In the meantime, here's William-san and me this morning:
I just hope William doesn't want to wear the headband to Taekwondo! Happy Halloween everyone!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Show Me the Mommy--Featuring . . . William-san
William was excited to put his costume on at school this morning. I cut up a sheet last night to make his headband. I actually hemmed it by hand. Hopefully nobody will look too closely at it. Seth's costume is still a bit up in the air. Yesterday morning, we had a winner. This morning, he wouldn't wear it. I brought it to school so we'll see if he wears it this afternoon when they all put their costumes on. I'll save the big reveal for my Halloween post, in case he changes his mind, AGAIN!
In the meantime, here's William-san and me this morning:
I just hope William doesn't want to wear the headband to Taekwondo! Happy Halloween everyone!
In the meantime, here's William-san and me this morning:
I just hope William doesn't want to wear the headband to Taekwondo! Happy Halloween everyone!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The End of an Era?
Two nights ago, Seth woke up around 1:30 a.m. screaming and crying. He had had some kind of nightmare, and he trembled as I picked him and sat down to rock with him. After he settled down (and I thought he was asleep), I stood up to put him back in his crib, but he clung to me with a vise-like grip and cried that he didn't want his crib. "Too sca-wee" he repeated over and over. Since William had also woken up to Seth's screaming and had gotten into our bed and gone back to sleep, bringing Seth into our bed wasn't an option. So I made a bed on the floor beside our bed and Seth slept on the floor, William and I slept in our bed, and Ed slept on the couch.
Last night, I tried putting Seth to sleep in his crib again, but he freaked out. He seemed honestly, genuinely scared, so I made a bed on the floor in his room instead. It took him a little while to settle down (after getting up and walking out of his room numerous times) but he finally fell asleep and slept through the night. He woke up at 5:00 a.m. and I couldn't get him to go back to sleep (he probably would have if he had been in his crib), but overall, it wasn't bad.
So it looks like we might be done with the crib! We have a toddler bed shaped like a train that someone gave us, so I guess we'll set it up this weekend and take down his crib. Or we could just keep on letting him sleep on the floor, I guess. I thought about seeing if the boys wanted to share a room, but I think we'll wait until we move. Their bedrooms are pretty small. I'm feeling fortunate that it's just his crib that Seth is afraid of, and not his room. Maybe he's just playing me, but since it's about that time to move out of the crib anyway, we might as well go with it.
Next up--potty training! It's time for that, too. We're going to try booty camp over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Lord knows I've been putting it off. I have no idea how Seth will do, but since he already uses the toilet quite a bit for all of his business, I'm hopeful. Time will tell!
Last night, I tried putting Seth to sleep in his crib again, but he freaked out. He seemed honestly, genuinely scared, so I made a bed on the floor in his room instead. It took him a little while to settle down (after getting up and walking out of his room numerous times) but he finally fell asleep and slept through the night. He woke up at 5:00 a.m. and I couldn't get him to go back to sleep (he probably would have if he had been in his crib), but overall, it wasn't bad.
So it looks like we might be done with the crib! We have a toddler bed shaped like a train that someone gave us, so I guess we'll set it up this weekend and take down his crib. Or we could just keep on letting him sleep on the floor, I guess. I thought about seeing if the boys wanted to share a room, but I think we'll wait until we move. Their bedrooms are pretty small. I'm feeling fortunate that it's just his crib that Seth is afraid of, and not his room. Maybe he's just playing me, but since it's about that time to move out of the crib anyway, we might as well go with it.
Next up--potty training! It's time for that, too. We're going to try booty camp over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Lord knows I've been putting it off. I have no idea how Seth will do, but since he already uses the toilet quite a bit for all of his business, I'm hopeful. Time will tell!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Broken Record and Menu Plan Monday -- October 25
My Monday "weekend reports" are starting to sound like a broken record. "Beautiful weather, family fun, a few chores here and there." I'm not complaining though. On Saturday we went to a pumpkin patch (pictures still on the camera) and on Sunday, we went to Ed's parents. Lots of fun and outside time. Not quite as many chores performed, but they're not going anywhere.
As for last week's meal plan, I followed it to a T. The chicken poppy seed casserole was a bust--neither one of the boys liked it. (It needs something else--maybe rice.) Ed and I managed to eat up the leftovers, though, so no food waste there. We still have some taco meat (both boys ate a whole taco, though, so that was promising) and some pork schnitzel--not sure when that will get eaten. We also brought home almost a whole pizza from the family get-together yesterday, so I was planning on eating that for lunch this week.
At any rate, this week's menu:
Sunday: Pizza (with Ed's family)
Monday: Parmesan fish sticks, salad, dinner rolls (I have skin-on fillets, so I might just adapt this recipe and put the breading on top of the fish and bake it)
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Steak, asparagus, roasted potatoes
Thursday: Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
Friday: Spaghetti, garlic bread, salad
Saturday: TBD
Hopefully this will be a good week. Last week we had lots of talks with William about showing respect--especially to adults. We are having to ramp it up a notch when it comes to consequences for disrespectful behavior. I have to remind myself that staying calm and being consistent are the keys. Neither one comes easily to me, but I'm working on it. Despite the sassing, William has been a lot of fun lately. He practically bursts with questions ALL THE TIME. And he's absorbing all kinds of information--you can watch his wheels spinning.
Seth, meanwhile, is playing with toys more and more. He's really into reading, too, and he's branching out with his book selections. He tends to want to read the same books over and over and over, and he sticks to simpler stories with big, bright illustrations. He also likes to "read" to me, and has several books memorized, including his favorite, Brown Bear, Brown Bear. He and William fight all the time, but they play together all the time, too. This morning, they turned my closet into a space ship and they happily played together in there with the door closed for 20 minutes. It's fun to hear them talking and giggling together.
Overall, things are good. Still working on the exercise thing, but I haven't given up. I'm still not entirely sure what the boys will be dressing up as on Halloween, but I'm sure we'll figure it out. We have no set plans again for the weekend, but I'm sure pumpkin carving and pie baking will be a part of it. I'm already looking forward to it!
As for last week's meal plan, I followed it to a T. The chicken poppy seed casserole was a bust--neither one of the boys liked it. (It needs something else--maybe rice.) Ed and I managed to eat up the leftovers, though, so no food waste there. We still have some taco meat (both boys ate a whole taco, though, so that was promising) and some pork schnitzel--not sure when that will get eaten. We also brought home almost a whole pizza from the family get-together yesterday, so I was planning on eating that for lunch this week.
At any rate, this week's menu:
Sunday: Pizza (with Ed's family)
Monday: Parmesan fish sticks, salad, dinner rolls (I have skin-on fillets, so I might just adapt this recipe and put the breading on top of the fish and bake it)
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Steak, asparagus, roasted potatoes
Thursday: Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
Friday: Spaghetti, garlic bread, salad
Saturday: TBD
Hopefully this will be a good week. Last week we had lots of talks with William about showing respect--especially to adults. We are having to ramp it up a notch when it comes to consequences for disrespectful behavior. I have to remind myself that staying calm and being consistent are the keys. Neither one comes easily to me, but I'm working on it. Despite the sassing, William has been a lot of fun lately. He practically bursts with questions ALL THE TIME. And he's absorbing all kinds of information--you can watch his wheels spinning.
Seth, meanwhile, is playing with toys more and more. He's really into reading, too, and he's branching out with his book selections. He tends to want to read the same books over and over and over, and he sticks to simpler stories with big, bright illustrations. He also likes to "read" to me, and has several books memorized, including his favorite, Brown Bear, Brown Bear. He and William fight all the time, but they play together all the time, too. This morning, they turned my closet into a space ship and they happily played together in there with the door closed for 20 minutes. It's fun to hear them talking and giggling together.
Overall, things are good. Still working on the exercise thing, but I haven't given up. I'm still not entirely sure what the boys will be dressing up as on Halloween, but I'm sure we'll figure it out. We have no set plans again for the weekend, but I'm sure pumpkin carving and pie baking will be a part of it. I'm already looking forward to it!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Show Me the Mommy--Courtesy of Seth
Seth took this picture of William and me last week. It's the best I could do!
To see more Mommies, visit Laura. Happy Friday!
To see more Mommies, visit Laura. Happy Friday!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Time Versus Money
I often struggle with figuring out what is worth the investment of my time versus the investment of my money. As a full time, work-outside-the-home mom, convenience goes a long, long way towards maintaining sanity. But convenience comes with a price. I love the idea of not paying for things that I can do myself, and the idea of from-scratch (especially when it comes to cooking). I love the idea of being frugal and thrifty. But time is such a commodity.
I clean my own house instead of hiring a cleaning service. I've discovered that we can survive with my haphazard cleaning techniques--a little here, a little there, throw-a-party-when-I-really-need-to-clean. (Lowering my standards of cleanliness has also helped immensely.)
I also cook at home and try to do as much "from scratch" cooking as I can. I enjoy cooking, and I know it's cheaper and healthier (depending on what I cook) in the long run than eating out and convenience foods. But there are still lots of corners that I cut in cooking that I could put a little more effort into, and maybe I would if I had more time.
For example, I often buy dinner rolls that I throw in the freezer. They're around $3 for a bag of 6 or 7 rolls. That's expensive! I know I could make my own rolls for a fraction of the cost, and they'd be much healthier. It's just a matter of working it into my routine. I make homemade waffles now instead of buying Eggo waffles. I use white whole wheat flour and organic, cage-free eggs and organic milk, so they're definitely way healthier. And now that I'm used to making them, it takes very little time and effort. So I just need to do the same with the dinner rolls. I even have a bread machine, so I doubt it would even take much time. It's just a matter of making the effort.
So what conveniences do you buy? And what do you think is worth the time and effort? If money was not an issue, what would you outsource?
I clean my own house instead of hiring a cleaning service. I've discovered that we can survive with my haphazard cleaning techniques--a little here, a little there, throw-a-party-when-I-really-need-to-clean. (Lowering my standards of cleanliness has also helped immensely.)
I also cook at home and try to do as much "from scratch" cooking as I can. I enjoy cooking, and I know it's cheaper and healthier (depending on what I cook) in the long run than eating out and convenience foods. But there are still lots of corners that I cut in cooking that I could put a little more effort into, and maybe I would if I had more time.
For example, I often buy dinner rolls that I throw in the freezer. They're around $3 for a bag of 6 or 7 rolls. That's expensive! I know I could make my own rolls for a fraction of the cost, and they'd be much healthier. It's just a matter of working it into my routine. I make homemade waffles now instead of buying Eggo waffles. I use white whole wheat flour and organic, cage-free eggs and organic milk, so they're definitely way healthier. And now that I'm used to making them, it takes very little time and effort. So I just need to do the same with the dinner rolls. I even have a bread machine, so I doubt it would even take much time. It's just a matter of making the effort.
So what conveniences do you buy? And what do you think is worth the time and effort? If money was not an issue, what would you outsource?
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Randomness
- When I got to school today to pick up the boys, William's teacher said, "Don't be alarmed by his face. He found a pen during rest time." He had drawn all over his face with a green marker. Luckily, it came off in the bathtub. I'd like to pursue what happened, though, because that's really not the kind of thing William normally does. Seth, definitely. But William, not so much. I'm thinking a friend may be involved.
- Also when I got to school today, William's class was just lining up to go outside. William begged me to wait so he could play outside, and since I was early, I said okay. Seth played, too, and they had fun. But when we finally hit the road, traffic was so bad that we didn't get home until almost 6:30.
- We ate waffles, sausage, and fruit instead of the poppy seed chicken casserole. We'll have the chicken tomorrow night.
- Last night I watched the Duets episode of Glee (on Hulu). It's the first time I've watched a full episode and I really liked it. Do NOT tell my mother in law, though. She loves that show and Ed and I make fun of her for watching it and buying the CDs. I guess I'm now a closet Glee fan.
- I have pictures from the picnic:
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| Too cool for school, checking out the kids playing with the parachute |
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| No caption needed. Awwww! |
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| Knight face painting |
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| Seth being his usual cooperative self when posing for pictures |
- Can't think of much else to blog about. And anyway, I want to watch the rest of the Glee episode I was watching last night!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Weekend Blur
Our weekend consisted of:
Taekwondo (William got his yellow striped belt!)
vacuuming
bathroom cleaning
quick lunch date for Ed and Me
laundry
library
playing
grocery store
Taekwondo picnic, parachute play, 3-legged race, balloon toss, playground playing, face painting
car naps
playing outside
We had gorgeous weather and lots of family time. What more could you ask for? The Taekwondo picnic was probably the highlight. William finally found a little girl that he knew from his class and they spent the rest of the picnic together. He told me later that the little girl wouldn't do the things that he wanted to do. I told him he should get used to that.
In between all the activities, I planned this week's menu.
Sunday: Spaghetti (for Ed and me), chicken nuggets (for the boys), broccoli
Monday: Pork tenderloin (marinated in balsamic vinaigrette dressing), asparagus, roasted potatoes
Tuesday: Poppy seed chicken casserole, broccoli, dinner rolls
Wednesday: Pork Schnitzel, green beans/spinach salad, corn bread
Thursday: Breakfast for dinner or pizza
Friday: Tacos
Saturday: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits
I did a little better with the food waste last week. We had some leftover roast beef that I knew wasn't going to get eaten, but I didn't have the ingredients to make a pot pie or shepherd's pie with it. So instead I cut it up into small pieces and put it in a freezer bag for the freezer. I'm not sure if it will freeze well, but I thought maybe I'd try a pot pie or shepherd's pie next week. I'm pretty sure William won't eat it, and Ed doesn't really like either option. But Seth will probably eat it, and you never know with William. Plus I can always eat it for lunch all week. I also shredded a leftover chicken breast and put that in the freezer, which I'll use for the poppy seed chicken casserole. (Another thing that William probably won't eat, but you never know.) I'm trying to plan more meals based on leftovers when I know we'll have them, and also to make meals that will probably have leftovers earlier in the week, so I can eat them for lunch. This week, for example, I have two pork tenderloins (they usually come two in a package) so I'll roast one tonight, and the other one I'll slice up and pound thin and use that for Wednesday night.
Anyway, another Monday, another week. Time is flying! This is the time of year that things always seem to get crazy. But for some strange reason, I'm really looking forward to it all this year. Of course, I might not be singing the same song in another month. But for now, things look good.
Taekwondo (William got his yellow striped belt!)
vacuuming
bathroom cleaning
quick lunch date for Ed and Me
laundry
library
playing
grocery store
Taekwondo picnic, parachute play, 3-legged race, balloon toss, playground playing, face painting
car naps
playing outside
We had gorgeous weather and lots of family time. What more could you ask for? The Taekwondo picnic was probably the highlight. William finally found a little girl that he knew from his class and they spent the rest of the picnic together. He told me later that the little girl wouldn't do the things that he wanted to do. I told him he should get used to that.
In between all the activities, I planned this week's menu.
Sunday: Spaghetti (for Ed and me), chicken nuggets (for the boys), broccoli
Monday: Pork tenderloin (marinated in balsamic vinaigrette dressing), asparagus, roasted potatoes
Tuesday: Poppy seed chicken casserole, broccoli, dinner rolls
Wednesday: Pork Schnitzel, green beans/spinach salad, corn bread
Thursday: Breakfast for dinner or pizza
Friday: Tacos
Saturday: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits
I did a little better with the food waste last week. We had some leftover roast beef that I knew wasn't going to get eaten, but I didn't have the ingredients to make a pot pie or shepherd's pie with it. So instead I cut it up into small pieces and put it in a freezer bag for the freezer. I'm not sure if it will freeze well, but I thought maybe I'd try a pot pie or shepherd's pie next week. I'm pretty sure William won't eat it, and Ed doesn't really like either option. But Seth will probably eat it, and you never know with William. Plus I can always eat it for lunch all week. I also shredded a leftover chicken breast and put that in the freezer, which I'll use for the poppy seed chicken casserole. (Another thing that William probably won't eat, but you never know.) I'm trying to plan more meals based on leftovers when I know we'll have them, and also to make meals that will probably have leftovers earlier in the week, so I can eat them for lunch. This week, for example, I have two pork tenderloins (they usually come two in a package) so I'll roast one tonight, and the other one I'll slice up and pound thin and use that for Wednesday night.
Anyway, another Monday, another week. Time is flying! This is the time of year that things always seem to get crazy. But for some strange reason, I'm really looking forward to it all this year. Of course, I might not be singing the same song in another month. But for now, things look good.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Show Me the Mommy--Vegas Edition
Last night, I got William to take a few pictures of Ed and me, since I have about as many pictures of the two of us as I have of just me. He took some funny ones, which I meant to download onto my computer and use today. But alas, I got tired and went to sleep. So instead, today's Show Me the Mommy moment comes from our weekend in Vegas, courtesy of Laura (again!). (Even though most of you who read this blog have already seen it!)
Pretty funny, huh?
In other news, life is good but moving fast. Seth has suckered me into sitting in the comfy rocking chair in his room for a few minutes while he goes to sleep each night. And of course, a "few minutes" turns into a half-hour snooze. I've been doing it because it's kind of relaxing, but once I've dozed off, there's no motivation to get back to doing my evening chores. I've also been reading The Girl Who Played with Fire, so it's pretty easy to crawl into bed and read and go to sleep without even opening my computer at night.
Other than that, the boys are good. Seth had to get tested for lead and TB this week (it's a requirement for DC schools and day care centers), so we had an appointment on Tuesday afternoon and had to go back yesterday afternoon. Luckily, he only had to get his finger pricked, rather than a blood draw. He did great during the finger prick, but not so great for the TB test. But it was all over quickly.
William will be testing for his yellow-striped belt in Taekwondo tomorrow. He has to memorize the student creed. He knows it, but I'm wondering if he'll freeze up when he has to recite it. He actually recited it for his class yesterday, so I think he'll do fine. The awesome part is that during class, they bring the kids forward who get new belts and everyone claps for them. So cute!
That's about it. No complaints. No feeling overwhelmed. Still struggling with food waste and exercise. (Gillian and I had a falling out, but I think we'll make amends this weekend and start over.) William has been all over the map with Halloween costumes. First he wanted to be a skeleton, then Michael Jackson, then Iron Man, then an army guy. I think I've convinced him to be the Karate Kid, though. Which is great since we already have the costume! When I ask Seth what he wants to be for Halloween, he says, "Nothing!" But William asked him if he wanted to be the Karate Kid, too. And he said yes. So that should be easy enough. It would be nice to have that decision all wrapped up.
And despite myself, I"m getting totally excited about Christmas! I know, I know. Halloween isn't even here yet. But I can't help it! What can I say--William and Seth love to sing Jingle Bells!
Pretty funny, huh?
In other news, life is good but moving fast. Seth has suckered me into sitting in the comfy rocking chair in his room for a few minutes while he goes to sleep each night. And of course, a "few minutes" turns into a half-hour snooze. I've been doing it because it's kind of relaxing, but once I've dozed off, there's no motivation to get back to doing my evening chores. I've also been reading The Girl Who Played with Fire, so it's pretty easy to crawl into bed and read and go to sleep without even opening my computer at night.
Other than that, the boys are good. Seth had to get tested for lead and TB this week (it's a requirement for DC schools and day care centers), so we had an appointment on Tuesday afternoon and had to go back yesterday afternoon. Luckily, he only had to get his finger pricked, rather than a blood draw. He did great during the finger prick, but not so great for the TB test. But it was all over quickly.
William will be testing for his yellow-striped belt in Taekwondo tomorrow. He has to memorize the student creed. He knows it, but I'm wondering if he'll freeze up when he has to recite it. He actually recited it for his class yesterday, so I think he'll do fine. The awesome part is that during class, they bring the kids forward who get new belts and everyone claps for them. So cute!
That's about it. No complaints. No feeling overwhelmed. Still struggling with food waste and exercise. (Gillian and I had a falling out, but I think we'll make amends this weekend and start over.) William has been all over the map with Halloween costumes. First he wanted to be a skeleton, then Michael Jackson, then Iron Man, then an army guy. I think I've convinced him to be the Karate Kid, though. Which is great since we already have the costume! When I ask Seth what he wants to be for Halloween, he says, "Nothing!" But William asked him if he wanted to be the Karate Kid, too. And he said yes. So that should be easy enough. It would be nice to have that decision all wrapped up.
And despite myself, I"m getting totally excited about Christmas! I know, I know. Halloween isn't even here yet. But I can't help it! What can I say--William and Seth love to sing Jingle Bells!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Weekend Report and Menu Plan Monday -- October 11
Today is the last day of a three-day weekend and it has been beyond gorgeous. We did not have too much planned for the weekend, other than taekwondo and a birthday party on Saturday, but we managed to pack in a lot of activities. On Friday night, we met Ed at a local pizza place for an impromptu dinner. The boys did really well, which isn't always the case at restaurants. After taekwondo on Saturday morning, we went to a local truck touch and the boys had a great time. There was a monster truck, a fire engine with aeriel lift, a skid steer loader, a little gator truck, a motorcycle, a cement mixer, a school bus, two different utility trucks with cherry pickers, a dump truck, a UPS truck, and more. After several hours at the truck touch, we headed home so Seth could take a short nap before the birthday party at Pump It Up. By Saturday night, I was completely worn out (Ed got the day off since he had daddy duty all weekend last weekend while I was in Vegas), but it was a good day. On Sunday morning, the boys went with me to the grocery store and then came home to help Ed with yard work. Then we headed to a local park on the water to enjoy the beautiful weather. The boys loved watching boats go in and out of the water on the boat ramp. Seth got so excited every time he saw a truck pulling a boat. Then the boys played on the playground for a while and then we went down to the "beach" where they rent kayaks and canoes and rowboats and the boys played in the sand and threw rocks in the water.
Today has not been quite as exciting. After doing lots of chores this morning, I finally herded the boys into the car and we dropped clothes off at the drycleaners and then went to Barnes and Noble. William LOVES going there and wants me to read every story he lays his hands on. Good times! On the way home, Seth fell asleep in the car and I transfered him to his room. Meanwhile, I let William watch a video, and he fell asleep, too! So I got about an hour and a half of blissful peace and quiet.
On Sunday morning before I headed to the grocery store, I quickly figured out a menu for the week. I'm getting pretty used to planning menus on the fly!
Sunday: Grilled Salmon, broccoli, roasted potatoes, and dinner rolls
Monday: Roast beef, rice, salad, dinner rolls
Tuesday: Grilled chicken breasts, green beans, corn bread muffins
Wednesday: French dip sandwiches, fruit (apples, grapes, strawberries) (Using leftover roast beef)
Thursday: Quesadillas (made with leftover chicken breasts)
Friday: Leftover smorgasborg
Saturday: Pork tenderloin, sides TBD (We ended up having spaghetti on Saturday night and again on Sunday night, and saved the pork tenderloin for Monday night.)
Friday, October 08, 2010
Show Me the Mommy!
My "Show Me the Mommy" moment this morning was provided by LauraC herself! Laura, Jon, and the boys spent the night at our house last night and got to see us in all our morning-scramble glory. I'm glad she has two boys and understands what "loud" means. LOL. I just saw her a few days ago, but it was great to see her again, and especially Nate and Alex. I made Laura take a quick photo of me and the boys, and I meant to try to get a photo of Laura and me, and also the boys together. But, yeah, that didn't happen. I got distracted. Stupid morning scramble. Laura and her family are on their way to the Warrior Dash, with a pit stop at the Air and Space Museum, which I hope they enjoy.
In the meantime, I'll post this picture from this morning:
To Laura, Joanna, and Maria--I hope you guys kick ASS at the Warrior Dash! I'm so sorry I can't be there, but I'm there in spirit.
In the meantime, I'll post this picture from this morning:
To Laura, Joanna, and Maria--I hope you guys kick ASS at the Warrior Dash! I'm so sorry I can't be there, but I'm there in spirit.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Vegas, Baby!
I can't believe it's already Thursday and I haven't gotten around to blogging yet. The proverbial shit seems to have hit the fan for just about everyone coming home from Vegas, and I think we've all felt consumed by life for the past few days. But I'm one of the lucky ones--I got off pretty easy. I took the red-eye home on Sunday night, leaving Vegas at 11:30 p.m. and arriving in Baltimore at 9:15 a.m. (after a plane change in Milwaukee). My plan was to go to work, but who was I kidding? I felt like crap and I looked worse, so I went home and tried to take a nap. I dozed a little and then left to pick up the boys at 3:30. I got a call on my way to school from Seth's teacher--Seth had a fever. When I got to school, he was so pathetic. He was lying on his cot and when he saw me, he just started crying. He didn't even sit up. Not the welcome home I imagined.
I scooped him up and got William (who DID give me an awesome welcome home, I'm-so-happy-to-see-you hug) and we went home. On the way home, Seth threw up all over himself. Oh joy! The funniest part of the ride home was when William--after watching Seth throw up--said, "You know what we had for lunch today, Mommy?" I had a pretty good idea. LOL.
Once we were home, I got Seth cleaned up and he went to sleep in his crib. Then I cleaned up the car seat and did a load of laundry. Seth woke up a while later and threw up again, but he was okay for the rest of the night. I stayed home on Tuesday and Seth only had a fever in the morning. Later in the afternoon, William started coughing. And coughing. And coughing. That night, he started wheezing. Ed stayed home with the boys on Wednesday and took them to the doctor. Seth is fine now and William just has to do nebulizer treatments a few times a day. He was barely wheezing when he went to the doctor, so that was good. Both boys are back to school today, I'm at work, and all is well.
So now--the good stuff: Vegas! The trip was awesome. The company was amazing. We ate fantastic food and laughed until our cheeks hurt. Friday night for me began late--Bridget and I arrived on the same plane from Atlanta and were met by Laura, Joanna, Lindsay, and Jenn at the airport. We went to In and Out Burger (Yum!) and then headed to the hotel where we met up with Julie, Desi, Heidi, Rita, and Tenaya. Drinks and talking and much giggling ensued. It really felt like we had all known each other for years. (Maybe because we have!) Saturday was the cabana day. The cabana was by the pool, but that was completely irrelevant for us. We drank, talked more, laughed and laughed, ate, drank, talked more, and laughed some more. Not even a crazy thunder storm could drive us apart! We simply closed the cabana curtains, asked the waiter for clean drinks, and kept right on talking. Saturday night was dinner at Lotus of Siam--a fantastic Thai restaurant located off the strip. Heidi (the local) suggested that the group have the waiter bring out a bunch of different recommended entrees for everyone to share. Jenn, Joanna, and I opted for some old standbys, but everything was fantastic.
Saturday night was our true taste of Vegas nightlife--after hours at Tao. I wasn't drunk enough to truly enjoy it, but I'm so glad I got to experience it for a little while. It was amusing and reminded me of my much younger days when I first moved to DC and went to clubs and bars every weekend. Good times! After a good night's sleep, we met up for brunch at Bouchon on Sunday morning. And OH.MY.GOD. it was so delicious. The BEST waffles I have ever had! After brunch we headed outside and walked along the strip. We walked around some other hotels and casinos, we watched the fountain show at the Bellagio, I got a makeup consult at the MAC counter, Joanna picked up a gift for Andy. Even though we walked a ton, it was relaxing. After resting at the hotel, we got ready for our dinner at Aquaknox--an awesome seafood restaurant. It was delicious! I ate an entire bucket of mussels by myself and loved every bite. Lindsay picked a fantastic Pinot Grigio and the company was, of course, the best part of dinner. (Besdies the fact that Joanna, Jenn, and I all ordered the same thing AGAIN!) After dinner, I had to say my goodbyes and head for the airport. The rest of the girls planned to go out and do a little gambling. Did anyone win???
So now that you know what we did all weekend, here are my thoughts about this amazing group of women that I am so privileged to know:
I'll start with Julie and Laura--the women that I already knew IRL. It was so awesome to see Julie again. She looks fantastic! Seattle really agrees with her. Julie is so smart and funny and thoughtful. I could hang out with her for hours and never grow tired of talking to her. She makes me feel like I'm an interesting person (which is quite a stretch! LOL) and she is so comfortable to be around.
And Laura--the glue that holds us all together! You know how some people are the-glass-is-half-full people? Well Laura is a the-glass-is-overflowing kind of person--the most positive and uplifting person I know. When the experts say you should surround yourself with people who inspire you to be a better person, they were talking about Laura. I've never been with Laura around a big group before, though, and I have to say that she was much quieter than I expected. She lets everyone else talk and tends to sit back and enjoy the company. Kind of a new twist!
Laura mentioned that last year in New York, Rita was Lindsay's girl crush. Well Desi would definitely by mine for Vegas. She has an awesome, self-deprecating sense of humor. And yet she is so confident and charming. She cracked me up the whole time I was in Vegas and I instantly felt so comfortable with her.You can tell she is an awesome mom--the kind that doesn't take crap and lays down the law. Can't wait to hang out with her again!
Heidi was the one I knew the least, and the one who surprised me the most. She is so freakin' cool. She's hip but super down to earth and obviously super smart. She is the kind of mother that I want to be. I admire her so much because she has started a full-time grad school program with 3 kids at home. If that isn't awesome, what is?
Speaking of awesome, there is Jenn. She is organized and put-together, And yet she is so laid back and easy going and easy to talk to. Jenn is super thoughtful, too. I had mentioned wanting to go to a MAC counter to have a makeup consultation, and Jenn went out of her way to make sure that happened for me. It really meant a lot to me, and it's a small example of how Jenn takes care of her friends!
Joanna is as funny in real life as she is on her blog. She is a story-teller and she might be the most stubborn person I've ever met. She has such an amazing sense of self that I truly admire. I can't wait to see her again and think I might have to make a special trip to Philly just so I can hear more of her hysterical stories.
Lindsay is the one with whom I spent the least amount of time, which bums me out because I really really wanted to get to know her better. She is in real life as she appears on her blog--sweet, good-natured, always taking care of everyone. She is also beautiful and taller than I expected. She has the warmest smile and makes everyone feel special. I want to room with her at our next girls' weekend! (Or at least sit by her during a meal!)
Bridget has the best sense of humor of anyone I know. She has had to deal with so much crap, and yet she does so with so much grace. She is a true Southern lady--poised and fashionable (which is an understatement), strong and independent, completely charming!
Rita can be summed up with one word: Passion. She is passionate about everything--food, her boys, work, life. I love the way she describes food and I definitely think she should have her own cooking show. America would fall in love with her!
And Tenaya, who I didn't know at all before this weekend since she doesn't blog. But now I'm really wishing she would blog! She is so smart and seems so "California" to me. Gorgeous and stylish and down to earth and intelligent and funny--the whole package. She's on the board at her kids' school, too, and I realized we probably have more in common than I ever imagined. I would love to meet up with her again!
In short, I had an awesome time in Vegas--a whole weekend of chatting, laughing, eating, relaxing, and even a little bit of sleeping. I came home wanting to be a better mom and a better wife and feeling so very fortunate that I had the opportunity to bond with such amazing women. Can't wait 'till next year!
I scooped him up and got William (who DID give me an awesome welcome home, I'm-so-happy-to-see-you hug) and we went home. On the way home, Seth threw up all over himself. Oh joy! The funniest part of the ride home was when William--after watching Seth throw up--said, "You know what we had for lunch today, Mommy?" I had a pretty good idea. LOL.
Once we were home, I got Seth cleaned up and he went to sleep in his crib. Then I cleaned up the car seat and did a load of laundry. Seth woke up a while later and threw up again, but he was okay for the rest of the night. I stayed home on Tuesday and Seth only had a fever in the morning. Later in the afternoon, William started coughing. And coughing. And coughing. That night, he started wheezing. Ed stayed home with the boys on Wednesday and took them to the doctor. Seth is fine now and William just has to do nebulizer treatments a few times a day. He was barely wheezing when he went to the doctor, so that was good. Both boys are back to school today, I'm at work, and all is well.
So now--the good stuff: Vegas! The trip was awesome. The company was amazing. We ate fantastic food and laughed until our cheeks hurt. Friday night for me began late--Bridget and I arrived on the same plane from Atlanta and were met by Laura, Joanna, Lindsay, and Jenn at the airport. We went to In and Out Burger (Yum!) and then headed to the hotel where we met up with Julie, Desi, Heidi, Rita, and Tenaya. Drinks and talking and much giggling ensued. It really felt like we had all known each other for years. (Maybe because we have!) Saturday was the cabana day. The cabana was by the pool, but that was completely irrelevant for us. We drank, talked more, laughed and laughed, ate, drank, talked more, and laughed some more. Not even a crazy thunder storm could drive us apart! We simply closed the cabana curtains, asked the waiter for clean drinks, and kept right on talking. Saturday night was dinner at Lotus of Siam--a fantastic Thai restaurant located off the strip. Heidi (the local) suggested that the group have the waiter bring out a bunch of different recommended entrees for everyone to share. Jenn, Joanna, and I opted for some old standbys, but everything was fantastic.
Saturday night was our true taste of Vegas nightlife--after hours at Tao. I wasn't drunk enough to truly enjoy it, but I'm so glad I got to experience it for a little while. It was amusing and reminded me of my much younger days when I first moved to DC and went to clubs and bars every weekend. Good times! After a good night's sleep, we met up for brunch at Bouchon on Sunday morning. And OH.MY.GOD. it was so delicious. The BEST waffles I have ever had! After brunch we headed outside and walked along the strip. We walked around some other hotels and casinos, we watched the fountain show at the Bellagio, I got a makeup consult at the MAC counter, Joanna picked up a gift for Andy. Even though we walked a ton, it was relaxing. After resting at the hotel, we got ready for our dinner at Aquaknox--an awesome seafood restaurant. It was delicious! I ate an entire bucket of mussels by myself and loved every bite. Lindsay picked a fantastic Pinot Grigio and the company was, of course, the best part of dinner. (Besdies the fact that Joanna, Jenn, and I all ordered the same thing AGAIN!) After dinner, I had to say my goodbyes and head for the airport. The rest of the girls planned to go out and do a little gambling. Did anyone win???
So now that you know what we did all weekend, here are my thoughts about this amazing group of women that I am so privileged to know:
I'll start with Julie and Laura--the women that I already knew IRL. It was so awesome to see Julie again. She looks fantastic! Seattle really agrees with her. Julie is so smart and funny and thoughtful. I could hang out with her for hours and never grow tired of talking to her. She makes me feel like I'm an interesting person (which is quite a stretch! LOL) and she is so comfortable to be around.
And Laura--the glue that holds us all together! You know how some people are the-glass-is-half-full people? Well Laura is a the-glass-is-overflowing kind of person--the most positive and uplifting person I know. When the experts say you should surround yourself with people who inspire you to be a better person, they were talking about Laura. I've never been with Laura around a big group before, though, and I have to say that she was much quieter than I expected. She lets everyone else talk and tends to sit back and enjoy the company. Kind of a new twist!
Laura mentioned that last year in New York, Rita was Lindsay's girl crush. Well Desi would definitely by mine for Vegas. She has an awesome, self-deprecating sense of humor. And yet she is so confident and charming. She cracked me up the whole time I was in Vegas and I instantly felt so comfortable with her.You can tell she is an awesome mom--the kind that doesn't take crap and lays down the law. Can't wait to hang out with her again!
Heidi was the one I knew the least, and the one who surprised me the most. She is so freakin' cool. She's hip but super down to earth and obviously super smart. She is the kind of mother that I want to be. I admire her so much because she has started a full-time grad school program with 3 kids at home. If that isn't awesome, what is?
Speaking of awesome, there is Jenn. She is organized and put-together, And yet she is so laid back and easy going and easy to talk to. Jenn is super thoughtful, too. I had mentioned wanting to go to a MAC counter to have a makeup consultation, and Jenn went out of her way to make sure that happened for me. It really meant a lot to me, and it's a small example of how Jenn takes care of her friends!
Joanna is as funny in real life as she is on her blog. She is a story-teller and she might be the most stubborn person I've ever met. She has such an amazing sense of self that I truly admire. I can't wait to see her again and think I might have to make a special trip to Philly just so I can hear more of her hysterical stories.
Lindsay is the one with whom I spent the least amount of time, which bums me out because I really really wanted to get to know her better. She is in real life as she appears on her blog--sweet, good-natured, always taking care of everyone. She is also beautiful and taller than I expected. She has the warmest smile and makes everyone feel special. I want to room with her at our next girls' weekend! (Or at least sit by her during a meal!)
Bridget has the best sense of humor of anyone I know. She has had to deal with so much crap, and yet she does so with so much grace. She is a true Southern lady--poised and fashionable (which is an understatement), strong and independent, completely charming!
Rita can be summed up with one word: Passion. She is passionate about everything--food, her boys, work, life. I love the way she describes food and I definitely think she should have her own cooking show. America would fall in love with her!
And Tenaya, who I didn't know at all before this weekend since she doesn't blog. But now I'm really wishing she would blog! She is so smart and seems so "California" to me. Gorgeous and stylish and down to earth and intelligent and funny--the whole package. She's on the board at her kids' school, too, and I realized we probably have more in common than I ever imagined. I would love to meet up with her again!
In short, I had an awesome time in Vegas--a whole weekend of chatting, laughing, eating, relaxing, and even a little bit of sleeping. I came home wanting to be a better mom and a better wife and feeling so very fortunate that I had the opportunity to bond with such amazing women. Can't wait 'till next year!
Friday, October 01, 2010
Rocking the Working Mommy Gig
As a full-time mom who works outside the home, with a husband who also works full time outside the home, it's REALLY hard to take care of personal things like haircuts and clothes shopping. Because they're not really necessities, they're relegated to things I do sparingly, and even then, either hurriedly or late at night, after the kids are asleep. I usually try to fit haircuts in during the work day, but since I only work an 8.5 hour day, that can be tricky.
Yesterday, however, I was on fire! With only one day to go before Vegas, I managed to go clothes shopping, grocery shopping, and get my haircut, all between the hours of 8 and 10 p.m., in a tropical storm-induced torrential downpour. And that was after I got home and cooked a steak and asparagus dinner and then bathed the boys and put them to bed. On top of that I packed, and was in bed at 11:00 p.m. Of course, I didn't spend any time with Ed, but he's being all pissy about me leaving him alone with the boys for two days, so that was probably just as well.
So now I'm all set. I dropped the boys off at school but didn't even get decent hugs goodbye. They were both like, "Whatever, Mom." They can't wait for Ed to pick them up today because they get to drink chocolate milk boxes on the way home from school, instead of the apple juice that they normally get with me. Go figure. So in honor of "Show Me the Momma," I"ll post these pictures from last weekend, when we visited the Natural History Museum.
I tried to get a picture of both of them with me, but they're not the most cooperative boys. (Ahem--Seth!) So this will do. In the meantime, in a few short hours, I'll be meeting up with Laura, Julie, Jenn, Joanna, Bridget, Desi, Heidi, Rita, and Lindsay. I can't wait!
Yesterday, however, I was on fire! With only one day to go before Vegas, I managed to go clothes shopping, grocery shopping, and get my haircut, all between the hours of 8 and 10 p.m., in a tropical storm-induced torrential downpour. And that was after I got home and cooked a steak and asparagus dinner and then bathed the boys and put them to bed. On top of that I packed, and was in bed at 11:00 p.m. Of course, I didn't spend any time with Ed, but he's being all pissy about me leaving him alone with the boys for two days, so that was probably just as well.
So now I'm all set. I dropped the boys off at school but didn't even get decent hugs goodbye. They were both like, "Whatever, Mom." They can't wait for Ed to pick them up today because they get to drink chocolate milk boxes on the way home from school, instead of the apple juice that they normally get with me. Go figure. So in honor of "Show Me the Momma," I"ll post these pictures from last weekend, when we visited the Natural History Museum.
I tried to get a picture of both of them with me, but they're not the most cooperative boys. (Ahem--Seth!) So this will do. In the meantime, in a few short hours, I'll be meeting up with Laura, Julie, Jenn, Joanna, Bridget, Desi, Heidi, Rita, and Lindsay. I can't wait!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Brotherly Love
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.
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.
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.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Welcome Back
After an entire week off from work (which I haven't had since maternity leave with Seth), I have to admit that I woke up this morning with some small sense of dread. My "vacation" was pretty nice, if you leave out the part where I had a raging sinus infection all week, but it was also a bit exhausting. The thought of the morning scramble and dropping the kids off at school and picking up where I left off at work--well, let's just say I wanted to pull the covers over my head and not have to face anything.
But instead I went through the motions and only yelled at the boys three times before we even got out the door and only choked back tears once, when Seth had a total meltdown when I dropped him off, and only avoided one task at work that I've been avoiding for two weeks. So not a terrible day, really. What I need to do now is go to sleep, but I thought of some things I wanted to write about, before I forget entirely.
But instead I went through the motions and only yelled at the boys three times before we even got out the door and only choked back tears once, when Seth had a total meltdown when I dropped him off, and only avoided one task at work that I've been avoiding for two weeks. So not a terrible day, really. What I need to do now is go to sleep, but I thought of some things I wanted to write about, before I forget entirely.
- I've been on antibiotics, Sudafed, and ibruprofin for my sinus infection since Friday, but I'm still in pain. On Wednesday night, the night we stayed in the hotel, I was in so much pain, I thought I might have to go to the ER. I slept upright in a chair while Ed slept on the pull-out couch and the boys each got their own double bed. (They both slept great, btw--and they both ended up sleeping horizontally on their bed.) I finally started feeling better at 4:00 a.m. Since then, I've had a lot of pain in my ears, teeth, and facial bones. I'm SO tired of feeling awful!
- Seth has started stuttering. He just does it when he first starts a sentence. His teacher said it's common when kids experience a language explosion. Their brains work faster than their mouths. It's pretty cute, actually, but we're keeping a close eye on it, too.
- Seth is still using the potty off and on. He hasn't asked to wear underwear, but he has no problem pulling his diaper off. Mabye this weekend I'll put him in underwear and see what happens.
- Ed and I got a babysitter again on Saturday night so we could go out for Ed's birthday. We saw a movie (Switch) and ate Thai food. We had a nice time.
- I'm trying to get back on trace with menu planning this week. I stocked up on meat at the grocery store over the weekend, so I have plenty to work with. But I've been pretty lazy about prepping the night before. I've also been a little lax on the food waste. Tonight I threw out some leftover steak and chicken that we never finished, some bacon that we didn't use up, and half a bag of salad that we didn't finish. That's a lot of waste!
- On Friday I was planning on taking the boys to a lake about 2 hours from our house, but I went to the Minute Clinic in the morning for my sinus infection and the day got off track. So instead, we went to a local pool that has fountains and slides and a sand play area, and the boys LOVED it. We stayed there for almost 5 hours. I may take them again this weekend and drag Ed with us.
- I've already started thinking about Christmas and what Santa will bring the boys this year. William is so easy to shop for and Seth is so hard. Seth is really into art so Santa may have to bring him an easel. William found a Polar Express train set and I think he's talked his grandmother into buying it for him. I think Santa might bring William some more blocks and a viewfinder. But there's still plenty of time!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
We Survived Sesame Place
We survived! And we even had fun. I don't even know where to begin. I'm exhausted, I think I have an ear infection in addition to a sinus infection, Ed says he has a sore throat. But the boys? They're awesome. They had a great time. But in hindsight, I don't think an amusement park is really for them. They're not crazy into rides. In fact, on most of the rides we stood in line for, either Seth or William bolted at the last minute. The only rides Seth went on were the teacups, the rambling river (which he did not really enjoy), and the slimey chutes water ride. William enjoyed the dry rides, but he wasn't interested in all of them. He rode the roller coaster twice (it's tiny--very mild), but put his head down and closed his eyes the whole time. He bolted at the slimey chutes ride. But he loved the rambling river (floating in innertubes along a waterway). They both loved the bounce house, and they loved this area that had huge punching bags that they could run through like a maze. They loved the spray park. And William's favorite spot, where he spent a good hour or more today, was this area filled with sand for digging. He could have stayed there all day.
But backing up a bit, the drive there took much longer than anticipated--4 hours rather than 3. When we got there, the weather was overcast and cool, but lots of people were still doing the water rides. We didn't wear our swimsuits to the park, though, so we stuck to all the dry stuff on Wednesday. At first we kind of meandered around, aimless. The park was not crowded at all, which was really nice. The lines for rides were not long at all. We saw a few characters (Bert, Cookie and Telly, Zoey, The Count) and William loved having his picture taken with them. Seth wanted nothing to do with them, except when we were walking away, and then he'd wave at them madly and shout "Goodbye Bert Bye Zoey!" At 2:00 we watched the parade. At 3:30 we saw a live show, Elmo Rocks. By this time, the boys looked almost comatose, so we talked about leaving and going to see Megan and Sam and Seren and Wyeth. William was gung ho. But then we passed by the merry-go-round and the boys wanted to ride on it. Then we passed the big play area, and the boys perked up, and that was it. They wanted to stay, William wanted to ride more rides, Seth wanted to climb in the nets. So we had to bail on Megan and family. I was bummed, but in hindsight, I'm glad we stayed because the boys had a blast playing and I felt like we really got our money's worth. We finally left the park at 6:45 that night, but not before getting more pictures with Elmo and Abby Cadabby.
Today's weather was beautiful--sunny and highs in the mid-80s. We put on our swimsuits and sunscreen and headed to the park. We got there before it opened and stood in line. LOTS more people were there today so lines were long. We did the rambling river and slimey chutes today, but that was it. We spent the rest of the time at the splash pad and the sandy beach area. We finally left the park for home around 1:30 and got on the road at 1:45. Seth was alseep before we hit the highway and he actually slept for about 2 hours, which I have never seen him do in the car. William fell asleep, too, for about an hour. We hit rush hour traffic between Baltimore and DC (great timing) and didn't get home until 6:00 p.m. (great timing, huh?), but we survived! We had fun. The boys had lots of fun. And next time, we'll just go to the beach. :-)
So now, pictures. Note Seth's buzz cut. I took him on Tuesday after school and asked the guy to cut it short. Yikes! He looks cute, though. The rest of the pictures are self-explanatory.
But backing up a bit, the drive there took much longer than anticipated--4 hours rather than 3. When we got there, the weather was overcast and cool, but lots of people were still doing the water rides. We didn't wear our swimsuits to the park, though, so we stuck to all the dry stuff on Wednesday. At first we kind of meandered around, aimless. The park was not crowded at all, which was really nice. The lines for rides were not long at all. We saw a few characters (Bert, Cookie and Telly, Zoey, The Count) and William loved having his picture taken with them. Seth wanted nothing to do with them, except when we were walking away, and then he'd wave at them madly and shout "Goodbye Bert Bye Zoey!" At 2:00 we watched the parade. At 3:30 we saw a live show, Elmo Rocks. By this time, the boys looked almost comatose, so we talked about leaving and going to see Megan and Sam and Seren and Wyeth. William was gung ho. But then we passed by the merry-go-round and the boys wanted to ride on it. Then we passed the big play area, and the boys perked up, and that was it. They wanted to stay, William wanted to ride more rides, Seth wanted to climb in the nets. So we had to bail on Megan and family. I was bummed, but in hindsight, I'm glad we stayed because the boys had a blast playing and I felt like we really got our money's worth. We finally left the park at 6:45 that night, but not before getting more pictures with Elmo and Abby Cadabby.
Today's weather was beautiful--sunny and highs in the mid-80s. We put on our swimsuits and sunscreen and headed to the park. We got there before it opened and stood in line. LOTS more people were there today so lines were long. We did the rambling river and slimey chutes today, but that was it. We spent the rest of the time at the splash pad and the sandy beach area. We finally left the park for home around 1:30 and got on the road at 1:45. Seth was alseep before we hit the highway and he actually slept for about 2 hours, which I have never seen him do in the car. William fell asleep, too, for about an hour. We hit rush hour traffic between Baltimore and DC (great timing) and didn't get home until 6:00 p.m. (great timing, huh?), but we survived! We had fun. The boys had lots of fun. And next time, we'll just go to the beach. :-)
So now, pictures. Note Seth's buzz cut. I took him on Tuesday after school and asked the guy to cut it short. Yikes! He looks cute, though. The rest of the pictures are self-explanatory.
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