Glitter Flag Craft

Materials
Blue construction paper
Glue stick
Red and silver glitter
Silver star stickers
Long, thin craft sticks
Micro glue roller (tiny glue dot dispenser)
Pencil

Instructions - Hand Print Flags
Trace and cut out hand print on blue construction paper (a half or quarter sheet should be big enough)
With glue stick, put glue on the thumb, middle finger and pinky, and add red glitter
Put glue on remaining fingers and add silver glitter
Place silver star stickers on palm
Use glue roller to attach craft stick "flag pole"

For rectangular flags, we used quarter sheets of blue paper (a half sheet is shown in this photo) and lightly outlined the field and stripes in pencil, with Xs on alternate stripes, to help the kids know where to put their glue.

For Less mess, put glitter on a high-sided paper plate and place glued paper face-down on it to pick up glitter, rather than sprinkling.

Bits and Pieces

Evidently, when Shrike wakes up before we do, she watches us sleep. Or, she watches Peeper sleep, and I'm there, too.

The other day, I was mostly asleep, when Shrike said (to whom, I don't know - because I was asleep), "Aw, look, she's laughing in her sleep."

Which made perfect sense to me, because I'd been dreaming that I was tickling her belly button.

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A couple of days ago, Shrike reported that Peeper poked herself in the eye with her thumb - and then gave it a dirty look.

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On Tuesday, the three of us went to vote. When we got to the check-in table, the little blue-haired old lady election judge was, of course, goo-gooing over Peeper.

I told her our last name and as she started looking for it in the book, I said, "There are two of us, and we're both here. Actually, there are three of us, but this one isn't old enough to vote yet."

When she found us in the book, she said, "I'll hold the baby, and you sign your name right here."

Um yeah, no.

So, I said, "Oh, I'm fine," and reached for the pen. Believe me, I can do much more complex things with a baby in my arms than signing my name. Hell, she wasn't even nursing at the time!

Shrike said, "I'll hold her while you sign," so I handed her off.

The election judge said, "Ok, Grandma can hold her."

Mistaken-Peeper's-Grandma-Identity-Score:
Whozat: 3 / Shrike: 1

Mistaken-Peeper's-Grandma-AND-Partner's-Mother-Identity-Score:
Whozat: 1 / Shrike: 1

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I have been told three times in the past two weeks how much Peeper looks like me.

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A couple of days ago, we were asked, by someone whom I really thought would have already known the answer to this question, "So, are you doing any attachment parenting stuff? You know, like Dr. Sears?"

I'm gonna go with a "yes" on that one.

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"Talk To Me" baby sign language DVD:

"This is the sign for milk. You can use it to mean real milk, breast milk, or even formula. "

What the fuck?!?

Rewind

". . . real milk, breast milk . . . ."

Oh no. She. Didn't.

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I am already on the Peeper Can't Eat It Diet, regarding her dairy sensitivity, but I may have to also go on the Peeper Shouldn't Eat It Diet, regarding her, um, babiness.

More than once, I've snagged an Oreo on my way through the kitchen, while carrying her in one arm, and she's started gumming at my cheek while I was eating it.

As though she planned to chew through the side of my face, and into my mouth, so she could have some.

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Remember a while back, when I blogged about Peeper hating the carseat?

Well, I forgot to mention that she got over it shortly after that.

When we moved the straps up to the next setting.

All together now, class: Worst. Mothers. Ever.

And the Oscar for Most Inane Response Goes To . . . .

There's a post on Celebrity Baby Blog about Tammy Etheridge (wife of Melissa Etheridge) mentioning, during a pre-Oscar interiew with Joan Rivers, that she's nursing the couple's four-month-old twins, Miller and Johnnie Rose.

Joan Rivers asked Tammy if she had exercised to get back into shape after giving birth to the twins. Tammy said, "No, I'm breastfeeding, I don't have to do anything else." Joan said, "Your breasts look great, so keep nursing!"

CBB went on to give Tammy "kudos" for nursing the twins, and to cite some of the benefits of nursing multiples.

. . . especially since multiples are frequently small and/or pre-term, they need the benefits of breastmilk even more. It can also save time, money, and allow you to bond with each baby individually.

As you may have noticed I'm a HUGE fan of Melissa's and already knew from Tammy's blog that she's nursing the twins.

I'm also a huge advocate of breastfeeding, so I'm glad to hear that she's out there spreading the word - especially about nursing twins.

It it just me, though, who finds it rather disturbing that Joan Rivers' response was that Tammy should keep nursing because her "breasts look great?"

As opposed to, you know, "because your kids will be healthier" or some silly reason like that?

Or is that just what's to be expected of Joan Rivers?

On the other hand, I saw the shots of Tammy in that strapless dress during the ceremony, and I certainly can't argue with Joan's assessment ;-)

When they showed her, the first thought that came to mind was, "Oh my. She is nursing twins isn't she?!"

YOWZAA! Big Gay Life Cluelessness Concerts Lactivism Parenting Photos

Before the Blog: Enlightening the Airplane Lady

The name change process is coming along; we've both got our new driver licenses, and social security cards, we've opened a joint bank account in our new names, we've changed them on several other things and we're wracking our brains to think of what we've forgotten.

I had an interesting phone conversation with Continental Airlines this afternoon, trying to deal with the fact that we have plane tickets for a trip to Texas in January with our old names on them.

We were hoping we could change the names on the tickets, but the best they could do was make a note about it, so the ticket agent at the airport won't give us too much of a hassle. This poor woman that Italked to just wasn't getting it.

"I don't know what you mean by 'hyphenated.'"

At one point she said, "I'm still confused, but I'll document it anyway."

I tried explaining again, and the lady said,

"So both your names are this now? I don't understand - this is your traveling partner?"

"No, my partner partner - we're a couple."

"But this is a female, not a male?"

"Yes."

And later, "So, did you get married, or just change your names?"

"Well, we consider ourselves married, but not legally; we legally changed our names to reflect that."

Shrike was overhearing the whole thing from the other room, and came in to give me moral support; but what I needed most was a way to keep from laughing at this woman's inability to comprehend what I was telling her.

We can just envision her getting off the phone and telling her coworkers about the wierd call she just handled. Maybe they'll explain it to her!

So, we're not sure at all what kind of a note this woman added to our tickets, but hopefully our new IDs and our court orders will get us on the plane!