The Higher the Gas, the Cooler my A**

(sorry about the title...I couldn't think of another word that rhymes with gas)

I have discovered a direct correlation between the price of gas and my "coolness" factor within my neighborhood and ward.

Since the recent spike in gas prices, we are no longer the "weird, one-car family."
When people visit our house, they now say, "Wow, it must be really nice to be so close to a grocery store." Rather than, "Wow, the lights from those stores across the street sure are BRIGHT! Is that grease I smell from the restaurant over there?" They no longer look at us with pity when they find out that one and often both of us commute to our jobs by bicycle. We are cool, we are trendsetters, we are FIERCE....and trust me, that puts us in very unfamiliar territory.

We didn't set out to be so gloriously cool and we certainly didn't predict the direction that gas prices have taken. Growing up in bike-crazy Portland, and then living in New York, walking and alternative transportation just became the norm. And then when we decided that living in the burbs was the best decision for our little family at this time, it seemed so traumatic to go from metrocards and cabs as our primary modes of transportation to two huge and expensive vehicles. So we did the suburbs on our own terms. We obviously needed to have one car, but strategically bought a townhouse within walking distance of shopping, schools, a community rec center, the park, a community garden, restaurants, and soon, a metroline to the city. There are times when owning two cars would be nice, but not many.

I hope this blog isn't sounding too self-righteous. I have a lot of sympathy for large families who need large vehicles and others who have to commute long distances for their jobs and don't have a lot of choice in the matter (although, admittedly more judgement and less sympathy for many of my NoVA neighbors whose large beastly SUVs have seen many a Nordstrom parking lot but have never been actually driven off-road.) I am so very frustrated that we didn't forsee this crisis and plan our neighborhoods and cities better during the housing boom (well, actually this probably all started post WWII, but regardless...) I hope that sustainable answers come quickly, and fear that this "pain at the pumps" is the only way to make change happen.

How have your attitudes and driving habits changed since this recent energy crisis? How do you think the future will play out....are these high prices permanent and lifestyle changing or another economic bubble that will soon burst?

Discuss. Meanwhile, I'll be talking my DH into riding our bikes to church next Sunday...how cool would we be then?

You Know You're Done When...

I feel tired. I feel weak. I look at the clock and realize there are at least 3 or more hours until dad comes home to relieve me. *SIGH* I'm so DONE with being a mother today.

I realize I'm done being a mother when everytime I sit down my body feels like its has just run 5 miles and my eyelids start to close on their own.

I know I'm done being a mother when I won't play "tag" when I'm vacuuming. The kids love to run back and forth in front of it and scream and laugh. It's usually really cute, but today it's REALLY annoying.

I know I'm done being a mother when I call DH and beg him to come home early

I know I'm done being a mother when before DH even leaves for work I'm begging "Please don't leave me with them!"

I realize I'm done being a mother when I find myself cooking pancakes and eggs for the third time this week....for dinner.

I realize I am done when both kids are dressed and ready for bed and hour before bed time.

Today, I'm done.

Summertime....

Here at tales we are seeing the first summer slump.

So, since the peops are all in their summer groove...what better thing to do than discuss summer?

Today my daughter sauntered away from her school, proclaiming herself a 1st grader. As we walked away, I saw all the fourth graders just bawling as they left their teacher (who was donning a very cute DOGS for OBAMA tee that she picked up on etsy, per my recommendation). I know my daughter loved her teacher as much as those 4th-graders loved theirs...but there was not one tear shed from any of the kindergartner's I saw.

Summer began with a bang! We played in the water spray at the park, ate ice cream, watched Kung Fu Panda with popcorn, and ended the day with McDonalds. Yeah, it was like a day of junk. I wanted to take the kids to Wall-E tomorrow, but I am headed out for an unexpected trip, so the mom guilt led me to have an extravagant day today.

Next week we are headed to San Antonio, Texas for a long 4th of July weekend. Texas in July? I think I might be crazy. I would like there to be many water events during this long weekend. The kids have been talking about Texas as they fall asleep every night this week. That is our only trip planned for the summer. When we return, the girls start their swim lessons at the YMCA.

Other then that, I am hoping to get to the beach, the public pool, playgrounds, free outdoor concerts, and as many city adventures as we can have. Maybe even a playdate or too. I have also purchased some chapter books for us to read over the next several weeks. So, what are your plans?

Seriously

Before Poopy was potty trained, we always knew when she was pooping.

She'd run into her room, slam the door and brace herself by holding on to her toy refrigerator. This was her self-appointed lavatory.

Since she has been potty-trained...going on about 4 months now, she still sometimes runs into her room and slams the door. I know exactly what she is up to, and can most of the time, easily coerce her into going on the toilet instead of in her panties.

The past two mornings, while I have been trying to get some extra zzzz's, I have heard DH discover her, post-poop....and her claims: "I'm just being quiet!" as opposed to, "I just pooped my pants and now I know I am in trouble!"

This morning during the drama, I had a vision of a little service bell being attached to the top of her toy refrigerator, so that the next time she assumed the position, she might ring that bell (she is one of those kids that can't resist that kind of thing).

At Target a few hours later, there was a bell in the dollar bins! SCORE. I have now attached and I await whether or not it will work in the future.

Also this week, my going-on-4-years-being potty-trained, Pukey, also pooped her pants.

WHAT?

We were at Central Park playing on the playground with a friend, and she ran over, holding her backside, face red and a look of panic on her face. We found the latrines which were the most retchid I have EVER seen, and I quickly removed her leggings and panties. These panties weren't like skid-mark pooped in, this was like a full out Bowl MOVEMENT people! I threw the leggings and the panties down into the large disgusting hole of disgustingness and tried to clean her as best I could and then put on her swimsuit under her dress (lucky I brought it!)

I did not make a big deal of this, because she had a friend with her and I honestly think it was a fluke.

HOWEVER, both of my children are like pooping their pants and I am starting to ask myself....is there more to this?

I don't think it's their diet. I don't think they are experiencing trauma...certainly in the past perhaps, but not now. It's summer, good times rolling. I am much more emotionally stable since I started exercising again, and for crying out loud the stress of violin recitals is over and yadda yadda yadda.

What is going on? Do I actually need to start carrying wipes and an extra set of panties in my purse again?

Crib Notes: Simply in Season

Purpose: This cookbook , commissioned by Mennonite Central Committee "promotes the understanding of how the food choices we make affect our lives and the lives of those who produce the food", provides "recipes and reasons to eat seasonal foods grown locally".

Summary/Highlights: The cookbook provides hundreds of recipes first organized by season then into sub categories like soups, salads, main dishes, desserts, etc. It also includes a fruit and vegetable guide laying out how to select, store, prepare and serve different fruits and veggies and a glossary of protein alternatives and a guide to whole grains. Finally, each recipe page ends with a small excerpt/story/reason for eating seasonally and locally.

I like these things about the book:
-The recipes are not complicated and, aside from the fresh fruits and veggies, use much of what I already have in my pantry.
-Because the recipes are organized into seasons, the fresh ingredients are readily available at my local farmers market in my garden.
-From strawberry bread to Sesame Chicken couscous to Summer Poached halibut to 5 ways to prepare green beans, every recipe I have tried so far has been delicious. And I have been giddy at how much produce from my garden I have been able to use.
-I have really enjoyed reading all the little excerpts after the recipes. It makes it not just a recipe book. My favorite little quote was about India's organic agriculture who name can be translated ito "nonviolent agriculture" - based on the fact that it is based on compassion for all species. Now, I am no bug lover (even though I do try to have a pesticide free garden) but I found it an interesting little fact.

I don't like these things about the book:
-I kind of wish it had photos and a spiral binding so it would lay flat while cooking.
-Because I liked this book so much I ordered the Simply in Season Kids Cookbook but wasn't as impressed. I still am going to check out their Eating More with Less Cookbook. I'll let you know.

Recommend or not?
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a garden, loves to shop at the farmers market, or belongs to a CSA. It has quickly become my little cooking bible.

A garden update photo for your viewing pleasure

What are Crib Notes?

Bringing Out the Worst in My Child

I’m beginning to fear that something about my parenting style brings out the worst in my daughter.

It seems that she is her worst self when I am around and her most angelic when in the care of others. We spend a lot of time together. I’m a full-time stay-at-home mom with very few obligations that she can’t participate in. So we go everywhere together, do everything together, and spend most all day every day together. So she doesn’t spend a lot of time with other people.

But it’s been a long time now that I’ve noticed an immediate difference between her behavior with me and her behavior when I’m not around. Here’s a common scenario: on the mornings that dh gets up with her, he takes her upstairs (our bedrooms are downstairs) when she wakes up and makes her breakfast. From downstairs while I get ready, I hear her wandering in her play room, playing by herself, singing songs, and being content while he makes her oatmeal. I hear happy conversation between the two of them while he makes her oatmeal. Then I come upstairs. And the whining begins; she pulls on my pant legs begging to “hold Mommy;” she falls apart in little bursts of tears when I tell her she can’t do something she wants to do. When breakfast is over and I’m trying to clean up the dishes she lingers by my legs complaining about this or that.

When I was home visiting my family a few months ago, my brothers and sisters started banning me from the room when they wanted to interact with her, because if I was in the room she wouldn’t have anything to do with anyone else. But if I wasn’t around, she was fine and able to happily enjoy her aunts and uncles. But as soon as I returned, we all had to endure a constant stream of repeated, “Hold Mommy! Hold Mommy! Hold Mommy!”

Obviously, someone would have to really observe my parenting style to be able to tell me if my reactions to her are encouraging this kind of behavior. I try very hard to not respond to her whining and crying, attempting to be patient enough to give positive responses to only positive behavior: not giving in to her tantrums or whining, not picking her up every time she demands it, etc.

But I’m wondering if anyone else has noticed this kind of shift in behavior with their own children—especially when it involves mothers. One of my good friends here—a mother whose parenting style I deeply respect—says that children really are their worst behaved when around their mothers. Being around mom brings out all their emotions and natural tendencies because we are the ones they are closest to and feel most comfortable with. They “let their hair down,” so to speak, when they’re around their moms, just like we—as adults—do with our spouses, often taking out the frustrations and anxieties of work on our spouses at home, while being kind and patient with the people and circumstances causing the negative feelings to begin with. This friend’s children are, in my opinion, very well behaved, yet even she complains that her two-year-old daughter is at her worst when at home with Mom, exhibiting the same kind of behaviors as my dd.

Has anyone else experienced this or heard of this? Am I just trying to convince myself I’m not responsible for this behavior by searching for a reason for it? If anyone else’s children seem to do this—be their worst behaved at home with Mom—how do you handle it? Or is it just part of being Mom, part of raising kids and being the one who is always there for them?

How do you get through those really bad days?

You know the days I'm talking about. When everything seems to be going wrong. You're in a mood. You're children are in a mood. Nothing is working. I think I need help getting more of a game plan together to handle those "terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad days".

Baby girl was born only about 5 weeks ago, so of course life is chaos. We have good days and bad days. The thing I am noticing is that I need more of a strategy for the bad ones. In particular I need a sure fire way to gather myself together and recoup. I don't want to snap at my toddler too often or have "that tone" with him because I'm sleep-deprived and fried. I mean, he doesn't really understand that mommy's job just got twice as hard. And I'm not one that deals well with little or no sleep. I don't want to be too hard on myself either because I know I'm doing the best I can right now, and juggling my new load is gonna be a tough transition at times. I just think I could use more of a plan for the times when I'm frazzled and can't think straight.

So what do you do to get through those kinds of days? Say a prayer (or a dozen prayers)? Read a particular scripture maybe? Have a diet coke or other sort of goodie stashed away in the fridge? Chocolate perhaps? Lock yourself in the bathroom and count to ten? Imagine yourself on a deserted island? Whatever it is, share your strategy because I definitely need to have more of a plan so that my kids don't only remember me as their crazy, stressed out mama.

Inspirational Mom: Melanie Roach

My NPR Story of the Day Podcast featured an inspirational Mom: Melanie Roach.

The timing of this particular podcast was perfect, because I was just ending my workout, which means....I have to exert my teeny tiny muscles. She's 117 pounds and can list like 250 pounds or some ridiculous number.

In 2000, while competing to be on the Olympic team she suffered a back injury (not sure the details...was it during the qualifications, training etc., I don't know), and was unable to compete. So, she went and had 3 babies instead.

Now, if most of us had a dream, and then put it away with some melancholy to have some 3 babies, would we return to that dream when our youngest was 2? I thought not.

This woman has done that and she is the leading contender for the US Olympic Weight Lifting team in the upcoming Olympics.

And guess what else, she's mormon. In the podcast she even speaks about talking to her bishop after her son was diagnosed with autism. Oh yeah, she's got a son with autism as well. Serious will power this woman has. Just listening to her try to dress her son in the morning, was enough to make me give up for the entire day after that....go to the gym and lift WHAT?

Anyway, I thought I would give a shout out to Melanie...if anybody knows her, tell her to stop by and comment or better yet, write a post of her own...and be on the look out for more inspirational moms, might make a nice series here. As if we aren't inspiring enough right? ; )

Kage's Favorite Things

So I have a few...

BOOKS:

As the child of a new reader, and also a child who is very interested in Chapter Books (she sat through Charlotte's Web read aloud at the age of 3 people)...I have found a great chapter book for her reading level:

Introducing.... MERCY WATSON books by Kate DiCamillo.

The words are for beginning readers and repetative...the illustrations are so colorful and the plots very funny.

I am way into nonfiction lately, and have just read/am reading a few good ones that I recommend here:

ESCAPE
RATS
Cesar's way

FOOD:

My new favorite Snack is Kashi Pumpkin Spice Flax Crunchy Granola Bars. I am also a fan of their Heart to Heart Cereal and their frozen entrees (pricey, but yummy).

Speaking of food....my new favorite canned soup is Amy's Organic Lentil. I picked some up at Costco thinking it would be a nice addition to my food storage, but it has quickly become a staple. My daughter and I love it and the minestrone.

I tried MASH the other day in the Grapefruit Citrus Zinger variety and it was way good. Next time you see it, try it.

BEAUTY:

I have been struggling with the adult acne factor since banishing the birth control pill from my body several months ago. Since then I have had outbreaks of acne which I assume is due to hormones since it seems cyclical. I have also had more on my forehead since I got bangs. My blackheads are simply out-of-control hording puss like pollen, in order to make honey? Like seriously, what gives.

Then I added a pill that supposedly further messes up hormones and in fact makes the birth control pill ineffective, so good thing I was already not taking it....And this pill ALSO contributed to even more adult acne. (Doesn't adult acne sound better then ZITS?)

ANYWAY, after months of trying to clear up my skin, I finally found THE PRODUCT. I have now gone almost a full cycle (at least past the acne part of the cycle) with this new product and my acne has gone down by at least 95 Percent. It's a MIRACLE.

Introducing: Kiehls Tea Tree Oil Toner.

I know, the word OIL in a toner made me skeptical too, but my kiehls peops do NOT dissappoint. RUN to your nearest www.kiehls.com today and buy this stuff...it's a miracle acne force.

I just read an article about facial sunscreen and it said that in order to get the full protection from our face sunscreen we have to use like an entire teaspoon on our face, which is just way too gloppy. So, in order to combat that, I suggest wearing one that is a high SPF and putting on as much as you can stand.

I recently tried Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch SPF 55 and it feels like baby powder on the face and does not have an annyoing scent. My dermatologist has tons of free samples, so yours might too....else, pick some up at the drugstore!

Past Favorite things:
Here

A Childhood Rite of Passage

Princess has lice.

Anyone have any tips, tricks or sympathy to share?

Do you want to know when it's your last?

I chatted with a friend recently who said she wanted to know when she was having her last pregnancy, so that she could savor it.

With the exception of that unplanned, "surprise" baby, arguably, in your relationship with your husband you could decide together: This is our last baby. This is the last one, final baby, no more babies, tie a bow on it, we're done.

Knowing that, how would that affect your pregnancy?

YES! This is the last time I am going to puke day after day after day after day.

This is the last time I will get those stinking stretch marks that debut the last few days of this whole ordeal (in some cases).

Of course there are a wide variety of negative pregnancy symptoms that I am sure most women would be glad to be going through for the last time.

But what about the good stuff?

Oh, this is the last time I will feel a baby kick inside me. This is the last time I will tear my body in two in order to present another human being to the world. This is the final chapter in smelling baby's breath, stroking their soft skin, inhaling their fuzzy heads...

God's will aside, if it is your will to have a certain number of children, and if you could control that or control that this child is the next or indeed the last, do you want to know that? Would knowing that invite sentimentality or relief? misery or joy?

I honestly do not know if there are more pregnancies in my future right now. If I had to answer on a test tonight the answer would probably be, No, I have had my last pregnancy. And if I could go back, would I have wanted to know that she was my last? Not on your life.

What will you do for Father's Day?

So Father's Day is this Sunday, right? Just checking because my sleep-deprived brain isn't working yet thanks to baby #2. I've been thinking and thinking about what to do for DH this Father's Day and haven't exactly come up with anything new and exciting. I thought maybe I could steal some ideas from YOU!

My back-up is the usual: DH sleeps in while the toddler and I make him a yummy breakfast. Toddler will also probably make him some sort of homemade card or art project (if I can get my act together on that one). But this year I think DH deserves a little something more. Maybe it's because he is just as sleep-deprived as I am and somehow still functioning at work without an afternoon nap. Maybe it's because of all the middle-of-the-night diaper changes he's done, bouncing baby girl back to sleep, or playing with the toddler even when DH is exhausted. Or maybe it's the fact that this morning he got totally pooped on when he was about to leave for work. And I mean projectile, newborn POOPED ON!

Anyway, since I still have 4 or so days to figure out what the heck I'm gonna do, please share your plans (anonymously if your DH happens to check this blog for some reason)! Do you have a fun family tradition, or a great gift idea? I don't really want to steal your super cool plans (okay, maybe I do), but seriously my brain is FRIED! Maybe we can get some new ideas from each other and feel inspired to change things up a bit. So what do you plan to do for your hubby (or dad or anyone for that matter) this Father's Day?

Playdate

The phone rings a few hours before school pick up.

It's 97 degrees outside.

"Hi, this is mom-who-shall-remain-nameless (Mom), are you busy this afternoon for a playdate?"

Me:"We are free this afternoon and I am open to having a playdate, what did you have in mind?"

Mom: "I was thinking to go to the park with the water a few blocks away."

Me: "That sounds fun but I am very concerned about the heat index today. I am in the middle of auditions right now and I am not sure how my little one will hold up....could we just play it by ear when we pick up the kids in a few hours, decide then?"

Mom:" The thing is that I will need you to take my daughter to the park and then I would meet you about 40 minutes later..."

Me: "Are you going to have some sort of back-up plan for your daughter during that time frame, because, like I said before, I am very concerned about the heat."

Mom: "Well, it's a water park so I will bring a swimsuit and towel for my daughter and they can cool off with the water."

Me: "I don't have a swimsuit and towel ready for my kids. I am out."

Mom: "Where are you?"

(It's none of your business....)

Me: "I am at 23rd and 5th ave." (Really I was just about 3 minutes away from my apartment, but I had already left the house, it was swelltering heat and I wasn't going back to lug towels and bathing suits on top of my flight attendant outfit that I needed for an audition, just so that I could babysit her daughter for some 40-minute errand she had). "I won't be able to get swimsuits and towels etc."

Mom: "The girls are going to get soaking wet, they need bathing suits...maybe we have a playdate another time."

Me:"Ok, maybe when the weather is a bit nicer."

Even though I was a little irritated in the moment, I let it go, and when I saw her at pick-up I observed that she had wrangled another girl's nanny into the job of watching her daughter for that 40 minutes...and that she had towels and suits.

My girls whined at a level code red the entire way home and once there, sat on the couch next to the air conditioner for the next 2+ hours watching Disney Channel. That heat was brutal and I am so glad I did not go to the water park.

From the Tales Inbox: Best Books for a New Mom

Carrie is a new mom in St. George and is looking for some help:

I was wondering what baby/parenting books you would recommend. I am trying to put my baby on a schedule, and trying to be successful at breastfeeding and have heard the what to expect books are crap, so I am hoping you will post on this topic if you wouldn't mind!

Thanks!
Carrie

So girls, what books were the most helpful to you as mothers of new babies?

I'm Old

Turning thirty this year honestly wasn't a big deal for me. No freaking out, questioning my life or counting my wrinkles. My thirtieth birthday was highly enjoyable even (I got to spend it with two of my favorite people -- my husband and Garth Brooks in concert).

But last night, after dining with a handful of "prospective friend" couples, I am starting to feel really old. A few of them graduated from high school 3 years after I graduated from college. What!?!

It's such a strange feeling to, all of a sudden, feel old. All through grade school, high school, and college I was the young one thanks to an early academic peak prompting me to skip first grade. I am so not the young one anymore and it kind of sucks. And it's not just my oldness that's freaking me out. Around these new youngins' I am also starting to question my cool factor (I mean I did just mention that Garth Brooks is one of my favorite people).

I'm doomed. It's like awkward junior high school all over again. Wanting to fit into a certain group but always questioning whether they actually like you or not.

Smoke in the City

I battle the smokes constantly in this city. I have taught my daughter how to hold her breath when she sees a cigarette in her path. I try to walk widely around smoke-infested doorfronts or groups of people lighting up. As much as I dislike it, I don't let it get the best of me, I just make do. I am also SO grateful that cigarettes are no longer permitted inside restaurants, that I am less inclined to complain when more and more smokers hit the streets.

This changed during a playgroup outing on Tuesday.

It was our first free concert of the summer season. We sat on the grass and watched a band perform and then proceeded to the Shake Shack for the most fattening and gut-wrenching food in the city...well, that's what it felt like that day, as I was STILL feeeling my burger HOURS later.

Anyway, since we were the stroller brigade, we moved some tables and chairs around so that we could negotiate our strollers and our little people. We were a large bunch....8 kids and 5 moms...1 dad joined us too. We had a long table and we were a bit isolated from the rest of the Shakers.

Towards the end of our meal I smelled smoke. I looked around for the source, and about 10 feet away, seated at two round tables were two men reading the paper and smoking cigar-like cigarettes. It would have been alright, but there was a strong breeze blowing the smoke into the faces of our pregnant mom, 3-month-old baby, and the rest of us.

I wondered if the men even noticed all the strollers, all the kids, the reproductive belly nearby...I figured if they held such little regard for themselves that they were destroying their bodies through the habit of cigarettes, that they probably didn't care about us either.

I asked kristie: should I say something? She encouraged me to with very little enthusiasm, force or expectation. I quickly jumped to my feet.

Very nicely I pointed out that we had a pregnant mom and a small baby with us and that the breeze was blowing their smoke into our lungs. I then asked if they would mind just moving their table a little farther away, and I also offered to assist in doing that. The older of the two gentlemen didn't say anything, and the younger said: "Wow."

He said it in that way that I say WOW when a bus almost (seriously almost) hits my daughter while crossing at a crosswalk with a walk sign, the way I say WOW when a pedestrian in a hurry almost (seriously almost) knocks over my 3 year old as she is doing her best to negotiate the subway stairs...the way I say WOW when I feel like one of my children is in genuine danger.

"Wow." He moved the table and I think they might have even put out their cigarettes. As much as I wanted to return the WOW (with THAT tone) to him for putting our future generation in danger, I did not, and instead we actually got up and left just a few minutes later.

A Runner is Born

When she signed up for the half marathon back in December, she considered herself insane, but check out our Marian now! She did it! Ran the whole thing and finished under her goal of three hours. We couldn't be more proud.

Baby Book

Am I like totally old-fashioned because I bought baby books for both of my children?

I remember my mom having one for each of her children and as a kid, I liked looking at my stats (birth weight, height, etc.), my footprints, and pictures. It was also fun to compare the stats amongst the four children to see who was the biggest baby at what age or who walked first...

When I was pregnant for the first time 7 years ago, the baby book was one of my favorite purchases. I bought BABY BOOK By Sara Midda. It was small, free-form and I loved the artwork in it. It was so much fun putting together for Pukey that I got the same one for Poopy. I think a few tales girls bought them as well....

So, I have been trying to find it online again as a possible baby gift, but they seem to be sold out or pretty over-priced. I haven't delved into searching that much because I am totally close-minded to my top pick. I am also hesitant because I wonder if moms are actually doing the baby book thing anymore. Are they filling out immunization records? Are growth charts plotted? Are there any printed pictures anymore? Is a paper baby book a totally lame book, or is it still pretty mainstream to have one and use it?

Alternately, are there websites that are not a blog, that allow you to track your baby's milestones and progress on it, similar to a baby book?

For all of you out there who are budding with offspring and totally into all aspects of becoming a mother, is this part of your research, and if so what have you found and what are your thoughts?

The Things We've Learned From Disney

My DS is addicted to movies. With each movie he watches, there is always a catch phrase or idea that sticks out for him (and for me). Here they are in no particular order, and please feel free to add your own!

Enchanted: Boys can sing and dance and still be cool (and get the girl).

"We don't push!" (usually shouted by DS when Giselle is pushed into the well).

New York Can be more fun to live in than a fantasy world.

Monsters Inc.: Laughter can give you power

All people look different, but no one is deadly to the touch.

Toy Story: Friends can be found in the strangest of packages.

We all need someone to believe in us.

Finding Nemo: Your greatest joy and fear will be found in parenting.

Forget yourself and just keep swimming.

Bugs Life: Bugs should live OUTSIDE!

Bee Movie: (technically not a Disney, but still a good show)

Bee's don't smoke. Therefore, people shouldn't either. (that's the conclusion DS has come to...yeah!)

Cars: Rusty = interesting.

Pirates Of the Carribean: If you don't brush your teeth, they WILL fall out!
(yes, my DS has actually seen this movie. Judge if you will, but he is a wicked swordsman now!)