Sound familiar?

This is the way the conversation has been going for the past few months:

Miss8yo: I need a new bike.
Miss8yo: I want a new bike.
Miss8yo: I need a new bike.
Miss8yo: I really need a new bike.
Me: I’ll get you one if the mortgage refinance goes through.
Miss8yo: OK – but I need a new bike.

A few weeks later:
Miss8yo: When are you going to get me a new bike?
Miss8yo: I need a new bike.
Miss8yo: I want a new bike.
Miss8yo: I need a new bike.
Miss8yo: I really need a new bike.
Me: I haven’t heard back from the bank yet, I’ll let you know as soon as I know.
Miss8yo: OK – but I need a new bike.

A couple of weeks later:
Miss8yo: I need a new bike.
Miss8yo: When can you get me a new bike?
Me: I should know any day now.

The refinance was approved. We went out and bought a new bike last weekend. Paris (Miss9yo) couldn’t think of anything she wanted because money doesn’t burn a hole in her pocket like it does in Ciel’s (that’s Miss8yo if you needed help figuring that one out!)

We went to Meijer and bought Paris a new bike helmet, a bell for her bike and 2 packs of Webkinz trading cards.

That’s when all hell broke loose.

“It’s not fair!” said Miss8yo, stomping her feet. “She got more than I did!”

I try the calm approach “yes, she did get more than you did, but what she got cost about a quarter of what your new bike cost.”

“IT’S NOT FAIR! I DON’T WANT MY BIKE!”

Me: “So, let’s go and take it back”

Miss 8yo “you can’t – I rode it back to the car so the tires are dirty.”

Me: “then you need to keep it, and stop wanting what other people have.”

Fast forward to today …..

Me: “OK, Ciel, your allowance is in the bank, did you want to buy some Webkinz trading cards when we go to Meijer?”

Miss8yo “YES!!! I really, really want to get Webkinz trading cards!”

On the way to Meijer we stop at Connecting Point, the Mac store in town. They have a Canon G2 camera for $45. Paris currently has a DisneyPix camera, which takes awful photos that you can’t download to the computer. I figure that this will be perfect for her because it’s like having a “real” camera without having the expense of a real camera. Sure, it’s bulky compared with newer models, but just the right thing for a 9 year old beginner.

We get to Meijer and Ciel picks her Webkinz trading cards and we head over to the grocery section. Of course, we bypass electronics. This sends Ciel into a fit because now she wants a new camera. “How come Paris got a new camera and I can’t have one?”

“Well, for one thing, you already have a video camera that you can use to take pictures on (she has an RCA “flip-style” video camera), and secondly you just got a new bike.”

“SO HOW COME PARIS GOT LOTS OF THINGS AND I ONLY GOT ONE STUPID BIKE?????”

“Because the “lots of things” that Paris got don’t nearly add up to what your bike cost.”

… and so it goes on. I’m really, really tired of arguing with Ciel about this – I tried to explain that if one person got a $10 item, and one person got ten $1 items, then they’re even, but I guess that just doesn’t figure in the mind of an 8 year old.

I know they grow up fast. But this is a phase that I wish she would grow out of VERY quickly!!

Multimedia message

Waiting at Tobins

- Posted using MobyPicture.com

Why bother?

I seriously have no idea why I bother stressing about being at work on time, when people roll in the door at 8:17am, 8:35am … and there are still more who haven’t shown up yet.

Multimedia message

Hot hot hot!

- Posted using MobyPicture.com

Multimedia message

Rallying

- Posted using MobyPicture.com

Multimedia message

Kinda warm in the CI!

- Posted using MobyPicture.com

Interesting week … not the best, but interesting

Actually, it was a pretty awful week as far as work goes. Most who know me will know that I don’t have a political bone in my body. I don’t understand it, I don’t want to understand it, that’s why we elect people to take care of it for us. But I do sit up and take notice when decisions made by the powers that be effect me, my loved ones, or my community.

And the bastards are about to hit all three.

I’ll blog more tomorrow – I got carried away looking at illinois.gov online. Night night!

Multimedia message

Fun @ the FCRC resource fair!

- Posted using MobyPicture.com

Time, precious time

George Winston – Road the perfect soundtrack for a rainy Sunday, as shared via my buddy SatinLegsSmith on blip.fm

Where does it go? Time? Those precious 24 hours we are given each and every day, those 1440 minutes … 86,400 seconds. Granted, we spend some of them sleeping, but do you ever wish that you could just stretch each hour out by… say …. 20 minutes?

I am in awe of my online friends who can post messages saying that they are bored, or that they are relaxing as they watch TV. Maybe awe is not the right word, maybe it should be jealous? I just don’t know where they find those extra minutes to relax, and I wish I could find a few for myself! Don’t get me wrong, I do relax, but if I am just sitting and watching TV, then more than likely I’m going to fall asleep. However, if I am working through my emails as I watch TV, I have a much better chance of staying awake!

But enough of my whining about time – I could do it all day! I think that thought came from the fact that I realized how long it had been since I updated my blog.

The weather has been perfect for the garden! Just enough rain that we don’t have to make too many visits to water our plot at the Community Garden, and just warm enough that we can throw open all the windows and not have to turn on the air conditioner yet.

Just to break the monotony, here’s another musical interlude, courtesy of our DJ for the day, SatinLegsSmith Herbie Hancock – Cantaloupe Island

Pow Wow Dancer

Yesterday, the girls and I headed out to LeRoy, to the Grand Village of the Kickapoo Park for the 11th Intertribal Pow Wow. I have been meaning to go for the last few years, but have never made it. This year I wanted to make sure we made it, as a friend who I have known online for about 5 years was going to be there. Wendy Roy, of Ojibwe Custom Beadwork, hails from Minnesota, so when she said she was going to be at the Pow Wow, then I knew I had to be there to meet her!

We missed a couple of turns going out to the park, when you’re travelling at 70 mph, it’s easy to see the sign as you are going by it! We had to turn around twice, and on those country roads, “turning around” could easily add a couple of miles to your trip!

Pow Wow dancer

We eventually found the park, paid for our entry, and looked for Wendy. There were many wonderful booths of Native American crafts, food, clothing, etc and we found Wendy fairly quickly. As I’ve found from many meetings of those I’ve met online, it was just like greeting an old friend, like we’d know each other in person all that time.

Wendy was kind enough to offer to sell some of my beads for me – and she’s quite the saleswoman! We had a great afternoon, watching the dancing, visiting the booths, and learning about the Native American culture.

The Grand Entry was just that – grand. Colorful, moving, and soothing. I have to admit that the drums and chanting are just so calming. I took a bunch of photos, but I haven’t got around to processing them yet.

Paris and Ciel weren’t all that thrilled about going to the Pow Wow, but they didn’t want to leave! The day ended all too quickly, we did manage to make it home before dark, and will be headed back there today.

Multimedia message

Beautiful day for a pow wow

- Posted using MobyPicture.com