The ChockleyBlogs

Independence

2012-02-01T09:32:00.001-06:00

When Connor was born, I spent the first week of his life gazing at him and sobbing about everything that would ever happen in his life. I cried for all the times his heart might be broken- by a friend, a significant other, the death of a pet, not making a team, etc. But I really shed tears over all the things he would do to break my heart. He would marry someone who wasn't ME! He's going to go to college and move out of the house! Drive a car that I'm not a passenger in! Spend the night with friends! So many times when he won't be in my direct line of sight! I called Mom for reassurance. "How did you ever let me ride my bike around the block without watching me do it!!!" She laughed and reminded me for the millionth time that week that when the time came, I would be ready. Then she hung up, shaking her head and giving thanks that I had, in fact, moved out and married someone besides her.

(Fast forward eight and a half years.)

Shortly after Christmas, Connor wanted to know if he and Chloe could ride their bikes in the cove in front of our house if they wore their helmets and promised to pay attention for cars. I hesitated for an instant but told them yes. Then Gidget and I sat at the window, watching them and whimpering because they were out there without us.

(Fast forward another four weeks.)

Yesterday, the kids were on their bikes and the dog and I were on foot. I suggested we go around the little block together, before it was time to go in.

(Pause: When I was growing up, our block was our block. There were no alternate routes that didn't add 2-3 miles and encompass several neighborhoods. Where we live now? A million ways to define our "block." What you need to know- neither the little block nor the big block go on any main roads. Unpause.)

As we started down the street, Connor was itching to pull away from the rest of us slowpokes. "Can I go around the big block?" he asked. I didn't exactly answer. Had the time come? Was I ready? A minute later, he begged again. "Yes," I relented, immediately picturing a thousand bad things that could happen to him the minute he pulled around that corner, out of my sight.

He took off fast, and as I saw him get to the one neighborhood road that had to be crossed, Chloe and I both called out, "LOOK!" He did- I could see his head exaggeratedly swiveling back and forth to assure me that he was looking both ways for cars. Then he rounded the corner. I told myself he would be fine, but not long after I saw a car turn down the road behind him. In my head I couldn't stop repeating, Please watch for my baby. Please don't hit my baby! And they didn't. Another corner and my fast-pedaling Connor met us right where we thought he would. Chloe took off after him, suddenly jealous that he could go fast by himself and she was stuck on training wheels with Mom and Gidget.

Gidget and I made a half-hearted attempt to run after them, but we couldn't keep up. They reached another corner in the distance, and stopped to look back at me. I shook my head yes, and off they went to travel the last few yards to the driveway without me. I followed at my own speed, still holding my breath for a second as I rounded the last corner myself, thrilled to find that we had all made it home just fine. The time came, and we were ready.

Chloe, Concentrating

2012-01-26T17:52:00.001-06:00

Sleepover, Chloe Style

2012-01-23T13:20:00.000-06:00

When Connor was six, he was finally ready to enter the world of sleepovers. Consequently, since the age of three, Chloe has been insanely jealous of Connor's sleepovers and has counted the days until she and her friends would be "ready."

Keeping with tradition, we figured we'd have a Grauer boy over. We traded Connor for Cannon for the night. Chloe said she was excited that Connor wouldn't be there to bother them. "Although it would be nice if he could be here and see what it's like when NO ONE PAYS ATTENTION TO YOU!!!"

Here they are dancing. Chloe runs a tight ship and didn't let him get away with any bad moves.

I'm pretty sure this was not the original purpose for the air mattress, but it did make them tired enough to actually use it the right way.

On the way back to Cannon's house the next day, they said they wished the sleepover would never end. It was everything Chloe had hoped, and she can't wait for the next one!

Resolute

2012-01-02T07:07:00.000-06:00

I generally love making New Year's Resolutions. Last year, I resolved to use coupons and to keep a tally of how much I saved. That tally only lasted through March, but I am still clipping coupons and taking them with me to both the grocery store and to Target. A successful lifestyle change!

This year, I am just not finding any motivation to make resolutions. Some of the things I want to do are just never going to happen.(Start taking vitamins! Pay down some bills!) Other things require too much outside help. (Replace the broken window! Tile the kitchen floor!) And a few seem too easy. (Start bike riding! Play more board games with the kids! Drink more bourbon!)

It's not that I'm perfect and don't need to change anything. I just don't care to make any sweeping changes starting this week. I guess I'll just keep on truckin' along and hope that any improvements come organically over time rather than being forced down my throat in the first week of January.

We Might Need Padded Shorts

2011-12-30T19:47:00.000-06:00

You haven't lived until you've watched us try to cross Quince on these things.

The Gun Show

2011-12-26T16:36:00.000-06:00

You know, Santa got Nerf guns for the kids this year. I guess he saw how well they had handled the water guns Connor got for his birthday this summer, and thought it might not be that bad an idea.

Connor perhaps took to it a little too enthusiastically.

Chloe's first hit. Bulls eye!

He was so anxious to shoot back at her that he actually helped her get suited up.

Dude, you are doing it wrong.

On her way to putting an eye out.

And now neither kid stands a chance.

Current Issues

2011-12-22T20:04:00.000-06:00

There are lots of ways the kids are getting on my nerves right now. Most of them deserve, and receive, disciplinary action. But there's one thing Connor does that I don't know how to deal with. It annoys me to no end, yet I should probably be patient with him. Or should I? Here it is:

Connor has no idea what is going on in the world around him, yet can't stop asking questions about it. Here is an actual conversation that took place between us, which is very representative of a thousand other conversations we've had lately.

In the car on the way home from basketball practice, just me and Connor, listening to continuous Christmas music on The River.
Me: De-liii-laaaah! (Assumes Delilah radio voice) "Of course you do. . ."
C: What?
Me: I'm just impersonating Delilah. She's so smooth.
C: Who's Delilah?
Me: The woman on the radio.
C: But who is she?
Me: She's Delilah. The DJ on the radio. The woman who just said, "Of course you do" real smooth like that.
C: Who?
Me: Those two ladies who were just talking? Not the one who just reunited with her long-lost brother, but the other one.
C: But I don't understand who she is.
Me: She's the DJ! The person who plays records! She talks between songs! You know! The person who works at the radio station! DELILAH!
(Pause)
C: I don't get it.

I mean! OMG! We're miles away, literally and figuratively, from the original, off-handed impersonation of Delilah that started all this. And he's just curious, right? He just wants to understand who she is? But without actually participating in the world that exists outside of his head? I feel bad that, instead of patiently explaining it to him, I just want to run the car off the road into a pole so we'll have something else to talk about. ("I'd better call an ambulance! I'm bleeding after that wreck!" "Wreck? What do you mean?")

This happens pretty much all day every day. And I don't have to be talking to him- he'll start up when I say something to Chip, something that Connor doesn't even need to understand. All. The. Time. It's like he has no idea what's going on, and no interest in keeping up, yet he's deathly afraid that someone knows something he doesn't. It's maddening. But I have to be nice about it, right?

For what it's worth, a few days later we were listening to the radio and the female DJ came on and Connor said, "Oh, she's like Delilah!" So I guess he did get it, eventually, after that sat in his brain for a while. I'll take that as a sign that I shouldn't just ignore him when he starts asking these inane questions. At least not every time.

Showing Off

2011-12-15T07:54:00.002-06:00

I've never really had much of my photography printed, but I figured it was about time to have a gallery show. Stacey and I brainstormed about having an exhibition of Rock-n-Romp photos-- shouldn't be hard to do, right? We decided to put it on in conjunction with the December Rock-n-Romp, which just so happened to be held at an art gallery.

I fretted over selection for weeks. I had 6 years of RnR shows to choose from-- literally thousands of pictures. Well, take out the first couple of seasons-- I had just gotten a camera back then and had no idea what I was doing. (Thanks a bunch to Steph, Andria, Stacey, Sweazy, Aimee and Kate for helping me narrow things down.) Then, I fretted over sizes to order-- larger prints have more impact, but smaller prints allow me to put up more of them. Then, pricing-- how much is the Rock-n-Romp crowd interested in paying?

I finally narrowed it down to about 30 prints, ordered various sizes, and stocked up on supplies to get all the stuff on the walls. Fellow photog Sophorn McRae showed up the morning of the show to help and thank Buddha she did, because I probably wouldn't have gotten it all done without her.

The show was a success-- I sold several prints and people seemed to really enjoy it.

After the Rock-n-Romp, I had about 20 prints left, so we brainstormed again about what to do with them. Leslie Gower of the Downtown Memphis Commission had the brilliant idea to put them in the windows of a vacant storefront downtown. The space at the corner of Union and Main sees a ton of traffic, both auto and pedestrian, every day. So yesterday, I put them all up again. This time, mounted on glass, facing outward, which presented another whole host of logistical stress. (Thanks for the help, Stacey and Caleb!)

It's been fun to show off my work and to celebrate the awesomeness of Rock-n-Romp. The prints will be up for a month downtown, so go see it if you're down there!

2011: The Year in Books

2011-12-13T19:47:00.000-06:00

This year I set a goal for myself to read 35 books. (I track this information at Goodreads.com.) I reached that number so quickly that I adjusted my goal to 52 books. As of today, I've read 59. I will definitely finish another book this year, if not more. Sixty books! I didn't know I had it in me.

You know me well enough to know that all I really want to do is list these books for you. I'll divide them into categories to make the list more fun. (For you, that is. All lists are fun for me.)

Book Club Selections
Winter's Bone, Daniel Woodrell
Shadow Tag, Louise Erdrich
American Gods, Neil Gaiman
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
The Uncoupling, Meg Wolitzer
The Invisible Bridge, Julie Orringer
South of Broad, Pat Conroy
Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen
The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell
Bent Road, Lori Roy

Detective Series That I Love
Dublin Murder Squad:
In the Woods, Tana French
The Likeness, Tana French
Faithful Place, Tana French
Dave Robicheaux:
Heaven's Prisoners, James Lee Burke
Dixie City Jam, James Lee Burke
Kenzie & Gennaro:
A Drink Before the War, Dennis Lehane
Darkness, Take My Hand, Dennis Lehane
Jackson Brodie:
Case Histories, Kate Atkinson
One Good Turn, Kate Atkinson
Inspector Kari Vaara:
Snow Angels, James Thompson
Ellie Hatcher:
Angel's Tip, Alafair Burke

Series Written By A Friend, About To Become A Motion Picture Franchise, Probably Starring Brad Pitt
The Gray Man:
On Target, Mark Greaney

Non-Fiction: A List of Books Titles That Require Colons
The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy, Bill Simmons
Whiter Shades of Pale, Christian Lander
Life, Keith Richards
Bossypants, Tina Fey
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, David Simon
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, Erik Larson
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin, Erik Larson
I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away, Bill Bryson
Life Itself, Roger Ebert

Kid Books That I Felt Compelled To Comment On
The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
The first Percy Jackson book. They get better as the series progresses, but this first one was not good.
Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo
This book made me and Connor cry, and he declared it his favorite non-Harry Potter book. I cried typing that.

Authors I Will Read Anything By
Bloodbrothers, Richard Price
The Night Gardener, George Pelecanos
Killshot, Elmore Leonard
Sure of You, Armistead Maupin
Long Gone, Alafair Burke
Right as Rain, George Pelecanos

Author I Tried To Like But Just Can't
Winter's Bone, Daniel Woodrell
The Bayou Trilogy: Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You Do, Daniel Woodrell

Books I Have Recommended Repeatedly
A Visit From the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan
The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
The Imperfectionists, Tom Rachman
Ready Player One, Ernest Cline
The Invisible Bridge, Julie Orringer
Bossypants, Tina Fey
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin, Erik Larson

Books I Did Not Like
The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
Rogue Island, Bruce DeSilva
March, Geraldine Brooks
Little Bee, Chris Cleave
Bad Things Happen, Harry Dolan
Robopocalypse, Daniel H. Wilson
South of Broad, Pat Conroy

Books Set In Maine
Empire Falls, Richard Russo
11-22-63, Stephen King (currently reading)

Pulitzer Prize Winners
A Visit From the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan
March, Geraldine Brooks
Empire Falls, Richard Russo

Book I Struggled To Finish
Freedom, Jonathan Franzen

Books I Liked Fine, But Had No Other Category For
Last Night in Montreal, Emily St. John Mandel (note: Chip HATED this book)
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, Tom Franklin
Blindness, Jose Saramago
The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver
Black Water Rising, Attica Locke
The Good Son, Michael Gruber
The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
Fuzzy Nation, John Scalzi
Rizzo's War, Lou Manfredo

Book I Love, Love, LOVED and Think You Should Read If You Enjoy A) Crime Stories or B) The Wire
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, David Simon

Best Book I Read This Year, and One Of The Best Books I've Read Ever
The Invisible Bridge, Julie Orringer

Time For Shirts!

2011-12-06T21:12:00.000-06:00

As you know, I LOVE Christmas, because I am thrilled to have an excuse to buy things for people. In my dream world, I can buy something for everyone. I'm constantly looking for the right present for you!

Many times, these presents are t-shirts. I love funny t-shirts! Of course, I never wear them except to sleep in, and I assume you don't either, so instead of buying them I'll just link to them instead.

Me and Tiff (NSFW)

Shannon

Sleepover

2011-12-05T12:42:00.000-06:00

Friday night, Connor had a friend spend the night. They had basketball practice, and by the time we got them food and got them home, it was 8:30. Time to play! At least that's what Chloe figured, and she jumped right in. And guess what? Connor's friend didn't mind at all! He's an only child, so he thinks it's fun to have a brother and sister duo to keep him company.

But do you know who DID mind? Connor. Of course. Instead of enjoying himself and playing, he spent most of the evening hollering at me to come get Chloe out of his room and away from his guest. His friend just looked at me like, "Whatever- I don't care," whenever I led her to another activity, but Chloe insisted on dramatically sobbing hysterically each time she was rejected by Connor. She kept worming her way back in, though, and by Saturday morning they were all three having a pretty good time together.

It's hard to explain to my kids that brothers and sisters tend to bicker, but can still enjoy each other's company. Even when they are having fun with each other, they refuse to acknowledge it. I thought it was pretty funny when Chloe told Connor's friend that he was "the brother I never had!" I was hoping that would hurt Connor's feelings a little, and make him want to be nicer to Chloe, but he didn't care in the slightest.

The only thing he did to get her back was to accuse her that she "like likes" this friend. Please- she's five. Even Chloe knew to roll her eyes at this pronouncement. I chuckled and assured them that someday they would in fact "like like" each other's friends, and that's when I'd start stepping in to keep everyone separated. They were thoroughly disgusted by this idea, but I got a good laugh out of it.

Ultimately, I don't care if they think they don't like each other, as long as they continue to love each other, which they certainly do. Their bickering drives me crazy sometimes, but it's just par for the course at this age. I know that in a few short years they will become very close, united in their teenage disdain for their parents, and the bickering will be with me rather than with each other. No reason to speed up that process by forcing them to get along now, right?

November

2011-12-01T13:52:00.001-06:00

Hello there! How was your November? Ours was. . . busy, I guess. But not in that out of the ordinary way where you end up with some big accomplishment. Just in the way that is becoming the new ordinary: Chip's got a photo shoot, I've got a Jazzercize class, Connor has basketball practice, everyone's got homework, blah blah blah. It seems like this school year has flown by in a daze. I spent the first couple of months waiting on things to "calm down," but they never did. And now I realize that this is just how things are, and I've slowly come to accept that fact and adjust my schedule and expectations accordingly.

The transition wore me out. I kind of liked being in a rut, where we came home, ate dinner, watched a half hour of TV, and put the kids to bed. I knew that couldn't last forever, but I was caught off guard by how quickly it changed. I thought it would be gradual, but adding the second kid to the elementary school mix was somehow the nudge that pushed us over the edge. So here we are, almost at the end of the first semester, and we've finally started to get a handle on things. We can usually get the kids out the door on time in the mornings, with appropriate footwear and complete lunches and corrected homework. (Except for this morning, of course, when Connor left his lunchbox at home.) And we've figured out how to have a life after 5:00, which is the part that had eluded me up to this point. So I guess the point of this story is that we're all happy and doing fine and I'll probably find time to tell you that more often as we move forward.

But what did we do, specifically, in November? You've been holding your breath this whole time, waiting for an update? I guess the highlights are as follows:

Rock n Romp!

A trip to Nashville to throw a Fortieth Anniversary party for the Chockleys. Mazel tov, you two!

To kick off the holidays, we made ravioli.

Thanksgiving weekend was exciting. First, I made lots of side items while Shannon cooked a turkey. Then we decorated the house, but not with enough lights to satisfy Chloe Griswold. But the most exciting thing that happened was that Chip's old band, Native Son, played a reunion concert! It was awesome!

Now we are all bouncing off the walls, looking forward to Santa's visit. And some of us are hinting that maybe we don't think Santa is real, but please know that those individuals would be "pretty mad" to find out that Santa is really just Mom. But do you really think Mom would spend this much on Christmas presents? Ah HA! We let that discussion end on that head scratcher. But I'll keep you up to date as this story develops.

Pumpkin Portraits Part 6

2011-11-03T07:20:00.001-05:00

The Chockleys definitely love traditions. The yearly trips to 30A, the ravioli making at the Alleys', the sausage balls on Christmas morning. Rituals keep us grounded, and allow us to feel secure in who we are.

Or maybe we're just boring.

So back to the same ol' pumpkin patch up the street for October portraits of the kids. To see the progression from munchkin to ...whatever these large humans are now... see here and here.

Halloween Blues

2011-11-01T12:40:00.003-05:00

Halloween weekend was spent getting candy, by any means necessary. (Any means other than taking all the entrance fees we paid at various places and using it to buy candy at the store. That would have been too easy.) We hit Zoo Boo, visited the pumpkin patch, crashed a friend's neighborhood trunk or treat party, and then trunked or treated again at a nearby church.Sounds like fun, right? Not so fast.

Chloe's favorite holiday is Halloween. She complains that I don't decorate the house enough. She has a mental inventory of every decorated house in the neighborhood. She's had this costume planned for a year!

But Sunday night, her energy level started to wane. She picked at her dinner and fell asleep early. Then early Monday morning, she woke up early to go to the bathroom. I thought it was just excitement and too much candy. But a million trips to the bathroom later, we realized she had a stomach bug. She still insisted on getting dressed in her costume and going to the best-decorated house in the neighborhood Monday night, even though she couldn't actually eat any candy she might collect. My poor girl!

Connor gave me a REALLY hard time about skipping the Nerf War Sunday afternoon. No worries- there were Nerf Guns at our friendly neighborhood church party! Just like they shot back in the Old West.

Connor just doesn't really care about Halloween, so on Monday night he stayed home while Chloe put on her costume and ventured out. He managed to amass plenty of candy over the weekend though, so I think he'll be alright. He just has no enthusiasm for this holiday.

Yes, we gave her plenty of treats for being a good sport. I think she agrees with Connor that staying home with no costume on is a fun way to celebrate Halloween.

All in all, we had a fun weekend but the actual day of Halloween turned out to be a real dud for us. I do hope yours was as much fun as your Facebook pictures suggest it was. But now? Bring on Thanksgiving!

Return to 30A

2011-10-29T12:46:00.001-05:00

Chockleys made their annual trek down to 30A recently, and a good time was had by all. October really is a perfect time to go-- the crowds are thinner and the weather was simply perfect. This trip was especially fun because we stayed in Seaside proper this time. Thanks to that photo contest I won, this trip was (mostly) free.

I won't bore you with the details-- you know how we do at the beach. Reading, relaxing, wine, cocktails, naps, fresh seafood, drip castles. You know.

Kindergarten

2011-10-12T06:35:00.000-05:00

The first nine weeks of school have come and gone, and despite the looming specter of the first report cards, I still feel like the year just started. For some reason, it's been harder to get in the groove of this school year than it has been in the past. Partly it's because both kids are in school now, but partly it's because Chip and I are busier, too. As a result, we're more than two months in and yet some mornings we're shocked to find that no parent actually looked inside the kids' backpacks the night before. I know the kids do their homework at Idlewild in the afternoons, but it would have been helpful to see that note about needing to bring a snack BEFORE 7:00 a.m., you know? Not to mention actually checking the homework.

Even though I'm still struggling to get used to the school year, Chloe is decidedly not. As suspected, she started kindergarten and it was as if she had finally fulfilled her destiny. Then a week later she's like, "Oh, THAT'S what you meant when you were telling me to sound out words! Reading- not so tough!" Under the unparalleled tutelage of Mrs. Berry, the lightbulb went off and Chloe could suddenly do everything. Her handwriting is now legible, she counts seemingly to infinity, she even draws things that I can recognize. She's had startling, rapid intellectual growth over the course of the last two months, and it's been really fun to watch.

Kindergarten hasn't been a problem socially, either. Several of her closest friends also ended up in Mrs. Berry's class, so she didn't have any trouble with the transition. She wants me to walk her in, but she doesn't really care if I get a kiss good-bye or not. As soon as she crosses the threshold, she makes it pretty clear she'd like me to get the hell out of there. And instead of coming home and complaining about how much she hates school and wishes I would homeschool her (cough*Connor*cough), she comes home and tells me why each day of the week is her favorite day. It's glorious.

My favorite part about kindergarten is that Mrs. Berry teaches through song, so Chloe is constantly entertaining us with her beautiful voice and a barrage of facts. "O-N-E, that spells one, O-N-E spells number one. . ." and other songs in that vein are belted out often and to great lasting effect on her learning. One day last week, the kids and I took Gidget for a walk. Chloe was wailing some song about the months of the year, and it came to light that Connor does not know the months of the year in order. I wish I had video of the look on his face when he confessed that, along with the expression on Chloe's face as she realized she knew something that he didn't! She spent the rest of the walk trying to teach him the song while Connor gave me a hard time for not getting him into Mrs. Berry's class back when he was in kindergarten.

It's safe to say I am very pleased with the foundation Chloe is receiving in Mrs. Berry's class. I believe she will be the type of student who enjoys learning for years to come, and that's a fine future to see for (at least one of) your children.

Maisy

2011-09-15T05:56:00.002-05:00

Last week were lucky to have Maisy over for a visit. We all had a great time- especially Maisy!

Eyes

2011-09-08T20:47:00.002-05:00

Gnocchi

2011-08-24T20:46:00.003-05:00

(Caramelized onions, garlic, shiitakes, pancetta, and thyme)

Hair

2011-08-18T06:14:00.001-05:00

Everybody got new hairdos, and then they let me pictures. Imagine that- a picture of Chip!

Twenty Years

2011-08-15T06:10:00.005-05:00

Saturday I celebrated my twenty year high school reunion. It's a hell of a thing to do, a mere six days after turning 38. I think I could have used a little buffer, some time to get used to how old I am before getting smacked with yet another dramatic reminder!

I kid! We had a wonderful time! We started with a picnic Saturday afternoon, followed with dinner at El Toro Loco, and finished by closing down TJ Mulligan's. (As I was feeling my age, I did not make it to Mulligan's.) I was struck by how pretty all the girls grew up to be. Those boys didn't know how good they had it back in 1991!

Chip took pictures at picnic, and various iPhones captured the evening festivities. Sadly, those nighttime photos are not neatly collected on Flickr. Even more sadly, they are most definitely all over Facebook.

It was great catching up with all these old friends. Looking forward to the next one, Roadrunners!

Day One

2011-08-08T09:01:00.002-05:00

On Saturday morning, Chloe lost her first tooth. As we were getting ready to head to Snowden for Kindergarten orientation. It was a bit overwhelming.

This morning I hauled both kids (and four bags of supplies) to school: one anxious and jittery and tired from crying so much at bedtime, the other excited about starting kindergarten. Just like you expected.

Happy Birthday!

2011-08-07T07:32:00.000-05:00

How is it that Stephanie gets more beautiful with every year that goes by?

Happy Birthday to my best girl!

Camp Report, Week One (of one)

2011-07-27T07:25:00.000-05:00

I know many parents who spend the summer finding various camps to break up the monotony of their children's idle summer. Our situation doesn't really allow for that- our kids attend the Idlewild Children Center's "Summer Camp," which is really just summer daycare at the same place they attend school-year daycare and after school care.

Last year I added swimming lessons to the mix (and the expense), and this summer Connor was old enough to attend a real basketball camp. The week of July 18, he attended camp at Rhodes College, under the guidance of our men's basketball team's head coach. It was quite an experience for Connor.

There was a choice of going half or full days. I considered half days, so that he wouldn't be too lonely for his Idlewild friends, but then one of his buddies decided to attend full days with us. As it turns out, they were the only two eight-year-olds to stay all day- all of the other younger kids left at lunchtime. This was a big deal, since the camp was designed for boys in grades 3-9. They were the smallest and least-developed kids there by far!

Connor came home each night totally exhausted. The boys played basketball from 9-11 a.m., then swam for an hour and had lunch/reading/goof-off time for an hour after that. Then they played basketball again from 1-4 p.m. As early as Tuesday morning, Connor was complaining about how much his legs and butt hurt! (It kind of made me want to sign myself up for basketball camp.)

They worked on a lot of ball-handling drills that really frustrated Connor. They were clearly above his developmental abilities. He was also nervous about playing in scrimmages with boys who were bigger and older than he is. I tried to assure him that the older boys understood what it was like to be eight, and were probably very impressed with him for giving it his best effort. I could see he was skeptical- Connor likes to be perfect and doesn't want anyone to know that there's anything he can't do. But overall, he was thrilled to be learning so much and also to be spending his days playing basketball, his favorite activity.

On Friday, there was a presentation for the parents. We could come at 3:00 to watch some scrimmages, then around 3:30 there would be a skills demonstration. When I arrived around 3:00, Connor was sitting on the bleachers with tears in his eyes. He ran over to me and pulled up his lip to show me his injury, adding, "I took a charge, then a guy accidentally stepped on my mouth. I don't want to play!" I could tell the tears were really from his utter exhaustion at the end of a week of hard work, so I said, "Get some water, then get in the game! You're fine!" And he was. Playing against much bigger kids, he managed to pull down rebounds at both ends of the floor, steal the ball, and make two baskets in a ten minute scrimmage. He was positively glowing. He lost some steam as they demonstrated the skill drills. He was right- they were too hard for him! The coach assured the parents that he only introduces stuff like this to the younger kids to give them something to work towards. He understands that it's beyond their skill level. It really helped Connor to hear the coach say that to everyone.

As we left, Connor was full of ways he could build on the momentum of the week. He wanted to make sure and spend 10-20 minutes a night working on skills, even if it's too hot to play much ball. He didn't want to lose the muscle he was building in his legs either. But most of all, he just wanted to eat a big snack and fall asleep as soon as possible.

Weightless

2011-07-19T07:38:00.002-05:00

Beachin' It

2011-07-17T13:33:00.004-05:00

Beach vacation! There's not much to report verbally about our trip to Inlet Beach with the Alley-Brown clan. Lots of relaxing, reading, expanding the range of appropriate times of day to drink alcoholic beverages, long discussions about books and child-rearing, taking pictures... you know, the usual.

I tried something different for the big group photo this year:

Definitely the best part of the beach house this year-- the two outdoor decks facing the ocean. I could sit out there for hours. Or years.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

2011-07-15T13:10:00.002-05:00

Gidget's Night Out

2011-07-06T21:11:00.004-05:00

On Saturday night, I had a dream that someone drunk and violent crashed his car into Tiffany's car, which was parked on the steep hill in front of her house (?), and was where her dogs lived (??). Then the guy started pulling all of the dogs out of their car/home and putting them into HIS car, stealing them! And everyone was freaking out and totally scared of the guy, but I bravely ran up and grabbed Gidget by the collar (because Gidget was there? dreams are weird) and said, "This is MY dog, not Tiff's! You can't take her!" and the mean man didn't stop me as I pulled Gidget away.

I woke up Sunday, remembered the dream, and started questioning what it meant about my relationship with Gidget. As many of you know, I'm not that into dogs. The last year and a half have been hard on me. I've gone from, "No, I still hate dogs," to "Gidget's a good dog, considering she's a dog," to "I love Gidget and all, but I still don't really like having a dog." Sunday morning I realized that I did like having a dog, even if I'm never going to be the kind of "dog person" who loves being licked and sleeps with their dogs. Maybe I was turning a corner with her after all.

Then Sunday night, she ran away.

Chip and I were closing up shop a little after 10:00. Apparently Gidget was more freaked out by the neighborhood fireworks than her attitude had let on. Chip let her outside to pee, turned his head for a second, and she was off. He ran after her, but she was not responding. I put on flip flops with my PJs and followed him outside. A quick tour of our immediate neighborhood didn't turn anything up. "I guess I'll get in the car," Chip said. "I guess I'll get a bra," I replied.

For the next two hours, Chip drove around the neighborhood, retracing all of our regular walking and jogging routes and making larger and larger circles around the center point of our house. Meanwhile, I walked our block over and over, calling for Gidget, going up and down driveways, and talking to any number of neighbors who were up enjoying the holiday weekend. No Gidget.

Around 12:30 we collapsed, assuming that she would come home or that someone would find her and call the number on her collar. Then a couple of hours later, I woke up, panicking. "You've got to get back in the car!" I implored, my mothering instincts getting the better of me. We got up and looked out of every window in the house, then Chip gave up and grabbed his car keys. Before he left, I turned to look out the kitchen window- suddenly there she was, running across the street towards the house! Whew.

A few days later, and she's still totally freaked out. She has been hiding around the house, despite the absence of any firecracker noise. It takes a lot of effort to get her to go outside at night to use the bathroom (she's okay during the day) and her appetite has waned. I've asked her a million times where she went and what she did Sunday night, but she won't tell me. I'm sure in time she'll come around. And I guess I will too. She's my dog, and I love her, even if I still don't really want her to lick me.

Gastronomy

2011-07-04T15:47:00.002-05:00

There was a time when we often regaled you folks with tales of our Saturday night dinners. It was as much about me learning food photography (although some of those old posts make me shudder) as it was about us expanding our palates. I occasionally get paid to shoot food outside the home now, which may be why I do less of it at home.

But let me tell ya, my wife can still cook.

Here's dinner last night:

One of our favorite cheeses-- the incredible grill-able Greek wonder, Halloumi:

Followed by a grilled sirloin in a Chimichurri marinade, roasted new potatoes, and green beans with shallots.

We really don't do red meat often, but I read up on the latest Bon Appetit about steak grilling techniques and did my best. (Also, truth be told, we need to cook red meat now and then to use up our stockpile of big Cabernets, which we can never bring ourselves to open with any other food.)

I almost published this post without saying anything about the fact that today's a holiday So here's a patriotic tart my mom made last year. Happy 4th of July!

So Freaking Cute

2011-07-01T18:41:00.000-05:00

I'm completely in love with these two. Almost as much as they are with each other.

Magic Ms. Holly

2011-06-28T17:17:00.003-05:00

For the second summer in a row, the kids have spent a week taking swim lessons at Ms. Holly's house. (Once again- pretend like we just did this last week, aight?) You might remember Ms. Holly- she's the magic lady in Midtown who ninja teaches your kids to swim in a scant five hours. Totally worth the money- I recommend her highly. Her website can be found here.

This year, Chloe was ready for level two- aka The Hardest Level- in which she learned to do some back swimming thing that used legs and no arms, a sophisticated dog paddle, and became comfortable grabbing stuff off the bottom of the pool. (Yawn- she had that one down already.) She also jumped in the pool in the deep end and swam almost the whole way across. Good job!

Connor got a big promotion to level four. He learned to dive off the side and freestyle to the other end. He also swam the length of the pool doing the back stroke, and learned the beginnings of the breast stroke. Fancy stuff! His favorite part of the week was playing a game in which someone takes a golf tee to the bottom of the pool and lets it go. Then when it pops up on the surface, you jump in from the side and try to grab it. If you can't grab it on your initial jump, you have to get out and keep trying- you can't just keep grabbing while you swim. It was pretty fun, but only works in backyard, private pools- we can't recreate it at Rhodes.

Just this weekend, the mother of one of Chloe's friends was commenting on how well Chloe swam. Connor insisted his birthday party include time at the pool. We have two water babies, and a good bit of their confidence in the water is due to Ms. Holly's magic hand. We'll be back next year, and I recommend you get a spot too.

Pretend Like This JUST Happened

2011-06-27T06:18:00.005-05:00

It's so weird that we took pictures of all these events in our kids' lives and then didn't immediately share them with you, right? You must all be on the edge of your seats, waiting to hear about the minutiae of our daily lives! Well, consider your prayers answered.

Remember back in May, when all we did was watch basketball? Well, Chip had a birthday. He spent it at a basketball game, so there are no pictures of that event.

Then Connor had his last day in second grade. Even though he claims to have had a horrible year (didn't love his teacher), he was nonetheless very nostalgic that last week of school. That boy still struggles with transitions! On the last day of school there was a nice program, where he was recognized as an honor roll student and as one of the top readers in his class. There are also no pictures of that event.

BUT! There are pictures of Chloe's last day as a Penguin! I couldn't let this day pass without notice. We've been at Idlewild Children's Center for seven years, and this was our last day on the preschool hall. Pretty bittersweet, I must say.

They had a picnic/field day at Peabody Park on the last day of class. Chip attended and took this awesome class photo. Too cute! (I did not attend. I have to save those vacation days for mama alone time, nahmean?)

Here's Chloe and her bestie, contemplating the gravitas of pre-school graduation.

From all accounts, they had a very fun day, which ended with a playdate at the aforementioned BFF's house. And now Chloe is officially a rising Kindergartener. And no, I still don't know where she's going to go to school. We've officially been wait-listed at Snowden, and I've officially cried about it, and Chip has officially told me to go beg at the feet of the principal and see if we can't get her in there.

Eight

2011-06-24T05:40:00.004-05:00

Eight things about my eight-year-old son:

Math and reading are his favorite subjects.

Plays the DSi and the PSP like it's his job.

Is so very modest. No one has seen him naked in quite some time, and he prefers it if the rest of us are covered up too.

Still eats nuggets, pizza, bacon, and little else.

Is very sweet and patient with his one-year-old cousin, and very much the opposite with his five-year-old sister.

Watched this absolutely HILARIOUS video of a cat getting caught barking like a dog, and said, "I felt sad for that cat. It was nervous when it saw the camera."

Needs a lot of sleep in order to function properly. Will ask to go to bed if we dare keep him up too late.

Acts pretty cool when he's around his peers, but still wants a lot of lovin' from his mama when no one else is around to see it.

Chockley Boys

2011-06-19T15:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day!

Baseball Blues

2011-06-15T19:32:00.001-05:00

Baseball season has been a disappointment this year.

This is Connor's second season playing "coach pitch," after a season of t-ball. He has shown his usual aptitude for anything sports-related, and I've enjoyed watching him progress. Unfortunately, his teammates have not all come along for the ride. There are a few boys who have played for several years, and they know what they're doing. But for some reason, there are kids one and two years younger than Connor on the team as well. And they are clueless.

It might have helped for the team to actually practice once in a while, but apparently that would be too much to ask. We have a volunteer coach, and while I appreciate that he volunteered and I didn't, I still wish he would have committed to a certain number of practices. Instead, we had almost every pre-season practice called off for rain, and not rescheduled, and then we've had one or two practices since the season started. As a result, most kids can't field the ball, throw the ball, or catch the ball.

But can they hit the ball? No they can't do that either. One of the key components of "coach pitch" is having a coach who can actually pitch, and ours can't. I see the coaches on other teams- they're kneeling down to deliver the ball, throwing it straight into the zone so it's easy for kids to hit. Ours stands to his full height and kind of lobs it in, so most pitches are either too high or too low, and they all have too much movement on them. My brother's favorite joke at these games is to cheer and say, "Hey, our pitcher just struck out the side!"

We came home from his last ~~debacle~~ game and Connor asked, "Is it too hot to play outside a while?" I said no, and he ran to grab his bat and ball. "Pitch to me," he begged, so I did. He just wanted to remember that he could actually hit the ball sometimes, since he hadn't come close to it in the game. And that night, he was literally in tears as he recounted a bad play he had made during the game. He's just so frustrated at how bad they are, and wants to win each game by himself if he has to. (I know not everyone out there appreciates this level of competitiveness, but I think it's cute.)

A few days later, he decided to practice throwing the ball against the brick wall of our house. But instead of picking the side of the house that's all brick, he picked the three-foot long section of brick between the door and the window. And then he found out the hard way that his aim isn't as good as he thought! I didn't have to fuss at him- he was devastated. Cried for at least an hour. It was so bad that Chloe was offering to loan him money in order to help him pay for it! Meanwhile, Chip and I tried to keep from laughing- it was such a classic little boy event, and he was taking it so hard, that we couldn't help but get a kick out of it. I told Connor he would have to work off the expense. Then I tried to get his first chore to be posing with the ball in front of the window. This just made him cry harder, so we let the ball pose without him. While Connor went inside and unloaded the dishwasher.

Gorgeous

2011-06-11T22:27:00.000-05:00

Connor hasn't had a great week. I don't see how not, with him looking like that. Just gorgeous. Almost eight years later, and I still can't believe I made that.

Some Days End Like This

2011-06-08T20:17:00.000-05:00

Growing Up

2011-05-25T16:15:00.000-05:00

May 2009

Monday, Chloe began her first day of summer camp as a rising Kindergartener. Today, Connor had his last day of Second Grade. I no longer have any kids on the preschool hall at Idlewild Children's Center. I no longer have preschoolers! I do still have two sweet babies, though.

May 2011

Quotes

2011-05-19T06:08:00.000-05:00

Ugh! More of your old-fashioned music!
-Chloe, upon being forced to listen to Temple of the Dog, Hunger Strike

While listening to The Morning Rush with Will and Peter on Sports 56:
Will: The Grizzlies just don't have anyone who can create his own shot off the dribble!
Connor: Uh, OJ Mayo?
Peter: Well, except maybe OJ Mayo.
Connor: THANK YOU

First Birthday Party

2011-05-17T08:11:00.001-05:00

See more pictures here.

Grit, Grinding Out Some Housework

2011-05-14T08:40:00.000-05:00

On the Pot

2011-05-11T10:34:00.001-05:00

Yes, I know how much you folks love Chockley tales of poop. Like Connor pontificating at 2 1/2 about the subject, the 2006 gas station debacle, or the Christmas Poop Story.

So here are new words of scatalogical wisdom, heard from across the house as Chloe performed her daily duty (heh) the other day:

"Maaaaaaan, I'm doin' some HARD business in here!"

...followed several minutes later by:

"POOP, there it is! POOP there it is!"

Thirty-Nine!

2011-05-09T14:38:00.001-05:00

Happy birthday to the best husband and dad in the world!

Mama

2011-05-06T19:57:00.009-05:00

The thing about becoming a mother is that you suddenly understand what "love" really means. I mean yes, I loved my husband and my family and friends before I had kids, but once Connor showed up it all changed. I now loved at this deep level that I hadn't even known existed. Not just Connor, either- everyone.

It was Connor's presence that suddenly made me cry every time I hear Beyonce's "Crazy In Love." (Totally not weird that that's our song, right?) It was Connor's presence that reminded me that I couldn't live without Chip. And most surprisingly, it was Connor's presence that made me fall in love with my own mother all over again.

Because, holy shit y'all, the way I love this baby right here? My mom loves ME that much! ME! That realization floored me. I knew that she loved me, of course, but as I've stated above, I didn't actually know what love meant. And now that I did, I was amazed. I'd call her up and say, "How did you ever let me ride my bike around the block? Didn't you die a small death when I went out of your sight?" and she'd assure me that by the time we get there, it will be difficult, but manageable. I'd call another day, in tears, demanding to know how she ever let me move out of the house and go to college. Because I never ever wanted Connor to do that. I wanted him to live with me until I got old and died! And Mom would assure me that, by the time he's 18, I'll be begging him to go to college in a different city.

She was right, of course. It does get easier to be away from your children as they get older and don't need quite as much protecting. But I still hope that when my babies grow up, they move into a house a mile away from mine and call me on the phone every day and remember, always, how much I love them. Just like I did when I grew up.

Memphis Ball Boy

2011-05-05T06:33:00.001-05:00

It's been sort of quiet here lately, and that's because I didn't want to bore you with the sole topic that is dominating our everyday life: Basketball. See, the NBA Playoffs have started. Usually, that's something that only effects me and Chip. This year, with the Grizzlies' exciting run, the playoffs have become more important- not only to the city of Memphis, but also to our own Connor.

In the past several months, Connor has really started to care about watching basketball. This trend started during the C-USA and NCAA tournaments, when he fell in love with the Tigers. It's like a light switch went off, and he realized that a) this team has my city name on their jersey, and b) there are real people wearing those jerseys! Seemingly overnight, he knew all the players' names and jersey numbers. He followed that tournament religiously, even cheering for a UConn victory just to bug me since I was pulling for Butler. When it was over, he said, "Now what?"

Much earlier in the season, he had attended his first NBA game, Memphis vs. Detroit. He had also started playing NBA games on his handheld gaming devices. He was learning who all the players were, what their numbers are, etc. Once March Madness was over and his civic pride had kicked in, his interest went from "general NBA" to "GRIZZLIES." He begged to stay up and watch their games, he studied the programs Chip and I brought home from games we attended, and he really started listening to sports radio when in the car with me. Following the playoff race was exciting for him. Who would be seeded where? Would the Grizzlies slip in? Who and when will we play!

Towards the end of the season, I managed to secure a couple of FANTASTIC tickets for me and Connor for a game against the Spurs (pictured above). Connor watched the warm-ups like it was his job, and by the time the game started, he told me who was and was not going to have a good game. And he was dead on. Since the playoffs have started, he has watched with the same intensity. He's stayed up late watching games on TV, he has talked to us about all the series with a surprising knowledge of them all, and he has not let his growl towel leave his side. He sleeps with it, he carries it to school in his backpack, and he waves it during every game we watch.

It was only fitting that I splurged on a ticket for him to attend Game 6 against the Spurs last Friday night. (By "splurged" I mean "bought a $25 nosebleed seat.") I checked him out of school early so that we could get Downtown ahead of the massive crowds gathering to watch the Grizzlies, the Redbirds, and the Beale Street Music Festival. We went to the team store and bought him a t-shirt and a Grizzlies bracelet (the thick rubber kind) and then cheered the Grizzlies on to a first round victory. He had an amazing time, and proceeded to wear that Grizzlies shirt to sleep in, all the next day, and then to sleep in again. We finally peeled it off of him Sunday morning and soaked him in a nice long shower. The shower, incidentally, is the only time he has taken off his Grizzlies bracelet in the past week.

His blossoming love affair with basketball, and with the Grizzlies in particular, has been fun to watch. It's just another way he seems more and more grown up to me on a daily basis. It's been a joy to have this common interest to share with him, after years of just tolerating his interest in the movie Cars or playing endless games of Memory. I'm almost worried about the void that will appear in his life when the NBA Champion is finally crowned! But not too worried- we've got a whole team of Redbirds whose jersey numbers Connor doesn't know yet.

All pictures appear courtesy of my iPhone. In no way do they reflect the talents of Chip Chockley Photography!

Seaside Sunset

2011-05-03T12:07:00.000-05:00

A couple of years ago, I was inspired by a really incredible photog from Flickr-- Lisa Lucky-- to take some wide-angle photos of the kids in front of a beach sunset. I loved what she got here and here. I asked Lisa how she got some of her shots, and she gave me some pointers. The biggest tip? You're at Mother Nature's mercy. You just can't create a beautiful sunset-- it has to be there for you to work with. So, I bought the wide-angle lens I'd been lusting after, and waited for beach vacation time to come around.

Lisa was right. In the whole week we were there, there was *one* day with a sunset that was close to what I wanted. I mean, all sunsets in Seaside are beautiful, but this masterpiece was the one that would really sing in a photo. After checking every day, I saw it, and ordered the kids out to the beach immediately. They took direction well-- just hold hands and walk away from me! Of course, I've learned a lot since then, and see things that I'd change now.

For the past several months, the folks at Cottage Rental Agency-- the company that handles all the real estate and rentals in Seaside-- have been running a contest: "Picture Yourself in Seaside." I sent in this picture and didn't think much of it for several months. And now, I find out that I won the Grand Prize! Four days and three nights in Seaside! Thanks CRA! Let me unfold my remarks here. I'd... uh... like to thank the Academy, Lisa for the inspiration, Mother Nature for the awesome view, and my kids for being cooperative and cute.

Grizzness Time

2011-04-24T10:39:00.000-05:00

Grizz win! Grizz win!

In our first playoff appearance since 2006, the Grizz are making the rest of the league pay attention to the gritty, grinding style we play here. We made a respectable showing in the first two games in San Antonio, stealing homecourt advantage with a 1-1 split.

Cullen, Steph and I showed up downtown at 4:00 p.m. yesterday to drink up the Grizz fever (among other things). It's amazing how much sports can bring a city together. It's the same feeling of community spirit that we have when the Tigers make NCAA runs, except, you know, grittier and grindier.

Pre-game drinks and bites came at our favorite South Main gastropub, South of Beale.

Even more than an hour before tipoff, the plaza out in front of the Forum was hoppin'.

The white Growl towels were draped on every seat when we walked in.

I don't have much from the actual game, as I was too busy wringing my hands and cussing. But this is the final result:

Grizz up 2-1! Game 4 is Monday. I'll be there.

Seen Memphis

2011-04-23T13:19:00.000-05:00

Recently, I was approached by the lovely and talented Sophorn McRae of Norococo to be a part of a cool new Memphis street photography blog, Seen Memphis. I'm humbled by the talent of the six other photogs who are participating, and I think it could be something really cool. I haven't actually done a ton of this kind of photography (at least not in my hometown), but I look forward to doing more of it for this project. Check out Seen Memphis here.

Chloe at the Doctor

2011-04-22T10:10:00.000-05:00

A month or so ago, Chip and I had this conversation:

"Chip, you know it's time for Chloe to have her five-year check-up and she has to get SHOTS so you need to make that appointment and take her."
"I know."

I took Connor to one doctor's appointment once that involved shots. It was about seven and a half years ago, and I swore I would never do it again. They're so heartbroken when the nurse sticks those needles in! I don't want to be associated with that in my kids' minds! Plus it makes me cry, and that doesn't really help anyone calm down in a tense situation.

A few days before the appointment, I warned Chloe what was going to happen. She's too old for us to just spring that on her at the last minute- she would feel too betrayed by that. Besides, she's our logical child and I trusted her to make sense of it in her mind ahead of time. And it seemed like she did! Sure she cried when I first told her, but then she worked on coming to terms with it. She talked to us and to her teachers and to anyone who would listen about how, on Thursday, she was going to have CLUE and then have her shots and then have an Easter egg hunt in our back yard. That was her treat for dealing with the indignity of shots- her own egg hunt that Connor didn't get to take part in. (He helped me hide the eggs instead.)

Chip and Chloe had a grand time with Dr. Davis Thursday afternoon. After talking to her a bit, he determined that, "She's definitely ready for kindergarten!" Her weight, 52 pounds, is in the 95th percentile for her age. Her height, 4 feet exactly, is off the chart. Way above the 99th percentile. (Although really, it seems like there's not very much room above 99th. But I won't argue.) Chip texted me that things were going fine.

And then the needles arrived.

Apparently, and I don't really have all the details, there was hysterical wailing and thrashing about, and then Chip tried to distract her with candy and she choked on it, and eventually they had to call in several people to help hold her down while the shots went in. GOOD TIMES.

By the time she and her dad stopped at Baskin-Robbins and made it home for the Easter egg hunt, she was all smiles. She even laughed about what a fit she'd thrown! And that, my friends, is why Chip is in charge of taking the kids for their vaccinations.

Weekend Happenings

2011-04-18T06:11:00.002-05:00

Friday night we delighted the children by giving in to months of pressure and letting them watch the Karate Kid remake with Jackie Chan and Will Smith's son. Chloe ran around hugging us and telling us we were the best parents ever. I'm really not sure why this was so important to them, but whatever. And let me say- it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be! Connor and I both cried during part of it, and we all felt good at the end. But all in all, I think the kids were a bit young to see the ass-kicking that Little Smith took during the movie. I know, I'm a prude. They aren't scarred for life or anything, but maybe I'm not as good a parent as Chloe thinks I am.

Saturday dawned cold and dreary and I totally skipped out on the opening weekend of the Farmer's Market. I went to Jazzercise instead! I made the kids help me do some cleaning with the promise we'd go see Rio at the movie theater if they were helpful. The truth was, Chip was off taking pictures somewhere and I was tired of trying to entertain them on a cold and dreary day!

The movie, Rio, was cute. I really appreciated that it was a kids' movie that told a story for kids. It didn't spend a lot of time winking at the parents or telling a story that was over the kids' heads in order to interest the adults. (I'm looking at YOU, Rango.) It's okay if parents are a little bored at kids' movies. It's rated G- I know I'm not the target audience. I just want my kids to be happy. And they really were- they talked about their favorite characters and lines the whole way home.

When we came out of the movies, it was sunny and warm! Crazy! I took the kids to Mom's to spend the night, and Chip and I made our first ever visit to the Shelby Farms Greenline. Scandalous, I know! We borrowed friends' bikes and rode to Shelby Farms and back. It's as awesome as everyone tells you it is. I can see why real estate values along the Greenline are going up- I totally want to buy four bikes and a house near a Greenline entrance after that experience.

Sunday morning we were at Woodland Discovery Playground by 9:30- perfect! Not too many people at all, and we didn't even have to stand in line to ride the cool swings. We thought maybe the novelty had worn off, but when we left about an hour later the place was really starting to fill up. So for now, the key is to get there early. And my blog readership is small enough that I can spill that secret without worrying that future early trips will be ruined by the influx of people who saw my tip.

We spent as much of the beautiful day outside as we could- before noon, of course, when we hunkered down on the couch to watch the Grizzlies win their very first playoff game ever! It was SO AWESOME!!!!! I'm still riding that high. Then Connor's good friend, Kelton, came over to play the afternoon away. Kelton recently moved far, far away and Connor has missed him terribly. He counted down the days until Kelton got here, and was not disappointed. They had a great time! Chloe just sat and watched them play, which seems to be her thing when Connor has a friend over. And she doesn't even have crushes on his friends yet! He doesn't know what he's in for.

Chip and I tried to get our little garden plot ready for planting, which I guess we'll do next weekend. While the kids are out of town! And yes, now it's MY turn to count down the days. . .

Friday Brain Dump

2011-04-15T06:42:00.003-05:00

Chloe is insanely scared of two things: bugs and "rain sounds."

The bug thing is new. It almost seems like an affectation, a way to be more of a girly girl, but surely she's not old enough to play those games, right? But suddenly this spring, Chloe will scream and cry and panic whenever she sees a bug, even if it's a gnat flying by. It's totally annoying. I'm hoping she moves past it soon so that each trip outside doesn't have to be so full of drama.

Rain sounds have always been a problem. It started off that she was scared of thunder and lightning, which is certainly fair. For some reason, I think this kind of stuff is louder in her room. Connor has the trees in front of his windows, but Chloe gets all the lightning through hers. But she's gotten so paranoid about it, that now she's even nervous about rain since rain often leads to the more intense thunder and lightning. Oftentimes as I tuck her in, she'll ask, "Is it going to rain tonight?" She needs a heads up. Last night she was in bed with us before the thunder was really roaring. "I hear the rain sounds!"

*******************************************************************************

Our talented friend Richard did a wonderful job in his Commercial Appeal column of summing up the acheivement test experience in the Memphis City Schools. Allow me to add our take to the mix.

This was Connor's first time to take the test, so our first time experiencing it as parents. (Although I still have TCAP nightmares from my days as a teacher.) I hadn't heard him saying much about it, so I thought maybe his teacher was playing it cool. Not so- on Sunday night, Connor was a bundle of nerves. He went on and on about needing to get a good night's sleep and eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast. He was adamant that it needed to be cereal! I realized that he has no idea that all the directives handed out at school weren't aimed at us. They were aimed at people who let their kids stay up all night and then don't feed them breakfast! I said, "Son! We feed you breakfast every morning! Eat what you normally eat and you'll do fine." I didn't step in on the sleeping thing, though. He wanted to get right in bed after his bath, skipping 15 minutes or so of reading time. (We read before the bath instead.) I figured it was in my best interest NOT to point out that he goes to sleep by 8:30 each night and gets about ten hours in before I wake him up. I'd hate to give him the idea that that other people sleep less and maybe he should be staying up later!

I volunteered to proctor the TCAPs a couple of days, and was worried I would have some kind of traumatic flashbacks to my days as a teacher. And I did feel a little bit of that panic. The TCAPs are the main reason I quit teaching- I found myself teaching kids these specific skills and not just teaching them how to learn, you know? And also, I just couldn't handle the idea that my worth as a teacher was judged on how these kids performed on this test. I would walk up and down the aisles of my classroom, silently willing them to pick up the pace, or to stop and think about that one because it looks like there are two correct answers but only one is right!, or just dying inside as I saw answers my best student had marked incorrectly- I know I taught you better than that! I hated that part of the job, that it seemed nothing else I did all year meant anything, just that week of testing. And at that point it was totally out of my hands. I'm too much of a control freak for that. I need a job where my annual evaluation is based on what I've done, rather than what 20 10-year-olds have done. I like going back and volunteering with the kids here and there, but I doubt I will ever relax enough to be able to enjoy teaching as a career again.

********************************************************************************

Chip and I spent the week fighting a spring cold. Sunday evening I had a sore throat and a little sinus pressure, along with some sneezing. I thought it was allergies from being outside all weekend. By Monday my nose was gushing, by Tuesday I had a slight fever, by Wednesday it was all in my chest, and by now I feel okay except for the raw skin around my nose from all the nose-blowing. But by Wednesday, Chip started feeling bad too, and went through the same progression of symptoms. So now I'm thinking it was a bug of some kind. Fortunately, the kids didn't get it. But it made for kind of a long week for us. I'm looking forward to putting it behind us and moving on to a great Memphis weekend, one involving the Memphis Farmer's Market and the NBA playoffs! Go Grizzlies!

My Boy

2011-04-08T06:55:00.011-05:00

Y'all, Connor isn't my baby anymore. He's not even a little boy- the only thing I can think to say is that he's a kid these days. It's just as bittersweet as I always imagined it would be.

He's still a mama's boy, which does make it more sweet than bitter most of the time. And he has finally, after more than seven years without it, discovered empathy. He realizes that there is a world that exists outside the one between his ears. So when it's bedtime and Chloe is boasting how it's Mommy's night to read to her, Connor quickly retorts that he's glad Dad is reading to him- he doesn't want Dad's feelings to be hurt, and hates to see Chloe act the way he knows he has acted over the past several years towards his dad. He has confided to me that his favorite part of the day is when he snuggles in bed with a parent and we read a book together. I can't think of anything I've ever been told that has made me happier.

The book thing is a huge win for the ol' parents, considering Connor is becoming a gamer. He really loves to play with his Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. So much so, in fact, that we spend a lot of time monitoring how much time he's spending on them, and forcing him to turn them off. And though he's not always quick to comply (don't worry, he gets in trouble), he doesn't do a lot of complaining once the device is off. So somewhere in there he's learning a bit of self-control. Just a bit.

His real passion in life is basketball- playing it and watching it. Intently. He knows everyone who plays for every team, and knows what their jersey numbers are. If I say, "The Lakers won last night," he immediately asks, "What was the score?" as if I can keep that many numbers in my head. So he has learned how to look it up on the ESPN Scorecenter app on my phone. Recently, he and I sat fourth row center at a Grizzlies game. By the end of the warmups, he knew who was going to have a good game and why. And he was right. This is just a dream come true for me and Chip (and a nightmare for Chloe who hates watching sports). We're currently considering mulitple basketball camps over the summer, and Connor is super-excited- despite the fact that he "won't know anyone." The lure of basketball trumps the fear of the unknown.

For some reason all of this just seems terribly grown up to me. Connor seems to have matured so much in just the past four or five months- it's a growth spurt as shocking as when Chloe wakes up unable to fit into yesterday's pants. I suddenly see the young man he's going to become, and in some ways it's very rewarding. But I do miss my baby, just a little bit.

Food! Glorious Food!

2011-04-07T09:48:00.001-05:00

Luckily for RJA, today is the day I post pictures of my food on the internet. Check out my review of Chava's over at Dining with Monkeys, and put it on your list of things to do while in St. Louis.

Nobody's Fool

2011-04-01T21:43:00.001-05:00

Pranks I did NOT pull on April Fool's Day include:

Telling my boss that the hundreds of letters that were signed, sealed, and stamped, yet contained a glaring typo, had accidentally gotten mailed before I could shred them.

Giving my boss a stack of newly printed, correctly written letters, only putting a horribly mangled letter on top so she'd think they were all wrong and had to be reprinted yet again.*

*Fact: I'm terrified of my boss and would never have actually done either of these. Another awesome prank I did not pull on her a few months ago was to bring maternity clothes and stuffing for all the thirty-something females in my office to wear on her first day back from maternity leave. Surprise! Guess what we all did while you were away!

Dressing Connor in Chloe's clothes, Chloe in Connor's clothes, and me in Chip's clothes to greet Chip for breakfast. Unfortunately, Chip was standing in line at the school board so we did not get to have an April Fool's breakfast together. Otherwise, this TOTALLY would have happened.

Serving a plate of spaghetti with dirt sauce, grass, bugs, etc., for dinner, and the kids and I would calmly act like it was normal while Chip grossed out. My kids are too sensitive about food, though, and couldn't pretend to like normal spaghetti, let alone gross spaghetti, so we shelved this one quickly.

Prank we did play on April Fool's Day:

The kids hid in the dining room. When Chip came home, I lured him into the den and talked to him normally for a minute while the kids ran outside and jumped in his backseat. Then I asked Chip where the kids were and flipped out because he didn't get them. I grabbed the phone to call Idlewild while Chip jumped in the car to go get them. Surprise! They were hiding in the back seat and jumped up and yelled, "APRIL FOOLS!"**

**The kids were super-excited about this prank, and I knew it would be devastating when a) Chip got home before we did, b) the back door beeped when they opened it to sneak out, and c) Chip's car doors were locked. So I asked him to get home after us, leave the back door open and his car unlocked when he got home. It may have tipped him off that something hinky was going on, but at least the prank got to play out as smoothly in real life as it did in my kids' imaginations. So I'll mark this one down as a success!

Leftovers

2011-03-29T06:20:00.001-05:00

I kept thinking Chip would share some kind of photographic essay about our spring break trip to St. Louis. He didn't. So I'll share pictures of the kids from St. Louis instead!

We hit the Forest Park area for the first time, which contains both the zoo and Turtle Park. The zoo was sprawling- very different from our own zoo. The animals had much better environments in which to live. However, that meant you could walk a long time and not really see any animals. So, good for them, but maybe not as much fun for us. It was free, so I was happy with the animals I did see! Very close to the zoo was Turtle Park, which is basically a bunch of concrete right next to the interstate. Bad location, and really quite dangerous. But the photo ops are nice.

Forest Park is 500 acres larger than Central Park. Huge! I know there's a lot more to explore there, and I hope we will on a future, warmer, visit.

Finally, the obligatory picture of the Arch.

More Birthday Madness

2011-03-21T12:22:00.001-05:00

Our original idea for Chloe's party this year was to have it at the Collierville Animal Shelter. I had heard they had a party room, and Chloe was enthusiastic. In my mind I came up with some awesome theme decorations and party favors. We were ready! Unfortunately, due to understaffing, the shelter has quit hosting parties. Uh oh- back to square one.

I decided to shoot for the moon, and give Chloe every option in the book. Zoo? Chuck E. Cheese? Children's Museum? Build-A-Bear? What's it going to be? She chose the one option I had purposefully left out. "I want to do Chick-Fil-A again!" Instead of Build-A-Bear? Really? "Mom, there's no FOOD at Build-A-Bear!"

As usual, the kids had lots of fun at Chick-Fil-A, eating and playing and fighting over balloons for perfectly-timed ninety minutes. Chloe was thrilled to play with her friends, have her family close by, and to open lots of Barbie, Princess, and Barbie-Princess gifts. A great end to a week of celebrating! Her dedication to the concept of "Birthday Week" definitely made her Leo mama proud.

Thanks to everyone who helped make her feel special! See you again next year- hopefully at a new location, but you never know. . .

(Photos are all by Bwana Chockley, due to the fact that Chip sat in a corner during the party, suffering from a stomach virus.)

Birthday Fun

2011-03-20T22:02:00.001-05:00

As part of our Spring Break extravanganza, we all stayed home on Chloe's birthday. She made it clear that she would only accept this arrangement if Connor knew it was "her day." He understood.

She woke up to lots of fun presents and breakfast at Cafe Eclectic. Then we saw Rango and stopped at Muddy's. Not a bad way to celebrate turning five!

Welcome Home Tigers!

2011-03-19T08:46:00.002-05:00

After an exciting day of watching the Tigers play Friday, Connor and I were in full Memphis mode. Talk on the internets turned to speculating when the team's plane would land. Realizing it wouldn't be too late, I decided to call Cullen and ask, "Drive me and Connor to meet the team plane tonight?"

What class acts these guys are. Tarik Black was the last to leave the fans, signing everything you threw at him and taking pictures with all of us.

Will Coleman is truly our best ambassador- he came through the line first, then started over and came back through. He is a baby-kissing machine! Charmed the pants off of everyone there.

Connor was up past his bedtime, overwhelmed, and star-struck. It was awesome.

Great job, Tigers! It was a crazy season, but you can certainly be proud of your effort. Hope to see most of you back next season!

Ms. Sandra

2011-03-18T11:03:00.000-05:00

Dear Ms. Sandra,

Your birthday is tomorrow. I know this, because Chloe has told me every day for the last two weeks. She has fretted over what to get you, whether to invite you to her party (which is also tomorrow), and whether you will have a proper party for yourself.

Yesterday, we went to the store specifically so she could shop for jewelry for you. She had very particular parameters: not too plain, but not too fancy, nothing too flashy because you have class and so should your jewelry. She handled literally dozens of bracelets and necklaces before picking out "the one."

I know it won't be the nicest gift you receive this year, but I hope you know that you won't receive many that were more heartfelt. You've been important to our family for many years, and we thank you for all you've done to help make sure our kids are loved and cared for.

Happy birthday, Ms. Sandra!

Love,
The Chockleys

Five

2011-03-15T11:31:00.001-05:00

When I was growing up, Mom always said, "When you and Shannon were little, we'd tell him to close his eyes and go to sleep, and we'd tell you to close your mouth and go to sleep!" I'd always guffaw gamely, assuming it was just another exaggeration about how much I do, and always have, talked. Then one night, Chloe was in her bed, eyes closing, talking ninety to nothing. The only thing keeping her awake was her mouth. And suddenly I understood that Mom wasn't joking.

Chloe hates the idea of sleep almost as much as she loves talking. It's exhausting and also incredibly endearing. She's just so enthusiastic about. . . everything! And she wants to touch it all and pick it all up and talk about it and share it and sing to it and there's no time for sleep in a world this wonderful. I'm sorry I don't always have the attention span she needs. But on the whole, I'd say I've listened to more of her tales and ideas and made-up words in just five years than some parents will have the opportunity to listen to in an entire lifetime.

In some ways, she's such a girl! She insists on wearing dresses and skirts, whether her legs will be cold or not. She flops dramatically in front of the TV on Sundays, whining that "Football is SO BOOOORING!" And she is as committed to her babydolls and Barbies and Disney princesses as any girl I've ever known.

But she's no princess herself. She's not at all fragile, easily taking what life hands her and not complaining when things don't go her way. She's learned not to dwell on things she can't change, and figured out how to enjoy what's in front of her rather than wishing it were something better. Having a brother who refuses to bend on anything has certainly contributed to her flexibility. It's something I cherish, and I hope that one day she understands how easy she's made things for me in this regard.

Her confidence is shocking- she is so sure of herself, both physically and socially. Other kids are drawn to her because of it. I hope she never loses this "mysterious confidence" (as one of my favorite movies so aptly put it) as she reaches her teens. I want her to always be the first to jump in the pool, to always turn strangers into friends, to always sing at the top of her lungs. I really want her to always be the sweet, smart, beautiful little girl she is now, but I can already see the young woman she's on her way to becoming. And I love them both.

Happy birthday, baby girl!

Between Punches

2011-03-04T06:18:00.000-06:00

We're at an age where they bicker and fight and try to insult each other constantly. I guess that just makes it all the more sweet when they stop and play together, or encourage each other's pursuits. It happens- sometimes. I'm always glad when we can get a picture of it!

The shot above was taken when they mutually agreed that walking a quarter of a mile through the park made their legs tired, and they absolutely had to stop. I'm so glad they haven't yet figured out that a mutual disdain for their dorky parents' lame ideas and activities will one day be the thing that draws them close to each other!

Overheard

2011-03-02T06:05:00.005-06:00

I want to marry you, Mommy! Then you'll have THREE beautiful rings! Unless I give you a wedding necklace.
- Chloe

Where is the PSP? Can I have the PSP?
- Connor

You know, the more I watch iCarly, the more I realize Gibby is my favorite.
- Chip

Dear March, Come In!

2011-03-01T06:42:00.003-06:00

Every year starts the same for me. First, I spend January in the fetal position under a blanket, crying about the lack of sunlight and the weight I gained over the holidays and the unruly children bouncing off the walls of our house because no one wants to play outside. Then I crawl into February wondering if my insurance covers Prozac before remembering that my brain's chemical makeup is actually pretty good, and I should probably just snap out of it. And soon enough, I fit into my pre-holiday pants again and nature provides us with at least one afternoon of early spring and gradually we quit getting on each other's nerves 24 hours a day.

And then there's March. The month of expectation! It starts out with a smile, as Chip and I celebrate our "I like you more than just a friend" anniversary on the very first day. Then it's followed by spring break and Chloe's birthday and March Madness and weekends at the park. I know the weather will gradually improve, and before this month is over, it will be spring. And that's all I really expect from March- the arrival of spring. Which is a lot of pressure to put on you, March, but it's nothing you can't handle.

Dear March, come in!
How glad I am!
I looked for you before.
Put down your hat-
You must have walked-
How out of breath you are!
Dear March, how are you?
And the rest?
Did you leave Nature well?
Oh, March, come right upstairs with me,
I have so much to tell!

-Emily Dickinson

Harper's 2nd

2011-02-17T09:13:00.000-06:00

Our favorite not-by-blood-but-certainly-family-anyway cousin, Harper, had her 2nd birthday party the other day. It was quite a shindig, with all the necessary components for an awesome 2nd birthday: family, presents, food, presents, snot, frilly dresses, cake and icing everywhere. Happy Birthday, Harper!

(That second one is by the lovely and talented Uncle Jay Adkins.)

Click here to see the whole slideshow.

Valentimes

2011-02-14T07:04:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day isn't a particularly big holiday at our house, although I do love an excuse to give my kids a little gift of some type without feeling like I'm spoiling them. The $3.00 I spent on each kid was totally worth it! Plus they got homemade cards. True to their natures, Chloe pointed out that I bought her the wrong brand of strawberry gum while Connor repeatedly told me how much he liked the card that I made for him.

But, as Chloe pointed out this morning, my family isn't supposed to be my "Valentime"- Daddy is! And he is. We too exchanged homemade cards, but we won't do gifts or a big night out. Our dating anniversary is in a couple of weeks, so usually we just go out to dinner at some point in Feb/March and call it our "Valentine's/Anniversary Meal." We will, however, pull out all the Valentine's cards Chip has ever given me and read through them tonight, reminiscing about our first V-Day dinner together and laughing at the wide variety of fart-related cards Chip has picked out through the years. So not a night of full-blown romance, but a little better than your normal Monday night! (We're totally still watching Chuck, though. Some things about Monday nights are sacred.)

One more Valentine's note- this year Chloe is in the Penguin class at Idlewild, which means that Valentine's Day is the day of the "Sweetheart Ball." You might remember Connor's turn with this tradition- I can't forget it. First of all, there was much hand-wringing over the appropriateness of a school dance at this age. (Ah, things first-time moms worry about!) Then there was the epic puking. Take a walk down memory lane with me, won't you? And keep your fingers crossed that no stomach bug comes along to ruin Chloe's fancy new "frilly dress."

Happy Valentine's Day!

More of the White Stuff

2011-02-12T09:53:00.000-06:00

This winter has provided us with the most snow Memphis has seen in 20 years. We haven't had any really big snows, but there have been several smaller events. The kids were let out early from school on Monday and Wednesday, and were out all day Thursday. The 3-inch Wednesday snow was accompanied by bone-chilling temps, so we didn't really do a lot of playing in it.

No, Chloe isn't carrying a snowball the size of her Sputnik head-- that's a basketball.

Other Pics

2011-02-03T07:08:00.001-06:00

Other things that happen at the park on a beautiful Saturday, besides taking a thousand pics of Maisy. (And sorry to bore you with more of these-- it's just that this day was the only warm, pretty day we've had in forever around here.)

Mother and daughter making out in front of the sun:

Geese, with their doberman pincher-sized poops everywhere around the pond. Seriously, how does that happen?

I like this one-- what if I could go back in time and show these two grade-school best friends this picture?

MaisyDaisy

2011-02-02T07:06:00.000-06:00

I spent most of the afternoon at the park the other day taking pics of the newest member of the Chockley/Miller/Stanfill clan--Maisy. Those of you with one of those last names (and maybe even a few others) might like to see some of them...

Fan Clubs

2011-02-01T08:28:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, we took advantage of the unseasonably perfect weather and went to the park with our favorite cousins. It didn't take long for the allegiances to form.

Maisy starts laughing the second she looks at Connor's face. It doesn't matter what else is happening. This usually drives Chloe crazy, and she'll try to do something crazy to make Maisy laugh, too. Then Maisy will look at her like she's nuts, and cast a conspiratorial glance Connor's way. A silent, "Get a load of that chick!" passes between them, and then Maisy cracks up, because Connor is paying attention to her. No amount of Chloe's dancing and singing can replace the glowing light that comes from Connor's face. We have full-on cousin worship here.

Chloe didn't have time to get jealous on Saturday, though. She was too busy being followed around by Harper. "Coe-E! Siiide! Coe-E!" Chloe was happy to oblige, going up the stairs and down the slide over and over, introducing Harper to all the dogs in the park, and occasionally lifting her onto a tall platform. (This last one took years off the lives of every adult present.)

It was such a fun day, for the adults as much as the kids. We all needed that sunshine pretty badly. I tried to soak up as much as I could, hoping to store enough to last me through February and into March. But it looks like I didn't get enough to make it through the week! Anyone know when our next sunny day is scheduled? I need to pencil that in on my calendar. In the meantime, I'll have to schedule a bunch of cousin playdates instead. That should be enough to keep us warm until spring arrives.

All Growed Up

2011-01-21T17:09:00.000-06:00

Chloe started the pre-K CLUE program this week, and loved every minute of it. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings this semester, she'll be putting on a uniform, grabbing a backpack, and mingling with the big kids at Downtown Elementary. We've been working on the CLUE process since September, so we've been anticipating her entering the class for what seems like forever. But at the same time, it seems so sudden! I don't have any babies anymore, and that's just that. And yeah, I cried just now when I typed that.

Taking a Stand

2011-01-14T05:54:00.000-06:00

Recently, an opportunity arose for me to get a "stand-up" desk for my office. For many reasons, I decided to go for it.

So here's where I stand on standing- it's pretty cool. As you can see, when I'm on the computer I'm standing, but there's a chair and a lower desk for when I'm on the phone, or reading something, etc. I'm on the computer probably 85% of the time, so I'm standing most of the day, but I feel free to sit down a few minutes if I need some relief.

The biggest adjustment for me has been regarding my shoes. I quickly found that my legs weren't fatigued, but my feet were. Depending on whether I wore flats or heels, a different part of my foot hurt at the end of the day. So I've had to invest in some more supportive shoes, and the search has been entertaining. It seems there are cute shoes, and there are supportive shoes, but there isn't nearly as much overlap as one would hope. I can always kick off my shoes and stand around barefoot if I need to, and that option has been a big help.

Overall, I'll give standing while you work four out five stars. And I'll give Hush Puppies a slight edge over Naturalizers.

Snowmom

2011-01-11T06:09:00.002-06:00

A Memphis Miracle

2011-01-10T15:20:00.000-06:00

Whenever snow is predicted more than one day in advance, it never actually snows. So we were extra glad that it did.

We made a snowman this afternoon. It's dressed like me, and I don't know if that's a compliment or not. Pictures still to come.

Fives

2011-01-09T17:26:00.000-06:00

Our boy drives the lane. . .

and puts it up for two.

He hustles back on defense. . .

and gets the steal.

Saturday's victory was made all the more sweet by having Shannon, Carrie and Maisy there to witness it. Although they are the kind of people who find the clueless, non-athletic kids to be "adorable." The Chockley-Maravich family has no time for that foolishness. But we appreciate their support nonetheless.

Offspring Summit

2011-01-06T06:14:00.002-06:00

It was an exciting day when Harper and Maisy finally met. Exciting for Chloe, that is, since now she has two little girls to fawn all over! But it's safe to say that Connor has quietly fallen in love with both of them, too. He's going to like being everyone's de facto big brother.

We're ready to call this hat, which Sherri knitted for Harper, a family heirloom.

Did you really think we'd get them all to look at the same camera at the same time?

I totally got the raw end of this deal.

Coupon Resolution

2011-01-02T21:54:00.033-06:00

I tend to go to the grocery store and buy the brands I want with little or no savvy comparison shopping. Food is just something I'm picky about, and I'm never going to buy the store-brand parmesean cheese just because it's cheaper than the Kraft. I need the Kraft. Also, I go to Schnuck's and Whole Foods a lot because basically I hate Kroger. Not exactly fiscally responsible decisions on my part.

The point of that is, I've realized that the only way I'll ever save money on groceries is if I start clipping coupons, and then remembering to look through those coupons before going to the store. As incentive, I'm going to use this post to keep track of the money I save with this resolution. You know I love to keep a log of things, and this seemed more motivating than just my usual Google spreadsheet. Although you know I'll keep one of those too- the formula for finding the sum is just too sexy to be tossed aside in favor of a blog post.

1/2/11     $3.50
1/9/11     $6.10* (Snowpocalypse Savings!)
*Earlier this week I watched an episode of Extreme Couponing on TLC and now I feel a little bit insane when I visit coupons.com. If I ever start paying for coupons, please have me committed.
1/16/11   $6.00
1/23/11   $6.50
I feel like the same 3-4 items that I use have coupons, and that's it. I mean, they are things I normally buy, but it still feels weird. Do coupons run on a monthly cycle or something? In February, will it be different items?
1/30/11   $5.00
January savings: $27.10- Not bad!
2/6/11     Nothing! Absolutely nothing. I looked high and low for something useful, but nada.
2/13/11   $8.25 Making up for last week, I suppose.
2/20/11   $3.70 No coupon circular in the paper! Gasp!!!!!!!!
2/27/11   $5.80
February savings: $17.75
2011 year to date: $44.85
3/6/11    $3.80
3/13/11 $1.00
March savings: $4.80 (So lame!)
2011 year to date: $49.65
4/3/11   $4.55
4/10/11 $7.85 I actually used $2.00 worth of coupons at Target this week.
5/15/11 $6.20 I've been slacking lately- I'll cut out the coupons, but forget to bring them to the store with me. Also, Chip went to the store for me a couple of times.

Baby's First Christmas

2010-12-30T14:04:00.000-06:00

I let the week get away from me without showing you the awesomeness of a 7.5 month old enjoying her first Christmas.

So much attention! So much to play with! SO HAPPY!

She delighted us with her cliched interest in this box top. She played with it for a half hour or so, banging, chewing, and lauging, paying absolutely no attention to what was inside the box.

Seriously- have you ever seen anything that cute?

My Year in Books

2010-12-29T08:03:00.002-06:00

Book Club
I've always wanted to be in a book club, so this year I gathered the other women I had heard utter that phrase and got one going. I hope the other ladies in the club are as happy with it as I am- it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know that I'm going to get to discuss books and life with them once a month!

Connor reads for pleasure
Finally, Connor is starting to see reading as less of a chore. He voraciously read the first Harry Potter book and somehow that changed how he saw all other books. Suddenly they became entertainment to him. One of the best moments I've had recently was when Connor and I curled up together on his bean bag and each read our own books quietly together. Yay for family reading time!

The Master Butcher's Singing Club, by Louise Erdrich
Easily the best book I read this year. Outstanding.

Audible.com
I finally figured out how to successfully incorporated audiobooks into my regular routine. It has allowed me to "read" a lot more than I would have otherwise, and I'm so grateful for that! The only problem I've had is that I've recently been listening to Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, which is really long, and I'm doing it at the time of year when I'm less likely to take long walks or do a lot of jogging, which is when I usually listen to books. So I'm having a hard time getting through the book as quickly as I'd like. Otherwise, audiobooks have been very good to me this year. I get most of them through audible.com, if you're interested in giving it a try. They have a pretty cheap introductory offer.

Read in 2010
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Wench, Dolen Perkins-Valdez
The Help, Kathryn Stockett
Sh*t My Dad Says, Justin Halpern
The Neon Rain, James Lee Burke
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
Dead Until Dark, Charlaine Harris
The Girl Who Played with Fire, Stieg Larsson
Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger, Lee Smith
The Color Purple, Alice Walker
Babycakes, Armistead Maupin
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Stieg Larsson
Black Cherry Blues, James Lee Burke
Cimarron Rose, James Lee Burke
A Stained White Radiance, James Lee Burke
The Girls in the Office, Jack Olsen
Scout, Atticus, and Boo: A Celebration of Fifty Years of To Kill a Mockingbird, Mary McDonagh Murphy
The Way Home, George P. Pelecanos
Juliet, Naked, Nick Hornby
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer
In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead, James Lee Burke
Samaritan, Richard Price
Significant Others, Armistead Maupin
Shoedog, George P. Pelecanos
The Master Butcher's Singing Club, Louise Erdrich
The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery
Out of Sync, Lance Bass
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith
An Education, Nick Hornby

Not read in 2010
The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy, Bill Simmons
I got this book for Christmas last year and started it then. I'm on page 494 right now, steadily reading a page or two a day. I'll get through it eventually.

My Year in Television

2010-12-28T08:25:00.001-06:00

Here are some things that I was excited about this year.

Finishing The Wire
We were a few years behind, yes. But it was the greatest television show I've ever watched, so no matter what year I finished it in, it deserves a mention.

Mad Men, The Suitcase
I feel like four years of watching Mad Men really paid off in this episode. While watching it, I thought, "People will know this episode by name. It will be in the pantheon of great TV episodes ever." And I still stand by that.

Zach Gilford's performance in Friday Night Lights, The Son
Matt Saracen is one of my favorite characters on one of my favorite shows, and he is played brilliantly by Zach Gilford. This episode was a masterpiece, and it's a shame the Emmys overlooked his performance. I love Zach so much that I have vowed to watch Off the Map this January, despite the fact that it is is "brought to you by the creator of Grey's Anatomy." Man I hate Grey's Anatomy.

Lost
Lost was always event television for us. We so badly wanted to watch the premiere episode in HD that we got Mom to come over and take care of Connor for an hour for us, since it aired before we had an HD DVR. Yes, we're geeks, but this show was made for geeks like us! I loved the finale, and feel sorry for people who didn't.

Saying good-bye to Nick Jr.
My kids just don't care about Dora and her peer group anymore, and I couldn't be happier. I am so tired of that genre! Nowadays the real Nickelodeon is the TV destination for my kids, and I'm glad since I find iCarly and her peer group much more palatable than the cartoon set.

Top Chef: All Stars
Top Chef is one of two reality competition shows that I watch, and this all star season has been fantastic so far. It's one of the only shows that keeps me up past my bedtime- I'm too excited to record it and just watch it the next day!

Avatar: The Last Airbender
The whole family watched this series from start to finish this year, and we all loved it. It's not something that would be very enjoyable if you just happened upon an episode and watched it- like Lost, the entire series tells one big story, and it's meant to be watched in order. I recommend that you do. Then skip the movie- it was not good.

Christmas Morning

2010-12-27T08:37:00.000-06:00

They were happy to see what Santa left for them.

I hope you were too!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T11:29:00.000-06:00

Program #2 Featuring Child #2

2010-12-22T07:52:00.000-06:00

Note that she's a head taller than most of her classmates. She looks so grown up! My baby!

She loves being on stage, actually. She likes to sing, and she likes the attention. And she certainly did sing. They sang "Children Go Where I Send Thee," and she knew ALL of the words. No sweat.

Pictured here is the "big finish," when the Koala and Penguin classes sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," just like they have every year we've been at Idlewild. This was our seventh and final time to be involved with this program. If I think about it too much, I might cry. My babies! They're all grown up!

A Christmas Poop Story

2010-12-17T14:12:00.000-06:00

The other morning, Chloe and I had this conversation:

Chloe: "Daaaaaaaaad! I'm pewping, and when I'm done, you can come wipe me!"
Me: <muttering, in the next room> "Oh I can, can I..."
Chloe: <singsongy> "Daaaaaaaaaad! Come wiiiiiipe me!"
Me: "Ok, ok, here I come. You know Chloe, you're 4 now, and it's about time for you to start taking care of that yourself..."

I arrive to see the usual grab-yer-ankles pose that she assumes, with the brown eye staring at me. I accidentally look into the pot.

Me: "JEEEZ, Chloe! Dang! That's a MAN poop!"
Chloe: "I know, lookit that! I made a big 'C'! Look!"
Me: "Wow. You sure did."
Chloe: "You know, if this potty was closed, and somebody came in here and opened it, they'd know I did it because it's a C for Chloe!"
Me: "That's really gross, Chloe."
Chloe: "Or maybe they'd just think one of the family did it, because C is for Chockley too."

This really happened. I shit you not.

Catching Up

2010-12-16T06:22:00.002-06:00

A few days ago, we were watching a cartoon that featured a pinata. When it was busted and the candy came out, Chloe said, "I wish I was there and I'd eat all that candy up and not share any! Well, unless Cannon G. was there. I'd share with him." Uh oh.

****************************************

The fun thing about kids is that they get unreasonably excited about things like snow flurries. Until we call Bwana and he shows us that Nashville is blanketed in REAL snow.

************************************************

Since I last told you about our health, Chloe threw up a bunch, had an ear infection and concerned a doctor with a slight "wheeze." She (and I) missed two days of school last week- it was the sickest I've seen her in a long time! Fortunately, she came out of the weekend in pretty good shape. She, Chip and I all have a lingering cough, but I'd say the main part of the cold has finally moved out of our house. It's been a sickly few weeks over here- even our cat is on antibiotics for a UTI right now!

***************************************************

On Tuesday, I took the day off work in order to attend a production of Peter Pan at Playhouse on the Square with Connor's class. Then that night the whole family (including Grammy) braved a 100-degree school auditorium to watch Connor dance and sing Christmas songs.

Chloe's program is not until next week. She told me that for the big finale, there are a lot of kids on stage, and "some people have to stand in the back." I expressed my concern, assuming she was talking about her own tall self. "Oh no, I'm standing in the front 'cuz I can SING." Amen, sister.

Young Love

2010-12-08T09:24:00.000-06:00

Chloe: Cannon G. eats everything! He eats slugs, and worms, and flies!
Me: No way. Have you seen him eat these things?
Chloe: I haven't seen it, but he told me! And also he eats clothes and furniture and EVERYTHING!
Me: Don't believe everything a guy tells you when he's trying to impress you.
Chloe: Cannon G. wants me to be his girlfriend and I don't want to! No matter what he eats.
Me: Sounds like a solid dating philosophy to me.

I Miss It Already

2010-12-07T06:17:00.003-06:00

We had a lovely weekend. (And I hate to wish my life away, but can we just fast-forward to next weekend? I have a date at Restaurant Iris.)

Connor's first basketball game of the year was a big success. All of his grandparents were there to cheer on the Idlewild. . . Presbyterians, I guess? as their particular brand of street ball stymied the visiting Catholics. Connor had a steal, he fouled someone, and he grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up for a basket! A fantastic performance that left him glowing the rest of the day.

Saturday afternoon we went downtown for the last Rock-N-Romp of the year. It was also the best RnR of the year! It was recapped here and Chip put lots of pictures on Flickr. After the RnR we watched some of the Memphis Holiday Parade roll down Main. It was fun, if a bit cold. And after the parade, we went to the second of four meals in a row eaten at a restaurant. (I know- I'm a horrible hostess!)

Sunday morning, Chip's parents took the kids to breakfast and on to Target to shop for the kids they "adopted" this Christmas. Like geniuses, they picked a four-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy! I realized I don't do enough stuff like that with the kids- it took them a while to come around on the idea of buying toys for someone besides themselves.

We finished up with lunch at an Indian buffet (Connor quietly read a book then ate PB&J when we got home) and an afternoon of watching football. The weekend was fun, busy, and relaxing, all at the same time! I can't wait until the next one.

Under the Weather

2010-11-30T08:36:00.000-06:00

If you want a quick update on things in ChockleyBlogLand, here it is: We're SICK. And not in that fun way that X-Games announcers use the word sick. Since last Sunday (11/21), when Connor first got the flu, no one has been quite right. Chloe and I have had colds, and as of today I can tell you that mine is worse than hers. (And getting worse by the minute.) Connor no longer has a fever, and he feels okay, but the virus is struggling to leave his system completely and has manefested itself as a nasty rash. The rash comes and goes to varying degrees, but last night at bathtime it was literally covering him from forehead to ankles. And speaking of yesterday, Chip woke up Monday morning around 3:00 a.m. with Connor's original flu- the one with the high fever, chills, body aches, etc. He didn't get out of bed until it was time for the Showcase Showdown on TPIR. But he couldn't actually sleep, because his fever was so high that it made his skin hurt.

And yet, somehow, we're all at work and school today. Nothing you can prescibe for me is going to get rid of my cold. And the doctor didn't seem concerned with Connor's rash. And Chip's fever is under control today. And Chloe is just excited to have an excuse to drink Dimetapp. So here we are. For now.

A New Face for an Old Broad

2010-11-21T11:07:00.000-06:00

Yesterday the fam took a trek to Broad Avenue. A few years back, this would've been a bizarre thing to do, seeing as how the area was not very family-friendly. Recently, there's been a bit of an arts-based renaissance in the area. Slowly, the strip is changing from vacant old buildings and vagrants to art galleries and interesting bars and restaurants.

Livable Memphis and the surrounding neighborhood put on "A New Face for an Old Broad" yesterday-- a street festival of sorts, with lots of "pop-up shops." Lots of old vacant places were opened for one day, and artists and independent retail folks set up in them. The goal was to show what the area will be, when the transformation is complete. Generous bike lanes were drawn on the street, and there was a cool bike parade during the festival. I haven't done an adequate job describing it really, go read the shpill here to read more.

Our friend Melissa Sweazy opened a cool little "Happiness Store" for the day, which sold happiness by the pound. There was a climbing wall, lots of street food vendors, families, animals, bikes, balloons, and... happiness.

Check out the whole slideshow of my pics here.

Downtown at Dusk

2010-11-20T09:12:00.000-06:00

After a string of particularly beautiful sunsets over the river, I decided that I needed to lug my camera to work so I'd be prepared to capture one. Of course, that day had the most mundane sunset I'd seen in weeks, so I decided to point my camera at buildings instead.

The new University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphries School of Law, with its even newer sign:

The Falls Building (aka "Falls Bvilding"), where my office used to be:

HP Renaissance

2010-11-17T18:07:00.002-06:00

In December of 1999, I finished up my student teaching and was all ready to take over a fourth grade class that January. As a "welcome to teaching" gift, my step-sister, Robin, gave me Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, a book that both she and her students loved.

When I read the book to my first class later that semester, I was amazed at the response. Remember, this book was still relatively new (released in the US September 1998) so it was new and exciting to my students. I will never forget the following story:

One morning, the mother of a child named Brandon came to me to thank me for starting the Harry Potter book in class. She explained that the night before, she had come home from work, hung up her coat, and asked her kids about their day. Brandon to her, "We're reading this cool book at school- can you buy it for me?" So she put her coat right back on, grabbed her keys, and said, "Let's go." Apparently, in his nine years of life, Brandon had never asked her to buy him a book. She wanted to do it right away before he had a chance to change his mind.

No pun intended, but that was a magical moment for me. When you become a teacher, you imagine your career will be filled with stories like these, when you touch a child's life and change it for the better. (Then you continue teaching at a public school where they DON'T ALLOW Harry Potter books in the library because they are anti-Christian, and long story short you eventually move on to another career.) It was the first time I felt I had made an impact, and it was fantastic.

The Harry Potter series was always important to me, not just because of Brandon, but because I truly loved the characters. I will admit that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is in my top 10-15 favorite books of all time. I'm the dork who read the entire series in anticipation each time a new book was released. And for the first few movies, I re-read the books in advance of going to the theater. (And now I'll pause and let you do the math. Yes, I have read them that many times.) I love this book series.

Now I have my own young children. They have expressed an interest in seeing the movies, but I've resisted. The main reason is that I don't really like the movie series. The first few movies were made without knowing how the book series would end, and that really led to some weird editing choices, especially regarding Snape. (Why was he so cartoony? He's scary!) Plus I didn't love the casting of Hermione and the natural sexual tension that arose between her and the actor playing Harry in the movies. And just in general (as usual), I felt the movies were not nearly as good as the books. So for the reasons I just described, I really wanted the kids to read the books first, before seeing the movies.

I never said all that to the kids, of course. I just told Connor that the books were above his reading level and we'd tackle them later. But recently, he finally asked flat-out if he could read the Harry Potter books. I checked the Accelerated Reader website and determined that the first book wasn't too far outside of Connor's reading level, and told him to have at it. And he did. For the first time in his short life, he spent the whole weekend reading. He read at home, he read in the car, and he asked to take his book to Grammy's house. Each night, he looks forward to reading, first on his own while Chloe is in the shower, then with a parent during our traditional nighttime reading session. Just like Brandon so many years ago, he has been enchanted by the magic of Harry Potter.

And just like his mom, he's in no hurry to break the spell.

Cruelty to Animals

2010-11-15T19:27:00.001-06:00

About a week ago, I stumbled into the "90% off" Halloween section at Target. Behold, the best $2.58 I've ever spent.

Bumble Bee

Banana Split

The Arcade

2010-11-12T07:32:00.001-06:00

The Arcade, on South Main, is Memphis's oldest restaurant-- opened in 1919. Along with the Rendevous, it might also be its most famous restaurant. The place is a movie star: Mystery Train, Great Balls of Fire, The Client, The Firm, 21 Grams, Elizabethtown, Walk the Line all have scenes filmed there.

Sick Days

2010-11-10T17:03:00.001-06:00

I've spent the past two days at home with a different sick kid each day. Their reward for throwing up everywhere was to lounge on the couch with their pillows and blankets and watch whatever they wanted all day long. I found this torturous. Cleaning up errant puke was the delightful part of this assignment compared to spending a day watching kid/tween TV programming and the accompanying commercials.

Chloe would like everything she sees in every commercial. And there's no more Noggin, which is a now-deceased channel that showed no commercials.

I love iCarly. Easily my favorite of the kids' current favorites.

Connor likes to kick it old school, and laughed his fool head off at hours of Pink Panther and Tom & Jerry.

Did you know there's tween version of Entourage that airs on Nick? It's called Big Time Rush. It's about some kids from Minnesota who was move to LA together to become pop stars. And they live in a hotel that's like a young Hollywood hotspot. I was made to watch an episode in which the lead singer of the band and his girlfriend, an actress, were made by their managers to pretend to break up so that the girl could pretend to be dating another young star. So they spent the whole episode hiding from the paparazzi so they wouldn't get caught together when she's supposed to be dating the other guy. Seriously? My kids are entertained by this? I guess I'll get them a subscription to US Weekly for Christmas. At least they'd be reading instead of watching all this crap.

Rock n Romp

2010-11-07T18:55:00.000-06:00

Chip recapped the afternoon here. Go read it. Then go to Flickr and look at his pictures.

'Sup

2010-11-03T18:23:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been letting Chip's pictures do the talking. It seems like kids get less interesting as they get older, ya know? We all just plug along and Chloe grows out of another pair of shoes and Connor reads another Magic Treehouse book and Chip and I load and unload the dishwasher and each day runs into another.

But that's not good enough for the grandparents and other interested parties, so let's see if I can spice things up a bit for you. (Spoiler alert: No, I can't.)

Connor is really happy to be in CLUE. It's the highlight of his education to date, and he actually looks forward to it. Looks forward to school! I never thought I'd see the day!

Chloe is not making an easy sartorial transition to fall. She refuses to wear a long-sleeved shirt or dress, but will grudgingly agree to wear a cardigan or hoodie over her short-sleeved/sleeveless clothes. But only long enough to go from the car to her school- it comes off as soon as she steps inside the building. And forget about leggings or tights. Or pants of any kind, if she can help it. It's supposed to be 29 overnight Friday- I can't wait to finally win this battle!

Connor has started taking drum lessons.

Chloe has been trying to get sick for about a week now. She doesn't have a fever, but she has a lot of sinus trouble and a very bad attitude. We love her anyway.

Connor finally watches sports, actively and with great interest. He was sincerely disappointed when the Titans were on Monday Night Football, which is past his bedtime, and he was unable to watch the game. And he's been begging me to take him to the Celtics/Grizzlies game. It's so exciting!

Chloe continues to be a total girl who complains loudly about her boredom while football is on the TV. However, she refuses to play by herself or do anything to occupy her time other than sitting in front of us doing the aforementioned complaining. So her future husband has that to look forward to.

Basketball practice has started, and games will be on Saturday morning from December through February. In case you want to come.

Chip keeps taking pictures, and I'm working on finishing up my Christmas shopping. And that's about the size of things in ChockleyBlog Land.

Gimme Some Damn Candy!

2010-10-31T20:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T07:32:00.000-05:00

Time for the annual session at our neighborhood pumpkin patch! I know you folks like to reminisce, so you can see how these little weeds have shot up by looking here.

Get the (Halloween) Party Started

2010-10-29T07:34:00.002-05:00

The first Halloween event of the year for the Chockleys was the annual carnival at Idlewild Presbyterian. It gave us our first opportunity to eat our body weight in cotton candy and show off our non-costumes.

Connor's "official" costume is a muscled Superman. He tried it on for the first time last week and declared that it looked "Ridiculous!" Chip and I fastened the belt, attached the cape, and told him he looked awesome. Then Chloe chimed in with her opinion: "Yeah, that looks RIDICULOUS!" Thanks. So Wednesday night, Connor begged to be able to go out in just a Halloween t-shirt. Fine, but I'm not letting him off that easy on Sunday.

Chloe's costume is a devil. This was her third costume idea, behind a cowgirl and a Barbie princess. It originated in the dollar aisle at Target, when she found a headband with devil horns. (After wearing the horns all the way through Target and declaring her intention to be a devil several times, she finally looked at me and asked, "So what's a devil?") She just wanted a red dress and red shoes to go with the horns- she is easy to please. Sadly, all the red dresses in the world seem to be fancy/expensive holiday dresses, so I talked her into a red skirt and shirt. Somehow we ended up with a shirt that has a heart on it, which doesn't seem very devilish. In fact, most people thought that she, like Connor, chose not to really dress up. But she did! Every bit of it, including socks and shoes, were purchased specifically to be worn on Halloween. But that doesn't mean you won't see that skirt again when you get our holiday card this December.

Multiples

2010-10-24T11:46:00.000-05:00

A little fun with long exposures and flash down at the beach on our last night...

D'oh!

2010-10-20T20:30:00.001-05:00

It's likely that neither Chloe nor Connor will have a career as a wide receiver.