Friday's List of Ten IX

Ten things to remember whilst attending Afternoon Tea at Langdon Hall tomorrow with Erica:*

10. All signs to the contrary, we're not there to enjoy ourselves. We're there for our health - two cups of tea a day can have significant health benefits, you know. We're doing this to escape benefit our husbands and children!

9. Proper service of lemon slice vs. lemon wedge: a lemon slice can float in your tea cup, a lemon wedge is meant to be squeezed and discarded on the edge of your saucer. I think tea with lemon is disgusting, so I will be disposing discreetly of any lemon bits served to me in the nearest potted plant. Failing any such handy plants, I will be politely lofting them over my shoulder.

8. The proper eating of a scone involves breaking off a bite-sized piece, and then applying cream and/or jam to said piece before popping it daintily into one's mouth. Like a dinner roll, one should not attempt to saw it in half with the butter knife before slathering it with toppings and then taking bite after bite. Am I wrong in thinking this rule probably came from the pre-dental-advances British wanting to ensure they were exposed to as little view of each other's wonky teeth as possible?

7. Twelve-inch napkins are used for Afternoon Tea service - I have packed my handy ruler in my handbag, so as to be sure that I am not being short-changed in the napkin department!

6. The proper stirring of tea. Apparently, one is to "Place your tea spoon at the six o'clock position and softly fold the liquid towards the twelve o'clock position two or three times." I have been practicing with my breakfast Cheerios, but have a distressing tendency to want to fold from 12 to 6, instead of the proper 6 to 12. Fortunately, I already know about removing one's spoon from the tea before drinking (this needed to be a rule? Seriously, how many people poked themselves in the eye before this became a rule??)

5. Sugar tongs are sometimes referred to as "sugar nips". Try not to giggle if someone does so.

4. Afternoon Tea is NOT High Tea. There is a special level of Hell reserved for those who confuse the two.

3. Proper service for the eats on a three-tiered stand is scones on top, sandwiches and savories in the middle, and yummies on the bottom. Traditionally, service is provided to remove each tier at the progression of each course. (If they think that's going to stop me from having dessert first, then they've got another "jolly good" coming!)

2. Pinkies up! I always thought this was an affectation, but apparently, the proper way to grasp your teacup is "By placing ones fingers to the front and back of the handle with ones pinkie up ... (which) allows (for) balance. It is not an affectation, but a graceful way to avoid spills." The pinkie up is for BALANCE! And actually looping ones fingers through the handle on the teacup reveals that you were raised in a barn. And not one of those nice, red-painted barns, but one of those saggy-roofed, a-few-boards-are-missing-from-the-walls, I-hope-no-animals-are-actually-kept-in-there barns.

1. And of course the number one etiquette rule in any situation: to point and laugh heartily, fully shaming those who are less couth than ourselves into a state of agoraphobia. (No, I know my Miss Manners. Etiquette exists to govern our own behavior, and proper behavior does not allow for us to make others uncomfortable by pointing out their faux pas. Such as my originally writing this sentence to read "there faux pas".)

*With thanks to this site for offering British Royal Household Approved tea tips and interesting facts!

Friday's List of Ten VIII

Milestones that Jake reached this week (I'm not kidding. The kid has done all of these things since last weekend.):

10. Moved from the bucket seat into his (rear-facing) big-boy carseat. Which means that without the bucket, I am wrangling two boys when I'm out and about. He now sits beside Owen in the shopping cart. Grocery shopping just became a contact sport!

9. Stopped waking himself up in the night practicing crawling. He's finally sleeping better again. Yeah, remember this post? Oh the hubris! We all got sick, and the good sleeping came to an end. But he's really on a roll now, and doesn't need to practice, because...

8. He crawls! Like Owen, he would pull himself up and walk along the furniture before crawling. But he's finally figured it out. It's only been a few days, and he's v--e--r--y deliberate and careful, but he's definitely on the move.

7. Did I mention the pulling up on the furniture? The other day I went in because he'd woken up from a nap, and he was standing in the crib, shaking the bars. Time to lower the mattress again, and remove the climbing aid bumper pad.

6. He peed in the shower. Now that he likes to stand up holding on to things, he had his first shower with me where he stood like a big boy, holding the bench the whole time. And when you're eight months old and you gotta go, you gotta go.

5. He gives high fives! He's been clapping for a while now, but if you held up your hand for a five, he'd just stare at it. Now he whacks away with enthusiasm, grinning the whole time.

4. He got his first bloody nose. I put him down on the floor at the Rec Centre while I filled my water bottle, and he decided to move from sitting onto his tummy. But his winter jacket is so bulky, he didn't get his hands in front of him in time, and did a face plant on the tiles. Poor little babe, one red, drippy nostril. Along with that, he also got...

3. His first bloody lip. At first I thought it was blood from the nose, but I wiped it, and it came back. I wiped it again, and it came back. A third wipe, and it stayed gone. Thank goodness he doesn't have any teeth yet!

2. Ate his first real food. He likes his mush, but would always much rather have whatever Owen is having. Last night, Owen was having alphabet soup with vegetables. Jake sampled the noodles, and the mushy veggies, courtesy of Daddy. Owen was happy to share. Jake was ecstatic. (Oh come on, alphabet soup is TOO real food!)

1. Said his first word. He's been babbling for some time, and da-da-da-da-da recently became part of the lexicon. But said three times, it's capitalized: Da-da-da. He knows that's Steve. He looks around for him when he says it, and if you ask him where Da-da-da is, he zeros in on daddy. Too cute, because Owen's first word was "Mem", and that was me, so it's nice that Steve is Jake's first word. :)

Friday's List of Ten VII

(First a note: Abby is doing really well! The enzyme treatments are working, and her mom is very encouraged. Yay Abby! We'll keep praying, and hopefully you'll be home soon.)

Okay, in honour of the lovely warm day we had (with a warm breeze, no less!): ten things I am looking forward to doing outside this spring:

10. More outdoor running! Jake and I had a lovely 5K out in the sun today, even though the wind (which was warm) was horribly strong. Who designed my subdivision so that all the uphills are against the wind?? It was like pushing an umbrella through a wind tunnel!

9. Boys in the bike trailer! Owen loves the bike trailer, and I imagine Jake will too. The only question is: will they ride nicely in it TOGETHER?

8. Playing in the backyard. Owen was all over his playfort today, and came in covered in mud. Can't wait to see Jake out there too.

7. Gardening/lawncare. We hope this is the year that we finally get the grass to grow in the back. And I can't wait to finish landscaping around our new porch in the front.

6. More family walks. Since the snow started melting, Owen has discovered burrs, gravity's effect on strollers on an incline, and that cattails may look like sticks, but after a winter under the snow, they tend to turn to mush when you try to pick them up. Can't wait to see what else there is out there!

5. Lounging, on the back deck or front porch, on new patio furniture (we think we've found what we want, finally!)

4. BBQing! (Well, Steve tends to do this, not me. But that's why I'm looking forward to it!)

3. Moving the hockey/soccer/baseball fun outside instead of in the basement.

2. Puddle jumping! This is one of Owen's and my favourite things to do outside together.

1. Getting to see the neighbours again. We've had some changeover through the winter, but it's hard to meet new neighbours when we all drive straight into our garages, and only come out to shovel.

Friday's List of Ten VI

Ten signs of Owen's budding environmental awareness:

10. He knows the difference between garbage and recycling.

9. He knows where the garbage goes after the garbage truck picks it up. ("To Mommy's work!")

8. He knows what sorts of things go in the recycling bin ("Recycling! Not garbage!") Also funny: he insists on calling it the "recycling bin", and not the "blue box".

7. When prompted, he can actually list what sorts of things get recycled. ("Cans, plastic, and paper. Not garbage!")

6. He knows that recycling is how you make new things out of old. Unfortunately, thanks to something he saw on TV, he thinks things just all get turned back into themselves - bottles from bottles, etc. (This is only true for metal. Aluminum cans can be recycled into new aluminum cans without any loss or degredation. If you recycle nothing else, PLEASE get those cans in the blue box! Plastics become raw materials for something else - carpet, microfleece, plastic lumber, lots of other plastic things, but not food-grade plastic anymore. Glass typically is ground and used in a road aggregate, or other very base uses. Unless you're talking beer bottles, in which case they are washed and re-used. But glass very, VERY rarely (I am tempted to say never) becomes bottles/jars again.)

5. He knows the difference between the garbage truck and the recycling truck when he sees them on the street!

4. He reminds us to turn off the taps.

3. He seems excited about the prospect of taking stuff to the backyard composter (will be his job when the weather warms up.)

2. Always remembers to turn lights off when he leaves a room.

1. FREAKS OUT if anyone else leaves lights on. This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine with Steve, so I LOVE it when Owen gets on Daddy's case about the lights. :) Go Owen!

Friday's List of Ten V

Ten things in my family room that should not be:

10. Clothes. My family of nudists like to disrobe in front of the TV.

9. Dishes. In spite of my best efforts, Daddy insists on eating on the couch. And Owen must monkey-see monkey-do.

8. Fridge magnets. Owen has discovered that they stick to the fireplace.

7. Owen's stroller. Not the one the boys ride in, technically I guess it's his doll Sprouty's stroller. But it was outside and has dirty wheels. Daddy didn't seem to think this was an issue when Owen asked to bring it in. Mommy wasn't around when it happened. Daddy will be cleaning the carpet.

6. Step ladder. Steve replaced a lightbulb. Steve is finished a job when it has been completed, not when all materials necessary have been cleaned up/put away. The ladder will be there until I move it, or he needs it elsewhere. (Good thing I love that man!)

5. A single, forgotten Christmas ornament. (Hmm, that reminds me, the mistletoe is still hanging in the front hall. Maybe that ladder will be getting out of here sooner than I thought!)

4. Teacher stuff. Steve has an office, but he likes to mark in front of the TV.

3. Nail stuff. Not that my nails are even worth manicuring these days, but should they magically grow over the course of a commercial break, I am ready to polish them up!

2. Too many ugly candles. We had a power outage a few weeks ago, and took the opportunity to light a bunch of candles that don't usually see the outside of a closet. Why are they still on the mantle? Why??

1. Me. Why am I not in bed? After a week of sickness and not enough sleep, you'd think I'd crash, but it's nice to have some quiet me-time, even if I am exhausted. Plus, I love you internets so much, I couldn't skip another List of Ten, so you benefit. But that's it, I'm going. G'night!

Friday's List of Ten IV

Ten songs I like to run to:

10. All Along the Watchtower, Jimi Hendrix

9. Before He Cheats, Carrie Underwood

8. Somebody Told Me, The Killers

7. Hung Up, Madonna

6. Joker and the Thief, Wolfmother

5. Numb/Encore, Jay-Z & Linkin Park

4. American Psycho, Treble Charger

3. Thrash Unreal, Against Me

2. Big Casino, Jimmy Eat World

1. What You Waiting For? Gwen Stefani

Friday's List of Ten III

Ten things I have fixed with the superglue I paid $0.88 for just before Christmas:

10. Christmas ornament (big surprise!)

9. Peter Sam's funnel (One of Owen's engines).

8. The dial on the Crock Pot.

7. The nobbly-thing on the teapot lid that keeps the lid from falling off the pot when you pour tea. (Broke when the teapot leapt, kamikaze-style, from the cupboard one afternoon during that week of really cold weather. I think it had had all the boiling water it could take. I caught the pot, but the lid landed on the tiles.) (Also, does this nobby thing have a name?)

6. The barrel car. (Another one of Owen's train accessories).

5. Mater's tow cables. (Owen's hotwheels-sized Mater is diecast, but the tow rigging is plastic. After having it pop off several times, glue to the rescue!)

4. The lid (down) on Jake's piano. (Seriously, this toy needs a handle! The lid is just pegged on, and Owen lifts it off every time he goes to move it.)

3. A birthday card. (This wasn't "fix" so much as "make", but my gluestick was dried up!)

2. Wooden picture frame (that had cracked from the dryness of our old house).

1. Owen's @#$%! plastic train track. (Okay, I haven't done this yet, but as soon as I get a scrap piece of plywood, I will be. Who buys a two-year old a snap-together plastic engine rollercoaster that unsnaps if you look at it wrong?? I'm gluing the whole thing together, and then to the piece of wood.)

Because superglue is all about peace of mind. :) (Heh, at first I typed "of ming". Funny, because you know, Ming.)

Friday's List of Ten II

Ten things I miss:

10. Buffy. I miss this show. I have DVDs, but it's not the same thing. I already know they got the mustard out.

9. Shamrock shakes. Lion, lamb, who cares as long as March gets here soon so I can get me some minty-flavoured goodness!

8. My short, strawberry blonde hair. I enjoyed this look, but I could never pull it off today (not thin enough for the short do.) Also, way too much maintenance to handle these days.

7. Scrabble at the Bomber. Those were the days: endless free time, 50 and bar lime, sun on the patio, and me, using the excuse "Who's the English major here? Me or you?" to cheat and win.

6. Our dog, Paw. He was so good with kids, I would have loved to see him with the boys. And it was so nice to have a big Rottie to cuddle by the fire when the weather was cold! (This is as maudlin as I'm going to get - I'm a sappy enough mess these days without actually getting into deceased family/friends that I miss. Let's just skip no. 5 and let it stand for all of them, without my having to get into it.)

4. My teenage metabolism. Oh, to be able to eat whatever I wanted, and not work out, and still look good. I only have to urge to tell teenagers that "these are the best years of your life!" when I see them in the food court.

3. Our first home. I do NOT miss the leaking roof and foundation, but we did a lot of work there to fix it up. There were a lot of good times there, and I'm sad it got torn down, and no one is enjoying it anymore.

2. Bathroom privacy. Steve and I are not an "open door" couple. (Just one of the ways we keep the romance alive after 11 years, I guess.) But that doesn't cut it for Owen. Even if I do lock the door, can it really be considered privacy if there's a toddler screaming and banging to be let in?

1. And on the note of my boys, the number one thing I miss is waking myself up. I don't miss sleep, I'm not that sleep deprived. But it is a rare occasion when I wake up on my own, instead of being woken up. If it's not Jake, it's Owen. If it's not Owen, it's Steve's alarm. I miss waking up feeling rested, instead of feeling a surge of adrenalin. Nothing says "fight or flight" like a yell in the night, even after all this time.

Friday's List of Ten

Ten reasons why I love it when Steve falls asleep in Owen's room:

10. He's in there because he's the one who put Owen to bed.

9. If Owen wakes up, he doesn't call for Mommy, because Daddy is right there.

8. Bed all to myself!

7. Any snoring is happening on the other side of the house, instead of right beside me.

6. If Jake has a really restless night, I can bring him into our comfy bed, instead of the not-as-comfy spare bed.

5. The resemblance between Steve and Owen is even greater when they're alseep side by side. Too cute!

4. He falls asleep at Owen's bedtime, and I get to be in charge of the remote for the rest of the night.

3. I don't have to worry about Owen getting cold/kicking off his covers.

2. If he's sleeping, he's not getting the Christmas chocolate out of the freezer and eating it in front of me.

And the number 1 reason:

1. NO SNORING IN MY BED! (this is definitely worth two spots).