• Every time someone tells me that Lucy looks just like me or is my “mini-me”, my heart kind of skips a beat. I don’t know why; it just makes my heart swell. (I don’t see it at all, btw)
• Likewise, every time someone asks me where in the world Liv got her blonde hair from, I want to ballpunch them. Are you implying that perhaps she has a different daddy? No, really. What exactly are you implying? And I feel compelled to explain to people that Hub is the only brown-haired person in his family. His father, sister, aunt and cousins are all red-heads! There are definitely genetics at play. The whole dominant and recessive gene crap. So let’s shut up, ok. Nevermind that she has her brother’s exact face. (as a note, I don’t mind hearing “she so blonde!” or about Lucy “her hair is so shiny and dark!!” it’s the questioning that bugs me)
• Liv is constantly asking questions now. Like full questions as in “can I put my packpack right there?” “Can I have more mulk please?” It’s crazy how she has become a little person all of the sudden.
• Twice this week, Bud’s friend and his mother stopped by and ended up staying for hours. The first was impromptu—they were on a bike ride and saw Bud outside an stopped, so we ended up talking to the mom while the kids played. Last night, the boy called to see if Eddie could play, and I talked with the mom who said she would ride with him and he would come over. And the mom stayed the whole time. I don’t mind that she came and stayed at all, but I did kind of feel bad that she was just standing and then sitting there. And she felt bad because she thought we felt like we needed to entertain her. It was just kind of a weird awkward type of situation. But we did have a nice time talking to an adult while the kids were entertained.
• A few weeks ago, we cleaned out our previously closed off attic. Prior to closing it off, it was the cats’ room—they had litter boxes and toys and all that jazz up there. Since cleaning it out, (Hub cleaned the carpets and everything), the cats (or at least one of them) have been sneaking up there to pee and poop. Where there is no longer a litter box. A few days ago, we found a huge puddle of pee on the basement floor. It was odd—we couldn’t figure out what would possess them to pee right in the middle of the basement floor. Today though, Hub found out what actually happened—they are pissing in the floor vent in the attic—the one that was open to the basement as a vehicle to get heat up there—and it is trickling down to the basement. What the bloody hell? So obviously, we are sealing off the attic again (and cleaning that duct out). But also, we are going to buy 2 jumbo litter boxes since the TEH INTERNETS told me to. If that doesn’t fix it, I don’t know what we’ll do. Sebastian has been known to pee and poop in our bed when something is wrong (like when he is sick or the time my SIL brought fleas in to our house) so I don’t think that’s the issue. Hopefully it is just that they remembered that the upstairs used to be the poop room. If they don’t cut it out though, I’m gonna cut them!! (ok, not really)
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Itinerary
When we got to my mother’s house today, Liv immediately shrieked to her “ I going on cation!!! I going on cation!!” Mind you, she has no idea what a vacation even is; we have not traveled save for an overnight trip to an indoor water park since before I was pregnant with her. I think she can sense the anticipation though. The big kids and I are all very excited. Hub is not so much excited. Vacation is more stressful than enjoyable for him. He likes to be near home. He likes routine. He DOES NOT like to spend a lot of money. But he knows that I crave being away, that I need to go away every now and again, and so he complies.
We’re still kind of planning out our itinerary for next week. And because I am working through Friday, and spending Saturday shopping a HUGE consignment sale and also (hopefully) using my 30% off Old Navy coupon on some good clearance, it’s going to leave Sunday to get the house in order and get packed. We aren’t leaving for the actual vacation until Tuesday (very early Tuesday Morning), but we’ve had a daytrip to the beach in the works for a while on Monday, and it’s not going to leave a lot of time for packing. So, Sunday. Packing everything but the things we need up until we leave. And the cleaning….
Do you guys do that too? Obsess over the house being clean before you leave? I like our house to be spotless. I loathe coming home from vacation with anything more than unpacking hanging over my head, so I always work really hard to have it vacuumed, decluttered, and ready to just come home to before we leave.
This of course means a lot of pre-vacation stress for me. I am so much like my mother in this respect that it kind of scares me. If we were going somewhere, she would be up the entire night before preparing. Stressed beyond belief with list on top of list. So now you know where my list making neurosis comes from. It works though, and I always have every aspect of our vacation planned in advance. We are not “show up to vacation destination and see what happens” types of people. We are not “go on vacation just to sit on the beach” people either (though I could probably be persuaded to be that person at this point in my life). We are “get out and see and experience EVERYTHING” people. We like to be moving and seeing things during the day, and after dinner spend some time in the hotel pool, or maybe watch a movie in our room.
I’m in the tie up loose ends and start my pre-list lists phase today. By end of day tomorrow I will have full lists of what to pack and for who, what we need to buy, to do items before we leave, and a checklist of things we cannot leave the house without morning of. Anyway, it’s a miracle that I haven’t incorporated flow charts at this point. Still just the hand written lists.
So yes, next week! Vacation! Can’t wait!
We’re still kind of planning out our itinerary for next week. And because I am working through Friday, and spending Saturday shopping a HUGE consignment sale and also (hopefully) using my 30% off Old Navy coupon on some good clearance, it’s going to leave Sunday to get the house in order and get packed. We aren’t leaving for the actual vacation until Tuesday (very early Tuesday Morning), but we’ve had a daytrip to the beach in the works for a while on Monday, and it’s not going to leave a lot of time for packing. So, Sunday. Packing everything but the things we need up until we leave. And the cleaning….
Do you guys do that too? Obsess over the house being clean before you leave? I like our house to be spotless. I loathe coming home from vacation with anything more than unpacking hanging over my head, so I always work really hard to have it vacuumed, decluttered, and ready to just come home to before we leave.
This of course means a lot of pre-vacation stress for me. I am so much like my mother in this respect that it kind of scares me. If we were going somewhere, she would be up the entire night before preparing. Stressed beyond belief with list on top of list. So now you know where my list making neurosis comes from. It works though, and I always have every aspect of our vacation planned in advance. We are not “show up to vacation destination and see what happens” types of people. We are not “go on vacation just to sit on the beach” people either (though I could probably be persuaded to be that person at this point in my life). We are “get out and see and experience EVERYTHING” people. We like to be moving and seeing things during the day, and after dinner spend some time in the hotel pool, or maybe watch a movie in our room.
I’m in the tie up loose ends and start my pre-list lists phase today. By end of day tomorrow I will have full lists of what to pack and for who, what we need to buy, to do items before we leave, and a checklist of things we cannot leave the house without morning of. Anyway, it’s a miracle that I haven’t incorporated flow charts at this point. Still just the hand written lists.
So yes, next week! Vacation! Can’t wait!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Bullets
• Today is Lucy’s official last day of daycare. We are a one child in daycare family again!! YAY! And after the summer of having 3 in “camp”, 1 daycare bill will be quite welcomed.
• We also got the kids’ teacher assignments in the mail last night. Lucy has the same twitty teacher Bud had last year (she says “libary”) but she was super nice and Bud loved her, so we’re pleased. Bud got a new to the school teacher, and his BFF Zach got someone else so they were a bit disappointed, but at least they’ll have the bus rides.
• And speaking of the bus, we got a cryptic letter a few weeks ago talking about combining bus routes and bus stops which may make for longer bus rides for the children. It went on to say that if we were worried about the new bus stops being out of parental sight, we should know, that as parents, it is our responsibility (and not the district’s) to monitor our children at the bus stop (um really? It’s my job to watch my kid?? Thanks for the public service announcement). And we’ve heard nothing else since. I’m hoping that the bus schedule comes soon so I can stop freaking out about this though. In front of the house pick-up was such a blessing for us since FIL usually got Bud off and on every day. He can’t walk them to some bus stop, so we’ll have to either rely on neighbors or somehow modify our schedules.
• We’ve finally settled on a vacation destination, which is Hershey Park in PA. A friend of mine gave me some free passes that she couldn’t use, and this was one of the ideas we were already kicking around (Hub and I were there before we were married), so it must have been fate. I’m excited just to get away for a few days. Hub is excited about the cheap hotel room I scored that has a 2 person Jacuzzi. So far, the weather is supposed to be great there next week—let’s hope the forecast doesn’t change!
• We took our annual trip to the county fair last weekend and had a blast, per usual. Liv was disappointed because most of the rides were for the over 36 inch crowd, but she had a good time just the same. I took Bud on the kiddie roller coaster, which he thought was AWESOME though I was clearly fearing for my life.
• Afterward was the school bus demolition derby, and for a Thursday, it was way more crowded than we would have anticipated. We really enjoyed the way the busses were decorated. We didn’t so much enjoy who I dubbed as “The Fuck Brothers” behind us who fucking inserted the word fuck into every fucking sentence at least one fucking time. Fucking A, man. Listen, I can and do curse like a trucker, but 1. Not at a family event, 2. Not around my children, and 3. As a way to make a point, not just for the sake of saying the word fuck just for the mother fucking hell of it. Fuck Fuck Fuck. Seriously.
• Fuck.
• We also got the kids’ teacher assignments in the mail last night. Lucy has the same twitty teacher Bud had last year (she says “libary”) but she was super nice and Bud loved her, so we’re pleased. Bud got a new to the school teacher, and his BFF Zach got someone else so they were a bit disappointed, but at least they’ll have the bus rides.
• And speaking of the bus, we got a cryptic letter a few weeks ago talking about combining bus routes and bus stops which may make for longer bus rides for the children. It went on to say that if we were worried about the new bus stops being out of parental sight, we should know, that as parents, it is our responsibility (and not the district’s) to monitor our children at the bus stop (um really? It’s my job to watch my kid?? Thanks for the public service announcement). And we’ve heard nothing else since. I’m hoping that the bus schedule comes soon so I can stop freaking out about this though. In front of the house pick-up was such a blessing for us since FIL usually got Bud off and on every day. He can’t walk them to some bus stop, so we’ll have to either rely on neighbors or somehow modify our schedules.
• We’ve finally settled on a vacation destination, which is Hershey Park in PA. A friend of mine gave me some free passes that she couldn’t use, and this was one of the ideas we were already kicking around (Hub and I were there before we were married), so it must have been fate. I’m excited just to get away for a few days. Hub is excited about the cheap hotel room I scored that has a 2 person Jacuzzi. So far, the weather is supposed to be great there next week—let’s hope the forecast doesn’t change!
• We took our annual trip to the county fair last weekend and had a blast, per usual. Liv was disappointed because most of the rides were for the over 36 inch crowd, but she had a good time just the same. I took Bud on the kiddie roller coaster, which he thought was AWESOME though I was clearly fearing for my life.
• Afterward was the school bus demolition derby, and for a Thursday, it was way more crowded than we would have anticipated. We really enjoyed the way the busses were decorated. We didn’t so much enjoy who I dubbed as “The Fuck Brothers” behind us who fucking inserted the word fuck into every fucking sentence at least one fucking time. Fucking A, man. Listen, I can and do curse like a trucker, but 1. Not at a family event, 2. Not around my children, and 3. As a way to make a point, not just for the sake of saying the word fuck just for the mother fucking hell of it. Fuck Fuck Fuck. Seriously.
• Fuck.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Weekly Will--Week 1 Update, and Week 2 Wills
Well my first week of “wills” went pretty well I think. It’s hard to hold myself accountable, but I liked knowing in the back of my mind that The List was out there, even as I sometimes ignored it.
• I will get my hair cut and colored. CHECK Although the cut occurred last Saturday which was not technically part of last week, and the color occurred last night, which is part of THIS week so…. (anyway—not overly thrilled with the color—a bit too red for me, but I think it will fade.)
• I will go to the gym at least 4 times (and I will not just slack off and ride the bike). NOPE! I went once—maybe twice?? The days blur together—BUT, I spent last Sunday climbing my attic and basement stairs relocating a bunch of crap and Thursday walking our local (hilly) fairgrounds and worked up more of a sweat than I usually do at the gym, so I think I still did ok. We’ll put this on one this week’s list again though.
• I will paint my toenails (or maybe have someone paint them for me). CHECK (I painted myself)
• I will wear cute shoes instead of boring flats at least once. CHECK this one was murder!! But I wore cute capris and strappy sandals
• I will clear and wash the dinner dishes in the same night in which they accumulated. NOPE! not so much. Not even a little bit
• I will do a good deed. semi-CHECK in that I let idiots who don’t know how to drive in front of me on the thruway---not really what I was going for but…
• I will play a game with my kids without being beggedasked. CHECK
• I will focus more time on my job and less time hanging out on Twitter and Facebook. semi-CHECK I could do more work here…
• I will comment on a blog I have never commented on before. CHECK I did right here
Now, then, for this week’s list. There will not be a list for next week since we will be on vacation, but I do hope to still be mindful of good habits.
• I will avoid iced coffee with cream, because cream is the devil not just in fat and calories, but it totally screws my whole body inside and out. I’ve known this for a long time, but still imbibe because it is so darn good on the long hot ride home from work. No Cream.
• I will go to the gym 4 times (1 time down already today)
• I will focus on my work and not leave loose ends that have to be worked while I am technically on vacation.
• I will wear a skirt or a dress.
• I will be mindful of what I am shoving in my piehole and will try hard not to eat mindlessly.
• I will do better on the dinner dishes. I will sweep the kitchen floor.
• I will wear makeup or earrings.
• I will do something alone with each of my kids.
OK! Here goes WEEK 2!!!
• I will get my hair cut and colored. CHECK Although the cut occurred last Saturday which was not technically part of last week, and the color occurred last night, which is part of THIS week so…. (anyway—not overly thrilled with the color—a bit too red for me, but I think it will fade.)
• I will go to the gym at least 4 times (and I will not just slack off and ride the bike). NOPE! I went once—maybe twice?? The days blur together—BUT, I spent last Sunday climbing my attic and basement stairs relocating a bunch of crap and Thursday walking our local (hilly) fairgrounds and worked up more of a sweat than I usually do at the gym, so I think I still did ok. We’ll put this on one this week’s list again though.
• I will paint my toenails (or maybe have someone paint them for me). CHECK (I painted myself)
• I will wear cute shoes instead of boring flats at least once. CHECK this one was murder!! But I wore cute capris and strappy sandals
• I will clear and wash the dinner dishes in the same night in which they accumulated. NOPE! not so much. Not even a little bit
• I will do a good deed. semi-CHECK in that I let idiots who don’t know how to drive in front of me on the thruway---not really what I was going for but…
• I will play a game with my kids without being beggedasked. CHECK
• I will focus more time on my job and less time hanging out on Twitter and Facebook. semi-CHECK I could do more work here…
• I will comment on a blog I have never commented on before. CHECK I did right here
Now, then, for this week’s list. There will not be a list for next week since we will be on vacation, but I do hope to still be mindful of good habits.
• I will avoid iced coffee with cream, because cream is the devil not just in fat and calories, but it totally screws my whole body inside and out. I’ve known this for a long time, but still imbibe because it is so darn good on the long hot ride home from work. No Cream.
• I will go to the gym 4 times (1 time down already today)
• I will focus on my work and not leave loose ends that have to be worked while I am technically on vacation.
• I will wear a skirt or a dress.
• I will be mindful of what I am shoving in my piehole and will try hard not to eat mindlessly.
• I will do better on the dinner dishes. I will sweep the kitchen floor.
• I will wear makeup or earrings.
• I will do something alone with each of my kids.
OK! Here goes WEEK 2!!!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Five.
To my sweet Caitlyn-
5 years ago today, you came in to the world in a fury with a shock of thick black hair amidst a ton of drama. Drama is what sums you up in a single word. You feel everything so much more than the average person. When you are sad, it is earth shattering. When you are angry, mountains move. And when you are happy, sunshine and rainbows stream from the sky.
I remember when you were still in my belly, wondering what you would be like. Who would you be? From the time you were a few weeks old, I knew that you were special. I remember telling Aunt Marisa about it when we visited her for the first time after you were born. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but yes, certainly special.
Your face, the twinkle in your eye, and your smile light up any room. And you are a girl who knows what she wants, and always makes sure to get her way. You just have that look; nobody can say no to you. When you woke up this morning and squeezed me tight, immediately you said “Mama, I’m 5! I’m 5 Mama!!”. I know. God, I know, and I can barely believe it.
This year you learned to write all of your letters, read small words, tie your shoes, and the words to EVERY Justin Bieber song. You love iCarly and Big Time Rush. You had your ears pierced a few weeks ago, an early birthday gift because you “just wanted to get it over with”. It seems like you’ve gone from little girl to big girl over night. Slow down a bit, ok? I’m not ready for you to be so big yet. You’ll be going to Kindergarten in a few weeks. I know you’re nervous, but it is going to be great, I know it.
So Happy Happy Birthday, Baby. I love you more than you know,
Mama
A Few Days Old
One
Two
Three
Four
Five!
5 years ago today, you came in to the world in a fury with a shock of thick black hair amidst a ton of drama. Drama is what sums you up in a single word. You feel everything so much more than the average person. When you are sad, it is earth shattering. When you are angry, mountains move. And when you are happy, sunshine and rainbows stream from the sky.
I remember when you were still in my belly, wondering what you would be like. Who would you be? From the time you were a few weeks old, I knew that you were special. I remember telling Aunt Marisa about it when we visited her for the first time after you were born. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but yes, certainly special.
Your face, the twinkle in your eye, and your smile light up any room. And you are a girl who knows what she wants, and always makes sure to get her way. You just have that look; nobody can say no to you. When you woke up this morning and squeezed me tight, immediately you said “Mama, I’m 5! I’m 5 Mama!!”. I know. God, I know, and I can barely believe it.
This year you learned to write all of your letters, read small words, tie your shoes, and the words to EVERY Justin Bieber song. You love iCarly and Big Time Rush. You had your ears pierced a few weeks ago, an early birthday gift because you “just wanted to get it over with”. It seems like you’ve gone from little girl to big girl over night. Slow down a bit, ok? I’m not ready for you to be so big yet. You’ll be going to Kindergarten in a few weeks. I know you’re nervous, but it is going to be great, I know it.
So Happy Happy Birthday, Baby. I love you more than you know,
Mama
A Few Days Old
One
Two
Three
Four
Five!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Baby's Bunting
Oh, I have been having so much fun reading Jess’ posts and tweets about everything baby. She reminds me so much of myself during my first pregnancy that it is kind of scary. And yesterday, when she was talking about baby buntings and winter gear, I was reminded of what a fiasco it was to actually get out of the hospital with Bud.
Bud was born on January 7, 2004 in what was the coldest January Buffalo had experienced in a very long time. Now, upon entry to the hospital, I didn’t notice the cold because I was SO! HOT! , but trust me when I say it was really freaking cold. And I had prepared for it too. Bud’s going home outfit was a 5 piece Winnie the Pooh number, consisting of pants, a t-shirt and a light cotton cardigan, along with a hat and booties. I also brought the blue furry bunting received as a gift from my great Aunt Delores, and the knitted oversized afghan my mother gave me as a gift. And you know, a whole duffle bag of other things I would never possibly need, but wanted to have just in case (like my own diapers….seriously) So, you know, I was ready!
When we were released, the afternoon of January 9th, I was so excited to get him dressed and place him in our car for the first time. I was not as excited that getting dressed for me involved putting on the same maternity clothes that I had come in wearing. I took him from the bassinette and laid him on the bed and went about getting his clothes on. It turned out, that Bud was not at all happy about being naked and being maneuvered in to clothing. It seemed that he was perfectly content in the hospital blanket and snapped on undershirt. Clearly we weren’t taking him home like that though, and we persevered in getting him dressed. And after what seemed like an eternity, he was dressed, and I was ready to get him in to his car seat.
PISSED! at the injustice of having to wear clothes
The car seat scared me, I’m not going to lie. The straps and harnesses, and his small body…yeah, it was scary. And let’s just say, that it took me a few weeks before I strapped Bud in to the car seat on my own. And even longer before I popped the seat in to the base in my car by myself. I know. But anyway..
There we were, ready to take him home, so out came the blue fuzzy bunting and the blanket. I got Bud in to it, and he resembled a stuffed cookie monster doll, but with a lot of extra fur. The bunting was not only too big on him, but also WAY too big to even consider placing him in to the car seat in. Of course, I panicked. What were we going to do? It was like -7 degrees outside!! We were going to kill our baby before we even had a chance to get him home, or worse, the hospital staff was going to take him away from us for being IDIOTS! (me especially)
My super-calm husband took the baby and strapped him in the car seat as is. He then layered the extra large afghan up over and around the baby. Then he went downstairs and drove the already warmed up car right up to the hospital door, where the nurses wheeled me, and where he popped Bud in with nary a peep. I sat next to him in the back on our first car ride home, watching him breathe, making sure he was warm, and working hard to not feel like a failure on my first day out in the world as a mom.
But soon we were home, and we settled in to a routine, and the days turned in to weeks, months and now, years. Bud will be 7 this January (“7 on the 7th “he remarked to me last week, “Isn’t that cool??!!”) and he remembers nothing of that first car ride home. And maybe someday he’ll wonder why there are no photos of him in his car seat like his sisters, preparing for his first trip out in to the world, but I don’t think he’ll ever wonder whether or not he was loved, or cared for, or whether or not we kept him safe and warm.
The first baby is kind of an anomaly. Although you’re the adult, you really are learning together. I didn’t make the same mistakes with Bud’s sisters. I packed lighter and smarter for the hospital. I knew more. I knew how to dress and handle babies (though nothing could prepare me for girl drama). I think that’s part of what makes Bud, my firstborn, so special. Each of my kids is special for their own reasons, but my Bud….he taught me how to be a mom.
And that is pretty awesome.
Bud was born on January 7, 2004 in what was the coldest January Buffalo had experienced in a very long time. Now, upon entry to the hospital, I didn’t notice the cold because I was SO! HOT! , but trust me when I say it was really freaking cold. And I had prepared for it too. Bud’s going home outfit was a 5 piece Winnie the Pooh number, consisting of pants, a t-shirt and a light cotton cardigan, along with a hat and booties. I also brought the blue furry bunting received as a gift from my great Aunt Delores, and the knitted oversized afghan my mother gave me as a gift. And you know, a whole duffle bag of other things I would never possibly need, but wanted to have just in case (like my own diapers….seriously) So, you know, I was ready!
When we were released, the afternoon of January 9th, I was so excited to get him dressed and place him in our car for the first time. I was not as excited that getting dressed for me involved putting on the same maternity clothes that I had come in wearing. I took him from the bassinette and laid him on the bed and went about getting his clothes on. It turned out, that Bud was not at all happy about being naked and being maneuvered in to clothing. It seemed that he was perfectly content in the hospital blanket and snapped on undershirt. Clearly we weren’t taking him home like that though, and we persevered in getting him dressed. And after what seemed like an eternity, he was dressed, and I was ready to get him in to his car seat.
PISSED! at the injustice of having to wear clothesThe car seat scared me, I’m not going to lie. The straps and harnesses, and his small body…yeah, it was scary. And let’s just say, that it took me a few weeks before I strapped Bud in to the car seat on my own. And even longer before I popped the seat in to the base in my car by myself. I know. But anyway..
There we were, ready to take him home, so out came the blue fuzzy bunting and the blanket. I got Bud in to it, and he resembled a stuffed cookie monster doll, but with a lot of extra fur. The bunting was not only too big on him, but also WAY too big to even consider placing him in to the car seat in. Of course, I panicked. What were we going to do? It was like -7 degrees outside!! We were going to kill our baby before we even had a chance to get him home, or worse, the hospital staff was going to take him away from us for being IDIOTS! (me especially)
My super-calm husband took the baby and strapped him in the car seat as is. He then layered the extra large afghan up over and around the baby. Then he went downstairs and drove the already warmed up car right up to the hospital door, where the nurses wheeled me, and where he popped Bud in with nary a peep. I sat next to him in the back on our first car ride home, watching him breathe, making sure he was warm, and working hard to not feel like a failure on my first day out in the world as a mom.
But soon we were home, and we settled in to a routine, and the days turned in to weeks, months and now, years. Bud will be 7 this January (“7 on the 7th “he remarked to me last week, “Isn’t that cool??!!”) and he remembers nothing of that first car ride home. And maybe someday he’ll wonder why there are no photos of him in his car seat like his sisters, preparing for his first trip out in to the world, but I don’t think he’ll ever wonder whether or not he was loved, or cared for, or whether or not we kept him safe and warm.
The first baby is kind of an anomaly. Although you’re the adult, you really are learning together. I didn’t make the same mistakes with Bud’s sisters. I packed lighter and smarter for the hospital. I knew more. I knew how to dress and handle babies (though nothing could prepare me for girl drama). I think that’s part of what makes Bud, my firstborn, so special. Each of my kids is special for their own reasons, but my Bud….he taught me how to be a mom.
And that is pretty awesome.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Weekly Will
First, let me thank you all for your support on the post I wrote on Thursday. Having people behind me makes me even more excited to move forward with my plan.
The other day, Cass wrote a post that remarked at the power of the phrase “I will…”. She is so right! Saying “I will” holds much more meaning than saying “I’ll” or in my case, “I’m gonna….”. Hub asks me when I’m going to do something, and my go-to response is “I’m gonna….”. It’s an easy way out. It’s non-committal. It is so me. But it isn’t this renewed version of myself that I’m trying to build.
And so, that brings me to today’s post, and what I’m hoping will be the first in a series of similar Sunday posts. This is my Weekly Will, a list of the things that I will do this week. Nothing drastic, nothing crazy, nothing overly complicated. Just things that I can and will do if I just push myself a little bit.
Here goes:
• I will get my hair cut and colored.
• I will go to the gym at least 4 times (and I will not just slack off and ride the bike).
• I will paint my toenails (or maybe have someone paint them for me).
• I will wear cute shoes instead of boring flats at least once.
• I will clear and wash the dinner dishes in the same night in which they accumulated.
• I will do a good deed.
• I will play a game with my kids without beingbeggedasked.
• I will focus more time on my job and less time hanging out on Twitter and Facebook.
• I will comment on a blog I have never commented on before.
I think that’s good. Nothing overly ambitious. Nothing that is too vague to be able to gloss over. Here we go people! The week starts now.
The other day, Cass wrote a post that remarked at the power of the phrase “I will…”. She is so right! Saying “I will” holds much more meaning than saying “I’ll” or in my case, “I’m gonna….”. Hub asks me when I’m going to do something, and my go-to response is “I’m gonna….”. It’s an easy way out. It’s non-committal. It is so me. But it isn’t this renewed version of myself that I’m trying to build.
And so, that brings me to today’s post, and what I’m hoping will be the first in a series of similar Sunday posts. This is my Weekly Will, a list of the things that I will do this week. Nothing drastic, nothing crazy, nothing overly complicated. Just things that I can and will do if I just push myself a little bit.
Here goes:
• I will get my hair cut and colored.
• I will go to the gym at least 4 times (and I will not just slack off and ride the bike).
• I will paint my toenails (or maybe have someone paint them for me).
• I will wear cute shoes instead of boring flats at least once.
• I will clear and wash the dinner dishes in the same night in which they accumulated.
• I will do a good deed.
• I will play a game with my kids without being
• I will focus more time on my job and less time hanging out on Twitter and Facebook.
• I will comment on a blog I have never commented on before.
I think that’s good. Nothing overly ambitious. Nothing that is too vague to be able to gloss over. Here we go people! The week starts now.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
16 years
In the Spring of 1994, I sat down next to my future husband on the school bus. We made small talk. I complained about my loser boyfriend. We continued to chit chat on the rides home through May and June, and on the last day of school, we traded yearbooks. In my usual fashion, I scrawled “KIT!” along with my phone number.
I really didn’t give him any thought in those first couple weeks of summer vacation. I wasn’t really aware that he still kept in touch with my BFF Melissa who had moved to another town our freshman year. By fate though, I called her while she was on the other line with him. They had an extra ticket to Darien Lake, our local theme park, and he suggested that I join them. I couldn’t even tell you today how I got my mother to say yes to driving an hour in a car with an 18-year-old boy she’d never met, but I did.
And from there, we were inseparable; the best of friends. I knew that I had feelings for him, but was not sure that he felt the same. My mother, who had said at first “You are 15 years old, Sara. You are not dating an 18-year-old.”, had changed her tune and wondered when we would get together. Still though, I was worried that he didn’t like me like that.
But then, as we spent the weekend at Melissa’s father’s place watching Woodstock ’94 on pay per view, it all became clear. And after he’d left and I stayed behind, the phone rang and Melissa put it to my ear. That day, Ed asked me to be his girlfriend, and 16 years later to the day, we have never looked back.
Happy 16 years to my Hub and me, and here’s to 116 more.
Ed and me in our high school cafeteria, 1994
I really didn’t give him any thought in those first couple weeks of summer vacation. I wasn’t really aware that he still kept in touch with my BFF Melissa who had moved to another town our freshman year. By fate though, I called her while she was on the other line with him. They had an extra ticket to Darien Lake, our local theme park, and he suggested that I join them. I couldn’t even tell you today how I got my mother to say yes to driving an hour in a car with an 18-year-old boy she’d never met, but I did.
And from there, we were inseparable; the best of friends. I knew that I had feelings for him, but was not sure that he felt the same. My mother, who had said at first “You are 15 years old, Sara. You are not dating an 18-year-old.”, had changed her tune and wondered when we would get together. Still though, I was worried that he didn’t like me like that.
But then, as we spent the weekend at Melissa’s father’s place watching Woodstock ’94 on pay per view, it all became clear. And after he’d left and I stayed behind, the phone rang and Melissa put it to my ear. That day, Ed asked me to be his girlfriend, and 16 years later to the day, we have never looked back.
Happy 16 years to my Hub and me, and here’s to 116 more.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Begin with the end in mind.
Have you guys heard about The Leader in Me? It’s a program that teaches kids how to be effective leaders, not just in their lives as students, but as adults as well. One of the main components is Dr. Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. As a kindergartner, Bud was exposed to this program as his school piloted it last year.
When we sat in at Parent’s Open House last September, a speaker from Franklin Covey was there, talking about The Leader in Me as well as The Habits. He talked about a lot of things, and to be honest, Hub and I were too busy making jokes under our breath about whether or not the guy could get me a new work planner, and whether he was Franklin or Covey (he was neither) to really pay attention. We ended up hearing a lot about the program throughout the year though, from the mouth of our 6-year-old. Here he was, speaking to The Habits, reminding me (more often than I’d like to admit) to just “Be Proactive”. I started to think, “Wow, these people might be on to something!”, but in true Saly form, that’s about as far in the thought process as I’ve gotten.
I’ve been struggling recently, with the person that I’ve become. I don’t mean that in the sense that I think I’m a bad person, but I realized that I’ve become comfortable, and complacent in my everyday life. I follow the same routines over and over again. Breakfast, drop kids off, work, pick kids up, dinner, baths, bed. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. The routine is necessary; I have a household to run. But not pushing myself, not trying new things, not being that vibrant person that I once was has been taking its toll. I am a shell of that person, on auto-pilot, going through the motions. I manage my routine, dole out hugs, kisses and band-aids, and do everything in my power to meet and exceed the needs of my kids. Of my husband. Of the animals. And really, I am happy to do it. I feel like I was put on this planet to be a wife and a mother. But…BUT! I was also put here to be me, and somehow I have lost myself. And the kids are growing, you know? And once they’re grown, then what? What if I am too far gone to ever get myself back?
And so I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately. How to end to complacency. How to start caring about myself again. How to get that sparkle back in my eye that I was once famous for. But most of all, where to start! And in the back of my mind, I kept hearing a phrase; Habit 2: “Begin with the end in mind.” It’s excellent advice, right? What is the big picture here? What is the ultimate goal? What do I want to accomplish in the end, and more importantly, how am I going to get there? I don’t exactly know the answers to all of these questions, but at least I know what I want.
So now it’s out there, and I’m not relying on anyone other than myself to be accountable for it, but I do hope that you’ll check in with me. Change is on the horizon, and I think—no, I know--I’m excited.
When we sat in at Parent’s Open House last September, a speaker from Franklin Covey was there, talking about The Leader in Me as well as The Habits. He talked about a lot of things, and to be honest, Hub and I were too busy making jokes under our breath about whether or not the guy could get me a new work planner, and whether he was Franklin or Covey (he was neither) to really pay attention. We ended up hearing a lot about the program throughout the year though, from the mouth of our 6-year-old. Here he was, speaking to The Habits, reminding me (more often than I’d like to admit) to just “Be Proactive”. I started to think, “Wow, these people might be on to something!”, but in true Saly form, that’s about as far in the thought process as I’ve gotten.
I’ve been struggling recently, with the person that I’ve become. I don’t mean that in the sense that I think I’m a bad person, but I realized that I’ve become comfortable, and complacent in my everyday life. I follow the same routines over and over again. Breakfast, drop kids off, work, pick kids up, dinner, baths, bed. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. The routine is necessary; I have a household to run. But not pushing myself, not trying new things, not being that vibrant person that I once was has been taking its toll. I am a shell of that person, on auto-pilot, going through the motions. I manage my routine, dole out hugs, kisses and band-aids, and do everything in my power to meet and exceed the needs of my kids. Of my husband. Of the animals. And really, I am happy to do it. I feel like I was put on this planet to be a wife and a mother. But…BUT! I was also put here to be me, and somehow I have lost myself. And the kids are growing, you know? And once they’re grown, then what? What if I am too far gone to ever get myself back?
And so I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately. How to end to complacency. How to start caring about myself again. How to get that sparkle back in my eye that I was once famous for. But most of all, where to start! And in the back of my mind, I kept hearing a phrase; Habit 2: “Begin with the end in mind.” It’s excellent advice, right? What is the big picture here? What is the ultimate goal? What do I want to accomplish in the end, and more importantly, how am I going to get there? I don’t exactly know the answers to all of these questions, but at least I know what I want.
So now it’s out there, and I’m not relying on anyone other than myself to be accountable for it, but I do hope that you’ll check in with me. Change is on the horizon, and I think—no, I know--I’m excited.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Mission Complete
Do you know that the most common search that leads people to my blog is “night time potty training”? I guess I’ve talked about it a lot. It’s been a big deal in our house for a very long time.
Bud was day trained by the time he was 2.5/3. We kept pull-ups on him at night, as I think most parents do in the beginning, but instead of tapering off, the need for them remained consistent. I think we just assumed that at some point, he would stop needing the pull up. We tried once, just letting him go without, a little while before he turned 4. It was a bust. We tried again, more diligently, with middle of the night wake-ups in the months after he turned 4, when I was pregnant with Liv. (those are the posts referenced above) At this time, Lucy had potty trained herself and was staying dry through the night with no effort. It was upsetting to Bud, so we were trying hard, but after endless frustration, again we gave up.
We used Pull-Ups, and then as he grew, Good Nights and Under Jams because he produced more urine, leaking through more often than not. We had conversations with our pediatrician, consulted the internet, and ultimately decided to just wait it out and let him grow out of it.
And then in September, he went to kindergarten and made friends. There was talk of sleepovers (though if I’m being honest, I probably wouldn’t let him sleep at another kids house for a few more years). There was talk of his friends not knowing that he was a bed wetter. And there was embarrassment. And so, again after talking with our pediatrician, we put a plan in place to move forward this past March just after he turned 6. We started with him still in the Good Night, and began waking him twice nightly to pee. It worked, however, we realized we weren’t getting an accurate picture of when and how often he was peeing. So we moved to a rubber sheet and no pull-up, at which point we determined 1. He was peeing 3-4 times a night, and 2. He never ever woke up no matter how wet he or the bed was.
It was a sleep issue. He was in such a sound sleep, he missed the “I have to pee” cue and just let it go. We continued to wake him up twice a night, to get him in the habit of getting up to go pee. After a few weeks of success, we tried to let him go it alone, and it was a huge fail. He was frustrated, we were frustrated, and we were all exhausted. TEH Internets told me to buy one of those alarms that sense the wetness and wake the kid up. All I could think of was the episode of Diff’rent Strokes from when I was a kid and that red headed kid wore the pee alarm and Arnold put up an umbrella when it went off to avoid getting peed on. I didn’t want my kid to be traumatized in any way. But what were we to do?
So again, we spoke to the doctor who supported moving forward. I researched several alarms, some where a child would have to wear a panty liner in order for the alarm to detect the wetness, some that involved safety pins and elaborate wiring, others that were so expensive that I nearly fainted, and finally settled on the Wet Stop 3. We talked with Bud about what the alarm was and how it worked. That it clipped on to the front of his underwear and that the alarm piece clipped to his shoulder. That it would vibrate and beep to wake him up as soon as he started to pee. Then we watched a video online, showing a kid using it.
We received the alarm and started using it the first week of June. We tested it and showed Bud what it would feel like if it went off. We put it to use right away. For the first 2 or so weeks, the only person who heard the damn alarm was me. Bud slept right through. Gradually though, through waking him up while the alarm was still beeping and buzzing, he started doing it on his own. He was waking up mid-pee, and then later as soon as a drip hit his underwear he was up and going in the bathroom. It took longer than a lot of the reviews indicated, but finally, he was getting it. And on Monday after about 3 weeks of the alarm barely going off, he finally slept through the night without the aid of a parent, without wearing his alarm, and without wetting his bed. He got up on his own to go pee, and went back to bed.
He is so proud of himself (as evidenced by the burying of his head in the couch when I congratulated him), and we are ridiculously proud too. He stuck with it, and conquered it—my amazing little man.
And this my friends, is the official end (finally) of night time potty training.
Bud was day trained by the time he was 2.5/3. We kept pull-ups on him at night, as I think most parents do in the beginning, but instead of tapering off, the need for them remained consistent. I think we just assumed that at some point, he would stop needing the pull up. We tried once, just letting him go without, a little while before he turned 4. It was a bust. We tried again, more diligently, with middle of the night wake-ups in the months after he turned 4, when I was pregnant with Liv. (those are the posts referenced above) At this time, Lucy had potty trained herself and was staying dry through the night with no effort. It was upsetting to Bud, so we were trying hard, but after endless frustration, again we gave up.
We used Pull-Ups, and then as he grew, Good Nights and Under Jams because he produced more urine, leaking through more often than not. We had conversations with our pediatrician, consulted the internet, and ultimately decided to just wait it out and let him grow out of it.
And then in September, he went to kindergarten and made friends. There was talk of sleepovers (though if I’m being honest, I probably wouldn’t let him sleep at another kids house for a few more years). There was talk of his friends not knowing that he was a bed wetter. And there was embarrassment. And so, again after talking with our pediatrician, we put a plan in place to move forward this past March just after he turned 6. We started with him still in the Good Night, and began waking him twice nightly to pee. It worked, however, we realized we weren’t getting an accurate picture of when and how often he was peeing. So we moved to a rubber sheet and no pull-up, at which point we determined 1. He was peeing 3-4 times a night, and 2. He never ever woke up no matter how wet he or the bed was.
It was a sleep issue. He was in such a sound sleep, he missed the “I have to pee” cue and just let it go. We continued to wake him up twice a night, to get him in the habit of getting up to go pee. After a few weeks of success, we tried to let him go it alone, and it was a huge fail. He was frustrated, we were frustrated, and we were all exhausted. TEH Internets told me to buy one of those alarms that sense the wetness and wake the kid up. All I could think of was the episode of Diff’rent Strokes from when I was a kid and that red headed kid wore the pee alarm and Arnold put up an umbrella when it went off to avoid getting peed on. I didn’t want my kid to be traumatized in any way. But what were we to do?
So again, we spoke to the doctor who supported moving forward. I researched several alarms, some where a child would have to wear a panty liner in order for the alarm to detect the wetness, some that involved safety pins and elaborate wiring, others that were so expensive that I nearly fainted, and finally settled on the Wet Stop 3. We talked with Bud about what the alarm was and how it worked. That it clipped on to the front of his underwear and that the alarm piece clipped to his shoulder. That it would vibrate and beep to wake him up as soon as he started to pee. Then we watched a video online, showing a kid using it.
We received the alarm and started using it the first week of June. We tested it and showed Bud what it would feel like if it went off. We put it to use right away. For the first 2 or so weeks, the only person who heard the damn alarm was me. Bud slept right through. Gradually though, through waking him up while the alarm was still beeping and buzzing, he started doing it on his own. He was waking up mid-pee, and then later as soon as a drip hit his underwear he was up and going in the bathroom. It took longer than a lot of the reviews indicated, but finally, he was getting it. And on Monday after about 3 weeks of the alarm barely going off, he finally slept through the night without the aid of a parent, without wearing his alarm, and without wetting his bed. He got up on his own to go pee, and went back to bed.
He is so proud of himself (as evidenced by the burying of his head in the couch when I congratulated him), and we are ridiculously proud too. He stuck with it, and conquered it—my amazing little man.
And this my friends, is the official end (finally) of night time potty training.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Birthday Fun
I am tired. TIRED. The girls’ joint birthday party was on Saturday and I feel like I’ve been going non-stop since Friday. I left work on Thursday and Hub and I split up the kids to get the shopping done. Hub worked all day on Friday and I took the baby to daycare so I could do all the cooking. The big kids were home with me, and were crazy, of course, but I persevered, and actually got to bed at a reasonable hour. I think this is the most prepared we’ve ever been in advance.
And party day was perfect! The weather was awesome; not too hot and no humidity. The guests were happy, the food was good, there was much playing and talking and laughing. It may have been our best party yet. The girls both got a ton of gifts and Lucy loved her Justin Bieber cake. When she hugged me and told me how much she loved it and that it was the best day ever, I almost cried. Yes, it was a fabulous day.
The good thing about having a party in the park is that you need to be out by dusk. We were home soon after 9, all 3 kids filthy and exhausted went to bed immediately. And they were all up by 7 on Sunday morning, crabby and hungry. Hub and I were pretty tired too, so we made an executive decision and all went back to bed at 10:30 and slept until 1. It was pretty awesome. We spent the rest of the day cleaning up and putting party stuff away. I broke down gift bags and opened gifts and got that all organized, had some leftovers for dinner, showered the kiddos, and had everyone in bed by 8.
I spent some time uploading photos because I promised a lot of people photos of the Justin Bieber cake. Then I spent half the night lying awake in bed because I couldn’t shut my brain off…which is why this post is a rambly chain of events type post with no actual content…
So I’m going to stop typing now and show you some photos.
These are from my camera:
And these were taken by Hub’s cousin K with a fancy type camera and lens:
And party day was perfect! The weather was awesome; not too hot and no humidity. The guests were happy, the food was good, there was much playing and talking and laughing. It may have been our best party yet. The girls both got a ton of gifts and Lucy loved her Justin Bieber cake. When she hugged me and told me how much she loved it and that it was the best day ever, I almost cried. Yes, it was a fabulous day.
The good thing about having a party in the park is that you need to be out by dusk. We were home soon after 9, all 3 kids filthy and exhausted went to bed immediately. And they were all up by 7 on Sunday morning, crabby and hungry. Hub and I were pretty tired too, so we made an executive decision and all went back to bed at 10:30 and slept until 1. It was pretty awesome. We spent the rest of the day cleaning up and putting party stuff away. I broke down gift bags and opened gifts and got that all organized, had some leftovers for dinner, showered the kiddos, and had everyone in bed by 8.
I spent some time uploading photos because I promised a lot of people photos of the Justin Bieber cake. Then I spent half the night lying awake in bed because I couldn’t shut my brain off…which is why this post is a rambly chain of events type post with no actual content…
So I’m going to stop typing now and show you some photos.
These are from my camera:
And these were taken by Hub’s cousin K with a fancy type camera and lens:
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Party Planning Extravaganza
The girls’ combined birthday party is this weekend so I must commence running around like a crazy person for the next 5 days to ensure everything is ready to go. We’re starting earlier this year, making it an all day affair at the park, so everything needs to be done before Saturday morning. (uh, not that I’ve ever been up, say, at 4am preparing for this party before..cough cough.)
Hub and I planned the menu and I made my preliminary, or what I call my crazy list, which houses everything we need to buy regardless of where or when. It looks like this:
My lunchtime task is to split this in to probably 4 more organized lists of items by store. Can you tell that I angrily wrote “CORN” on the list last night in a fit of rage? Hub and I decided on Saturday that there would be no corn. It doesn’t make sense. We will have snacks, involving a deli tray, around noon. Dinner around 3, and cake around 5. Throwing in a corn course just throws everything off. But at a party yesterday, my SIL mentioned how much she loved it that we had corn last year. LOVED IT! And so Hub told her that ‘of course we were having corn!!’, and well, now we’re having corn, despite the fact that I threw out more than half of what we cooked last year. Hub says to only buy half of what we bought then. I say KAPOW! because my head has just exploded.
Anyway, I took Friday off to get everything ready, and Liv and I are going to the farmer’s market near my mom’s tomorrow for produce and the Italian sausage. I feel like we’re in pretty good shape here. This is the 5th big summer party we’ve thrown, and we are starting to be pros. We’ve tweaked it year after year, and I think we have a really good handle on things. Our families talk about our summer bash all year long. (they still talk about what a great party our wedding was too--I guess we *are* good.)
I do need to come up with a better system for the girls opening their gifts though—last year was complete chaos and I had no idea who got what and from whom. Hub does all the cooking at the party, so by the time cake and gifts come around, he’s off playing with the boys. I’m also a little bit worried that with it being earlier in the summer than we’ve ever had it (in an effort to have it right in between the girls’ actual birthdays), that we’re going to get a lot of clearance summer clothing as gifts, instead of fall clothes. I always tell myself it’s not about the gifts—and it’s not—but I can’t help but to be infuriated when they get something they won’t even be able to use. Last year was good though. So I’m sure it will be fine.
Nevertheless, I will worry and stress about it all week. And undoubtedly think of numerous things that haven’t made it to my list. Like tablecloths. TABLECLOTHS!! Frick.
Hub and I planned the menu and I made my preliminary, or what I call my crazy list, which houses everything we need to buy regardless of where or when. It looks like this:
My lunchtime task is to split this in to probably 4 more organized lists of items by store. Can you tell that I angrily wrote “CORN” on the list last night in a fit of rage? Hub and I decided on Saturday that there would be no corn. It doesn’t make sense. We will have snacks, involving a deli tray, around noon. Dinner around 3, and cake around 5. Throwing in a corn course just throws everything off. But at a party yesterday, my SIL mentioned how much she loved it that we had corn last year. LOVED IT! And so Hub told her that ‘of course we were having corn!!’, and well, now we’re having corn, despite the fact that I threw out more than half of what we cooked last year. Hub says to only buy half of what we bought then. I say KAPOW! because my head has just exploded.
Anyway, I took Friday off to get everything ready, and Liv and I are going to the farmer’s market near my mom’s tomorrow for produce and the Italian sausage. I feel like we’re in pretty good shape here. This is the 5th big summer party we’ve thrown, and we are starting to be pros. We’ve tweaked it year after year, and I think we have a really good handle on things. Our families talk about our summer bash all year long. (they still talk about what a great party our wedding was too--I guess we *are* good.)
I do need to come up with a better system for the girls opening their gifts though—last year was complete chaos and I had no idea who got what and from whom. Hub does all the cooking at the party, so by the time cake and gifts come around, he’s off playing with the boys. I’m also a little bit worried that with it being earlier in the summer than we’ve ever had it (in an effort to have it right in between the girls’ actual birthdays), that we’re going to get a lot of clearance summer clothing as gifts, instead of fall clothes. I always tell myself it’s not about the gifts—and it’s not—but I can’t help but to be infuriated when they get something they won’t even be able to use. Last year was good though. So I’m sure it will be fine.
Nevertheless, I will worry and stress about it all week. And undoubtedly think of numerous things that haven’t made it to my list. Like tablecloths. TABLECLOTHS!! Frick.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)