Friday Free for All

• The baby is 18-months old today. 1.5!! Holy cow where does the time go? Soon I will be referring to her as my almost two-year-old. Oh no…that is just not possible. She reminds us every day that she is big. BIG. And that she has opinions and stuff. About everything. But mostly about having an endless supply of crackers; CRACKERS!!. And yogurt; GOGOAT!!. And how clearly she is big enough to eat a taco right at the table. I call her on my lunch break and when she comes to the phone I say “Hi baby!” and she mimics me back, my high-pitched mommy voice to a T “Hi baby!”. She is something else; like no child I’ve ever known. And I am sure glad she’s here (even though she STILL does not sleep through the night).



• On a recent trip to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, Hub and I were given 3 mini bottles of real maple syrup with our pancakes. They were glass bottles, similar to mini liquor bottles. We were a bit intrigued as they were sealed, and were clearly one serving type items. We got to talking with our server who mentioned that the bottles were just thrown out after the meal, unless the patrons took them home. We were kind of outraged. You have to imagine that they sell a lot of pancakes there and if you get 2 bottles with each set of pancakes…well that is a lot of glass to be throwing out. Wouldn’t it be pretty easy to recycle those? I’m thinking of making this a crusade.
• Hmph, I really thought I would have more random things to share, but I guess I don’t. So with that said, have a great weekend!!

Stuff and Things

What is this? Three posts in one week? Surely the world must be ending...no wait...it is not yet 2012.

Work has been sucking every bit of life out of me lately. It isn't any one thing, just a variety of crap that I won't/can't talk about here. Corporate BS, you know. If you've worked for any large corporation, you've dealt with it. I've worked for 2 very large corporations in my (gasp) 16 working years, and it is the same everywhere. It is presented differently, but there will always be shit. Now is no different. I'm trying to deal, to tell myself that things change every day and that before long, we'll probably be right back to where we started. Everything old is new again, you know?

But it is hard. I am in a position where I used to be one of two, and now I am one of many, having been absorbed in to this new role through our transition. And mostly it is fine, except that it isn't. I don't feel passionate about what I am doing. I no longer feel like I am the one making a difference. I'm just there, doing what I can and collecting my check. This isn't me.

I'm coming to realize that I have a problem with being herded like a sheep. That I need to have some sort of project. That I need to be given the opportunity to be analytical. I'm not getting that.

And so I've been looking. Only internally so far. I'd really not like to start completely over after 10 years. Don't get me wrong; I generally like my job, and I work for an amazing company. But I feel like if there is change all around me as it is, I may as well shake it up some more. Put myself out there and try something new.

It is damn hard.

This does figure in a bit to my resolutions a bit too. Taking care of me. Fulfilling myself. We're not in a position for me to lose any money at this point, but we are stable enough to work through a bit of change.

At this point, I think I deserve it.

Resolve

So, I told you guys I would write about my resolutions sometime near February, right? And well basically I was foaming at the mouth to write my very first post with my new laptop. So, we both win right? Because I am sure you were waiting with baited breath.

Anyhoo..

My resolution for 2010 is actually pretty simple: to take care of me. I've been in the business of having and rearing children for 6 years now, and save for a brief stint at the gym when Lucy was about 18-months-old, I've basically let myself go to hell, mind, body and soul.

I am not looking at it from the perspective of 'I must lose weight', even though I am ridiculously unhappy with the way that I look. Every time I get on a losing weight sort of kick though, it just blows up in my face in a crash and burn sort of way. So instead, I'm focusing on the health aspect. Hub and I joined a gym (new to our area ans as of yet not opened) and I've made a few doctor's appointments--dermatologist and obgyn. I'm trying not to stuff my piehole with junk 24/7. It is a slow process and I don't have any visions of wearing a bikini come summer. But I do have a vision of playing in the yard with my kids and not feeling like my heart is going to pound right through my chest.

It's hard to care about your appearance when you don't feel good about yourself, but I am trying there as well. Actually doing something with my hair; possibly some makeup. Get my eyebrows done, maybe a pedicure or two and a massage here and there. Nothing extravagant, but I want to show myself that I care, and that it's ok to care about me once in a while.

Finally, I've been watching a lot less TV, and have been listening to music at home, letting lose and singing. I'm going to try and read more as well; the goal being one book a month, though January is almost over and we haven't even come close. I have at least 10 books on my shelf that I have bought with good intention to read, and have pushed them off over and over again to veg in front of the TV, or just go to bed early.

So there you have it, 2010 is the year of me, and trying to get back a small piece of the person I was prior to 2004. I'll let you know how it goes.

Happily Ever After

We took Lucy and my niece, Sam to see Disney on Ice this past Sunday. Maybe it was the little girl in me, but damn if I wasn’t sucked right in to it just as much as they were.

Events like this, what, with the chaos of entering and finding seats give me a huge case of the Nervous Tummy. So much so that when Hub suggested dropping us off at the door since it was raining, and just meeting us at our seats, I started hyperventilating. We opted for the $10 up front parking instead, and all walked in together. The lines weren’t bad and we made it through security with no problems, however, when the usher scanned our tickets, he looked puzzled. He tried again, and nothing. He paged Customer Service and had someone come and escort us to the business office. A million different (horrifying) scenarios were running through my head. I had printed the tickets at work—what if someone had gotten to them and copied them and had already used them? What if I entered our credit card number one digit off and they think I am a thief. I’m sure I was white as a ghost and under my breath I just kept saying “ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod”. When we got to the business office though, it was a completely different story. The arena had mistakenly allowed us to book seats that were blocked by a camera and so, even though we had only paid $12 for our seats, we were upgraded 2 levels, to just under the suites in the second row of the 200 section. It was AWESOME. I never have such good luck!

So off we went to our seats, and we really enjoyed the show. They started with Aladdin, and moved through other various princess stories. This was the first time I really got a chance to use my new camera and all of its features too, so I was doubly giddy. And I took over 150 photos.





Sam was so excited and appreciative. She loved every minute of it. Not to say that Lucy wasn’t, but you could tell the difference between the child who does a lot of things and the child who has not. I think though, that Sam liked the cotton candy best of all.


Hub complained, but I think he thought it was pretty cool too. Here is a rare photo of my Prince Charming with my beautiful Lucy.


Here I am too, not content to let the girls be the only princesses.



I really have to say that Disney did a fantastic job with this production. The characters were believable, and they even found a way to work in Mickey, Minnie and Tinkerbell. I would do it again in a minute! Well maybe not a minute, but you get the picture. It was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Your Funky Monkey

I am in a funk.

I can’t remember the last time I was so glad to have a long weekend. Life has been exhausting lately. Just the daily minutiae takes so much out of me, and when coupled with the unexpected I am left feeling drained and weak, like I can’t even go on for another minute. But I do, and the cycle starts all over again.

We had our niece Saturday until late in the afternoon Sunday and at this point we are so used to having her around that she doesn’t throw too many wrenches in to our schedule. After dinner, we made popcorn and all watched Aladdin, and then Niece and Lucy camped out on her bedroom floor. My brother came over and ended up staying the night as well since he was going with Hub and Bud to Toronto on Sunday to see Monster Jam.

Lucy and I have a tradition of going out and shopping and having dinner when the boys are at Monster Jam, so she, Liv, Niece and I headed out to Target soon after the boys left on Sunday. I was a bit disappointed with the clearance section at our local Target, but did find a few things for Liv for next year and 2 outfits for Niece who just needs some clothes (I always put her in Lucy’s old clothes when she comes over). We grabbed a few personal pizza’s from pizza hut and came home where the girls went in for a nap. Well, Niece and Lucy napped. This is the only nap Liv took all day:



And here is Niece posing outside of Target:



Liv did play quietly in her crib for a bit though which gave me a chance to lie down and nurse the migraine that was raging for about a half an hour. I felt a bit better and got her out when she started getting loud and we shared some ice cream and watched TV until the other 2 got up, dropped Niece off with BIL around 5, and headed to the mall with my girls.

My Target disappointment waned as we got in to Old Navy and worked their clearance. I had no luck with anything for Bud, but got 2 shirts and a headband for Lucy, and a summer blouse and 2 summer skirts for Liv and I spent $14. I picked up one shirt for Lucy at JC Penny that IS NOT for next year (and that kind of goes against my purpose for shopping, but she asked so nicely) and at Sears got Liv 2 dresses for next year, one dress for right now, and a new purse for me. All day, including our Ihop dinner, I spent around $100. Not too shabby.

Yesterday was a normal daycare day for Lucy and Liv, and I signed Bud up as well for the school aged program. The plan was for Hub and I to get some much needed housework done. Instead, when I got home I crawled in to bed with him and was just so warm and comfortable that we slept for most of the morning. And after a late breakfast, we decided to go to the movies. We saw ‘Up in the Air” and I really liked it. I’d say I loved it, but I don’t feel like it really had an ending and that kind of bugs me. But the movie itself? Just my thing.

We had lunch at Olive Garden and by then were ready to pick the kids up, and get back to real life and prepare for today’s work and school day.

Like I said, I really needed this weekend. I’m no less tired; we were very busy! But I am refreshed in a way and that helps. And I am very much looking forward to our new laptop (our very first laptop, actually) arriving tomorrow, and finally being able to go wireless at home. The little things certainly do help to defunkify me. Here hoping that they work for a few days at least.

Friday Free For All- Wow!! You do love me!

Thanks for indulging me with your comments yesterday. I mean it!! I'm glad to know that even though I've been lazy on the blog front, you guys still care. I'm lazy because of my job, you know. The recent changes have severely cut my internet time. Bastards.

Anyway, you indulged me, so now I will indulge you!

* On work days, I almost always eat reduced sugar apples and cinnamon oatmeal, with black coffee for breakfast. Its not a health thing, just what I like. Some days I have an everything bagel instead. Living on the edge, right?

* I wear between a 7 and an 8 sized shoe. My feet did grow when I was pregnant, but they grew wider. It's crazy. I used to wear a 6.5.

Random Tidbit:

Did I mention that Hub got me a new camera for Christmas? He did, but he talked me in to returning it for a model that takes AA batteries because he knows me, and figures I will never keep the battery charged. He gave me a Target rain check for the model he thought I'd like that was on sale before Christmas. I took his advice and returned the camera even though I loved it. I have looked and looked for the suggested model and no store has had it in stock. So today I called Target to find this camera once and for all. It seems that the model for which I had the rain check was discontinued. Furthermore, we should not have been issued a rain check for an item that was about to be on clearance. Target is reasonable though and agreed to let me apply the 26% discount referenced on my rain check to another camera. When I got to the store, the CSR seemed unsure about this and called her manager. Not only did they honor the discount, they gave me the camera I picked for the clearance price of the discontinued item. It happens to be the exact model I opened on Christmas morning, only now, it was $50 cheaper. I've never felt so lucky!!

WHO GOES THERE??

I know, I know. I don’t comment anymore. But I promise I will today! It is Delurking Day!! So please show me some love….I’ll show you mine if you show me yours!

You can just say, “I’m here!” Or you can tell me what size shoe you wear. Or tell me what you had for breakfast—I am always interested in breakfast food. Or tell me something off the wall and random.

Here is something off the wall and random about me:

When I sit in meetings, I make mental tallies of how many people have blue or brown eyes, how many people wear glasses, dark hair vs. light hair and so on. I don’t know why I do it, and I don’t do anything with the data I collect.

So there! Now please, announce yourself! Otherwise the next time you are here I will release the hounds!

Kid Updates and an Unrelated Question

We had quite the weekend, with a bounce house party for Bud and his friends on Saturday, and a family party yesterday.  Between his actual birthday, and the 2 weekend parties, I am almost (but not quite) caked out.  I still barely believe that he is 6 years old already.  My first born baby—he’s 6.  Which makes me, well, old.  No, I do not like it one bit.  Something else I don’t like?  His mouth.  The sass on this kid is unreal.  And I don’t know where he comes up with some of this stuff.  My catch all is the bus.  Surely, he learns it from kids on the bus. 

 

For example, he taught his sister that sticking up her middle finger means she is swearing.  In the car on Saturday, there was Lucy holding up her middle finger saying “I swear!!” When we told her what she was doing, she said “to swear means ‘I promise’”.  She is so funny.  She was one of Bud’s party guests at the bounce house on Saturday, and every other time we’ve been there, she has been terrified of the big slide.  When I went in to the bounce area from the party area at one point she was nowhere to be found.  I looked everywhere, except for the slide, and then I saw her, going down backwards on her stomach.  She had a blast, but has a 2-inch brush burn on her belly to show for it.

 

And Liv, well she’s herself.  She is eating a ton, and is a maniac.  She just moved in to the 18-month room at daycare (thought I don’t get my 18-month discount until the end of the month when she is OFFICIALLY 18-months-old) and she seems so small compared to the ones who have already turned 2.  She is used to running with the big kids though, and she fits in fine.  She eats lunch at a table and takes her nap on a mat.  Clearly, she is no longer a baby.  She has taken a liking to her sister’s dress up clothes and tells us “me lella”, or “I’m Cinderella”, which is so stinkin’ cute I could just DIE. 

 

My kids.  I wish I could stick them in a bottle sometimes to remember just how they are at this moment.  I wish that I could focus more on the positives than on the million ways they drive me crazy every day.  In some ways, I suppose, this blog is my bottle, and thankfully more good then bad comes out about them over here. 

 

On a completely unrelated note—do you children have quiet pip-squeaky like voices?  It seems like all the children we encounter on a regular basis so, yet all 3 of my children have very loud, very boisterous voices.  Hub has a very loud voice; I do not.  Do you think it is genetic?  I can be kind of embarrassing!  :D

 

 

Christmas, and New Years and Bafing (OH MY!!)

It seems kind of funny to be talking Christmas now; it’s weird that as soon as it’s over, it’s over. I was fortunate to be off of work for 10 days, starting on Christmas Eve, right along with the kids, and we didn’t do much of anything for the entire break. No goals, no plans. It was nice.

Liv did have a bout with a sinus infection though, and was put on the ZPAK, so I didn’t give it a lot of thought when she started throwing up on Christmas Eve. We kept her home from the party we attended, only because I didn’t want her to puke on somebody else’s carpet (but it was fine to puke on mine??). I stayed with her for a while and then met Hub and the kids at the party, leaving her with FIL. When we got home though, she was grey. She had thrown up until there was nothing left in her belly. FIL hadn’t given her anything to drink, so I gave her some water, and she immediately puked again. Crap, she really was sick. After throwing up the water though, she finally passed out, and slept all night. She was her usual self on Christmas morning.

Luckily, we all were and had a fantastic day. Look how happy and adorable they were!



We enjoyed our day and had fun at my uncle’s later in the evening, which is when I started feeling a bit off. By the time bedtime rolled around, Bud, Lucy and I all had it; and it was horrible. Thank God that Hub did not get sick until the day after, because I don’t know how we would have managed it. At one point, Bud and Lucy were throwing up in buckets, I was in the bathroom, and the baby was awake and crying from all the commotion. Yeah, fun times.

We got a good deal of snow over the vacation, so Hub made a ramp on the porch for the kids to sled down. We took the big kids out to a movie and dinner one day too. It was really very low key, and just my kind of holiday week.

New Year’s Eve was uneventful for us, as it always is. We had steaks for dinner, watched Snow White with the kids, and after they went to bed, Hub and I watched The Hangover. We did some running around on NYD, and on Saturday, we dropped the kids off with my parents for the weekend. And let me tell you after 8 days of just being home with them it was needed. Hub and I saw a movie and had dinner, and then slept until nearly 11 the next morning. It was glorious.

I can’t say that I was ready to get back to the grind this week, but I am looking forward to this new year. Maybe we’ll have some resolution talk soon.

(or more likely, in February)