The Silent I Speaks

Perfect for You

My son Alex went on his first Cub Scout sleepover two weeks ago.  The scouts went to stay overnight inside the fabulous Monterey Bay Aquarium, taking the phrase "sleeping with the fishes" to a whole new meaning. We didn't think he was going to be able to go, since I had to work on Monday and his dad was away on a business trip in China.  At the last minute, the Cubmaster came to the rescue and volunteered to take Alex along with his family.

We hurried around the house, gathering up his gear for the sleepover--a flashlight, a sleeping bag, clean underwear, a toothbrush.  He had his allowance in his wallet, and I gave him an extra $5 so he could buy a souvenir or a snack if he needed to.  He was thrilled to be going and to be on his own.

He returned the next day, triumphant.  The sleepover was a lot of fun, though not much sleeping was done by the 30 or so 8-10 year old boys and parents there.  The fish evidently bang into the side of the glass at night when the lights go out, and someone at the Aquarium forgot to turn off the Muzak.  The noise and the excitement kept the boys up most of the night.  It was quite an adventure, and he loved every minute, despite being a little sleepy the next day.

He carried in with him a small bag from the Aquarium gift shop.  I figured he had bought a toy or a stuffed animal.  He handed it to me, and said, "I got you something!  Open it! Open it!"   He had a look of pure joy and excitement on his face.

I peeked inside the bag, and pulled out a beautiful little glass turtle, trimmed in gold that caught the light. 

"Wow!" I said as I hugged him, "That's beautiful!  I love it.  Thank you so much!"

He thought for a moment and said, "You know, they had different things, like a sea horse and a fish and a starfish.  But I knew a turtle would be perfect for you.  I knew a turtle would make you happiest of all."

He's right.  In all of our travels, we have gone to great lengths to see turtles on land and sea, from the nesting leatherbacks in Costa Rica and green sea turtles in Hawaii to the giant land tortoises in the Seychelles and Galapagos.  Turtles make me happy.  The fact that my son knew that and chose a gift for me based on that, meant more to me than probably any gift I've ever gotten.  I think the best gifts are those that are unexpected and show the giver knows something about you, expecially the small details. 

Thanks for the turtle, Alex.  And thanks for being the thoughtful and generous soul that you are. 

This post is part of the Parent Blogger Network's BlogBlast for Excitations . Cross-posted at The Silent I.

Sign up for Vocal Point This Week!

This is the final week for the big Vocal Point drive, so please sign up now to join this campaign.  For every person who signs up, I get an entry into a drawing for a Roomba, one of those cool robotic vacuum cleaners.

I've been part of Vocal Point for a while, and I enjoy their surveys, contests, and free stuff they send in the mail from time to time.  If you don't care for it, you can opt out at any time.

This enrollment drive is being organized by the Parent Bloggers Network.

Nina Garcia's The Little Black Book of Style

I recently joined the Parent Bloggers Network, a great network of sites that have banded together to review books and products of interest to parents.  So far, I've either been too busy or not quite the right demographic for most of the products offered.  When Julie and Kristen sent an e-mail asking for reviewers of Nina Garcia's new book,  The Little Black Book of Style, my virtual hand shot up and I shouted, "Pick me! Pick me!" 

Okay, maybe I just sent them an e-mail really, really fast, but you get the idea.  I was eager to get my hands on this one, for several reasons:

1.  I am a total, unabashed, unashamed to say-it-out-loud fan of Project Runway. 
2.  I love Nina Garcia's sometimes bitchy, yet usually spot-on analysis of the designs. 
3.  I am completely and utterly devoid of any fashion sense whatsoever. 

So, those three things combined made me a willing participant in this review.  I was expecting a short, concise, utilitarian black book of pointers on how to avoid being a Glamour Don't (or in this case, an Elle
Don't) for someone who doesn't know Oscar de la Renta from Oscar de la Hoya. I was hoping for something with a cheat-sheet I could tear out and take along with me to Nordstroms or Target, and be able to find some things to assemble a decent work wardrobe, to replace the yoga-pants and big t-shirt SAHM Uniform and the boxy, shapeless Working Mom business suits and twin sets with slacks.  Instead, I got a fun, rambling book of fashion philosophy.  Oh, with some practical advice thrown in for good measure.