Cameron's first visit to Santa

We may be going a little overboard for Cameron's first real Christmas. At 2.5 she "gets" it and we have been shamelessly using Santa's impending arrival as both a threat and a bribe. Both DH and I have been buying her presents so we've ended up with a pile that is far too big. I ended up setting aside two presents already for her birthday and we haven't even received any grandparent gifts yet. Next on my list is to clean out all the current toy locations to make room for new toys.

We were supposed to go to Florida this weekend but due to a series of mishaps involving ceiling tiles our flight was cancelled. We couldn't rebook until the late evening and at that point our 2.5 day trip was down to 1.5 days. So we decided to bag it and reschedule for January. Sorry, Mimi & Papa!

That gave us a "found" weekend to get some Christmas related activities completed. Tree up? Check. Tree decorated? Check. Gingerbread house assembled and decorated? Check. Santa visit? Check! And as you can see from the pictures below, Cameron wasn't at all shy around Santa. Think she likes him?

"Give me candy"

This year was Cameron's first to go trick or treating. So we did what any other neurotic, Type A parents do: we attempted to prepare her for the experience. Up first was buying the costume. I trolled the seasonal aisles of Target about 6 weeks ago while they were fully stocked up to find the perfect costume. There was no way I was making a costume for her; my precious free time is saved for catching up on my rapidly filling DVR and shopping.

I was amazed at the number of gender specific costumes available. Most of the girls costumes, even the toddler ones involved far too little fabric in my opinion. They were also very princess oriented. Now, I am a proponent of princesses and have been known to buy a princess oriented item or two (or a dozen) for Cameron but considering it would be cold outside I immediately dismissed those. So we ended up with a very cute and very warm dog costume. Cameron approved and then it immediately went into the closet so she wouldn't bug me to wear it every day. Mommy is no dummy.

We attempted to put black grease paint on her nose and were going to draw whiskers but Cameron's constant rubbing of her nose put the kibosh on that.

For the past two weeks we have been coaching Cameron on what to say when in the process of trick o' treating.

DH or me: Cameron, after we ring the doorbell, what do you say?

Cameron: Trick or treat. Give me candy.

DH or me: The "give me candy" part is kind of implied. Why don't you say, "Happy Halloween" or "thank you" instead?

Cameron's vocabulary, despite being large, did not include the verb "imply," but we managed to keep her to the "trick or treat" during the actual door to door process.

DH also carved his first pumpkin with Cameron. Since it's been (in his words) 2 decades since he carved a pumpkin last, I think he did pretty well, don't you?

DH tried to get Cameron to use her hands to scoop out the seeds and pulp but she insisted on using her play kitchen spoon.

Happy Halloween! Cameron shows off her loot.

Recommitted to running

I've been a little lazy with my running routine post Warrior Dash. For basically the past two years I have been focused on losing weight, exercising and maintaining my weight loss. And it got a little old. So I was only running 1 day a week and taking a spinning class every Sunday. I did keep tracking my WW points (mostly) but the exercise really fell by the wayside. It was still way more than I used to do (which was nothing) but a few pounds have crept back on.

Enter the Race for the Cure last weekend. I actually trained for it; running every other day for over a week. And I posted my best time ever (38 minutes) for a 5K. The result is that it complete re-motivated me to get back in the groove with training.

So my big game plan? Run an 8K. I'm kind of nervous even typing that out. 5 whole freaking miles. The race day is Thanksgiving day and I've signed up for another 5K for the end of the month to keep me motivated. Having goals to work towards is definitely something I need or I slack off. I'm also planning to run a 10K in the Spring but know I need to be running 4+ miles consistently to get to that point.

If you told the "old" me I would want to be a runner I would have laughed in your face. Now I feel great after a run (tired, but great) and know I'm making myself healthy. And also banking those calories for wine :-)

If you are a runner do you need regular races to stay motivated? Do you listen to music or are you a NPR junkie like me? And what are your recommendations for cold weather gear? This is my first winter as a runner so I need advice.

Big trouble at BigFinance

Yesterday was a difficult day at BigFinance. Anyone who follows the news knows that my company (still attempting a little anonymity here) is attempting to right the ship with a combination of cost cutting and restructuring. I have been here for 4 years and in that time we've had "riffs" although they tended to impact contractors and not full time associates.

I am no stranger to layoffs. My first job out of school started in June 2000 at SmallResearch just before the Internet bubble burst. Needless to say it directly impact me given I worked for a company that covered Internet companies. I managed to survive 4 layoffs throughout 2000 and 2001. Probably because I was young and made little money. It's a good thing I did or I never would have met DH in 2002. Funny how things work out...but I digress.

So yesterday my team found out that there was an across-the-board reduction in workforce. The news was delivered well by my boss but there was a glaring absence in the audience receiving the message. One of my co-workers and key resource on my application had been let go. I feel very much for my co-worker. She is in her 50s and had just come back to BigFinance after a previous layoff. It's challenging enough to find a job in this economy but it's even harder for people who are later in life, despite a plethora of experience. It makes me think about where I will be in 20 years and if I will constantly have to worry about being on the chopping block.

For now I am safe. But that safety is a very transient feeling. I am of the opinion that you never really know you are going to get laid off until it happens. No good reviews or accolades from co-workers can save your position if money is on the line. So for now I extend my sympathies for co-workers who are no longer working with us. And I gear myself up for the next 4-5 months where I will be doing 3 people's jobs (did I mention that another resource found a new role and it was decided not to back fill? Good times.). Wish me luck.

Karma or coincidence?

A few days ago I mentioned to my husband that I thought it was odd we had never been called for jury duty in the 4+ years we've lived in Charlotte. Particularly because we both regularly vote and I've heard that it is through voter registration that jury duty selection is made.

I got home from a run with my friend Amanda yesterday. As I sat down to chat with Cameron and DH he pointed to the kitchen counter.

"I blame you for this."

I got up to go and look. Yup, my husband has been summoned to jury duty on October 11th. Weird coincidence, right? Or is it?????

I've never served on a jury but my mom was on one years ago for a first degree murder trial. Most jury duty stuff tends to be boring but every once in a while....my mom was even sequestered for a day or two! Have you ever been on jury duty? Was it boring or a good case? And what was the verdict?

Warrior Dash 2011 - kicking ass and taking names

Approximately 6 months ago I was convinced to sign up for the Charlotte Warrior Dash by Laura Case. At the time it seemed like a good idea. I had almost reached my weight loss goal, I was running regularly and I was ready to take it to the next level. As the date approached I did as little as possible to educate myself about the race. Why? Mostly because I am a mind over matter kind of person but only if I don't know what that matter is until I approach it.

I sign up for the race with my friends, Amanda and Katie. As the race date approached we decided that we would stick together through the course to give each other encouragement. It wasn't about having a good time, it was about finishing the course and feeling good about ourselves. And it completely paid off! Well, except now I am sitting in a chair gingerly, attempting to not put weight on the massive number of bruises decorating my legs.

DH looked up a few details of the race earlier in the week including scrutinizing the course. He told me, "Stacey, this is totally not you." And I agree: it's not. But that was part of the whole challenge of it. It's no secret in my cadre of family and friends that I am about as far from an athletic person as you can get. The exercising I've done over the past two years is probably more than I've done in the rest of my life combined. I have practically no upper body strength and my flexibility is non-existent. But I was determined to do the Warrior Dash, completing every obstacle and finally putting to bed the fact that in elementary school I was in special gym for a few years. Hey, I was a premie born at 31 weeks, so hand eye coordination was something I developed later in life....not that I developed it that well as my ability to throw and catch can demonstrate.

We met up with Laura and some of her friends on race day. It was hot, humid and partly cloudy. No hurricane could save me from my commitment! And how was it? Completely and utterly awesome. We walked most of the course which was OK with me because I had to save massive amounts of energy for the obstacle portions of the race. That included:

• Climbing 5 foot walls and ducking under 1 foot barriers (I'm sure there was a more graceful and less bruise inducing way of getting over walls but I threw my leg up and over which is why I have a line of bruises down the inside of each leg)
• Running through tired and climbing in and out of dumpsters (yes they were empty)
• Scaling a crazy balance beam contraption (a big thank you to Amanda for helping me across as I lack balancing skills)
• Climbing a 11 foot wall with a rope and then scrambling down the back side. I will admit I'm particularly impressed with myself for doing this one with my lack of upper body strength and fear of heights. And I'm just as surprised as you at being able to complete it.
• Scrambling in the dark on hands and knees about 100 yards.
• Scaling and crossing a horizontal rope ladder. That one sucked the most I think.
• Climbing scaffolding and sliding down a fireman's pole.
• Walking through an algae infesting pond and over floating logs
• Up another rope wall and down the other side
• Jumping over fire
• Crawling in a mud pit under barbed wire
• Crossing the finish line

We finished at 1 hour 10 minutes and some seconds. And I don't think I've ever had such a feeling of accomplishment. I even include giving birth to Cameron in that list because I had a C section so I was kind of a passive participant in that event.

DH agreed that if I completed the race he would never mention special gym again in reference to my athletic abilities. And I think I have laid that ghost to rest, don't you?

Clean, pre-race

Meeting up with blog friend, Laura for the first time in real life.

Holding hands through the fire obstacle.Tired, dirty, sweaty and triumphant

So, what did you do this weekend?

Tuesday Thoughts

For the second time in less than 2 months I had to bring my 2002 VW Jetta to the dealership to get the A/C fixed. During the longest heat wave we've had all year, natch. Becoming a one car family for 5 days was both harder and easier than I thought it would be. Easier because DH works from home so we didn't have to deal with his commute. And he is usually puttering around the house on the weekends while I run errands with Cameron so there was a minimal amount of negotiating for car usage.


It was harder because it made my commute inflexible. I had to leave the office at a specific time so I could make it home in time for DH to leave at 5 to get Cameron from daycare. Normally that isn't a problem but I've been busting my butt on a really big project that the first major deliverable was due last week. It was also painful to go from my compact car to a SUV. First, we blew through gas like crazy. Secondly the garage by my office has a lot more parking for compact cars than SUVs. And unlike so many others I actually park in SUV designated parking. I hate it when a big SUV squeezes into a compact car space. Suck it up and find an open spot!

Cameron has been going through an "I can't do it" stage. DH is very troubled by this and has taken to refusing to let Cameron use the word "can't". He wants her to know she can do anything she puts her mind to. I'm less militant about the word "can't" and just tell her that she can do it and help her to complete whatever the task is. But I think it's cute that DH is all serious about building up Cameron's confidence levels.

In sports related news, Cameron has a pretty good throwing arm. She already throws better than me but that's because, as my husband puts it, I throw like a girl. Yes, I really do.

Is it normal that Cameron is already lying? Or is she really not lying she just doesn't understand? The other day I put witch hazel and a band aid on a big bug bite. When DH saw the band aid and asked her what happened (5 minutes after I treated her) she told him that she fell down. I reminder her of what really happened and she responded with "Oh, yeah." I'm mean, she's only 28 months so I can't imagine she is deliberately lying, right? At what age should I expect to encounter and manage lying?

And finally I am T minus 4 days from being on vacation. Two weeks of family, friends and summer fun. But can it truly be called a vacation when there isn't daycare too?

Monday Hodgepodge

Summer has really sprung in Charlotte. We have already been battling 90+ degree weather, lots of humidity and little rain. But, in good news, we have our first official tomato from our tomato plant. I was warned that squirrels stealing tomatoes is a real issue. But a colleague recommended soaking a rag in amonia and putting it in a plastic bag with holes. Tie it to the tomato cage and it will keep the squirrels away. I haven't tried it yet but plan on executing this weekend.

Cameron has been loving the pool and splash park at the JCC. We've been 3 times in the past two weeks and it's a great time suck on the weekend. A plus is that I am developing a nice little tan (with sunscreen - stay safe!) in preparation for our big upcoming vacation to Maine. The downside is that Cameron is not a fan of sharing her toys. We usually bring a few buckets and shovels and she will use them with the water sprays at the splash park. It is physically impossible for her to play with all 3 buckets but she won't let anyone else play with them too. DH and I are being diligent but it appears as though sharing is a concept that will take some time for her to understand and do.

Speaking of toys...we have hit the stage where Cameron isn't playing with any of her million toys. I'm not sure if it is because she prefers to be outside or helping us in the kitchen or watch TV but she has only really been playing with her arts and crafts. Play-Doh is still a big hit.

Cameron is now displaying a tendency to slip into a Southern accent. Gah! I managed to avoid the Boston accent growing up and I insist that Cameron be accent neutral or at least not sound very Southern. DH is on board too but we are finding it difficult given her exposure at daycare. I only have approximately 48 hours to undue the 45 hours of daycare influence each week. Lately Cameron has started saying, "Yeah" with a very Southern accent. Somehow the one syllable word has turned into 3: "Yeh-yaaaaah". Every.single.time she says it like that DH or I correct her. "Cameron, we say 'yes' not 'yeh-yaaaah.'" It's gotten to the point that when we start to correct her she repeats that sentence along with us. I know that I have a few readers who are transplants to the South. How are you handling the accent?

Lastly, I have been playing Words with Friends for a few weeks. DH convinced me to hop on the bandwagon. Is it wrong that I find it to be stressful? I am a competitive person (I'll pause there while you gasp in shock) and I lose at this stupid game 90% of the time! I kind of dread when a game is over and I'm asked for a rematch. What is the etiquette here? Should I just disappear and delete the app off my phone? Is it possible to get a big point word when 6/7 letters are vowels and 4 of those are Es? How can I lose a game when I get a 102 point word? This is the stuff that keeps me up at night.

The hostess with the most-ess

I have always been impressed with my mom's ability to pull off an informal or formal gathering at her house. She always seems to have the right food on the right kind of serving-ware at the right time in the right amount. The secrets to her success? She loves to shop and make lists. When my mom recently traveled out to Kentucky to help one of her best friends prepare for a wedding I even asked her if she brought her trust notepad along (she did not, for the record).

About a month ago I decided we had mooched off our friends enough and it was our time to host an event. We settled on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend and it went off without a hitch due in no small part to the shopping and list making that occurred over a two week period. Yes, I know it was just a BBQ but the pressure (!) of bringing together close friends and ensuring a good time makes me crazy. Fortunately DH is excellent at making and executing lists so everything was prepared when the first guests came by.

This is the first time we had a bunch of kids (6 total) so I did a lot of brainstorming about what stuff to have to entertain them. That way the adults could have fun too. The biggest hit on the 90 degree day was of course the kiddie pool. But the sidewalk chalk, hula hoop and random assortment of balls went over well too. The more children, the more activities means the less attention parents have to pay to the kids. And that gave me enough time to enjoy some wine. I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend too!

Cameron and her daddy blowing bubbles. Fun, but messy!

Holden mugs for the camera at a friend's BBQ we went to on Saturday.

Cameron and Holden are definitely best friends. They ask for each other all the time. I'm so glad that Amanda and I signed them up for swim lessons together!

Cameron really loves her kiddie pool. Ironic considering we couldn't get her to go in it at all last year...what a difference a year makes!

I didn't have any swim diapers so we now know how much a regular diaper can absorb. The thing must have weighed 20 pounds when we took it off.

A walk in the park

For the past two weekends we have been taking Cameron to Freedom Park to walk around the lake and feed the fish. It's a nice cheap (read: free) activity that tends to wear her out. However, her stubbornness and whininess can sometimes make walking the 1/2 mile a challenge. The best part is when she doesn't want to walk in the stroller, won't hold our hands (so as to not fall into the lake) and wants to be carried by Mommy. Cameron must be pushing 26 pounds by now and while I have no problem handling that kind of weight at the gym, 3 sets of reps do not equal toting around a toddler for 10 minutes straight.

I know I need to savor this time with Cameron because how much longer am I going to be able to pick her up when she says, "Up, please?" But damn, she sure does get heavy! Parents - at what age/weight did you finally stop picking up your kids for more than a few seconds?

Cameron feeds the fish and the ducks with very, very stale Cheerios.

These sunglasses were a Christmas stocking gift from my sister, Mommy, Esq. Cameron loves them and they are very durable. If my sister remembers where she got them then perhaps she will comment on this post and other parents can pick them up. They are soft plastic and can bend...a must with a toddler!

A rare sighting: Cameron smiling at the camera!

DH took this picture so I can't take credit for the quality. Thank goodness. But this is another rare sighting: Cameron and Mommy in a picture. I am usually the photographer.

Cameron being goofy because she doesn't like to have her photograph taken.

Easter Sunday Picture Post

As promised, here is a photo post from our Easter Sunday BBQ with friends.

I decided to go the toy route vs. candy for Cameron's Easter Basket. The Wal-Mart cheap toy section make that an easy decision. As you can see from the two pictures below, the bubble blowers were a big hit. Messy, but a hit.

DH attempts to explain to Cameron that you have to shut the fan off before you load it up with more soap. It was not a lesson that she or Holden appeared to internalize.

Cameron loved the concept of an Easter egg hunt. I ended up hiding her basket and eggs today because I just couldn't take another hunt. Twenty was my limit!

Tooling around in Holden's car. Chicks dig the cop cars.

Holden offers to take the empty to the recycling bin.

My mommy fix

My mom came to visit last weekend. The last time I saw her was a whirlwind trip home for the holidays so it was more than time for some quality 1:1 time. Plus it was a great excuse to take a day off of work and go shopping.


Having another adult in the house is so liberating. When DH was taking too long getting ready for dinner on Saturday I left Cameron with my mom to make myself look decent. Pure bliss to not have to corrall a toddler while putting on make up.


Besides shopping, my mom also came with us to Cameron's Little Gym class. We made cookies, played in the yard, watched Tangled and Cameron loved having her Grammy around. It got to the point that Cameron only wanted Grammy to push her in the shopping cart. Which also might be a sad commentary on how many stores we went to.


Quality family time like this makes me miss being around my extended family. I don't see us moving back to Boston but wish we can convince family to move closer. Below are some pictures from this weekend.

Cameron and Grammy playing with some puzzles, a new favorite toy.

Cameron watering the ground instead of the plant. Cameron as a bag lady. One of the girls in Cameron's class had a birthday. They gave all of the kids enormous pieces of cake. I took it away from Cameron after she ate half of it which resulted in an epic melt down. Fortunately Grammy was there to sing her songs and cheer her up.

A kick ass year

Today is my birthday. Happy 34th birthday to me! And A. and Mommy, Esq., of course. It has been a pleasure sharing a birthday with my sisters over the past 3 plus decades. Not that I felt that way when I was younger!

I am struggling to see how this upcoming year will top the previous one. Over the past year I lost more than 50 pounds, started exercising regularly, got a new job and celebrated many milestones with my loving husband and darling daughter.

What are my goals this year?

• I plan on running several 5Ks and continuing to make exercise a regular part of my routine.
• Along with several other real life and Internet friends, I will participate in the Charlotte Warrior Dash.
• I will use all of my vacation time.
• I will have a girls' weekend with my longtime friends.
• I will commit to carving out more "me" time and "we" time with DH.
• And if I'm really lucky and work hard I will top it all off with a job promotion.

Wish me luck!

Adventures in Home Improvement: Painting the Exterior

When DH and I refinanced our house last year the assessment specifically dinged the house on it's exterior paint. The right side of the house gets full sun exposure and large swaths of paint had chipped or peeled off over the years. It was definitely time for a new paint job.

I've never been crazy about the color of the house. Grey with black shutters just seems so boring, you know? DH did all the due diligence and got 5 estimates. The one we decided to go with was the cheapest but also someone who had done work on our library three years ago.

It took about a week, start to finish and the guys were fantastic! If you live in the Charlotte area, we highly recommend Carolina’s Premier Painting Co. Our neighbors were so impressed with the transformation that one of them has already contracted to have her house painted next week.

DH actually had a week of vacation he had to use up so he took this past week off. That gave us the benefit of detailed oversight of the work. Plus, DH decided to wash and repair all of the storm windows. He also washed the interior windows and we paid the workers $50 to clean the exterior windows. 50 bucks for all those windows...it was a no brainer! My windows will probably never be this clean again. And the best part? I didn't lift a finger.

We also had the workers power wash the driveway, walkway and patio. It cost a little extra but it made such a huge difference. The driveway actually looks white now instead of a dingy gray. We plan on renting a power washer and doing it every few years.

Take a look at the before and after pictures and let me know what you think about our paint choices. It took us reviewing 5 paint samples before we decided on the final colors. I can't remember the names but if you want to paint your house the same colors let me know and I'll send you an email.

We had a large black awning over the door that was essentially crumbling when we took it down. Plus now we get extra light into the foyer which is always a good thing. Here you can see the holes that the bolts left when we took the awning down.

The painters did about 3 days of prep before they even started painting. We had 5 or 6 sofits that needed to be repaired (no, I didn't know what a sofit was before this started) and miscellaneous carpentry work. We also had them paint the storm window frames so everything was the same nice white color.

Charlotte Nature Museum

This was a very busy weekend for our family. On Saturday morning Cameron and I went to My Gym. I was extremely impressed with the facility and the activities that the kids could engage in. Cameron learned a ton about mobility from the other kids (unlike our Gymboree experience, Cameron was one of the youngest kids there) and she is already putting it to good use in her daily life (climbing on couches, tackling stairs better, etc.).

There are two major drawbacks to this program. First of all, it is $75 a month for an hour class. Ouch! Secondly, it is a hike to get there for me. Easily a 25 minute drive. It's doable but I don't know if I can handle it for more than a month or two, tops. We have another demo class at Little Gym in two weeks so I'll make my decision after that.

After Cameron's nap, DH and I packed Cameron in the car and headed to the Charlotte Nature Museum. Neither of us had been there before but I purchased a Groupon for buy one, get one admission free. And since Cameron is under 2, all three of us had a nice afternoon for $10. We were joined there by my friend Amanda, her husband (who has the same name as my husband which can be confusing) and their son Holden. Cameron and Holden had an absolute blast together. They giggled and held hands and were so much fun. I'm glad Cameron has a BFF outside of school!

The Nature Museum wasn't bad but smaller than I expected. There were some animals, a small butterfly enclave and a couple of interactive exhibits. The best part for us was the nature trail that ran around the property and abuts Freedom Park, the largest park in Charlotte. Cameron and Holden practically ran the entire path. There were a couple of falls (why is that toddlers refuse to watch where they are going?) but one kid would start laughing so the other responded in kind and we avoided tears. We spent about 2 hours at the Nature Museum and I think that's on the high end of what toddlers will tolerate. I'm not sure it's worth the $10 per adult ticket price but the Groupon coupon was perfect.

Holden is a ham and loves to say, "cheeeeeeesssseeeee" when you are taking his picture. Freaking adorable.

Taking a break on the nature trail and having a snack.

Researching cold weather activities

Every weekend it is the same story. What can we do with Cameron to keep her occupied and wear her out? I've been looking into a few options around Charlotte and stumbled across a place a few miles from our house called Monkey Joe's. It's $5.99 for Cameron, free for me and DH. There are toddler friendly sections. Here are some videos and photos from our trip there on Saturday.

One of the reasons I'm spending time researching cold weather activities is because it is hard to find places that are kid proofed, not too expensive and easy to get to. So for all of my Charlotte readers, if you have any other suggestions for activities/locations, please comment!

It took Cameron a while to figure out how to walk on the bouncy floor but she didn't seem to mind falling down all the time. A good thing because as a toddler, she falls constantly.

Cameron loves the slide!

Daddy/Daughter time

I am watching the last episode of Gilmore Girls while blogging at 3:30 PM. How, you may ask, is that possible? Because DH took Cameron to Freedom Park so that I could have a little down time. Can I just say how much I love daddy/daughter time? It will definitely become a regular occurrence in this house!

Cameron has her 18 month well appointment tomorrow so I'll update her stats as soon as I can. I predict a perfectly average munchkin which is great. In the meantime, I'm off to enjoy the peace and quiet and secretly miss not being at the park with my husband and daughter.

Bright spots

I realize it's been a while since I updated you on my weight loss progress. Last night I achieved a milestone. I have now lost more than 25 pounds. It took a lot longer to lose the latest 10 pounds but I blame vacation for part of that.

While I'm proud of the progress so far I also know that I still have more to go. And I know that I have to be better about exercising. I've let that slip by the wayside for the past few weeks, mostly because I'm lazy and also because there always seems to be something that needs to get done.

My friend Natalie arrives in Charlotte today. The last time she came to visit we ended up buying our Honda Pilot. I'm hoping this visit is a little less expensive! We're going to grill out tonight and then we actually got a babysitter to go out for dinner tomorrow. I think that's a grand total of 3 times we've had a babysitter for Cameron. And I'm even having her come at 6 PM so she can do bedtime. Yes, I'm trying to let go of my need to control! Natalie has promised to take lots of pictures so expect to see a photo post sometime this weekend.

DH got a phone call yesterday from daycare. Cameron was bitten by her "friend" but she was fine. Is it wrong that I was relieved Cameron was the bitee rather than the biter?

It takes a village and lots of water

As I’ve written about a few times now we have been having a lot of fun with the community center since the pool and splash park opened two weeks ago. I thought I would share some of my observations about this place which is a Jewish community center.

Needless to say, there isn’t a lot of cultural diversity I’ve seen so far. A sprinkling of Asians, Indians and African Americans. Otherwise it’s about as white bread as it gets. Not everyone is Jewish either but I would estimate at least 50% are. That ratio does not represent Charlotte at all so I’m happy that Cameron’s daycare classroom is much more diversified!

People are very nice, especially the moms and dads with little ones. The thing that bothers DH and I are when parents blatantly don’t pay attention while their kids run wild. DH took Cameron by himself last week and there was an older kid pushing her (literally) around. No parent on hand to curb his behavior. And frankly that’s unacceptable from my perspective. There is no reason a older kid should be aggressive with a toddler. The three of us were in the pool the next day and this red haired kid (probably 6 or 7) took his weighted ring and threw it directly at Cameron, hitting her on the back while I was holding her. And it wasn’t even like I was in a deep part of the pool. We were sitting on the steps! I immediately called out to him, “You should apologize for throwing that.” His mother was standing right next to him chatting away with a friend. The kid ducked behind his mom and just looked at me. I spoke again, “You can’t be doing things like that. It’s not nice.” DH hates confrontation so he kept telling me to drop it. I’m still annoyed at myself for not going up to the mother and saying something. Sure Cameron was fine but the brat should be disciplined. It takes a village, and all that. I realize that a lot of people don’t like confrontation or saying something when a situation arises but I go all momma bear-like when it involves Cameron. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? How did you handle it? What if it was your kid who acted poorly? Would you want to know?

I much prefer the splash area to the pool area because it is gated and I can let Cameron wander around rather than having to track her and keep her from falling into the pool. Of course DH is so protective he follows Cameron around in the splash area too but I think that’s sweet. I usually pull out a book and let her wander as long as she is in sight. I don’t like when she spends all her time on the hot patio area especially because there are chairs she likes to climb up on and can get her feet and arms stuck easily in the plastic slats. We usually bring toys with us (permanent marker isn’t actually permanent for labeling plastic!) but of course our toys aren’t as much fun as other kids’ toys. Most parents and kids are cool with a toddler picking up a discarded toys but sometimes fights break out. Cameron of course doesn’t fight but other kids will come and snatch their toys out of her hands. I wish that Cameron would interact more with the water itself but I also understand it can be a little scary given the force of it. There are sections where the water has less pressure but Cameron either hasn’t figured out or doesn’t want to play with filling up and emptying out buckets like all the other kids. As I’ve said before, she is one of the youngest I’ve seen so I’m not too worried about it. It would just be nice to be able to read more than a page at a time before she comes over and bugs me! Assuming good weather this weekend I’ll try to capture more cute pictures of Cameron. I have a new bathing suit I’m dying to try out on her.

Working in the big city: week in review

Today is the start of Speed Street in Charlotte. Basically the main uptown area is shut down and vendors set up booths for the enjoyment and commercialism of the Charlotte population. We'll probably check it out on Saturday with Cameron. In the meantime, I've decided to work from home today and tomorrow to avoid the hassles of traffic and parking. So while it hasn't officially been a week working from uptown I still wanted to share my thoughts about the changes in working at the headquarters and commuting uptown.

• Commute. My commute in the afternoon is much better than the morning. The reason being that I do Cameron's drop off. And of course the daycare is 4 miles in the exact opposite direction of where I need to be. So I am averaging about 45-60 minutes once I leave my house to when I arrive at work. That extra 15-30 minutes makes a big deal in how I feel in the morning. There are 3 ways I can get to my office from Cameron's daycare according to Google maps. And the commute time only varies by 1 minute for each route. There are lots of lights, idiot drivers and general frustrations that I remember from my days of commuting in Boston.
• Parking. I pay $115/month for parking now vs. $0 when I worked in the suburbs. Plus there is the extra hassle of navigating the parking structure. I've found my "spot" that will allow me to use walkways (once they open) when it rains out. Until then I brave the weather and the rain to walk the streets to my building.
• Dress. I work in the headquarters so most people wear suits. I don't mind as I have quite a few (although many of them need to be taken in - yay!) and it does make it easier to wear a kind of a uniform. I plan on working from home every Friday per usual but I have a feeling more business casual is acceptable on Fridays.
• Eating options. There are a lot more eating options within walking distance uptown. This has it's pluses and minuses. I went out to eat 3 (!) times this week. I tried to be good and stick to Weight Watchers but I have a feeling this week's weigh in will not go well.

My boss was in town from NYC this week so I got to spend some quality time with him. My project also utilizes Accenture and they have an office right outside of the uptown area that I can take a free trolly to. It's nice to be able to meet with people in person. Most meetings in my last role were conference calls and there is about 10% lost in translation when you can't look people in the eye.

Has anyone else made the transition from suburb to city while working? How did it go for you?

One other thing I would mention is that BigFinance has started blocking blog sites. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh. I'm devastated. If I don't VPN in I can get to them but this means less flexibility to write and post my own blogs as well as respond to the ones I read. I think that this may be the biggest transition of it all!