It's almost 3 am and I cannot believe I am awake. Largely, I think I am awake because I am entirely overwhelmed by the amount of work that I have coming up. This week I will be away for a large portion of the week doing some field research. Next week I am going away for a meeting.
I think that, for me, the hardest part of having to leave town is being away from my family. I try very hard to be home every night for dinner, bathtime, and bedtime. I love that we have a night-night routine in my house that is entirely orchestrated by Dr. Isis. Night-night time in my house consists of story reading, evening prayer, and the singing of the night-night song. I covet it so much that I don't want to give it up, even when I have to be away. This week will be especially hard because where I am going lacks cellphone coverage, so I won't be able to call and say "good night."
So, tonight I was cooking dinner, feeling sorry for myself, and mourning missing night-night time when I was reminded of the read-along stories I had as a little girl. They came with a book and a record. I would put the record on the record player and following along in the book with the narrator. At the end of each page, a tone would chime and wee Dr. Isis knew to turn the page. This gave me the idea that, maybe I could record different parts of the night-night routine and then the Isis clan could play recordings of Mommy reading the stories, saying evening prayer, and singing the night-night song.
I have no idea if they'll go along with it, but it's worth a try.
Video 1: Dr. Isis reads "Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!"
Education & Careers
Comments
This was a very sweet entry. And your voice would definitely put me to sleep. I may even use your recording the nights my brain is spinning under stress pressure :P
I admire that you can keep it all up, hotness level included :)
Posted by: PhD Wannabe | November 10, 2008 8:03 AM
I strongly approve of bedtime with Dr. Seuss. Spectacular selection!
Posted by: Academic | November 10, 2008 8:19 AM
Marvin is favourite bedtime reading in our house too!
Posted by: PostDoc | November 10, 2008 11:02 AM
how sweet....:)
And I just noticed I am on your blogroll - how exciting!!! Spank you very much. oops, I mean thank you ;).
Posted by: PhizzleDizzle | November 10, 2008 11:20 AM
Hey! Your feed is working! Sweet!
And you're an awesome mom for doing that for your rugrats - I hope they appreciate it.
Posted by: ambivalent academic | November 10, 2008 12:25 PM
My father did something similar using cassettes when he had to be away from home as he was finishing grad school. I think I was in preschool. It's hard for me to remember exactly how I felt at the time, but it makes me very emotional to think of it now. There aren't many things that I remember from when I was that age.
Posted by: Charles | November 10, 2008 2:56 PM
Hey, impressive new home! I know exactly what you feel like. When I have to travel alone, I find it worst in airplanes, where families with kids travel.. Or worse, kids traveling alone.
Can you skype where you are going? Depending on the age of your kids, that may be a nice thing to do.
And: your blog rocks! I may not agree with everything you write, but that is also not the point of blogging, as I understand it.
Posted by: FIA | November 10, 2008 3:17 PM
On similar note: http://edwinleap.com/blog/?p=241
Posted by: saamaanyan | November 10, 2008 3:55 PM
I had heard once upon a time that "Marvin K. Mooney" was actually just a stand-in for "Richard M. Nixon", but I just read that the date of the writing makes this unlikely. (But should I take the word of the last person who edited the Wikipedia entry over the word of an Uncle John's Bathroom Reader?)
This same information source notes that this story has the first use of the word "crunk." I can just picture Lil Jon giving MKM a lift!
"You can go in a hat, but please go please!" made me laugh out loud.
Very wonderful of you to record this stuff for while you're away! Thanks for sharing it with us.
Posted by: Harold | November 10, 2008 8:10 PM
...
...truelol...
PhD Wannabe said...
"And your voice would definitely put me to sleep."
Now I have read some mean things said to you on your blogs . . .but that has to take the cake..!!
Hey, you may be able to throw away all the glamour of this science/hot shoe-blogging for a gig as narrator of kids 'books-on-tape' ..or CD ..or DVD ..or online ...or where ever the market might be...
Wonderful idea.
...tom...
P.S. *...tom... eagerly awaits an Amelia Bedelia reading by Dr. I.*
Posted by: ...tom... | November 10, 2008 8:37 PM
perhaps the prayer next? I'm curious to see if that would cause ScienceBlogs to explode...
Posted by: BikeMonkey | November 10, 2008 9:18 PM
Evening prayer, huh? Teaching your offspring to be good little Christians?
Posted by: Renee | November 16, 2008 10:54 PM
Yes, Renee. Let's just establish for all of you new to the joint that Dr. Isis is a mass-attending, Friday fish-eating, Catholic.
Posted by: Isis the Scientist | November 17, 2008 2:11 AM