on some pure childhood moments? Either way, it is pretty darn amazing to watch a five-year-old solve math problems on the “tests” that my sister makes for her.

catbird :: Jan.19.2005 :: mommyhood :: Comments Off

Hmmm…. didn’t the Bush Administration go to kindergarten? In my kindergarten class, one of the key things Mrs. Conover taught us was clean up one mess before making another.

catbird :: Jan.19.2005 :: socio-pop :: Comments Off

I’m currently reading a fascinating book called Maybe One: The Case for Smaller Families by Bill McKibben. Before you get your panties in a knot about how kids need siblings, hear me out. McKibben isn’t saying everyone should have only one child, nor is he bashing couples who have large families. He’s just sharing the facts that helped him and his wife make their decision to have an only.

I think this book is a must-read for anyone — whether deciding how many kids to have, you already have kids, or you never plan to have kids. His research on the impact of humans on the environment is detailed and important. It reminds me of Ishmael — but without the gorilla.

No firm decisions have been made in our household yet, but this book has made me very aware of reducung the waste we generate every day.

catbird :: Jan.18.2005 :: mommyhood :: 1 Comment »

(For every dog over 15 lbs, anyway.)

They are just plain dangerous. You have no control and they can break. If you have a dog that pulls, you’ll just be dragged around. Forget using a gentle leader – it just doesn’t work. Just get a good strong leash and let your dog sniff the area around you. If he pulls, get a gentle leader. If your dog needs a wider sniff range, go to an enclosed dog park, or go hiking. Or invest in a 30 foot lead, take a blanket, and go to the park.

Why do people use them? I’ll never know.

catbird :: Jan.15.2005 :: woof :: Comments Off

Steve sent me this cool link to razzberry in the Way Back Machine. Wow it brought back a lot of memories! I still remember building and posting the very first razz site iteration. It doesn’t seem that long ago , but then again, sometimes it does….

catbird :: Jan.15.2005 :: technology :: Comments Off

I just finished reading Candy Freak by Steve Almond. It was a good read — both account of Almond’s pilgrimage to several independent, regional candy makers, and his personal journey through his own sugar-soaked psyche.

He visited Golderburg, home of the scrumptious peanut chew, my ultimate favorite bar. Yum yum yum. And even though he spends a few paragraphs ranting about how he doesn’t like Twizzlers, I still recommed his book.

The only thing I missed was photos of the various candybars, many of which I had never heard of.

catbird :: Jan.04.2005 :: socio-pop :: Comments Off