My God, Mornings are Busy Around Here

Weekday mornings are ridiculous at our house. I generally wake up a few minutes before 7am to feed the cat, prep CJ's warm milk and breakfast, turn on the coffee for Maki, make my green tea, and make my breakfast.

Then I wake up CJ and Maki. CJ is a total sleepyhead in the mornings, even though he's generally asleep by 9pm. He complains about getting up, about being cold, about getting dressed. Somehow, Maki gets him dressed and they both come downstairs.

Meanwhile, I get CJ's lunch ready since all kindergarteners bring their own lunch and the kids eats in their classroom until 2nd grade. CJ is not a sandwich kid. Instead, he really likes rice, so I make rice and chicken nuggets, or crab stick, or sausage, or chili, or chicken and a veggie. CJ also gets some type of snack, like applesauce, yogurt, cut up fruit or a small bag of goldfish. I don't give him milk since he gets milk in the morning and at night. Instead, I give him a full bottle of water in his BPA-free water bottle. Finally, I include a little note in CJ's lunchbox so he has a sweet message from home.

I wish CJ were a PB&J kind of kid, but he's an Asian boy and really likes his rice! He also does not like it if I prepare the same lunch two days in a row, so I have to get creative. Whenever possible, I try to have leftovers from the night before so he can have it for lunch the next day. Some days, the planning is too much for me and he gets rice and chicken nuggets 2 or 3 days in a row (CJ can and will eat chicken nuggets ten days straight if I let him).

While I'm finishing making his lunch, CJ has his breakfast. Then we brush teeth, make sure his backpack has what he needs, put on a sweater and coat, and leave the house by 7:45am. On Thursdays, I make sure the library books are back in his backpack. On Friday,

I sometimes have to sit quietly on the couch for five minutes after CJ leaves the house to catch my breath! Phew! My secrets to staying sane are:

• I organize his school clothes for the entire week on Sunday night. That way, CJ and Maki can just grab a pile of clothes and not worry picking the wrong thing.
• I write out his lunch notes on Sunday night so I can grab a note and stick it in his lunch box in the mornings.
• I have a schedule on the fridge that shows CJ his morning schedule (i.e., when he gets up, when he has breakfast, etc.).
• I have the carpool schedule on the fridge.

So far, so good, but I'm sometimes exhausted just when the morning is getting started!

More Funny CJ Expressions

Here are some of the latest CJisms:

Me: CJ, I have bad news. Beckett and his family are moving to another neighborhood. But don't worry, they won't be far.
CJ: Oh no!
(pause)
CJ: Mom, is there more bad news?

Me: CJ, pack up a few toys to bring to your playdate.
CJ: Okay, can I bring all my take alongs, and some tracks, and some movies, and some books?
Me: No, CJ, you can bring just 3 take along trains.
CJ: (starts cramming his backpack with all kinds toys)
Me: CJ, you can't bring everything in the house to your playdate!
CJ: But mama, I'm not bringing everything in the house. I'm not bringing the cat, I'm not bringing my Trackmaster trains, I'm not bringing all my books.

CJ: Mama, I'm done with my pasta, can I have enari (tofu stuffed with rice)?
Me: No, you need to finish your pasta and then you can have enari.
CJ: But mama, I'm not hungry anymore, I just want enari.
Me: CJ, if you still want enari, then it means you're still hungry, so finish your pasta, then you can have enari.
CJ: But mama, I might get full if I finish the pasta.

CJ: Dada, I want to write on your whiteboard.
Maki: Okay. (gives him a whiteboard marker)
CJ proceeds to write: CJ + Kato = CJ Kato
Maki: Hey CJ, that's good math!

Me: CJ, have some cherries.
CJ: Have I had that before?
Me: Yes.
CJ: Did I like it?
Me: Yes.
CJ: Okay. (takes a bite and likes it.)

ICE! at Gaylord Hotel, National Harbor

I took last Tuesday off so that we could see ICE!, the ice wonderland and exhibit at the Gaylord Hotel at National Harbor, MD. It was a little challenging to get tickets, but we got tickets for Tuesday, 10:30am.

I knew it was going to be cold, so I made sure everyone bundled up. CJ was wearing his thermal pajamas underneath his clothes + two pairs of socks, a long-sleeved shirt, a fleece sweater, thick khakis, his winter jacket, gloves and hat. I was dressed similarly. I paid special attention to the feet and hands because I know that when the extremities are cold, you're miserable. We got mom to come with us to ICE!, for which I'm really glad, even though I knew she was going to be cold, cold, cold.

ICE! was great. It's not a big exhibit, but it's impressive and fun. We were told that the Gaylord brought in 2 million blocks of ice from Ohio and ice sculptors from China and Mongolia created the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol building, dancing penguins, an igloo, 4 ice slides, a tunnel of branches and ice, candy, animals, wreaths, Santa Claus, lamp posts, a nativity scene, and on and on.

Mom and Maki bailed when we got to the end because they were so cold, but CJ, Jessie and I stayed longer to wander around, start over at the beginning and go down the slides a bunch of times. The slides intimidated me at first because as I've gotten older, I've developed a slight fear of slides and roller coasters. But CJ was really insistent and, as expected, I had so much fun, I ended up going down the slides with the kids a half dozen times.

It's 9 degrees inside ICE! 9 degrees is really cold. In addition to the clothes we were wearing, we were given parkas to keep us warm AND to facilitate going down the ice slides. At 9 degrees, nothing is melting. There's no water, the sculptures aren't even shiny, and there are no puddles at the bottom of the slides. I kept asking the kids if they could wiggles their toes. When CJ and Jessie complained about their mouths being frozen and not wanting to go down the slides anymore, I knew it was time to go.

After ICE!, we went to the Gaylord Hotel (ICE! is in an outdoor structure) to check out the decked out lobby and have lunch. We had lunch at the Pienza Italian Market, which is a surprisingly good buffet. The kids loved the pizza and pasta and of course, the desserts!

When we got home, the kids were pooped so they watched a little TV, while I addressed my holiday cards. I'm ridiculous. I ordered the cards in October and they didn't go out until New Year's Eve! Oh well, it's still the holiday season.

Inside an igloo with the dancing penguins.

CJ and Jessie in front of an ice bear!

Christmas Eve Celebration

I hosted Christmas Eve dinner at my house again this year. My older sister and her family were in Australia, and my brother couldn't come out from the West Coast coz he couldn't find a sitter for his Great Dane, so Christmas was going to be just our family + my mom + my younger sister and her daughter.

But, as luck would have it, we had friends in the neighborhood who didn't have plans, so we decided to join forces and have a big party. Christmas Eve turned into a wonderful, full, and lively celebration with family and some of our dearest friends.

Christmas prep this year was a lot less stressful and I think it's because my mom and niece were around to help and I took the 23rd and 24th off from work to shop, clean the house and cook. Even better, my sister brought ham and dessert; my friend Karl brought some fantastic side dishes, and Seana brought more dessert. Seriously, when everyone pitches in, entertaining for 18 isn't a big deal!

My Christmas Eve menu consisted of:

• Corn chowder
  
• Beet and goat cheese salad
• Mushroom side dish
  
• Ham with a brown sugar glaze
  
• Beef tenderloin stuffed with blue cheese and mushrooms
• Sourdough dressing with pine nuts and cranberries
• Roasted asparagus with balsamic vinegar
• Sesame noodles with red bell pepper
  
• Leche flan
• Brownies
• Cheesecake
  
• Fudge
• Sugar cookies baked and decated by the kids
• Spiced cider, beer, wine and hot chocolate
  

So Christmas Eve was a lot of eating, drinking, chatting and just hanging out. CJ had a blast playing with his friends from the neighborhood. We didn't do presents for the adults this year (we decided we all have everything we need and we don't need stuff in our lives), so we let the kids open a present or two, then they just played.

At the end of the evening, we just had to play some Rock Band. CJ and his friend HE had a ball singing Beatles songs. HE tried to play the drums, but it's too hard for a kid. I have recently done more drumming than singing and I absolutely love it! There's something satisfying about whacking the drums. I will probably only ever play the Easy level, but that's okay with me.

At the end of the evening, CJ and I put out some white chocolate-covered pretzels and a hand-painted sugar cookie for Santa. Mom went to bed early since she wasn't feeling well. I think she was also a little blue because the family wasn't all together. I was grateful for a wonderful evening, for my mom's long and wonderful visit, for time spent with my sister and niece, and for my wonderful friends and neighbors who turned Christmas Eve into something really festive and special!

CJ giving his friend HE a big hug for his presents.

CJ and his buddies in front of my tree.

More Funny CJ Expressions

The funny expressions continue. Here are the latest.

Me: CJ, what do you want for dinner? Chicken nuggets or crab stick?
CJ: Hmmm...., both really good ideas. Can I have both?

Me: CJ, have you ever been down this road before?
CJ: No, not at this point.

On the way to a friend's house for a playdate:
CJ: Mom, I have an idea, but I don't think it's a good one and I don't think you'll like it.
Me: What's the idea?
CJ: When we get to Joseph's house, instead of knocking or ringing the doorbell, I'll blow my whistle outside.
Me: I don't like that idea.
CJ: I told you it wasn't a good idea and I knew you wouldn't like it.