W.O.W.

Words of Wisdom
By Carolena

Once you have mastered the sentence, "I'm a big girl" use it as often as necessary. Don't want to sleep in a crib anymore? "I'm a big girl!" Sick of sitting in a booster and want to sit at the kitchen table without it? "I'm a big girl!"

Refer to Taco Bell as "Taco Bite" and McDonald's as "Donald Duck."

Take time to color every single day. Mix it up from coloring book to writing tablet or crayon to markers, but regardless of your medium of choice be sure to do some creative art work each and every day.

As soon as you open your eyes in the morning get out of bed. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Go straight to your parents' bedroom and loudly announce with a smile, "I'm awake!"

Twistin' the Night Away

Wedding Etiquette 101
By Carolena

So you got invited to a wedding? Well, here are some tips for making the most of the nuptial celebration:

First, wear something fabulous. Knee socks, dress shoes, and a smocked dress go a long way in cuteness factor. There will be a lot of older people at the wedding and they'll be interested in talking to you so go for a look that's classic.

Second, be on your best behavior. Sit quietly in your church pew. Stand on the kneeler when you need to see the front of the church. Wait patiently in line for your turn to recieve the Eucharist. Wow everyone with your good church behavior.

Next comes the reception... aka "the church party" and this is when things get really good. As soon as you enter the room head straight for the cake. Stare at it longingly and talk about how it looks like a "yummy happy" cake. Check out all of the tables and any interesting decorations in the room. Perhaps offer to play the piano. Your mom will probably decline this offer but it's always nice to check just in case. Go back and smile at the cake.

Sit at a table with grown ups and engage in interesting conversation. Tell them that you are a "big girl" and "sleep in big girl bed." Make sure everyone knows you realllllly like those dinner mints on the table. Once your mom hands you a plate of dinner (bbq), take a big bite of coleslaw.

On second thought, don't eat the coleslaw! Spit it out! Spit it out!

Once the coleslaw is spit out onto the floor where it belongs, carefully select a purple onion from your mother's plate and eat that instead. Whew, much better.

After eating some more dinner go check out that wedding cake again.

Then, it's time to dance. Why isn't anyone on the dance floor?? Take charge of that party foul and get out there and boogie.

Just for good measure cruise by that cake once more.

Eventually the grownups will take turns talking. When the noise dies down it's your big moment. Lift your glass of lemonade and yell, "cheers!" as loudly and clearly as you possibly can.

Then, head back to the dance floor. Why isn't anyone else dancing yet?

Finally! The cake is cut! Convince one of the gentlemen to carry you over to the cake table and select a piece with a lot of icing. Then, carefully carry it back to mommy and enjoy every ounce of icing you can find. No need to eat any actual cake... just the icing will suffice.

Finally, head back to the dance floor and recommence operation Dance the Night Away.

Follow these tips and you'll be sure to leave any wedding as the star. Bride? What bride?

Apples Don't Fall Far

Earlier this week Carolena yelled, "no!" at her crib and then was very adamant that she wanted to sleep on her "nap mat" (a.k.a. pile of blankets on the floor - her school nap mat stays in the car). She spent the next few naps and nights curled up on the floor right next to her crib.

A few times this week I asked her if she wanted to sleep in her crib. "No mama" was the repeated response.

* She's on a "mama" kick right now. Roo calls Kanga "mama" and thus, Carolena feels the need to do the same.

Today Carolena looked at me, said "all done crib," and then helped move all of her clothes and stuffed animals into her "big girl room." Luckily, Chris and I have had her twin bed set up in there for months.

After her bath this evening she brushed her teeth and we read Cat in the Hat in her twin bed. I sang a few songs and then left the room. She's currently sound asleep in her new room. No crying. No fussing. Carolena just decided on what she wanted to do and did it.

Yep, she's a Svendsen all right.

Oooo, I Love You Like a Pig Loves Corn!

Sometimes I get irritated, saddened, what-have-you, over the loss of so many of our regional differences in America. My parents refer to this phenomenon using the phrase "Every Town USA" pointing to the fact that you can drive into nearly any city or town in the US and it will have basically all of the same things. Who needs Mom and Pop when you can have Target or Chilis or ughhh... Bucees?

And then...

And then I remember that the staples in our household are salsa, tortillas, red beans, and white rice. I remember that I make a pot of homemade spicy Cajun red beans and rice about once every two weeks. I remember that my homemade enchiladas have been years in the making and that where I come from enchiladas are always served with refried beans. Not black beans. Not pinto beans. Refried beans. Period. I remember that when I serve chili I also serve white rice. I remember that breakfast tacos are a perfect start to any day. I remember that there is nothing in this world that can top a good bowl of my dad's homemade steaming hot spicy gumbo. I remember that my mother once had a cooking intervention with me that included the phrase, "not everything needs to taste like Tex-Joy" (little did she know anything that doesn't taste like Tex-Joy needs to taste like Tony Chachere's). I remember that the loneliest place in Louisiana is Bayou Self. And, as that old Cajun in My Pocket gadget so elequently put it, "you gotta suck da head on dem der crawfish."

I grew up "Texas with a Little Something Extra" and evidently it stuck with me. That's why our children will grow up with a little bit of Texas, a little bit of Norge, a dash of Cajun spice, and a mother who sometimes squeals "Ooo! I love you like a pig loves corn!"

Just Like My Love Everlasting

Growing up I spent nearly as much time doing arts and crafts at our kitchen table as I did eating at it.

For approximately fifteen years our family heirloom dining room table had written across it in Sharpie, "cracks me up" from a brochure and t-shirt I made about the Liberty Bell in the third grade.

I would sit and sort through buttons while my mother would sew, and later I would work on my own (somewhat pitifully constructed) sewing projects.

Every time we went to Craft Etc. I asked to get a new cross stitch kit. My parents reaped the benefit of a quiet project for me to work on while my grandparents carefully hung my masterpieces on their walls after receiving them for Christmas.

I learned to sew on a button pretty much as soon as I was old enough to thread a needle.

When I was in college my grandfather saw me sewing a button and after saying, "what the hell are you doing it that way for?" (classic Ed the Red), he taught me to sew a button as he'd learned in the navy. I bet the button I sewed on that pair of capri pants will still be on them at the end of time.

I learned that it is impossible to hot glue something without burning your fingers before I learned long division.

I remember evenings with my mother sitting at the dining room table working on art for a local store's newspaper ads while I stood in awe of the magic of her using tracing paper to combine all of the best of her drawings.

My grandfather had an entire room of his house completely turned into an art studio. And by "art studio" I mean room that an artist sees as an art studio and everyone without a creative eye sees as a hell hole of paint, brushes, half finished paintings, and piles and piles of binder clips. Well, perhaps it was both.

Yep, I guess you could say creativity is in those Svendsen genes.

Yesterday Carolena sat at our kitchen table and colored for a while and then spent nearly an hour sorting through my button jar while I worked on an embroidery project. And the beat goes on...

Hey There, Hi There, Ho There!

I find it beyond bizarre that children's Halloween costumes in any given store in Texas are made of fleece (or other warm fuzzy fabrics), long sleeved, and typically hooded. Does it not seem beneficial to Wal-Mart, Target, Babies R Us, etc. to cater clothing to climates? I simply cannot get my mind around it. What parent in their right mind is going to send their child out Trick Or Treating wearing what is basically a snowsuit in Texas?

Getting Carolena some school clothes back in August put me in the same dilemma... what Texan wears anything long sleeved before December?!

That was Dilemma Numero Uno.

Dilemma Numero Dos: Carolena has two days to wear her Halloween costume. She is going to wear it for a friend's birthday party and then again on Oct. 31st. Why on earth would I spend a million dollars on a snow suit for my child to put on, decide it's too hot, and then promptly take it off? Twice.

So, I started brainstorming. What is something that Carolena would love to wear? What is something that would be comfortable for a two year old to run around in?  What's something that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg?

And after brainstorming and searching through my craft supplies so that I could use things I have on hand I came home from the store and compiled all of this:

 

Then, I turned my $7.45 into this:

 

Carolena and I are both giddy about how her Mouseketeer shirt turned out. She is so excited about it I finally had to hide it away (because, let's face it, it's a white shirt - it will be stained after one wear). The best part about her costume? After Halloween she can still wear it whenever she wants! Oh, and I got to use some of my overflowing creativity for something productive rather than knitting 5,000 hats that no one is buying... but that last part is neither here nor there... and think of those five remaining white t-shirts just crying out for decoration!

W.O.W.

Words of Wisdom by Carolena

Spend as much time as possible outside. As soon as you wake up from a nap smile and say to your mother, "outside? deck?" and then proceed to help her get a drink and a popsicle for you to enjoy in the backyard. As evening comes politely ask your parents if they would like to dine outside at the picnic table. Chances are they will say yes.

Sitting on the deck with your mother is a calm time to be relished. Recline comfortably in your chair and draw your mother's attention to the interesting things happening all around you. "Birds! Hear it?" If a school bus drives by exclaim, "b bus!" She'll probably respond with something like, "School bus? I see it!" Why that woman refuses to call them b buses is a mystery. If you find a plant full of caterpillars check on the "patterpillars" every day and offer them small portions of anything you have like ice, lemonade, or a popsicle.

Make friends with other kids no matter where you go.

Refuse to ride in shopping carts. Only babies do that.

Speaking of babies, if your mother opens a big box that she found in the closet labeled "Do Not Open Until Pregnant" you should be there to help her go through it. What fun! Squeal with delight over previously lost (but not forgotten) baby toys like your old whale bathtub, the small animals that used to be wa-was, and a large frog... or is that a turtle? Mommy will keep reminding you that these are items that are for the baby and anything you are playing with belongs to the baby and you are just borrowing it. But hey, do you see any babies around here?! Finders keepers people. Finders. Keepers.

FOUND in Translation

As Carolena's vocabulary grows and grows so does her knack for renaming things in our house, and oftentimes her names for things are much more awesome than the original.


Our older male cat is now referred to as "Baby Mac" while the younger female cat is "Oliff Daddy"

Yogurt is "yog"

Puzzles are "puzz"

Blankie is "whoppie frog"

Excuse me is "scuse" (with just a dash of sass to it)

Anything small is a "baby" and is to be treated as such. Speak to it in a higher pitched voice than you would normally use and perhaps snuggle it up for a little kiss and some rocking. Small farm animals in our house (stuffed animals of course) are known as "baby oink, baby moo, baby quack... and horse." The pumpkins all around as fall decorations are referred to (as are most pumpkins we see around town) as "punkin babies!"

Mommy's Library Daze

Carolena's Tips for Visiting the Library

Wear an outfit that says something. A "Snow MITE!" t-shirt, "Minnie!" dress, or "Yo-Ho!" shirt are always good choices. They tell other kids that you take your fun seriously and intend to have a good time. Insist upon some good accessories to compliment your outfit of choice. A large hat or Mickey Mouse ears go with any apparel and a sparkly purse will really complete your ensemble.

If you are fortunate enough to arrive at the library for Toddler Time (which you almost always are) be sure to get a prime seat. Some kids are naive enough to think the front of the room is the prime seating. While that may be true at school, at Toddler Time the prime seating is in the back. That way if (*ahem*when*ahem*) the librarian drags on too long and you are no longer interested you can slip out the door and head into the library.

While at Toddler Time dance for all of the songs. There is nothing better than break dancing to "Shake Your Sillies Out." Other kids and parents alike will be amazed by your smooth dance moves and incredible talent.

Demand a snack. Always demand a snack.

Once Toddler Time has ended (or not) and you are out free to roam in the library, go straight to the kids' section. There are toys and games and computers. There are movies and books to check out. There are ducks in the pond to watch from the window. You'll need another hour in the library after Toddler Time has ended.

Sometimes the ducks need to be seen up close. Stand next to the emergency exit and scream. Throw yourself on the floor crying and yell, "duck! quack quack!" until your mother gets the picture. Emergency exit schemergency exit.

Pick out some books and movies to bring home. Help your mommy at the check out and be sure to put the stickers carefully on the back of each book. 

Try to be on your best behavior. After all, the library is fabulous and you'll want to go back. And, who knows, maybe if you're really good you and Mommy will go to the McDonald's playplace for lunch!

W.O.W.

Words of Wisdom by Carolena

Never call yogurt "yogurt." It is much much cooler to shorten it to just "yog."

If you are lucky enough to have a party at your house be a gracious host. When the first guest arrives run outside cheering and give him a huge hug. Then, admire his new backpack and invite him (and his parents) inside. As guests continue to arrive, run screaming between the front door and your toy bin, greeting guests and bringing choice toys for them to play with. Throughout the course of the evening place nicely with all of your friends. Invite all of them to cram into your small tent. Yell, "outside!" in order to get everyone out into the backyard. And, like any attentive host, spend too much time with your guests to bother with eating much of anything. When the party comes to an end and your guests go home, crash on the couch and say, "night night" immediately after the last person's departure.

Opt for healthy lunch options. If your mother sends a cookie and a carrot/broccoli salad in your lunch, eat the entire salad and leave the cookie. Of course... the ranch dressing really helps...

Try to be just like Mommy. If she has a baby in her belly you should have one in yours. A small Minnie Mouse stuffed animal tucked under your shirt just soooo should do the trick.