What a bad blogger I have been. If you didn't know any better, based on my last entry, you might have thought that A succeeded in burning down the house and therefore I have not been able to blog since my laptop would have gone up in flames. Luckily, NO, that did not happen.
This afternoon the kids and I will be traveling to the mall to get a replacement battery for DH's cell phone battery. Hopefully it will be replaced for free, but if not, that's the way it is.
I have so much to write about, but no time to do it! Preschool is over in two weeks, the boys' school goes one week more, DH is finished a week later (I think), so I've really been thinking a lot about things to do with the family for the summer.
"Quiet Time" is over and it is now "Electronics' Time" so I must end this post and let A and B get on the laptop.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Where There's Smoke
"I smell smoke," A mumbled as he stood in the living room with his hands over his ears. He was in the posture he takes when either he did something wrong or he's really scared. This time it was both.
I couldn't help it. I normally am able to stay calm around children, even when they do something wrong. Sure, I've had my moments, like when A smeared the contents of his diaper all over his room, paying close attention to his books and the rug. But even then I had the "luxery" of telling him to stay there (in a tone of voice that left NO room for doubt) while I removed myself from the situation long enough to get myself together. But this time, with images of the house catching on fire, my voice raised in volume automatically.
"What do you mean! Where do you smell smoke? What were you doing?" I yelled at A.
Knowing he had really done something wrong and not used to me acting so out-of-control, he does what makes sense to him and throws himself to the floor in a ball with his hands over his ear. Oh, no, I needed the answers to these questions, so I carry his limp body upstairs.
It took many frantic minutes on my part while A stood frozen in the hallway, but eventually I found DH's new phone (had still been in the box) on the floor with the back pulled off and in my room found the source of the burning smell - did you know phone batteries can catch on fire if handled incorrectly? We do!
While the battery never actually caught on fire, it became very hot very quickly (enough to burn A's fingers some) and began to smoke. I carried it and A outside to examine both the battery and his fingers better. His fingers were red but fine. When I tried to move the part of the battery that he had pulled out back to where it had originally been, it became extremely hot very fast and again started smoking.
Not knowing what consequence to give A, I knew I didn't want him playing inside anymore, so I sent him in to at least get his shoes on. When I followed him in a couple minutes later (had to sit and wait for the nausea to pass) I found him on my laptop.
He was on the AT&T website looking for a new phone for Daddy. Good thing I got to him when I did - my credit card was right next to the computer.
I couldn't help it. I normally am able to stay calm around children, even when they do something wrong. Sure, I've had my moments, like when A smeared the contents of his diaper all over his room, paying close attention to his books and the rug. But even then I had the "luxery" of telling him to stay there (in a tone of voice that left NO room for doubt) while I removed myself from the situation long enough to get myself together. But this time, with images of the house catching on fire, my voice raised in volume automatically.
"What do you mean! Where do you smell smoke? What were you doing?" I yelled at A.
Knowing he had really done something wrong and not used to me acting so out-of-control, he does what makes sense to him and throws himself to the floor in a ball with his hands over his ear. Oh, no, I needed the answers to these questions, so I carry his limp body upstairs.
It took many frantic minutes on my part while A stood frozen in the hallway, but eventually I found DH's new phone (had still been in the box) on the floor with the back pulled off and in my room found the source of the burning smell - did you know phone batteries can catch on fire if handled incorrectly? We do!
While the battery never actually caught on fire, it became very hot very quickly (enough to burn A's fingers some) and began to smoke. I carried it and A outside to examine both the battery and his fingers better. His fingers were red but fine. When I tried to move the part of the battery that he had pulled out back to where it had originally been, it became extremely hot very fast and again started smoking.
Not knowing what consequence to give A, I knew I didn't want him playing inside anymore, so I sent him in to at least get his shoes on. When I followed him in a couple minutes later (had to sit and wait for the nausea to pass) I found him on my laptop.
He was on the AT&T website looking for a new phone for Daddy. Good thing I got to him when I did - my credit card was right next to the computer.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
I'm Tired of it All!
As you know I have been spending a lot of time going through my old posts to make them more anonymous, replacing the kids' names with initials. I've gone all the way back half-way through 2006 - not bad. As I go through a post looking through specific names to replace I, of course, end up re-reading what I had written. And I've noticed some disturbing themes that keep repeating themselves no matter what year or what month or what is going on in my life:
1) I'm tired. Whether related to depression, narcolepsy, or just my crazy-busy life, I'm forever tired. And I know and freely admit that one thing I have to do is get to bed on time. And yet, year after year, I just don't do it. Plus I end up staying in bed until the latest possible moment, resulting in all of us running around the house like crazy people in an effort to get out the door on time.
2) I'm overwhelmed with everything involved with running the house and am fed up with the clutter that seems to be everywhere. Even when I write how proud I am that I cleaned out ____, several months later I am again fed up with what a mess the same area is. Clearly, I need routines in place that I will stick with.
3) I'm very upset with my weight (close to forty pounds overweight), clearly related to my out-of-control eating and lack of exercise.
I recognize this, I'm tired of this, I need to change this.
I've started a new incentive to get me out of bed on time. DH leaves the house around 6 AM, a time that I've now decided would be good for me to get up and moving. I KNOW if I was up and ready to go earlier than the kids get up it would make a HUGE difference. So for the last two days when DH has come back to our room to say good-bye, I've asked him to turn the shower on for me. If I don't get up immediately I will end up wasting all that water, something the environmentalist in me can't stand. And if I'm too tired to care about that first thing in the morning, then the knowledge that if I don't get up soon I will need to take a cold shower will surely get me moving.
Today I showered, dressed, made my bed, got the kids' breakfast on the table, at my breakfast while quietly reading a book, drank my cup of Chai Tea Latte while checking my e-mail, folded the load of laundry in the dryer and put it away, AND put a new load in the washer. I had the energy to encourage the kids to get dressed and cleaned up (we have a series of to do lists with incentives for completing each list) without yelling or getting stressed.
We will be walking out the door in five minutes. We are all 100% ready (well, I still have to do J's hair, but I'm about to do that) and amazingly, I don't feel as sluggish as when I end up hitting the snooze alarm twenty times.
I think I'm going to work on this goal for a while, and then start focusing more on the others. But as for today, woohoo!
1) I'm tired. Whether related to depression, narcolepsy, or just my crazy-busy life, I'm forever tired. And I know and freely admit that one thing I have to do is get to bed on time. And yet, year after year, I just don't do it. Plus I end up staying in bed until the latest possible moment, resulting in all of us running around the house like crazy people in an effort to get out the door on time.
2) I'm overwhelmed with everything involved with running the house and am fed up with the clutter that seems to be everywhere. Even when I write how proud I am that I cleaned out ____, several months later I am again fed up with what a mess the same area is. Clearly, I need routines in place that I will stick with.
3) I'm very upset with my weight (close to forty pounds overweight), clearly related to my out-of-control eating and lack of exercise.
I recognize this, I'm tired of this, I need to change this.
I've started a new incentive to get me out of bed on time. DH leaves the house around 6 AM, a time that I've now decided would be good for me to get up and moving. I KNOW if I was up and ready to go earlier than the kids get up it would make a HUGE difference. So for the last two days when DH has come back to our room to say good-bye, I've asked him to turn the shower on for me. If I don't get up immediately I will end up wasting all that water, something the environmentalist in me can't stand. And if I'm too tired to care about that first thing in the morning, then the knowledge that if I don't get up soon I will need to take a cold shower will surely get me moving.
Today I showered, dressed, made my bed, got the kids' breakfast on the table, at my breakfast while quietly reading a book, drank my cup of Chai Tea Latte while checking my e-mail, folded the load of laundry in the dryer and put it away, AND put a new load in the washer. I had the energy to encourage the kids to get dressed and cleaned up (we have a series of to do lists with incentives for completing each list) without yelling or getting stressed.
We will be walking out the door in five minutes. We are all 100% ready (well, I still have to do J's hair, but I'm about to do that) and amazingly, I don't feel as sluggish as when I end up hitting the snooze alarm twenty times.
I think I'm going to work on this goal for a while, and then start focusing more on the others. But as for today, woohoo!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Mother's Day Vacation
Thank you to all of you who felt my pain and offered suggestions for where the TiVo remote was. I believe one of the boys (it truly could have been either one) put it behind the couch. When I was looking around the living room for the third time I noticed the couch was pulled out a little, which prompted me to look behind it and - POOF - there it was!
This weekend was good, but long. My DNs (dear niece and nephew for those of you not up on internet lingo) slept over Friday night and all five kids actually DID go to sleep okay and stayed in the room until the clock radio turned on in the morning. Not bad. That afternoon we had a surprise party for my FIL. Whether he was surprised or not is debatable, but I know he was pleased. It was the first b-day party he EVER had, and my MIL worked really hard to get people from his past to come. My MIL was so cute in planning this - she had REALLY wanted to surprise him, so she started planning it six months ago, which is also when she sent out the invites. I received the RSVPs and I heard from a number of people that they had never received an invitation that early. She just wanted everything to be just right. As it turns out, it was.
The party took place at an Irish restaurant that my ILs go to every Saturday, in a private room upstairs. A soon discovered a video game (one that sits on the bar) and sat watching it for pretty much the entire time (all FIVE hours). I thought he was just watching the sample games go by, but then I learned that the bartender had given him his code and he was able to play lots of games too. I knew it would be near impossible to pull him away from the game, so I didn't really try, though I knew we would pay for it that night and the next day, and we sure did. But overall, the party was great.
On Mother's Day the kids woke me with breakfast in bed (made by DH). J sang her special song to me, to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star": Mommy, Mommy, I love you. Yes, I, Yes, I, Yes, I do. You're so sweet, and oh, so kind. I'm so glad that you are mine. Mommy, Mommy, I love you. Yes, I, Yes, I, Yes, I do.
The song was adorable. And it is adorable the first two times she sings it each day. When she sings it non-stop, over and over again, it's not QUITE so cute, but still, she is so proud of the fact that she knows it all she sings it to everyone. And I do mean EVERYONE - the other teachers, other moms, even the pharmacist at Rite Aid!
The kids were really off (see above) on Sunday, which made me SOOOO glad it was Mother's Day and DH was in charge. Everytime the sounds of their screaming and whining got too loud, I just snuggled down into bed some more with my book and asked DH to shut the door. Sweet.
Religious School ended yesterday, and for the first time we combined the two sessions into one, which meant it went from 10-11:30, meaning I could sleep in some and still have time to do stuff in the afternoon. DH had the kids out with his mom, so I took advantage of the time alone in the house by reorganizing the entryway. Yeah, I know I'm an organizing dork, but that's what sounded like fun to me.
We ended the day with a BBQ at my parents with everyone invited (my ILs + my FIL's mom, my sister and her whole family which includes her two kids + her two step-kids + her niece + her SIL + her DH - all the people who live in her house, my parents, two of the three foreign students who are currently renting rooms from them, and us), just small, intimate party.
DH and I are good at giving presents to each other that we don't buy in the store. For Mother's Day in 2005 he gave me this, in 2006 he did it again, and in 2007 he gave me a WHOLE week to myself over the summer. By the third day of that week, he told me that he hoped I enjoyed my gift because he would never ever give me an entire week again. Which is why I was amazed to see this year's gift: three WHOLE weeks (7-4 each day) to myself in the middle of July to do whatever I want. I noticed the time limit of each day that DH included will hopefully allow him to keep his sanity this year. I'm not even totally sure if I WANT three weeks like that, but it's a fabulous gift one way or another.
So...any ideas about what I could do for those three weeks. Keep in mind I can't go away (I'll have from 7-4 each day). What would YOU do with three weeks of daytime freedom?
This weekend was good, but long. My DNs (dear niece and nephew for those of you not up on internet lingo) slept over Friday night and all five kids actually DID go to sleep okay and stayed in the room until the clock radio turned on in the morning. Not bad. That afternoon we had a surprise party for my FIL. Whether he was surprised or not is debatable, but I know he was pleased. It was the first b-day party he EVER had, and my MIL worked really hard to get people from his past to come. My MIL was so cute in planning this - she had REALLY wanted to surprise him, so she started planning it six months ago, which is also when she sent out the invites. I received the RSVPs and I heard from a number of people that they had never received an invitation that early. She just wanted everything to be just right. As it turns out, it was.
The party took place at an Irish restaurant that my ILs go to every Saturday, in a private room upstairs. A soon discovered a video game (one that sits on the bar) and sat watching it for pretty much the entire time (all FIVE hours). I thought he was just watching the sample games go by, but then I learned that the bartender had given him his code and he was able to play lots of games too. I knew it would be near impossible to pull him away from the game, so I didn't really try, though I knew we would pay for it that night and the next day, and we sure did. But overall, the party was great.
On Mother's Day the kids woke me with breakfast in bed (made by DH). J sang her special song to me, to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star": Mommy, Mommy, I love you. Yes, I, Yes, I, Yes, I do. You're so sweet, and oh, so kind. I'm so glad that you are mine. Mommy, Mommy, I love you. Yes, I, Yes, I, Yes, I do.
The song was adorable. And it is adorable the first two times she sings it each day. When she sings it non-stop, over and over again, it's not QUITE so cute, but still, she is so proud of the fact that she knows it all she sings it to everyone. And I do mean EVERYONE - the other teachers, other moms, even the pharmacist at Rite Aid!
The kids were really off (see above) on Sunday, which made me SOOOO glad it was Mother's Day and DH was in charge. Everytime the sounds of their screaming and whining got too loud, I just snuggled down into bed some more with my book and asked DH to shut the door. Sweet.
Religious School ended yesterday, and for the first time we combined the two sessions into one, which meant it went from 10-11:30, meaning I could sleep in some and still have time to do stuff in the afternoon. DH had the kids out with his mom, so I took advantage of the time alone in the house by reorganizing the entryway. Yeah, I know I'm an organizing dork, but that's what sounded like fun to me.
We ended the day with a BBQ at my parents with everyone invited (my ILs + my FIL's mom, my sister and her whole family which includes her two kids + her two step-kids + her niece + her SIL + her DH - all the people who live in her house, my parents, two of the three foreign students who are currently renting rooms from them, and us), just small, intimate party.
DH and I are good at giving presents to each other that we don't buy in the store. For Mother's Day in 2005 he gave me this, in 2006 he did it again, and in 2007 he gave me a WHOLE week to myself over the summer. By the third day of that week, he told me that he hoped I enjoyed my gift because he would never ever give me an entire week again. Which is why I was amazed to see this year's gift: three WHOLE weeks (7-4 each day) to myself in the middle of July to do whatever I want. I noticed the time limit of each day that DH included will hopefully allow him to keep his sanity this year. I'm not even totally sure if I WANT three weeks like that, but it's a fabulous gift one way or another.
So...any ideas about what I could do for those three weeks. Keep in mind I can't go away (I'll have from 7-4 each day). What would YOU do with three weeks of daytime freedom?
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
TiVo Remote
I was REALLY looking forward to sitting on the couch and watching one of the shows that I Tivoed from last night, but one of the children has lace the remote somewhere that I can't find it which means that not only can I not watch a good show, I can't even watch LIVE TV right now!!! So, please, use your powers for good and leave me a comment on where I should look. Thank you.
Experimenting with something new
Just read Because I Said So's Sunday Shout Out and she explained how the really cool bloggers cross things out within their blog. I'm going to try it now now. OOoooo, I DID IT!
Now I have to goscream at lovingly encourage my children to get in bed since Mommy needs to blog some more clean up from dinner and create a beautiful, peaceful home for all of us to enjoy.
Now I have to go
Monday, May 05, 2008
I'm Proud of . . .
- I bought four reusable grocery bags today. Can't believe I put it off for so long, thinking that it was too expensive or that I would need too many to make it practical. They were 99 cents each and four of them held all my groceries!
- I got Mother's Day presents for the kids in both of my classes to make for their moms and for my three kids to make for their two grandmothers and great-grandmothers and my sister. Go me for being ahead of the game - I usually wait until the VERY last minute.
- I went to Gentile's (a local produce store) and stocked up on fruits and vegetables to snack on. I'm really trying to get my weight under control.
- With that in mind I set up new goals at SparkPeople again. I'm sticking to the "fast break" stage - I created three small goals to work on: To drink 8 glasses of water a day, To get 8 hours of sleep, and To journal (blog) every day. I really think just sticking to those three things will be a great start to getting my weight under control. Here's a link if you want to check it out: Free Calorie Counter at SparkPeople.com
- I took B and J to an allergist today, a very time-consuming process. We found out that B does not have seasonal allergies (good to know) and now have a new plan in place for dealing with his asthma. We also found out that J is allergic to trees (I guess that falls under the category of seasonal allergies) and to cats. The truly ironic thing is that I had JUST decided YESTERDAY that we should just bite the bullet and get a cat. Good thing I didn't tell the kids that yet! Guess we'll be scrapping that plan.
- I took care of myself today and saw the midwives at The Birth Center for my regular check-up. I know, not that exciting, but still important. One of the best things about continuing to use midwives for my well woman visits is I did not have to worry about shaving my legs. I'm sure many if not most of the clients there do not shave and that no on there would even notice! Not the only reason I'm going there, but today, it was nice to not have to worry about trying to squeeze in one more thing.
- I sorted through the kids' clothes yesterday, put together a bag of girl clothes and a bag of boy clothes that the kids have outgrown, and then listed them on Cheapcycle for $5 each. It appears that I actually have found two buyers for them and will be making a little bit of cash for things that I normally would have given away.
- I also rearranged the rest of the kids' clothes, consolidating them all to the one bedroom (something I should have done as soon as we offically allowed J to move in with the boys). And I got DH to clear out J's "house" - a.k.a. the box the new stove came in - from the upstairs playroom - a.k.a. J's old bedroom.
- I went to a fundraiser with the family yesterday, one that I had donated a gift certificate for $100 towards a b-day party from me. Not only am I proud that people put a lot of tickets in the bag for the b-day party package (that contained my g.c.), but one of the volunteers approached me just to tell me how much she and her daughter had enjoyed my performance at the elementary school fundraiser I did last week. Wow, that felt so good!
- I finally figured out how to send links in my e-mails!!!
- The fact that I will be going to bed soon, which means that I will be able to get the eight hours of sleep I'm shooting for!
Friday, May 02, 2008
Drugs
I love my husband.
He took over with the kids yesterday as soon as he got home, not giving me any grief about the fact I needed to crawl under the covers at 4:30 in the afternoon. Since I started crying when he later came up to find out what triggered this and told him that nothing triggered it and I don't want to talk about it, he let it go, just what I wanted.
I love medication.
I missed refilling my anti-depression meds when I should have, so yesterday was a result of missing three days in a row. I functioned fine at school yesterday, but ran into trouble when I got home. As soon as he made dinner for the kids and got them sitting down to eat it, DH ran out to pick up my prescription and also picked up some soup (all I felt like eating for dinner) and Good and Plenty (one of my favorite comfort foods). This morning I took both my anti-depressant AND my narcolepsy med (which I had ALSO missed yesterday). What a difference!
Life is much better when I don't have to muddle through the fog that becomes my mind when I don't have drugs.
He took over with the kids yesterday as soon as he got home, not giving me any grief about the fact I needed to crawl under the covers at 4:30 in the afternoon. Since I started crying when he later came up to find out what triggered this and told him that nothing triggered it and I don't want to talk about it, he let it go, just what I wanted.
I love medication.
I missed refilling my anti-depression meds when I should have, so yesterday was a result of missing three days in a row. I functioned fine at school yesterday, but ran into trouble when I got home. As soon as he made dinner for the kids and got them sitting down to eat it, DH ran out to pick up my prescription and also picked up some soup (all I felt like eating for dinner) and Good and Plenty (one of my favorite comfort foods). This morning I took both my anti-depressant AND my narcolepsy med (which I had ALSO missed yesterday). What a difference!
Life is much better when I don't have to muddle through the fog that becomes my mind when I don't have drugs.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Depression Sucks
I hate that I wasted this day, the one semi-free afternoon I had this week.
I hate that I was too tired to make myself get off the couch.
I hate the way the house looks.
I hate clutter.
I hate our bedroom.
I hate the mess that we call the playroom.
I hate the way the "upstairs playroom" looks.
I hate that the kids' room is not set up well.
I hate the way I look.
I hate how out of shape I am.
I hate the laundry I still have to do.
I hate that even though I had a whole bunch of stuff on the to do list for today and I didn't get to any of it.
I hate that I had something really fun planned for tonight but needed to "check out" as soon as DH got home at 4:30. I've been upstairs ever since.
I hate depression.
I hate that I was too tired to make myself get off the couch.
I hate the way the house looks.
I hate clutter.
I hate our bedroom.
I hate the mess that we call the playroom.
I hate the way the "upstairs playroom" looks.
I hate that the kids' room is not set up well.
I hate the way I look.
I hate how out of shape I am.
I hate the laundry I still have to do.
I hate that even though I had a whole bunch of stuff on the to do list for today and I didn't get to any of it.
I hate that I had something really fun planned for tonight but needed to "check out" as soon as DH got home at 4:30. I've been upstairs ever since.
I hate depression.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Saturday, Today, and Tonight
Today was one of those days that J just has not stopped whining and crying from the moment we stepped in the door, so I just put her in bed (as she's screaming, "But I'm not tired!!!) in her room. I told her that she just has to lay there until the timer I'm setting goes off ("No, Mommy, until it goes ON!" as the kids like to tell me, which would make a lot more sense.) and then I'll come get her. Anytime before when she has gotten like this, after about ten minutes she is sound asleep. I don't need her to go to sleep (though she sure seems like SHE needs it), but just to calm down enough so she's not crying anymore. Even if she just laid in bed listening to her music in the dark for about twenty minutes and didn't fall asleep, she'd still be getting some rest. However, I'd be quite surprised if she's still awake after that long.
Saturday was AMAZING! I was hired to entertain at a local school's fundraiser - a "Play-a-thon" and community yard sale. The deal I worked out with them was for me to do a different storytime/performance every hour and to lead a craft for the rest of the time. The fundraiser was from 9-2, so I performed at 10, 11, 12, and 1 - and the crowd kept getting bigger each time! Even the "big kids" (4th and 5th graders) were into it! Everytime I take my kids to see a kid performer I pick up some new techniques, so the latest addition to my repetoire was to offer my cards to the kids to bring back home. I think the only way this could have gone better was if people started hiring me on the spot to do their child's birthday party. I hope it pays off! I also gave out necklaces that I attached my business info to and flyers. I guess now we just wait and see. But I plan to start looking for other opportunities like this for me to perform and run a craft. Let me know if you know of any craft fairs, street fairs, block parties, stuff like that, coming up that might be looking for kids' entertainment. Thanks!!!
Now I have to get to work. It's DH's b-day, so I picked up food on our way home from school and now need to make a large meatloaf (his choice!) and mashed potatoes (jealous, DG?) and a cake with cream cheese frosting. And pick up the crap that's all around the house. And wash, fold, and put away yet another load or two of laundry. No problem.
Saturday was AMAZING! I was hired to entertain at a local school's fundraiser - a "Play-a-thon" and community yard sale. The deal I worked out with them was for me to do a different storytime/performance every hour and to lead a craft for the rest of the time. The fundraiser was from 9-2, so I performed at 10, 11, 12, and 1 - and the crowd kept getting bigger each time! Even the "big kids" (4th and 5th graders) were into it! Everytime I take my kids to see a kid performer I pick up some new techniques, so the latest addition to my repetoire was to offer my cards to the kids to bring back home. I think the only way this could have gone better was if people started hiring me on the spot to do their child's birthday party. I hope it pays off! I also gave out necklaces that I attached my business info to and flyers. I guess now we just wait and see. But I plan to start looking for other opportunities like this for me to perform and run a craft. Let me know if you know of any craft fairs, street fairs, block parties, stuff like that, coming up that might be looking for kids' entertainment. Thanks!!!
Now I have to get to work. It's DH's b-day, so I picked up food on our way home from school and now need to make a large meatloaf (his choice!) and mashed potatoes (jealous, DG?) and a cake with cream cheese frosting. And pick up the crap that's all around the house. And wash, fold, and put away yet another load or two of laundry. No problem.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Free Money!
See the new button on the right? That's right - sign up and get $25. It's that simple. Apparently this is competition for PayPal, but the benefit of Revolution Money Exchange is you don't have to pay anything every time you accept money. Nice! I'm going to look into how to put this on my business website. It would be nice to accept deposits and/or payment on-line!
And in the interest of full disclosure, I will receive $10 for anyone who decides to sign up and clicks on the button over there to do it. If you sign up (and get $25) you will get a chance to add a button to your site, or e-mail people that you know, and you too could earn $10 for each person who signs up through you.
But I didn't post this just to get you to sign up - I really think it looks like a good system and is just what I was looking for for my business!
Edited to add: I have now earned $55 that is going to be deposited into my bank account!!! Yes!!! I plan on using this anytime I need to send money on-line. Sweet! If you haven't done it already, check it out. Just click on the button on the right and see what it's all about. If you sign up after you read about it, I earn $10!
And in the interest of full disclosure, I will receive $10 for anyone who decides to sign up and clicks on the button over there to do it. If you sign up (and get $25) you will get a chance to add a button to your site, or e-mail people that you know, and you too could earn $10 for each person who signs up through you.
But I didn't post this just to get you to sign up - I really think it looks like a good system and is just what I was looking for for my business!
Edited to add: I have now earned $55 that is going to be deposited into my bank account!!! Yes!!! I plan on using this anytime I need to send money on-line. Sweet! If you haven't done it already, check it out. Just click on the button on the right and see what it's all about. If you sign up after you read about it, I earn $10!
WHY?
Why have I not closed this stupid computer down and gone to bed? I have been so bad with the amount of sleep I have been getting this week it is crazy! That being said, I'm going to bed now and will have to figure out why I sabatoge myself with this EVERY time.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Thoughts I'm Pondering
- Why is my TiVo remote not able to control the tv's sound even though it has the buttons to do so?
- Why have I still not called the chiropractor about this pain in the back of my neck?
- How many more days of Passover are left?
- If I pretended to myself it was Passover all year long, how much weight could I lose?
- Why have not gone to bed yet?
- Tomorrow is the last day ever of the Parent and Me Shabbat Program I've been involved with either as a parent or as the teacher since the boys were three months old. What is the best way to commemorate this special occasion?
- I'm performing at a fundraiser Saturday. I'll be doing four different 15-minute performances, one each hour. What exactly am I going to do and will the school-aged kids actually enjoy what I do or think it's stupid?
- Why is it that my beloved synagogue could not serve a completely Kosher for Passover meal at our second night seder?!!
- I was able to clean the kitchen completely this afternoon - go me!
- Would I be totally crazy if I proposed to the Temple Board that I be in charge of the kitchen to ensure that basic kashrut laws are being followed at Temple functions and that it is getting cleaned and maintained on a regular basis? So many individuals use the kitchen and there is no one overseeing it - we're just having lots of problems.
- We have a babysitter for tomorrow night (it's been a LONG time!!!) and are going out, even though it's Shabbat. I know, shame on us, but I think time together as a couple is really important, and since I participte in two preschool Shabbat services during the day, maybe that can make up for the fact I'm ditching my family's Shabbat dinner. PLUS we got together for dinner tonight (my sister's b-day) and will again on Saturday (a semi-surprise BBQ my BIL is planning for my sis), so I think that more than makes up for missing one dinner. I don't know, am I justifying a little too much?
- I HAVE to get to bed. I will ponder more tomorrow (which, since it is now 12:03 AM, I guess is really today now).
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Finally - Another Post
And almost another week has gone by without me writing a post.
I have written so many in my head, but chose not to take the time from everything I have had to do this week in getting ready for Passover to actually write them down. And, of course, now I can't remember them.
I have been so incredibly tired. The narcolepsy is totally kicking my butt, which makes it so hard to accomplish anything! And my back is hurting me so much, on my right side by my shoulder blade. I will call the chiropractor in the morning, but for now it feels like there is a knife stabbing me everytime I move my head or lift my right arm. Made it kind of hard to prep for and help the kids stay focused during the seder tonight or last night, but I survived.
It's late and I need to get to bed, but I will try to write again tomorrow.
I have written so many in my head, but chose not to take the time from everything I have had to do this week in getting ready for Passover to actually write them down. And, of course, now I can't remember them.
I have been so incredibly tired. The narcolepsy is totally kicking my butt, which makes it so hard to accomplish anything! And my back is hurting me so much, on my right side by my shoulder blade. I will call the chiropractor in the morning, but for now it feels like there is a knife stabbing me everytime I move my head or lift my right arm. Made it kind of hard to prep for and help the kids stay focused during the seder tonight or last night, but I survived.
It's late and I need to get to bed, but I will try to write again tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Financial Goals
So much to write about, so little time to do it.
But here's what I've been working on today: MONEY!
I will be using our tax refund to pay off our new stove, the boys' birthday party, and all three kids' registration fees for next year (J for preschool, A and B for Religious School).
The supplemental pay we will be receiving by the end of May (for the drama class I've been teaching and the middle school show DH just directed) will go into savings to make up for the fact I don't receive a paycheck over the summer (to be fair, I don't TEACH over the summer either!). This will be the first summer that we will not have to struggle with money!
The "tax stimulus check" which I expect sometime in May will be going into our savings account to pay for summer activities. I am budgeting $100 a week so we can do activities as a family. We've never been able to set aside this much money for family activities, so I'm really excited about it.
All other supplemental pays we will be receiving from June through August will go toward paying down our Discover Card debt. If we stick to the budget (and with all the "extras" I've accounted for I don't see why we shouldn't be able to) we will be able to pay off the Discover card completely by October.
Once the Discover card is paid off, we will only have two areas of debt: our mortgage and our home equity loan. Unfortunately, at this time, we have very little savings and very little retirement money set aside yet. I know our next financial goal needs to be to build an emergency fund large enough to cover three months of expenses. By my calculations we should be able to do that by June 2010. I suppose our next goal will be to set up a retirement fund.
I would LOVE to be able to begin putting more money towards the principal of our Home Equity Line of Credit, but I think our priorities should be: 1) Discover Card, 2) Emergency Fund, 3) Retirement Fund.
I'm feeling quite satisfied now and comfortable with our financial situation right now. That's a rare feeling for me, so I'm going to try to ignore all the other things that I have to do this week and just savor it.
But here's what I've been working on today: MONEY!
I will be using our tax refund to pay off our new stove, the boys' birthday party, and all three kids' registration fees for next year (J for preschool, A and B for Religious School).
The supplemental pay we will be receiving by the end of May (for the drama class I've been teaching and the middle school show DH just directed) will go into savings to make up for the fact I don't receive a paycheck over the summer (to be fair, I don't TEACH over the summer either!). This will be the first summer that we will not have to struggle with money!
The "tax stimulus check" which I expect sometime in May will be going into our savings account to pay for summer activities. I am budgeting $100 a week so we can do activities as a family. We've never been able to set aside this much money for family activities, so I'm really excited about it.
All other supplemental pays we will be receiving from June through August will go toward paying down our Discover Card debt. If we stick to the budget (and with all the "extras" I've accounted for I don't see why we shouldn't be able to) we will be able to pay off the Discover card completely by October.
Once the Discover card is paid off, we will only have two areas of debt: our mortgage and our home equity loan. Unfortunately, at this time, we have very little savings and very little retirement money set aside yet. I know our next financial goal needs to be to build an emergency fund large enough to cover three months of expenses. By my calculations we should be able to do that by June 2010. I suppose our next goal will be to set up a retirement fund.
I would LOVE to be able to begin putting more money towards the principal of our Home Equity Line of Credit, but I think our priorities should be: 1) Discover Card, 2) Emergency Fund, 3) Retirement Fund.
I'm feeling quite satisfied now and comfortable with our financial situation right now. That's a rare feeling for me, so I'm going to try to ignore all the other things that I have to do this week and just savor it.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Making the blog more anonymous
I just finished changing our real names for all of 2008. Go me! I'll work on it some more tomorrow. Please let me know if you find any of our real names in any of the posts for 2008.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Blogger Help
I have finally decided that I need to stop using my family's names in my blog. The problem is: how do I take them out of all previous posts? I'm trying to figure out if there is a simple search and replace function on Blogger where I can just search for specific names and then tell Blogger to replace them with the pseudonym. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Edited to add: Thanks for all your help. After looking at everyone's suggestions, including that fabulous website, I've decided the easiest thing is to first sort all posts by name (so I'm searching for one name at a time) then go into each post to edit and use the control F function (which I had never known about before) to search for each time the name is used so I can then manually change it. Pain in the @ss! As you can see, I started tonight and will try to work on it a little every night until it is complete.
Edited to add: Thanks for all your help. After looking at everyone's suggestions, including that fabulous website, I've decided the easiest thing is to first sort all posts by name (so I'm searching for one name at a time) then go into each post to edit and use the control F function (which I had never known about before) to search for each time the name is used so I can then manually change it. Pain in the @ss! As you can see, I started tonight and will try to work on it a little every night until it is complete.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Dreams of Birthday Steaks and Sleep (not necessarily in that order)
Our big accomplishment Sunday night was that we kept B out of the ER.
We were up all night, used up all the hot water in the water heater not once but three times creating a steam bath for him to help his breathing, and the poor boy was still coughing every single breath he took.
Yesterday DH stayed home with him and took him to the doctor where he was upgraded from his regular nebulizer to an inhaler with a spacer. Woohoo - this takes SO much less time than the neb treatments and seem to be working better.
Even though the doctor felt this was due to allergies (and who knows, it might still be) B developed a slight fever yesterday (which seems to be gone today), but we decided to keep him home again. Today it was my turn, so DH went to school and I got a sub. Of course, A woke up with a minor cough and convinced me that he was too sick to go to school, too. Since I was already staying home with B, I figured it was no big deal for him to stay home too. And I got a good friend to drive J to school and pick her up later, so the boys and I can just stay in.
DH had planned out a great way to celebrate my birthday (yesterday) with everyone (my parents, his parents, my sister and her family) coming over for steaks (yum!) but with B's cough and general miserableness (it's a word if I say it's a word!), that didn't happen. Ultimately my parents and sister took me out for Chinese food right around the corner from my house (in case I needed to rush back home for B). Not the way I had planned to celebrate, but still VERY nice. AND both my parents and my in-laws gifted me with a night at a hotel of my choosing, so I got the weekend of solitude I wanted! YES!!!
I have been EXTRA tired recently. I don't know if it's my body's way of telling me that I need to increase my narcolepsy medicine, that it's fighting off something (my throat is sore today), or just that I need to take it easy. Hey, maybe it's a combination of all three. Last week I actually fell asleep at the dinner table. While talking. With the kids and DH all there. Yeah, that's never happened before. I was doing okay running around, getting dinner ready, folding the laundry, all that kind of stuff, but after sitting down for a few minutes at the table an incredible wave of fatigue swept over me so extreme that I actually fell asleep. Kind of weird. Okay, REALLY weird. So now I'm working hard to be in bed going to sleep by 10, but what with a sick boy and me just not going upstairs when I should, it's really tough. No more excuses - have to do better with that one.
And for today, my two "sick" boys are playing video games (we have a cheapy plug-in system that DH bought that plays two games, but it's the coolest thing in the world to my guys) still in their pajamas (at least they're sitting on the couch while they play - if I ignore the times they're jumping up and down to cheer themselves on I can pretend they're kind of resting), so I should take advantage of this extra time at home by getting caught up on the laundry and finishing sorting through the basket full of paperwork I still have. I keep saying if I could just clear out this basket of old stuff I could stay on top of everything new coming in. Just doesn't seem to happen. But maybe today is the day.
Or maybe I'll just head upstairs and take a nap.
We were up all night, used up all the hot water in the water heater not once but three times creating a steam bath for him to help his breathing, and the poor boy was still coughing every single breath he took.
Yesterday DH stayed home with him and took him to the doctor where he was upgraded from his regular nebulizer to an inhaler with a spacer. Woohoo - this takes SO much less time than the neb treatments and seem to be working better.
Even though the doctor felt this was due to allergies (and who knows, it might still be) B developed a slight fever yesterday (which seems to be gone today), but we decided to keep him home again. Today it was my turn, so DH went to school and I got a sub. Of course, A woke up with a minor cough and convinced me that he was too sick to go to school, too. Since I was already staying home with B, I figured it was no big deal for him to stay home too. And I got a good friend to drive J to school and pick her up later, so the boys and I can just stay in.
DH had planned out a great way to celebrate my birthday (yesterday) with everyone (my parents, his parents, my sister and her family) coming over for steaks (yum!) but with B's cough and general miserableness (it's a word if I say it's a word!), that didn't happen. Ultimately my parents and sister took me out for Chinese food right around the corner from my house (in case I needed to rush back home for B). Not the way I had planned to celebrate, but still VERY nice. AND both my parents and my in-laws gifted me with a night at a hotel of my choosing, so I got the weekend of solitude I wanted! YES!!!
I have been EXTRA tired recently. I don't know if it's my body's way of telling me that I need to increase my narcolepsy medicine, that it's fighting off something (my throat is sore today), or just that I need to take it easy. Hey, maybe it's a combination of all three. Last week I actually fell asleep at the dinner table. While talking. With the kids and DH all there. Yeah, that's never happened before. I was doing okay running around, getting dinner ready, folding the laundry, all that kind of stuff, but after sitting down for a few minutes at the table an incredible wave of fatigue swept over me so extreme that I actually fell asleep. Kind of weird. Okay, REALLY weird. So now I'm working hard to be in bed going to sleep by 10, but what with a sick boy and me just not going upstairs when I should, it's really tough. No more excuses - have to do better with that one.
And for today, my two "sick" boys are playing video games (we have a cheapy plug-in system that DH bought that plays two games, but it's the coolest thing in the world to my guys) still in their pajamas (at least they're sitting on the couch while they play - if I ignore the times they're jumping up and down to cheer themselves on I can pretend they're kind of resting), so I should take advantage of this extra time at home by getting caught up on the laundry and finishing sorting through the basket full of paperwork I still have. I keep saying if I could just clear out this basket of old stuff I could stay on top of everything new coming in. Just doesn't seem to happen. But maybe today is the day.
Or maybe I'll just head upstairs and take a nap.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Are you aware?
Today is World Autism Day.
I've read some fabulous posts today from bloggers I know. Check them out here and here and here.
I'm in a quandry. I'm tired. I stayed up WAY too late last night, and I must go to sleep NOW, but I want to write a long post about our experience with Autism. So here's my compromise:
Last summer I wrote about A two times (still need to revise those posts and combine them somehow) and how he is learning to live with Asperger's.
We knew something was up with A when he was a little older than one. He never responded to his name or to any commands/direction given. We had his hearing tested, just in case, but that was fine. We didn't really know what else to do. It was quite a relief when we got his diagnosis.
It was tough in the beginning. We needed to simplify some things at home, even though that was really hard. Potty training was QUITE a journey, but we finally made it (for the most part).
It's been fabulous to learn more about it and develop strategies that work for us. He's in kindergarten now, which has its ups and downs.
Those are all the links I could find (Not bad, huh, Anjali?). I think they really cover a lot of our experience. I'll try to write more tomorrow. I'm too tired to think of a cute ending to this post, so let me just say, "Good night."
I've read some fabulous posts today from bloggers I know. Check them out here and here and here.
I'm in a quandry. I'm tired. I stayed up WAY too late last night, and I must go to sleep NOW, but I want to write a long post about our experience with Autism. So here's my compromise:
Last summer I wrote about A two times (still need to revise those posts and combine them somehow) and how he is learning to live with Asperger's.
We knew something was up with A when he was a little older than one. He never responded to his name or to any commands/direction given. We had his hearing tested, just in case, but that was fine. We didn't really know what else to do. It was quite a relief when we got his diagnosis.
It was tough in the beginning. We needed to simplify some things at home, even though that was really hard. Potty training was QUITE a journey, but we finally made it (for the most part).
It's been fabulous to learn more about it and develop strategies that work for us. He's in kindergarten now, which has its ups and downs.
Those are all the links I could find (Not bad, huh, Anjali?). I think they really cover a lot of our experience. I'll try to write more tomorrow. I'm too tired to think of a cute ending to this post, so let me just say, "Good night."
Saturday, March 29, 2008
The list of things in my head right now
I know, I know, it's not a very creative title. But I almost published this post without any title at all, so I guess any title is better than none, right? Just nod and smile, make me feel better about my lack of creativity.
I am so bad at this NaBloPoMo thing! The theme for March is lists, so I figured I could at least make a list for today's post. So here it is, the top things I'm thinking about tonight:
I am so bad at this NaBloPoMo thing! The theme for March is lists, so I figured I could at least make a list for today's post. So here it is, the top things I'm thinking about tonight:
- I worked out a way, looking at all our "extra income" (i.e. the money we both make that is not part of our regular salaries), to pay off the Discover Card debt by the end of the summer! And I did this while also putting aside money to cover the fact that I don't receive a salary over the summer AND allow us to spend up to $100 a week on family activities to do over the summer. I'm SO excited about this fact!! I typed it all up (because I'm a dork like that) so DH can see it in black and white to ensure that we are both on the same page.
- I finally received the cool storage unit from Target (it's just like the one I linked to except it's white). DH set it up last night and it looks GREAT!
- I am almost caught up on the laundry, though as my cousin writes, unless we all sit around naked, there will ALWAYS be laundry to do. She has inspired me to institute a "Naked Day" at least once a month so I can be completely and totally caught up, at least for a few hours. I haven't decided if I'm kidding or not yet.
- I went to see an amazing service last night at my Temple. My friend, Brian, was commissioned to compose an entire service, writing new melodies and arrangements for all the prayers chanted and sung during a Friday night service. In addition to the Temple's choir and other professional singers all volunteering their time to perform, there was also an oboe and bass player from the Philadelphia Orchestra (both Temple members) joining in with Brian on the baby grand as accompianment. It was an incredible experience!
- I joined my Temple's choir at the age of 12, the youngest member ever. I quit a few years ago, unable to continue attending rehearsals each week what with the kids and all. I miss it. I miss performing. Singing for little kids is great, but it's not quite the same. Last night's service was so amazing, so inspiring, that I am now committed to figuring out a way to be part of the choir again.
- Tried a new recipe the other day that actually turned out pretty good. Everyone ate it without complaining! Wow, if that now qualifies as a successful meal in my mind, my standards sure have changed. That's kind of sad.
- The cantor at the Temple developed larengytis this weekend and asked me to substitute for her this morning at services. I was happy to do it, but I forgot the rule about not eating/drinking milk before singing and it took me about two songs to stop working hard to get over the need to clear my throat. And I was also sad to discover that while I've developed my chest voice a lot over the past few years, singing more to capture kids' attentions, I feel like I've lost the lower range of my head voice. Fortunately the last song I sang was Sabbath Prayer, which was perfect for my current range, so at least I was able to end the service well. And, hey, it's always more important to END well so that's what everyone remembers.
- Obviously I'm having WAY too much fun creating all kinds of links (Well, you just knew I had to find a link describing what a link is!). Since it is now almost midnight, we're now on to the next issue I've been thinking about . . .
- I've been staying up way too late. This is not good for me, and it definitely doesn't help my narcolepsy. Okay, just ONE more link. I get to sleep in a little tomorrow, but still have to be out the door by 9. I better finish up down here and go to sleep!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
And Your Mission Is . . .
Yesterday was my "day off." I LOVE that my DH has the same vacation time as the rest of us! I spent the day napping AND decluttering/organizing my party supplies and the kids' toys. Three large bags of trash and five large toys/toy sets later the playroom (where I store my party supples too) looks SOOOO much better. I still see more that I want to do, but wow, I was on fire!
Today is DH's "day off." I wrote out a schedule with the kids so they would see what we were doing today. As soon as "electronics time" is over (15 minutes/kid) we are going on "Detective Adventures." This is really just running errands with me, trying to return a WHOLE bunch of things that still have the tags on, but I'll try to play up that the kids are my detectives and give them a mission before going in each store. Most of the stores I need to return stuff to is at a local mall, so hopefully I'll be able to move somewhat quickly with them. Hey, a girl can hope!
Today is DH's "day off." I wrote out a schedule with the kids so they would see what we were doing today. As soon as "electronics time" is over (15 minutes/kid) we are going on "Detective Adventures." This is really just running errands with me, trying to return a WHOLE bunch of things that still have the tags on, but I'll try to play up that the kids are my detectives and give them a mission before going in each store. Most of the stores I need to return stuff to is at a local mall, so hopefully I'll be able to move somewhat quickly with them. Hey, a girl can hope!
Monday, March 17, 2008
You say it's your birthday . . .
My birthday is coming up April 7th and I've just thought of the perfect gift for myself. I want an entire weekend for myself. I want to lounge in bed for as long as I want, read a pile of good romance books, order up room service, go to the bathroom and close the door without worrying that someone is going to need to use the potty "right now, hurry, I'm going to pee on the floor!"
Don't misunderstand - I LOVE spending time with my kids and my husband. But I would also LOVE to spend a weekend to myself. With as much quiet as I want. Without having to referee anything, without needing to clean or declutter any part of the house (or feel guilty about NOT doing that).
I decided to put a PayPal button on the side over there ---->
in case anyone reading feels like donating a dollar or two to my cause. No pressure or anything, but just figured it couldn't hurt to share my goal!
So now that I'm a total Blog Whore, I'm off to bed.
Don't misunderstand - I LOVE spending time with my kids and my husband. But I would also LOVE to spend a weekend to myself. With as much quiet as I want. Without having to referee anything, without needing to clean or declutter any part of the house (or feel guilty about NOT doing that).
I decided to put a PayPal button on the side over there ---->
in case anyone reading feels like donating a dollar or two to my cause. No pressure or anything, but just figured it couldn't hurt to share my goal!
So now that I'm a total Blog Whore, I'm off to bed.
Happy Birthday to the Sick One
J turned four today by coming into our room at 1AM burning up with fever. Happy birthday, Baby! I guess I can't really call her a baby anymore - she corrects me everytime I do it anyway. But she will always be my baby!
J has been sick since Tuesday. She's had a runny nose for awhile, but who doesn't this time of year? On Tuesday we determined she had a low grade fever. While she seemed okay the next day, her head was warm so we kept her home. And she ran around the house and played with all her toys. I started guessing that maybe my "mommy sensor" was off. She felt a little warm but was acting absolutely fine. I took her temperature with our thermometer but think we need a new one - it never even got up to normal. So she and I went to school on Thursday and Friday and she had a regular day on Saturday, though she did seem a little more tired than usual and actually took nap on Thursday. Yesterday, however, whenever I met up with the kids and DH in the afternoon I felt her head and there was no question about a fever. We put her to bed early and called all her party guests so we could reschedule her party for later this week. And she joined us in bed burning up.
We actually gave her some medicine to bring down the fever, but eventually I had to carry her back to her room because she was such a furnace I couldn't fall asleep lying next to her. She seems in good spirits today, but still clearly has a fever. I got a doctor's appointment for later this afternoon, and I expect them to tell us her ears are infected or something like that, some cause for the fever.
What a way to celebrate the day she joined our family!
J has been sick since Tuesday. She's had a runny nose for awhile, but who doesn't this time of year? On Tuesday we determined she had a low grade fever. While she seemed okay the next day, her head was warm so we kept her home. And she ran around the house and played with all her toys. I started guessing that maybe my "mommy sensor" was off. She felt a little warm but was acting absolutely fine. I took her temperature with our thermometer but think we need a new one - it never even got up to normal. So she and I went to school on Thursday and Friday and she had a regular day on Saturday, though she did seem a little more tired than usual and actually took nap on Thursday. Yesterday, however, whenever I met up with the kids and DH in the afternoon I felt her head and there was no question about a fever. We put her to bed early and called all her party guests so we could reschedule her party for later this week. And she joined us in bed burning up.
We actually gave her some medicine to bring down the fever, but eventually I had to carry her back to her room because she was such a furnace I couldn't fall asleep lying next to her. She seems in good spirits today, but still clearly has a fever. I got a doctor's appointment for later this afternoon, and I expect them to tell us her ears are infected or something like that, some cause for the fever.
What a way to celebrate the day she joined our family!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
I Want
I just returned from a fabulous in-service for Religious School teachers. We all had a lesson we taught video-taped and had an opportunity to watch it with a peer and analyze it, after we talked about ways to question and non-verbal language and all that other stuff. I am happy to say that I feel very confident about my teaching ability. Even with that confidence, I KNOW there is always room for improvement, so I cannot wait to try to improve the one area that my colleague pointed out (trying to elecit responses from the kindergarten students how they felt after acting out the story of the Tower of Babel). Even if they cannot verbalize their feelings (some could but probably not all) they could at least SHOW me how they felt. It was a good point and I value her input.
I left that in-service and arrived to an empty, quiet house. So rare. The kids are with my DH at my ILs; I'm expected to join them at 3 to watch them dye Easter eggs. It is not necessary to point out the irony of the two different activities I am doing today - I'm already very aware of it. The idea of analyzing what I do and searching for ways to improve it is not new for me. I feel like I'm always looking for that next "great idea", the one that's going to make everything run more smoothly at home, the one that will make the house clean itself, make the meals prep and cook themselves, clean, dry, and put away all dirty clothes, the one that will balance the checkbook, pay the bills, redo my business website, come up with new marketing ideas, all while structuring the time the kids are home to allow appropriate amounts of "down time", exercise, activities to build fine motor skills and develop reading and math skills . . . the list goes on and on.
I KNOW there is no ONE magic solution/strategy that is going to make all that happen on its own. But I also know I need to focus on my vision, on what I want to see, in order to acheive it. The last time I posted I expressed how I needed to sit down with my DH and revisit our list of responsiblities to take some of the burden off of me. Just to clarify for all of you who were so supportive of me, the original list that I came up with has me being in charge of the laundry. I was also in charge of most everything else involved with the cleaning and running of the house, but I did pick some things for DH to do that would help out a lot, like unloading the dishwasher in the morning, taking out the trash, filling up the kids special cups with milk before he left in the morning. He and I together had come up with that original list a few months ago. I take full credit for any inequalities on the list, but set out this week to fix them.
I was quite impressed with how our discussion went. I worked to keep it very focused on the task at hand and possible solutions and not to go back and talk about how you didn't do this or this. I proposed with the laundry, for example, that the two solutions that I saw were for me to focus on no more than ONE load a day from start to finish OR for DH to simply take care of his own laundry, thus ensuring he would have enough clean clothes each day. We agreed on the first idea. I also brought up the idea of wearing his pants more than one time each, but he said they usually got dirty, mainly because he ends up spilling coffee on them during the ride to school. I wrote down the idea that we need to invest in multiple travel mugs (since it's so easy to lose them and/or leave them behind) to hopefully cut down on the amount that is spilled.
With the basic cleaning of the house (vacuuming, mopping, bathroom, dusting) we brainstormed some on how to make this work since just stating that I would be in charge of it was NOT enough. We came up with a plan to involve the kids: each day, each kid and I would be in charge of ONE of those four jobs in one room. We would do the job for about five minutes, cleaning as much as we could in that amount of time, so as not to overwhelm anyone, me included. And the next day we would get a new job. I LOVE this idea - I'm starting it tomorrow so we'll see how it works. DH was concerned with the LR rug, that the kids vacuuming this most days wouldn't allow it to fully get clean (they do snack in the LR and color, so there is a lot of stuff on the rug by the end of the day), so I suggested and he agreed that he would be in charge of vacuuming it one final time at the end of the day. Problem solved (I hope).
I'm really excited about the redistribution of household responsiblities, and I tried typing it out to clearly show the equality of them. It's now posted in the kitchen, front and center.
When I walked into the quiet house today, my main question was what do I want? What do I want to see as I look around the house? I think the main thing that would ultimately make me happy was to have a place for everything and have everything IN its place. Obviously I'm not the first person who has said that, but there is such validity to the statement. I would have such a sense of peace if I looked around the room I'm in right now and did not see piles of "stuff" on the floor, the table, the bookcase.
So then the next question is how am I going to acheive it? That clearly will take more thought. I LOVE the idea of doing a "Clean Sweep" (boy do I miss not having The Learning Channel anymore) but am not sure I could ever have enough uninterupted time to achieve it. This week is spring break and both DH and I have off, as do the kids. Maybe I can work out a plan to focus on some key places around the house. I'll have to think about that and report back. I know how important it is to NOT get the all or nothing mentality that I often get as a perfectionist. I know that even if I can work on one drawer, one pile, it's better than nothing. It just feels that when I do that another pile or hot spot forms almost before I finish with the first one, which is why I think just doing a clean sweep, room by room, and only bringing back in the things that HAVE a home and are used, that might be my answer. Hmmmm...
Any tips? I'd love to hear them!
I left that in-service and arrived to an empty, quiet house. So rare. The kids are with my DH at my ILs; I'm expected to join them at 3 to watch them dye Easter eggs. It is not necessary to point out the irony of the two different activities I am doing today - I'm already very aware of it. The idea of analyzing what I do and searching for ways to improve it is not new for me. I feel like I'm always looking for that next "great idea", the one that's going to make everything run more smoothly at home, the one that will make the house clean itself, make the meals prep and cook themselves, clean, dry, and put away all dirty clothes, the one that will balance the checkbook, pay the bills, redo my business website, come up with new marketing ideas, all while structuring the time the kids are home to allow appropriate amounts of "down time", exercise, activities to build fine motor skills and develop reading and math skills . . . the list goes on and on.
I KNOW there is no ONE magic solution/strategy that is going to make all that happen on its own. But I also know I need to focus on my vision, on what I want to see, in order to acheive it. The last time I posted I expressed how I needed to sit down with my DH and revisit our list of responsiblities to take some of the burden off of me. Just to clarify for all of you who were so supportive of me, the original list that I came up with has me being in charge of the laundry. I was also in charge of most everything else involved with the cleaning and running of the house, but I did pick some things for DH to do that would help out a lot, like unloading the dishwasher in the morning, taking out the trash, filling up the kids special cups with milk before he left in the morning. He and I together had come up with that original list a few months ago. I take full credit for any inequalities on the list, but set out this week to fix them.
I was quite impressed with how our discussion went. I worked to keep it very focused on the task at hand and possible solutions and not to go back and talk about how you didn't do this or this. I proposed with the laundry, for example, that the two solutions that I saw were for me to focus on no more than ONE load a day from start to finish OR for DH to simply take care of his own laundry, thus ensuring he would have enough clean clothes each day. We agreed on the first idea. I also brought up the idea of wearing his pants more than one time each, but he said they usually got dirty, mainly because he ends up spilling coffee on them during the ride to school. I wrote down the idea that we need to invest in multiple travel mugs (since it's so easy to lose them and/or leave them behind) to hopefully cut down on the amount that is spilled.
With the basic cleaning of the house (vacuuming, mopping, bathroom, dusting) we brainstormed some on how to make this work since just stating that I would be in charge of it was NOT enough. We came up with a plan to involve the kids: each day, each kid and I would be in charge of ONE of those four jobs in one room. We would do the job for about five minutes, cleaning as much as we could in that amount of time, so as not to overwhelm anyone, me included. And the next day we would get a new job. I LOVE this idea - I'm starting it tomorrow so we'll see how it works. DH was concerned with the LR rug, that the kids vacuuming this most days wouldn't allow it to fully get clean (they do snack in the LR and color, so there is a lot of stuff on the rug by the end of the day), so I suggested and he agreed that he would be in charge of vacuuming it one final time at the end of the day. Problem solved (I hope).
I'm really excited about the redistribution of household responsiblities, and I tried typing it out to clearly show the equality of them. It's now posted in the kitchen, front and center.
When I walked into the quiet house today, my main question was what do I want? What do I want to see as I look around the house? I think the main thing that would ultimately make me happy was to have a place for everything and have everything IN its place. Obviously I'm not the first person who has said that, but there is such validity to the statement. I would have such a sense of peace if I looked around the room I'm in right now and did not see piles of "stuff" on the floor, the table, the bookcase.
So then the next question is how am I going to acheive it? That clearly will take more thought. I LOVE the idea of doing a "Clean Sweep" (boy do I miss not having The Learning Channel anymore) but am not sure I could ever have enough uninterupted time to achieve it. This week is spring break and both DH and I have off, as do the kids. Maybe I can work out a plan to focus on some key places around the house. I'll have to think about that and report back. I know how important it is to NOT get the all or nothing mentality that I often get as a perfectionist. I know that even if I can work on one drawer, one pile, it's better than nothing. It just feels that when I do that another pile or hot spot forms almost before I finish with the first one, which is why I think just doing a clean sweep, room by room, and only bringing back in the things that HAVE a home and are used, that might be my answer. Hmmmm...
Any tips? I'd love to hear them!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
My sanity has fallen and it can't get up.
As I've written about for the last two days, Monday I fell down my stairs. I feel like a big baby still complaining about this, but I busted my lip open so it's still swollen and gross looking but the worst is that I landed smack on my back on the hard wood floor. My body really hurts. It's getting better, but last night my neck hurt so bad by the time I got in bed I started crying from pain just from putting my head on the pillow. :( I have an appointment with my chiropractor tomorrow, and I know that will help, but for now it doesn't feel good.
Yesterday I had to bring J home from school because she was acting sick. By the time we got home, she seemed fine, BUT today she woke with a fever. I wasted half an hour this morning trying to find a sub - only a waste of time since I couldn't find anyone. Hate missing school but if she's sick, she's sick. Except besides the fever, she's fine! Right now she's downstairs trying to boss her brothers around to set up for a show they're going to perform. I have no idea if this fever is going to stick around or not, so no way of knowing what the deal is for tomorrow yet.
B brought home the class teddy bear yesterday. I was out last night bowling with Bossy and lots of other Philly-area bloggers (more on that tomorrow), and even though I left everything ready to go back in the bag it came home in, at some point last night one of the kids took everything out of said bag and transferred it to the black hole that must exist in every house. When questioned about it, B has NO IDEA where some of the stuff could possibly be, but was very upset about bringing the bag back without all the stuff in it. Since I had to drive them to school this morning anyway and walk them to their classroom, I got a chnace to explain to the teacher that we can't find the folder, but everything else is inside. She was NOT happy. I tried explaining to her that he was very upset about this, which is why we ended up being late for school, and that I would buy her a new folder. Hopefully that will make up for it if we just can't find it. Today the bear came home with A, so we have another day to find it. Cross your fingers. I'm clearly getting a reputation at school since I have forgotten to pack snacks for the boys for their once-a-week snack day sometimes causing my boys to cry (good mommmy) and the boys have gone to school without their folders (I KNOW they were in there at one point; where the boys left them is ANYONE'S guess!) AND with their pants on backwards. Yep, mother of the year over here. Have to figure out a way to make the whole going to school with everything we need run smoother.
Anyway, my point after this whole long list of excuses and whining (sorry!) is that I need some accountability for ALL that I need to do. Here is my list for the rest of the afternoon, to attempt to accomplish between redirecting the kids towards somewhat meaningful opportunities and trying to keep J from running around too much in the hopes that this will make her all better:
1) Laundry (have to get caught up so DH will stop asking if I got a chance to wash his pants - he HAS to learn to wear his pants more than once before washing them)
2) Balance checkbook and pay bills (have been doing great with this but it got away from me this month)
3) Make dinner (something more than grilled cheese)
4) Clean kitchen counters (ewwww...)
5) Clear off dining room table and sofa table (so sick of looking at the piles of crap)
6) Deal with at least SOME of the papers (I was attempting to do that on Monday, had a basket of paperwork that had piled up and my cute file box in my hand as I walked down the stairs. The papers went flying and the file box landed hard on my face. I guess I should be happy it didn't break my nose.)
7) Work with the kids on creating a routine that would make the mornings go smoother.
8) Take them to the library so I can pick up the book I need to read for Book Club tomorrow night (good thing I'm a quick reader but this might be pushing it)
9) I had three different things I wanted to do tonight outside of the house, but think my time would be better spent with DH discussing a better way of dividing up the house responsiblities so I don't lose my mind.
10) Plan out meals for the rest of THIS week at least. My weight has skyrocketed and I need to get it under control. Planning meals (and sticking to that plan) will help, just have to DO it!
This is all I can deal with tonight, but I have a party to do on Saturday, my first tea party, and need to figure out what I can easily make for the tea party portion of it. I also need to finish planning the activities to make sure I have enough and don't wait until the last minute like I did for last week's party.
If you have ideas that pop into your head after reading this, ideas that might help me pull it all together, please share them! I feel like things were kind of in balance but me falling and J getting sick have toppled the precariously piled bits of my sanity off and I'm struggling to pick up all the pieces and put them in their proper places.
Yesterday I had to bring J home from school because she was acting sick. By the time we got home, she seemed fine, BUT today she woke with a fever. I wasted half an hour this morning trying to find a sub - only a waste of time since I couldn't find anyone. Hate missing school but if she's sick, she's sick. Except besides the fever, she's fine! Right now she's downstairs trying to boss her brothers around to set up for a show they're going to perform. I have no idea if this fever is going to stick around or not, so no way of knowing what the deal is for tomorrow yet.
B brought home the class teddy bear yesterday. I was out last night bowling with Bossy and lots of other Philly-area bloggers (more on that tomorrow), and even though I left everything ready to go back in the bag it came home in, at some point last night one of the kids took everything out of said bag and transferred it to the black hole that must exist in every house. When questioned about it, B has NO IDEA where some of the stuff could possibly be, but was very upset about bringing the bag back without all the stuff in it. Since I had to drive them to school this morning anyway and walk them to their classroom, I got a chnace to explain to the teacher that we can't find the folder, but everything else is inside. She was NOT happy. I tried explaining to her that he was very upset about this, which is why we ended up being late for school, and that I would buy her a new folder. Hopefully that will make up for it if we just can't find it. Today the bear came home with A, so we have another day to find it. Cross your fingers. I'm clearly getting a reputation at school since I have forgotten to pack snacks for the boys for their once-a-week snack day sometimes causing my boys to cry (good mommmy) and the boys have gone to school without their folders (I KNOW they were in there at one point; where the boys left them is ANYONE'S guess!) AND with their pants on backwards. Yep, mother of the year over here. Have to figure out a way to make the whole going to school with everything we need run smoother.
Anyway, my point after this whole long list of excuses and whining (sorry!) is that I need some accountability for ALL that I need to do. Here is my list for the rest of the afternoon, to attempt to accomplish between redirecting the kids towards somewhat meaningful opportunities and trying to keep J from running around too much in the hopes that this will make her all better:
1) Laundry (have to get caught up so DH will stop asking if I got a chance to wash his pants - he HAS to learn to wear his pants more than once before washing them)
2) Balance checkbook and pay bills (have been doing great with this but it got away from me this month)
3) Make dinner (something more than grilled cheese)
4) Clean kitchen counters (ewwww...)
5) Clear off dining room table and sofa table (so sick of looking at the piles of crap)
6) Deal with at least SOME of the papers (I was attempting to do that on Monday, had a basket of paperwork that had piled up and my cute file box in my hand as I walked down the stairs. The papers went flying and the file box landed hard on my face. I guess I should be happy it didn't break my nose.)
7) Work with the kids on creating a routine that would make the mornings go smoother.
8) Take them to the library so I can pick up the book I need to read for Book Club tomorrow night (good thing I'm a quick reader but this might be pushing it)
9) I had three different things I wanted to do tonight outside of the house, but think my time would be better spent with DH discussing a better way of dividing up the house responsiblities so I don't lose my mind.
10) Plan out meals for the rest of THIS week at least. My weight has skyrocketed and I need to get it under control. Planning meals (and sticking to that plan) will help, just have to DO it!
This is all I can deal with tonight, but I have a party to do on Saturday, my first tea party, and need to figure out what I can easily make for the tea party portion of it. I also need to finish planning the activities to make sure I have enough and don't wait until the last minute like I did for last week's party.
If you have ideas that pop into your head after reading this, ideas that might help me pull it all together, please share them! I feel like things were kind of in balance but me falling and J getting sick have toppled the precariously piled bits of my sanity off and I'm struggling to pick up all the pieces and put them in their proper places.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Owww
Body so sore.
Bottom lip swollen.
Damn those stairs.
And I'm plan to just suck it up because tonight I'm going bowling with a lot of really cool Bloggers to kick off Bossy's Road Trip. Oh yeah.
Bottom lip swollen.
Damn those stairs.
And I'm plan to just suck it up because tonight I'm going bowling with a lot of really cool Bloggers to kick off Bossy's Road Trip. Oh yeah.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Fortunately, Unfortunately
Fortunately, my sister agreed to take the kids home with her after school so I could have a couple hours to myself before my doctor's appointment today.
Unfortunately, I just fell down the last five of my stairs while carrying a big basket of papers to sort through down the stairs, landing on my back on the hard wood floors, on which I slammed my head.
Fortunately, I have a really cute file folder box with handles and a hard case that protects every paper inside.
Unfortunately, I was also carrying this file folder box when I was walking down the stairs. When I hit the floor, it hit me on my face and split my lip.
Fortunately, the kids weren't here to see me get hurt.
Unfortunately: OWWW!!!
Unfortunately, I just fell down the last five of my stairs while carrying a big basket of papers to sort through down the stairs, landing on my back on the hard wood floors, on which I slammed my head.
Fortunately, I have a really cute file folder box with handles and a hard case that protects every paper inside.
Unfortunately, I was also carrying this file folder box when I was walking down the stairs. When I hit the floor, it hit me on my face and split my lip.
Fortunately, the kids weren't here to see me get hurt.
Unfortunately: OWWW!!!
I'm on Bossy's Road Trip!
So it's way past my bedtime (can't take this Daylight Savings Time stuff), but I just saw a video I wanted to share:
Oh, did I mention I'm meeting Bossy Tuesday night? Oh, yeah, I'm one of the Philly area bloggers who will be getting together to be the first official stop on her Road Trip.
Oh, did I mention I'm meeting Bossy Tuesday night? Oh, yeah, I'm one of the Philly area bloggers who will be getting together to be the first official stop on her Road Trip.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
WHY?!!!
I just wrote a REALLY long post as an introduction to myself for any new readers. It is great - I have LOTS of links to past posts and to the Blog Party at 5 Minutes for Mom. Every time I try to post my long post, the computer gives me an error message. ARGH!!!
Edited to add:
Look below! That LONG post I was talking about is there. It's so long I actually started it yesterday and just finished it. It wouldn't post for some reason, but now if FINALLY did. Enjoy!
Edited to add:
Look below! That LONG post I was talking about is there. It's so long I actually started it yesterday and just finished it. It wouldn't post for some reason, but now if FINALLY did. Enjoy!
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Welcome to the Party!
Let's get this party started!
I decided to join the ultimate blog party over at 5 Minutes for Mom. If you want to join, here's your personal invite! Head on over and start jumping from blog to blog to check out everyone's party post. I can't wait to meet some new bloggers. Yeah, that's just what I need, something more to distract me from all the stuff I have to do!
If you are visiting for the first time - welcome! I recently spruced up the place, redecorating the template and adding lots of new page elements. I had somehow missed when Blogger changed the way you can revise your template, but now that I figured out how simple it is, I feel like I'm adding new links or buttons every other day. Hope you like it. As for this post, I had so much fu putting in links to past posts I've written. Click on any you want to get more info about ANY topic I've written. Feel free to ask about any aspect of my life. If it is too personal, I'll just let you know, but you will probably figure out soon that not too much is off-limits!
Let me introduce myself to anyone who is visiting. My name starts with an R. I started this blog when I was a full-time SAHM, hence the title, and even though I work a lot more outside of the home now, I still view myself as a part-time teacher and part-time SAHM, so I have not changed the name of my blog even though SOME people suggest it to me every time I see them. I use this blog because it's cheaper and easier than therapy. I find that I do better when I keep a journal and write in it every day. Every time I have tried to do that in a paper journal I've only been able to keep it up for a few weeks at most. Using this blog as my journal inspires me to use it every day (well, at least more often than if it had been a book for me to write in). Be sure to look on my sidebar for a description of my "cast of characters."
I met my DH in high school. We were good friends, nothing more, for about three years before we ended up dancing together at a friend's party the summer after my first year of college. The sparks started flying; we've been together ever since.
During our first seven years of marriage I taught elementary school. As much as I loved teaching, we both LOVED the idea of having our own kids, so for five of those years we tried everything we could to conceive. Eventually our 2nd attempt of IVF was successful and I became pregnant with my two beautiful boys. My pregnancy with them turned out to be a little more complicated than I expected, but all's well that ends well. And fifteen months later we were amazed to discover that my body actually worked on its own - I became pregnant with J. The kids are two years apart. It's so hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that the boys just turned six last week and that J will be four on St. Patrick's Day.
When the boys were born, I couldn't do much of anything besides nurse and change their diapers, but as they got a little older, I needed to find alternative ways to bring in more money. Basically I started doing everything I could to use my teaching experience and still stay home with the boys. I started watching my nephew full-time and running a Moms Morning Out out of the house. I also taught part-time at the synagogue. Things got more complicated when I got pg with J, so I took a break with all that then, but once she was born we started things up again. Eventually my sister gave birth to my niece so I added her to the mix.
When A was finally diagnosed with Asperger's I told my sister I couldn't watch my niece and nephew anymore. I just needed more time to focus on him. But I kept up with all my part-time teaching at the synagogue so I could still bring in more money. This year I started teachig preschool at the synagogue 5 mornings a week as well as all the other part-time teaching I've been doing. I also started my own business providing entertainment at kids' birthday parties. And I'm STILL a SAHM for the most part when my kids are home.
Writing this post has been so much fun. I got to look through so many past posts that I have written. I know it may not have been that funny or exciting for all of you reading, but with three kids running around trying to get my attention I had to spread the writing of it over two days and it was the best I could do. For those of you visiting for the first time, I gave you a small explanation and description of my life. Hope you enjoyed it. PLEASE leave a comment to let me know you've been here - I promise to return the favor!
EDITED TO ADD:
Just read some of the fine print at 5 Minutes for Mom and realized if I wanted to win one of the incredible prizes, I needed to post which ones I like! So here are the prizes that look great to me:
1) A new blog design by Sweet 'n' Simple Design
2) A new blog design by Summer
3) A blog makeover by Shauna
I decided to join the ultimate blog party over at 5 Minutes for Mom. If you want to join, here's your personal invite! Head on over and start jumping from blog to blog to check out everyone's party post. I can't wait to meet some new bloggers. Yeah, that's just what I need, something more to distract me from all the stuff I have to do!
If you are visiting for the first time - welcome! I recently spruced up the place, redecorating the template and adding lots of new page elements. I had somehow missed when Blogger changed the way you can revise your template, but now that I figured out how simple it is, I feel like I'm adding new links or buttons every other day. Hope you like it. As for this post, I had so much fu putting in links to past posts I've written. Click on any you want to get more info about ANY topic I've written. Feel free to ask about any aspect of my life. If it is too personal, I'll just let you know, but you will probably figure out soon that not too much is off-limits!
Let me introduce myself to anyone who is visiting. My name starts with an R. I started this blog when I was a full-time SAHM, hence the title, and even though I work a lot more outside of the home now, I still view myself as a part-time teacher and part-time SAHM, so I have not changed the name of my blog even though SOME people suggest it to me every time I see them. I use this blog because it's cheaper and easier than therapy. I find that I do better when I keep a journal and write in it every day. Every time I have tried to do that in a paper journal I've only been able to keep it up for a few weeks at most. Using this blog as my journal inspires me to use it every day (well, at least more often than if it had been a book for me to write in). Be sure to look on my sidebar for a description of my "cast of characters."
I met my DH in high school. We were good friends, nothing more, for about three years before we ended up dancing together at a friend's party the summer after my first year of college. The sparks started flying; we've been together ever since.
During our first seven years of marriage I taught elementary school. As much as I loved teaching, we both LOVED the idea of having our own kids, so for five of those years we tried everything we could to conceive. Eventually our 2nd attempt of IVF was successful and I became pregnant with my two beautiful boys. My pregnancy with them turned out to be a little more complicated than I expected, but all's well that ends well. And fifteen months later we were amazed to discover that my body actually worked on its own - I became pregnant with J. The kids are two years apart. It's so hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that the boys just turned six last week and that J will be four on St. Patrick's Day.
When the boys were born, I couldn't do much of anything besides nurse and change their diapers, but as they got a little older, I needed to find alternative ways to bring in more money. Basically I started doing everything I could to use my teaching experience and still stay home with the boys. I started watching my nephew full-time and running a Moms Morning Out out of the house. I also taught part-time at the synagogue. Things got more complicated when I got pg with J, so I took a break with all that then, but once she was born we started things up again. Eventually my sister gave birth to my niece so I added her to the mix.
When A was finally diagnosed with Asperger's I told my sister I couldn't watch my niece and nephew anymore. I just needed more time to focus on him. But I kept up with all my part-time teaching at the synagogue so I could still bring in more money. This year I started teachig preschool at the synagogue 5 mornings a week as well as all the other part-time teaching I've been doing. I also started my own business providing entertainment at kids' birthday parties. And I'm STILL a SAHM for the most part when my kids are home.
Writing this post has been so much fun. I got to look through so many past posts that I have written. I know it may not have been that funny or exciting for all of you reading, but with three kids running around trying to get my attention I had to spread the writing of it over two days and it was the best I could do. For those of you visiting for the first time, I gave you a small explanation and description of my life. Hope you enjoyed it. PLEASE leave a comment to let me know you've been here - I promise to return the favor!
EDITED TO ADD:
Just read some of the fine print at 5 Minutes for Mom and realized if I wanted to win one of the incredible prizes, I needed to post which ones I like! So here are the prizes that look great to me:
1) A new blog design by Sweet 'n' Simple Design
2) A new blog design by Summer
3) A blog makeover by Shauna
Notice a theme?
Of course, if these are already taken, I would love a couple others, like #8 Fifty Nights of Family Fun or #58 a 6 week custom fitness plan (because you KNOW that's why I haven't been exercising, I just didn't have a plan).
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Say Cheese!
As I type this post, I'm watching Kadi's episode of Supernanny that I had Tivoed. Did any of you watch it? So neat to see someone that I kind of know (or at least feel like I know since I've read her blog). And I'm totally stealing the hearts idea - writing something positive for each child to give it to them at dinnertime. What a great way to focus on each child as an individual!
I've been thinking a lot about people's perceptions of me. Many people that see me on a regular basis will comment on my constant smile. They seem to feel that since they see a smile all the time I must just be happy all the time. It's really funny to me that people perceive me like that. I have major clinical depression. I have gone through serious bouts where I've been unable to even get out of bed. I have gone through therapy. I am on medication and accept that I will need to be on it probably for the rest of my life. I also have no doubt that over the years my medication levels will probably have to be readjusted. I constantly have to focus on my energy level and making sure I don't get overwhelmed, since those two things are usually the first indicators of having problems with the depression.
In college I read a quote by Abe Lincoln, "People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be." It really changed my life. I know for me and for many other people there is a chemical imbalance to contend with, but I also know a lot of times I have to make a choice. If I don't take care of myself, especially when I end up staying up too late, I have a hard time coping. When I have a hard time coping, I get overwhelmed. When I get overwhelmed, I end up staying up too late. And the cycle continues. If I'm tired I often have trouble getting off the couch or away from the computer. I have to push myself, make the choice, to get up and get moving. When I don't, I end up feeling so bad about myself and my day.
I make a choice to keep a smile on my face. It's not always easy; there are plenty of times where I have to make a very concious choice to take a deep breath instead of reacting, to not show my true feelings for fear of scaring my kids or my students or of alienating the people around me. I make a choice to smile. And a remarkable thing happens. Just like Anna in The King and I sings about whistling a happy tune when she feels afraid, "for when I fool the people I fear I fool myself as well," when I keep a smile on my face I often "fool myself as well" too! It's an amazing thing.
So people will continue to comment about my perpetual smile, my constant-state of happiness, and I will continue to make the choice to KEEP that smile on my face. I know I'm faking it sometimes, but I'm still making the choice. And most of the times, even if I'm NOT feeling happy, I can often fool myself into believing that things are okay.
Just watch out for those few times when you DON'T see that smile!
I've been thinking a lot about people's perceptions of me. Many people that see me on a regular basis will comment on my constant smile. They seem to feel that since they see a smile all the time I must just be happy all the time. It's really funny to me that people perceive me like that. I have major clinical depression. I have gone through serious bouts where I've been unable to even get out of bed. I have gone through therapy. I am on medication and accept that I will need to be on it probably for the rest of my life. I also have no doubt that over the years my medication levels will probably have to be readjusted. I constantly have to focus on my energy level and making sure I don't get overwhelmed, since those two things are usually the first indicators of having problems with the depression.
In college I read a quote by Abe Lincoln, "People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be." It really changed my life. I know for me and for many other people there is a chemical imbalance to contend with, but I also know a lot of times I have to make a choice. If I don't take care of myself, especially when I end up staying up too late, I have a hard time coping. When I have a hard time coping, I get overwhelmed. When I get overwhelmed, I end up staying up too late. And the cycle continues. If I'm tired I often have trouble getting off the couch or away from the computer. I have to push myself, make the choice, to get up and get moving. When I don't, I end up feeling so bad about myself and my day.
I make a choice to keep a smile on my face. It's not always easy; there are plenty of times where I have to make a very concious choice to take a deep breath instead of reacting, to not show my true feelings for fear of scaring my kids or my students or of alienating the people around me. I make a choice to smile. And a remarkable thing happens. Just like Anna in The King and I sings about whistling a happy tune when she feels afraid, "for when I fool the people I fear I fool myself as well," when I keep a smile on my face I often "fool myself as well" too! It's an amazing thing.
So people will continue to comment about my perpetual smile, my constant-state of happiness, and I will continue to make the choice to KEEP that smile on my face. I know I'm faking it sometimes, but I'm still making the choice. And most of the times, even if I'm NOT feeling happy, I can often fool myself into believing that things are okay.
Just watch out for those few times when you DON'T see that smile!
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
This is the best I can do
Crazy day.
Crazy week.
Too tired to write in complete sentences.
Got kids dressed and out the door. Double-checked that the boys had on underwear AND had their pants facing the right direction (apparently this has been a problem at school - yeah, don't I feel like mother of the year).
Set up room for class today.
Met with parent for a conference.
Taught my two year olds from 9-12.
Drove my children plus my nephew to my sister's for lunch.
Left them there and went for a stress echocardiogram. Yep, nothing like stripping to my waist for a room full of women I just met, getting all hooked up with wires, being poked and prodded and holding my breath till they find JUST the right picture, walking/running on the treadmill until my heart is beating at 90% capacity (?), jumping off said treadmill and laying down immediately to be poked and prodded and forced to hold my breath while I'm gasping for air. Good times.
Set up for my final drama class (after-school enrichement class)/performance. Since we hadn't been able to finalize the show, I thought fast on my feet and created a talk show/interview performance where I had their characters tell the story with my prompting. Luckily it worked great.
Got home and made dinner for my family plus my sister and her kids (DH repaid J watching our kids earlier today by watching hers while she subbed for Hebrew School).
Helped (yay, DH was HOME!) get kids ready for and in bed.
Watched America's Next Top Model ("Wanna be on top?" - best theme song EVER!) with DH. Yes, we were too tired for anything more intellectual.
And now I'm updating my blog.
Then I'm off to bed.
I hope to have more interesting things to write about tomorrow.
For now, this is the best I can do.
Crazy week.
Too tired to write in complete sentences.
Got kids dressed and out the door. Double-checked that the boys had on underwear AND had their pants facing the right direction (apparently this has been a problem at school - yeah, don't I feel like mother of the year).
Set up room for class today.
Met with parent for a conference.
Taught my two year olds from 9-12.
Drove my children plus my nephew to my sister's for lunch.
Left them there and went for a stress echocardiogram. Yep, nothing like stripping to my waist for a room full of women I just met, getting all hooked up with wires, being poked and prodded and holding my breath till they find JUST the right picture, walking/running on the treadmill until my heart is beating at 90% capacity (?), jumping off said treadmill and laying down immediately to be poked and prodded and forced to hold my breath while I'm gasping for air. Good times.
Set up for my final drama class (after-school enrichement class)/performance. Since we hadn't been able to finalize the show, I thought fast on my feet and created a talk show/interview performance where I had their characters tell the story with my prompting. Luckily it worked great.
Got home and made dinner for my family plus my sister and her kids (DH repaid J watching our kids earlier today by watching hers while she subbed for Hebrew School).
Helped (yay, DH was HOME!) get kids ready for and in bed.
Watched America's Next Top Model ("Wanna be on top?" - best theme song EVER!) with DH. Yes, we were too tired for anything more intellectual.
And now I'm updating my blog.
Then I'm off to bed.
I hope to have more interesting things to write about tomorrow.
For now, this is the best I can do.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
I Love Suppernanny!
Trying to ignore J's cries.
She wants her toy/flashlight. I don't know where it is. She doesn't go to sleep with it every night and even has a nightlight on right now, so she doesn't REALLY need it. But tonight she has decided she needs it right now!
Even if I found it right now, I wouldn't bring it to her for fear of reinforcing the tantrum.
So now I sit downstairs and work hard on ignoring her.
When she gets out of bed I will walk her back without talking to her, ala the "Stay-in-Bed Technique" from Suppernanny.
But for now, she's staying in bed and I'm just sitting down here listening to her scream. ARGH!
****************************
Couldn't take it. Twenty minutes of crying, then A came out to complain (the three kids share a room) that he couldn't hear the radio. J stopped crying long enough to tell me exactly where the flashlight was, I brought it to her, it's now quiet upstairs. Yes, I totally caved.
**********************************************
On another note, did you check out that clip on the Suppernanny website? I started reading this really need blog named Seven Seeds, written by a mom with SEVEN kids. Her family will be on Supernanny this week! I cannot wait to watch this episode since, after reading the blog, I feel like I know her!
She wants her toy/flashlight. I don't know where it is. She doesn't go to sleep with it every night and even has a nightlight on right now, so she doesn't REALLY need it. But tonight she has decided she needs it right now!
Even if I found it right now, I wouldn't bring it to her for fear of reinforcing the tantrum.
So now I sit downstairs and work hard on ignoring her.
When she gets out of bed I will walk her back without talking to her, ala the "Stay-in-Bed Technique" from Suppernanny.
But for now, she's staying in bed and I'm just sitting down here listening to her scream. ARGH!****************************
Couldn't take it. Twenty minutes of crying, then A came out to complain (the three kids share a room) that he couldn't hear the radio. J stopped crying long enough to tell me exactly where the flashlight was, I brought it to her, it's now quiet upstairs. Yes, I totally caved.
**********************************************
On another note, did you check out that clip on the Suppernanny website? I started reading this really need blog named Seven Seeds, written by a mom with SEVEN kids. Her family will be on Supernanny this week! I cannot wait to watch this episode since, after reading the blog, I feel like I know her!
Sunday, March 02, 2008
NaBloPoMo
It used to be bloggers used the month of November to challenge themselves to write one post every day. No more shall that challenge be limited to November. Look to my sidebar on the right side! I pledge to write one post a day for this whole month. I know, I know, I missed yesterday. So sue me! I'll try to do two one day to make up for that. Sheesh - some of you are so picky!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Six Years Ago Today
I became a mom. It was an extremely long, bumpy, and eventful journey but once we arrived at the end and I recovered enough to see those two little boys in their isolettes, even with all the beeps and buzzers of the NICU, it was worth it. And now they're six. It feels like a lifetime ago since I first became pregnant.
I would love to walk down memory lane and also write about what has been going on this week, but I need to go make mac and cheese (for A) and pizza (for B), enough for all fourteen people who will be here tonight, frost their cupcakes, clean up the downstairs, figure out some way that all those people will be able to SIT while they eat . . . and, if I can squeeze it in, prep everything I need for the party I'm doing tomorrow afternoon. Woohoo - let's go!
I would love to walk down memory lane and also write about what has been going on this week, but I need to go make mac and cheese (for A) and pizza (for B), enough for all fourteen people who will be here tonight, frost their cupcakes, clean up the downstairs, figure out some way that all those people will be able to SIT while they eat . . . and, if I can squeeze it in, prep everything I need for the party I'm doing tomorrow afternoon. Woohoo - let's go!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Check out my hubby!
Today and tomorrow are the last two nights of DH's show. Here are some pictures from it - doesn't he look cute?!!!
I'm going to FINALLY see it tomorrow night. If you are local and would like to join me, leave a comment (C'mon, you local lurkers, I know you're out there!) and I'll send you the details.
I'm going to FINALLY see it tomorrow night. If you are local and would like to join me, leave a comment (C'mon, you local lurkers, I know you're out there!) and I'll send you the details.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Updating My Layout
Okay, how did I miss this? When I first started my blog with Blogger, updating or changing any aspect of it was somewhat complicated, at least for me. I wasn't too comfortable working with the HTML code, so making any revisions was a big deal to me. Blogger had made some big changes a while ago, but I pretty much ignored them. Don't ask me why. Tonight I discovered how SIMPLE it is to move things around and add cool stuff.
So....what do you think?!!!
So....what do you think?!!!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
PayPerPost
Ever hear of PayPerPost?
I never had either until I read about it on one of the frugal living blogs I've been using as research on ways to .... well, live more frugally! I don't even remember which one it was now - I've been reading so many of them recently to get new ideas. In addition to trying to figure out new ways to cut our expenses, I'm always searching for additional ways to bring in more income. PayPerPost might be a great way for me to earn some money!
I just signed up. This post is my first attempt to earn money. If I'm doing it correctly (and it doesn't seem that complicated, so I THINK I am) I will earn twenty dollars. Yes, you read that right, twenty dollars just for letting you know about PayPerPost!
From what I understand, there is a big list of "opps" or opportunities for me to look through and possibly select. The opportunities are all from various websites and advertisers who are looking for other ways to get the word out about their site or their articles or even their product. The opps specify how much they will pay you. It looks really easy and profitable.
And when I'm finished this post, I will receive $20. I'm almost giddy! Well, not quite, but I'm excited about it. At first I was thinking that my minimum fee would be $20, but most of the opps seemed to be for less than that, so I'll have to see if that's typical or not. I'm thinking for now I'll take any money I make from this to go towards my list of things to buy for around the house. For example, I just rearranged the furniture (AGAIN) in my living room and am now looking to buy a white nine cube storage unit to help organize our entryway. Since I have something similar in the dining room for much more money that I got from IKEA, I think it will help pull the rooms together nicely. In any case, right now it's on sale for $40 - significantly cheaper than the bigger one I have already! I'm really looking forward to splurging on this.
As soon as I get the $ from PayPerPost I'll be able to let everyone know how quick and easy it actually was. Hope this works out just like I expect it to! Don't worry, I'm not going to be doing these types of posts all the time, but it might be nice to be able to earn some money from this blog!
One of the requirements is that I include this link:
drive traffic
Edited to add:
Just saw a way that YOU can make some money too! Just click on this button:
and review this post. You make money AND I make money. Win/win!!!
I never had either until I read about it on one of the frugal living blogs I've been using as research on ways to .... well, live more frugally! I don't even remember which one it was now - I've been reading so many of them recently to get new ideas. In addition to trying to figure out new ways to cut our expenses, I'm always searching for additional ways to bring in more income. PayPerPost might be a great way for me to earn some money!
I just signed up. This post is my first attempt to earn money. If I'm doing it correctly (and it doesn't seem that complicated, so I THINK I am) I will earn twenty dollars. Yes, you read that right, twenty dollars just for letting you know about PayPerPost!
From what I understand, there is a big list of "opps" or opportunities for me to look through and possibly select. The opportunities are all from various websites and advertisers who are looking for other ways to get the word out about their site or their articles or even their product. The opps specify how much they will pay you. It looks really easy and profitable.
And when I'm finished this post, I will receive $20. I'm almost giddy! Well, not quite, but I'm excited about it. At first I was thinking that my minimum fee would be $20, but most of the opps seemed to be for less than that, so I'll have to see if that's typical or not. I'm thinking for now I'll take any money I make from this to go towards my list of things to buy for around the house. For example, I just rearranged the furniture (AGAIN) in my living room and am now looking to buy a white nine cube storage unit to help organize our entryway. Since I have something similar in the dining room for much more money that I got from IKEA, I think it will help pull the rooms together nicely. In any case, right now it's on sale for $40 - significantly cheaper than the bigger one I have already! I'm really looking forward to splurging on this.
As soon as I get the $ from PayPerPost I'll be able to let everyone know how quick and easy it actually was. Hope this works out just like I expect it to! Don't worry, I'm not going to be doing these types of posts all the time, but it might be nice to be able to earn some money from this blog!
One of the requirements is that I include this link:
drive traffic
Edited to add:
Just saw a way that YOU can make some money too! Just click on this button:
and review this post. You make money AND I make money. Win/win!!!
Barely coughing anymore
I'm finally returning to the land of the living!!! Woohoo! Thanks to my DH, who took care of the kids all afternoon yesterday (allowing me to go to bed at 4) and took over again today as soon as he got home at 6 so he could give them dinner, baths, and put them to bed, AND my incredible sister, who had me bring all the kids to her house for the entire afternoon so I could rest, I no longer have the pain and pressure filling and surrounding my head and the heavy weight on my chest. What a relief!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Good Night
Taught today. Mistake. Totally wore me out.
DH got home at 3:30. SOOOOOOooo glad to see him. I went upstairs and went to sleep propped up in bed. Woke at 8 only because my bladder was so full it hurt. Peed, went downstairs to eat a little, and am now ready to go back to bed. I got a sub for tomorrow. Luckily the party I was going to do tomorrow has been rescheduled for Friday because the birthday boy got sick too. That makes Friday a very long day, but at least helps me out for tomorrow. Now besides getting the kids to school I only have to teach my drama class at 4 tomorrow afternoon - not bad. Have to e-mail a few more people about tomorrow and then I'm back to bed.
DH got home at 3:30. SOOOOOOooo glad to see him. I went upstairs and went to sleep propped up in bed. Woke at 8 only because my bladder was so full it hurt. Peed, went downstairs to eat a little, and am now ready to go back to bed. I got a sub for tomorrow. Luckily the party I was going to do tomorrow has been rescheduled for Friday because the birthday boy got sick too. That makes Friday a very long day, but at least helps me out for tomorrow. Now besides getting the kids to school I only have to teach my drama class at 4 tomorrow afternoon - not bad. Have to e-mail a few more people about tomorrow and then I'm back to bed.
Cough. ZZZZZzzz. Cough.
And now I have to REALLY suck it up. School starts again today. I'm going to get a sub for Hebrew school tonight, but I think it's just too hard to get a sub for my little guys today, so I'm going to go in and demonstrate how to do the "elephant cough" the right way. What? You don't know what the elephant cough is? That's how we teach the kids to cough: put your arm across your face so you end up coughing into the inside of your arm, on the other side of your elbow. Do it right and it looks like you're making an elephant trunk. Cute, huh. So I'll be showing them all how Miss R "elephant coughs" all morning long. And I'll be washing my hands a lot.
I know I have to suck it up, so I'll just take a moment now to whine and complain. Then I'll be done and ready to face the rest of the day.
I know I have to suck it up, so I'll just take a moment now to whine and complain. Then I'll be done and ready to face the rest of the day.
- My chest hurts from all the coughing I've been doing.
- My nose is red, raw, dry, and sore.
- The house is a mess because I have not been able to stay on top of it for the last few days.
- My neck hurts from both all the coughing and from attempting to sleep sitting up, forcing my neck to rest at an unatural angle.
- I am still coughing a lot - though I think the cold medicine has finally started taking effect. I'm sure I will need to take another dose by nine or so. I can take another dose at 11.
- I'm SO SO SO tired. Couldn't stop coughing until about midnight, and woke up coughing terribly around 6:30 or so. Not bad, but definitely not enough. Especially since I have not had enough sleep the last few days.
- Blech!
Okay, that being said, I'm doing much better!
Anybody else watch the Today show this morning? I heard a mom talk about this GREAT web business she started in October, kind of a Netflix for toys. What a great idea!!!
Alright, time to get moving. I'm not dying anymore, but I may be sleepwalking.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Cough!
Did you know that my fake Nyquil medicine I took wears off after SIX hours? That ended up being at 4 AM. I knew to the minute when it wore off because I suddenly could not stop coughing. I did eventually doze off on the couch with my near empty tea cup in my hand, but not for long, so basically have been up since 4. Cough, cough.
I was able to get a babysitter that is with the kids now. She's here until 12, so pretty soon I just need to suck it up. I'm going to take a long hot shower in a moment and take some more medicine. After I give the kids lunch I need to take them on a couple errands: first to drop off my holter monitor to the cardioligist's (hopefully they will give me some answers soon!), then to the dollar store to see if I can get some more supplies for the party I'm doing on Wednesday, then to the produce store to get some fruits and veggies, then to Rite Aid to pick up some medicine. Ugh. I'm hoping I can convince the kids that this is a big adventure and they need to be Mommy's helpers. Cross your fingers.
I was able to get a babysitter that is with the kids now. She's here until 12, so pretty soon I just need to suck it up. I'm going to take a long hot shower in a moment and take some more medicine. After I give the kids lunch I need to take them on a couple errands: first to drop off my holter monitor to the cardioligist's (hopefully they will give me some answers soon!), then to the dollar store to see if I can get some more supplies for the party I'm doing on Wednesday, then to the produce store to get some fruits and veggies, then to Rite Aid to pick up some medicine. Ugh. I'm hoping I can convince the kids that this is a big adventure and they need to be Mommy's helpers. Cross your fingers.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Sniff, sniff, cough, cough
Ugh.
I'm dying.
I know I'm not. I know I'm being a total baby. I know I'm exaggerating my symptoms only to get much needed sympathy. I know I'm being totally insensitive and ingrateful to the fact that I DON'T actually have a terminal disease, it's just a cold, suck it up, there are people out there that have it much worse than I do.
But I'm still dying.
DH is doing a show right now. It's getting great reviews, I can't wait to see it, how fabulous for him that he is getting such positive recognition.
But.
He was there last night while I was dying, but still had to get the kids ready for bed. To be fair, he had been in charge of them ALL day, not just them but also my niece and nephew to help out my sister who has been so wonderful in helping us out with child-care whenever we have needed it. Instead of spending the day in bed as I should have, I went out and worked on the laptop at my favorite coffee place. I managed to plan out preschool for the next two weeks, plus type the newsletters to send home, plus revise my Religious School plans AND type a newsletter to send home for that too. It was good, even though I forgot to bring tissues and had to rely on at least three dozen of their cardboard-like napkins to blow my nose.
He's preparing for his matinee right now. I had promised to get up with the kids today, but since I was dying, he volunteered not just to get up with them but to also let me stay in bed until the last possible minute before he had to leave at 11:30.
He's a good person.
But, bottom line, I'm dying and the kids keep nagging me for food and drink, claiming its time for lunch or some such nonsense, and I'm the only one here who can get it for them. Though A just walked by with one of the snack containers I had in the snack box (I've filled the box with lots of kid-sized portions of various snacks they like to eat), so maybe they'll all just get food for themselves. Naaah, I don't think that will work.
On the plus side, I found some medicine in the closet that I took and I GUESS it's helping a little, even though my chest still hurts from congestion.
My heart is still jumping around inside my chest, but the good news is I just did yet another 48 hour holter test (where I get all wired for sound with five leads on my chest and a Walkman size recorder thingy that I keep in my pocket) and this time my heart decided to perform. Every time I've done this before my heart has decided to behave impeccably, going ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump just like it's supposed to. I made the mistake of praying that my heart would DO the funky thing it does when the monitor is actually on, so it did. Oh, did it. Normally it will jump/skip a beat/whatever about six times in an evening once in a while. That would be a "bad" night. Apparently God answered my prayers by making my heart REALLY jump around so there would be PLENTY of funky beats for the cardiologists to analyze. Plenty. As in around 35 extra beats that make me gasp and jump all day long on Friday. Fun. Lots of fun. And even though the monitor is off now, my heart still thinks it needs to be doing step aerobics or something, so even though I'm sitting calmly at the computer, every once in awhile my heart decides to make me jump out of the seat.
It's a good thing I was wired for sound Thursday - Saturday because otherwise I would have called the doctor to ask what the heck was going on! I return the monitor tomorrow, so hopefully the doctor will soon be able to say THIS is what's going on. That would be nice. Especially if he says either, "This is actually no big deal; just learn to live with it and try to ignore it." OR "This is actually no big deal; just take this pill every day and it will stop giving you that jolt every once in a while out of the blue." Honestly, either would be fine.
Okay, I've put off making them lunch and getting them drinks long enough. Here I go.
I'm dying.
I know I'm not. I know I'm being a total baby. I know I'm exaggerating my symptoms only to get much needed sympathy. I know I'm being totally insensitive and ingrateful to the fact that I DON'T actually have a terminal disease, it's just a cold, suck it up, there are people out there that have it much worse than I do.
But I'm still dying.
DH is doing a show right now. It's getting great reviews, I can't wait to see it, how fabulous for him that he is getting such positive recognition.
But.
He was there last night while I was dying, but still had to get the kids ready for bed. To be fair, he had been in charge of them ALL day, not just them but also my niece and nephew to help out my sister who has been so wonderful in helping us out with child-care whenever we have needed it. Instead of spending the day in bed as I should have, I went out and worked on the laptop at my favorite coffee place. I managed to plan out preschool for the next two weeks, plus type the newsletters to send home, plus revise my Religious School plans AND type a newsletter to send home for that too. It was good, even though I forgot to bring tissues and had to rely on at least three dozen of their cardboard-like napkins to blow my nose.
He's preparing for his matinee right now. I had promised to get up with the kids today, but since I was dying, he volunteered not just to get up with them but to also let me stay in bed until the last possible minute before he had to leave at 11:30.
He's a good person.
But, bottom line, I'm dying and the kids keep nagging me for food and drink, claiming its time for lunch or some such nonsense, and I'm the only one here who can get it for them. Though A just walked by with one of the snack containers I had in the snack box (I've filled the box with lots of kid-sized portions of various snacks they like to eat), so maybe they'll all just get food for themselves. Naaah, I don't think that will work.
On the plus side, I found some medicine in the closet that I took and I GUESS it's helping a little, even though my chest still hurts from congestion.
My heart is still jumping around inside my chest, but the good news is I just did yet another 48 hour holter test (where I get all wired for sound with five leads on my chest and a Walkman size recorder thingy that I keep in my pocket) and this time my heart decided to perform. Every time I've done this before my heart has decided to behave impeccably, going ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump just like it's supposed to. I made the mistake of praying that my heart would DO the funky thing it does when the monitor is actually on, so it did. Oh, did it. Normally it will jump/skip a beat/whatever about six times in an evening once in a while. That would be a "bad" night. Apparently God answered my prayers by making my heart REALLY jump around so there would be PLENTY of funky beats for the cardiologists to analyze. Plenty. As in around 35 extra beats that make me gasp and jump all day long on Friday. Fun. Lots of fun. And even though the monitor is off now, my heart still thinks it needs to be doing step aerobics or something, so even though I'm sitting calmly at the computer, every once in awhile my heart decides to make me jump out of the seat.
It's a good thing I was wired for sound Thursday - Saturday because otherwise I would have called the doctor to ask what the heck was going on! I return the monitor tomorrow, so hopefully the doctor will soon be able to say THIS is what's going on. That would be nice. Especially if he says either, "This is actually no big deal; just learn to live with it and try to ignore it." OR "This is actually no big deal; just take this pill every day and it will stop giving you that jolt every once in a while out of the blue." Honestly, either would be fine.
Okay, I've put off making them lunch and getting them drinks long enough. Here I go.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Sniff
Ugh.
I'm sick.
Crumpled, used tissues surround this laptop.
I should be spraying everything with Lysol.
My head is stuffed - my sinuses, my nose. My eyes are burning, My nose is red and sore.
Blech.
And yet I have three kids sucking on their lollipops, dancing all around me, talking at the top of their lungs. It's bedtime. Finish the damn lollipops - it's time for bed!!!
I have lots more to write, but must respond to J who is repeating, "Boys, look at me in the inside of the house!" over and over and over again. Seriously. At least twenty times so far. Oh my gosh - stop it already!!!
Okay, just gave them all the one minute warning, whether they're finishes their lollipops or not. I'm just mean that way.
Hmmm...any way I can just snap my fingers and find them all changed, teeth brushed, and in bed instantly?
For the record, in case you're curious, it didn't work. Because the idea sounded really, really good and I thought it couldn't hurt to try.
Alright, one minute's up, time to get out of this chair and get them all ready for bed. I love my kids, but man, I sure would love a sick day right about now.
I'm sick.
Crumpled, used tissues surround this laptop.
I should be spraying everything with Lysol.
My head is stuffed - my sinuses, my nose. My eyes are burning, My nose is red and sore.
Blech.
And yet I have three kids sucking on their lollipops, dancing all around me, talking at the top of their lungs. It's bedtime. Finish the damn lollipops - it's time for bed!!!
I have lots more to write, but must respond to J who is repeating, "Boys, look at me in the inside of the house!" over and over and over again. Seriously. At least twenty times so far. Oh my gosh - stop it already!!!
Okay, just gave them all the one minute warning, whether they're finishes their lollipops or not. I'm just mean that way.
Hmmm...any way I can just snap my fingers and find them all changed, teeth brushed, and in bed instantly?
For the record, in case you're curious, it didn't work. Because the idea sounded really, really good and I thought it couldn't hurt to try.
Alright, one minute's up, time to get out of this chair and get them all ready for bed. I love my kids, but man, I sure would love a sick day right about now.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Friday Fatigue
7:00 AM - I am woken from a sound sleep by three children jumping on my bed saying, "Mommy, Wake up!" over and over again. To their credit I DID ask them to help me get out of bed on time today (what was I thinking?) but WHAT a rude awakening.
7:20 AM - Actually dragged my body out of bed and into the shower. Challenged the kids to get dressed before I finish my shower (we race every morning).
7:35 AM - Now that all four of us were dressed we headed downstairs were I quickly made everyone's breakfast, reminding them that our goal was to leave the house by 8:00 (so the boys could have time to play at my friend's house who drives them to school MWF). I set the timer for 15 minutes for everyone to eat.
7:50 AM - Began begging/nagging/encouraging the kids to MOVE: clean up from breakfast, brush hair and teeth, wash faces, put on coats, get their school bags, etc. all while I finish getting ready for the day ahead by packing lunches, applying makeup, brushing my own hair and teeth.
8:15 AM - Headed to the car
8:20 - Dropped the boys off at friends' house
8:25 - J and I arrived at school and headed to my room to finish setting up my room for today.
8:55 - Dropped J off at her classroom and began working with my first two kids.
9:00 - 12:00 - Worked with my group of two/three year olds to help them make their own challah, decorate a brown bag to bring said challah home, use words to take turns and ask for things, sing and dance to new songs, read stories, celebrate Shabbat with the whole school, enjoy an oneg Shabbat (a snack of grape juice, challah, and the oh so traditional Pirate Booty) back in our room, and then run and play outside for recess time.
12:00 - 2:00 -Lead a Parent/Child Shabbat lunch, service, craft, and snack
2:15 - Arrived at home. Pushed kids to do their regular to do lists and then lay on the couch to have some "Quiet Time" - totally necessary for them and me.
2:45 - Sat down to blog.
Here's the plan for the rest of this LOOOONG day:
Fold one load of laundry and put it away (it's being "fluffed" as we speak - well, as I type)
3:25 - Go pick up friend's daughter from her second preschool (E. picks up the boys from Kindergarten a few times a week and brings them to school, I pick up E's daughter on Fridays and keep her with us until around 7:15/7:30)
Make deposits at two banks (or "Lollipop Stores" - just depends on who you ask
Respond to two inquiries about parties (one phone call, one e-mail)
Make potatoes and cooked carrots (only vegetable we have in the house right now - I'm overdue to go to Produce Junction) to bring with me to Shabbat dinner at my parents'.
Fold and put away next load of launry
Clean kitchen counters (they're not too bad right now so shouldn't take too long)
Clear off dining room table (also not too bad)
Pick up crap in living room, including the pile of pretzels that spilled out of one of the boys' schoolbags
Get all four kids to use the potty, put on their shoes and coats, and into the car.
Go to my parents' for dinner and help get everything set up for all of us, all while refereeing the six kids (my niece and nephew will be there too)
"Sit" for dinner: make sure all the kids say the blessings as we light the candles and bless the food then work with my sister to cut up and pass out food to all of the kids. Try to eat a bite or two before one or two of the kids needs something else.
Clean up dishes, toys, children.
Change my three into their pjs.
Go home.
Put kids in bed.
Collapse.
7:20 AM - Actually dragged my body out of bed and into the shower. Challenged the kids to get dressed before I finish my shower (we race every morning).
7:35 AM - Now that all four of us were dressed we headed downstairs were I quickly made everyone's breakfast, reminding them that our goal was to leave the house by 8:00 (so the boys could have time to play at my friend's house who drives them to school MWF). I set the timer for 15 minutes for everyone to eat.
7:50 AM - Began begging/nagging/encouraging the kids to MOVE: clean up from breakfast, brush hair and teeth, wash faces, put on coats, get their school bags, etc. all while I finish getting ready for the day ahead by packing lunches, applying makeup, brushing my own hair and teeth.
8:15 AM - Headed to the car
8:20 - Dropped the boys off at friends' house
8:25 - J and I arrived at school and headed to my room to finish setting up my room for today.
8:55 - Dropped J off at her classroom and began working with my first two kids.
9:00 - 12:00 - Worked with my group of two/three year olds to help them make their own challah, decorate a brown bag to bring said challah home, use words to take turns and ask for things, sing and dance to new songs, read stories, celebrate Shabbat with the whole school, enjoy an oneg Shabbat (a snack of grape juice, challah, and the oh so traditional Pirate Booty) back in our room, and then run and play outside for recess time.
12:00 - 2:00 -Lead a Parent/Child Shabbat lunch, service, craft, and snack
2:15 - Arrived at home. Pushed kids to do their regular to do lists and then lay on the couch to have some "Quiet Time" - totally necessary for them and me.
2:45 - Sat down to blog.
Here's the plan for the rest of this LOOOONG day:
Fold one load of laundry and put it away (it's being "fluffed" as we speak - well, as I type)
3:25 - Go pick up friend's daughter from her second preschool (E. picks up the boys from Kindergarten a few times a week and brings them to school, I pick up E's daughter on Fridays and keep her with us until around 7:15/7:30)
Make deposits at two banks (or "Lollipop Stores" - just depends on who you ask
Respond to two inquiries about parties (one phone call, one e-mail)
Make potatoes and cooked carrots (only vegetable we have in the house right now - I'm overdue to go to Produce Junction) to bring with me to Shabbat dinner at my parents'.
Fold and put away next load of launry
Clean kitchen counters (they're not too bad right now so shouldn't take too long)
Clear off dining room table (also not too bad)
Pick up crap in living room, including the pile of pretzels that spilled out of one of the boys' schoolbags
Get all four kids to use the potty, put on their shoes and coats, and into the car.
Go to my parents' for dinner and help get everything set up for all of us, all while refereeing the six kids (my niece and nephew will be there too)
"Sit" for dinner: make sure all the kids say the blessings as we light the candles and bless the food then work with my sister to cut up and pass out food to all of the kids. Try to eat a bite or two before one or two of the kids needs something else.
Clean up dishes, toys, children.
Change my three into their pjs.
Go home.
Put kids in bed.
Collapse.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Bragging About My Hubby
Got this meme from MommyChicky and figured I really needed to do it to show the world (or at least the ten of you that read this blog) how wonderful my DH really is, even if I do get frustrated with his schedule from time to time.
Brag About Your Husband
What is his name: DH
How long have you been married: Almost 13 years
How long did you date: Four years - we were engaged for two of those years
How old is he: 35
How old are you: 36 (I know, I robbed the cradle)
Who eats more sweets: While I do eat my fair share of sweets, I'd have to say that he wins out in this category.
Whose parents do you see most? I'd say it's equal. Most weeks we have dinner with my parents on Friday nights for Shabbat and get together with his parents for dinner on Sundays (DH brings the kids there and hangs out all afternoon, I join them around 4:30).
Who said I love you first: I think it was him, but the feeling was definitely mutual!
Who is taller: Him.
Who can sing better: DH has a wonderful sounding voice, but has trouble hearing the pitch sometimes. So....without sounding too conceited....me.
Who is smarter: We are both smart about different things.
Who does the laundry: Mostly me.
Who does the dishes: DH is in charge of running the dishwasher at night and emptying it in the morning. I load it with dishes throughout the day.
Who pays the bills: Me.
His guilty pleasure: Watching TiVoed episodes of Cops, watching DVDs of Family Guy, The Simpsons, and Star Trek over and over and over again.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed: Me.
Who mows the lawn: DH.
Who has more friends: Between my local Flylady group, my synagogue, and the two different mom groups I am in, I would have to say me.
Besides you, who is his best friend: I think he considers his friend D. to be his best friend - they've been friends since they were about seven or eight!
Who cooks dinner: Me
Who is more stubborn: Me, but I'm really working on it!
Who kissed who first: I still remember it so clearly in my mind, even though it was almost 17 years ago! It was definitely mutual, but I waited for him to initiate it.
Who asked who out first: He did. And because he wanted to make sure it would be perfect, he made sure to ask me what kind of flowers I liked and what type of food I liked to eat. So cute.
What was your first date: We ate dinner at ChiChi's (Mexican food) and then saw The King and I at a local community theater.
Who proposed: We knew we were going to get married early on in our relationship, but since we were so young we didn't make it offical for a couple years. His parents allowed us to use the stones in a diamond ring that had been in their family for a long time to work with a jeweler and design our own engagement ring. I told DH that even though we both know it's a sure thing, I would not consider it official until he got down on one knee and asked with the ring. I made very clear to him that I thought proposals in public places like restaurants were the most romantic. I knew even then that it's better to speak up about those kinds of things than leave it to chance. It's not like I spelled everything out to him, just hinted at what I wanted. Even with all that, he still managed to totally surprise me when he actually did it. It was amazing, I cried, so romantic, we were engaged. So, in short, he did.
Who has more siblings: Me - he's an only child and I have both a brother AND a sister. My sister has done what she can to make him get a sense of what it would have been like to grow up with an annoying younger sister (Love you, J.!).
What is your favorite thing about him: I'd say top of the list is he makes me laugh (one of the first things that attracted me to him). We both have a very similar sense of humor - weird and twisted. We've been together first as friends for three years, then dating for two years, then being engaged for two years, and now married for almost 13 years - that's almost twenty years altogether, and I still enjoy just talking and laughing with him. At this point in our lives together, I'd say another quality that is close to the top of the list of favorite things about him is what an amazing father he is. I love watching him play with the kids. I know I was only supposed to name one thing and have already named two, but I just have to add one more. I love that no matter what the problem is, he really listens to me about it so we can work together to solve it, or at least make it more manageable. He also totally respects what I do as a SAHM and is in awe with all that I do to make the household run somewhat smoothly (as well he should be) and understands that when he in not teaching, it is only fair that we each shoulder the parenting responsiblities equally. I know, that was one more thing. What can I say? I love him. Neither one of us is perfect (and wouldn't it be boring if we were?) but he is still my partner for life, my best friend, the person I want to grow old with, the father of my children, and my true love. What else is there?
Monday, February 04, 2008
Frugal Living
I've said that money is tight a few times. I have a budget worked out that if we stick to, we'll be okay, but as everyone knows, it's not fun to stick to a budget and you really need to have self-control and commit to it. But my current financial goal is to not only stick to the budget but even try to come in under-budget each month.
The first step was to look at the last few months' spending in every category and edit the budget to be more realistic. For example, I had budgeted $150 each month for gas, but when I analyzed what we actually were spending I was shocked to discover it was around $400 each month! Damn those high gas prices!!! So that was one spot I needed to adjust.
But now that I have a more practical budget, I need to work on cutting down any extra spending, constantly asking if we REALLY need it right now or if it can wait.
I planned out inexpensive meals for the month yesterday. The first step for me was to create a list of meals that I can make without even looking at a recipe and that the kids all eat.
I put the meals in four categories: Meat, Chicken, Breakfast, and Pasta/Vegetarian.
I decided on a category for each day of the week: Mondays = Pasta/Vegetarian, Tuesdays = Meat or Chicken, Wednesdays = Breakfast, Thursdays = Homemade pizza (we make this together with veggies), Fridays = Shabbat dinner at my parents' - I bring a hot vegetable and a side dish, Saturday = "Buffet" of leftovers, Sunday = Dinner at my in-laws'.
I'm purposely only going to do a meat/chicken meal once a week to save on expenses (and of course will only use stuff on sale). Breakfast for dinner is another really cheap way that I like to do a meal. And I'm really focusing on using what we have at home and avoiding impulse buys or "quick trips" to the store, trying to make do with what we have at home. After planning out our meals for the month, I went ahead and ordered them from Genuardi's since they had just sent me a "Welcome Back" postcard for free delivery. I bought it all for $200, minus the meat which is cheapest at Giant so I'll buy that this weekend. The groceries won't be delivered until tomorrow afternoon, so we needed to "make do" for breakfast today and tomorrow. I made a big pot of oatmeal for the kids and I with the last of our milk, the last of our raisins, chopping up almonds into it to add more protein to it, and sweetened it with the last of our brown sugar. And the kids actually ate it!!! Well, I really had to stress how much sugar I put in it and how sweet it was, blah, blah, blah, but that at least got them to try it. When DH was disappointed that the groceries wouldn't arrive until tomorrow since it contains the bagels he eats for breakfast (he feels the need to eat in the car since he leaves for work so early), I just made up an egg sandwich for him and packed it up for him to grab tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow the kids and I will go to Produce Junction and stock up on fruits and vegetables, which can usually last us for about two weeks. I'm pushing the kids to eat the fruits and veggies for snacks, which is not only healthier, it seems to fill them up more than snacking on the pretzels and crackers that I put out in their "snack box." I can usually buy produce for less than $40 that last for two weeks, so that's about $80 a month. But it's only worth it if I make sure we eat everything we buy. In the past we've bought stuff that has gotten pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten that I eventually have to toss. Last month I managed to actually use up everything we bought - no waste!
So my frugal goal for the month is to see if we can get by on LESS than $400 for the five of us, including produce, dairy (we normally go through two gallons every 2 - 3 days), and meat.
Anyone else have any frugal tips on food that don't require too much time?
The first step was to look at the last few months' spending in every category and edit the budget to be more realistic. For example, I had budgeted $150 each month for gas, but when I analyzed what we actually were spending I was shocked to discover it was around $400 each month! Damn those high gas prices!!! So that was one spot I needed to adjust.
But now that I have a more practical budget, I need to work on cutting down any extra spending, constantly asking if we REALLY need it right now or if it can wait.
I planned out inexpensive meals for the month yesterday. The first step for me was to create a list of meals that I can make without even looking at a recipe and that the kids all eat.
I put the meals in four categories: Meat, Chicken, Breakfast, and Pasta/Vegetarian.
I decided on a category for each day of the week: Mondays = Pasta/Vegetarian, Tuesdays = Meat or Chicken, Wednesdays = Breakfast, Thursdays = Homemade pizza (we make this together with veggies), Fridays = Shabbat dinner at my parents' - I bring a hot vegetable and a side dish, Saturday = "Buffet" of leftovers, Sunday = Dinner at my in-laws'.
I'm purposely only going to do a meat/chicken meal once a week to save on expenses (and of course will only use stuff on sale). Breakfast for dinner is another really cheap way that I like to do a meal. And I'm really focusing on using what we have at home and avoiding impulse buys or "quick trips" to the store, trying to make do with what we have at home. After planning out our meals for the month, I went ahead and ordered them from Genuardi's since they had just sent me a "Welcome Back" postcard for free delivery. I bought it all for $200, minus the meat which is cheapest at Giant so I'll buy that this weekend. The groceries won't be delivered until tomorrow afternoon, so we needed to "make do" for breakfast today and tomorrow. I made a big pot of oatmeal for the kids and I with the last of our milk, the last of our raisins, chopping up almonds into it to add more protein to it, and sweetened it with the last of our brown sugar. And the kids actually ate it!!! Well, I really had to stress how much sugar I put in it and how sweet it was, blah, blah, blah, but that at least got them to try it. When DH was disappointed that the groceries wouldn't arrive until tomorrow since it contains the bagels he eats for breakfast (he feels the need to eat in the car since he leaves for work so early), I just made up an egg sandwich for him and packed it up for him to grab tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow the kids and I will go to Produce Junction and stock up on fruits and vegetables, which can usually last us for about two weeks. I'm pushing the kids to eat the fruits and veggies for snacks, which is not only healthier, it seems to fill them up more than snacking on the pretzels and crackers that I put out in their "snack box." I can usually buy produce for less than $40 that last for two weeks, so that's about $80 a month. But it's only worth it if I make sure we eat everything we buy. In the past we've bought stuff that has gotten pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten that I eventually have to toss. Last month I managed to actually use up everything we bought - no waste!
So my frugal goal for the month is to see if we can get by on LESS than $400 for the five of us, including produce, dairy (we normally go through two gallons every 2 - 3 days), and meat.
Anyone else have any frugal tips on food that don't require too much time?
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