we've all been sick

taking our turns with a sleepy-achy-coughing-nauseous bug. It's been working it's way through our family for about a week now. nauseous is the worst part. hope we're about normal now. M and em are fine. Horn and I are both still a bit yucky. We kept E home from school today but I think he'll go tomorrow. Then he has 3 days of vacation. the first day, he'll see the dentist for a cleaning plus I'm concerned his lower teeth seem to be moving.
oh, and during the kids throwing up part, and totally unrelated, a clogged pipe caused our washing machine to overflow. The only lasting damage is the cost of the Mr Rooter guy this morning and several clothes bleached by some very unfortunate exposure to draino. ugh.

Let's see, what else. Business is good. Horninf's company vacation is soon. Book group met here last week with the actual author in attendance, so that was cool. oh, and today marks the end of the first quarter of 2008, so I can post my list of books read! Love that. but then I'm taking more pepto and heading to bed.

Ok, one last thing. I have about $225 of credit with southwest airlines, has to be used by 7/5/08, and it's totally transferable, so if anybody is booking a trip anyway, please speak up because I would be glad to sell you my credit code for a bit less than its value. please!

my Q1 books read

a man without words

Can't buy my love

Case in point

Children & babies with mood swings

the dip- when to quit and when to stick

Eat pray love

Never let me go

the Ladies Auxiliary

Made from scratch

The Mom inventor's handbook

Write a business plan (nolo press)

Another new LC video

Lime Colony on YouTube again

reccomendation

We just watched and really liked the new "Autism: the Musical" documentary.

and you can see it online. 90 minutes. video here

it's only up there and free for a week, so pick a night and watch it! It's well-done movie and very touching, lots of highs and lows.

here's an actual newspaper review.

Feature

Lime Colony is going to be the featured performer at the Hotel Utah Open Mic on Monday, April 28th. This is a big step for Lime Colony, as it is their first real gig. Go to the Utah's site and check the feature column on the right.

this can't be good

NY Times- tons of bats suddenly die


In what is one of the worst calamities to hit bat populations in the United States, on average 90 percent of the hibernating bats in four caves and mines in New York have died since last winter.

Researchers have yet to determine whether the bats are being killed by a virus, bacteria, toxin, environmental hazard, metabolic disorder or fungus. Some have been found with pneumonia, but that and the fungus are believed to be secondary symptoms.

“Logic dictates when you are potentially losing as many as a half a million bats in this region, there are going to be ramifications for insect abundance in the coming summer,” Mr. Darling, the Vermont wildlife biologist, said.

Egg Hunters

new LC vid

these guys love baths

the Monday text post

Baby M had his first eye exam and they are thankfully perfect.

E went on his first field trip. Despite our anxiety beforehand, he had a blast and no problems at all.

we're having a much-needed carpet cleaning tomorrow.

If you have a minute, here's a neat interview re: an upcoming documentary called "autism: the musical"

Easter drive sleepyheads

New 5

love my jeans

So, like my longstanding shoe problem, I have also had ongoing trouble with jeans. The issue isn't fit, it's that I'm been cheap and have never given the more expensive brands a chance. Last time I bought jeans I got 3 pairs at the gap outlet for $45, and within a couple months they all had holes and were inexplicably stretched out. That's when it occurred to me that maybe there were other fish in the sea.
I won't bore you any more. I got new jeans. Lucky brand, 90-120 in stores, cheap enough through Ebay. So far, they're great.

kids at home

E hanging around


Em with the farm felt board set

Baby M in Em's birthday play house

don't take my quail!

bedtime reading silliness

grandma's cake for Em

sleepers

Em is certain she doesn't want to nap anymore. She wants nothing to do with her bed.
So, instead of proper naps, she just falls asleep almost every day in the car or playing on the floor.

here, she set herself up with E's pillow a a blanket of bubble wrap.


here she is one morning with her toys



and this is a bedtime photo

more updates

The local phone number is being canceled today. Call our cells. In a crunch, call the business #.

Cable internet is here. Really glad about that. Also, the modem and router are nicely hidden in the garage. Before, they and their cords had to be in a very visable spot. The cleaner look is so nice.

I also especially appreciate the speed for downloading my radio show and all the iTunesU seminars. They had taken 7 minutes each, now they take 30 seconds. I mainly listen to Stanford business school guest speakers and a current UCB psych class, and misc conferences in law and science. Oh, and This American Life from public radio. I am so thankful for the free learning available in the world today, and this format for all the time I can't hold a book, like driving.

We finally found a great curtain to hang over the closet without doors. Again, such a cleaner look!

I almost posted the other day that Obama was toast. Reading today's speech, I don't think so anymore. But in any case, please read the speech, it's really something.

I did not enroll Em or M in preschool for the fall. It was a tough decision. There were clear benefits of sending her (them?) that I can't match at home, and there were clearly things about staying home you can't match in school, and the cost difference is stunning. Anyway, I gave up their casually reserved spots for attending E's school, and I'll just forgo the childcare opportunity for myself and instead take the time and money to jump back in to "homeschooling preschool". You know, sign Em up for some yoga/art/science classes with other little kids, and make a better effort to do playdates and library storytime and get memberships again for a children's museum and zoo.

the good news post

-E got in to our top choice public school

-E's left eye, which had been "switched off" and then improved to 20/200, is now working at an amazing 20/45. So he got some lenses, same cool frames.

-horninf got his annual bonus. paid off the car

-baby M is 18 months so he can go to church nursery now. Today was his first day. We walked in, he frantically signed "let me down", then ran off to the toys, so I left. 2 hours later I came back and he looked happy. They say he had no worries or crying at all. Good boy :)

-if I mentioned that Jan was a huge month for business, well, Feb was 50% more!

-honrinf has been making the kids blueberry pancakes all week. they love it.

-the product problem became an official recall (yes, that is actually good news)

- I know I said so last week, but i am still very glad I got shoes! next, jeans!

- I'm switching us to cable internet. it will be much faster but not cost much different because I'm canceling the phone line along with the DSL. We never had a landline until we needed it for the DSL, so they go together.

boys hiked today

it's a nice looking friday

having a busy day here, not in the good way.

E has slept horribly all week. He loves his bed in a new room but just can't stay in it!

HorninF has been sick, had a few days off work, significantly better now.

I'm a touch sick. Em has had the grouchiest week ever. Very out of character.

There's a big problem with my hottest product, I'm deep in facilitating retrofits, calming nerves, offering lots of refunds, counceling with my competitor-coworkers, and urging the maker to handle things right. Not to mention figuring how to move forward with these guys.

Letter today says E did not get in to the private school. It's very mixed to me - a big blow but also a relief. Stay tuned next week to hear if the public school lottery assignment is OK, or if we have to waitlist, etc.

I promise there's lots of good news too, I'm just not in the mood :) maybe I'll post that sort of thing tomorrow.

on the zoo train

in the "childrens zoo" area

zoo trip- had to go in with the giraffes to photograph the kids

birthday zoo trip- saw the tiger right below us

saw her go poo and let her toungue hang out. fun times.

bedtime before Em's 3rd birthday

(we were talking about lizards and owls and turtles. she's telling me where they live what they eat, what they're scared of. She loves animals, and in real detail. So...)

me: what's your favorite animal in the forest?
Em: scarlet macaw
me: what's your favorite animal in the ocean?
Em: sea turtles, and dolphins, and swimming dinosaurs
me: what's your favorite animal in the desert?
Em: (unintelligible)
me: what's your favorite animal in the prairie?
Em: Prarie dog
me: what's your favorite animal in the river?
Em: Otters and tree frogs
me: what's your favorite animal in the neighborhood?
Em: the neighbors


her favorites to play with at home are her "penguins" (but one is really a duck she named 'miss finch") and her lifelike audoban birds, especially the quail. On "go diego go" she loves the anaconda, the kinkajou, the humpback whale, and the pumas. And she's always loved elephants and the neighborhood birds and squirrels and people's pets. We love diego around here- it's not too "young" for her like some other kid shows. She's absorbing real info about the habitats and diets and predators for roadrunners and tapirs and sloths, and effortlessly picked up spanish phrases and counting into her everyday vocabulary.

I need seriously to take her to the wildlife rescue place a couple towns over...

passenger