I'll Drink to That

While I was poking around the Internet (thank you, StumbleUpon) I found this little gem of a site.

Its one function is to select a beverage based on the music you are listening to. For example, if you are listening to The Offspring, you should be drinking PBR with an olive (presumably the 40 ounce version). Mozart, a bottle of red wine, garnished with a cherry. Florence and the Machine also calls for red wine, but with a pineapple garnish. Obviously.

Is garnishing beer and wine a thing? I mean I almost understand garnishing Madonna's vodka with pickled carrot sticks (?), but why is Michael Buble's Merlot free of adornment, yet Frank Sinatra's needs a maraschino cherry?

I guess I have a thing or two to learn. Or three: look up Bob Marley. Is that for real?? I'll keep looking for my soundtrack for champagne and strawberries.

(Photo taken by Velo Steve and found on Flickr.)

Do you pair music with drinks? Do you know where to find pickled carrots? Ever sip Merlot with fruit?

You Bet Your Cass

Beau, Little Man and I have done some recent traveling. Twice in recent weeks we have gone to West Virginia for a soon to be disclosed, but currently top-secret mission. (Oooh, the suspense. I know...) On our way home for one such top-secret, super suspenseful trips, we decided to make a spur-of-the-moment stop in Cass, West Virginia to ride the Cass Scenic Railroad. (Those of you who know Beau know that spur-of-the-moment is his forte!)

Frankly, it was pretty cool! Once upon a time, there were over 3,000 miles of logging tracks in the mountains of West Virginia. Now there are only 11, but they are 11 working miles that make up the Cass Scenic Railroad. An adventurous person can traverse all eleven miles of said tracks. We, however, skipped the four hour trip and took the shorter four mile, two hour trip to Whittaker Station. (While Little Man is an awesome baby, we thought four hours on a train might test even his patience.) 

 

 

Whittaker Station is home of a recreated, authentic logging camp. And some absolutely breathtaking views.

 

 

Here in Virginia, people sometimes say derogatory things about West Virginia and its inhabitants. I think those people need to visit places like Cass. Views like this will shut anyone up.

 

 

Anyway, back to the train. Our trusty guide was locomotive #5. Shay #5. It is the second oldest Shay locomotive in existence. It has been in service since November 1905 and it weighs in at a mere 90 tons. As we climbed the 7% grade, the locomotive billowed black puffs and soot rained down on us. I can't remember exactly how many pounds of coal we shovelled into the engine to produce the steam that powered it, but if I recall correctly, it was about 1500 pounds. I remember saying to Beau that the poor man had moved the equivalent of a Ford F-150 in the course of our two hour trip. Whoa.

 





 

At each railroad crossing, and as we approached the stations, the conductor would sound the ear-piercing whistle. My super brave son only got a little perturbed by it. There was a chin quiver at one point, but for the most part, the whistle was met with a look of sheer surprise mixed with a smidge of suspicion.

 

 

But, you know little boys...they love trains. Their dads do too. Beau is already planning on taking the four and a half hour trip to Bald Knob when Little Man is old enough to geek out with him.

 

Here are a few more sights from the trip.

 

 

 

If you happen to find yourself in West Virginia (like we did twice in one week...) I highly recommend stopping in Cass for a few hours. You might be pleasantly surprised at what West Virginia has to offer. This is just one of many wonderful adventures to be had in this fine state. (Over the course of the last few years, we've also rafted the New River, hung out at the Greenbrier, and visited/skied Snowshoe, so I feel that I can make that last statement with the utmost authority.)

 

And, hint, we hope to have many more WV adventures.

 

Have you made a spur-of-the-moment stop that turned into a great little adventure? Tell me about it!

 

 





A Rose by any Other Name

I recently read Cheryl Strayed's Wild. It was an interesting memoir. I didn't fall in love with it and I certainly wouldn't enthusiastically recommend it to every person I meet. With that said, I did enjoy the read. And it is worth reading if you've got a bit of free time and are interested in hiking, the California wilderness, or a woman's quest for healing and discovery.

(Images from my Instagram... Yeah, I took those. Cool, huh?)

I finished reading Wild in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia, not far from the famous Appalachian Trail. Since a good portion of this book takes place in the mountains of California and Oregon on The AT's sister trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, I found Strayed's descriptions to be fascinating and vivid. I almost wanted to don a backpack and hike the oh-so-close AT 'till my toe nails fell off. Ok, no, that's a lie. I didn't want that at all.

Anyway, the author, Cheryl Strayed, writes about how she changed her name after she and her husband Paul divorced. "...I pondered the question of my last name, mentally scanning words that sounded good with Cheryl and making lists of characters from novels I admired. Nothing fit until one day when the word strayed came into mind. Immediately I looked it up in the dictionary and I knew it was mine. Its layered definitions spoke directly to my life and also struck a poetic chord..."

The passage got me thinking about what name I would have chosen had I decided not to keep my married name after my divorce. As a person passionate about words, it seemed like a really difficult and permanent change. I mean, your identity is wrapped up in your name. The thought of making the choice for myself seems too big, too scary.

I, too, would probably have first thumbed trough the list of character names from novels that made an impression on me. (Amy Eyre...) I would have very seriously considered Beckham--for obvious reasons. I would have given way too much thought to the significance of choosing a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc. Would it be an English word? Or something less obvious like a sexy French word that translates to an English word that carries significance in my world? (Amy Paroles, perhaps?)

I'm so glad glad that I didn't have to face the pressure of picking a name. I just had to pick the right guy to give me a new name. That happened, gasp, last week. But that, my friends, is a post still to come.

If you got to pick a last name that fit you, what would it be? Why?

Stay at home

Not only is motherhood a huge and amazing change in my life, but it isn't the only one. Generally, at the end of August I make my preparations for the upcoming school year. I buy supplies, decorate and arrange my classroom, prepare lessons and classroom expectations, among myriad other tasks. This year, though, I'm still hanging out at home with my Little Man. Beau and I decided together that being a stay-at-home-mom would be best for all three of us. And, so, as my friends and colleagues prepare to start the new school year, I am officially becoming a stay-at-home-mom.

(Image from here)

Like I said in this post, the birth of our son changed my outlook on my career. It ceased being my biggest priority. I imagine that at some point I will go back--perhaps next year, perhaps not--though when I think about it, this line from Robert Frost pops in my head:"...knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back."

It is hard to say where I'll be in a year. Perhaps I'll miss teaching high school so much that I'll be pining to go back and influence teenagers to adore British lit. Perhaps I'll be so content being at home with my Little Man that I'll try to finagle another year out of Beau. Or, perhaps I'll find other rewarding and important things to do with my time that will allow me to remain at home while earning some cash. (Face it, a girl has to have shoes. How will I ever pull off the old "These? New? Naah, I've had these for ages..." stunt if Beau can see the expenditures?)

(Image from here)

At the start of last year if you had asked me if I'd be able to give up teaching, I'd have looked at you like you'd just disembarked from the crazy train. I'd have pointed out my recently acquired National Board Certification, my Teacher of the Year plaque, the photos and notes of students from the past and told you that I belong in the classroom. And yet, here I am. Labor Day weekend has always been my last weekend of freedom. This year, it is the last weekend of freedom for my friends, and what I thought would be a sad weekend for me.

(Image from here)

At some point over the past three months (!) between late night feedings, dirty diapers, first smiles, coos and cries, I've changed dramatically. I am, first and foremost, a mom to an amazing little person. I'm going to do everything in my power to grow a human being who is kind, loving, smart, sincere and honest. Rather than taking an active role in shaping the lives of my students, I'll be shaping the life of MY child.

And so, as the first day of school approaches, I am relinquishing my role as high school English and journalism teacher and becoming a SAHM. I know I will miss it very much. I will miss the relationship I have with my students and my coworkers. I'll even miss the 4:40 a.m. alarm clock (because it, at least was predictable and consistent...).

Staying at home with my Little Man is something I'm very excited about. It is the most important (and probably most difficult) job I will ever have. Fortunately I've been trained well by working the second hardest job out there. Despite my excitement, it is with bittersweet heart that I write this post acknowledging the fact that tomorrow, for the first time in thirteen years, won't be my first day back to school as a teacher.

Have you done something that you thought you'd never, ever be doing?



 

Just a Little Window Dressing

OK, so since I've been home so much I've 1) been looking at the decor of my house with a VERY critical eye, and 2) spent way too much time online. Not a good combination.

I've decided our living room needs some love. I hope to be able to revamp the area over the course of the next few months. I really need to think the whole thing through, but these curtains from Urban Outfitters have totally caught my eye.

(Curtains found here.)

Could this be the color palate for my new room? Could be? I'll have to convince Beau that this NEEDS to happen. Mucho eye batting will need to happen.

I love the greens, the gray, the patterns. I love that our otherwise boring room could, perhaps, get a little  personality.

I'm just not sure they would work with the art in the room... Geesh. Wrench in the works. Do I chuck the art? Move it? Start fresh? Rethink the curtains?

I just wish I had an eye for this type of stuff. You know how there are people who see things, buy them and all of a sudden they have a room that is magnificent and magazine worthy? Yeah, I'm not that kind of person. I so wish I could be. Instead I'm that person's polar opposite.

I'm really going to have to work this room redesign though (and keep cognizant of the fact that we have a baby now...no white couches for me!). I hope you'll hang out with me through the process. And seriously, if I'm loving things that just don't work together, let me know. Please! I'm OK with comments that read: "WTF, Amy? No, no, no. Pink walls will NOT go with those curtains. And the Rhino head mounted on the wall needs to go even if his "gray tones match the curtains." You really weren't kidding when you mentioned you are clueless. Consider hiring someone."

(Floating heads from here.)

I'll only cry a little. (I love that Rhino*...)

*I do not actually love the stuffed head. Stop judging. If you want one, click on the link from whence the photo came. You might rethink it. One man's living decor is another man's poached and stolen wild animal, I guess.

What room needs love chez vows? Are severed heads a design option for you?

The Final, Much Anticipated Installment of Baby Must Haves

Finally, I can finish this list...

You know, I'm acutely aware that if I wasn't so wordy I'd have listed the ten items and been done with it all. But, since they pay me by the word*, I've stretched it into three posts.

*I maybe made "them" up. "They" certainly don't pay me. It would be pretty awesome if they did. If you know them, drop a hint already, OK?

But I digress...

Rompers and Kimonos

Obviously you are going to have to clothe your baby. Take a walk through Baby Gap (or any other baby store/department) and be prepared to squeak out sounds that are only vaguely human. For example, my dear friend Angela and I went to Baby Gap the other day and saw this cuteness.

(Images Gap.com)

Angela really did squeak when she saw the skirt with the tights. Understandably. They are super cute. I couldn't help being thankful, though, that Little Man is a boy. I don't want to deal with tights and bows and such for myself,  let alone a squirmy little one.

The squirmy-ness is what brings me to my point: Rompers and Kimonos are the bomb diggety.

(Rompers from Amazon.com)

(Kimonos from H&M)

These outfits are easy on, easy off. That's important when you are changing ten bazillion diapers a day. Also, most babies aren't in love with shirts being pulled over their heads, so these types of outfits make changes much more pleasant for all parties involved.

Obviously, at times Little Man just wants to wear his plus and plaid shorts, but when he wants no fuss, our go-tos are rompers and kimonos.

Gripe Water 

It has a cute name and seems to totally work in soothing a baby who has an upset stomach. Little Man has reflux, and while he's now on medication, the Gripe water helped suppress the acid for a little bit before being diagnosed. It also helps with gas and hiccups, two VERY common ailments for babies (Or is it just my baby??)

(Image from Amazon, though I purchased this product from Walgreen's.)

This particular product is natural and organic. It is made with ginger, fennel and chamomile. Apparently it is tasty, since Little Man seemed to look forward to getting a dose! General fussiness is normal for a baby, but if it gets a little out of control, Gripe Water should make it all a little more manageable.

Cloth Diapers

I made the decision to use cloth diapers on Little Man. I'll post more on that particular decision in the next few weeks, but I wanted to preface that post with my enthusiastic thumbs up for cloth diapers in general. I'm still trying out different covers, diapers, methods, soaps, and such, so I'm no expert. I'm working on gaining enough knowledge and experience to share with you.

During our extended time in the hospital we discovered that Little Man has sensitive skin. It really came as no surprise since I also have sensitive skin. I'd already decided on cloth diapers, but when I saw that angry red diaper rash on his brand spanking new skin, I knew that I'd made the right decision. And guess what? As soon as he'd been in the cloth for a day the redness was gone!

I'll probably devote a couple of posts to my diapers of choice and my process since most people looked at me like I'd sprouted a second head when I mentioned I was going to go cloth. Most people told me it would be way too difficult and way too much work. It turns out it is pretty manageable and something I actually enjoy doing.

I know it isn't for everyone. You know, people with jobs and dozens of kids. Or lives. maybe they just have lives.  However, for me, for now, it is definitely something I'm really proud of. The monitory savings are incredible, Little Man is happy and healthy, and I feel like in my own little way I'm making the world a better, less polluted place for him.

So what have you done lately that made people assume you'd lost your marbles?

Sand Bucket List

I've actually been thinking about bucket lists quite a bit lately. I've got a post rattling around in my head about them. (Oooh, something to be on the lookout for! Exciting. Suspenseful!)

And then I came across this today.

(Image from Amazon. You want a copy too, I bet. Here's a link to save you the trouble...)

The clever subtitle says it all: "366 things to do with your kids before they grow up." I'm a realist, I know Little Man will be heading off to college and the real world before I know it.

I really want this book.

And then, after I read it, I want to make a family Sand Bucket list with Beau. Items I'd include: take a Disney cruise, camp, do something tangibly memorable (does that make sense??) each first day of school, have a garden, etc. I know Beau would like to sail the Mediterranean as a family, so that would go on there, too. (Hard to say no to that!)

What would be on your family Sand Bucket List?