January 2008
95 posts
Parenting principle: Aim over her head →
I have a parenting principle that I try to keep in mind at all times: aim over her head. By this, I mean that I never want to underestimate what Ruby can do or understand. She surprises me a lot of the time, by showing me that she picked up on something complicated or subtle. So instead, I try to overestimate a little, and expect that she won’t get quite everything at first.
State of the Toddler →
Ruby is almost 23 months old.
It’s been a while since Ruby’s last doctor visit, so we really have no idea how tall she is, how much she weighs, or how that compares to other kids.
Her appetite was noticeably reduced for the past few months, although it has now picked up again. I’d estimate she’s eating at least 50% more each day than she was a month ago. Growth spurt on its way!
Ruby is...
The art of misdirection →
The other night, we were having meatballs and rice for dinner. Ruby was really into the rice, so in between servings of rice, we encouraged her to eat some more of her meatballs. One of those times, she put a big bite of meatball in her mouth. Then, she deftly took it back out with the same hand (as she was lowering the hand from her mouth), palmed the meatball, then pointed across the room with...
(Finger) Painting →
Today, we were planning to fingerpaint in the morning. Ruby was very excited, but when I put her in the bathtub with paints and paper, she was surprisingly tentative. She put only a little paint on her finger and made faint marks. After a while, I realized that she didn’t want to get herself messy, so I got her a paintbrush. After that, she went nuts and painted several pieces of paper as well as...
Snacking… where’s the line? →
I’ve been wondering about something lately and don’t really have an answer. Where do you draw the line to make sure that feeding your kids healthy snacks doesn’t turn them into adults with a life-long snacking habit?
As I am out and about with Ruby, visiting with friends, going to play centers, etc., I often see other parents giving their children snacks. It sometimes seems like a steady stream...
Top Ten Best Ever →
Another example of the highly-crafted humor in McSweeney’s lists.
The Death of Whimsy →
I usually skim Charles Mudede’s posts on Slog, but this one was good. I can’t stand whimsical art, and he gives a good explanation for why whimsy no longer has artistic use.
No more Twitters here
Thanks to everyone who answered my survey! It wasn’t unanimous, but the majority preferred that I take my twitters (quick updates) out of my tumble log. So, they will no longer appear here. This tumblelog will now contain: Blog entries (from my blog and Ruby’s) Photos (from Flickr) Videos (from Vimeo) Restaurant reviews (from Urbanspoon) Random interesting things I find on the web If...
Kate : Ruby and I are off to check out a toddler... →
My Name Is Kate (1994) →
How did I ever miss this movie?
Kate : Need advice: looking for Twitter client... →
Kate : Not having a regular job means that for... →
Kate : trying out http://www.iwantsandy.com -... →
Kate : Sunday morning with the blues, pancakes,... →
Kate : I hate it when an automated telephone... →
Kate : dreading crowds. →
Kate : Hitting the zoo this morning. →
Kate : managed to drag myself through a soccer... →
Kate : On the mend today, although I think... →
Kate : Having a romantic night in with Steve.... →
Kate : Silver lining: my hair has some kind of... →
Kate : It's lasting longer than food poisoning... →
Kate : Sick as a dog today. Puking, the works.... →
Kate : Awesome t-shirt:... →
Kate : researching preschools. Ugh. →
Kate : the snow is sticking in north Seattle. →
Kate : It's snowing!! →
I need your help!
You are a reader of my tumblelog (this), and so I’m very interested in your opinion about my twitters (status updates). Please click this link to take a very short survey. I put a funny picture of me at the top of it, if you need more motivation. I’d like everyone who reads this to respond, even if you don’t have much to say. Thank you very much!
Kate : can anyone recommend a good, quick site to... →
Plug for Community Fitness →
There’s a cool new place in my neighborhood, Community Fitness. Here’s the review I just wrote for Yelp! :
Community Fitness is a new exercise studio in the Ravenna neighborhood (open since November 2007). What makes it unique is that every class is $6, and it’s all drop-in. No commitment whatsoever. As soon as I found out about it, I went to check out a class. It’s in the daylight basement...
Kate : cleaning up after a parental double-whammy... →
Boys and Girls →
Today, while Ruby was in the bath, I was reading a magazine (Wondertime). She happened to look at a page with a big advertisement and said, “brown! boy!” It was a picture of a boy with brown hair. I wasn’t surprised that she got the color right, but found it interesting that she was able to identify that it was a picture of a boy. I didn’t realize she had already picked up on that distinction.
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Kate : I am the reigning champion at the game... →
Kate : I'm literally getting up and going into my... →
Kate : Thrilled to spot the first crocuses coming... →
Kate : settling in for a night of uninterrupted... →
More fall photos →
We took a ton of pictures in the fall, and I’ve finally finished processing the last of them. There are new pictures from November, as well as December. Here are some of my favorites (follow the previous links to see them all):