So, what would possibly make you run out of the house in a housedress, no shower, no makeup, toss the kids in the car, and go tearing down the road? A fire? A quake?
A hot air balloon?
Yup. My husband calls me barely five minutes out the door. My first thought was, of course, "uh-oh, he's broken down or had another accident!" Then he tells me "I see a bunch of hot air balloons! Five, six.....no, seven or eight....no, wait, there must be a dozen out here! If you go outside, you'll probably see them!"
Of course, by the time I made myself decent to go outside, they were out of sight. Sad little girls. So I thought what the heck, let's go see if we can find them! I caught just a glimpse of an American flag one in the distance. Naturally, I thought it must be close to BYU campus, so I chased the girls inside and make them get dressed while I loaded the baby into a car seat. We got in the car and headed down to State Street. By the time I'd reached Bulldog, where I would normall turn off to go toward campus, I could tell they were in the other direction.
Strange, I thought. They almost look like they're trying to land in the neighborhood! Are they nuts? So we turn off to head toward a shopping complex to watch from the parking lot, but they've disappeared again. We drive up the hill toward the mall, and the girls just barely catch sight of one of them in the neighborhood south. I find a road that heads in that direction, weave in and out of streets, trying my darndest not to hit anyone, and we finally find one.
It was a big, glorious American Flag on the side of a real hot air balloon!
In someone's back yard.
Drat.
No way I was going to try to get them out at that point. We were close enough for a good glimpse of it anyway, so I promise them some coloring pages and we turn around to leave. I flip around and head back to State Street.
"Mommy, I see a rainbow balloon!"
Like a hound on the hunt, I whip my head around, looking, and there it was. Once again, in the middle of a block. How the heck was I supposed to get to it now?
Oh well, I had to try!
So I dive across five lanes of traffic and turn onto a side street. I drive a ways, looking, and can't see it.
"Mommy, it's behind us, you passed it!"
Drat. Thank goodness Utah is an enlightened state. They allow U-turns. So I flip a U-ey and head back up the hill. I can see it, but...
Is that an apartment complex?
It is. We turn into the side street, approach the parking lot....
And there it is.
Settled nearly on the ground, in the parking lot, is a big, beautiful, rainbow hot air balloon.
I didn't know anyone there. But I didn't care. There was plenty of room in the visitor parking. I parked the car, got all the girls out, and we followed the ballooners back out to the street where there was room to drop the balloon without landing it on someone's Mercedes. The girls got to get within about fifteen feet of a real, actual hot air balloon! Then the owners and their crew started the takedown process. It was a lot more complicated then I thought. I thought once you stopped the hot air, the whole thing would just collapse under it's own weight, you roll it up, and be done with it.
Not even close.
Imagine wrestling a fifty foot wide beach ball that wants to keep flying into the air! One of the crewmen pulled on a long rope to drop the top down, where another crewman got hold of the ring that held all the structural ropes (you can tell I am well versed in balloon parlance!) and they held it in place as two of the other crewmen started from the bottom, squeezed air towards the top, and in five foot sections, collapsed the balloon into a tight roll and tied it off. The thing kept a big bubble of air and kept bucking the whole time. By the time they were done, it looked vaguely like a string of half-filled rainbow sausages!
Well, the exciting part was over, and I still haven't had breakfast. I was tired and I didn't want to sugar crash, so I decided it was time to head home. We turned back towards the car.
"Hey, hey girls, wait!"
We stop. The balloon owner came around the car with her hands clenched closed. She said "I have something for you, hold out your hands."
The girls did. And each of the three older girls received a stick on balloon applique just like the real one!
Happiness!
Taea of course immediately stuck hers to her shirt. I explained that they were meant to be permanent, and so I gathered them up and promised to find a suitable home for them. A hat, a bag, something they can keep forever as a memory of our balloon chase.
We thanked her and headed to the car, the girls chattering excitedly. They reminded me of the coloring page promise, and I agreed I would look as soon as we got home.
So we arrive home, and while I cannot find the flag balloon as a coloring page, I did find the rainbow, which is a fairly common design. I print out three rainbow balloons, and three blank balloon sihouettes, and the girls settle down happily with their crayons to create their own balloon masterpieces.
Why the heck would I go to so much trouble? Well, two reasons. The most obvious is that I love my kids and I wanted to share a special experience with them. It's not every day you get to see a real life hot air balloon! The other is that they have a favorite movie where one of the characters, Peanut, tells the rest of the characters that she has a special surprise for them. The rest of the characters spend the whole day trying to locate one girl, Pillow, who is unaware of the surprise. Of course they find her in the nick of time and they get to the surprise. A big hot air balloon. Ever since they saw that movie, they've been nuts about balloons!
So the next time you see an opportunity to make a memory with your kids, take it. Chasing balloons is a lot more fun than I expected! Even if I did nearly sideswipe a few cars in the process.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
And now...the news
Okay, so now that that's off my chest, let's go to family news.
Hmm, taking a look at my last post, looks like we have to announce our little Debbers! Deborah Violet was born in January, and she is a cute little twerp. Likely to be musically inclined, and definitely with a mind of her own. At least that is what I infer from the fact that every time I try to feed her, she keeps twisting around trying to look at stuff. Sometimes I'm glad I can't nurse! If she did that while nursing, I'd...well, you get the idea. Chasing her with the bottle is hard enough, I've finally gotten to the point that I just hold it in one spot, and if she wants it, she has to come get it.
Her first spoon feeding was...interesting. She made so many gaggy faces and spit it all back out! Note to self: next time, mix it with formula instead of water. If that doesn't work, throw in a little banana. If THAT doesn't work, put it in a bottle and hope she swallows a little before she realizes what it is! Stubborn as a mule, just like her sisters.
The older kids are doing good, Taea graduated out of her preschool class a month and a half before the year was out. Sigh. Yet another reason why I have issues with that school. Would it really be so hard to let her finish out the freakin' school year? And because her birthday isn't till November, she can't go to school next year either. Testing into kindergarten is really hard, and those that I talked to can't remember a time when anyone actually got in, so that's out, and private preschools are dang expensive. So looks like it's time for mommy school, and hope we don't drive each other nuts.
I've applied to get Esther into a charter school. She is number 10 on a waiting list, but last I heard, three people had gotten in, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Ten is a lot of people to drop out in a year, but you never know. If a whole family with 3 kids moves, and another one, and another, then she's in! It's conceivable...right?
As for Bekkers, she is stubborn, willful, and two. Terrible twos, right down the line. Since the only person smaller than her is Debby, and I won't let her boss the baby around, she has taken to bossing the cat around. Except the cat only tolerates a little, then starts scratching and biting. And she just doesn't learn. Between the two cats, she has been scratched at least a dozen times, but she still plays rough. I never discipline the cat. It's not her fault! Instead, I just watch for drawn blood, and hope that eventually, Becky will get the idea. Before she kills the poor little furball.
And finally...sigh, the hard news. Grandma had a massive stroke, and is in the terminal ward. She is basically comatose, and because she gave a "do not rescusitate" order, they can't put in any life support. It is so dang hard, expecially when this is a woman that has been so freakin' healthy her whole life! Doesn't know what a headache is! Never had a cold, or the flu...of course, she did have morning sickness. That's where I got it from. But otherwise, she was perfectly healthy. When stuff like this pops up out of the blue, it just throws you completely out of your groove. I won't even discuss the condition of my house. It's just too depressing.
Well, the garden is in, and we are just trying to stay sane. This summer is going to be...interesting. I plan to do some fun stuff with the kids, so long as the schedule with the baby permits. And money, of course. But we'll see how things go. If I am not in some corner sucking my thumb by the time school starts, I'll consider that a triumph!
Hmm, taking a look at my last post, looks like we have to announce our little Debbers! Deborah Violet was born in January, and she is a cute little twerp. Likely to be musically inclined, and definitely with a mind of her own. At least that is what I infer from the fact that every time I try to feed her, she keeps twisting around trying to look at stuff. Sometimes I'm glad I can't nurse! If she did that while nursing, I'd...well, you get the idea. Chasing her with the bottle is hard enough, I've finally gotten to the point that I just hold it in one spot, and if she wants it, she has to come get it.
Her first spoon feeding was...interesting. She made so many gaggy faces and spit it all back out! Note to self: next time, mix it with formula instead of water. If that doesn't work, throw in a little banana. If THAT doesn't work, put it in a bottle and hope she swallows a little before she realizes what it is! Stubborn as a mule, just like her sisters.
The older kids are doing good, Taea graduated out of her preschool class a month and a half before the year was out. Sigh. Yet another reason why I have issues with that school. Would it really be so hard to let her finish out the freakin' school year? And because her birthday isn't till November, she can't go to school next year either. Testing into kindergarten is really hard, and those that I talked to can't remember a time when anyone actually got in, so that's out, and private preschools are dang expensive. So looks like it's time for mommy school, and hope we don't drive each other nuts.
I've applied to get Esther into a charter school. She is number 10 on a waiting list, but last I heard, three people had gotten in, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Ten is a lot of people to drop out in a year, but you never know. If a whole family with 3 kids moves, and another one, and another, then she's in! It's conceivable...right?
As for Bekkers, she is stubborn, willful, and two. Terrible twos, right down the line. Since the only person smaller than her is Debby, and I won't let her boss the baby around, she has taken to bossing the cat around. Except the cat only tolerates a little, then starts scratching and biting. And she just doesn't learn. Between the two cats, she has been scratched at least a dozen times, but she still plays rough. I never discipline the cat. It's not her fault! Instead, I just watch for drawn blood, and hope that eventually, Becky will get the idea. Before she kills the poor little furball.
And finally...sigh, the hard news. Grandma had a massive stroke, and is in the terminal ward. She is basically comatose, and because she gave a "do not rescusitate" order, they can't put in any life support. It is so dang hard, expecially when this is a woman that has been so freakin' healthy her whole life! Doesn't know what a headache is! Never had a cold, or the flu...of course, she did have morning sickness. That's where I got it from. But otherwise, she was perfectly healthy. When stuff like this pops up out of the blue, it just throws you completely out of your groove. I won't even discuss the condition of my house. It's just too depressing.
Well, the garden is in, and we are just trying to stay sane. This summer is going to be...interesting. I plan to do some fun stuff with the kids, so long as the schedule with the baby permits. And money, of course. But we'll see how things go. If I am not in some corner sucking my thumb by the time school starts, I'll consider that a triumph!
Teachers drive me crazy
Okay, so maybe it's not ENTIRELY the teacher's fault. Just mostly. I get Esther out the front door to school, still in my jammies, and the bus driver waves me out to the road. I cringe. I already look like a blob in normal clothes, I look like a beached whale in my jammies! Still, I run out there, trying not to prick bare feet in the grass under the horse chestnuts, and she informs me that there is going to be a water party today!
Party? Really? Since when? I hadn't received any notice.
Turns out there was a reason for that. Sort of. I run back in, get her suit, hand it to the bus aide, and watch her drive off all excited for a party. The rest of my morning is consumed with getting our van into the shop (again) so they can figure out why it is shifting weird and flashing speed sensor codes. I walk home with the other girls (the shop is only 3 blocks away, thank goodness!) and get home in plenty of time to greet the bus. I'm standing on the porch, anticipating greeting a drenched 5 year old who will likely want a bath.
She gets off the bus. She is bone dry, and in tears.
Say what?
She walks up to me, and through her tears, it takes several attempts to understand what she is saying. Her class did not get to participate. Others did, but hers didn't. I guess her teacher said something to the effect of "no swimming at school".
Huh?
So everyone else got to participate, but not her class. After we went to the trouble to get her suit and towel, holding up the bus, (apparently a lot of parents had this issue, NO ONE had been told) and she comes home and tells me it was all for nothing.
Teachers, I understand that you're busy. I do. BUT SO AM I. I do not have time to be running around trying to figure out the kids activities from day to day when you do not send me proper notice. Not to mention that it causes serious confusion and disappointment in the kids! If there is a reason they didn't get to party, TELL ME. Do your job, it takes all of thirty seconds to bang out a quick email to the parents, and I know darn well you have our email addresses! Next time, maybe us parents will just bring the water party ourselves.
Party? Really? Since when? I hadn't received any notice.
Turns out there was a reason for that. Sort of. I run back in, get her suit, hand it to the bus aide, and watch her drive off all excited for a party. The rest of my morning is consumed with getting our van into the shop (again) so they can figure out why it is shifting weird and flashing speed sensor codes. I walk home with the other girls (the shop is only 3 blocks away, thank goodness!) and get home in plenty of time to greet the bus. I'm standing on the porch, anticipating greeting a drenched 5 year old who will likely want a bath.
She gets off the bus. She is bone dry, and in tears.
Say what?
She walks up to me, and through her tears, it takes several attempts to understand what she is saying. Her class did not get to participate. Others did, but hers didn't. I guess her teacher said something to the effect of "no swimming at school".
Huh?
So everyone else got to participate, but not her class. After we went to the trouble to get her suit and towel, holding up the bus, (apparently a lot of parents had this issue, NO ONE had been told) and she comes home and tells me it was all for nothing.
Teachers, I understand that you're busy. I do. BUT SO AM I. I do not have time to be running around trying to figure out the kids activities from day to day when you do not send me proper notice. Not to mention that it causes serious confusion and disappointment in the kids! If there is a reason they didn't get to party, TELL ME. Do your job, it takes all of thirty seconds to bang out a quick email to the parents, and I know darn well you have our email addresses! Next time, maybe us parents will just bring the water party ourselves.
Monday, December 5, 2011
It's beginning to look a lot like...fall. Still.
Where is the snow already? C'mon, it's December, and my kids want to try out their new boots!
Yes, it's that time of year again. We've actually put up lights on the house, the only ones on our street so far. The girls are in love with them. The tree is up and gets plugged in every day. My kids have always loved lights of all kinds. They're "children of light". This was Jeff's first time putting up lights on a house exterior, and he did a great job. We weren't able to put up quite as many as I might like, because one, it has been too freakin' cold, and two, we're depending on the single outdoor circuit in the garage. The last thing we need is a wiring overload.
So, what else have we done? Well, most of the shopping is done. We were fortunate to attend a toy swap in Mom's stake, so the girls are covered. I just need to get it wrapped. I've gotten a few things for Jeff, mostly practical. I hope he likes them! I've been listening to Christmas music since July, and I'm just hoping I don't get sick of it before the big day.
We have a few other things coming up before then. One, I am getting a partial in place of my lower teeth. We haven't been able to afford crowns, and now there isn't enough left, so I'm just getting it over with and hoping that in the future we can afford implants. The other thing coming up is a certain two year olds birthday! Dang, I can't BELIEVE she is that old already! I have yet to figure out what to get her that the other two won't snitch. I don't think we'll have a big family party; I'm just too big and heavy right now, and number four is kicking the kee-rud out of me! Next year, hopefully, will be different.
It's amazing how much changes in a year. I plan to go in and get my thyroid tested after the pregnancy, see if that is part of the reason why I'm always so tired and cranky. I'd be willing to bet it's either that or the adrenals or both. I would love to have some energy for once, so I'm not always barking at the kids. Then, there is so much to be done around the house and yard. I'm grateful for winter this year simply because it means I can stop feeling guilty about not getting outside and getting stuff done!
So I guess it's time to start making my New Year's Resolutions. I might even get them posted, if I remember! Till then, I'll just be surviving the holiday season. I hope.
Merry Christmas, everybody, and I hope you truly do have a good New Year.
Yes, it's that time of year again. We've actually put up lights on the house, the only ones on our street so far. The girls are in love with them. The tree is up and gets plugged in every day. My kids have always loved lights of all kinds. They're "children of light". This was Jeff's first time putting up lights on a house exterior, and he did a great job. We weren't able to put up quite as many as I might like, because one, it has been too freakin' cold, and two, we're depending on the single outdoor circuit in the garage. The last thing we need is a wiring overload.
So, what else have we done? Well, most of the shopping is done. We were fortunate to attend a toy swap in Mom's stake, so the girls are covered. I just need to get it wrapped. I've gotten a few things for Jeff, mostly practical. I hope he likes them! I've been listening to Christmas music since July, and I'm just hoping I don't get sick of it before the big day.
We have a few other things coming up before then. One, I am getting a partial in place of my lower teeth. We haven't been able to afford crowns, and now there isn't enough left, so I'm just getting it over with and hoping that in the future we can afford implants. The other thing coming up is a certain two year olds birthday! Dang, I can't BELIEVE she is that old already! I have yet to figure out what to get her that the other two won't snitch. I don't think we'll have a big family party; I'm just too big and heavy right now, and number four is kicking the kee-rud out of me! Next year, hopefully, will be different.
It's amazing how much changes in a year. I plan to go in and get my thyroid tested after the pregnancy, see if that is part of the reason why I'm always so tired and cranky. I'd be willing to bet it's either that or the adrenals or both. I would love to have some energy for once, so I'm not always barking at the kids. Then, there is so much to be done around the house and yard. I'm grateful for winter this year simply because it means I can stop feeling guilty about not getting outside and getting stuff done!
So I guess it's time to start making my New Year's Resolutions. I might even get them posted, if I remember! Till then, I'll just be surviving the holiday season. I hope.
Merry Christmas, everybody, and I hope you truly do have a good New Year.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Time (okay, PAST time) for an update!
Wow, it's been nearly a year! And a lot has happened. As my only excuse, I've been pregnant (again) and sick as a dog, so blogging has been the LAST thing on my mind.
And, as usual, the girls are running rampant in the living room, so I'd better make this quick.
Jeff-still working at the same place, except it's not exactly the same place anymore. They bought another company, more than doubling their staff and their geographical coverage, so things are...well...downright INSANE. He is working his tail off, often has projects to finish when he gets home, so we're having to kind of ride the tsunami for the time being. Because of my pregnancy issues, he is back on dish duty...and the dishwasher died. Not a good time for this to happen!
Heather-pregnant and grumpy most of the time, sad to say. Jeff's Honda died at the beginning of the year, then Jeff totalled the van, then his sister lent us one, then we bought another cheap used van, then found out it had tranny problems and had to be rebuilt, then...mrrr. Yeah, this has been a difficult year. Still teaching jewelry classes, kind of gave up on Roberts for now because no one was interested. Going to approach that again after I have the baby and get some strength back.
Esther-getting so friggen' BIG! Kindergarten now, doing excellent, has good friends in class and a good teacher, and her speech is progressing wonderfully! Still has her long ringlets but her hair is getting darker. I don't think she'll maintain the light Calkin hair, I think she's going to be brunette like most of my family. Either way, she is drop-dead gorgeous...and knows it.
Taemarin-feisty, spunky, stubborn, willful...you know, all the things a self-respecting four year old should be! She is growing bigger too, though not as long and lanky as her sister. I think she's going to be our stocky athletic one. She is in preschool and doing well, I will have to miss her parent-teacher this week because of reports of pertussis in the school. I'm pregnant and paranoid!
Rebecca-our little Bekkers, nearly two and just as stubborn and independent minded as the rest! She wants SOOOO much to be like them, and be able to play with them, and it tends to get her in trouble when she gets involved and messes things up. We've moved her into a big girl bed, and so far, so good, she is still taking naps and does reasonably well at bedtime. Hope it lasts!
Number 4-Baby Debby, as she will be known, is kicking the crud out of me! She's due mid-Jan, and from all indications, she will be just as feisty as the others. Can't wait to see if we'll finally have a little carrot top!
Don't know how long it will be before I have time to post again, so I'll say it now. Happy Holidays to all y'all out there, and stay safe in this crazy, messed up world!
And, as usual, the girls are running rampant in the living room, so I'd better make this quick.
Jeff-still working at the same place, except it's not exactly the same place anymore. They bought another company, more than doubling their staff and their geographical coverage, so things are...well...downright INSANE. He is working his tail off, often has projects to finish when he gets home, so we're having to kind of ride the tsunami for the time being. Because of my pregnancy issues, he is back on dish duty...and the dishwasher died. Not a good time for this to happen!
Heather-pregnant and grumpy most of the time, sad to say. Jeff's Honda died at the beginning of the year, then Jeff totalled the van, then his sister lent us one, then we bought another cheap used van, then found out it had tranny problems and had to be rebuilt, then...mrrr. Yeah, this has been a difficult year. Still teaching jewelry classes, kind of gave up on Roberts for now because no one was interested. Going to approach that again after I have the baby and get some strength back.
Esther-getting so friggen' BIG! Kindergarten now, doing excellent, has good friends in class and a good teacher, and her speech is progressing wonderfully! Still has her long ringlets but her hair is getting darker. I don't think she'll maintain the light Calkin hair, I think she's going to be brunette like most of my family. Either way, she is drop-dead gorgeous...and knows it.
Taemarin-feisty, spunky, stubborn, willful...you know, all the things a self-respecting four year old should be! She is growing bigger too, though not as long and lanky as her sister. I think she's going to be our stocky athletic one. She is in preschool and doing well, I will have to miss her parent-teacher this week because of reports of pertussis in the school. I'm pregnant and paranoid!
Rebecca-our little Bekkers, nearly two and just as stubborn and independent minded as the rest! She wants SOOOO much to be like them, and be able to play with them, and it tends to get her in trouble when she gets involved and messes things up. We've moved her into a big girl bed, and so far, so good, she is still taking naps and does reasonably well at bedtime. Hope it lasts!
Number 4-Baby Debby, as she will be known, is kicking the crud out of me! She's due mid-Jan, and from all indications, she will be just as feisty as the others. Can't wait to see if we'll finally have a little carrot top!
Don't know how long it will be before I have time to post again, so I'll say it now. Happy Holidays to all y'all out there, and stay safe in this crazy, messed up world!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
It's a New Year
It's a new year, and it's time to get back on the wagon. I fell off, gained back all the weight and then some (darn Christmas candy!), so now I need to get back to losing the weight.
I'm still using Calorie Count, they've updated their site with a bunch of new food items so I don't have to hand enter everything. It's a great tool, so all I have to do is get used to my diet again, then ease into a workout routine.
That, along with my jewelry classes, my calling (we have a funeral this week to prepare for. Fun, huh?), taking care of the kids, the house, and attempting to work on the second draft of my trilogy. I think I need an extra 12 hours a day!
Well, time to get at it! I am also trying to limit the time I spend on the computer, I've had blurry vision lately, I think I need a break! So gonna break out the beads now and work on another project. This is gonna be fun!
I'm still using Calorie Count, they've updated their site with a bunch of new food items so I don't have to hand enter everything. It's a great tool, so all I have to do is get used to my diet again, then ease into a workout routine.
That, along with my jewelry classes, my calling (we have a funeral this week to prepare for. Fun, huh?), taking care of the kids, the house, and attempting to work on the second draft of my trilogy. I think I need an extra 12 hours a day!
Well, time to get at it! I am also trying to limit the time I spend on the computer, I've had blurry vision lately, I think I need a break! So gonna break out the beads now and work on another project. This is gonna be fun!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Faster....and slower
Phew! I don't have much time, I have mischief loose in the living room. But I just thought I'd lay out a quick review of how much is going on right now!
Jeff-busy as heck at work, and contemplating how long he can get away with driving on regular tires before snow flies. Oh yeah, that's this afternoon! Hope he makes it okay. He's a little under the weather these days, but I'm hoping to fix that with some chicken soup and green tea.
Esther-loving preschool, growing like a weed, and gorgeous as always! Her curly hair always attracts attention, and YES, it is totally natural! No curlers involved!
Taemarin-Turns THREE today!!! Yup, she's actually three years old! We had her party on Saturday, so I don't plan to confuse the issue by bringing it up to her today, but it just boggles my mind. We have her signed up to be tested for preschool, we're just waiting for them to call us for an appointment. I'm hoping to get her into the same place as Esther, then they can ride the bus together.
Becky-OH SO CLOSE!! She is so close to walking now, it's crazy! She can stand independently, but she is just a little too nervous to take that first step. Her blue eyes are so pretty, just like her sisters, and in daylight they just draw you in and melt you into a little puddle!
Heather-holy cow, where do I begin?? Farmer's Market is over for the season. The weather is just too nasty to even think about continuing! However, I have replaced it with two new loves. Etsy, and a teaching gig at Robert's Arts and Crafts in Provo. Yup, I'm a bona fide instructor now! Friday nights, you can sign up on my other blog. I'm actually doing a demo today in-store to show off what projects we'll be working on this month. I have a fall one, and a Christmas one. Mom is coming to watch the kids for me so I don't have them tearing the store apart. (Thanks Mom!) In February, I will have another teaching job as a UVU community education instructor, again, teaching Jewelry. That will be on Tuesday nights.
Every day is a new surprise for us. It's astonishing to me how time seems to just drag during the long, dark, cold days. (I have seasonal depression issues). But then the end of the week comes, when Jeff is home, and I look back and ask "where has the time gone???" Time flies when you're having fun, and if I'm not careful, it will all fly away, my kids will be grown, and I'll be wondering what the heck I did with my life!
Jeff-busy as heck at work, and contemplating how long he can get away with driving on regular tires before snow flies. Oh yeah, that's this afternoon! Hope he makes it okay. He's a little under the weather these days, but I'm hoping to fix that with some chicken soup and green tea.
Esther-loving preschool, growing like a weed, and gorgeous as always! Her curly hair always attracts attention, and YES, it is totally natural! No curlers involved!
Taemarin-Turns THREE today!!! Yup, she's actually three years old! We had her party on Saturday, so I don't plan to confuse the issue by bringing it up to her today, but it just boggles my mind. We have her signed up to be tested for preschool, we're just waiting for them to call us for an appointment. I'm hoping to get her into the same place as Esther, then they can ride the bus together.
Becky-OH SO CLOSE!! She is so close to walking now, it's crazy! She can stand independently, but she is just a little too nervous to take that first step. Her blue eyes are so pretty, just like her sisters, and in daylight they just draw you in and melt you into a little puddle!
Heather-holy cow, where do I begin?? Farmer's Market is over for the season. The weather is just too nasty to even think about continuing! However, I have replaced it with two new loves. Etsy, and a teaching gig at Robert's Arts and Crafts in Provo. Yup, I'm a bona fide instructor now! Friday nights, you can sign up on my other blog. I'm actually doing a demo today in-store to show off what projects we'll be working on this month. I have a fall one, and a Christmas one. Mom is coming to watch the kids for me so I don't have them tearing the store apart. (Thanks Mom!) In February, I will have another teaching job as a UVU community education instructor, again, teaching Jewelry. That will be on Tuesday nights.
Every day is a new surprise for us. It's astonishing to me how time seems to just drag during the long, dark, cold days. (I have seasonal depression issues). But then the end of the week comes, when Jeff is home, and I look back and ask "where has the time gone???" Time flies when you're having fun, and if I'm not careful, it will all fly away, my kids will be grown, and I'll be wondering what the heck I did with my life!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The Garden...on the other end of the Year
Wow. Y'know, I outta set my browser to auto-sign in my blog. Then maybe I'd update once in a while!
So much has happened. I don't have much time, but here's a few things. I started a diet, fell off the wagon for a couple months during summer when it was too hot to work out, now I'm trying to get back on. Becky is getting so freakin' big, I can't believe she used to be this teeny newborn, now she's crawling all over and just barely starting to pull herself up on stuff!
The garden is, well, doing okay, I guess. I'm having a hard time actually eating all the stuff that comes out of it, I planted a bit too much, I guess! My peas are doing well, Esther's pumpkin plants are doing freakin' AWESOME, and the tomatoes are kinda touch and go. Funnily enough, the romas are larger than the slicing tomatoes. I think someone must have swapped the tags in the store! The one plant that is doing the best is our cherry tomato. I have no problem with endorsing this time, BONNIE ROCKS! The other tomatoes were your basic six pack with no brand on them, the cherry was a single Bonnie plant, and it is HAPPEEEEEEE.
Well, other than that, we've actually started the process of sorting and cleaning out the bins in the garage. Not just rearranging them, we're actually getting rid of stuff now! I went through probably fifteen or so bins and boxes, and by the time I was done, I had consolidated or eliminated enough stuff to have eight empty bins, and that includes one of the big ones.
Let's see...Esther starts school in a couple of weeks, later than everyone else. I don't know why they hold the preschool back, but oh well. It's not soon enough for either of us, she asks me to go to school every freakin' day! Taea will be tested after her third birthday, I think I'll pay for it if she doesn't qualify, she could use some interaction with qualified instructors who have more patience than me!
Jeff is a manager at work now, and they are busier than ever. They lost two of their guys to school and a move to Texas, so he's going crazy trying to keep stuff running. Hopefully things will smooth out in a few weeks so he doesn't have a friggen' heart attack.
Well, other than that, just waiting for fall so I can get outside more without getting fried and get stuff done. I'm looking forward to all the holidays that I can do stuff with the girls on, Esther is old enough to do some crafts independently, and I think she'll love it. I will honestly try to update more often, especially as I go back on this darn diet. Venting once in a while will help, I'm sure!
So much has happened. I don't have much time, but here's a few things. I started a diet, fell off the wagon for a couple months during summer when it was too hot to work out, now I'm trying to get back on. Becky is getting so freakin' big, I can't believe she used to be this teeny newborn, now she's crawling all over and just barely starting to pull herself up on stuff!
The garden is, well, doing okay, I guess. I'm having a hard time actually eating all the stuff that comes out of it, I planted a bit too much, I guess! My peas are doing well, Esther's pumpkin plants are doing freakin' AWESOME, and the tomatoes are kinda touch and go. Funnily enough, the romas are larger than the slicing tomatoes. I think someone must have swapped the tags in the store! The one plant that is doing the best is our cherry tomato. I have no problem with endorsing this time, BONNIE ROCKS! The other tomatoes were your basic six pack with no brand on them, the cherry was a single Bonnie plant, and it is HAPPEEEEEEE.
Well, other than that, we've actually started the process of sorting and cleaning out the bins in the garage. Not just rearranging them, we're actually getting rid of stuff now! I went through probably fifteen or so bins and boxes, and by the time I was done, I had consolidated or eliminated enough stuff to have eight empty bins, and that includes one of the big ones.
Let's see...Esther starts school in a couple of weeks, later than everyone else. I don't know why they hold the preschool back, but oh well. It's not soon enough for either of us, she asks me to go to school every freakin' day! Taea will be tested after her third birthday, I think I'll pay for it if she doesn't qualify, she could use some interaction with qualified instructors who have more patience than me!
Jeff is a manager at work now, and they are busier than ever. They lost two of their guys to school and a move to Texas, so he's going crazy trying to keep stuff running. Hopefully things will smooth out in a few weeks so he doesn't have a friggen' heart attack.
Well, other than that, just waiting for fall so I can get outside more without getting fried and get stuff done. I'm looking forward to all the holidays that I can do stuff with the girls on, Esther is old enough to do some crafts independently, and I think she'll love it. I will honestly try to update more often, especially as I go back on this darn diet. Venting once in a while will help, I'm sure!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Being Sick Sucks
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Being sick sucks.
It's especially hard to keep a good attitude. This time around, I was attacked on multiple fronts, and was taking Tamiflu, Amoxicillin, Cipro ear drops, eye drops, and copious amounts of Dayquil all at once.
Yeah. I hate being sick.
Well, now I'm down to the Amox and ear drops, I have infections in both ears, and the left one actually ruptured. I have new appreciation for Esther's difficulties now that I know what she has gone through being mostly deaf in one ear. It wasn't fun in the slightest. I still have partial hearing loss, and it's hard because I sound loud to me, but everyone else says I talk too quiet, and I can't hear them either. It's frustrating, and aggravating, and exasperating and......well, you get the point.
Anyway, I am looking forward to spring. I already have some bulbs popping up in the backyard. Iris, mostly, and I know there are some peonies in that area. I neglected to rake up all the leaves off the iris last fall, so some of the rhizomes have risen to the surface, I'll have to replant them, but at least they survived!
Then there is my veggie garden. Now that I'm not pregnant, I am really looking forward to some quality time with peas, tomatoes, potatoes, spinach, pumpkin......mmmmmmmmmm. The girls especially love peas and cucumbers, most of my peas last year went straight to them!
I have rosebushes to rescue, vines to train around the front yard, a lattice to bolt to the front porch, and lots of other stuff to do. Now if the weather would just make up its mind, I might get some of this done!
Then there's the stuff inside. We have taken serious looks at moving to Eagle Mountain, right down to picking the house style we like best. It's just barely out of our reach, loan-qual wise, but we're so close. If we could just get this place sold without taking a loss, we could get the house we want. Unfortunately, with the kitchen being a 40s-style nightmare, and the bathroom not much better, we're going to have a hard time selling.
Well, so now you know what my spring looks like. Assuming I stop being sick.
Sigh. I hate being sick.
It's especially hard to keep a good attitude. This time around, I was attacked on multiple fronts, and was taking Tamiflu, Amoxicillin, Cipro ear drops, eye drops, and copious amounts of Dayquil all at once.
Yeah. I hate being sick.
Well, now I'm down to the Amox and ear drops, I have infections in both ears, and the left one actually ruptured. I have new appreciation for Esther's difficulties now that I know what she has gone through being mostly deaf in one ear. It wasn't fun in the slightest. I still have partial hearing loss, and it's hard because I sound loud to me, but everyone else says I talk too quiet, and I can't hear them either. It's frustrating, and aggravating, and exasperating and......well, you get the point.
Anyway, I am looking forward to spring. I already have some bulbs popping up in the backyard. Iris, mostly, and I know there are some peonies in that area. I neglected to rake up all the leaves off the iris last fall, so some of the rhizomes have risen to the surface, I'll have to replant them, but at least they survived!
Then there is my veggie garden. Now that I'm not pregnant, I am really looking forward to some quality time with peas, tomatoes, potatoes, spinach, pumpkin......mmmmmmmmmm. The girls especially love peas and cucumbers, most of my peas last year went straight to them!
I have rosebushes to rescue, vines to train around the front yard, a lattice to bolt to the front porch, and lots of other stuff to do. Now if the weather would just make up its mind, I might get some of this done!
Then there's the stuff inside. We have taken serious looks at moving to Eagle Mountain, right down to picking the house style we like best. It's just barely out of our reach, loan-qual wise, but we're so close. If we could just get this place sold without taking a loss, we could get the house we want. Unfortunately, with the kitchen being a 40s-style nightmare, and the bathroom not much better, we're going to have a hard time selling.
Well, so now you know what my spring looks like. Assuming I stop being sick.
Sigh. I hate being sick.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Good Riddance 2009!
Well, the year is over. THANK GOODNESS! Yes, there were some good things about the year, such as a new addition to our family, but there was a lot of not-so-good. 2009 decided to take a parting shot at us in the last week. Taea was in the hospital.
Yup. My little snuggle bug caught some kind of horrid virus that dehydrated her in about 24 hours, so we ended up in the emergency room, where the doctor decided to keep her overnight. Thank goodness Jeff had a couple days of PTO left, he took the first night, and I took the second. Thankfully, she is much better now, though she is wont to be fussy and argumentative. I guess after having life turned upside-down for a while, she is trying to reestablish her boundaries.
Becky is doing well, she regained her birth weight and then some by her two-week checkup. Whee! She is developing so well, already tracking objects with her eyes, and being VERY clingy.
Esther is going back to school after the holiday today. I'm sure she'll be happy about it, but I pity her poor teacher. Trying to get kids settled down after a long holiday is never an easy task!
Sigh. So on to a new year. I have so many goals, so many things I want to accomplish, but I don't know if I will have time for it all. Prioritize, I know, but so many of the things are worthy goals, it's hard to decide what is most important.
Well, I guess the only thing to do is dig in and hope it works out for the best. And hope I survive the melee!
Yup. My little snuggle bug caught some kind of horrid virus that dehydrated her in about 24 hours, so we ended up in the emergency room, where the doctor decided to keep her overnight. Thank goodness Jeff had a couple days of PTO left, he took the first night, and I took the second. Thankfully, she is much better now, though she is wont to be fussy and argumentative. I guess after having life turned upside-down for a while, she is trying to reestablish her boundaries.
Becky is doing well, she regained her birth weight and then some by her two-week checkup. Whee! She is developing so well, already tracking objects with her eyes, and being VERY clingy.
Esther is going back to school after the holiday today. I'm sure she'll be happy about it, but I pity her poor teacher. Trying to get kids settled down after a long holiday is never an easy task!
Sigh. So on to a new year. I have so many goals, so many things I want to accomplish, but I don't know if I will have time for it all. Prioritize, I know, but so many of the things are worthy goals, it's hard to decide what is most important.
Well, I guess the only thing to do is dig in and hope it works out for the best. And hope I survive the melee!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The End...and The Beginning
Well, the pregnancy is finally over! All the puking, the waddling, the loose, sore hips, screaming bladder...it's all done.
It was a good ending. About 3 and 1/2 hours, culminating in three sets of three pushes, and there she was.
Yup. It's a girl.
A new beginning. So far, her sisters just seem a little perplexed. Only mildly curious. But then, little Rebecca has been a pretty quiet, content baby. Sleeps well, eats well, except she utterly refuses to even try to nurse. Not a big deal, I have no supply anyway. I tried a professional hospital pump, I worked with a nurse and the baby for half an hour...nothing. Baby wouldn't latch, not even to a plastic shaper. Nada.
Stress isn't good for anyone. Especially when you're recovering from childbirth. So...I gave up. It's not the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Formulas are good these days, and the thing about kids getting sick more easily if they aren't breastfed isn't always true. My kids have been anything BUT sickly! They are growing well, and except for Esther's speech problem, they're developing fine. My mom had the same issue, her kids grew up fine...so I am not going to fret about it. There is no point. I have no choice.
Anyway, all that aside, our new little bundle is cute as a button. She has slightly more hair than the others, and it looks like it will probably be blond or slightly strawberry, just like the rest of us. I'm wondering if any of our kids will be redheads like their grandma, but if not, that's okay.
She was seven pounds fifteen, nineteen and a half inches. Right there in the middle size-wise with her sisters. Baby gray-blue eyes, no idea what color they will be in the future. She is a little love-bug, likes to snuggle. It will be so fun to see what her personality will be like as she matures, if she is strong willed like Esther, or REALLY strong willed like Taea!
I am glad to have my body back (sorta). Now, let the fun begin!
It was a good ending. About 3 and 1/2 hours, culminating in three sets of three pushes, and there she was.
Yup. It's a girl.
A new beginning. So far, her sisters just seem a little perplexed. Only mildly curious. But then, little Rebecca has been a pretty quiet, content baby. Sleeps well, eats well, except she utterly refuses to even try to nurse. Not a big deal, I have no supply anyway. I tried a professional hospital pump, I worked with a nurse and the baby for half an hour...nothing. Baby wouldn't latch, not even to a plastic shaper. Nada.
Stress isn't good for anyone. Especially when you're recovering from childbirth. So...I gave up. It's not the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Formulas are good these days, and the thing about kids getting sick more easily if they aren't breastfed isn't always true. My kids have been anything BUT sickly! They are growing well, and except for Esther's speech problem, they're developing fine. My mom had the same issue, her kids grew up fine...so I am not going to fret about it. There is no point. I have no choice.
Anyway, all that aside, our new little bundle is cute as a button. She has slightly more hair than the others, and it looks like it will probably be blond or slightly strawberry, just like the rest of us. I'm wondering if any of our kids will be redheads like their grandma, but if not, that's okay.
She was seven pounds fifteen, nineteen and a half inches. Right there in the middle size-wise with her sisters. Baby gray-blue eyes, no idea what color they will be in the future. She is a little love-bug, likes to snuggle. It will be so fun to see what her personality will be like as she matures, if she is strong willed like Esther, or REALLY strong willed like Taea!
I am glad to have my body back (sorta). Now, let the fun begin!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Prepping for Baby
How the heck do women survive this last month?
Yes, I've done it twice before. However, for whatever reason, I am carrying this one more...forward than the other two. More hip and back problems too. I know my body is supposed to do this kind of stuff to get ready, so I'm not trying to shove a baby through a hole the size of a garbanzo bean, but still, it's hard!
I have so much to do to get ready for the baby, and yet my body doesn't want to cooperate! How do women survive this last month and get everything done in time? So far she has a place to sleep, we have the cute outfit we're bringing her home in (designed to make her look like a Christmas gift), and I have a vague idea of where the diaper bag is. Oh, and yes, we have two cases of diapers.
That's it so far.
Sheesh, I was ready MONTHS in advance for the other two! Of course, at that time, I was living in an entirely different place so I pretty much kept everything in the nursery anyway, since there was nowhere else to store it. Now that we're in our own home, a lot of that got shunted out to the garage. Here was me thinking I was going to have a boy, so the bin of girls clothes is....somewhere in the vicinity of the house. The garage, most likely.
Double sigh.
I'll get it done. Somehow. We have bought a few new things, so the kid won't be naked, I still have the bottles out since my older two are just NOW going to no bottles at all (that's another story, but yes, we're bottle-breaking finally, and they are not happy in the slightest), and I have the bassinet set up. I have blankets, the small chest of drawers has been cleared out for her with a new, big one set up for Esther and Taea...I guess I'm not doing too bad.
But still, there is so much to be done for babies! So much to prepare. And if you have an older home that is less than...well, quiet, there's a lot of other stuff that you wouldn't think of. Our bedroom door sticks and doesn't want to close properly. At times, it has gotten completely stuck. This is the room the baby will be sleeping in. DEFINITELY needs to be fixed.
The floor squeaks badly, especially at night. If I have to walk across the kitchen five times a night for bottle prep (sigh, yes I will try to breast-feed but we all know how successful THAT has been) then I run the risk of waking up the older girls. Five times a night. Gotta get that fixed too.
We have a new car-seat/stroller set. It's just still in its box. In the garage. With everything else.
I need to get the baby swing reassembled, set up the play yard so I can leave the room occasionally without worrying about Taea squashing her baby sister, clean out the extra junk in the living room so I don't have to worry about it getting knocked over on top of her. Lots of baby proofing.
And some of you are asking "why haven't you done this before?"
To which I answer "have you ever tried to clean boxes and bins out of a living room, while pregnant and sick, with two toddlers underfoot?"
So now that I'm REALLY pregnant, I get to do it anyway! Oh joy! Sigh. Yeah, I'm a procrastinator.
But it will get done. Somehow. Because baby is coming, whether Mommy is ready or not.
Yes, I've done it twice before. However, for whatever reason, I am carrying this one more...forward than the other two. More hip and back problems too. I know my body is supposed to do this kind of stuff to get ready, so I'm not trying to shove a baby through a hole the size of a garbanzo bean, but still, it's hard!
I have so much to do to get ready for the baby, and yet my body doesn't want to cooperate! How do women survive this last month and get everything done in time? So far she has a place to sleep, we have the cute outfit we're bringing her home in (designed to make her look like a Christmas gift), and I have a vague idea of where the diaper bag is. Oh, and yes, we have two cases of diapers.
That's it so far.
Sheesh, I was ready MONTHS in advance for the other two! Of course, at that time, I was living in an entirely different place so I pretty much kept everything in the nursery anyway, since there was nowhere else to store it. Now that we're in our own home, a lot of that got shunted out to the garage. Here was me thinking I was going to have a boy, so the bin of girls clothes is....somewhere in the vicinity of the house. The garage, most likely.
Double sigh.
I'll get it done. Somehow. We have bought a few new things, so the kid won't be naked, I still have the bottles out since my older two are just NOW going to no bottles at all (that's another story, but yes, we're bottle-breaking finally, and they are not happy in the slightest), and I have the bassinet set up. I have blankets, the small chest of drawers has been cleared out for her with a new, big one set up for Esther and Taea...I guess I'm not doing too bad.
But still, there is so much to be done for babies! So much to prepare. And if you have an older home that is less than...well, quiet, there's a lot of other stuff that you wouldn't think of. Our bedroom door sticks and doesn't want to close properly. At times, it has gotten completely stuck. This is the room the baby will be sleeping in. DEFINITELY needs to be fixed.
The floor squeaks badly, especially at night. If I have to walk across the kitchen five times a night for bottle prep (sigh, yes I will try to breast-feed but we all know how successful THAT has been) then I run the risk of waking up the older girls. Five times a night. Gotta get that fixed too.
We have a new car-seat/stroller set. It's just still in its box. In the garage. With everything else.
I need to get the baby swing reassembled, set up the play yard so I can leave the room occasionally without worrying about Taea squashing her baby sister, clean out the extra junk in the living room so I don't have to worry about it getting knocked over on top of her. Lots of baby proofing.
And some of you are asking "why haven't you done this before?"
To which I answer "have you ever tried to clean boxes and bins out of a living room, while pregnant and sick, with two toddlers underfoot?"
So now that I'm REALLY pregnant, I get to do it anyway! Oh joy! Sigh. Yeah, I'm a procrastinator.
But it will get done. Somehow. Because baby is coming, whether Mommy is ready or not.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Have you hugged yourself today?
Okay, folks, it's Monday!
And you know what that means.
Yeah, usually, it's a rough day. Take each day's allotment of frustration and roll it into one day, and you have Monday.
So what are we going to do about it?
First of all, we are not going to stress. Things will go wrong, things won't get done that need to be, and kids will drive us utterly bananas because they're back to routine after the weekend. But we won't stress about it.
Moms come in for an awful lot of guilt. Your kid falls and gets hurt during two seconds of diverted attention, you feel horrible. Never mind that you already told him fifteen times not to climb on the back of the couch. He still did it, and he got hurt, and now he's giving you that look that says "Mommy, why did you let me get hurt?"
Don't do it! Don't give in! Yes, he needs attention, but make it a teaching moment. Make sure he understands that if he had listened, he wouldn't be hurt now. Kids seem to prefer the school of hard knocks for some reason, but that is no reason for us to amp up our guilt levels.
Your first grader came home from school crying because she didn't have her costume for the dress-rehearsal of the school pageant. Your guilt SOARS. Did she bother to tell you she needed one? Nope. You didn't even know the school was having a play, but she insists it is your fault because you're a mommy, you are supposed to know things like this. Oh, and the school hasn't updated it's calendar for the last six months, but still...you're omniscient, didn't you know that??
Yeah, sounds absurd. But it happens. All the time.
Don't let it get to you. Things go wrong. You have to go through the bad in order to appreciate the good! If life were nothing but easy and peaceful...how would we know? We have to have hard and chaotic to appreciate the good moments.
So today, instead of dialing your therapist for yet another session of "I'm such a bad mother", try a bit of free therapy. Hug yourself. Once, twice, however many times you need it. Give yourself a big hug, look into a mirror (ignoring the toothpaste splotches you haven't cleaned yet) and tell yourself what a wonderful person you are.
Because you ARE!
People are so depressed these days. Granted, a lot of it is for legitimate medical reasons. Been there, I know, and in fact I'm suspecting I still have an issue. Not in my brain, but elsewhere. I think somewhere else in my system is haywire, and that's depressing everything else. If you really wanna know more, look up "adrenal insufficiency" and see if that describes you!
But there is a lot of depression that could be solved if we just lightened up on ourselves. Society has put a huge burden on us to be thin, beautiful, and totally competent while maintaining a gorgeous home. I'm a self-described HGTV/DIY network junkie, and I've noticed that every time I watch one of the high-end makeovers, it depresses me. You know the kind. The ones where the designers have a five figure budget just to make over a guest room? Sheesh, if I had that kind of money, my family would be on their way to Disneyland about now!
But it kinda makes you feel inadequate. My living room is best described as secondhand toddleresque eclectic. Basically, it's full of hand-me-down furniture that is already worn enough, I don't really care if the kids finally destroy it. But it is so EMBARRASSING! Especially when the donor of said furniture drops by, and you feel like sinking into the floor because of its condition.
Okay, enough! No stressing today! Yeah, I do it too. Time for another hug.
On days you know you're going to be stressed, make a point of doing something for yourself, and don't feel guilty about it. Have a sort of touch point, a link to how you feel when you feel awesome about yourself. Not a hugger? Give your mirror a high-five, and LEAVE THE HANDPRINT! Heck, make a collection of handprints, count them at the end of the day to remind you just how awesome you are, and THEN you can clean it off. If that doesn't work, buy a small cache of treats, hide it away well, and when you need a pick-me-up, grab a treat and say "I deserve every calorie!" If you're on a diet...well, go for sugar free! They make some good ones these days.
You get the idea. It's time to stop letting ourselves be ruled by Monday, whether it's on Monday, Tuesday, Saturday, whatever. Time to just let things be.
Give yourself a hug. And while you're at it...the next time your kid comes at you with uber sticky hands and chocolate all over his face, let him hug you anyway. That's what stain treaters are for.
And you know what that means.
Yeah, usually, it's a rough day. Take each day's allotment of frustration and roll it into one day, and you have Monday.
So what are we going to do about it?
First of all, we are not going to stress. Things will go wrong, things won't get done that need to be, and kids will drive us utterly bananas because they're back to routine after the weekend. But we won't stress about it.
Moms come in for an awful lot of guilt. Your kid falls and gets hurt during two seconds of diverted attention, you feel horrible. Never mind that you already told him fifteen times not to climb on the back of the couch. He still did it, and he got hurt, and now he's giving you that look that says "Mommy, why did you let me get hurt?"
Don't do it! Don't give in! Yes, he needs attention, but make it a teaching moment. Make sure he understands that if he had listened, he wouldn't be hurt now. Kids seem to prefer the school of hard knocks for some reason, but that is no reason for us to amp up our guilt levels.
Your first grader came home from school crying because she didn't have her costume for the dress-rehearsal of the school pageant. Your guilt SOARS. Did she bother to tell you she needed one? Nope. You didn't even know the school was having a play, but she insists it is your fault because you're a mommy, you are supposed to know things like this. Oh, and the school hasn't updated it's calendar for the last six months, but still...you're omniscient, didn't you know that??
Yeah, sounds absurd. But it happens. All the time.
Don't let it get to you. Things go wrong. You have to go through the bad in order to appreciate the good! If life were nothing but easy and peaceful...how would we know? We have to have hard and chaotic to appreciate the good moments.
So today, instead of dialing your therapist for yet another session of "I'm such a bad mother", try a bit of free therapy. Hug yourself. Once, twice, however many times you need it. Give yourself a big hug, look into a mirror (ignoring the toothpaste splotches you haven't cleaned yet) and tell yourself what a wonderful person you are.
Because you ARE!
People are so depressed these days. Granted, a lot of it is for legitimate medical reasons. Been there, I know, and in fact I'm suspecting I still have an issue. Not in my brain, but elsewhere. I think somewhere else in my system is haywire, and that's depressing everything else. If you really wanna know more, look up "adrenal insufficiency" and see if that describes you!
But there is a lot of depression that could be solved if we just lightened up on ourselves. Society has put a huge burden on us to be thin, beautiful, and totally competent while maintaining a gorgeous home. I'm a self-described HGTV/DIY network junkie, and I've noticed that every time I watch one of the high-end makeovers, it depresses me. You know the kind. The ones where the designers have a five figure budget just to make over a guest room? Sheesh, if I had that kind of money, my family would be on their way to Disneyland about now!
But it kinda makes you feel inadequate. My living room is best described as secondhand toddleresque eclectic. Basically, it's full of hand-me-down furniture that is already worn enough, I don't really care if the kids finally destroy it. But it is so EMBARRASSING! Especially when the donor of said furniture drops by, and you feel like sinking into the floor because of its condition.
Okay, enough! No stressing today! Yeah, I do it too. Time for another hug.
On days you know you're going to be stressed, make a point of doing something for yourself, and don't feel guilty about it. Have a sort of touch point, a link to how you feel when you feel awesome about yourself. Not a hugger? Give your mirror a high-five, and LEAVE THE HANDPRINT! Heck, make a collection of handprints, count them at the end of the day to remind you just how awesome you are, and THEN you can clean it off. If that doesn't work, buy a small cache of treats, hide it away well, and when you need a pick-me-up, grab a treat and say "I deserve every calorie!" If you're on a diet...well, go for sugar free! They make some good ones these days.
You get the idea. It's time to stop letting ourselves be ruled by Monday, whether it's on Monday, Tuesday, Saturday, whatever. Time to just let things be.
Give yourself a hug. And while you're at it...the next time your kid comes at you with uber sticky hands and chocolate all over his face, let him hug you anyway. That's what stain treaters are for.
Friday, October 9, 2009
TGIF...now what?
Meh. Blah. So uninspired today.
You gasp in disbelief. But...it's Friday! you protest.
Yeah, so?
It's the weekend! You should have plans to do all kinds of stuff!
Uh-huh. That's the problem. I have TOO MANY plans. Where in the world do you start? It's all stuff worthy of completion. The garden needs to be cleaned out, the garage wiring needs to be done, I've got weeds to pull, a stone path to install in the front yard, endless housework to do. How does one choose? There is no way I can get it all done. Not in my present state. And yet, it all needs to be done.
Yes, Jeff will likely be doing most of the heavy work. But even after he gets that done, there is more to do. It would be nice to have a weekend where we don't have anything to do. That never comes. I suppose, some time this winter we may have a day where we are snowed in and therefore have just house stuff to do, but there is a lot of that too. Besides house cleaning, there's wiring and repairs inside to do as well. We still have old light fixtures and wiring in the ceiling that are just blazes waiting to flare up. I swear we must have guardian angels keeping the house from going up in flames. Getting into the attic is the fun part. The opening is small, and it is stuffed full of blown insulation.
I don't like to make excuses for why things don't get done. But sometimes...you look around at everything that NEEDS to be done, and it just defeats you. How the heck do you find a starting point? And when you get to the end of the day, how do you choose a stopping point? You see "just a few more things" that need to be done, and before you know it, it's midnight and you're so tired you can't even see straight. You're useless the next day because you overdid it.
So what's the answer?
Haven't a clue. I guess, this weekend, maybe I'll find it.
You gasp in disbelief. But...it's Friday! you protest.
Yeah, so?
It's the weekend! You should have plans to do all kinds of stuff!
Uh-huh. That's the problem. I have TOO MANY plans. Where in the world do you start? It's all stuff worthy of completion. The garden needs to be cleaned out, the garage wiring needs to be done, I've got weeds to pull, a stone path to install in the front yard, endless housework to do. How does one choose? There is no way I can get it all done. Not in my present state. And yet, it all needs to be done.
Yes, Jeff will likely be doing most of the heavy work. But even after he gets that done, there is more to do. It would be nice to have a weekend where we don't have anything to do. That never comes. I suppose, some time this winter we may have a day where we are snowed in and therefore have just house stuff to do, but there is a lot of that too. Besides house cleaning, there's wiring and repairs inside to do as well. We still have old light fixtures and wiring in the ceiling that are just blazes waiting to flare up. I swear we must have guardian angels keeping the house from going up in flames. Getting into the attic is the fun part. The opening is small, and it is stuffed full of blown insulation.
I don't like to make excuses for why things don't get done. But sometimes...you look around at everything that NEEDS to be done, and it just defeats you. How the heck do you find a starting point? And when you get to the end of the day, how do you choose a stopping point? You see "just a few more things" that need to be done, and before you know it, it's midnight and you're so tired you can't even see straight. You're useless the next day because you overdid it.
So what's the answer?
Haven't a clue. I guess, this weekend, maybe I'll find it.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Looking at the Bright Side...With New Sunglasses!
Sigh. We knew it had to be done. We knew the time was coming. And it came a lot more swiftly than either of us would have liked.
I'm sitting in the living room, babies are in bed, and Jeff walks in with his glasses in his hands. "I am not happy right now," he says. I look up, and he hands me his glasses, with one lens popped out. Easy enough, I think, just pop it back...
The frames were snapped.
He had been having problems with them not sitting properly on his face. That's what happens when curious toddlers are constantly trying to bend them out of shape. So after his shower, he was trying to bend them back INTO shape. They broke. In this case, it wasn't a simple matter of the nosepiece breaking in half. Nope. Instead, the frame of the right lens had snapped away from the nosepiece, which is a 90 degree angle. Not something you can discreetly wrap with tape.
The first thing I think of is crazy glue. Well, he has to have glasses, or he can't go to work! He's bat-blind without them! His only other pair are sunglasses, which he really doesn't wear as often as he should, but I'd rather they not be his only pair. People might think he really IS blind.
I check the desk. No crazy glue. Come to think of it, I haven't seen any in the house for a couple of years. Then I remember my bead fixative. That stuff is just about as strong as crazy glue. I should know, I actually glued my fingers together when I first tried it. So I go pull out a new bottle, cut off the tip, and try to apply it.
Nuts. Too old. It dried up in the bottle. I check my old bottle. Same thing.
Drat. Double drat. NOW what?
I'm desperate. So I try seam glue. Those of you that have used it know what I'm talking about. It's a kind of clearish stuff, resembling crazy glue, that you place along a seam of fragile fabric to keep it from fraying.
It's not crazy glue. So I try scotch tape. It looks terrible.
I am so ready to give up. I head back into the living room, and tell him I tried the seam glue, but it's not working, so I taped it. He's more or less resigned to it. He heads for bed, I go back to turn off the office light.
Of course!
Sitting in my tool basket is a tool I haven't even opened yet. A mini hot-glue gun. The tip is small enough to allow for delicate detail work. Lessee, a gun...and about a hundred sticks of glue. Yeah, that should be enough.
I plug it in and wait for it to heat up, examining the break as I do so. It isn't a clean straight break, it's slightly jagged, so I fight with the glasses and get it arranged properly, tightly as possible to hold in the lens.
I apply the glue, leaving about a lentil-sized blob, and hold it, blowing on it to cool it more quickly. I wait, and wait...I look around for a rubber band, then decide to just test it. Tentatively, I let go.
It holds.
EUREKA!
I wrap the rubber band around it anyway, to hold it overnight and allow it to cure. The glue blob is apparent up close, but far away, you don't really notice unless you look for it.
I go in to bed, where Jeff asks where in the world I've been. Apparently, he didn't notice me working in the kitchen. I tell him what I did, and warn him it may or may not hold.
The next morning, he makes an appointment at the glasses shop. One of those one-hour or less places. The tab is staggering. He buys two pair--one regular, one sunglasses--with "flexible" frames and no-glare lenses. Good idea, he stares at a computer all day. Over six hundred dollars.
Eesh.
It would have been cheaper had we gone somewhere else, but...while the repair had miraculously held throughout the day, the lens still kept popping out. The more he shoved it back in, the more it would strain the repair. So we had little choice.
At least now he has better glasses, with a double bar across the nosepiece instead of single, so the girls can't twist it to pieces again. It looks...different. Different color, too. But they are similar enough to the glasses he had years ago, it's not hard to get used to.
As for the old glasses, I hate to throw them out. His prescription has changed, but not immensely. In a pinch, they might be useful. So after examining them, we've decided to take the lenses out of his old sunglasses, which have identical frames, and put the regular lenses in those frames.
Why I didn't think of that the night before, I have no idea.
Still, at least he didn't have to miss oodles of work because of broken glasses. They were expensive, but fortunately, we actually had a little savings this month. We could whine and complain that we had other, more fun uses for that. But the fact of the matter is that he has needed new glasses, and this was a good time to get them. We were blessed to have the money when we needed it.
Next up? Lasik!
I'm sitting in the living room, babies are in bed, and Jeff walks in with his glasses in his hands. "I am not happy right now," he says. I look up, and he hands me his glasses, with one lens popped out. Easy enough, I think, just pop it back...
The frames were snapped.
He had been having problems with them not sitting properly on his face. That's what happens when curious toddlers are constantly trying to bend them out of shape. So after his shower, he was trying to bend them back INTO shape. They broke. In this case, it wasn't a simple matter of the nosepiece breaking in half. Nope. Instead, the frame of the right lens had snapped away from the nosepiece, which is a 90 degree angle. Not something you can discreetly wrap with tape.
The first thing I think of is crazy glue. Well, he has to have glasses, or he can't go to work! He's bat-blind without them! His only other pair are sunglasses, which he really doesn't wear as often as he should, but I'd rather they not be his only pair. People might think he really IS blind.
I check the desk. No crazy glue. Come to think of it, I haven't seen any in the house for a couple of years. Then I remember my bead fixative. That stuff is just about as strong as crazy glue. I should know, I actually glued my fingers together when I first tried it. So I go pull out a new bottle, cut off the tip, and try to apply it.
Nuts. Too old. It dried up in the bottle. I check my old bottle. Same thing.
Drat. Double drat. NOW what?
I'm desperate. So I try seam glue. Those of you that have used it know what I'm talking about. It's a kind of clearish stuff, resembling crazy glue, that you place along a seam of fragile fabric to keep it from fraying.
It's not crazy glue. So I try scotch tape. It looks terrible.
I am so ready to give up. I head back into the living room, and tell him I tried the seam glue, but it's not working, so I taped it. He's more or less resigned to it. He heads for bed, I go back to turn off the office light.
Of course!
Sitting in my tool basket is a tool I haven't even opened yet. A mini hot-glue gun. The tip is small enough to allow for delicate detail work. Lessee, a gun...and about a hundred sticks of glue. Yeah, that should be enough.
I plug it in and wait for it to heat up, examining the break as I do so. It isn't a clean straight break, it's slightly jagged, so I fight with the glasses and get it arranged properly, tightly as possible to hold in the lens.
I apply the glue, leaving about a lentil-sized blob, and hold it, blowing on it to cool it more quickly. I wait, and wait...I look around for a rubber band, then decide to just test it. Tentatively, I let go.
It holds.
EUREKA!
I wrap the rubber band around it anyway, to hold it overnight and allow it to cure. The glue blob is apparent up close, but far away, you don't really notice unless you look for it.
I go in to bed, where Jeff asks where in the world I've been. Apparently, he didn't notice me working in the kitchen. I tell him what I did, and warn him it may or may not hold.
The next morning, he makes an appointment at the glasses shop. One of those one-hour or less places. The tab is staggering. He buys two pair--one regular, one sunglasses--with "flexible" frames and no-glare lenses. Good idea, he stares at a computer all day. Over six hundred dollars.
Eesh.
It would have been cheaper had we gone somewhere else, but...while the repair had miraculously held throughout the day, the lens still kept popping out. The more he shoved it back in, the more it would strain the repair. So we had little choice.
At least now he has better glasses, with a double bar across the nosepiece instead of single, so the girls can't twist it to pieces again. It looks...different. Different color, too. But they are similar enough to the glasses he had years ago, it's not hard to get used to.
As for the old glasses, I hate to throw them out. His prescription has changed, but not immensely. In a pinch, they might be useful. So after examining them, we've decided to take the lenses out of his old sunglasses, which have identical frames, and put the regular lenses in those frames.
Why I didn't think of that the night before, I have no idea.
Still, at least he didn't have to miss oodles of work because of broken glasses. They were expensive, but fortunately, we actually had a little savings this month. We could whine and complain that we had other, more fun uses for that. But the fact of the matter is that he has needed new glasses, and this was a good time to get them. We were blessed to have the money when we needed it.
Next up? Lasik!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
I Am NOT a Morning Person
Not in the slightest. I love the beauty of a sunrise, but I'm just as apt to hit the sack again afterward as to actually start the day. I've always been a night owl, despite multiple attempts to change my schedule around. I just do better in the afternoon and at night.
My kids, on the other hand, are usually awake by seven-thirty. I know, there are moms right now looking at the screen and laughing at me because they're up by dawn, but when you're up till midnight or thereabouts the night before, it can really drag on you! Especially since we're STILL bottle-breaking, and these two wake up once or twice a night, SCREAMING, and won't go back to sleep without us getting up to comfort them. It's so...frustrating.
Well, so far, I've just about gotten them bottle-broken during the day. Cups only, though Esther refuses to drink milk from a cup. I try to make sure she gets her vitamins so she doesn't lose out on calcium.
Anyway, this kind of crazy schedule means that more often than not, one of us ends up waking up on the wrong side of the bed. With my hormones going whacko, it's usually me! It is so hard not to be grumpy, but what does one do about it? I'm NOT going to take depression meds, not with the horror stories I've heard. And besides, I tried them before and ended up borderline suicidal. No thank you.
I guess I just have to tough it. As tired and cranky as I am, I have to remember not to take it out on the kids. It's not their fault that I got so wasted from morning sickness. I still have to be there to be Mommy. Esther tries so hard to be my shadow, my little sidekick. Today she even "helped" me sort stuff off the desk. I hand it to her, she sticks it in the bin I name. And she loves it. I guess I should nurture her helpfulness before she becomes a teenager!
But it still wears on me. Her speech is clearing up more and more, and she is a chatterbox, but when I'm grumpy all I want to do is sit and be left alone. Talk about a personality clash!
I don't have any sage advice for this one. I haven't a clue what to do except to tough it out until the pregnancy is over, then find a solution. Right in time for SADD! Oh yay! Oh, I so hope I don't get serious postpartum. Eesh. Any ideas on this one?
My kids, on the other hand, are usually awake by seven-thirty. I know, there are moms right now looking at the screen and laughing at me because they're up by dawn, but when you're up till midnight or thereabouts the night before, it can really drag on you! Especially since we're STILL bottle-breaking, and these two wake up once or twice a night, SCREAMING, and won't go back to sleep without us getting up to comfort them. It's so...frustrating.
Well, so far, I've just about gotten them bottle-broken during the day. Cups only, though Esther refuses to drink milk from a cup. I try to make sure she gets her vitamins so she doesn't lose out on calcium.
Anyway, this kind of crazy schedule means that more often than not, one of us ends up waking up on the wrong side of the bed. With my hormones going whacko, it's usually me! It is so hard not to be grumpy, but what does one do about it? I'm NOT going to take depression meds, not with the horror stories I've heard. And besides, I tried them before and ended up borderline suicidal. No thank you.
I guess I just have to tough it. As tired and cranky as I am, I have to remember not to take it out on the kids. It's not their fault that I got so wasted from morning sickness. I still have to be there to be Mommy. Esther tries so hard to be my shadow, my little sidekick. Today she even "helped" me sort stuff off the desk. I hand it to her, she sticks it in the bin I name. And she loves it. I guess I should nurture her helpfulness before she becomes a teenager!
But it still wears on me. Her speech is clearing up more and more, and she is a chatterbox, but when I'm grumpy all I want to do is sit and be left alone. Talk about a personality clash!
I don't have any sage advice for this one. I haven't a clue what to do except to tough it out until the pregnancy is over, then find a solution. Right in time for SADD! Oh yay! Oh, I so hope I don't get serious postpartum. Eesh. Any ideas on this one?
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Life is what happens when you try to plan...
Saturday. Jeff and I had been talking all day Friday about what we wanted to get done. I have even posted a list of Fall things-to-do-before-it-snows. We were looking at doing some rearranging and organizing in the kitchen, which would be difficult because there is only so much I can help Jeff move, it's all too heavy in my present condition.
So I get up Saturday morning and decide to fold some laundry that was sitting in the basket for a few days. Jeff had been feeling kinda punky on Friday, so we were modifying plans and deciding to just clean instead of moving things around.
Then it hit me. Like a brick wall.
I was just standing there, folding stuff, and I starting to feel weak and clammy. Not an unfamiliar feeling, I've had mild hypoglycemic problems all my life. But this was bad enough that after a minute, I sat down quickly onto our bed, and called Jeff in to ask if I was pale. Yeah, I was. I felt like I was going to pass out if I so much as stood up again. After a few minutes, I mustered enough strength to fold the few remaining items in the basket, then I went and collapsed into my dish chair in the living room.
I drank a bunch of milk, and waited to feel better. It wasn't happening. What was worse, Jeff was sick and weak too, so we started to wonder if it was flu or something. Not good. Both of us down, with two active toddlers, is a recipe for disaster. But until I knew what was wrong, I didn't dare call for help when it might just make someone else sick.
Then, stage 2. Not vomiting. The other end.
Food poisoning.
No, we didn't get an official diagnosis, but that is sure what it felt like. We were weak, sick to our stomachs, did NOT feel like eating AT ALL, which for me is hard with the baby. I can't just skip meals when I feel like it. We were in the bathroom constantly, and we only have one, so that was fun.
There went our plans for the day.
Sigh. Well, I guess I can be grateful for one thing. It hit on the weekend, so Jeff won't likely miss any work. We are saving all of his PTO for the birth, his company has no paternity leave, so he would have to take time unpaid. We can't afford that.
Let's hope we'll all better by tomorrow. Oh, yeah, I have an OB appointment tomorrow as well, so I have to try to be better for that. I will have to find a babysitter though, I do not think I have the strength to drag two toddlers to an office that has a reputation for being snail-slow.
So much for the weekend. Oh well.
So I get up Saturday morning and decide to fold some laundry that was sitting in the basket for a few days. Jeff had been feeling kinda punky on Friday, so we were modifying plans and deciding to just clean instead of moving things around.
Then it hit me. Like a brick wall.
I was just standing there, folding stuff, and I starting to feel weak and clammy. Not an unfamiliar feeling, I've had mild hypoglycemic problems all my life. But this was bad enough that after a minute, I sat down quickly onto our bed, and called Jeff in to ask if I was pale. Yeah, I was. I felt like I was going to pass out if I so much as stood up again. After a few minutes, I mustered enough strength to fold the few remaining items in the basket, then I went and collapsed into my dish chair in the living room.
I drank a bunch of milk, and waited to feel better. It wasn't happening. What was worse, Jeff was sick and weak too, so we started to wonder if it was flu or something. Not good. Both of us down, with two active toddlers, is a recipe for disaster. But until I knew what was wrong, I didn't dare call for help when it might just make someone else sick.
Then, stage 2. Not vomiting. The other end.
Food poisoning.
No, we didn't get an official diagnosis, but that is sure what it felt like. We were weak, sick to our stomachs, did NOT feel like eating AT ALL, which for me is hard with the baby. I can't just skip meals when I feel like it. We were in the bathroom constantly, and we only have one, so that was fun.
There went our plans for the day.
Sigh. Well, I guess I can be grateful for one thing. It hit on the weekend, so Jeff won't likely miss any work. We are saving all of his PTO for the birth, his company has no paternity leave, so he would have to take time unpaid. We can't afford that.
Let's hope we'll all better by tomorrow. Oh, yeah, I have an OB appointment tomorrow as well, so I have to try to be better for that. I will have to find a babysitter though, I do not think I have the strength to drag two toddlers to an office that has a reputation for being snail-slow.
So much for the weekend. Oh well.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Of cribs and diapers and sleeping in...
Oh yes. We slept in this morning. And paid for it.
Well, two of us did. Esther always bounces out of bed by eight or so, comes in and sticks her face right in mine and says "Wake up, Mommy!" This morning, because Taea was up late last night for no reason other than that she couldn't sleep, Taea was still out. So I got up, settled Esther in front of Noggin with milk and cereal after changing her diaper, then I went and crashed again. My bedroom door is right by the TV, so i can hear if Esther has a problem, I wasn't worried about it. Esther came in a few more times to try to drag me out of bed, but I just rolled over and ignored her. (I'm such a mean mommy, I know).
Then, around nine-thirty, Taea woke up. Screaming.
I kinda figured what I would find when I went in to get her. I thought she and the crib would be soaked. I was half wrong.
Her diaper had exploded out the back.
I immediately laid out a towel on the changing table, got her wiped off as best I could and plopped her in the tub. After a quick scrub and a fresh diaper, she was her usual smiley congenial self, so I gave her a cup of milk (working on bottle breaking still, only doing bottles at night now, yay!), and headed back in to do battle with the crib. I dumped everything onto the soiled sheet, gathered it up, and dropped it on the washer. I took some sanitizer wipes and cleaned up everything that hadn't hit the sheets, buried the plastic mattress in sanitizer spray, and put on a new sheet.
Y'know what's actually good about the whole thing? I had the energy to do it! So sleeping in ain't all bad. If I had gotten up earlier, I probably wouldn't have had such a mess because Taea would have been changed sooner. But then I'd be exhausted through the whole day.
So how the heck does one decide?
I think a lot of it has to do with your body's own signals. It is a good thing to listen to your body, particularly when you're sick. You keep thinking "I should get all this done now or I'll regret it later," but then you never get to rest. It never ends! There is no such thing as "done". So when you have absolutely hit your limit, you have to stop, or your body will start to fall apart, and then you'll REALLY have regrets! It's hard for Mommy to care for everyone else when she has nothing left to give.
Do I regret sleeping in? Naw. Do I want those hours back when I could get more done? Well, maybe, but if I hadn't slept in and tried to get stuff done while exhausted, I probably would have been moving slower and making more mistakes anyway!
Balance, people! It's all about balance!
Just make sure you have plenty of wipes.
Well, two of us did. Esther always bounces out of bed by eight or so, comes in and sticks her face right in mine and says "Wake up, Mommy!" This morning, because Taea was up late last night for no reason other than that she couldn't sleep, Taea was still out. So I got up, settled Esther in front of Noggin with milk and cereal after changing her diaper, then I went and crashed again. My bedroom door is right by the TV, so i can hear if Esther has a problem, I wasn't worried about it. Esther came in a few more times to try to drag me out of bed, but I just rolled over and ignored her. (I'm such a mean mommy, I know).
Then, around nine-thirty, Taea woke up. Screaming.
I kinda figured what I would find when I went in to get her. I thought she and the crib would be soaked. I was half wrong.
Her diaper had exploded out the back.
I immediately laid out a towel on the changing table, got her wiped off as best I could and plopped her in the tub. After a quick scrub and a fresh diaper, she was her usual smiley congenial self, so I gave her a cup of milk (working on bottle breaking still, only doing bottles at night now, yay!), and headed back in to do battle with the crib. I dumped everything onto the soiled sheet, gathered it up, and dropped it on the washer. I took some sanitizer wipes and cleaned up everything that hadn't hit the sheets, buried the plastic mattress in sanitizer spray, and put on a new sheet.
Y'know what's actually good about the whole thing? I had the energy to do it! So sleeping in ain't all bad. If I had gotten up earlier, I probably wouldn't have had such a mess because Taea would have been changed sooner. But then I'd be exhausted through the whole day.
So how the heck does one decide?
I think a lot of it has to do with your body's own signals. It is a good thing to listen to your body, particularly when you're sick. You keep thinking "I should get all this done now or I'll regret it later," but then you never get to rest. It never ends! There is no such thing as "done". So when you have absolutely hit your limit, you have to stop, or your body will start to fall apart, and then you'll REALLY have regrets! It's hard for Mommy to care for everyone else when she has nothing left to give.
Do I regret sleeping in? Naw. Do I want those hours back when I could get more done? Well, maybe, but if I hadn't slept in and tried to get stuff done while exhausted, I probably would have been moving slower and making more mistakes anyway!
Balance, people! It's all about balance!
Just make sure you have plenty of wipes.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Crazy Firsts (and Hopefully Lasts!)
Y'know, I can't remember ever, in my lifetime, having to mop a ceiling.
Well, I guess technically it was more like sweeping, because I used a broom, but it had a towel wrapped over it.
But still, it's not what I wanted to wake up to. There are so much easier ways to clean cobwebs.
And no, that was not the reason. Taea was having a very hard time breathing last night. So much that Jeff decided to plug in our warm-air humidifier. This morning, when I went to change Esther's diaper, she pointed to the ceiling and said something about stars.
They don't have stars on their ceiling.
I looked up, and sparkling like stars on the ceiling was a bunch of water droplets. The light fixture had a small puddle in the light cover. The window was soaked.
Ack!
So I finished changing her, grabbed the broom and a couple of towels, and mopped the ceiling. Esther was highly entertained. It didn't even get all the moisture, it just got the worst of it. I opened the window to vent out the room, and chalked it up to a learning experience. Next time, we crack the window.
This was after I spent all night dreaming I was in some weird castle that was supposed to be Hogwarts, but definitely WASN'T, being chased by Voldemort. Only in this case, Voldemort more closely resembled Emperor Palpatine. I haven't even WATCHED those movies in months! This pregnancy is screwing with my head.
All in all, not the way I wanted to start my day. I think I'll take it as a sign of stress and just relax today. We're still dealing with summer heat, and it's wearing me down. Supposedly we're supposed to have rain this weekend, but that's what they said last weekend, and it didn't happen. I'm not holding my breath, though I could certainly use the cleaner air!
Anyway, that's how my day has gone so far. Hope yours is going better.
Well, I guess technically it was more like sweeping, because I used a broom, but it had a towel wrapped over it.
But still, it's not what I wanted to wake up to. There are so much easier ways to clean cobwebs.
And no, that was not the reason. Taea was having a very hard time breathing last night. So much that Jeff decided to plug in our warm-air humidifier. This morning, when I went to change Esther's diaper, she pointed to the ceiling and said something about stars.
They don't have stars on their ceiling.
I looked up, and sparkling like stars on the ceiling was a bunch of water droplets. The light fixture had a small puddle in the light cover. The window was soaked.
Ack!
So I finished changing her, grabbed the broom and a couple of towels, and mopped the ceiling. Esther was highly entertained. It didn't even get all the moisture, it just got the worst of it. I opened the window to vent out the room, and chalked it up to a learning experience. Next time, we crack the window.
This was after I spent all night dreaming I was in some weird castle that was supposed to be Hogwarts, but definitely WASN'T, being chased by Voldemort. Only in this case, Voldemort more closely resembled Emperor Palpatine. I haven't even WATCHED those movies in months! This pregnancy is screwing with my head.
All in all, not the way I wanted to start my day. I think I'll take it as a sign of stress and just relax today. We're still dealing with summer heat, and it's wearing me down. Supposedly we're supposed to have rain this weekend, but that's what they said last weekend, and it didn't happen. I'm not holding my breath, though I could certainly use the cleaner air!
Anyway, that's how my day has gone so far. Hope yours is going better.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Post "Party" Syndrome
Yeah, we didn't spend the weekend partying. Instead, we spent most of it working. We did get some vegging in, Sunday we rested most of the day after church, and Monday we spent some time relaxing after a trip to Home Depot to get some stone for the front yard.
But otherwise, we worked our tails off!
It is great, really, to have the stuff done that we did. Granted, none of the projects we worked on are completely "done", but we made great progress. The girls closet is cleaned out, their drawers are organized, I pulled out all the too-small stuff and made room for the newborn stuff we'll need for Rebecca. Their room is the cleanest, most organized in the house. We also pulled out a few bins of stuff that shouldn't have been in there in the first place.
However, we're not done. Esther has a platform bed with a large void under the right side. We've been using that to store boxes of...stuff. Not sure what is in there, that will have to be done before we can claim to be done. But since I don't have anywhere to put anything, I think it can wait.
We got a bunch of stuff picked up in the kitchen. It is so sad to me when I consider that we have a nice, clean kitchen, all the pots and pans are washed...and tonight it will all be dirty again. Ergh. Oh well, it's either that or we starve!
We organized a bunch of stuff in the basement, too. You know how it goes. You come home from a caseload sale with a bunch of stuff, you get downstairs, one of the kids starts yelling, you drop the stuff on the floor with a promise to organize it later, and then you promptly forget about it. Well, we got it organized, evicted some bins and boxes to the garage, and now I can actually reach the food down there. Yay, let the cooking experiments begin! Well, actually, continue. I've been working on it for a few weeks.
So, with all of that, and laundry, I'm tired. Very tired. But it's a good tired. I have a bit more room in here, I can see what else needs to be done to get ready for baby, and everyday items are a bit easier.
Did we get everything done that we wanted to? No. Did we get the one day of work and the one day to party that we wanted? No. With a sick kid, going somewhere probably wouldn't have been a good idea anyway. But we got stuff done. Sometimes, that's all it takes to improve your mood. You accomplished something. CELEBRATE IT! Don't dwell on what you did not get done! Focus on the fact that everything you accomplished makes it easier to get your remaining projects done. I'm thinking of the fact that I have two empty bins available now, through some strategic merging of partially full ones, to clean my office.
Now I just have to do it. Wish me luck! Time to accomplish!!!
But otherwise, we worked our tails off!
It is great, really, to have the stuff done that we did. Granted, none of the projects we worked on are completely "done", but we made great progress. The girls closet is cleaned out, their drawers are organized, I pulled out all the too-small stuff and made room for the newborn stuff we'll need for Rebecca. Their room is the cleanest, most organized in the house. We also pulled out a few bins of stuff that shouldn't have been in there in the first place.
However, we're not done. Esther has a platform bed with a large void under the right side. We've been using that to store boxes of...stuff. Not sure what is in there, that will have to be done before we can claim to be done. But since I don't have anywhere to put anything, I think it can wait.
We got a bunch of stuff picked up in the kitchen. It is so sad to me when I consider that we have a nice, clean kitchen, all the pots and pans are washed...and tonight it will all be dirty again. Ergh. Oh well, it's either that or we starve!
We organized a bunch of stuff in the basement, too. You know how it goes. You come home from a caseload sale with a bunch of stuff, you get downstairs, one of the kids starts yelling, you drop the stuff on the floor with a promise to organize it later, and then you promptly forget about it. Well, we got it organized, evicted some bins and boxes to the garage, and now I can actually reach the food down there. Yay, let the cooking experiments begin! Well, actually, continue. I've been working on it for a few weeks.
So, with all of that, and laundry, I'm tired. Very tired. But it's a good tired. I have a bit more room in here, I can see what else needs to be done to get ready for baby, and everyday items are a bit easier.
Did we get everything done that we wanted to? No. Did we get the one day of work and the one day to party that we wanted? No. With a sick kid, going somewhere probably wouldn't have been a good idea anyway. But we got stuff done. Sometimes, that's all it takes to improve your mood. You accomplished something. CELEBRATE IT! Don't dwell on what you did not get done! Focus on the fact that everything you accomplished makes it easier to get your remaining projects done. I'm thinking of the fact that I have two empty bins available now, through some strategic merging of partially full ones, to clean my office.
Now I just have to do it. Wish me luck! Time to accomplish!!!
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