Woohoo! WE DID IT! Yep, we stayed up til midnight this year. I don't think we've managed it for the last...oh...maybe 4 years? Pathetic, huh?
Three minutes left to go...and then I can GO TO BED! Yes, I'm lame. It doesn't help that we had a very quick visit to see my family this weekend which included a three-hour drive each way (and only one overnight) and we did not sleep all that well. So, we are beat.
Oooo....two minutes! I hope I don't fall asleep...
Ok, signing off so I can actually kiss my sweetie at the start of the NEW YEAR!
2007 - holy crap!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Friday, December 29, 2006
My Personality Type
I'd say this is pretty accurate. I certainly have had bouts of hyperactivity of late, but I'm much happier with time to kick back and not be on the go constantly! You Have A Type B+ Personality |
You're a pro at going with the flow You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer. A total joy to be around, people crave your stability. While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity. Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done. You're passionate - just selective about your passions. |
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Breathe....
Ahhhhh....taking a deep breath now that the hustle and bustle is just about over! We are still planning to travel this coming weekend to celebrate with my family but at least the busy work of the holidays is mostly behind us. We had a really nice Christmas Eve dinner at Rick's parents house on Sunday night after the 5pm service at church.
Christmas morning I woke up at 5:30 to get the turkey in the oven (and deal with E who had lost her paci). The turkey was still rather icy and stiff when I pulled it from the fridge. I soaked it in cold water for 30 minutes and had to cut the skin that was holding the leg bones together in order to pry the still solidly frozen giblet bag from inside. I was worried that it would not be done in time and wondered whether I should stuff it or not. Since it was barely 6am I decided to chance it and figured if worse came to worse we'd eat at 1pm instead of noon. I stuffed it good and threw it in the preheated oven. Amazingly enough, the darn bird was done a bit on the early side - well, it was done on time but I thought it was going to need extra time and it didn't! I turned the oven off and let the turkey hang out in there while I finished the side dishes and it all worked out beautifully (and tasty, too!).
The turkey went into the oven at about 6:15a and then I sat and quietly enjoyed a cup of coffee while I waited (yes, waited!) for the girls to wake up. Lately, we've been in a bit of a 'sweet spot' when it comes to the girls' morning wake-up time. They've been getting up somewhere between 6:45a and 7:15a most mornings which is a far cry better than the 5:30a-6:00a wake-up we had been subjected to for far too long! Still, I was shocked when R woke up at 7:15, followed by A about 10 minutes later and we didn't hear a peep from E until close to 8:00a. I really thought that the excitement of Santa's arrival would have made for a pre-dawn wake-up call from the older girls. It was the best gift I could've gotten from them - drinking a full (hot!) cup of coffee in the quiet of a Christmas morning with the lights twinkling on the tree and the presents still piled high in their festive wrapping. After those precious moments it was so easy to enjoy the chaos that followed.
The girls were thrilled with their presents - well, R and A were thrilled with the presents and E seemed to be just as thrilled with all the wrapping paper, bows and boxes! E eventually became interested in playing with the toys she had opened - but only after the wrapping paper was all cleaned up! And she still enjoys climbing in and out of the various boxes that are hanging around. The biggest hits for R this year were all the craft-related items: learn to knit kit, weaving loom, and pottery wheel (thanks to Uncle Will who just took a pottery class we were given some great instructions on using the darn wheel - until he came over to help we were having huge issues and thought it was a piece of junk with a weak motor!). R got started right away on her loom but I think in all the excitement she got frustrated easily (plus, I could not sit and help her for too long because the big meal needed to be prepared). Hopefully, I can find some quiet time to sit with her and we can work on a weaving project together. As for A, she has most enjoyed her HUGE pegasus from Santa (that matches the one R got from him last year except in color), her new barbie doll (a character from Fairytopia that can be a mermaid or a fairy), and a game that grandma bought for her (Pretty, Pretty Princess). The girls also got tea sets and have already had one big tea party at the kitchen table (side note for those who recalled my earlier tea set dilemma: they decided of their own accord to SHARE one tea set when they first started playing! Santa probably could've brought one tea set and stuck both names on it and they would've been just as happy....I think! Oh well, at least we have spare parts in case anything gets broken! LOL). E's favorite toy (as far as she can have a favorite at this age) seems to be the talking Care Bear. It has six different buttons you can press and pre-recorded phrases and it came with a doctor's kit so you can take care of him. She likes to press the heart on his chest to hear some of the phrases and she also seems fascinated with using the stethoscope to gag herself (lovely.) so I've had to take it away more than a few times.
The biggest hit all around (adults included) were the cheap-o styrofoam air rockets that we got from American Science & Surplus (which - out of earshot of the girls - Rick and I refer to it as the ASS Catalog when it comes in the mail: "Hey, is that the ASS Catalog?" or "Oh! Can I look at the ASS Catalog with you?"). Here is a link to the actual rockets we bought. Everyone was shooting them off across the room and the kids were chasing after them. Every time one went off E shrieked happily and chased after it. She liked chewing on them a bit too much so we had to race her to get them first and she seemed to like the game of "who will get to the rocket first!" In the last few days she has gone from a walker to a runner so it was at times hard to beat her at that game!
All in all, Christmas was wonderful. I am left with a warm, fuzzy feeling when I think back on our Christmas celebration...but all the same I'm really quite happy that the celebrating is over and we can get back to a more normal pace of life.
Relax...breathe...
Christmas morning I woke up at 5:30 to get the turkey in the oven (and deal with E who had lost her paci). The turkey was still rather icy and stiff when I pulled it from the fridge. I soaked it in cold water for 30 minutes and had to cut the skin that was holding the leg bones together in order to pry the still solidly frozen giblet bag from inside. I was worried that it would not be done in time and wondered whether I should stuff it or not. Since it was barely 6am I decided to chance it and figured if worse came to worse we'd eat at 1pm instead of noon. I stuffed it good and threw it in the preheated oven. Amazingly enough, the darn bird was done a bit on the early side - well, it was done on time but I thought it was going to need extra time and it didn't! I turned the oven off and let the turkey hang out in there while I finished the side dishes and it all worked out beautifully (and tasty, too!).
The turkey went into the oven at about 6:15a and then I sat and quietly enjoyed a cup of coffee while I waited (yes, waited!) for the girls to wake up. Lately, we've been in a bit of a 'sweet spot' when it comes to the girls' morning wake-up time. They've been getting up somewhere between 6:45a and 7:15a most mornings which is a far cry better than the 5:30a-6:00a wake-up we had been subjected to for far too long! Still, I was shocked when R woke up at 7:15, followed by A about 10 minutes later and we didn't hear a peep from E until close to 8:00a. I really thought that the excitement of Santa's arrival would have made for a pre-dawn wake-up call from the older girls. It was the best gift I could've gotten from them - drinking a full (hot!) cup of coffee in the quiet of a Christmas morning with the lights twinkling on the tree and the presents still piled high in their festive wrapping. After those precious moments it was so easy to enjoy the chaos that followed.
The girls were thrilled with their presents - well, R and A were thrilled with the presents and E seemed to be just as thrilled with all the wrapping paper, bows and boxes! E eventually became interested in playing with the toys she had opened - but only after the wrapping paper was all cleaned up! And she still enjoys climbing in and out of the various boxes that are hanging around. The biggest hits for R this year were all the craft-related items: learn to knit kit, weaving loom, and pottery wheel (thanks to Uncle Will who just took a pottery class we were given some great instructions on using the darn wheel - until he came over to help we were having huge issues and thought it was a piece of junk with a weak motor!). R got started right away on her loom but I think in all the excitement she got frustrated easily (plus, I could not sit and help her for too long because the big meal needed to be prepared). Hopefully, I can find some quiet time to sit with her and we can work on a weaving project together. As for A, she has most enjoyed her HUGE pegasus from Santa (that matches the one R got from him last year except in color), her new barbie doll (a character from Fairytopia that can be a mermaid or a fairy), and a game that grandma bought for her (Pretty, Pretty Princess). The girls also got tea sets and have already had one big tea party at the kitchen table (side note for those who recalled my earlier tea set dilemma: they decided of their own accord to SHARE one tea set when they first started playing! Santa probably could've brought one tea set and stuck both names on it and they would've been just as happy....I think! Oh well, at least we have spare parts in case anything gets broken! LOL). E's favorite toy (as far as she can have a favorite at this age) seems to be the talking Care Bear. It has six different buttons you can press and pre-recorded phrases and it came with a doctor's kit so you can take care of him. She likes to press the heart on his chest to hear some of the phrases and she also seems fascinated with using the stethoscope to gag herself (lovely.) so I've had to take it away more than a few times.
The biggest hit all around (adults included) were the cheap-o styrofoam air rockets that we got from American Science & Surplus (which - out of earshot of the girls - Rick and I refer to it as the ASS Catalog when it comes in the mail: "Hey, is that the ASS Catalog?" or "Oh! Can I look at the ASS Catalog with you?"). Here is a link to the actual rockets we bought. Everyone was shooting them off across the room and the kids were chasing after them. Every time one went off E shrieked happily and chased after it. She liked chewing on them a bit too much so we had to race her to get them first and she seemed to like the game of "who will get to the rocket first!" In the last few days she has gone from a walker to a runner so it was at times hard to beat her at that game!
All in all, Christmas was wonderful. I am left with a warm, fuzzy feeling when I think back on our Christmas celebration...but all the same I'm really quite happy that the celebrating is over and we can get back to a more normal pace of life.
Relax...breathe...
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Ok, so I'll be up early no matter what....
I will probably be up before the girls this year -- at least I hope so. They have strict instructions to check in with us before they go looking for the loot because we don't want to be up with them at 4:30 to start the present frenzy.
But, it turns out that I need to get that 13# turkey in the oven by about 6:00am so I'll be up at 5:30...and I'm just PRAYING that the dang thing is thawed by then!!! I bought it on Friday morning and everything I've read says it should take 2-3 days to thaw. Well, by tomorrow morning it will be day 3 and right now it's still pretty hard and icy. Ack. I read that I can try to thaw it in cold water changed every 30 minutes but then you have to immediately put it in the oven. So, if I wake up and it's still icy and feeling mostly frozen I'll be doing the cold soak with fresh water every 30 minutes and hope that it thaws well enough by about 7 to start cooking it! Argh.... Lunch will be an hour late but it could be worse, I suppose.
Ok, off to bed. The loot is in place and I need to get some sleep in before my alarm wakes me up waaaaay too early.
Merry Christmas Eve!
But, it turns out that I need to get that 13# turkey in the oven by about 6:00am so I'll be up at 5:30...and I'm just PRAYING that the dang thing is thawed by then!!! I bought it on Friday morning and everything I've read says it should take 2-3 days to thaw. Well, by tomorrow morning it will be day 3 and right now it's still pretty hard and icy. Ack. I read that I can try to thaw it in cold water changed every 30 minutes but then you have to immediately put it in the oven. So, if I wake up and it's still icy and feeling mostly frozen I'll be doing the cold soak with fresh water every 30 minutes and hope that it thaws well enough by about 7 to start cooking it! Argh.... Lunch will be an hour late but it could be worse, I suppose.
Ok, off to bed. The loot is in place and I need to get some sleep in before my alarm wakes me up waaaaay too early.
Merry Christmas Eve!
Friday, December 22, 2006
Found some time for quiet and reflection...
Thursday night, I went out with my friend/neighbor/walking buddy (Hi, Lauri!). It was a really nice time and as I said to our pastor later in the evening - it was a night that was good for the soul.
After dinner and after the kids were finally tucked into bed, I left Rick to hold down the fort and Lauri and I headed off to a local eatery/bar where we prepared ourselves for meditation and reflection on the longest night of the year. We decided a Buddha's Hand Cosmopolitan would be just the ticket. The cosmopolitans were quite good and we also enjoyed a shared plate of fried calamari with spicy dipping sauce. It was so relaxing to just hang out and chat and enjoy good food and good company. My soul was needing that!
Once our "period of preparation" was done we headed off to church where they were holding services for the longest night of the year from 8:30-midnight. The deacons were reading passages at each half-hour interval after which they played some pre-recorded musical selections. Candles were set on the altar and anyone who wished to could go up and light one. Folks were invited to come and go as they wished during any part of the three and a half hour vigil. When Lauri and I showed up there were only a couple of people there aside from the two deacons and the pastor. We arrived at 9:30 - just in time for the reading for that half-hour and we stayed about 20 minutes. It was peaceful and calming and just what I needed during the hubbub and crazies of the season. I lit a candle and said a prayer in honor of loved ones and friends who are no longer with us. And during that quiet reflection I thanked God for my many blessings, of which there are too many too list - but among the most important are my family and friends, my health, and the health of those I love.
We are now in full-swing with the holiday celebrations. Yesterday, we had a big dinner at Rick's parents' house because some of their family had come down to visit for the day. And Rick's brother and his son arrived from Virginia on Friday and will be here through next Wednesday for the hoilday celebrations. The girls are having fun playing with their 3-year-old cousin, T, although A said to me this morning that T likes being "kinda too active"! Yes, boys are very different in how they play and in our house full of girls we don't get much exposure to that kind of rough-and-tumble play!
This morning I made pancakes for breakfast (since I doubt I'll be awake enough tomorrow morning to make them...and we'll be having a big lunchtime meal anyway) and I made the girls a pancake in the shape of a Christmas tree and another in the shape of Santa's head. They were not much more than blobs coming off the griddle, but a bit of frosting detail goes a long way and the girls thought they were the cat's meow!
After breakfast, Rick ran an errand to Wal-mart for a last-minute gift and I baked two cakes for desserts for tomorrow - a gingerbread cake and a marzipan cake. Yum! They smell great and I can't wait to dig in tomorrow!
Tonight we have church service at 5:00 - the girls need to be at church early for choir as they will be singing in the choir - and then we will go over to Grandma & Grandad's for a Christmas Eve dinner. In the morning, the girls will wake us (probably earlier than we'd like!) and it will be gift central for a while. The girls are getting VERY excited about Santa coming, but amazingly they are not really bouncing off the walls just yet (Thank God!)...bedtime tonight might prove interesting. But, at least we have all the presents wrapped and ready to go! I feel like I've received a gift from the girls already today because they have been doing a great job of keeping each other entertained and not getting on each other's nerves. I don't think I've heard any fights from them today at all - a small miracle in and of itself!
This past week has been insanely busy but the big payoff for that 'busy-ness' is the fact that we can now just sit back and relax and enjoy the holidays. Rick's family will be here tomorrow for the Christmas feast so that will be a bit hectic to get ready amid all the gift-opening but it will all work out fine, I'm sure.
Christmas is upon us and my brother-in-law and nephew are on their way over to hang out with us for a while. So, I will end by wishing you a very Merry Christmas. Peace, joy and love to you all.
After dinner and after the kids were finally tucked into bed, I left Rick to hold down the fort and Lauri and I headed off to a local eatery/bar where we prepared ourselves for meditation and reflection on the longest night of the year. We decided a Buddha's Hand Cosmopolitan would be just the ticket. The cosmopolitans were quite good and we also enjoyed a shared plate of fried calamari with spicy dipping sauce. It was so relaxing to just hang out and chat and enjoy good food and good company. My soul was needing that!
Once our "period of preparation" was done we headed off to church where they were holding services for the longest night of the year from 8:30-midnight. The deacons were reading passages at each half-hour interval after which they played some pre-recorded musical selections. Candles were set on the altar and anyone who wished to could go up and light one. Folks were invited to come and go as they wished during any part of the three and a half hour vigil. When Lauri and I showed up there were only a couple of people there aside from the two deacons and the pastor. We arrived at 9:30 - just in time for the reading for that half-hour and we stayed about 20 minutes. It was peaceful and calming and just what I needed during the hubbub and crazies of the season. I lit a candle and said a prayer in honor of loved ones and friends who are no longer with us. And during that quiet reflection I thanked God for my many blessings, of which there are too many too list - but among the most important are my family and friends, my health, and the health of those I love.
We are now in full-swing with the holiday celebrations. Yesterday, we had a big dinner at Rick's parents' house because some of their family had come down to visit for the day. And Rick's brother and his son arrived from Virginia on Friday and will be here through next Wednesday for the hoilday celebrations. The girls are having fun playing with their 3-year-old cousin, T, although A said to me this morning that T likes being "kinda too active"! Yes, boys are very different in how they play and in our house full of girls we don't get much exposure to that kind of rough-and-tumble play!
This morning I made pancakes for breakfast (since I doubt I'll be awake enough tomorrow morning to make them...and we'll be having a big lunchtime meal anyway) and I made the girls a pancake in the shape of a Christmas tree and another in the shape of Santa's head. They were not much more than blobs coming off the griddle, but a bit of frosting detail goes a long way and the girls thought they were the cat's meow!
After breakfast, Rick ran an errand to Wal-mart for a last-minute gift and I baked two cakes for desserts for tomorrow - a gingerbread cake and a marzipan cake. Yum! They smell great and I can't wait to dig in tomorrow!
Tonight we have church service at 5:00 - the girls need to be at church early for choir as they will be singing in the choir - and then we will go over to Grandma & Grandad's for a Christmas Eve dinner. In the morning, the girls will wake us (probably earlier than we'd like!) and it will be gift central for a while. The girls are getting VERY excited about Santa coming, but amazingly they are not really bouncing off the walls just yet (Thank God!)...bedtime tonight might prove interesting. But, at least we have all the presents wrapped and ready to go! I feel like I've received a gift from the girls already today because they have been doing a great job of keeping each other entertained and not getting on each other's nerves. I don't think I've heard any fights from them today at all - a small miracle in and of itself!
This past week has been insanely busy but the big payoff for that 'busy-ness' is the fact that we can now just sit back and relax and enjoy the holidays. Rick's family will be here tomorrow for the Christmas feast so that will be a bit hectic to get ready amid all the gift-opening but it will all work out fine, I'm sure.
Christmas is upon us and my brother-in-law and nephew are on their way over to hang out with us for a while. So, I will end by wishing you a very Merry Christmas. Peace, joy and love to you all.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
In Which I Search For The Pause Button...
Life has been moving in fast forward motion these days...at least for me. Rick, on the other hand, has made good friends with the living room couch. He's been sick for a couple of weeks with a bad cough. He seemed like he was a bit better at the end of last week - he even worked a couple of days - but over the weekend he got a lot worse and ended up going in to see the doctor on Monday morning. Diagnosis: pneumonia. He came home with a big bottle of cough syrup with codeine and a small bottle of antibiotic pills in a funky green hue. Last night, armed with the codeine and the first dose of the antibiotics he had a fairly decent night. And today he is feeling a little bit better although his breathing still full of yucky sounding gurlgies. So, we are hopeful he is on the mend. But, his butt needs to stay on the couch so he can rest and get better. He's not the kind of guy who likes to sit on his tuchus and relax so he doesn't generally make a very good patient.
So, with Rick on the couch I've been trying to keep things moving along as best I can. I'm beat but it has actually been helpful to have him here at home this week. I've been able to get some time to go shopping without any kids in tow while the girls were in school because I was able to leave E home with Rick for an hour here or there. Sometimes she's been napping while I'm away and sometimes she's been awake but able to keep herself amused so that Rick could just veg on the couch and keep an eye on her. So, even though things have been crazy-busy, they could certainly have been a lot worse!
So, what's kept me so busy?
*I've been busy finishing up the holiday shopping - which I'm about 98% done with (phew). The next step will be the dreaded job of wrapping everything. It's 8:30 and the girls are still not asleep but I hope they will be soon so I can get started. Rick just went to check on E who was crying and found that the older two were still awake (ugh....). R was still reading in her bed and A was just restless and not yet asleep for some reason. They are usually conked out by this time so I have no idea if it's the excitement of Christmas coming or what but they are certainly wound up!
*I have been busy baking. After making the pizzelles for our neighbors I whipped up another batch to bring along to last night's book club meeting. We had a great night drinking wine, eating cookies and other decadent treats, and discussing the book "Patty Jane's House of Curl" by Lorna Landvik. It's a good, quick, fun kind of read - just the kind of book we like to pick for our December selection since it's a busy time of year. I recommend it highly if you want something not too deep or thought-provoking that is a fast read. Our January book is (I think...LOL) a novel called "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" by Marisha Pessl. It's certainly one of the books we'll be reading sometime between now and May but I can't remember if it's the January book or not. I should probably find out soon so I can get the right book ordered and start reading. But, back to the topic of baking...I also made quick breads to hand out to some of the teachers at R's school later this week. I made some apple pecan and some sour cream gingerbread quick breads - yum. I made them into mini-loaf sized breads so I was able to keep a couple for our enjoyment and they came out so yummy (if I do say so myself). For R's classroom teacher I am going to put some of the quick bread into a basket along with some treats from Trader Joe's, and a Trader Joe's gift card. The other loaves will be going to other assorted teachers like her art, gym, and music teachers, the librarian (who I have been volunteering with this fall), and I'm thinking that I'll just bring in a few loaves and some cookies or candy and leave it in the front office for the administrative staff to share. So, I have a bit more baking to do tomorrow but not too much. I'm usually in the school on Thursday mornings so I will plan to bring in the treats then and have R join me in handing them out to her teachers.
*I've been busy knitting (I bet you could guess that one!). I finished R's socks and immediately started in on a pair of socks for A in the same yarn. I'm about 95% done with sock #1 and hope to finish it and its mate before Christmas - wish me luck! And of course, I have other projects waiting in the wings, but they are not slated to be Christmas presents so there is no rush on those, thankfully.
And then there is just the miscellaneous stuff of everyday life - cleaning, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, preschool drop-off/pick-up, etc., etc., etc.... Today was actually A's last day of school before the holiday break so that takes a bit of a load off...but having her home allllll daaaaayyyy adds a load of a different kind...I put the word out at preschool that we are available for playdates this week and I'm hoping that something pans out to keep her from careening off the walls in psychotic anticipation of Santa's impending arrival.
Lately, I've wished more than once that I could find the Pause button so I could get off the Merry-Go-Round of Life for a minute to catch my breath, or even just the Slow-Motion button that will allow time to stretch out a little and give me more room to breath, and a few times I've even wanted there to be a Rewind button so I could relive a sweet moment that I shared with a friend or family member or to take back a harsh word that was uttered by the stress monster from within. Alas, life does go on at its annoyingly steady pace and I just have to figure out a way to keep up. But, if you happen to locate any time warp buttons be sure to let me know!
All is quiet - for the moment... Time to go be productive!
So, with Rick on the couch I've been trying to keep things moving along as best I can. I'm beat but it has actually been helpful to have him here at home this week. I've been able to get some time to go shopping without any kids in tow while the girls were in school because I was able to leave E home with Rick for an hour here or there. Sometimes she's been napping while I'm away and sometimes she's been awake but able to keep herself amused so that Rick could just veg on the couch and keep an eye on her. So, even though things have been crazy-busy, they could certainly have been a lot worse!
So, what's kept me so busy?
*I've been busy finishing up the holiday shopping - which I'm about 98% done with (phew). The next step will be the dreaded job of wrapping everything. It's 8:30 and the girls are still not asleep but I hope they will be soon so I can get started. Rick just went to check on E who was crying and found that the older two were still awake (ugh....). R was still reading in her bed and A was just restless and not yet asleep for some reason. They are usually conked out by this time so I have no idea if it's the excitement of Christmas coming or what but they are certainly wound up!
*I have been busy baking. After making the pizzelles for our neighbors I whipped up another batch to bring along to last night's book club meeting. We had a great night drinking wine, eating cookies and other decadent treats, and discussing the book "Patty Jane's House of Curl" by Lorna Landvik. It's a good, quick, fun kind of read - just the kind of book we like to pick for our December selection since it's a busy time of year. I recommend it highly if you want something not too deep or thought-provoking that is a fast read. Our January book is (I think...LOL) a novel called "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" by Marisha Pessl. It's certainly one of the books we'll be reading sometime between now and May but I can't remember if it's the January book or not. I should probably find out soon so I can get the right book ordered and start reading. But, back to the topic of baking...I also made quick breads to hand out to some of the teachers at R's school later this week. I made some apple pecan and some sour cream gingerbread quick breads - yum. I made them into mini-loaf sized breads so I was able to keep a couple for our enjoyment and they came out so yummy (if I do say so myself). For R's classroom teacher I am going to put some of the quick bread into a basket along with some treats from Trader Joe's, and a Trader Joe's gift card. The other loaves will be going to other assorted teachers like her art, gym, and music teachers, the librarian (who I have been volunteering with this fall), and I'm thinking that I'll just bring in a few loaves and some cookies or candy and leave it in the front office for the administrative staff to share. So, I have a bit more baking to do tomorrow but not too much. I'm usually in the school on Thursday mornings so I will plan to bring in the treats then and have R join me in handing them out to her teachers.
*I've been busy knitting (I bet you could guess that one!). I finished R's socks and immediately started in on a pair of socks for A in the same yarn. I'm about 95% done with sock #1 and hope to finish it and its mate before Christmas - wish me luck! And of course, I have other projects waiting in the wings, but they are not slated to be Christmas presents so there is no rush on those, thankfully.
And then there is just the miscellaneous stuff of everyday life - cleaning, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, preschool drop-off/pick-up, etc., etc., etc.... Today was actually A's last day of school before the holiday break so that takes a bit of a load off...but having her home allllll daaaaayyyy adds a load of a different kind...I put the word out at preschool that we are available for playdates this week and I'm hoping that something pans out to keep her from careening off the walls in psychotic anticipation of Santa's impending arrival.
Lately, I've wished more than once that I could find the Pause button so I could get off the Merry-Go-Round of Life for a minute to catch my breath, or even just the Slow-Motion button that will allow time to stretch out a little and give me more room to breath, and a few times I've even wanted there to be a Rewind button so I could relive a sweet moment that I shared with a friend or family member or to take back a harsh word that was uttered by the stress monster from within. Alas, life does go on at its annoyingly steady pace and I just have to figure out a way to keep up. But, if you happen to locate any time warp buttons be sure to let me know!
All is quiet - for the moment... Time to go be productive!
Sunday, December 17, 2006
The pictures tell the story pretty well...
Last night we visited Santa! Since we've had so many late nights this week we decided to have the girls get in their jammies before we left. We figured that this would speed up the process once we were home AND it would make for a cute picture...
Intial reaction to sitting with Santa. R pays attention to the camera, A wonders what E's problem is and E is just completely traumatized.
Oh dear...Mrs. Claus steps in to rescue poor, freaked out E! But even Mrs. Claus is not exactly above suspicion...
Mom steps in to help with the process and E calms down a bit. She is soon engrossed in the apple that the 'big, scary guy' gave her.
Once the screamin' mimi was out of the picture, R and A are able to put in their requests. (R - pottery wheel, A - big stuffed pegasus)
Obligatory picture on the sleigh outside Santa's Workshop.
Oh dear...Mrs. Claus steps in to rescue poor, freaked out E! But even Mrs. Claus is not exactly above suspicion...
Mom steps in to help with the process and E calms down a bit. She is soon engrossed in the apple that the 'big, scary guy' gave her.
Once the screamin' mimi was out of the picture, R and A are able to put in their requests. (R - pottery wheel, A - big stuffed pegasus)
Obligatory picture on the sleigh outside Santa's Workshop.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Mmmmmm...
Ok, so the journey out of the Elastic Waistland has been put on hold. It is Christmastime, after all. There are far too many baking projects to attend to (in the act of both baking and eating). This morning's project was to bake and assemble cookie packages to deliver to the neighbors on our cul-de-sac. It's something I've done every year that we've lived in this house and it's a tradition I look forward to each year. I bake a different cookie each year (at least that's been the case thus far - there may be repeats in future years). This year I pulled out my Pizzelle Iron (pic for those who are wondering what I'm talking about) - essentially a waffle iron that produces very thin delicate italian cookies that are traditionally anise flavored but other flavors can be substituted - and decided that this year's cookie would be Pizzelles. I made two batches - one anise flavored and one chocolate (a new recipe for me this year!). The cookies are now packaged and ready for delivery this afternoon. And they came out rather yummy if I do say so myself.
Don't you wish you lived on my cul-de-sac? ;-)
Don't you wish you lived on my cul-de-sac? ;-)
One more hat!
I was searching the internet for simple hat patterns and came upon Redthreadsblog. From the short amount of browsing I did on her site she seems like an incredibly talented knitter and she also has been kind enough to share some of her knitting expertise through patterns she has created. The hat pattern I found on her site was one that she had made for each member of a family that she nannied for in Japan. It's called the "Suits Everyone, Fits Everyone Hat". I decided to make this hat for A out of a pinky-purply yarn that I found at the local craft store.
And here it is!
And here's a pic of the recipient wearing her new fancy winterwear!
For those who are interested and for my own personal reference, I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease Worsted Weight in Dark Rose Heather for the main part of the hat. The fuzzy yarn on the brim and the pom-pom on top was made with Patons Divine in Richest Rose.
And here it is!
And here's a pic of the recipient wearing her new fancy winterwear!
For those who are interested and for my own personal reference, I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease Worsted Weight in Dark Rose Heather for the main part of the hat. The fuzzy yarn on the brim and the pom-pom on top was made with Patons Divine in Richest Rose.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Cell Phone Upgrade
I don't even recall how long I've had my current cell phone. But, if I had to guess I'd say about 2 years? It has worked fine for my cell phone needs - which are not many or varied. I have service through Tracfone and I just make sure I buy a prepaid wireless card every sixty days to maintain my phone number. It's cheap, there are no service contracts, and the phone itself was free. The coverage on my original phone was only so-so. I had areas (like my house where I generally don't NEED to use the cell phone anyway) where coverage was scant at best. If I walked to a window at the right time of day just after a full moon when there are wild turkeys roaming the yard I might get a single bar, but generally the phone did have its dead spots where no amount of finagling would get me any signal and attempts at using the phone were futile. The phone is also quite large compared with current standards. In fact, last spring my brother and his family were visiting and his kids looked at my cell phone on the counter and had to ask if it was a cordless phone or a cell phone. They couldn't believe that any cell phone in existence could be THAT big. Unlike those young'uns, I can recall the day when cell phones looked like this:
I thought my "little" cell phone was not nearly the mark of the luddite that they considered it to be. But I have since been informed by my neighbor that, in fact, there was a time not that long ago when her daughters were actually embarrassed by the size/make/model of her cell phone and pretty much refused to carry it anywhere unless it remained well hidden and essentially for emergency purposes only. She upgraded a little while ago much to their relief! Who knew that I had the potential to be such an embarrassment to my future teenage girls. I'm actually looking forward to it!
In the meantime, I was online the other day and I went to the Tracfone website to see about adding some time to my phone before the December 15th deadline. It turns out they were having a deal on a reconditioned Nokia phone. Essentially, I could pay $20 for a prepaid wireless card that would add 60 minutes of airtime to my current "behemoth" or I could pay $20 and get double minutes AND a new/ reconditioned phone. In the process I hoped that a slight upgrade in technology might also gain me some better signal coverage.
My new phone arrived yesterday - in plenty of time to keep my old number and just transfer it to my new phone (phew). It's not a flashy phone by any stretch...and it's pretty much *just* a phone - it doesn't take pictures, double as a PDA, or shoot high-powered lasers that reduce my enemies to a pile of ash in a matter of seconds. But, it sends and recieves calls and even has a text messaging feature...much to my chagrin, especially when I found out that Tracfone might occasionally send me text messages that I will be charged for if I bother to read them. (Note to self: read manual to figure out how to delete messages without reading them!) When I saw the phone I was amazed by it's small size - of course, it's still probably considered a behemoth to some. But, check out the reduction in size from my old, clunky Nokia to my shiny, happy new one:
And so skinny too!
And when I powered up and got this puppy activated I found that sitting here at my computer - a full four or five feet from the nearest window (with nary a turkey in sight) I had THREE bars on my little attenna icon! Well, now, isn't that special!? ;-)
And lest I start feeling all hip about my new phone here's a review that basically knocks me down a peg because it refers to this particular model as being "made for older people, being conservative consumers. This means the sort of people who will buy a phone once, holding on to it as long as it works."
Yep. Sounds about right. Go ahead. Call me an old fart. Just make sure you call me!
I thought my "little" cell phone was not nearly the mark of the luddite that they considered it to be. But I have since been informed by my neighbor that, in fact, there was a time not that long ago when her daughters were actually embarrassed by the size/make/model of her cell phone and pretty much refused to carry it anywhere unless it remained well hidden and essentially for emergency purposes only. She upgraded a little while ago much to their relief! Who knew that I had the potential to be such an embarrassment to my future teenage girls. I'm actually looking forward to it!
In the meantime, I was online the other day and I went to the Tracfone website to see about adding some time to my phone before the December 15th deadline. It turns out they were having a deal on a reconditioned Nokia phone. Essentially, I could pay $20 for a prepaid wireless card that would add 60 minutes of airtime to my current "behemoth" or I could pay $20 and get double minutes AND a new/ reconditioned phone. In the process I hoped that a slight upgrade in technology might also gain me some better signal coverage.
My new phone arrived yesterday - in plenty of time to keep my old number and just transfer it to my new phone (phew). It's not a flashy phone by any stretch...and it's pretty much *just* a phone - it doesn't take pictures, double as a PDA, or shoot high-powered lasers that reduce my enemies to a pile of ash in a matter of seconds. But, it sends and recieves calls and even has a text messaging feature...much to my chagrin, especially when I found out that Tracfone might occasionally send me text messages that I will be charged for if I bother to read them. (Note to self: read manual to figure out how to delete messages without reading them!) When I saw the phone I was amazed by it's small size - of course, it's still probably considered a behemoth to some. But, check out the reduction in size from my old, clunky Nokia to my shiny, happy new one:
And so skinny too!
And when I powered up and got this puppy activated I found that sitting here at my computer - a full four or five feet from the nearest window (with nary a turkey in sight) I had THREE bars on my little attenna icon! Well, now, isn't that special!? ;-)
And lest I start feeling all hip about my new phone here's a review that basically knocks me down a peg because it refers to this particular model as being "made for older people, being conservative consumers. This means the sort of people who will buy a phone once, holding on to it as long as it works."
Yep. Sounds about right. Go ahead. Call me an old fart. Just make sure you call me!
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Another busy pre-Christmas weekend...
Yesterday, A had a birthday party to attend in the morning. R came along with me to drop A at the party and then we headed to the store in search of R's gift to A for Christmas. We also made a quick stop at the craft store because I wanted to look for some yarn for a hat pattern that a friend gave me. Yes, the CMAD-ness continues. And just wait until I teach R to knit! I'll have another enabler in the house! Woohoo! R had fun browsing the different yarns while I picked out what I needed. I can see her already turning into a fiber fiend like myself. I let her pick out the color of the yarn once I found one in a suitable thickness. I spent a good deal of the weekend knitting (when I should have been doing other things like laundry, washing the kitchen floor, vacuuming... but hey, that dirt will still be there for me to clean tomorrow, right?). The hats I churned out were actually very quick knits - the fiber was sooo chunky - especially considering the thickness of the sock yarns I've been dabbling in of late. So, here are the results of the one green ball of yarn that R helped me pick out:
Both hats have a tassle hanging from the top and I added the straps to Miss E's hat so that she won't be able to pull it off as easily. They both seemed pleased with the results (E walked around for at least a half an hour with hers on and she got mad if we tried to take it off) and now I need to make one more for Miss A -- but she wants hers in purple to match her new coat. I have to see what colors they have at Michael's!
In the meantime, I've also been knitting a pair of socks for R (shhhh....don't tell her - she thinks they are another pair for me). Here's the first of the two:
I'm well on my way to getting the second one done. And then I think I will try to start a pair for A so she won't feel left out! And speaking of socks, here's a shot of Miss E in her warm and fuzzy pair:
They were a bit slippy on the hardwood floors but she got used to them pretty quickly!
This weekend we also put together our gingerbread house. This is one of the things I never attempt to do from scratch. I like buying the inexpensive kits from the store complete with premade frosting-glue and plenty of colorful candy bits for decorations. This year I bought a kit made by Wilton and was impressed by the difference from last year's no-name brand kit - more candy, smoother frosting (although I had some issues with the house pieces sliding on me because the frosting did not seem to set fast enough), a plastic guide thingamagig that helped in house construction phase. It also came with gingerbread man, snowman, and two trees to decorate and place around the house.
Oh, and remember that snowman I made when we were out playing in the first real snow of the season? He didn't last very long. The next day R looked out the window to check on him and found this sad (yet funny) sight:
Spike managed to hang on to his hair for quite a while there but he was looking flat out tired here, don't you think? The following day there was not a sign of him to be found. Hopefully we'll see him again later this season...
Ok, time to check on laundry and then head to bed. Once, long ago, I put a load of laundry in before going to bed and the damn machine malfunctioned. Water flowed into the machine and the mechanism that tells it to stop filling didn't do it's job so the water ran over the top of the washer and onto the basement floor ALL NIGHT LONG. What a mess! From that day forward I swore never to leave a load of laundry unattended overnight again.
Lastly, if you can spare any get well vibes send them to Rick. He is suffering from another cold (sinus infection and chest congestion)... poor guy. He's in bed already and he is planning on staying home tomorrow. He spent most of the day on the couch and since he never really complained that he was bored I know he's feeling like crap. Usually I can't keep him still for very long! He's always busy with one project or another!
Laundry-check time and then some sleep - I need to get a good nights' sleep if I hope to be up walking at 6am with my neighbor!
Both hats have a tassle hanging from the top and I added the straps to Miss E's hat so that she won't be able to pull it off as easily. They both seemed pleased with the results (E walked around for at least a half an hour with hers on and she got mad if we tried to take it off) and now I need to make one more for Miss A -- but she wants hers in purple to match her new coat. I have to see what colors they have at Michael's!
In the meantime, I've also been knitting a pair of socks for R (shhhh....don't tell her - she thinks they are another pair for me). Here's the first of the two:
I'm well on my way to getting the second one done. And then I think I will try to start a pair for A so she won't feel left out! And speaking of socks, here's a shot of Miss E in her warm and fuzzy pair:
This weekend we also put together our gingerbread house. This is one of the things I never attempt to do from scratch. I like buying the inexpensive kits from the store complete with premade frosting-glue and plenty of colorful candy bits for decorations. This year I bought a kit made by Wilton and was impressed by the difference from last year's no-name brand kit - more candy, smoother frosting (although I had some issues with the house pieces sliding on me because the frosting did not seem to set fast enough), a plastic guide thingamagig that helped in house construction phase. It also came with gingerbread man, snowman, and two trees to decorate and place around the house.
Oh, and remember that snowman I made when we were out playing in the first real snow of the season? He didn't last very long. The next day R looked out the window to check on him and found this sad (yet funny) sight:
Spike managed to hang on to his hair for quite a while there but he was looking flat out tired here, don't you think? The following day there was not a sign of him to be found. Hopefully we'll see him again later this season...
Ok, time to check on laundry and then head to bed. Once, long ago, I put a load of laundry in before going to bed and the damn machine malfunctioned. Water flowed into the machine and the mechanism that tells it to stop filling didn't do it's job so the water ran over the top of the washer and onto the basement floor ALL NIGHT LONG. What a mess! From that day forward I swore never to leave a load of laundry unattended overnight again.
Lastly, if you can spare any get well vibes send them to Rick. He is suffering from another cold (sinus infection and chest congestion)... poor guy. He's in bed already and he is planning on staying home tomorrow. He spent most of the day on the couch and since he never really complained that he was bored I know he's feeling like crap. Usually I can't keep him still for very long! He's always busy with one project or another!
Laundry-check time and then some sleep - I need to get a good nights' sleep if I hope to be up walking at 6am with my neighbor!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Not entirely good-goody, but not really a bad influence either...
You go over 45, you’re a bad influence.
If you go under 10, chances are you live under a rock and have no life… even more harsh.
Total the number of things in each list you’ve done.
No need to say which ones.
If people really want to know they will message you.
1. smoked.
2. consumed alcohol.
3. slept in the same bed with someone of the opposite sex.
4. slept in the same bed with someone of the same sex.
5. kissed someone of the same sex.
6. had sex.
7. had someone in your room other than family.
8. watched porn.
9. bought porn.
10. done drugs.
TOTAL: 6
1. taken painkillers
2. taken someone else’s prescription medicine.
3. lied to your parents.
4. lied to a friend.
5. snuck out of the house.
6. done something illegal.
7. cut yourself.
8. hurt someone.
9. wished someone to die.
10. seen someone die.
TOTAL: 7
1. missed curfew.
2. stayed out all night.
3. eaten a carton of ice cream by yourself.
4. been to a therapist.
5. been to rehab.
6. dyed your hair.
7. received a ticket.
8. been in an accident.
9. been to a club.
10. been to a bar.
TOTAL: 4
1. been to a wild party.
2. seen the Mardi Gras.
3. drank more than four beers in a night.
4. had a spring break in Florida.
5. sniffed anything.
6. wore black nail polish.
7. wore arm bands.
8. wore t-shirts with band names.
9. listened to rap.
10. own a 50 Cent CD.
TOTAL: 1
1. dressed gothic.
2. dressed prep.
3. dressed punk.
4. dressed grunge.
5. stole something.
6. been too drunk to remember anything.
7. blacked out.
8. fainte3d
9. had a crush on a neighbor.
10. had someone sneak into your room.
TOTAL: 4
1. snuck into someone else’s room.
2. had a crush on your best friend.
3. been to a concert.
4. dry-humped someone.
5. been called a slut.
6. called someone a slut.
7. installed speakers in your car.
8. broken a mirror.
9. showered at someone of the opposites sex’s house.
10. brushed your teeth with someone else’s toothbrush.
TOTAL: 6
1. consider/considered Ludacris your favorite rapper.
2. seen an R-rated movie in theater.
3. cruised the mall.
4. skipped school.
5. had surgery.
6. had an injury.
7. gone to court.
8. walked out of a restaraunt without paying/tipping.
9. caught something on fire.
10. lied about your age.
TOTAL: 5
1. owned/rented an apartment.
2. broke the law in the police’s presence.
3. cheated with someone.
4. got in trouble with the police.
5. talked to a stranger.
6. hugged a stranger.
7. kissed a stranger.
8. rode in the car with a stranger.
9. been harrassed.
10. been verbally harrassed.
TOTAL: 6
1. met face-to-face with someone you met online.
2. stayed online for 12 hours straight.
3. talked on the phone for more than 4 hours straight.
4. watched TV for 12 hours straight.
5. been to a fair.
6. been called a bad influence.
7. drink and drive.
8. prank-called someone.
9. laid on a couch with someone of the opposite sex.
10. cheated on a test.
TOTAL: 5
OVER ALL TOTAL: 44 (I guess I'm just barely NOT a bad influence. Phew.)
If you go under 10, chances are you live under a rock and have no life… even more harsh.
Total the number of things in each list you’ve done.
No need to say which ones.
If people really want to know they will message you.
1. smoked.
2. consumed alcohol.
3. slept in the same bed with someone of the opposite sex.
4. slept in the same bed with someone of the same sex.
5. kissed someone of the same sex.
6. had sex.
7. had someone in your room other than family.
8. watched porn.
9. bought porn.
10. done drugs.
TOTAL: 6
1. taken painkillers
2. taken someone else’s prescription medicine.
3. lied to your parents.
4. lied to a friend.
5. snuck out of the house.
6. done something illegal.
7. cut yourself.
8. hurt someone.
9. wished someone to die.
10. seen someone die.
TOTAL: 7
1. missed curfew.
2. stayed out all night.
3. eaten a carton of ice cream by yourself.
4. been to a therapist.
5. been to rehab.
6. dyed your hair.
7. received a ticket.
8. been in an accident.
9. been to a club.
10. been to a bar.
TOTAL: 4
1. been to a wild party.
2. seen the Mardi Gras.
3. drank more than four beers in a night.
4. had a spring break in Florida.
5. sniffed anything.
6. wore black nail polish.
7. wore arm bands.
8. wore t-shirts with band names.
9. listened to rap.
10. own a 50 Cent CD.
TOTAL: 1
1. dressed gothic.
2. dressed prep.
3. dressed punk.
4. dressed grunge.
5. stole something.
6. been too drunk to remember anything.
7. blacked out.
8. fainte3d
9. had a crush on a neighbor.
10. had someone sneak into your room.
TOTAL: 4
1. snuck into someone else’s room.
2. had a crush on your best friend.
3. been to a concert.
4. dry-humped someone.
5. been called a slut.
6. called someone a slut.
7. installed speakers in your car.
8. broken a mirror.
9. showered at someone of the opposites sex’s house.
10. brushed your teeth with someone else’s toothbrush.
TOTAL: 6
1. consider/considered Ludacris your favorite rapper.
2. seen an R-rated movie in theater.
3. cruised the mall.
4. skipped school.
5. had surgery.
6. had an injury.
7. gone to court.
8. walked out of a restaraunt without paying/tipping.
9. caught something on fire.
10. lied about your age.
TOTAL: 5
1. owned/rented an apartment.
2. broke the law in the police’s presence.
3. cheated with someone.
4. got in trouble with the police.
5. talked to a stranger.
6. hugged a stranger.
7. kissed a stranger.
8. rode in the car with a stranger.
9. been harrassed.
10. been verbally harrassed.
TOTAL: 6
1. met face-to-face with someone you met online.
2. stayed online for 12 hours straight.
3. talked on the phone for more than 4 hours straight.
4. watched TV for 12 hours straight.
5. been to a fair.
6. been called a bad influence.
7. drink and drive.
8. prank-called someone.
9. laid on a couch with someone of the opposite sex.
10. cheated on a test.
TOTAL: 5
OVER ALL TOTAL: 44 (I guess I'm just barely NOT a bad influence. Phew.)
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Just for fun
On one of the mommy boards I frequent (this one is for moms with babies born in October 2005) the moms are posting pics of their babies sibling at approximately the same age. I thought it would be fun to post a few pics of the girls at about 1 year of age to see how much (or how little) they resemble each other. And it will allow me to join in on the picture posting frenzy on that site -- you see, I don't have the "premium" membership so I can't upload pictures into my posts but if I post them here I can send the ladies over there a link! Premium-schmemium. Heh.
In order of birth: R, A, E
Hmmmm....thoughts?
In order of birth: R, A, E
Hmmmm....thoughts?
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Snow news is good news...
Now it really seems like Christmas is on its way...and that global warming has not yet turned New England into an ideal climate for palm trees and pink flamingos. Today we had our first noticable snowfall. There were snow squalls on the way to drop A off at preschool and the roads were pretty slick given the subfreezing temps out there. When I walked at 6am it was barely 20 degrees and by the time I got A off to school the temps had risen...but only to about 30 degrees. Nice icy roads weather what with the precipitation and all. But, I managed to get home in one piece and the snow did look beauitful falling down so gracefully and soundlessly. White, crisp, clean, peaceful.
After lunch A was itching to put on her snow boots and get out in the small amount of snow that had accumulated. Annoying side note: how can it be that I had to actually go out and buy A and E some new snow boots this year? I feel like I have a basement FULL of hand-me-downs...and yet...I went downstairs this morning to look in the storage closet. I easily found the box marked "boots" and do you think there was a pair that would fit either of them? Of course not! A is a size 12 right now and I had an 11 and a 1 but nothing in a 12 or even a 13 which might've worked with an extra pair of scoks. And I have a size 6 but E is in a 5 right now and those new walkers have a hard enough time walking in boots as it is! So, I had to run out to Target this morning and I did find boots for both girls at a reasonable price. I bought A's in size 13 so that she has some growing room to get her through the winter and I think it was the smart thing to do since they don't seem all that big. Man, these kids grow fast.
So, anyway, I got A and E bundled up in snow gear and we headed out back to muck around in what snow was out there. E was quite intrigued by the very cold white stuff and I got a few fun pics of them out there enjoying the season's first snow - as you can see there really isn't much there, but they still had plenty of fun!
E managed to walk in her new snow boots on the uneven terrain pretty darn well...
I love her expression in this one...
The snow as actually VERY nice packing snow. The likes of which we rarely saw at all last winter...
*************************UPDATE**************************
After lunch A was itching to put on her snow boots and get out in the small amount of snow that had accumulated. Annoying side note: how can it be that I had to actually go out and buy A and E some new snow boots this year? I feel like I have a basement FULL of hand-me-downs...and yet...I went downstairs this morning to look in the storage closet. I easily found the box marked "boots" and do you think there was a pair that would fit either of them? Of course not! A is a size 12 right now and I had an 11 and a 1 but nothing in a 12 or even a 13 which might've worked with an extra pair of scoks. And I have a size 6 but E is in a 5 right now and those new walkers have a hard enough time walking in boots as it is! So, I had to run out to Target this morning and I did find boots for both girls at a reasonable price. I bought A's in size 13 so that she has some growing room to get her through the winter and I think it was the smart thing to do since they don't seem all that big. Man, these kids grow fast.
So, anyway, I got A and E bundled up in snow gear and we headed out back to muck around in what snow was out there. E was quite intrigued by the very cold white stuff and I got a few fun pics of them out there enjoying the season's first snow - as you can see there really isn't much there, but they still had plenty of fun!
E managed to walk in her new snow boots on the uneven terrain pretty darn well...
I love her expression in this one...
The snow as actually VERY nice packing snow. The likes of which we rarely saw at all last winter...
So, I figured I just HAD to make my first snowman of the season. I think I'll call him Spike.
About half an hour after we came in I noticed that he was looking a bit droopy already. At least he survived long enough for R to get a look at him before he took a leap off the grill to his untimely demise...
In other, completely unrelated news...I finished my very first pair of socks! They fit fairly well but I still need to do some pattern tweaking to make them a perfect fit for me. I got a good start on a matching pair for E and should have a pic of those teeny little lookalikes in the near future but for now here's a shot of my toasty toes up on the coffee table while I admire our tree!
*************************UPDATE**************************
I finished E's socks last night! Are they not the CUTEST THING in the world?
Well, maybe not THE cutest, but you have to admit that their cuteness quotient is pretty high. And do they not make my socks look like they belong to Bigfoot Incarnate?
R has been hinting (rather blatently) about wanting a pair for herself after seeing how my first pair came out. It was actually rather cute - she picked one up and checked it out and said "Wow, Mom! It looks just like a sock you could buy at the store!" I think she is going to have a blast learning how to knit. I bought a great "Learn to Knit" kit at TJ Maxx to go under the tree!! Let's just hope I am patient enough to be successful at teaching her the basics. I think she's ready and she's definitely willing so it should be a fun mom/daughter project for us this winter. Her first project will be a simple scarf, though. And I'm hoping to find the time in the evenings after she is in bed to make her (and maybe A) a pair of socks for Christmas. E's pair knitted up very quickly and their socks will take a bit longer, but not nearly as long as for my gargantuan feet!
Well, maybe not THE cutest, but you have to admit that their cuteness quotient is pretty high. And do they not make my socks look like they belong to Bigfoot Incarnate?
R has been hinting (rather blatently) about wanting a pair for herself after seeing how my first pair came out. It was actually rather cute - she picked one up and checked it out and said "Wow, Mom! It looks just like a sock you could buy at the store!" I think she is going to have a blast learning how to knit. I bought a great "Learn to Knit" kit at TJ Maxx to go under the tree!! Let's just hope I am patient enough to be successful at teaching her the basics. I think she's ready and she's definitely willing so it should be a fun mom/daughter project for us this winter. Her first project will be a simple scarf, though. And I'm hoping to find the time in the evenings after she is in bed to make her (and maybe A) a pair of socks for Christmas. E's pair knitted up very quickly and their socks will take a bit longer, but not nearly as long as for my gargantuan feet!
Saturday, December 02, 2006
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
We were busy elves around here over the weekend. I spent most of Friday morning trying to get this place cleaned up a bit and organized so that I felt like I could actually get down to the task of decorating. The girls were quite anxious and spent the morning hovering and asking "is it time to decorate yet?" over and over. There was a bit of kid-style helping when they got to play with their matching yellow feather dusters but otherwise it was a lot of onlooking and impatience over this trivial matter of cleaning that mom insists is necessary (geesh).
Once the cleaning, vacuuming and dusting was complete it was time for snack so I got them some fortification and they ate up quickly and were ready to help haul the boxes out of the basement!
We spent about 45 minutes unpacking and finding homes for our various snowmen, elves, santas, kid-friendly nativity, angels and other assorted decorations - and this year the challenge was to put everything in a place high enough that it was out of reach of The Mobile Menance, but low enough so the girls would also be able to enjoy the decorations and actually be able to help me do the decorating. It now looks much more festive around here! Here's a shot of our stockings hanging on the hutch with care. This is the time of year I always wish we had a fireplace with a nice big mantel.
On Saturday morning, with Rick home to help, we got the little fake tree decorated and set on a card table so that it would be (mostly) inaccessible to The Mobile Menace. As you can see in one of the pictures below she is mostly certainly a hazard to the tree and we are just praying that the damage to ornaments is minimal this year and that she doesn't manage to pull the tree down on top of herself!
Once the cleaning, vacuuming and dusting was complete it was time for snack so I got them some fortification and they ate up quickly and were ready to help haul the boxes out of the basement!
We spent about 45 minutes unpacking and finding homes for our various snowmen, elves, santas, kid-friendly nativity, angels and other assorted decorations - and this year the challenge was to put everything in a place high enough that it was out of reach of The Mobile Menance, but low enough so the girls would also be able to enjoy the decorations and actually be able to help me do the decorating. It now looks much more festive around here! Here's a shot of our stockings hanging on the hutch with care. This is the time of year I always wish we had a fireplace with a nice big mantel.
On Saturday morning, with Rick home to help, we got the little fake tree decorated and set on a card table so that it would be (mostly) inaccessible to The Mobile Menace. As you can see in one of the pictures below she is mostly certainly a hazard to the tree and we are just praying that the damage to ornaments is minimal this year and that she doesn't manage to pull the tree down on top of herself!
The girls had a lot of fun opening the boxes and finding the ornaments which, at this age, still seem new to them each year. As we hang the ornaments I tell them the stories that go with certain ones - like the year that R begged for the fragile porcelain Rudolph ornament and then dropped it accidently. It broke into too many pieces to try to fix and I couldn't find a replacement for it anywhere. She was crushed...but Santa came through and on Christmas morning and a brand new and perfect little Rudolph was hanging on the tree! This year we put those fragile ornaments back in the box for another year and only put up the ornaments that were more or less unbreakable - just in case we do have a tree-toppling event!
All the Christmas-themed books came up from the basement along with the decorations, the fake tree and the ornaments. This year R is reading them to herself and I often find her curled up on the couch with a stack of Christmas stories by her side. A is constantly asking me to read her "one more story" from the Christmas box. We have a lot of nice ones and I like to add to the assortment every year, but by Christmas I am more than ready for them to go back down to the basement again until the next year!
Yesterday was a busy day at church. We had service, followed by choir practice, followed by pageant practice. They were assigned their roles for the pageant - R will be a dog and A will be a piggy. The Christian Education director found some cute plush masks at the Dollar Store for the kids to wear and they have one line that they repeat a number of times during the play along with a bunch of other kids dressed as farm animals. So, that was our morning. We went home for lunch and had a few hours to hang out before we headed back to church for the Advent Workshop. Our church has this nice tradition where everyone brings sandwiches to share and we have a soup and sandwich supper followed by Christmas-themed craft making. I brought along pipe cleaners and red, white, and green beads and at our table the kids strung the beads on the pipe cleaners and bent them into wreathes and candy canes. At other tables they made ornaments from old Christmas cards, placemats (also from old cards), gift tags with stamps, stickers, and glitter, pompoms out of thick yarn, and placed potpourri in Christmas fabric and tied it up with a fancy ribbon. The girls had fun bouncing between tables creating all the different crafty items. I invited my MIL along to help me out in case I was being pulled in two different directions by the girls but this year they were both quite independent and found other adults they were familiar with from church to give them a hand. Regardless, it was still very nice to have Grandma along to share the evening with! :-) It was a long day and the girls were riled up and difficult about going to sleep --- 'tis the season, I guess. And when we are busy with all good stuff, how can I complain?
All the Christmas-themed books came up from the basement along with the decorations, the fake tree and the ornaments. This year R is reading them to herself and I often find her curled up on the couch with a stack of Christmas stories by her side. A is constantly asking me to read her "one more story" from the Christmas box. We have a lot of nice ones and I like to add to the assortment every year, but by Christmas I am more than ready for them to go back down to the basement again until the next year!
Yesterday was a busy day at church. We had service, followed by choir practice, followed by pageant practice. They were assigned their roles for the pageant - R will be a dog and A will be a piggy. The Christian Education director found some cute plush masks at the Dollar Store for the kids to wear and they have one line that they repeat a number of times during the play along with a bunch of other kids dressed as farm animals. So, that was our morning. We went home for lunch and had a few hours to hang out before we headed back to church for the Advent Workshop. Our church has this nice tradition where everyone brings sandwiches to share and we have a soup and sandwich supper followed by Christmas-themed craft making. I brought along pipe cleaners and red, white, and green beads and at our table the kids strung the beads on the pipe cleaners and bent them into wreathes and candy canes. At other tables they made ornaments from old Christmas cards, placemats (also from old cards), gift tags with stamps, stickers, and glitter, pompoms out of thick yarn, and placed potpourri in Christmas fabric and tied it up with a fancy ribbon. The girls had fun bouncing between tables creating all the different crafty items. I invited my MIL along to help me out in case I was being pulled in two different directions by the girls but this year they were both quite independent and found other adults they were familiar with from church to give them a hand. Regardless, it was still very nice to have Grandma along to share the evening with! :-) It was a long day and the girls were riled up and difficult about going to sleep --- 'tis the season, I guess. And when we are busy with all good stuff, how can I complain?
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Baby dolls, Barbies, and...Boys?
A has a little friend from preschool over to play today. This is not the first time she's had a playdate with a friend from school but this is the first playdate with a friend from school who also happens to be a boy.
When R would bring home a friend from preschool I knew that - whether it be a boy or a girl - things would work out fine because there were plenty of gender-neutral things for them to do together. In fact, R seemed to gravitate toward the boys at that age and always wanted to invite the boys over to play and they had great times. She almost never invited girls - I think because at school they showed their love for baby dolls, barbies and playing house which R was not exactly excited about. R loves animals. She loves art and drawing. She loves building with blocks and lego. She loves nature (although she's not very keen on getting dirty - go figure). And at that preschool age there was always the Thomas train set that she and the boys loved to play with.
A is definitely a girly-girl. She loves to play barbies. She loves dress-up. She loves anything to do with princesses and ballerinas. She will also play with matchbox cars, trains, and blocks but they are certainly not the preferred items of interest. She had a great year at my neighbors daycare last year where she spent Tuesday and Thursday mornings playing with a gaggle of girls all within the approximately 1-4 year range. They played with babies, princesses, dress-up and would create very intricate, very girly, pretend play scenarios. This year at school she's made some friends with a few choice girls and there have been a few playdates where they do their typical girl-play of babies dolls, barbies, and the like, and they have so much fun together. So, when she first suggested that we have N over to play I thought it was a great idea since it was the first time she wanted to invite a little boy to play. One morning we were walking into school with N and his mom and A turned to them and said "My mom said N can come over to play with me and we are going to play barbies together!" N looked less than enthused by the barbie idea and I quickly added that we had plenty of stuff to play with at home and listed off a bunch of things that he might find more enticing and I think that helped sweeten the deal a bit as far as he was concerned.
So, earlier in the week I touched base with his parents and we worked out a playdate after school for this afternoon. All week A has been anxiously awaiting the 'big day' when N would be coming over to play. She kept talking about how fun it would be and that they would play barbies or maybe with the plastic Disney princess figurines. I hated to burst her little bubble but I explained that different kids like to play different things and that barbies and princesses might not be all that interesting or fun for him. I told her that she could ask him but that it was OK if he said no and I'm sure they could find other things to play together. She seemed at first to agree with that statement but added with a hint of desperation in her voice "maybe N likes to play with boy barbies!"
At school I think A asked N about barbies because in the car on the way home the subject came up again. N reported that he "only likes boy barbies" and that he has a "pirate barbie at home that came with two guns and a sword, but the two guns got lost." I have to wonder how much good ol' mom had to do with the guns mysteriously getting 'lost'? I know that on occasion around here certain undesirable items have gone missing overnight. ("Gee, honey, I don't know where you could have left it. I'll keep my eye out for it and let you know if I find it." Heh.)
So, this afternoon they had a great playdate together. They actually did play briefly with the barbies and N was given the lone boy barbie (Adain from the Barbie movie with the Pegasus in it) - unfortunately they couldn't find his pants so he was half naked. But, N was a good sport and they did play barbies for a short while. They also found plenty of other things to do - building with legos and blocks, playing with matchbox cars, and even a bit of dress-up:
I was changing E's diaper in her room when I overheard the following conversation between A and N on their way to the basement playroom.
A (dressed as Queen): Let's go downstairs and play, N.!
N (dressed as King): Ok.
A: We'll pretend we are going to a ball, right? And we will dance at the ball.
N: No, we're not going to dance.
A (hopeful): We'll be singers at the ball, then, right?
N (indignant): No we will not! We are just going to watch!
A (persistently hopeful): We are going to watch a prince and princess get married, right?
N: Yeah. Sure.
N is such a good sport. When his mom came to pick him up she thanked us for the playdate and said she was happy that A wanted to have N over. He is the middle child of three boys (so he and A have that middle child thing in common, at least!) and she was happy that he got some exposure to girl play - just as I was happy to give A a chance to expand her play beyond barbies and princesses...well, at least for part of the time! N's mom told A that next time they could have a playdate at N's house. She's already very excited by that idea and I'm sure I'll be fielding the "when" question a lot until we get a firm date set. In the meantime, I think we need to work on inviting other boys over to play at our house for a change of pace now and then.
When R would bring home a friend from preschool I knew that - whether it be a boy or a girl - things would work out fine because there were plenty of gender-neutral things for them to do together. In fact, R seemed to gravitate toward the boys at that age and always wanted to invite the boys over to play and they had great times. She almost never invited girls - I think because at school they showed their love for baby dolls, barbies and playing house which R was not exactly excited about. R loves animals. She loves art and drawing. She loves building with blocks and lego. She loves nature (although she's not very keen on getting dirty - go figure). And at that preschool age there was always the Thomas train set that she and the boys loved to play with.
A is definitely a girly-girl. She loves to play barbies. She loves dress-up. She loves anything to do with princesses and ballerinas. She will also play with matchbox cars, trains, and blocks but they are certainly not the preferred items of interest. She had a great year at my neighbors daycare last year where she spent Tuesday and Thursday mornings playing with a gaggle of girls all within the approximately 1-4 year range. They played with babies, princesses, dress-up and would create very intricate, very girly, pretend play scenarios. This year at school she's made some friends with a few choice girls and there have been a few playdates where they do their typical girl-play of babies dolls, barbies, and the like, and they have so much fun together. So, when she first suggested that we have N over to play I thought it was a great idea since it was the first time she wanted to invite a little boy to play. One morning we were walking into school with N and his mom and A turned to them and said "My mom said N can come over to play with me and we are going to play barbies together!" N looked less than enthused by the barbie idea and I quickly added that we had plenty of stuff to play with at home and listed off a bunch of things that he might find more enticing and I think that helped sweeten the deal a bit as far as he was concerned.
So, earlier in the week I touched base with his parents and we worked out a playdate after school for this afternoon. All week A has been anxiously awaiting the 'big day' when N would be coming over to play. She kept talking about how fun it would be and that they would play barbies or maybe with the plastic Disney princess figurines. I hated to burst her little bubble but I explained that different kids like to play different things and that barbies and princesses might not be all that interesting or fun for him. I told her that she could ask him but that it was OK if he said no and I'm sure they could find other things to play together. She seemed at first to agree with that statement but added with a hint of desperation in her voice "maybe N likes to play with boy barbies!"
At school I think A asked N about barbies because in the car on the way home the subject came up again. N reported that he "only likes boy barbies" and that he has a "pirate barbie at home that came with two guns and a sword, but the two guns got lost." I have to wonder how much good ol' mom had to do with the guns mysteriously getting 'lost'? I know that on occasion around here certain undesirable items have gone missing overnight. ("Gee, honey, I don't know where you could have left it. I'll keep my eye out for it and let you know if I find it." Heh.)
So, this afternoon they had a great playdate together. They actually did play briefly with the barbies and N was given the lone boy barbie (Adain from the Barbie movie with the Pegasus in it) - unfortunately they couldn't find his pants so he was half naked. But, N was a good sport and they did play barbies for a short while. They also found plenty of other things to do - building with legos and blocks, playing with matchbox cars, and even a bit of dress-up:
I was changing E's diaper in her room when I overheard the following conversation between A and N on their way to the basement playroom.
A (dressed as Queen): Let's go downstairs and play, N.!
N (dressed as King): Ok.
A: We'll pretend we are going to a ball, right? And we will dance at the ball.
N: No, we're not going to dance.
A (hopeful): We'll be singers at the ball, then, right?
N (indignant): No we will not! We are just going to watch!
A (persistently hopeful): We are going to watch a prince and princess get married, right?
N: Yeah. Sure.
N is such a good sport. When his mom came to pick him up she thanked us for the playdate and said she was happy that A wanted to have N over. He is the middle child of three boys (so he and A have that middle child thing in common, at least!) and she was happy that he got some exposure to girl play - just as I was happy to give A a chance to expand her play beyond barbies and princesses...well, at least for part of the time! N's mom told A that next time they could have a playdate at N's house. She's already very excited by that idea and I'm sure I'll be fielding the "when" question a lot until we get a firm date set. In the meantime, I think we need to work on inviting other boys over to play at our house for a change of pace now and then.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Procrastination...
Not feeling like cleaning/decluttering at the moment so I've done a number of things to avoid that task. I want to get things organized, dusted, and cleaned before we put up the Christmas decorations (which I hope to do with the girls on Friday) - so I have some time to get it done but I had told myself I'd do it this morning while A is at preschool. So far, I've spent a good deal of time on the computer doing a variety of things....
*I researched Christmas gift items (but managed not to melt the credit card online this morning).
*I read up on the news a bit.
*I checked my usual haunts - various blogs, message boards, and Freecycle, among others.
*I worked on our Christmas card collage - this year we did not succeed in getting a decent family picture so instead I took individual pictures of the girls and used the handy dandy timer feature to get a picture of me and Rick together. I resized those pictures and have been working diligently at making a collage that will look nice in a 4"X6" print. I even added my own little holiday message and a clip art Christmas tree. It's looking nice but still needed some tweaking. If you are among those lucky enough to be on my personal Christmas card list you will be receiving your very own copy in the mail in a week or two (depends on how much I procrastinate on getting them stamped and mailed). If you are not lucky enough to be on my personal Christmas card list you can still see the results of my labors at a later date. I want the cards to reach their destination before I unveil my creative genius to the masses.
*And now I'm busy writing my third blog entry in three days. Woohoo! Go, Jeanne, go. I don't think I could ever manage to post every day for an entire month like some others have done this month. Super duper, extra special, high-fivin' kudos to all of those who participated in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). Only two more days to go - well, one more day if you don't count today! It's been great reading the daily entries over the past few weeks. I hope those who participated don't become hermits for a while once the month is over (not that I could really blame them but I'd really miss them, ya know....)
Today is R's early release day (every Wednesday here in our school district) and so she'll be bounding off that big yellow bus not long after I pick A up from school. And I need to leave to go get A in about 20 minutes. This afternoon I am taking R into the doctor's office for a FluMist vaccine. I am avoiding the mercury preservative in the shot version of the flu vaccine by getting her the mist variety...unfortunately, A is not old enough for the FluMist and too old for the non-mercury shot version that E got at her doctor's appointment so she will not be getting the flu shot this year....praying that she stays healthy! After the doctor's appointment R is going to have a playdate with a former classmate from Preschool and Kindergarten. They are not in the same 1st grade class and have been asking for a playdate for a while so she's going over to his house for a couple of hours this afternoon. A has a playdate lined up with one of her classmates tomorrow - he is coming to our house. And then A has been invited to a Pajama/Slumber party for Saturday night. I have a feeling that it will just end up being a pajama party because I can't imagine many 4 or 5 year olds doing well at a sleepover! I was surprised by the invitation that she got and expect that I will just pick her up after the festivities of the evening (popcorn, movie, etc.), but we'll see how it goes! Geesh, my girls have a very active social life all of a sudden!
Ok, maybe I can get a bit of cleaning/organizing done between now and 12:30 when I have to be out the door to get A!
I seemed to have lost my motivation. Has anyone seen it? Or do you know where I can get some more?
*I researched Christmas gift items (but managed not to melt the credit card online this morning).
*I read up on the news a bit.
*I checked my usual haunts - various blogs, message boards, and Freecycle, among others.
*I worked on our Christmas card collage - this year we did not succeed in getting a decent family picture so instead I took individual pictures of the girls and used the handy dandy timer feature to get a picture of me and Rick together. I resized those pictures and have been working diligently at making a collage that will look nice in a 4"X6" print. I even added my own little holiday message and a clip art Christmas tree. It's looking nice but still needed some tweaking. If you are among those lucky enough to be on my personal Christmas card list you will be receiving your very own copy in the mail in a week or two (depends on how much I procrastinate on getting them stamped and mailed). If you are not lucky enough to be on my personal Christmas card list you can still see the results of my labors at a later date. I want the cards to reach their destination before I unveil my creative genius to the masses.
*And now I'm busy writing my third blog entry in three days. Woohoo! Go, Jeanne, go. I don't think I could ever manage to post every day for an entire month like some others have done this month. Super duper, extra special, high-fivin' kudos to all of those who participated in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). Only two more days to go - well, one more day if you don't count today! It's been great reading the daily entries over the past few weeks. I hope those who participated don't become hermits for a while once the month is over (not that I could really blame them but I'd really miss them, ya know....)
Today is R's early release day (every Wednesday here in our school district) and so she'll be bounding off that big yellow bus not long after I pick A up from school. And I need to leave to go get A in about 20 minutes. This afternoon I am taking R into the doctor's office for a FluMist vaccine. I am avoiding the mercury preservative in the shot version of the flu vaccine by getting her the mist variety...unfortunately, A is not old enough for the FluMist and too old for the non-mercury shot version that E got at her doctor's appointment so she will not be getting the flu shot this year....praying that she stays healthy! After the doctor's appointment R is going to have a playdate with a former classmate from Preschool and Kindergarten. They are not in the same 1st grade class and have been asking for a playdate for a while so she's going over to his house for a couple of hours this afternoon. A has a playdate lined up with one of her classmates tomorrow - he is coming to our house. And then A has been invited to a Pajama/Slumber party for Saturday night. I have a feeling that it will just end up being a pajama party because I can't imagine many 4 or 5 year olds doing well at a sleepover! I was surprised by the invitation that she got and expect that I will just pick her up after the festivities of the evening (popcorn, movie, etc.), but we'll see how it goes! Geesh, my girls have a very active social life all of a sudden!
Ok, maybe I can get a bit of cleaning/organizing done between now and 12:30 when I have to be out the door to get A!
I seemed to have lost my motivation. Has anyone seen it? Or do you know where I can get some more?
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Me again...
Hey, two posts in two days! Amazing! Will wonders never cease?
I just didn't want to give you the chance to miss me...
I took my car in for an oil change today - big excitement around here. I had been putting it off for too long. I tried to call and make an actual appointment a few weeks ago to force myself to get it done but found out that the dealership no longer takes appointments for oil changes. So, it's the luck of the draw when you pull into the dealership. I thought about going yesterday and opted to grocery shop instead (yeah, that's exactly how excited I was at the prospect of sitting at the dealership - even grocery shopping seemed more appealing). So, today I bit the bullet and brought the car in at about 9:30 after dropping A off at preschool. I was mostly anxious about how long it would take given no set appointment on arrival. I had to bring E with me and I really did not want to have to chase her all over the place for an hour or more. I packed plenty of snacks and her stroller and figured I'd ply her with tasty snacks and milk and make her stay in one spot for as long as possible. Thankfully, it ended up not being the ordeal that I was expecting. I sat in the waiting room and gave E her snacks and milk and I sipped coffee and the car was done in about 45 minutes. I think E was only restless for the last 10 minutes or so and I was able to placate her by letting her play with the tape measure from my knitting bag. Yes, I even knitted a few rows on my socks while she was busy eating - the beauty of knitting is its portability!
After leaving the dealership I stopped in at the toy store down the street. It's one of those toy stores that only carries really "cool" stuff - you know, the stuff that wins all those toy awards every year or that brings some level of education/learning to the play experience. I could browse that store for hours quite happily. My credit card is usually quite flaccid when I leave the store but it's all good stuff! Today I found a few things for my 3-year-old nephew who will be here with us for Christmas (along with his dad, my BIL). And I found some cute little activity books to put in stockings. I think there were one or two other things but at the moment I'm forgetting what they are and I haven't yet extracted them from the back of the van - that will have to wait until the girls are in bed. On the way home I stopped in at Marshall's and found even more great deals - including a Barbie Vespa for A that I had seen in a catalog! I know she will love it and it was only $6.99 compared with what I already thought was a great deal in the catalog at $8.99! Cha-ching! I love finding bargains! I also found a talking Care Bear for E (with everything that we have for the girls in this house I'm hard-pressed to find something original...trust me, it was not my first choice but I have not seen anything else that I think she'll really love and I know she'll enjoy pressing the belly and having it talk) and also an activity cube thingy for her.
I hit upon a gift-giving dilemma when I was out shopping. I saw a really nice tea set at the "cool" toy store and am not sure what to do about it. R had a Madeline tea set that broke recently (well, the teapot shattered when she dropped it on the tile floor in the bathroom). A has a tea set but it's a plastic one - the kind that comes in a little wicker carrying case. They both loved the Madeline tea set and would spend hours filling the teapot water and having "tea" parties with their stuffed animals. Only after the Madeline teapot broke did they deign to use the plastic version - and only because the other option at that moment was to end the tea party. So the dilemma is: how the heck do I get away with only buy one tea set? Should I buy it and label it for both of them and risk tears on Christmas morning because they have to (God Forbid!) SHARE. Ugh. I'm ready to just toss the whole idea because I know it is going to create problems and I REALLY detest the idea of buying two tea set to keep the peace (plus, spending double the money on the duplicate gifts seems silly). I had an idea in the car on the way to pick up A and on the way home I broached the subject of "what she wants to buy her sisters for Christmas". After a few moments discussion I casually brought up the fact that R broke her teapot recently and "that might be a great gift for her!" At first, she seemed to buy into the whole idea but suddenly came upon the realization that SHE TOO wants a tea set because hers is "just plastic." Sigh....and here I thought I'd hit upon a solution. Let A be excited about getting R the tea set that they could share! But, nope - that idea struck out. Again...it's the damn sharing issue. What would you do? This is a problem with a lot of gifts at this stage of the game because they are both interested in a lot of the same stuff. So buying something for one and not the other can be a touchy thing. But, there are certainly toys that interest A waaaay more than they do R and vice versa...but just try to buy only one and the other will get bent out of shape!
R's bus just arrived and so I'd better sign off before she decides to read over my shoulder. That reading thing is such a strange concept and I have to be careful what she sees on my blog from now on!
I just didn't want to give you the chance to miss me...
I took my car in for an oil change today - big excitement around here. I had been putting it off for too long. I tried to call and make an actual appointment a few weeks ago to force myself to get it done but found out that the dealership no longer takes appointments for oil changes. So, it's the luck of the draw when you pull into the dealership. I thought about going yesterday and opted to grocery shop instead (yeah, that's exactly how excited I was at the prospect of sitting at the dealership - even grocery shopping seemed more appealing). So, today I bit the bullet and brought the car in at about 9:30 after dropping A off at preschool. I was mostly anxious about how long it would take given no set appointment on arrival. I had to bring E with me and I really did not want to have to chase her all over the place for an hour or more. I packed plenty of snacks and her stroller and figured I'd ply her with tasty snacks and milk and make her stay in one spot for as long as possible. Thankfully, it ended up not being the ordeal that I was expecting. I sat in the waiting room and gave E her snacks and milk and I sipped coffee and the car was done in about 45 minutes. I think E was only restless for the last 10 minutes or so and I was able to placate her by letting her play with the tape measure from my knitting bag. Yes, I even knitted a few rows on my socks while she was busy eating - the beauty of knitting is its portability!
After leaving the dealership I stopped in at the toy store down the street. It's one of those toy stores that only carries really "cool" stuff - you know, the stuff that wins all those toy awards every year or that brings some level of education/learning to the play experience. I could browse that store for hours quite happily. My credit card is usually quite flaccid when I leave the store but it's all good stuff! Today I found a few things for my 3-year-old nephew who will be here with us for Christmas (along with his dad, my BIL). And I found some cute little activity books to put in stockings. I think there were one or two other things but at the moment I'm forgetting what they are and I haven't yet extracted them from the back of the van - that will have to wait until the girls are in bed. On the way home I stopped in at Marshall's and found even more great deals - including a Barbie Vespa for A that I had seen in a catalog! I know she will love it and it was only $6.99 compared with what I already thought was a great deal in the catalog at $8.99! Cha-ching! I love finding bargains! I also found a talking Care Bear for E (with everything that we have for the girls in this house I'm hard-pressed to find something original...trust me, it was not my first choice but I have not seen anything else that I think she'll really love and I know she'll enjoy pressing the belly and having it talk) and also an activity cube thingy for her.
I hit upon a gift-giving dilemma when I was out shopping. I saw a really nice tea set at the "cool" toy store and am not sure what to do about it. R had a Madeline tea set that broke recently (well, the teapot shattered when she dropped it on the tile floor in the bathroom). A has a tea set but it's a plastic one - the kind that comes in a little wicker carrying case. They both loved the Madeline tea set and would spend hours filling the teapot water and having "tea" parties with their stuffed animals. Only after the Madeline teapot broke did they deign to use the plastic version - and only because the other option at that moment was to end the tea party. So the dilemma is: how the heck do I get away with only buy one tea set? Should I buy it and label it for both of them and risk tears on Christmas morning because they have to (God Forbid!) SHARE. Ugh. I'm ready to just toss the whole idea because I know it is going to create problems and I REALLY detest the idea of buying two tea set to keep the peace (plus, spending double the money on the duplicate gifts seems silly). I had an idea in the car on the way to pick up A and on the way home I broached the subject of "what she wants to buy her sisters for Christmas". After a few moments discussion I casually brought up the fact that R broke her teapot recently and "that might be a great gift for her!" At first, she seemed to buy into the whole idea but suddenly came upon the realization that SHE TOO wants a tea set because hers is "just plastic." Sigh....and here I thought I'd hit upon a solution. Let A be excited about getting R the tea set that they could share! But, nope - that idea struck out. Again...it's the damn sharing issue. What would you do? This is a problem with a lot of gifts at this stage of the game because they are both interested in a lot of the same stuff. So buying something for one and not the other can be a touchy thing. But, there are certainly toys that interest A waaaay more than they do R and vice versa...but just try to buy only one and the other will get bent out of shape!
R's bus just arrived and so I'd better sign off before she decides to read over my shoulder. That reading thing is such a strange concept and I have to be careful what she sees on my blog from now on!
Monday, November 27, 2006
File this one under miscellaneous...or maybe under "long-winded updates"...
I've started to post an entry more then a few times recently and each time I lose steam or get distracted or am needed by a smaller member of the family for one reason or another. I probably should not even get this post started because I know that I will soon be sheparding two of those smaller family members off to school soon. I guess I just need to use the "save as draft" button when the time comes and hope to actually finish this entry at some point today.
Part of the reason for my absence from my blog is laziness and part of it is just that there really isn't all that much to report. We did have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with Rick's parents last week, though. And we were happy to not be traveling on such a gray and rainy day. All we had to do was load up the kids' wagon with our stuff and walk two doors down. We brought the potatoes, the cranberry sauce, and the apple pie and ice cream and my mother-in-law took care of the rest. It was a very nice day and the girls enjoyed playing with all the toys in the spare bedroom at grandma and grandad's house.We I missed the hubbub associated with the larger festivities that is part and parcel of a celebration with my family due to the largeness of our numbers - but only a little bit. It was a nice change to have a small gathering this year. I'm sure my kids would've enjoyed seeing their cousins, but I think they still enjoyed the day. And we did visit my sister and her kids on the 18th to help my sister celebrate her birthday so they did get some cousin time recently. In my mind I had been thinking about the possibility of a pre-Christmas vist with my family but the month of December is already filling up so much that I think we are just going to do the usual post-Christmas visit in late December. My oldest sister is going to host a party on the New Year's weekend when we are planning on visiting my family.
R and A joined the youth choir at church this year and this month had their first two performances during service. R did well considering how fast the choir director expects them to learn the songs (she and A are just about the youngest two in the whole group). A doesn't sing much but looks very cute standing up there in her choir robe and waving to people she knows. Everyone commented after the first performance how very cute she was up there waving away and how it made them smile. The older men and women at church always comment on my girls and how pretty they look (they love getting dressed up for church so I let them pick their own clothes and they usually pick their fanciest dresses for the occasion) and how they love watching them grow. And they have more than a few doting "aunties" among the women in the Crafty Ladies - a group that makes homemade items for the church bazaar in November and of which I have been a part of since I first started to attend that church. I started going when I was 8 months pregnant with R and she was actually baptized at church a couple of months before I officially became a member. So, the church members have known all my girls since birth (and their births were announced at church the Sunday following their birth - or in the case of A, the Sunday of her birth because I called my neighbor to tell her the good news before she left for church that morning). I love having a 'church home' and that sense of community, sharing, love, and acceptance that comes along with it. I love that my girls will have that wider community to accept and love and nurture them as they grow and I especially love that our church youth group is currently in a stage of rebirth and growth that is wonderful to watch and I look forward to the time when my girls are old enough to join in (the Reepicheep League/Jr. Youth Group is for 5th-8th grade and Youth Group is 9th-12th). Last year we hired a Youth Group Coordinator and he and his (now) fiancee have been a huge part of the rebirth of the Youth Group and have been doing a great job. They are enthusiastic and have lots of youthful energy seeing as they are not that far out of high school themselves.
The girls are also taking part in the annual Christmas Pageant at church this year. They will both play the part of barnyard animals of one kind or another (an appropriate casting when you consider the number of times I've had to say "Close that door! Do you think we live in a barn?"). This will again be a first for both girls - it was not something that R showed any interest in until this year and because R is interested, so is A. A tends to be the more out-going of the two so it makes sense that she would be starting early and be right in step with her big sister when it comes to this kind of thing. So, between choir practice and pageant rehearsal, I think we'll be spending a good deal of time at church in the next few weeks!
R is continuing to enjoy her 1st grade experience in the combined 1st/2nd grade classroom. She is pretty much keeping up with the 2nd graders in the classroom in both reading and math. Her homework every night is to read to us from either a book that is sent home in her Home Reading Program folder or from a book of her choosing if there is no book in her backpack that day. She has been reading some of the Magic Treehouse series books to us - 2 chapters at a go - and I'm amazed at how quickly her reading has progressed just since August which was when it really clicked for her. Her favorite subject at school is still art and I think she is really enjoying the curriculum unit on dinosaurs that they are currently working on in the classroom.
A loves preschool. She is so at home in that environment because she was there for every pick-up and drop-off for two years when R attended that school. She knew most of the teachers well and the new teacher this year has actually become her favorite. Her teachers have nothing but positive things to say about A - she is kind and thoughtful and very loving. One day when I went to pick her up her teacher pulled me aside and asked if we could just clone A because she wished that all the kids were as sweet and well-mannered as A. I know I'm bragging here but it's a mother's perogative, it's MY blog (heh) and it really is such a wonderful thing for a mom to hear about her offspring. So, just bear with me.
E is funny and opinionated and a full-fledged walker now. She lumbers about the room exploring this and that and getting her hands on everything within her reach that she is not supposed to have - from tiny stickers left on the floor by older siblings to pencils left too close to the edge of the desk to the baby monitor which she actually got her hands on and chewed a hole right into the antenna! She's a rascal - but she's also a keeper. In the last week or two her receptive language skills have really taken off. A great example happened last night when I look at the back of her head and noticed all manner of small bits of who knows what stuck in her hair - most likely pieces of pasta, tomato sauce, and dried up yogurt - and said more to myself than to her "would you like to have a tubbie tomorrow?" I didn't really expect that she understood yet she dropped the unopened bottle of water that she had been intently playing with and gave me a look as if to say "well, c'mon then!" and headed straight for the hall that leads to the bathroom. I followed her into the kitchen and she proceeded to whine and shake the gate until I opened it for her, at which point she made her way into the bathroom and shrieked happily in front of the tub. At that point I figured I'd better give in or I'd be in big trouble for even mentioned the 't-u-b word' that she loves so much (I shoulda known that she would soon enter the phase where "spell-speak" would become necessary...little did I know that she would enter that phase just as it became a moot exercise when talking around the eldest daughter who can now figure out what we are saying when we use the formerly cryptic "spell-speak"!). So, E splashed contentedly in the tub for a while and then shrieked unhappily when I took her out to get her dressed. It will be nice when there is a little less shrieking and a few more words coming out of her mouth. But, she's my third - so I know better than to think that the shrieking will cease or even decrease dramatically once the words are there. I'm in for a lot more years of shrieking, I'm afraid.
CMAD update. Part of my 'busy-ness' of late can, of course, be attributed to my incurable CMAD. I have been working diligently on my mutli-colored socks. So diligently, in fact, that I finished the first sock only to decide that it was acutally a little too loose for my liking. So, I started the second sock, not once but three times before I got a good gauge and stitch count that I thought would make a comfortable fitting sock. Then I ripped apart the first sock - yes, I'm nuts - so that I could re-knit that one to match it's better-fitting counterpart. They really do stitch up quickly and I wanted to end up with socks that were actually comfortable to wear so it was something I felt the need to do. Call me crazy. But, after a few weeks of starts and restarts I now have one completed (and comfortably fitting) sock and a second one that is nearly half-way to completion. And now that I know what I need to do to make comfy socks the next pair I make will be that much quicker! And you betcha I have more yarn to make those additional pairs - I bought them a while back and they are just sitting in my oversized pile of yet to be started projects just waiting for this first pair of socks to be done! However, I had a thought just the other day that may delay the use of that other yarn. I looked at the little ball of yarn left over from the first sock (it takes one ball per sock and there's a bit of extra left over) and I wondered, as I stared at my sock pattern which includes sizes from infant through XL adult-sized socks, whether I could use up that last bit of yarn from each ball to make a matching pair of socks for little E! Wouldn't that be so cute?! I am going to give it a shot once I get my second one finished. If the socks for my big ole feet (size 9) take not that long to knit up I should be able to finish socks for E's little feet in an evening or maybe two! I'll be sure to update and take pics of us in our matching socks if it all works out the way I hope.
Ok, although I felt like I didn't have much to say, I said a whole heck of a lot. I'll stop here for tonight and try to be better about updating on the mundane and perhaps not-so-mundane on a more regular basis!
Part of the reason for my absence from my blog is laziness and part of it is just that there really isn't all that much to report. We did have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with Rick's parents last week, though. And we were happy to not be traveling on such a gray and rainy day. All we had to do was load up the kids' wagon with our stuff and walk two doors down. We brought the potatoes, the cranberry sauce, and the apple pie and ice cream and my mother-in-law took care of the rest. It was a very nice day and the girls enjoyed playing with all the toys in the spare bedroom at grandma and grandad's house.
R and A joined the youth choir at church this year and this month had their first two performances during service. R did well considering how fast the choir director expects them to learn the songs (she and A are just about the youngest two in the whole group). A doesn't sing much but looks very cute standing up there in her choir robe and waving to people she knows. Everyone commented after the first performance how very cute she was up there waving away and how it made them smile. The older men and women at church always comment on my girls and how pretty they look (they love getting dressed up for church so I let them pick their own clothes and they usually pick their fanciest dresses for the occasion) and how they love watching them grow. And they have more than a few doting "aunties" among the women in the Crafty Ladies - a group that makes homemade items for the church bazaar in November and of which I have been a part of since I first started to attend that church. I started going when I was 8 months pregnant with R and she was actually baptized at church a couple of months before I officially became a member. So, the church members have known all my girls since birth (and their births were announced at church the Sunday following their birth - or in the case of A, the Sunday of her birth because I called my neighbor to tell her the good news before she left for church that morning). I love having a 'church home' and that sense of community, sharing, love, and acceptance that comes along with it. I love that my girls will have that wider community to accept and love and nurture them as they grow and I especially love that our church youth group is currently in a stage of rebirth and growth that is wonderful to watch and I look forward to the time when my girls are old enough to join in (the Reepicheep League/Jr. Youth Group is for 5th-8th grade and Youth Group is 9th-12th). Last year we hired a Youth Group Coordinator and he and his (now) fiancee have been a huge part of the rebirth of the Youth Group and have been doing a great job. They are enthusiastic and have lots of youthful energy seeing as they are not that far out of high school themselves.
The girls are also taking part in the annual Christmas Pageant at church this year. They will both play the part of barnyard animals of one kind or another (an appropriate casting when you consider the number of times I've had to say "Close that door! Do you think we live in a barn?"). This will again be a first for both girls - it was not something that R showed any interest in until this year and because R is interested, so is A. A tends to be the more out-going of the two so it makes sense that she would be starting early and be right in step with her big sister when it comes to this kind of thing. So, between choir practice and pageant rehearsal, I think we'll be spending a good deal of time at church in the next few weeks!
R is continuing to enjoy her 1st grade experience in the combined 1st/2nd grade classroom. She is pretty much keeping up with the 2nd graders in the classroom in both reading and math. Her homework every night is to read to us from either a book that is sent home in her Home Reading Program folder or from a book of her choosing if there is no book in her backpack that day. She has been reading some of the Magic Treehouse series books to us - 2 chapters at a go - and I'm amazed at how quickly her reading has progressed just since August which was when it really clicked for her. Her favorite subject at school is still art and I think she is really enjoying the curriculum unit on dinosaurs that they are currently working on in the classroom.
A loves preschool. She is so at home in that environment because she was there for every pick-up and drop-off for two years when R attended that school. She knew most of the teachers well and the new teacher this year has actually become her favorite. Her teachers have nothing but positive things to say about A - she is kind and thoughtful and very loving. One day when I went to pick her up her teacher pulled me aside and asked if we could just clone A because she wished that all the kids were as sweet and well-mannered as A. I know I'm bragging here but it's a mother's perogative, it's MY blog (heh) and it really is such a wonderful thing for a mom to hear about her offspring. So, just bear with me.
E is funny and opinionated and a full-fledged walker now. She lumbers about the room exploring this and that and getting her hands on everything within her reach that she is not supposed to have - from tiny stickers left on the floor by older siblings to pencils left too close to the edge of the desk to the baby monitor which she actually got her hands on and chewed a hole right into the antenna! She's a rascal - but she's also a keeper. In the last week or two her receptive language skills have really taken off. A great example happened last night when I look at the back of her head and noticed all manner of small bits of who knows what stuck in her hair - most likely pieces of pasta, tomato sauce, and dried up yogurt - and said more to myself than to her "would you like to have a tubbie tomorrow?" I didn't really expect that she understood yet she dropped the unopened bottle of water that she had been intently playing with and gave me a look as if to say "well, c'mon then!" and headed straight for the hall that leads to the bathroom. I followed her into the kitchen and she proceeded to whine and shake the gate until I opened it for her, at which point she made her way into the bathroom and shrieked happily in front of the tub. At that point I figured I'd better give in or I'd be in big trouble for even mentioned the 't-u-b word' that she loves so much (I shoulda known that she would soon enter the phase where "spell-speak" would become necessary...little did I know that she would enter that phase just as it became a moot exercise when talking around the eldest daughter who can now figure out what we are saying when we use the formerly cryptic "spell-speak"!). So, E splashed contentedly in the tub for a while and then shrieked unhappily when I took her out to get her dressed. It will be nice when there is a little less shrieking and a few more words coming out of her mouth. But, she's my third - so I know better than to think that the shrieking will cease or even decrease dramatically once the words are there. I'm in for a lot more years of shrieking, I'm afraid.
CMAD update. Part of my 'busy-ness' of late can, of course, be attributed to my incurable CMAD. I have been working diligently on my mutli-colored socks. So diligently, in fact, that I finished the first sock only to decide that it was acutally a little too loose for my liking. So, I started the second sock, not once but three times before I got a good gauge and stitch count that I thought would make a comfortable fitting sock. Then I ripped apart the first sock - yes, I'm nuts - so that I could re-knit that one to match it's better-fitting counterpart. They really do stitch up quickly and I wanted to end up with socks that were actually comfortable to wear so it was something I felt the need to do. Call me crazy. But, after a few weeks of starts and restarts I now have one completed (and comfortably fitting) sock and a second one that is nearly half-way to completion. And now that I know what I need to do to make comfy socks the next pair I make will be that much quicker! And you betcha I have more yarn to make those additional pairs - I bought them a while back and they are just sitting in my oversized pile of yet to be started projects just waiting for this first pair of socks to be done! However, I had a thought just the other day that may delay the use of that other yarn. I looked at the little ball of yarn left over from the first sock (it takes one ball per sock and there's a bit of extra left over) and I wondered, as I stared at my sock pattern which includes sizes from infant through XL adult-sized socks, whether I could use up that last bit of yarn from each ball to make a matching pair of socks for little E! Wouldn't that be so cute?! I am going to give it a shot once I get my second one finished. If the socks for my big ole feet (size 9) take not that long to knit up I should be able to finish socks for E's little feet in an evening or maybe two! I'll be sure to update and take pics of us in our matching socks if it all works out the way I hope.
Ok, although I felt like I didn't have much to say, I said a whole heck of a lot. I'll stop here for tonight and try to be better about updating on the mundane and perhaps not-so-mundane on a more regular basis!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Life in motion
I haven't had much time to sit down and write much of anything lately. We have been busy enjoying the unseasonably warm fall days and spending time outdoors with the girls. Rick has been busy getting things battened down for the winter months - raking leaves (or rather blowing them to kingdom come with his superpowered leaf blower that he managed to snag at auction awhile ago), putting patio furniture away, building a temporary shelter for his newly-acquired-but-used-and-in-need-of-an-overhaul tractor that he bought for the purpose of regrading and moving dirt around, taking down the window screens and putting them in storage, etc... The usual household stuff that needs to happen in the fall. He also recently found some active termite damage on the outside wall of the garage. So, being the kind of do-it-yerselfer that he is, he did some research and found out how to make his own "witches brew" concoction that will do away with the termites and significantly reduce the liklihood that they will return. Yesterday, he boiled up his anti-termite brew and proceeded to apply it liberally to the affected areas of the garage. The next step in the termite wars will be to remove the oversized bushes on that side of the garage and regrade the area so that the siding can more easily dry out and thus be less inviting to the wood pulp eating little bastards. That will be one of many spring projects.
As for me, I've been busy with my many craft projects (quilting, knitting, baking) as well as general household decluttering. Part of that decluttering has been to pull out warm clothes for the fall/winter for the girls and stow away the warm weather stuff. I've organized the hats/mittens/scarves for winter use and put away the sun hats. And I've been working on cleaning out my own closet of some of my ill-fitting clothing. I'm tired of wearing stuff that is baggy, stretched out and stained. So, I sorted through my closet - I bagged some stuff that was just too old and stained to be any use to anyone else and threw it away and I filled a box with serviceable stuff to donate to my church for their holiday fair this coming weekend (they have a craft room, baked goods area, used books, clothing, and white elephant room among other things). I've been spending way too much time and money of late trying to revamp my wardrobe. But, at least now I have clothes that fit and look halfway decent (I hope!). I was even able to rid my dresser of my nursing clothing and bras! Miss E has been doing well on table food and a few weeks before her birthday I introduced whole milk. She had no reactions and has transitioned very well. In the last week or so I've been encouraging sippy cups or bottles of whole milk to replace nursing. She occasionally asks to nurse (by pulling on my shirt) but I explain that it is "all gone" and the few times I've let her try to nurse I think she has gotten very little so she is getting the hint. We were down to one nursing session a day for a while and now it's been a few days with no nursing so I think I would say that the weaning process is complete - and without any real trauma for either of us. I feel so blessed that I was able to nurse all three of my girls for about a year each (R was 10.5 months, A was actually closer to 19 months, and E was just over a year) and I feel like I gave them a great start. I loved nursing them and will always cherish those snuggly, close moments but I can't really say that I'm sad to see the end of my nursing days. I'm ready to be done! It's a nice feeling to have my body back - albiet a fair bit saggier and with many more stretch marks than I had about 7 years ago when I began my journey as a mom. So, my next big project is to go through all the nursing clothing (and also the maternity stuff that I had not yet found a moment to deal with) and wash it and sort it into a donation box and a consignment box now that my local consignment store is selling maternity and nursing wear.
I've also been getting back on track with my morning walks with my neighbor. Last week I think I made it out for our 4-mile loops through the neighborhood three times. A couple of mornings were misses for me because of a crappy night's sleep. Today starts a new week and I made it out this morning even though I was up at 12:30a with E and awoken again at 4:45 by A who needed an escort to the bathroom. Rick was kind enough to be her escort but then she kept us from really sleeping after that because the poor thing was having a coughing fit. I gave her some meds and the coughing subsided a bit so she could sleep better. Then my alarm went off at about 5:40 and I got up to walk since I hadn't really been asleep at that point anyway. I kept A home today from school and she is still having some bouts of coughing that sound a bit phlegmy but overall she seems okay. I am hoping she has a better night tonight so she can go back to school tomorrow - she was so sad to miss school today.
So, I've been doing a bit more walking these days and so has little Miss E. I can proudly say that she is now a full-fledged walker. She occasionally reverts to crawling when she falls or wants to get somewhere quickly but I'd say she's walking at least 75% of the time. It's fun to see her walking around - she seems so pleased with herself and you gotta love the lumbering frankenstein walk of a newly upright toddler. Here's a video of one of her first real successful forays across the living room (and a game of "take the paci from the baby and make her laugh"). She is much more stable these days, but I thought I'd share footage from those first few days of our newest biped...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZFBSdtkz2g
As for me, I've been busy with my many craft projects (quilting, knitting, baking) as well as general household decluttering. Part of that decluttering has been to pull out warm clothes for the fall/winter for the girls and stow away the warm weather stuff. I've organized the hats/mittens/scarves for winter use and put away the sun hats. And I've been working on cleaning out my own closet of some of my ill-fitting clothing. I'm tired of wearing stuff that is baggy, stretched out and stained. So, I sorted through my closet - I bagged some stuff that was just too old and stained to be any use to anyone else and threw it away and I filled a box with serviceable stuff to donate to my church for their holiday fair this coming weekend (they have a craft room, baked goods area, used books, clothing, and white elephant room among other things). I've been spending way too much time and money of late trying to revamp my wardrobe. But, at least now I have clothes that fit and look halfway decent (I hope!). I was even able to rid my dresser of my nursing clothing and bras! Miss E has been doing well on table food and a few weeks before her birthday I introduced whole milk. She had no reactions and has transitioned very well. In the last week or so I've been encouraging sippy cups or bottles of whole milk to replace nursing. She occasionally asks to nurse (by pulling on my shirt) but I explain that it is "all gone" and the few times I've let her try to nurse I think she has gotten very little so she is getting the hint. We were down to one nursing session a day for a while and now it's been a few days with no nursing so I think I would say that the weaning process is complete - and without any real trauma for either of us. I feel so blessed that I was able to nurse all three of my girls for about a year each (R was 10.5 months, A was actually closer to 19 months, and E was just over a year) and I feel like I gave them a great start. I loved nursing them and will always cherish those snuggly, close moments but I can't really say that I'm sad to see the end of my nursing days. I'm ready to be done! It's a nice feeling to have my body back - albiet a fair bit saggier and with many more stretch marks than I had about 7 years ago when I began my journey as a mom. So, my next big project is to go through all the nursing clothing (and also the maternity stuff that I had not yet found a moment to deal with) and wash it and sort it into a donation box and a consignment box now that my local consignment store is selling maternity and nursing wear.
I've also been getting back on track with my morning walks with my neighbor. Last week I think I made it out for our 4-mile loops through the neighborhood three times. A couple of mornings were misses for me because of a crappy night's sleep. Today starts a new week and I made it out this morning even though I was up at 12:30a with E and awoken again at 4:45 by A who needed an escort to the bathroom. Rick was kind enough to be her escort but then she kept us from really sleeping after that because the poor thing was having a coughing fit. I gave her some meds and the coughing subsided a bit so she could sleep better. Then my alarm went off at about 5:40 and I got up to walk since I hadn't really been asleep at that point anyway. I kept A home today from school and she is still having some bouts of coughing that sound a bit phlegmy but overall she seems okay. I am hoping she has a better night tonight so she can go back to school tomorrow - she was so sad to miss school today.
So, I've been doing a bit more walking these days and so has little Miss E. I can proudly say that she is now a full-fledged walker. She occasionally reverts to crawling when she falls or wants to get somewhere quickly but I'd say she's walking at least 75% of the time. It's fun to see her walking around - she seems so pleased with herself and you gotta love the lumbering frankenstein walk of a newly upright toddler. Here's a video of one of her first real successful forays across the living room (and a game of "take the paci from the baby and make her laugh"). She is much more stable these days, but I thought I'd share footage from those first few days of our newest biped...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZFBSdtkz2g
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Fall Photo Fun!
Last Sunday we had to run out before church to hit the local pumpkin farm to pick out our pumpkins to carve. We had been invited to a pumpkin carving party Sunday afternoon and it was a BYOP affair (Bring Your Own Pumpkins). Somehow we never found a moment to get out as a family to pick out the pumpkins during the week so Sunday morning was "it" - pumpkin picking time! We got the girls in the car and headed out to our usual pumpkin farm stand only to find that they were all gone! Apparently with the heavy downpours we had earlier in the season many of the pumpkin patches were a wash and pumpkins were somewhat scarce this year from some growers. So, we drove down the road a piece and stopped at another local farm stand - one that I had driven by many times but had never ever stopped at. As it turns out we liked this farm stand location better, there were better places for photo ops with the kids, and the prices seemed a bit better than our usual place. I think we may have found a new pumpkin patch for our yearly pumpkin purchases!
Here are a couple of photos from our excursion that morning:
Here are a couple of photos from our excursion that morning:
After church we drove out into the "hilltowns" to go to the pumpkin carving party. We ate a lot of great food, hung out and chatted with some friends, the kids had fun playing with the other kids there, and we managed to get two of our five pumpkins carved. Rick had made us some great pumpkin carving tools from some PVC pipe, a bit of wood, some wood glue and a variety of different sized saw blades that he picked up at the hardware store. They worked like a charm and he has plans to make more because he ended up giving away our set to our neighbor who was also at the party - he wants to make a new set for us and probably a few more sets to give away.
Here are all the pumpkins we carved:
My snarl-faced one on the top step, R's creation on the second step, "Boo" and A's creation on the third step, and Rick's on the bottom. If you want to see a fun time-lapse video of Rick creating his pumpkin check out this video! The video was actually viewed quite a bit on Halloween night and he got a fair number of comments....YouTube is a strange little world.
And now the much anticipated pics of the girls in their Halloween costumes! Ha Ha.
The first pic was taken on our way to a Halloween party at our neighbor's house on Saturday night. A wanted to have face paint on that first night and also wore the paint when she trick-or-treated with her school on Tuesday morning (her school is on a college campus so all the kids come dressed in costumes and they go to a bunch of campus offices to sing songs and get treats...very cute). However, she decided the paint was too itchy so she didn't end up wearing the face paint for the real deal on Tuesday night.
R and A Saturday Night:
R, A and E on Halloween Night:
The weather was GORGEOUS on Halloween night. We really lucked out this year and jackets were not necessary. I hate when you have to get the kids all bundled up over their costumes for trick-or-treating - and I hate walking the neighborhood on dark, freezing cold nights! So, this year was truly a TREAT. The moon was shining bright and had some spooky looking clouds that were floating past it. We saw a ton of kids out in the neighborhood and I think the main roads in our neighborhood had close to if not more than 150 trick-or-treaters. We are on a dead end street at the back of our development so we don' t get nearly the same amount of traffic as some people do - good in some ways (don't have to buy as much candy) but disappointing in others (not seeing a ton of cute kids in their costumes)!
We have been taking advantage of the nice weather of late and getting outside for playtime and for walks. The girls love to take E for a walk down the street in her new wagon. Her first trip out went smoothly and she stayed seated for the entire ride, however on our second outing she decided it would be fun to crawl around the wagon and pull to a stand over and over! I ended up having to carry her while R pulled an empty wagon for the half of the walk.
A few pics from our walks:
Here are all the pumpkins we carved:
And now the much anticipated pics of the girls in their Halloween costumes! Ha Ha.
The first pic was taken on our way to a Halloween party at our neighbor's house on Saturday night. A wanted to have face paint on that first night and also wore the paint when she trick-or-treated with her school on Tuesday morning (her school is on a college campus so all the kids come dressed in costumes and they go to a bunch of campus offices to sing songs and get treats...very cute). However, she decided the paint was too itchy so she didn't end up wearing the face paint for the real deal on Tuesday night.
R and A Saturday Night:
R, A and E on Halloween Night:
The weather was GORGEOUS on Halloween night. We really lucked out this year and jackets were not necessary. I hate when you have to get the kids all bundled up over their costumes for trick-or-treating - and I hate walking the neighborhood on dark, freezing cold nights! So, this year was truly a TREAT. The moon was shining bright and had some spooky looking clouds that were floating past it. We saw a ton of kids out in the neighborhood and I think the main roads in our neighborhood had close to if not more than 150 trick-or-treaters. We are on a dead end street at the back of our development so we don' t get nearly the same amount of traffic as some people do - good in some ways (don't have to buy as much candy) but disappointing in others (not seeing a ton of cute kids in their costumes)!
We have been taking advantage of the nice weather of late and getting outside for playtime and for walks. The girls love to take E for a walk down the street in her new wagon. Her first trip out went smoothly and she stayed seated for the entire ride, however on our second outing she decided it would be fun to crawl around the wagon and pull to a stand over and over! I ended up having to carry her while R pulled an empty wagon for the half of the walk.
A few pics from our walks:
Hope you enjoyed the photo update of our fall fun. It's my favorite season! Cool, crisp air - clear blue skies with bright foliage in yellow, red, and orange - pumpkins - apples - leaves crunching underfoot - warm, cozy sweaters - comfort foods - what's not to love?
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