the pieces of my life

Pie loves to “draw.” Coloring, writing, whatever. Loves it. But I’m not crazy about her walking all over the house with open markers, so I generally confiscate them quickly when she’s done, which doesn’t go over so well. Luckily, she’s into her Color Wonder markers, so we’ve found a happy medium as she can keep her own markers. But this causes other problems.

Pie: Mommy, I want to color.
Me: Okay.
Pie: Where my markers?
Me: I don’t know. Where did you leave them?
Pie runs off. Comes back.
Pie: I can’t find markers.
Me: Did you look in the playroom?
Pie: Not in playroom.
Me: Are you sure? Did you check your backpack?
Pie: Yes. Not in backpack.
Me: Are you sure? Your markers usually end up in your backpack.
Pie: THEY ARE NOT IN BACKPACK!!
Me: Okay, okay. It’s just they’re usually in your backpack.
Pie: NO! Can’t find markers!!
Me: Well look again. I can help you search for them in a minute.
Pie: NO, NOW! I CAN’T FIND MARKERS! I NEED MARKERS!
Full-blown meltdown ensures. A good ten minutes of screaming, with me reminding her, “You get nothing when you have a temper tantrum” and her insisting, “I need markers!” Finally, I walk away and eventually she calms down on her own. Three minutes after that, she bounds cheerfully back into the living room.
Pie: Mommy, I found my markers!
Me: That’s great, Pie Pie! Where were they?
Pie [with grin only Pie can deliver]: In my backpack.
Oh. Dear. Lord. That’s 2 1/2. What am I going to get at 12?

On the diaper-changing table (no, that girl is nowhere near potty trained, thanks for asking):

Pie: I’m not feeling [which is Pie’s way of saying she’s not feeling well]
Me: Oh, Sweetie! What’s wrong?
Pie: I want somebody to make me feel better.
Me: Of course, Sweetie! What can I do to make you feel better?
Pie: No, not you! Somebody else.

Once upon a time, I had a writing teacher make me keep an Observation Log, a journal in which I recorded one tiny fact of my day. Something seemingly minor. It’s a habit I’ve followed in fits and starts throughout the years and something I always mean to do more of, as reading back on those observation logs, those tiny details remind me so much more of a moment than my often rather-bland diary entries. For example, from the journal I kept eleven years ago when I was abroad for eight months:

• In Plovdiv, Buglaria, “I saw a child alone in a bumper car–driving around and around with no one to bump.”
• On the kibbutz, “When I spray the kiwis, I put a plastic tank on my back, like a knapsack. It holds about 15 liters but I only use 10. I put in 200 ccs of a chemical, a capful of another, and 10 liters of water. I put most of the water in first so it doesn’t foam up. The black straps dig into my shoulders. A black bar protrudes from the left side and it needs to be pumped to make the sprayer spray at full blast. I look like an exterminator.”
• “To me, the cutting shears resemble a trout, which is strange considering I don’t actually know what a trout looks like.”

These are much more evocative for me than the “Today I traveled with Ivan to Jordan.” Those tiny thoughts bring me directly back into the moment.

Now, to make what will appear to be a digression: As you probably all know (if you know me in person, that is) is that I heart my iPhone. Oh, iPhone! I’d marry you if it weren’t for that evil Adam already living in my house. The thing I love best about my iPhone is… well, there is no one thing. I love checking my e-mail during the kids’ swim class. I love always having my music next to me. And I love, love, love the photos it takes. I take lots of photos on it.

Let’s combine the two. I’ve started documenting my life through my iPhone photos. One photo a day. The tiny details of my life that would otherwise get lost. Right now it’s just photos but I’d love to start including observations, a la my grad school log. We’ll see. Anyway, I have a separate blog I’ve started for this purpose, which you are welcome to check out every now and then, should you so desire: jphone jenny. Yes, more self-indulgent crap on the Web. Did you expect more from me? Well, you were wrong.

I don’t normally post unrelated videos on my site, but I found this over at Mom O Matic and I thought it was hysterical.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXLHWmjA5IE]