On the way to work this morning, we realized that we left William's blanket at home. William was upset and wanted me to turn around, but I refused. Then Seth said, "You can hab my bwanket Wee-yum" in the sweetest, most earnest voice.
I asked Seth what blanket he would use, and he said, "My schoow bwanket!" He has a backup that we keep at school. So problem solved. William said, "That's very nice, Sef," and he gave Seth his bouncy ball as a token of appreciation. I was very proud of my boys!
So as you can see, Seth is better, they're back at school, and all is right with the world. I leave for Vegas tomorrow and despite the fact that I'm stressing because my wardrobe is sooo not Vegas-suitable, I can't wait. Of course, I'm already missing the boys and I can't wait to pick them up from school on Monday afternoon. But in the meantime, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have an AWESOME weekend.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
This Seems to Be a Regular Thing
Seth came down with a fever in the wee hours of Monday morning. His fever went up and down yesterday and he still had a fever this morning (Tuesday). Needless to say we stayed home yesterday and we're home again today. Ed is coming home later this morning after a meeting so I can go in to work. I took Seth to the doctor yesterday, thinking maybe he had an ear infection. But his ears looked great and he doesn't have Strep. The doctor said it's probably a new virus on top of the cold he's had for 9 days now. That's pretty much the norm for Seth--a runny nose and an unexplained fever.
He was pretty miserable yesterday, but when the Motrin or Tylenol kicked in, he would start to feel better. It rained all day, so we were stuck inside. But since Seth mostly wanted to watch TV, it was okay. And William was thrilled to watch so much TV. Here's some serious TV watching going on:
We did have moments of playing in the basement. Seth sets his laptop up on Ed's desk and does his "work." William builds with blocks and plays with trains and trucks and construction equipment. Seth has also gotten interested in playing with trains, and it's super cute to listen to him playing, shouting, "Whoo-whoo" in a high-pitched voice as he moves the train around the track. We have a train table, but we built a pretty big track on the floor around the train table and that's what Seth prefers to play on.
At least he wasn't sick over the weekend. We spent Saturday running errands and doing chores and playing at home. On Sunday morning, we visited the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. We had planned to go to the zoo, but it was raining in the morning, so we switched to the museum. As usual, I chased Seth around while William looked at exhibits and watched the different movies. It was fun but after 2 hours, Seth was done. We headed home and Seth went down for a nap while Ed took William for a long walk around the neighborhood. When Seth woke up, we played outside. Overall, a pretty good weekend. I took my little camera to the museum with us, only to realize the batteries were dead when we got there. So I pulled out the iPhone. Pretty bad pictures, but they captured moments.
He was pretty miserable yesterday, but when the Motrin or Tylenol kicked in, he would start to feel better. It rained all day, so we were stuck inside. But since Seth mostly wanted to watch TV, it was okay. And William was thrilled to watch so much TV. Here's some serious TV watching going on:
We did have moments of playing in the basement. Seth sets his laptop up on Ed's desk and does his "work." William builds with blocks and plays with trains and trucks and construction equipment. Seth has also gotten interested in playing with trains, and it's super cute to listen to him playing, shouting, "Whoo-whoo" in a high-pitched voice as he moves the train around the track. We have a train table, but we built a pretty big track on the floor around the train table and that's what Seth prefers to play on.
At least he wasn't sick over the weekend. We spent Saturday running errands and doing chores and playing at home. On Sunday morning, we visited the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. We had planned to go to the zoo, but it was raining in the morning, so we switched to the museum. As usual, I chased Seth around while William looked at exhibits and watched the different movies. It was fun but after 2 hours, Seth was done. We headed home and Seth went down for a nap while Ed took William for a long walk around the neighborhood. When Seth woke up, we played outside. Overall, a pretty good weekend. I took my little camera to the museum with us, only to realize the batteries were dead when we got there. So I pulled out the iPhone. Pretty bad pictures, but they captured moments.
The last picture is Seth's version of "cheese."
Let's hope Seth gets better soon, especially since I'm heading to Vegas on Friday. (Woo-hoo!) It's another girls' weekend, and while I will only be there for 48 hours, I think it will be exactly the break I need. No doubt I will be tired when I return, but hopefully it will be a good tired. In the meantime, we're just trying to get through the week.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Phone Photo Friday
Since my posts this week have been all about me, I thought this was a fitting way to end the week. So this one's for you, Laura!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Randomness
I had planned to write a blog post last night, but once I forced myself to do my Shred workout (3 nights in a row--27 to go!) and got things ready for this morning, it was late and I had brought home a project from work that I needed to work on. So I never even turned on my computer.
So I will try to briefly throw out some random thoughts that I don't want to forget.
Hmmmm. Like . . . well . . . uh . . .
Instead, how about a snapshot of my day. I started my morning by checking email. Here's my setup:
The blue box on the left holds an elaborate photo album of President Obama's inauguration. (Don't really know what to do with it.) The piece of paper taped to the shelf is this year's list of senators whose terms expire on Jan. 3, 2011, with notes on who is retiring, who has been defeated in primaries, special elections, and seats that might be changing parties. Everything else is pretty self-explanatory.
Exciting, huh? I'll check back in later when I start working on something else. How fun--a post-as-you-go day!
It's 10:30 and I'm hungry so I just went downstairs to our carry-out cafeteria to get some breakfast. I finished editing the hard copy of the oral history and now I'm making the changes on the computer.
I almost forgot--before I went downstairs, my office manager asked about our list of senators who have won the Golden Gavel Award. The Senate has a presiding officer, which is officially the vice president of the United States (the president of the Senate). The VP used to preside regularly over Senate sessions, but that hasn't been the case since the 1950s, when Nixon was the VP. When the VP is absent, the president pro tempore (which is an elected officer of the Senate--usually the most senior member of the majority party) officially presides. But the PPT almost always appoints someone else to preside in his/her absence. And that someone is almost always a freshman senator. In the '60s, they started giving Golden Gavel Awards to senators who had presided for 100 hours in a Senate session--sort of a reward for something most senators don't like to do. Anyway, I checked our list to make sure it was up-to-date.
It's almost 1:00 and I'm still working on the oral history transcript. I just took a break to take some forms to the boys' daycare center. It's about a block from my office, and it's so nice to be able to get there at a moment's notice. There are drawbacks, of course--mostly the long commute and the fact that I'm almost 100 percent responsible for their drop-off and pick-up. But being involved in their school and being able to participate in school-day events and even being able to take the boys to lunch from time to time makes it all worth it.
This is my walk to the daycare:
It's 2:00 p.m. and I finally finished editing the oral history. Whew! That took a long time. Now I'm moving on to one of my election lists--Incumbents Reelected or Defeated. Here's my bible when it comes to Senate elections:
I'm going through each election year and taking the class of senators who were up for election that year (the Senate is a continuing body--only one-third of senators are up for election every two years; thus, they are divided into "classes") and noting who retired, who was defeated, and who won reelection (or election in the case of appointed senators). We have lots of lists with numbers, but it's good to be able to look at a certain election year and know exactly what happened.
Now it's 5:09 and I'm wrapping up. By the time I get the boys and get on the road, it will probably be 5:45, and we probably won't get home until 6:30. And so it goes. Tomorrow will be much like today. My boss just told me we need to work on a project tomorrow to find examples of various scenarios for when terms began. So that's how my day will start. For now, I'm done!
So I will try to briefly throw out some random thoughts that I don't want to forget.
Hmmmm. Like . . . well . . . uh . . .
Instead, how about a snapshot of my day. I started my morning by checking email. Here's my setup:
(Does the screen look familiar?)
Then I started picked up where I left off with an editing project--an oral history. Our office conducts a lot of oral histories with long-serving Senate staff (and sometimes senators). The historians transcribe the interviews and then I get to edit them, which can be challenging, depending on the interviewee. Normally, I'll edit them on the computer, but sometimes I print them out and edit the paper copy (the old-fashioned way, I guess.) It definitely gives my eyes a break from the ubiquitous computer screen. Here's my desk setup.
Exciting, huh? I'll check back in later when I start working on something else. How fun--a post-as-you-go day!
It's 10:30 and I'm hungry so I just went downstairs to our carry-out cafeteria to get some breakfast. I finished editing the hard copy of the oral history and now I'm making the changes on the computer.
I almost forgot--before I went downstairs, my office manager asked about our list of senators who have won the Golden Gavel Award. The Senate has a presiding officer, which is officially the vice president of the United States (the president of the Senate). The VP used to preside regularly over Senate sessions, but that hasn't been the case since the 1950s, when Nixon was the VP. When the VP is absent, the president pro tempore (which is an elected officer of the Senate--usually the most senior member of the majority party) officially presides. But the PPT almost always appoints someone else to preside in his/her absence. And that someone is almost always a freshman senator. In the '60s, they started giving Golden Gavel Awards to senators who had presided for 100 hours in a Senate session--sort of a reward for something most senators don't like to do. Anyway, I checked our list to make sure it was up-to-date.
It's almost 1:00 and I'm still working on the oral history transcript. I just took a break to take some forms to the boys' daycare center. It's about a block from my office, and it's so nice to be able to get there at a moment's notice. There are drawbacks, of course--mostly the long commute and the fact that I'm almost 100 percent responsible for their drop-off and pick-up. But being involved in their school and being able to participate in school-day events and even being able to take the boys to lunch from time to time makes it all worth it.
This is my walk to the daycare:
It's 2:00 p.m. and I finally finished editing the oral history. Whew! That took a long time. Now I'm moving on to one of my election lists--Incumbents Reelected or Defeated. Here's my bible when it comes to Senate elections:
I'm going through each election year and taking the class of senators who were up for election that year (the Senate is a continuing body--only one-third of senators are up for election every two years; thus, they are divided into "classes") and noting who retired, who was defeated, and who won reelection (or election in the case of appointed senators). We have lots of lists with numbers, but it's good to be able to look at a certain election year and know exactly what happened.
Now it's 5:09 and I'm wrapping up. By the time I get the boys and get on the road, it will probably be 5:45, and we probably won't get home until 6:30. And so it goes. Tomorrow will be much like today. My boss just told me we need to work on a project tomorrow to find examples of various scenarios for when terms began. So that's how my day will start. For now, I'm done!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
It's a Start
I have struggled to work exercise into my life and have never found something I can stick with. In my pre-teens and early teens, I took ballet which I enjoyed. And I swam on a summer swim team from age 8 to about age 14. In high school, I played volleyball my junior year, but that was it for organized sports. In college I tried running, but I never got into it. I took ballet and tap my senior year and enjoyed getting in shape again. And when I moved to DC, I lived with girls who worked out regularly so I dabbled in the gym a bit. For a while I took a Jazzercise class. And then I joined Curves. I liked them both, but they both lasted about 3 months before I quit. I enjoyed (and still enjoy) walking, but never formed a consistent habit. And now with kids and full time work, it seems impossible to include exercise into my routine.
But I can't stop trying. Up until now, I've been very lucky that my genes and my metabolism have kept me thin. I gained a lot of weight with both pregnancies (35-40 lbs), but lost the weight quickly with no true effort on my part. And while my weight and distrubution have fluctuated over time, it's never really been an issue. But over the last several months, I've put on weight that doesn't seem to want to fluctuate. And more important than my weight is my health, my energy level, and my stress level. Not to mention the fact that I am a role model for my kids.
So I am trying again. I tried joining the gym at work and working out during lunch, but that didn't work for many reasons. Getting up early might be an option later, but right now, I barely get enough sleep as it is, so I figured it would be self-defeating to give up more sleep for exercise. That leaves the nighttime. During the summer, it sometimes worked to take a walk right after the boys' bath--usually with William. But now that it's getting dark at 7:30, the evening walks don't work. It would be great to have a treadmill or elliptical machine in our house that I could use. But I can't spend that kind of money when I've never been able to sustain an exercise routine. So my new effort involves a workout video. Specifically, Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred. It's 20 minutes a day, for 30 days.Start small, right? I can do it at 9:00 at night, and I can do it just about anywhere that I can carry my laptop. It's a little premature to claim success, considering I'm only on day 2. But it feels good to sweat, to have sore muscles, and to have overcome my inertia.
So wish me luck and cheer me on. Hold me accountable. Maybe this one will stick.
But I can't stop trying. Up until now, I've been very lucky that my genes and my metabolism have kept me thin. I gained a lot of weight with both pregnancies (35-40 lbs), but lost the weight quickly with no true effort on my part. And while my weight and distrubution have fluctuated over time, it's never really been an issue. But over the last several months, I've put on weight that doesn't seem to want to fluctuate. And more important than my weight is my health, my energy level, and my stress level. Not to mention the fact that I am a role model for my kids.
So I am trying again. I tried joining the gym at work and working out during lunch, but that didn't work for many reasons. Getting up early might be an option later, but right now, I barely get enough sleep as it is, so I figured it would be self-defeating to give up more sleep for exercise. That leaves the nighttime. During the summer, it sometimes worked to take a walk right after the boys' bath--usually with William. But now that it's getting dark at 7:30, the evening walks don't work. It would be great to have a treadmill or elliptical machine in our house that I could use. But I can't spend that kind of money when I've never been able to sustain an exercise routine. So my new effort involves a workout video. Specifically, Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred. It's 20 minutes a day, for 30 days.Start small, right? I can do it at 9:00 at night, and I can do it just about anywhere that I can carry my laptop. It's a little premature to claim success, considering I'm only on day 2. But it feels good to sweat, to have sore muscles, and to have overcome my inertia.
So wish me luck and cheer me on. Hold me accountable. Maybe this one will stick.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Menu Plan Monday -- September 20
Last week I took a pass on menu planning since Ed was gone all week. We had mac-n-cheese one night, pizza one night, went to Target one night, and ended the week with chicken nuggets. Score!
But now I'm back and raring to go. Well, maybe not raring, but trying to stay on top of things.
Sunday: Fried chicken (drumsticks), green beans, biscuits (The boys ate this up. I'm so glad the boys like fried chicken! It stinks up the kitchen, but it's worth it every once in a while.)
Monday: Spaghetti, salad (William is now eating spaghetti with sauce. Woo-hoo!)
Tuesday: Broiled salmon, asparagus, dinner rolls
Wednesday: Chicken enchiladas (William won't eat these but Seth will; I'll offer William chicken nuggets instead.)
Thursday: Pork schnitzel, broccoli, muffins
Friday: Hamburgers, tater tots, salad
But now I'm back and raring to go. Well, maybe not raring, but trying to stay on top of things.
Sunday: Fried chicken (drumsticks), green beans, biscuits (The boys ate this up. I'm so glad the boys like fried chicken! It stinks up the kitchen, but it's worth it every once in a while.)
Monday: Spaghetti, salad (William is now eating spaghetti with sauce. Woo-hoo!)
Tuesday: Broiled salmon, asparagus, dinner rolls
Wednesday: Chicken enchiladas (William won't eat these but Seth will; I'll offer William chicken nuggets instead.)
Thursday: Pork schnitzel, broccoli, muffins
Friday: Hamburgers, tater tots, salad
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Where Have I Been?
Just busy doing other things. Ed was out of town last week, from Tuesday morning until late Friday night. Things weren't too bad while he was gone, but I was tired. I had a really hard time getting us out the door in the mornings, but that was more because we all slept a little later rather than because Ed wasn't there. Once the kids were asleep and the house cleaned up, I spent my evening time reading and zoning out on Facebook, rather than blogging. There really wasn't much to blog about.
And there still isn't a whole lot to blog about. But I hate going too long without posting because then it gets too easy not to blog. And while there are a lot of reasons why I blog, mostly I want to remember. Even the stuff that seems so mundane and boring today will be something I will be glad to read 20 years from now. So with that in mind, I will do my usual weekend report.
We had a busy, busy weekend. On Saturday morning, we all went to Taekwondo together. After that, William and I had dentist appointments (we were supposed to go on a Friday, but they rescheduled on a Saturday--I'll take it!). William did great, as usual. Seth watched him for a little while and then went back to the waiting room and hung out with Daddy. He came back in towards the end, and after William was done, the hygenist asked Seth if he wanted his teeth cleaned. Seth said yes, climbed into the chair, and put on the paper bib, but when the hygenist started to get the toothpaste ready, he had second thoughts and immediately wanted down. I guess that's a taste of things to come!
Anyway, when William was done, Ed took William to a birthday party (in the same shopping center as my dentist's office--how convenient is that?) and Seth stayed with me for my appointment. He kept wandering in and out of the room, though, so it was kind of a hassle. I had to get up to go after him a few times. I noticed that the hygenist started cleaning my teeth really quickly about halfway through the appointment. LOL! After I was done, Seth and I joined William and Ed at the birthday party. After spending the afternoon at home, we headed to a family party to break the fast for Yom Kippur. William had a FIT about having to wear a nice shirt. "Nice" meaning a polo shirt, from which I had removed the buttons. (He still has a thing about buttons.) Seth, meanwhile, was thrilled to wear a shirt like Daddy, along with a belt. He wanted everyone to see his belt. Too cute. Once we got to the party, both boys had a great time, and William conceded that wearing "nice" clothes wasn't so bad after all. ('Till the next time I have to dress him up, I'm sure.)
Today was grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, washing cars, and playing at home. Last week I bought Moon Sand for the boys to play with, and I opened it on Saturday. Holy messy. We moved it outside to the deck, where they played with it quite a bit today. Today I pulled out my 15-year-old lap top computer for the boys to play with. All day, Seth kept saying, "I need to check my computer." He pronounces it, "compooder." It's so cute. While Seth napped, William lugged the laptop (that thing is heavy!) into his room and sat in his bed doing "work." They crack me up! William and I also made a dream catcher with a paper plate, yarn, beads, and feathers. I might do the project with his class at school if it fits into their curriculum. William will tell me a lot that he doesn't want to dream, so I thought a dreamcatcher might ease his mind.
Well, that's about it. Work is getting busier and busier with the elections approaching and all the crazy-ass people running for the Senate. I maintain a whole bunch of stastistical information about the Senate, including elections, and we're getting lots and lots of questions about things like record number of incumbents defeated, record freshman class size, special elections and when terms start, etc. etc. So needless to say, I'll continue to be busy for a while. I love it, though--the crazier, the better! In the meantime, I'll keep working on being more organized at home, which starts with a little more prep work the night before for the morning crush. So that's what I'm going to do. Hopefully I'll find more inspiring fodder for blog posts this week!
And there still isn't a whole lot to blog about. But I hate going too long without posting because then it gets too easy not to blog. And while there are a lot of reasons why I blog, mostly I want to remember. Even the stuff that seems so mundane and boring today will be something I will be glad to read 20 years from now. So with that in mind, I will do my usual weekend report.
We had a busy, busy weekend. On Saturday morning, we all went to Taekwondo together. After that, William and I had dentist appointments (we were supposed to go on a Friday, but they rescheduled on a Saturday--I'll take it!). William did great, as usual. Seth watched him for a little while and then went back to the waiting room and hung out with Daddy. He came back in towards the end, and after William was done, the hygenist asked Seth if he wanted his teeth cleaned. Seth said yes, climbed into the chair, and put on the paper bib, but when the hygenist started to get the toothpaste ready, he had second thoughts and immediately wanted down. I guess that's a taste of things to come!
Anyway, when William was done, Ed took William to a birthday party (in the same shopping center as my dentist's office--how convenient is that?) and Seth stayed with me for my appointment. He kept wandering in and out of the room, though, so it was kind of a hassle. I had to get up to go after him a few times. I noticed that the hygenist started cleaning my teeth really quickly about halfway through the appointment. LOL! After I was done, Seth and I joined William and Ed at the birthday party. After spending the afternoon at home, we headed to a family party to break the fast for Yom Kippur. William had a FIT about having to wear a nice shirt. "Nice" meaning a polo shirt, from which I had removed the buttons. (He still has a thing about buttons.) Seth, meanwhile, was thrilled to wear a shirt like Daddy, along with a belt. He wanted everyone to see his belt. Too cute. Once we got to the party, both boys had a great time, and William conceded that wearing "nice" clothes wasn't so bad after all. ('Till the next time I have to dress him up, I'm sure.)
Today was grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, washing cars, and playing at home. Last week I bought Moon Sand for the boys to play with, and I opened it on Saturday. Holy messy. We moved it outside to the deck, where they played with it quite a bit today. Today I pulled out my 15-year-old lap top computer for the boys to play with. All day, Seth kept saying, "I need to check my computer." He pronounces it, "compooder." It's so cute. While Seth napped, William lugged the laptop (that thing is heavy!) into his room and sat in his bed doing "work." They crack me up! William and I also made a dream catcher with a paper plate, yarn, beads, and feathers. I might do the project with his class at school if it fits into their curriculum. William will tell me a lot that he doesn't want to dream, so I thought a dreamcatcher might ease his mind.
Well, that's about it. Work is getting busier and busier with the elections approaching and all the crazy-ass people running for the Senate. I maintain a whole bunch of stastistical information about the Senate, including elections, and we're getting lots and lots of questions about things like record number of incumbents defeated, record freshman class size, special elections and when terms start, etc. etc. So needless to say, I'll continue to be busy for a while. I love it, though--the crazier, the better! In the meantime, I'll keep working on being more organized at home, which starts with a little more prep work the night before for the morning crush. So that's what I'm going to do. Hopefully I'll find more inspiring fodder for blog posts this week!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
What Time Is It?
Seth: "What time is it, Mommy?"
Me: "It's 6:38."
Seth: "That's a long time!"
We have this conversation often and it cracks me up every time.
Me: "It's 6:38."
Seth: "That's a long time!"
We have this conversation often and it cracks me up every time.
Monday, September 13, 2010
And Life is Good Once Again
Thank you all so much for your comments on my last post. It really meant a lot and helped lift my mood. I thought of the irony of my post title, "Coming Up Empty," considering how full my life is. I am blessed beyond belief and even when it's hard, my struggles pale in comparison. So much so that to call them struggles is even laughable. It's all relative, right? Anyway, a low-key weekend and lots of time with my boys (all three of them) has made the world right again.
We didn't do anything special--lots of errands and hanging around the house. Seth accompanied me to the grocery store. William accompanied me to Target. The boys helped Ed cut the grass and rake. Seth helped me dust. On Sunday we met Ed's mom and aunt at the mall. While Ed and his mom took the boys to the play area, I went to Nordstrom's and got fitted for bras. Who knew a bra-fitting could make me feel so elated! After that I met the family at Build-a-bear, where Ed's mom indulged the boys. William picked out the candy corn bear and a Darth Vader costume, and then he named his bear "Sarah." Seth picked out a frog and a fireman costume. We named him "Froggy." William is crazy about his Darth Vader Sarah. She's a good guy, according to William. And Seth just likes to take Froggy's fireman outfit off. Too funny.
So that was basically our weekend. I got a little bit of dusting done. And I vacuumed one room. I changed the sheets on our bed. And I did laundry. I've made peace with my cleaning efforts. I've learned to accept that piecemeal cleaning works best for me. And it helps that my standards for cleanliness have gone way, way down. I'll clean out a toilet here and a sink there. Vacuum a room here and dust something there. The house is hardly ever clean all at once (unless we're having company) but it doesn't matter. Thanks to Ed, things are neat and tidy. And maybe the kitchen floor isn't as clean as it should be, but the dishes go in the dishwasher and the counters stay relatively clean. It's good enough. When we move into a house, I will definitely look into budgeting for a cleaning service. But we're getting by just fine without one.
Next weekend will be busy. Dentists appointments and a birthday party and breaking the fast for Yom Kippur at Ed's mom's cousin's house. I can't get over how quickly the middle of September has gotten here. How are we already talking about apple picking and Halloween costumes and which fall festival we want to attend? I love the fall though, so I'm okay with it. Just like the summer, though, I want to make sure we make the most of it. Easier said than done, right?
We didn't do anything special--lots of errands and hanging around the house. Seth accompanied me to the grocery store. William accompanied me to Target. The boys helped Ed cut the grass and rake. Seth helped me dust. On Sunday we met Ed's mom and aunt at the mall. While Ed and his mom took the boys to the play area, I went to Nordstrom's and got fitted for bras. Who knew a bra-fitting could make me feel so elated! After that I met the family at Build-a-bear, where Ed's mom indulged the boys. William picked out the candy corn bear and a Darth Vader costume, and then he named his bear "Sarah." Seth picked out a frog and a fireman costume. We named him "Froggy." William is crazy about his Darth Vader Sarah. She's a good guy, according to William. And Seth just likes to take Froggy's fireman outfit off. Too funny.
So that was basically our weekend. I got a little bit of dusting done. And I vacuumed one room. I changed the sheets on our bed. And I did laundry. I've made peace with my cleaning efforts. I've learned to accept that piecemeal cleaning works best for me. And it helps that my standards for cleanliness have gone way, way down. I'll clean out a toilet here and a sink there. Vacuum a room here and dust something there. The house is hardly ever clean all at once (unless we're having company) but it doesn't matter. Thanks to Ed, things are neat and tidy. And maybe the kitchen floor isn't as clean as it should be, but the dishes go in the dishwasher and the counters stay relatively clean. It's good enough. When we move into a house, I will definitely look into budgeting for a cleaning service. But we're getting by just fine without one.
Next weekend will be busy. Dentists appointments and a birthday party and breaking the fast for Yom Kippur at Ed's mom's cousin's house. I can't get over how quickly the middle of September has gotten here. How are we already talking about apple picking and Halloween costumes and which fall festival we want to attend? I love the fall though, so I'm okay with it. Just like the summer, though, I want to make sure we make the most of it. Easier said than done, right?
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Coming Up Empty
My mind is filled with all sorts of things to blog about. But I can't seem to move any of it past my fingertips. I want to blog about inertia and how I am finding it impossible to fit exercise into my day and how this is a HUGE problem because I am gaining weight at an alarming pace and how I'm trying really hard to be more patient with the boys and to enjoy them more instead of feeling exasperated all the time and how much I LOVE the boys and how quickly they're growing and how I love all the cute and funny things they say and how my house is filthy but I don't care anymore because the boys want me to play with them and not dust or vaccum or scrub toilets and how work is good and how I'm really feeling my age lately and it scares me and how I didn't go to my 20th high school reunion and how discouraged I'm feeling about finding a house and how awesome the weather was today and how we played outside when we got home while I grilled chicken and how Seth pedaled the tricycle on his own and how I used up 8 biscuits and heavy whipping cream making delicious bread pudding and how I really miss happy hours after work with friends and how everthing seems to be swirling around me in a state of constant motion and yesterday was Tuesday and now it's Friday and sometimes I just need to stop and catch my breath.
So that's what I'm doing, catching my breath. I didn't know that parenting would make me so crazy and I never expected it to stress me out as much as it does. In some ways, I feel disappointed in myself that I don't love every minute of it and that I'm not better at it. In high school and maybe even college, I saw myself as a stay at home mom and thought I'd love to have five kids. I have two and most days, I want to tear my hair out by the end of the day. Am I more stressed because I work full time? Or would I be more stressed if I stayed home full time? It's hard to know the answer to that. But my gut tells me it would be harder for me to stay home. I'm not disciplined enough to do it well. Regardless, my life is my life and I would not want it any other way. Well, that's not entirely true. I'd rather be working part time. But the point is, I am where I want to be. I just have to keep striving to be better at it. It's a journey, not a destination. A process. I didn't expect it to be so hard, but I also never knew how much love and joy a family would bring.
I guess I had something to say afterall.
So that's what I'm doing, catching my breath. I didn't know that parenting would make me so crazy and I never expected it to stress me out as much as it does. In some ways, I feel disappointed in myself that I don't love every minute of it and that I'm not better at it. In high school and maybe even college, I saw myself as a stay at home mom and thought I'd love to have five kids. I have two and most days, I want to tear my hair out by the end of the day. Am I more stressed because I work full time? Or would I be more stressed if I stayed home full time? It's hard to know the answer to that. But my gut tells me it would be harder for me to stay home. I'm not disciplined enough to do it well. Regardless, my life is my life and I would not want it any other way. Well, that's not entirely true. I'd rather be working part time. But the point is, I am where I want to be. I just have to keep striving to be better at it. It's a journey, not a destination. A process. I didn't expect it to be so hard, but I also never knew how much love and joy a family would bring.
I guess I had something to say afterall.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Catch-up Post and Picture Overload
Things got better over the weekend. I'm not nearly as discombobulated as I felt last week. I'm sure that most of the depression I was feeling last week is related to a certain time of the month, but it's really weird because I have not felt moody like that since my college days--not since I started on birth control. Stupid hormones and getting older. I'm still on birth control, but it doesn't seem to be the anchor that it used to be. I think I'm going to try Mirena. But anyway, this is not what I usually talk about in my "mommy" blog, so onto better things . . . our weekend!
The weather was gorgeous this weekend and we tried to make the most of it. On Friday, I got out of work early (3:00) so I took the boys straight to Pirate's Cove--the water park with the kiddie pool and bubbly fountains and the sand play area. William, my little crab, spent almost the whole time in the sand area. Seth, my little fish, alternated between the little pool with the little slide and fountains and the big pool with the big slide and fountains. We swam and dug in the sand until 6:00 p.m. and then headed home. On Saturday, after morning errands and a early nap for Seth, we headed to Ed's parents for a sleepover. Ed and I got to have a date, which would have been nicer had I not been in such a foul and emotional mood. But it happens.
On Sunday morning, we went to Great Falls, a national park along the Potomac with great views of the rapids and lots of great trails. Because it was a holiday weekend, and because the weather was so gorgeous, it was packed. But the boys had fun running around, climbing on rocks, and watching the kayakers in the river below. On Sunday afternoon, we played outside. On Monday morning, Ed got up bright and early and headed into DC to get tickets for the Washington Monument. I got myself and the boys out the door and we met Ed at 9:30 and finally got to go up to the top. William enjoyed it, although I think it was somewhat anticlimactic for him. After that, we went to the Air and Space Museum and then to the American Indian Museum. William was really into all the exhibits and the videos. Seth, however, was not. His goal was just to keep moving. It was fun, though, and fun to walk around the Mall and enjoy the weather. We ended Monday with a walk to the local school playground. We definitely maxed out our outside time and took advantage of the weather. And I'm glad I didn't worry too much about cleaning and "getting stuff done" around the house.
And now for pictures!
The weather was gorgeous this weekend and we tried to make the most of it. On Friday, I got out of work early (3:00) so I took the boys straight to Pirate's Cove--the water park with the kiddie pool and bubbly fountains and the sand play area. William, my little crab, spent almost the whole time in the sand area. Seth, my little fish, alternated between the little pool with the little slide and fountains and the big pool with the big slide and fountains. We swam and dug in the sand until 6:00 p.m. and then headed home. On Saturday, after morning errands and a early nap for Seth, we headed to Ed's parents for a sleepover. Ed and I got to have a date, which would have been nicer had I not been in such a foul and emotional mood. But it happens.
On Sunday morning, we went to Great Falls, a national park along the Potomac with great views of the rapids and lots of great trails. Because it was a holiday weekend, and because the weather was so gorgeous, it was packed. But the boys had fun running around, climbing on rocks, and watching the kayakers in the river below. On Sunday afternoon, we played outside. On Monday morning, Ed got up bright and early and headed into DC to get tickets for the Washington Monument. I got myself and the boys out the door and we met Ed at 9:30 and finally got to go up to the top. William enjoyed it, although I think it was somewhat anticlimactic for him. After that, we went to the Air and Space Museum and then to the American Indian Museum. William was really into all the exhibits and the videos. Seth, however, was not. His goal was just to keep moving. It was fun, though, and fun to walk around the Mall and enjoy the weather. We ended Monday with a walk to the local school playground. We definitely maxed out our outside time and took advantage of the weather. And I'm glad I didn't worry too much about cleaning and "getting stuff done" around the house.
And now for pictures!
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| Digging in the Sand at Pirate's Cove |
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| Climbing at Great Falls |
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| Great Falls |
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| Viewing the rapids at Great Falls |
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| Hear no evil, see no evil |
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| Ed's signature shot |
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| View from the top of the Washington Monument |
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| Fountain at the Hirshhorn Museum |
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| The cool shades and the pacifier are such a great combo! |
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| Water play at home |
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| This is not going to end well |
Thursday, September 02, 2010
How Is It Already September?
I'm in a treading water, can't-seem-to-catch-up phase right now. The morning scramble has been such a hassle lately. I can't figure out why I go through phases where the mornings run smoothly and we get out the door pretty early, and then phases where it seems to take FOREVER to get out the door, and by the time I get in the car, I'm exhausted and stressed and spent. I guess the good thing is, it's a phase!
In other news, well, there isn't really any news. Work is busy. We've got one more week of recess where I get to leave work early, and then it's back to later days. Boo for that. It's been nice to come home and play for a while with the boys before starting dinner.
We're still house hunting, but Ed is pretty convinced that prices will start falling again, so we're taking a wait-and-see attitude. We saw a house that we LOVE in a neighborhood not far from us. It's in a good school district, but the boundaries are pretty strange, and all the houses around it feed into a different school. So the area could easily be redistricted in the future. The schools that it could be redistricted to aren't bad--not quite as good as its current schools, but not bad--so that's not a deal breaker. But they've got the house listed way too high. It's the second-most expensive house in the zip code, and the most expensive in the neighborhood. We're not making that mistake again. And since we really want to be closer to Ed's job, and this house is not, we're going to keep looking. If they dramatically lower the price, we may consider it. The house is exactly the kind of house we want, and we won't find a house like this in neighborhoods closer to Ed's job. But, for now we'll wait.
The boys are doing well. I feel like I referee all day, but I guess that's part of the Mom job. For the most part, they get along well, so I shouldn't complain. And I'm not even around them all day most days, so I really shouldn't complain!
This will be the last weekend that the pool will be open, so I want to take advantage of it. I had planned to take the boys back to the pool with the water fountains, slides, and sand area this weekend. But the weather is supposed to turn cool on Saturday and Sunday. So I'm taking them tomorrow instead. I get out of work at 3:00, and even though we won't have a whole lot of time to play, at least it will be something. On Sunday or Monday, we might head into DC and try to get tickets to the Washington Monument. William has been wanting to go inside ever since he could identify the monument, but it's a pain to get tickets. You can reserve them online, but the "free" tickets end up costing $1.50 each and they sell out really fast. So instead, you can go to the ticket booth at 8:30 a.m. and get timed, same-day tickets. So that's what I want to do. But the annoying thing is that the museums and other attractions don't open until 10:00 a.m., so you have to kill some time. But DC is a beautiful city and it's pretty to walk around. So we may aim to do that on Sunday or Monday morning. William also wants to go see the tee-pees at the Native American Museum, which is right next to Air and Space. So we will have plenty to do.
Wow--this post got boring fast. That about sums up my life right now. I'm feeling this need to make major changes in my life, but my lack of motivation and total inertia just keeps me spinning the wheel. Ugh. For now, I'm just trying to get through each day. I need to think baby steps. Well, that, and more sleep would probably help. On that note, I'm going to bed.
In other news, well, there isn't really any news. Work is busy. We've got one more week of recess where I get to leave work early, and then it's back to later days. Boo for that. It's been nice to come home and play for a while with the boys before starting dinner.
We're still house hunting, but Ed is pretty convinced that prices will start falling again, so we're taking a wait-and-see attitude. We saw a house that we LOVE in a neighborhood not far from us. It's in a good school district, but the boundaries are pretty strange, and all the houses around it feed into a different school. So the area could easily be redistricted in the future. The schools that it could be redistricted to aren't bad--not quite as good as its current schools, but not bad--so that's not a deal breaker. But they've got the house listed way too high. It's the second-most expensive house in the zip code, and the most expensive in the neighborhood. We're not making that mistake again. And since we really want to be closer to Ed's job, and this house is not, we're going to keep looking. If they dramatically lower the price, we may consider it. The house is exactly the kind of house we want, and we won't find a house like this in neighborhoods closer to Ed's job. But, for now we'll wait.
The boys are doing well. I feel like I referee all day, but I guess that's part of the Mom job. For the most part, they get along well, so I shouldn't complain. And I'm not even around them all day most days, so I really shouldn't complain!
This will be the last weekend that the pool will be open, so I want to take advantage of it. I had planned to take the boys back to the pool with the water fountains, slides, and sand area this weekend. But the weather is supposed to turn cool on Saturday and Sunday. So I'm taking them tomorrow instead. I get out of work at 3:00, and even though we won't have a whole lot of time to play, at least it will be something. On Sunday or Monday, we might head into DC and try to get tickets to the Washington Monument. William has been wanting to go inside ever since he could identify the monument, but it's a pain to get tickets. You can reserve them online, but the "free" tickets end up costing $1.50 each and they sell out really fast. So instead, you can go to the ticket booth at 8:30 a.m. and get timed, same-day tickets. So that's what I want to do. But the annoying thing is that the museums and other attractions don't open until 10:00 a.m., so you have to kill some time. But DC is a beautiful city and it's pretty to walk around. So we may aim to do that on Sunday or Monday morning. William also wants to go see the tee-pees at the Native American Museum, which is right next to Air and Space. So we will have plenty to do.
Wow--this post got boring fast. That about sums up my life right now. I'm feeling this need to make major changes in my life, but my lack of motivation and total inertia just keeps me spinning the wheel. Ugh. For now, I'm just trying to get through each day. I need to think baby steps. Well, that, and more sleep would probably help. On that note, I'm going to bed.
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