The weather has been pretty icky lately. Rain, wind, and general misery. No joke, as I was driving the other day to pick up Kaelyn, at 4:30pm, it was pitch black outside from the clouds. Neither the cat nor the dog was happy to go outside (at least the cat had the option of staying…poor Buckeye had no choice!)
I don’t suffer from SAD, but I will say that good weather does make me a little bit happier. When I’m already tired and stressed and the weather is gray and cloudy, then it does nothing to lift my spirits…if it’s sunny, it will make me feel better.
A few weeks ago, I welcomed the bad weather. I needed a good excuse to just sit around the house and not go anywhere. But, things have calmed down considerably since then and now, I’m antsy to get out and clean up the yard, visit friends, and take day trips. Luckily, the last few days, the sun has been back out, but it’s been COLD!! The high tomorrow is only 47 degrees, and it looks like the new year is just going to start with more rain.
I’m still hoping to clean up the yard tomorrow. Be productive on my day off and start the new year with a clean house and nice yard. We’re planning on going to a friend’s house to ring in 2011. Kaelyn gets to come with us, which is great, because I’m not willing to start the year without all of us together.
This will probably be my last post of 2010. Sorry it’s not more profound. Happy New Year!!!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Christmas
Christmas is over…finally! I shouldn’t say that though, because this year it came and went much faster than I’m used to. Where I’m normally ready for the holidays to end and things to get back to normal, this year, Roger and I were too busy leading up to it to actually fully enjoy the season.
I’m a firm believer in “Holidays should not include stress, drama, or heartache” and didn’t love that Roger and I were rushed to get the decorations up, the packages in the mail, and the presents wrapped. And while he doesn’t feel stress the same way I do, I could tell that he was getting antsy to have things settle down himself. Luckily, things did slow down the week leading up to Christmas.
We both only worked 3 days and by Wednesday afternoon I was really looking forward to a long relaxing weekend. Kaelyn and I got home first and were playing together in her room when Roger came home…with a big surprise! A few weeks earlier, at his work Christmas party, one of his coworkers brought in Jack Russell Terrier puppies. They were the cutest things and I fell in love with one in particular. We talked about it briefly and then decided to wait it out the weekend and see if the puppy was still available on Monday. That Monday night, Roger told me she had been sold…what he didn’t tell me is that she had been sold to him. And on Wednesday night she came home! We named her Buckeye and it took her all of five minutes to warm up to us and make herself at home.
The rest of the weekend was pretty non-eventful. We got to know our newest family member, went to a Christmas Eve party on Friday night, and spent Christmas day together, in our PJ’s, perfectly relaxed. Kaelyn was able to participate this year, even though she was still quickly bored. She got so many things that we ended up putting more than half away in her closet, deciding it best to let her play with a few toys now and give her some more in a month or two to keep her from getting too bored. Kaelyn also blessed us with a gift of her own…she took her first steps! I’ve been convinced for a while now that she could walk and just chooses not to when anyone is looking. She showed us this weekend that she can take a step or two. She’s not entirely confident and doesn’t go far (she doesn’t fall though). I’m giving her until the end of the week to be full out walking…heck, she’ll probably be running tonight as fast as she goes from “novice” to “professional”.
Yesterday, Vickie came over with her dog, Max, to meet Buckeye. The dogs got along great and it was nice to have Vickie over for a few hours. Now, we’re back at work. I’m looking forward to getting the decorations down and putting the house back the way it was. It’s another short week for both of us. Not sure yet what our NYE plans are, but what I do know is that whatever we do, we’ll do it together …and that is all that matters.
I’m a firm believer in “Holidays should not include stress, drama, or heartache” and didn’t love that Roger and I were rushed to get the decorations up, the packages in the mail, and the presents wrapped. And while he doesn’t feel stress the same way I do, I could tell that he was getting antsy to have things settle down himself. Luckily, things did slow down the week leading up to Christmas.
We both only worked 3 days and by Wednesday afternoon I was really looking forward to a long relaxing weekend. Kaelyn and I got home first and were playing together in her room when Roger came home…with a big surprise! A few weeks earlier, at his work Christmas party, one of his coworkers brought in Jack Russell Terrier puppies. They were the cutest things and I fell in love with one in particular. We talked about it briefly and then decided to wait it out the weekend and see if the puppy was still available on Monday. That Monday night, Roger told me she had been sold…what he didn’t tell me is that she had been sold to him. And on Wednesday night she came home! We named her Buckeye and it took her all of five minutes to warm up to us and make herself at home.
The rest of the weekend was pretty non-eventful. We got to know our newest family member, went to a Christmas Eve party on Friday night, and spent Christmas day together, in our PJ’s, perfectly relaxed. Kaelyn was able to participate this year, even though she was still quickly bored. She got so many things that we ended up putting more than half away in her closet, deciding it best to let her play with a few toys now and give her some more in a month or two to keep her from getting too bored. Kaelyn also blessed us with a gift of her own…she took her first steps! I’ve been convinced for a while now that she could walk and just chooses not to when anyone is looking. She showed us this weekend that she can take a step or two. She’s not entirely confident and doesn’t go far (she doesn’t fall though). I’m giving her until the end of the week to be full out walking…heck, she’ll probably be running tonight as fast as she goes from “novice” to “professional”.
Yesterday, Vickie came over with her dog, Max, to meet Buckeye. The dogs got along great and it was nice to have Vickie over for a few hours. Now, we’re back at work. I’m looking forward to getting the decorations down and putting the house back the way it was. It’s another short week for both of us. Not sure yet what our NYE plans are, but what I do know is that whatever we do, we’ll do it together …and that is all that matters.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Fleeting and Unpredictable
I can't believe Christmas is in just a week! Normally, by now, I'm ready to just get it over with...but this year, we've been so busy that I feel like I'm missing the whole season.
The calmness I felt a week ago has flittered away. Christmas shopping is done, decorations are up, cookies are baked...Kaelyn's presents aren't wrapped, but that's not where the anxiety is coming from. Actually, it's not even anxiety. It's solemness. But more on that later.
Last weekend was great. It started with Roger's work Christmas party on Friday night. I picked Kae up after work and we met Roger for dinner, then went to the party. You can definitely tell that men planned this. There was plenty of beer but no diet sodas anywhere. Menu was deli sandwiches and cookies. And adults were allowed in the bounce house. Overall, it was pretty perfect. No formality, no speeches. A relaxing get together I'm looking forward to doing again. Saturday, we went to Vickie's house and spent the entire day baking cookies, making candy, and decorating desserts. When I say all day, I mean we got there at noon and got home at midnight! Kae was an angel and not even the extra sugar turned her!
Sunday, we took Kaelyn to the mall to see Santa and finish up our Christmas shopping. We stood in line for 1.5 hours...Kae was wonderful the whole time. She interacted with the other kids and parents and seemed happy and excited. When it was finally our turn, Kaelyn smiled and waved at Santa. We had no way of knowing what would happen next. For whatever reason, Kaelyn just wasn't into sitting on his lap and taking a picture. She cried and reached for us. The pictures were good, but really funny. When we were done, she was immediately calm, smiled and Santa and said "bye bye!". Who knows what really goes on in a child's mind.
The weekend went by too fast...as all good weekends do, but unfortunately, the euphoria didn't last through last week. I had some contentious meetings early on and Roger had a difficult install job that made him work late (home at 7) almost every night of the week. I thought once we got to through mid-week, things would get better, but I was wrong. We lost another friend, much to young, much too soon on Wednesday...and found out late that night. And while not a big surprise, we were still shocked because we didn't realize how close she was to the end. I think she may have known, but we didn't. It made me feel guilty for being so wrapped up in unimportant things when life is just so fleeting and unpredictable.
Of course, it's all too easy to fall back into the daily routine. I have some errands to run this morning and Roger is finishing his shopping. We are going to meet for lunch and then spend the rest of the day together. We have another party tonight, but are both hoping for some quiet time at home and some relaxation this next week.
The calmness I felt a week ago has flittered away. Christmas shopping is done, decorations are up, cookies are baked...Kaelyn's presents aren't wrapped, but that's not where the anxiety is coming from. Actually, it's not even anxiety. It's solemness. But more on that later.
Last weekend was great. It started with Roger's work Christmas party on Friday night. I picked Kae up after work and we met Roger for dinner, then went to the party. You can definitely tell that men planned this. There was plenty of beer but no diet sodas anywhere. Menu was deli sandwiches and cookies. And adults were allowed in the bounce house. Overall, it was pretty perfect. No formality, no speeches. A relaxing get together I'm looking forward to doing again. Saturday, we went to Vickie's house and spent the entire day baking cookies, making candy, and decorating desserts. When I say all day, I mean we got there at noon and got home at midnight! Kae was an angel and not even the extra sugar turned her!
Sunday, we took Kaelyn to the mall to see Santa and finish up our Christmas shopping. We stood in line for 1.5 hours...Kae was wonderful the whole time. She interacted with the other kids and parents and seemed happy and excited. When it was finally our turn, Kaelyn smiled and waved at Santa. We had no way of knowing what would happen next. For whatever reason, Kaelyn just wasn't into sitting on his lap and taking a picture. She cried and reached for us. The pictures were good, but really funny. When we were done, she was immediately calm, smiled and Santa and said "bye bye!". Who knows what really goes on in a child's mind.
The weekend went by too fast...as all good weekends do, but unfortunately, the euphoria didn't last through last week. I had some contentious meetings early on and Roger had a difficult install job that made him work late (home at 7) almost every night of the week. I thought once we got to through mid-week, things would get better, but I was wrong. We lost another friend, much to young, much too soon on Wednesday...and found out late that night. And while not a big surprise, we were still shocked because we didn't realize how close she was to the end. I think she may have known, but we didn't. It made me feel guilty for being so wrapped up in unimportant things when life is just so fleeting and unpredictable.
Of course, it's all too easy to fall back into the daily routine. I have some errands to run this morning and Roger is finishing his shopping. We are going to meet for lunch and then spend the rest of the day together. We have another party tonight, but are both hoping for some quiet time at home and some relaxation this next week.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Calm
Now that the Christmas decorations are up and the packages are in the mail, I finally feel like I can relax and enjoy the holiday season. Not that I was too wound up about things, but life has been awfully busy lately and it's nice to know that all the things I dislike about Christmas (the post office and crowded stores) is out of the way early and I can fully enjoy all the things I love...time off from work, baking with Vickie, holiday parties, casual shopping, the excitement in Kaelyn's face when she looks at all the Christmas lights, and celebrating the birth of Christ.
I still have some shopping to do to finish up Roger and he has all his shopping left to do (but that's on him). I plan to take Kaelyn to see Santa over the weekend and we are baking. I fully intend to relax a little bit.
I have nothing more to write about really. Life is calm. Calm is good.
I still have some shopping to do to finish up Roger and he has all his shopping left to do (but that's on him). I plan to take Kaelyn to see Santa over the weekend and we are baking. I fully intend to relax a little bit.
I have nothing more to write about really. Life is calm. Calm is good.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Roger's Birthday Weekend
What a weekend! I never powered through my “sickness” like I was hoping earlier in the week. By Thursday afternoon, I could barely function. Even though I went to work, I had serious doubts if I could even drive myself home…which is the only reason I didn’t leave early. Although I was feeling a little bit better by Friday morning, I decided to call in sick. I had been up pretty much all night and was just feeling so weak and tired to do much of anything.
Friday was also Roger’s birthday and luckily I started feeling much more energetic and alive by the afternoon. Vickie volunteered to babysit Kaelyn and Roger and I went out to dinner, by ourselves, for only the second time since Kaelyn was born. We had a nice evening, then took advantage of our child-free night to go pick out our Christmas tree.
We didn’t get home too late, but were both pretty exhausted, so we put Kaelyn to bed and hung out in our room watching tv and talking until we both feel asleep.
Saturday was pretty crazy. For Roger’s birthday, I threw him a poker party. He knew all about it, because there was no way I could have pulled this off by myself. But, not having any opportunity during the week to prepare, had a lot to do on Saturday. Roger picked the menu and on Saturday morning, asked me to make my world famous bbq sauce (takes at least 2 hours to fully reduce), chili (again, easy to prep, but takes a couple of hours to cook just right), and a whiskey apple glaze for pork tenderloins. I have never heard, much less made something like this. But, it was his birthday and I wanted to deliver. Roger knows that I love to cook, especially sauces, and I also love to experiment, but I don’t think he realizes that when I’m coming up with a new recipe it takes a really long time (sometimes months or years) to perfect. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make this glaze with everything else we had going on. But, I did manage to figure out how to make a good marinade and sauce. It wasn’t technically a glaze, but it was good. Roger liked it and that’s all that matters.
To make it more stressful, we decided that we would have the house decorated for Christmas before the party and we hadn’t even pulled the stuff out of the attic before Saturday morning. I don’t do much (a tree, the fireplace, some garland and wreaths), but it still takes a while to do. What’s worse, is that Roger got a service call and had to leave for a couple of hours, so I was by myself, trying to cook 4 or 5 dishes for the party, finish decorating, and watching Kae…who was being extra demanding of my attention (or so it seemed). I got a lot done during her nap, but was still pretty stressed out by the time Roger got back. He helped pull it all together and we had a great time at the party. After clean up, it was almost 2 am…we passed out on the couches upstairs…never even made it to bed.
I woke up early Sunday morning…thank you Kaelyn…and discovered that sometime in the few hours we were asleep, our tree had fallen over! I tried standing it back up and ended up underneath it. Roger saved me and our tree and once readjusted in the stand and redecorated, it was like it had never happened. After breakfast, Roger went to help our friend Lance install his new furnace, while Kaelyn and I went to help Klara move. The move was a lot more work than I was anticipating and Roger ended up coming over later and helping us get it all done (in the pouring rain)…again, we could not have pulled it off without him! It was after 8 when we got home and I still had to wrap the presents and get the Christmas packages ready for the mail. Thank goodness that’s all done.
This morning, I don’t feel like I had a weekend. I’m more exhausted now than when I was sick last week. I forgot Kaelyn’s diaper bag this morning, which after turning around to get it and driving to the sitter’s was much later than I wanted to be for work. Luckily, once I got here things started turning around and I’m thinking it’s going to be a great week!!
Friday was also Roger’s birthday and luckily I started feeling much more energetic and alive by the afternoon. Vickie volunteered to babysit Kaelyn and Roger and I went out to dinner, by ourselves, for only the second time since Kaelyn was born. We had a nice evening, then took advantage of our child-free night to go pick out our Christmas tree.
We didn’t get home too late, but were both pretty exhausted, so we put Kaelyn to bed and hung out in our room watching tv and talking until we both feel asleep.
Saturday was pretty crazy. For Roger’s birthday, I threw him a poker party. He knew all about it, because there was no way I could have pulled this off by myself. But, not having any opportunity during the week to prepare, had a lot to do on Saturday. Roger picked the menu and on Saturday morning, asked me to make my world famous bbq sauce (takes at least 2 hours to fully reduce), chili (again, easy to prep, but takes a couple of hours to cook just right), and a whiskey apple glaze for pork tenderloins. I have never heard, much less made something like this. But, it was his birthday and I wanted to deliver. Roger knows that I love to cook, especially sauces, and I also love to experiment, but I don’t think he realizes that when I’m coming up with a new recipe it takes a really long time (sometimes months or years) to perfect. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make this glaze with everything else we had going on. But, I did manage to figure out how to make a good marinade and sauce. It wasn’t technically a glaze, but it was good. Roger liked it and that’s all that matters.
To make it more stressful, we decided that we would have the house decorated for Christmas before the party and we hadn’t even pulled the stuff out of the attic before Saturday morning. I don’t do much (a tree, the fireplace, some garland and wreaths), but it still takes a while to do. What’s worse, is that Roger got a service call and had to leave for a couple of hours, so I was by myself, trying to cook 4 or 5 dishes for the party, finish decorating, and watching Kae…who was being extra demanding of my attention (or so it seemed). I got a lot done during her nap, but was still pretty stressed out by the time Roger got back. He helped pull it all together and we had a great time at the party. After clean up, it was almost 2 am…we passed out on the couches upstairs…never even made it to bed.
I woke up early Sunday morning…thank you Kaelyn…and discovered that sometime in the few hours we were asleep, our tree had fallen over! I tried standing it back up and ended up underneath it. Roger saved me and our tree and once readjusted in the stand and redecorated, it was like it had never happened. After breakfast, Roger went to help our friend Lance install his new furnace, while Kaelyn and I went to help Klara move. The move was a lot more work than I was anticipating and Roger ended up coming over later and helping us get it all done (in the pouring rain)…again, we could not have pulled it off without him! It was after 8 when we got home and I still had to wrap the presents and get the Christmas packages ready for the mail. Thank goodness that’s all done.
This morning, I don’t feel like I had a weekend. I’m more exhausted now than when I was sick last week. I forgot Kaelyn’s diaper bag this morning, which after turning around to get it and driving to the sitter’s was much later than I wanted to be for work. Luckily, once I got here things started turning around and I’m thinking it’s going to be a great week!!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Uggh!
Now it’s my turn to be sick. Yuck. It’s my sinuses. I guess how it started for Roger. But, I absolutely cannot let myself get as sick as he did. Now that he’s better, we need to all just stay healthy. Especially Kaelyn. I’m really hoping that her flu shot saves her from the yearly colds/flues that Roger and I tend to get.
Yesterday, my sinuses caused a massive headache. I managed to get through the work day, but had to call Roger and ask him to pick up Kaelyn so I could just go home and go to bed. Luckily, he got off work a little early (4) so they weren’t home too late. I fell asleep around 5, woke up briefly at 8:30 to kiss Kaelyn good night and didn’t wake up again until the alarm went off this morning. I feel much better. The headache is gone, but I’m still a little “off”. Tonight, I’ll try to wind down a little early, drink Theraflu (works like a charm!) and head this off before it gets any worse.
My goal this week is to get the Christmas packages mailed off to my parents and brother. I’m ahead this year. I already have all the presents purchased. Roger stayed up late last night printing pictures for my Grandmother’s photo album and I have some more pictures to get online tonight for my parents. Then all that’s left is wrapping, packaging and going to the post office. If I can get the boxes ready tonight, then I’m thinking I can drop them off sometime tomorrow or Friday after work. The hardest part of Christmas will be over!
I’m trying very hard to get into the Christmas spirit. It’s been a little difficult with Roger being sick over Thanksgiving break and me not feeling too well now. I feel like I’m behind with everything even though I’m totally ahead of where I usually am this time of year. Roger’s birthday is on Friday and I’m throwing him a poker tournament/party on Saturday. I’m not prepared for that at all. Plus, we want to get our tree up and the house decorated before everyone comes over. If we wait until Saturday morning, then I’ll be scrambling all day, but if we do it Friday night, then it would interfere with the plans I have for taking Roger out to dinner…just the two of us. I don’t know, yet, what we’ll we do, but as always, I know it will all get done.
I want to take Kaelyn to see Santa this year. I feel really guilty, because with how much I work and with Roger now working a “regular” job, I don’t feel like we have time. Our best bet is to take her after work one day. Roger and I both work near the mall, but Kaelyn’s sitter is all the way in Folsom, so it will be difficult to get her there…or at least in a good mood. She’ll be hungry and not in any mood to wait in line and have her picture taken. I’m hoping that we can work something out either this Sunday or next weekend. Stacy is talking about visiting. I might be able to talk her into coming with us to take Kaelyn to see Santa.
With all the stuff I feel like I have to get done, I know that probably by the end of this week, we’ll be all Christmased up. Packages will be sent. At least my shopping will be done (save for a few more things for Roger). The house will be decorated. At some point, we’ll make it over to Vickie’s for our annual holiday baking. That always gets me in the mood!
Yesterday, my sinuses caused a massive headache. I managed to get through the work day, but had to call Roger and ask him to pick up Kaelyn so I could just go home and go to bed. Luckily, he got off work a little early (4) so they weren’t home too late. I fell asleep around 5, woke up briefly at 8:30 to kiss Kaelyn good night and didn’t wake up again until the alarm went off this morning. I feel much better. The headache is gone, but I’m still a little “off”. Tonight, I’ll try to wind down a little early, drink Theraflu (works like a charm!) and head this off before it gets any worse.
My goal this week is to get the Christmas packages mailed off to my parents and brother. I’m ahead this year. I already have all the presents purchased. Roger stayed up late last night printing pictures for my Grandmother’s photo album and I have some more pictures to get online tonight for my parents. Then all that’s left is wrapping, packaging and going to the post office. If I can get the boxes ready tonight, then I’m thinking I can drop them off sometime tomorrow or Friday after work. The hardest part of Christmas will be over!
I’m trying very hard to get into the Christmas spirit. It’s been a little difficult with Roger being sick over Thanksgiving break and me not feeling too well now. I feel like I’m behind with everything even though I’m totally ahead of where I usually am this time of year. Roger’s birthday is on Friday and I’m throwing him a poker tournament/party on Saturday. I’m not prepared for that at all. Plus, we want to get our tree up and the house decorated before everyone comes over. If we wait until Saturday morning, then I’ll be scrambling all day, but if we do it Friday night, then it would interfere with the plans I have for taking Roger out to dinner…just the two of us. I don’t know, yet, what we’ll we do, but as always, I know it will all get done.
I want to take Kaelyn to see Santa this year. I feel really guilty, because with how much I work and with Roger now working a “regular” job, I don’t feel like we have time. Our best bet is to take her after work one day. Roger and I both work near the mall, but Kaelyn’s sitter is all the way in Folsom, so it will be difficult to get her there…or at least in a good mood. She’ll be hungry and not in any mood to wait in line and have her picture taken. I’m hoping that we can work something out either this Sunday or next weekend. Stacy is talking about visiting. I might be able to talk her into coming with us to take Kaelyn to see Santa.
With all the stuff I feel like I have to get done, I know that probably by the end of this week, we’ll be all Christmased up. Packages will be sent. At least my shopping will be done (save for a few more things for Roger). The house will be decorated. At some point, we’ll make it over to Vickie’s for our annual holiday baking. That always gets me in the mood!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thankgiving
The week leading up to Thanksgiving was anything but relaxing…at least Thanksgiving day was…mostly.
The previous weekend was our first really big storm of the season. This started on Friday…the same day I had to return the bus to the airport. Somehow, I let Roger convince me that it would be faster for me to leave work a little early, drive to Folsom to pick up Kaelyn, then drive to the airport and meet him there. I had wanted him to go get Kaelyn and meet me at the airport, giving me time to get gas and return the vehicle while he was driving. I don’t know why I let him talk me into his plan. With the heavy rain, and most people in the area not knowing how to drive in it, traffic was horrendous. There were major accidents on every freeway. Roger beat me to the airport by over an hour. I left work at 3:30pm and by the time we got home it was almost 8!
The rest of the weekend wasn’t so bad. Klara postponed her move by a few weeks, so we were pretty much free to do our holiday shopping and clean up around the house. Saturday night we had dinner at Vickie’s mom’s house, but that was it as far as actual outings went. It rained all weekend, so we just stayed in, ate comfort food, and watched movies.
Monday was our anniversary. Neither Roger nor I made babysitting arrangements…sort of on purpose. I didn’t want to leave Kaelyn in Folsom and have dinner out there and our neighbors, who are our back-up date night sitters were out of town in Lake Tahoe. We decided we still wanted to celebrate, so after we exchanged our gifts (personalized aprons), the three of us went out to eat. Kaelyn’s gift to us was that she was extremely well behaved. We had a lovely evening and I was again, reminded, how blessed I am to have such a wonderful, loving, caring and devoted husband.
Tuesday night we went out to dinner again with friends. This time Kaelyn wasn’t so well behaved. She wasn’t bad, per se, but she was encouraged by some children at a table next to us to exchange in banter (yelling) and was so excited, she spilled most of her food on the floor. I was pretty happy, at that point, that there was only one more work day left for the week. Unfortunately, even that didn’t go as planned. Roger started feeling really sick on Tuesday night. He has had a sinus infection and chest congestion over the last few weeks and had even gone to the doctor about it. He was given some new inhalers and they seemed to work for a little while. Tuesday night, he started coughing and couldn’t stop. By Wednesday morning, he was short of breath and sluggish. I insisted that he go back to the doctor and he insisted that he go to work. At 8 am, he called me and said that he was having trouble breathing and had an appointment at 10. I took him to the doctor myself.
By the time we got through his appointment, got him comfortably resting at home and I got his prescriptions filled; it was time to get Kaelyn. Roger slept most of the day, but thanks to some much stronger drugs from the doctor, was feeling much better by Thursday afternoon. We were able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner together as a family and even made it to our friend’s house for dessert that night. I’m so grateful for that!
Friday morning, Roger still wasn’t 100% so I knew he wouldn’t be up for shopping with me. Vickie broke her toe earlier that week, so she was out too. I braved the black Friday deals by myself…did not enjoy it at all, but did get most of my Christmas shopping done, which makes me extremely happy. We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing at home…save for a quick outing to Hallmark on Saturday to get our new ornaments (Roger, Kaelyn, and I all get a new one each year).
Now, we’re back to our “normal” schedule…another full week. At least now, we are all healthy!
The previous weekend was our first really big storm of the season. This started on Friday…the same day I had to return the bus to the airport. Somehow, I let Roger convince me that it would be faster for me to leave work a little early, drive to Folsom to pick up Kaelyn, then drive to the airport and meet him there. I had wanted him to go get Kaelyn and meet me at the airport, giving me time to get gas and return the vehicle while he was driving. I don’t know why I let him talk me into his plan. With the heavy rain, and most people in the area not knowing how to drive in it, traffic was horrendous. There were major accidents on every freeway. Roger beat me to the airport by over an hour. I left work at 3:30pm and by the time we got home it was almost 8!
The rest of the weekend wasn’t so bad. Klara postponed her move by a few weeks, so we were pretty much free to do our holiday shopping and clean up around the house. Saturday night we had dinner at Vickie’s mom’s house, but that was it as far as actual outings went. It rained all weekend, so we just stayed in, ate comfort food, and watched movies.
Monday was our anniversary. Neither Roger nor I made babysitting arrangements…sort of on purpose. I didn’t want to leave Kaelyn in Folsom and have dinner out there and our neighbors, who are our back-up date night sitters were out of town in Lake Tahoe. We decided we still wanted to celebrate, so after we exchanged our gifts (personalized aprons), the three of us went out to eat. Kaelyn’s gift to us was that she was extremely well behaved. We had a lovely evening and I was again, reminded, how blessed I am to have such a wonderful, loving, caring and devoted husband.
Tuesday night we went out to dinner again with friends. This time Kaelyn wasn’t so well behaved. She wasn’t bad, per se, but she was encouraged by some children at a table next to us to exchange in banter (yelling) and was so excited, she spilled most of her food on the floor. I was pretty happy, at that point, that there was only one more work day left for the week. Unfortunately, even that didn’t go as planned. Roger started feeling really sick on Tuesday night. He has had a sinus infection and chest congestion over the last few weeks and had even gone to the doctor about it. He was given some new inhalers and they seemed to work for a little while. Tuesday night, he started coughing and couldn’t stop. By Wednesday morning, he was short of breath and sluggish. I insisted that he go back to the doctor and he insisted that he go to work. At 8 am, he called me and said that he was having trouble breathing and had an appointment at 10. I took him to the doctor myself.
By the time we got through his appointment, got him comfortably resting at home and I got his prescriptions filled; it was time to get Kaelyn. Roger slept most of the day, but thanks to some much stronger drugs from the doctor, was feeling much better by Thursday afternoon. We were able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner together as a family and even made it to our friend’s house for dessert that night. I’m so grateful for that!
Friday morning, Roger still wasn’t 100% so I knew he wouldn’t be up for shopping with me. Vickie broke her toe earlier that week, so she was out too. I braved the black Friday deals by myself…did not enjoy it at all, but did get most of my Christmas shopping done, which makes me extremely happy. We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing at home…save for a quick outing to Hallmark on Saturday to get our new ornaments (Roger, Kaelyn, and I all get a new one each year).
Now, we’re back to our “normal” schedule…another full week. At least now, we are all healthy!
Friday, November 19, 2010
"Dropped"
I dropped my baby.
Before I get too far…it wasn’t that bad. It’s not like the “did your mom drop you as a baby?” kind of bad. Here’s what happened, but first some background:
Kaelyn will be 14 months old this weekend, but she is a small child, only weighing 18 pounds. She was small at birth, due to her being premature, at only 5 lbs. She was below the charts, but quickly gained weight to be somewhere between the 5 and 10 percentile (25% for height) and she has grown steadily on that curve since (though I think she’s starting to jump…she gained a whole pound in just one month…which I think is a lot for this stage). Anyway, because she is still less than 20 lbs, we have not switched her car seat to face forward. We are looking for two new car seats because she is outgrowing her current one, but because we technically can’t face her forward yet, still use the infant car seat. Most of the time, the car seat just stays in the car and we carry her (or she moves herself) wherever we go. But, when I take her to the sitter, I leave the infant seat with her. That way, she can use it to take Kaelyn out and about during the day.
This morning, as I was dropping Kaelyn off, I got a huge sense of just how tired I really am. I was thinking how great it was that it’s Friday and even though we’ll probably all get home late again this evening (I still need to take the bus back to the airport), that at least I didn’t have anywhere to be too early tomorrow morning and could just relax a little bit. Marissa, our sitter’s four year old, opened the front door before I walked up and rushed out to meet us. Because my mind was wandering, she threw me off guard a little bit. As we approached the door, both Diana (our sitter) and her youngest daughter (who’s two) met us at the door. Marissa and her sister, though, stayed under my feet. So, as I was bending to put Kaelyn, still in her seat, on the floor, she slipped out of my hands (I will stress buckled in her seat) and the seat hit the floor a little hard (maybe fell an inch). The seat wobbled a little bit, but she landed right side up.
I will never forget this moment.
My sweet little girl looked up at me with her giant blue eyes; her mouth formed this perfect little sad face, and then came the tears. They were her tears, but I had to fight hard to hold mine back. I scooped her up and kissed her tear stained cheeks, but her sad cry just broke my heart. I know she’s ok, but the guilt will never subside. Marissa, still standing underneath me made the following comment “Mommy, baby Kaelyn’s mom dropped her!” And even though her mom corrected her…I didn’t really drop her, the damage was done. I dropped my baby.
Kaelyn was still crying when I left…and not crying because I was leaving, but crying over being “dropped”. The last thing I saw as I left for work, was her looking at Diana and pointing to her seat as if to say “the seat is making me cry”. At least she wasn’t pointing to me. Still, my heart is broken.
Before I get too far…it wasn’t that bad. It’s not like the “did your mom drop you as a baby?” kind of bad. Here’s what happened, but first some background:
Kaelyn will be 14 months old this weekend, but she is a small child, only weighing 18 pounds. She was small at birth, due to her being premature, at only 5 lbs. She was below the charts, but quickly gained weight to be somewhere between the 5 and 10 percentile (25% for height) and she has grown steadily on that curve since (though I think she’s starting to jump…she gained a whole pound in just one month…which I think is a lot for this stage). Anyway, because she is still less than 20 lbs, we have not switched her car seat to face forward. We are looking for two new car seats because she is outgrowing her current one, but because we technically can’t face her forward yet, still use the infant car seat. Most of the time, the car seat just stays in the car and we carry her (or she moves herself) wherever we go. But, when I take her to the sitter, I leave the infant seat with her. That way, she can use it to take Kaelyn out and about during the day.
This morning, as I was dropping Kaelyn off, I got a huge sense of just how tired I really am. I was thinking how great it was that it’s Friday and even though we’ll probably all get home late again this evening (I still need to take the bus back to the airport), that at least I didn’t have anywhere to be too early tomorrow morning and could just relax a little bit. Marissa, our sitter’s four year old, opened the front door before I walked up and rushed out to meet us. Because my mind was wandering, she threw me off guard a little bit. As we approached the door, both Diana (our sitter) and her youngest daughter (who’s two) met us at the door. Marissa and her sister, though, stayed under my feet. So, as I was bending to put Kaelyn, still in her seat, on the floor, she slipped out of my hands (I will stress buckled in her seat) and the seat hit the floor a little hard (maybe fell an inch). The seat wobbled a little bit, but she landed right side up.
I will never forget this moment.
My sweet little girl looked up at me with her giant blue eyes; her mouth formed this perfect little sad face, and then came the tears. They were her tears, but I had to fight hard to hold mine back. I scooped her up and kissed her tear stained cheeks, but her sad cry just broke my heart. I know she’s ok, but the guilt will never subside. Marissa, still standing underneath me made the following comment “Mommy, baby Kaelyn’s mom dropped her!” And even though her mom corrected her…I didn’t really drop her, the damage was done. I dropped my baby.
Kaelyn was still crying when I left…and not crying because I was leaving, but crying over being “dropped”. The last thing I saw as I left for work, was her looking at Diana and pointing to her seat as if to say “the seat is making me cry”. At least she wasn’t pointing to me. Still, my heart is broken.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Early Bird
It's 4am and I'm wide awake. I don't know why my body does this to me. I have a car again (mine was delivered last night..yay!) I don't have to get up at 3:30 so that we can all get where we need to be. I've been awake since 2:30. I didn't go to bed until close to midnight.
As an adult, I've never been much of a sleeper, but I can't say that it's because I'm full of energy and wide awake all the time. I don't know if it's mild insomnia or not. My sleep patterns are so irregular though. I'll go through periods where I sleep no more than four or five hours a night and others where I'm so tired and sleepy that I'll have trouble staying awake through a half hour show that starts at 7pm.
I've always gotten up early. Not because I want to, but because there always seems to be a reason to get up. And on the days where there's not (like today), I get up anyway.
My parents are morning people. I remember them always getting up at 4 or even earlier. They have been this way for as long as I can remember. They also go to bed insanely early, so at least they get their sleep.
I remember, as a West Point cadet, I was always tired. Any time I had the opportunity to take a nap, I would. My eyelids always felt heavy. On Saturday mornings, I would have the choice to sleep in or get up and eat brunch. I chose to sleep in every time. There were some days that I wouldn't get out of bed until after 1pm! We had a psychology teacher who, one day, promised us the secret to never being tired. I was really interested in this and anxiously anticipated learning this "secret". She was so dramatic about it. She waited until the last five minutes of class, then took a chair and placed it in the center of the room, sat down, and pointedly looked each one of us in the eyes. Then she spoke:
"The secret" she said "is to get up at the same time every single day. Even if you don't have to. Go to bed at the same time every day. Take naps that are 20 minutes or less." I can't lie. I was sorely disappointed. And I thought she was crazy. That advice was all well and good for people who with normal lives, but for us? I don't think so. We were run ragged day in and day out and still had to get up at 5 am every morning. I was exhausted. There was no way that less sleep was going to make me less tired! I never followed her advice...and I was always tired.
Since West Point, though, I have never been able to break the cycle of getting up early. At Purdue, even when my first class didn't start until 9, I would get up at 6 and be at school by 7:30am. Every day. I told everyone that I did this because finding parking after 8 was impossible and also because I liked doing my work at school...so I never had to do it at home. Both of these were true. But, in reality, I didn't have to get up that early. I just did. I told myself I had to do it, but thinking back, I really didn't. There was no need to put myself through that.
The military lifestyle is a guarantee of early mornings. I would have to be at PT by 6:30 am. Since then, though, I have no real reason to get up early...yet, I still do. I used to get up at 5am to go to the gym and work out with a trainer...that was a schedule I picked. And I hated it. When I was commuting to the Bay Bridge, I had no choice but to get up at 3:30am and after Kaelyn was born, sleep disappeared completely. But since she's been sleeping through the night and I switched to the Corps of Engineers, there's no reason for me to get up insanely early. Yet, when I had the choice to set my work schedule, I chose to start work at 6:30am.
The truth is, my early morning pattern is something I've always complained about, but when I think about it, it has mostly been my choice to keep the hours that I do. I rationalize it several ways...whether it's finding parking or having the desire to leave work early so that Kae and I can spend the afternoons together...there is always a "reason." But, the fact remains, it's my choice and I have no idea if I'm a glutton for punishment or if I truly am a morning person in denial.
I do love mornings. And I relish the times I can get up early and not have to go anywhere. It's the running around that I dislike so early in the morning...yet, it's the running around that usually dictates I get up as early as I do. I'm not sure that, at this stage in my life, I could sleep more if I wanted to...
...............
Last night was a bit hectic. After work, I went to meet with a possible new sitter for Kae. She's a sweet woman, who I instantly liked. But, I have my reservations. I have to make a choice that is best for Kae, not best for me and at this point, I'm not sure what that choice is, or even what the criteria is to make that decision on. Roger and I will have to talk and think about this over the weekend...and we still need to explore as many other options as we can before we make a final decision.
I didn't get home until close to 8pm. By the time I was done with the interview, and picked up Kaelyn, fighting traffic both ways, I was too exhausted to go the store. Luckily, Roger is great and went for me. Since he beat me home by almost two hours, he cooked dinner and had it ready for us. Kaelyn ate a lot and stayed up a little later than normal. Around 9, Kenny came over. His birthday was Tuesday and we had a cake for him. Fed him some dinner and caught up with him. My car was delivered at 11pm!
Now, I just need to find the time to return the bus....
As an adult, I've never been much of a sleeper, but I can't say that it's because I'm full of energy and wide awake all the time. I don't know if it's mild insomnia or not. My sleep patterns are so irregular though. I'll go through periods where I sleep no more than four or five hours a night and others where I'm so tired and sleepy that I'll have trouble staying awake through a half hour show that starts at 7pm.
I've always gotten up early. Not because I want to, but because there always seems to be a reason to get up. And on the days where there's not (like today), I get up anyway.
My parents are morning people. I remember them always getting up at 4 or even earlier. They have been this way for as long as I can remember. They also go to bed insanely early, so at least they get their sleep.
I remember, as a West Point cadet, I was always tired. Any time I had the opportunity to take a nap, I would. My eyelids always felt heavy. On Saturday mornings, I would have the choice to sleep in or get up and eat brunch. I chose to sleep in every time. There were some days that I wouldn't get out of bed until after 1pm! We had a psychology teacher who, one day, promised us the secret to never being tired. I was really interested in this and anxiously anticipated learning this "secret". She was so dramatic about it. She waited until the last five minutes of class, then took a chair and placed it in the center of the room, sat down, and pointedly looked each one of us in the eyes. Then she spoke:
"The secret" she said "is to get up at the same time every single day. Even if you don't have to. Go to bed at the same time every day. Take naps that are 20 minutes or less." I can't lie. I was sorely disappointed. And I thought she was crazy. That advice was all well and good for people who with normal lives, but for us? I don't think so. We were run ragged day in and day out and still had to get up at 5 am every morning. I was exhausted. There was no way that less sleep was going to make me less tired! I never followed her advice...and I was always tired.
Since West Point, though, I have never been able to break the cycle of getting up early. At Purdue, even when my first class didn't start until 9, I would get up at 6 and be at school by 7:30am. Every day. I told everyone that I did this because finding parking after 8 was impossible and also because I liked doing my work at school...so I never had to do it at home. Both of these were true. But, in reality, I didn't have to get up that early. I just did. I told myself I had to do it, but thinking back, I really didn't. There was no need to put myself through that.
The military lifestyle is a guarantee of early mornings. I would have to be at PT by 6:30 am. Since then, though, I have no real reason to get up early...yet, I still do. I used to get up at 5am to go to the gym and work out with a trainer...that was a schedule I picked. And I hated it. When I was commuting to the Bay Bridge, I had no choice but to get up at 3:30am and after Kaelyn was born, sleep disappeared completely. But since she's been sleeping through the night and I switched to the Corps of Engineers, there's no reason for me to get up insanely early. Yet, when I had the choice to set my work schedule, I chose to start work at 6:30am.
The truth is, my early morning pattern is something I've always complained about, but when I think about it, it has mostly been my choice to keep the hours that I do. I rationalize it several ways...whether it's finding parking or having the desire to leave work early so that Kae and I can spend the afternoons together...there is always a "reason." But, the fact remains, it's my choice and I have no idea if I'm a glutton for punishment or if I truly am a morning person in denial.
I do love mornings. And I relish the times I can get up early and not have to go anywhere. It's the running around that I dislike so early in the morning...yet, it's the running around that usually dictates I get up as early as I do. I'm not sure that, at this stage in my life, I could sleep more if I wanted to...
...............
Last night was a bit hectic. After work, I went to meet with a possible new sitter for Kae. She's a sweet woman, who I instantly liked. But, I have my reservations. I have to make a choice that is best for Kae, not best for me and at this point, I'm not sure what that choice is, or even what the criteria is to make that decision on. Roger and I will have to talk and think about this over the weekend...and we still need to explore as many other options as we can before we make a final decision.
I didn't get home until close to 8pm. By the time I was done with the interview, and picked up Kaelyn, fighting traffic both ways, I was too exhausted to go the store. Luckily, Roger is great and went for me. Since he beat me home by almost two hours, he cooked dinner and had it ready for us. Kaelyn ate a lot and stayed up a little later than normal. Around 9, Kenny came over. His birthday was Tuesday and we had a cake for him. Fed him some dinner and caught up with him. My car was delivered at 11pm!
Now, I just need to find the time to return the bus....
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Bus
When I was a brand new 2nd Lt, I was given the “very important” task of coordinating a visit with some dignitaries that were coming to see how great we AF Civil Engineers really are. The group consisted of a general, a couple of colonel’s and a NC senator. This was the first of many many visits that I headed, but it being my first, I was extremely nervous. Three days before the group was due to arrive; the airman I had assigned to drive the tour bus was in a motorcycle accident. It wasn’t serious, thank goodness, but I did find myself short a bus driver. Being the motivated LT that I was and without much time to find a competent replacement, I felt like I had no choice but to drive the bus myself. I took a competency test, and then a driving test…day and night, on and off the flight line. Two days later, I was legally licensed to operate a 40 passenger bus.
This skill (and license) was something I kept secret for the rest of my military career. I do not enjoy driving buses! And until today, I have never mentioned having this ability to anyone.
So, why now? Well, after just one day of our “new” schedule, it was clear that Roger and I could not function any longer on one vehicle. Getting up at 3:30 am just so that we can take a 40 minute drive to the baby sitter’s, a 45 minute drive to work (first mine, then his) and then repeat that drive again late in the afternoon, was unreasonable. The last two days reminded me of my schedule when I was commuting to the Bay Bridge construction sites. Roger’s 4-10’s are great for him, because he gets Friday’s off…but when I’m stuck at work that long because I’m dependant on him for transportation…and have to be at work on Friday too…well, it just wasn’t cutting it.
My car has been out of commission for three weeks and my patience with it has completely run out. Monday night, we got home at 7:30pm…after leaving the house at 5! Once Kaelyn was fed and in bed and Roger and I finally began to settle down for the evening, I told him that we either had to push for the car to be fixed in the next few days or have it towed to another mechanic. (For some background, we have a friend who owns a transmission shop that is doing us a favor in fixing my clutch, which went out…it’s taking so long because 1) paying customers come first, and 2) the dealer sent the wrong part twice). I also decided that to make it through the week and to save my sanity, I needed a rental car.
So, last night, after we picked up Kaelyn and stopped for dinner, we headed to the airport and got a rental…a GMC something or other that is huge! It happened to be cheaper than getting an economy car, so I took it, but it is just like driving a bus! It’s so wide and so long (2 rows of backseats) that it took me a good 20 minutes to get comfortable driving and turning it.
And, of course, because I broke down and rented the bus, we got a call from our mechanic friend informing us that the car would be fixed that night. If we wanted, he could drop it off in a couple of hours. I told him to forget it…we’ll pick it up sometime before Friday. Friday, I’m due to return the bus.
I’m interviewing a new baby sitter today after work (another reason why I needed separate transportation from Roger). This is a big step for me and not very easy. Kaelyn, Roger and I all love our current sitter and until now, I had always said that it was worth the 40 minute drive (one way) to her house to know that Kaelyn was with someone that I knew and trusted. The woman I’m seeing today is a stranger to me...although she comes at high recommendations of a few coworkers. But, she lives close to my work and if I can learn to trust her and Kaelyn enjoys spending time with her, then I’ll consider giving it a shot.
I have some concerns though. Aside from dealing with my anxiety for however long it will last, I’m not sure that this sitter has the ability to get Kae around other kids. Our current sitter has 5 and I really want Kaelyn to interact with children during the day. Not only for social reasons, but she’s just so happy around other children. I know that I can be more proactive in arranging play dates for Kaelyn after work and on the weekends and I will do this if I have to. I don’t really know anyone with kids Kaelyn’s age. Our neighbor has two: a three year old and a baby nine months younger than Kae. Katie, the three year old, comes over every now and then to visit Kae and Kae loves her! But this isn’t a routine thing, as Katie just decides to come over at her whim. We can see her every day for a month and then not again for another two. It just depends on her mood…and she’s three…what can we expect?
I have another option. Katie’s baby sitter who lives close to our home may have room for another child. She watches several. That would both solve the problem of the distance we drive and Kae’s interaction with children. It doesn’t solve my anxiety, but nothing but time will heal that.
I’m not sure what to do. Roger is being supportive and helpful, but he agrees that the drive right now, with his schedule being what it is, is just too long. And we always said that our number one priority is maximizing our family time, which right now is eaten up by the long drive to and from child care. Of course, this cannot come at the expense of Kae’s care and well-being and there’s where I’m having a hard time. I don’t trust easily.
I have a busy day ahead…work, then an interview with a possible sitter, then picking up Kaelyn and going grocery shopping. I’m letting Roger go straight home after work and I’ll run all the errands, because he needs to clear out our garage for his cigar club event. They are meeting at our house tomorrow. It will be another long day, but hopefully we’ll work something else out soon. At least I have the bus to help get me through!
This skill (and license) was something I kept secret for the rest of my military career. I do not enjoy driving buses! And until today, I have never mentioned having this ability to anyone.
So, why now? Well, after just one day of our “new” schedule, it was clear that Roger and I could not function any longer on one vehicle. Getting up at 3:30 am just so that we can take a 40 minute drive to the baby sitter’s, a 45 minute drive to work (first mine, then his) and then repeat that drive again late in the afternoon, was unreasonable. The last two days reminded me of my schedule when I was commuting to the Bay Bridge construction sites. Roger’s 4-10’s are great for him, because he gets Friday’s off…but when I’m stuck at work that long because I’m dependant on him for transportation…and have to be at work on Friday too…well, it just wasn’t cutting it.
My car has been out of commission for three weeks and my patience with it has completely run out. Monday night, we got home at 7:30pm…after leaving the house at 5! Once Kaelyn was fed and in bed and Roger and I finally began to settle down for the evening, I told him that we either had to push for the car to be fixed in the next few days or have it towed to another mechanic. (For some background, we have a friend who owns a transmission shop that is doing us a favor in fixing my clutch, which went out…it’s taking so long because 1) paying customers come first, and 2) the dealer sent the wrong part twice). I also decided that to make it through the week and to save my sanity, I needed a rental car.
So, last night, after we picked up Kaelyn and stopped for dinner, we headed to the airport and got a rental…a GMC something or other that is huge! It happened to be cheaper than getting an economy car, so I took it, but it is just like driving a bus! It’s so wide and so long (2 rows of backseats) that it took me a good 20 minutes to get comfortable driving and turning it.
And, of course, because I broke down and rented the bus, we got a call from our mechanic friend informing us that the car would be fixed that night. If we wanted, he could drop it off in a couple of hours. I told him to forget it…we’ll pick it up sometime before Friday. Friday, I’m due to return the bus.
I’m interviewing a new baby sitter today after work (another reason why I needed separate transportation from Roger). This is a big step for me and not very easy. Kaelyn, Roger and I all love our current sitter and until now, I had always said that it was worth the 40 minute drive (one way) to her house to know that Kaelyn was with someone that I knew and trusted. The woman I’m seeing today is a stranger to me...although she comes at high recommendations of a few coworkers. But, she lives close to my work and if I can learn to trust her and Kaelyn enjoys spending time with her, then I’ll consider giving it a shot.
I have some concerns though. Aside from dealing with my anxiety for however long it will last, I’m not sure that this sitter has the ability to get Kae around other kids. Our current sitter has 5 and I really want Kaelyn to interact with children during the day. Not only for social reasons, but she’s just so happy around other children. I know that I can be more proactive in arranging play dates for Kaelyn after work and on the weekends and I will do this if I have to. I don’t really know anyone with kids Kaelyn’s age. Our neighbor has two: a three year old and a baby nine months younger than Kae. Katie, the three year old, comes over every now and then to visit Kae and Kae loves her! But this isn’t a routine thing, as Katie just decides to come over at her whim. We can see her every day for a month and then not again for another two. It just depends on her mood…and she’s three…what can we expect?
I have another option. Katie’s baby sitter who lives close to our home may have room for another child. She watches several. That would both solve the problem of the distance we drive and Kae’s interaction with children. It doesn’t solve my anxiety, but nothing but time will heal that.
I’m not sure what to do. Roger is being supportive and helpful, but he agrees that the drive right now, with his schedule being what it is, is just too long. And we always said that our number one priority is maximizing our family time, which right now is eaten up by the long drive to and from child care. Of course, this cannot come at the expense of Kae’s care and well-being and there’s where I’m having a hard time. I don’t trust easily.
I have a busy day ahead…work, then an interview with a possible sitter, then picking up Kaelyn and going grocery shopping. I’m letting Roger go straight home after work and I’ll run all the errands, because he needs to clear out our garage for his cigar club event. They are meeting at our house tomorrow. It will be another long day, but hopefully we’ll work something else out soon. At least I have the bus to help get me through!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Moving
No worries…we are not moving!)
So much for a relaxing weekend. It wasn’t that bad, (at least I didn’t have to clean or do laundry), but it was far from relaxing. Roger worked late on Friday…finishing up a job before he started a new one today. Kaelyn and I spent a few hours together, eating dinner and playing. It was nice, but she’s gotten to be quite a handful in the last few days. She’s climbing now and into everything. She also craves constant attention. I’m not sure if she’s just bored with the toys we have in our family room for her to play with or not…she used to be so content just sitting on the floor playing with her toys and stacking her blocks. She loves it when we play with her, but never demanded it. Now, she won’t play by herself for longer than five minutes (and that’s stretching it). I can’t make a phone call, check email, or cook dinner without her whining for me to play with her or getting into something she shouldn’t. I think I’m going to try to switch out her toys to ones she hasn’t played with yet and see if that keeps her more engaged…at least for the times that I’m not able to devote all my attention to her. Also, she’s teething…which is not helping her mood…or mine.
Anyway, Roger got home after Kaelyn was in bed, and he and I got a chance to hang out a little bit before I fell asleep on the couch. We were up early on Saturday and where we normally sit around and do nothing until close to lunchtime, had to leave shortly after breakfast to go help L and E (newlyweds) move. I had briefly considered staying home with Kaelyn since she’s so energetic. I was sure that she would want to be into everything…and I was right. I let Roger talk me into going. We brought over Kaelyn’s pack-n-play and since it was close to her morning nap, I had attempted to just get her to sleep. No such luck. She was content to sit and play for a little while, but didn’t appreciate the fact that there was a house full of people and no one was paying attention solely to her. I managed to get her to sleep once the guys had left to get more furniture and E and I were alone…we were somewhat productive but it didn’t last long. Once the guys got back and we settled down for lunch, Roger let Kaelyn crawl around. That was the end of her being good. She took another pretty long nap in the afternoon, but that was after at least two hours of me chasing her around (or listening to her cry in the pack-n-play) while I was trying to help E get things organized.
Sunday wasn’t much better as far as Kaelyn’s behavior went…or my ability to relax. We went shopping and I’m happy to say that not only did I get the earliest start I’ve ever had on Christmas shopping (knocking quite a few off my list yesterday), but we got some amazing deals. Kaelyn had one episode where sitting in the stroller just wasn’t cutting it for her. And I guess I can understand that sitting still for several hours is hard when you’re so full of energy. We took a short break and let her run around the play area for a bit and that did enough to sufficiently wear her out and get her to nap. She woke up, still in her stroller, but in a much better mood than before. Back at home, she just wouldn’t sit still and while I know I can’t expect too much from a 13 month old who just learned to climb, I so wish she would have given us just 10 minutes of peace! Instead, she would cruise up to me and Roger and cry until we paid attention to her. I did eventually give up on relaxing and got down on the floor and played, which was so rewarding. She’s so engaging and fun! I just wish I could find a way to keep her content during the times that I can’t play with her! By the time she went to bed, I could barely stay awake…I think I lasted another hour tops!
………………..
It has occurred to me that I didn’t cook this weekend (except for breakfast on Sunday morning). This is odd for me and may be the reason why I didn’t feel very relaxed and rested (aside from Kaelyn). Cooking is therapeutic for me. I get lost in it and it definitely de-stresses me. I wonder why I let a whole weekend pass without making anything? That is so unlike me…
……………………
The alarm went off at 3:30 this morning and I was out of bed by 4. Roger was already awake…for at least an hour before me. He was not in bed when I had the pleasure of waking up to our cat, Itty Bitty, sneezing all over my face. (I really need to get her to the vet). Roger had to be at work by 6:30 this morning and since my car is STILL in the shop, he’s also stuck driving me to work. We had to leave home by 5:15 to get Kaelyn to the sitter…which is about a 40 minute drive from our house….then get back across town to go to our respective work places. I did not like the early morning. Not because I didn’t like getting up that early or leaving home that early, but because for the first time ever, Kaelyn wasn’t awake while I was getting ready for work. Even though I could be so much more efficient with her sleeping, our mornings are so joyful as we get ready and play and interact with her. I missed her this morning and was sad that I got to spend very little time with her (just a quick kiss goodbye after we dropped her off). If it turns out that Roger needs to be at work by 6: 30 every morning, then I will change my schedule to allow me to be at work a little bit later, so that I can leave at my normal time to drop her off and still get my morning time with her (I currently never drop her off..though sometimes have to pick her up). Our other option is to find child care closer to home, which will be tough since our current sitter is so awesome and totally worth the drive.
I really need my car back.
We are helping another friend move this weekend. Just to a different place in our city. She has mixed emotions about the move…it’s both for good and not so good reasons. I hope I can be the friend she needs through this transition.
So much for a relaxing weekend. It wasn’t that bad, (at least I didn’t have to clean or do laundry), but it was far from relaxing. Roger worked late on Friday…finishing up a job before he started a new one today. Kaelyn and I spent a few hours together, eating dinner and playing. It was nice, but she’s gotten to be quite a handful in the last few days. She’s climbing now and into everything. She also craves constant attention. I’m not sure if she’s just bored with the toys we have in our family room for her to play with or not…she used to be so content just sitting on the floor playing with her toys and stacking her blocks. She loves it when we play with her, but never demanded it. Now, she won’t play by herself for longer than five minutes (and that’s stretching it). I can’t make a phone call, check email, or cook dinner without her whining for me to play with her or getting into something she shouldn’t. I think I’m going to try to switch out her toys to ones she hasn’t played with yet and see if that keeps her more engaged…at least for the times that I’m not able to devote all my attention to her. Also, she’s teething…which is not helping her mood…or mine.
Anyway, Roger got home after Kaelyn was in bed, and he and I got a chance to hang out a little bit before I fell asleep on the couch. We were up early on Saturday and where we normally sit around and do nothing until close to lunchtime, had to leave shortly after breakfast to go help L and E (newlyweds) move. I had briefly considered staying home with Kaelyn since she’s so energetic. I was sure that she would want to be into everything…and I was right. I let Roger talk me into going. We brought over Kaelyn’s pack-n-play and since it was close to her morning nap, I had attempted to just get her to sleep. No such luck. She was content to sit and play for a little while, but didn’t appreciate the fact that there was a house full of people and no one was paying attention solely to her. I managed to get her to sleep once the guys had left to get more furniture and E and I were alone…we were somewhat productive but it didn’t last long. Once the guys got back and we settled down for lunch, Roger let Kaelyn crawl around. That was the end of her being good. She took another pretty long nap in the afternoon, but that was after at least two hours of me chasing her around (or listening to her cry in the pack-n-play) while I was trying to help E get things organized.
Sunday wasn’t much better as far as Kaelyn’s behavior went…or my ability to relax. We went shopping and I’m happy to say that not only did I get the earliest start I’ve ever had on Christmas shopping (knocking quite a few off my list yesterday), but we got some amazing deals. Kaelyn had one episode where sitting in the stroller just wasn’t cutting it for her. And I guess I can understand that sitting still for several hours is hard when you’re so full of energy. We took a short break and let her run around the play area for a bit and that did enough to sufficiently wear her out and get her to nap. She woke up, still in her stroller, but in a much better mood than before. Back at home, she just wouldn’t sit still and while I know I can’t expect too much from a 13 month old who just learned to climb, I so wish she would have given us just 10 minutes of peace! Instead, she would cruise up to me and Roger and cry until we paid attention to her. I did eventually give up on relaxing and got down on the floor and played, which was so rewarding. She’s so engaging and fun! I just wish I could find a way to keep her content during the times that I can’t play with her! By the time she went to bed, I could barely stay awake…I think I lasted another hour tops!
………………..
It has occurred to me that I didn’t cook this weekend (except for breakfast on Sunday morning). This is odd for me and may be the reason why I didn’t feel very relaxed and rested (aside from Kaelyn). Cooking is therapeutic for me. I get lost in it and it definitely de-stresses me. I wonder why I let a whole weekend pass without making anything? That is so unlike me…
……………………
The alarm went off at 3:30 this morning and I was out of bed by 4. Roger was already awake…for at least an hour before me. He was not in bed when I had the pleasure of waking up to our cat, Itty Bitty, sneezing all over my face. (I really need to get her to the vet). Roger had to be at work by 6:30 this morning and since my car is STILL in the shop, he’s also stuck driving me to work. We had to leave home by 5:15 to get Kaelyn to the sitter…which is about a 40 minute drive from our house….then get back across town to go to our respective work places. I did not like the early morning. Not because I didn’t like getting up that early or leaving home that early, but because for the first time ever, Kaelyn wasn’t awake while I was getting ready for work. Even though I could be so much more efficient with her sleeping, our mornings are so joyful as we get ready and play and interact with her. I missed her this morning and was sad that I got to spend very little time with her (just a quick kiss goodbye after we dropped her off). If it turns out that Roger needs to be at work by 6: 30 every morning, then I will change my schedule to allow me to be at work a little bit later, so that I can leave at my normal time to drop her off and still get my morning time with her (I currently never drop her off..though sometimes have to pick her up). Our other option is to find child care closer to home, which will be tough since our current sitter is so awesome and totally worth the drive.
I really need my car back.
We are helping another friend move this weekend. Just to a different place in our city. She has mixed emotions about the move…it’s both for good and not so good reasons. I hope I can be the friend she needs through this transition.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Veterans' Day
It's nice having a day off in the middle of the week. I was able to get all the errand-y type things I usually have to do on the weekend done and now feel like I can fully relax this weekend. To make it better, most people decided to take today off work and have a four day weekend. As nice as that would have been, coming in to work for just half a day meant that I could get more done in four hours than I usually do all week. Why? Because no one was there to bother me. This means that come Monday, I'm better positioned to get through the week than I normally am. I can relax even more! Amazingly, I've also done all these things sans car since mine is still in the shop (I don't even want to go there).
I finally cashed in my birthday present and had the house cleaners come in yesterday. The house is so clean and smells so great. How wonderful! There's nothing like that "clean house" smell.
In other news, Roger has accepted a new position with a well established company that is starting an HVAC section here in Sacramento. The company is known for it's solar power and while they are getting the HVAC thing set up, have offered to have Roger start early and learn the solar part of the business. This means several things. One, he will temporarily have to give up on the business, since it could cause some conflict. This is sad in some ways because his business was taking off...but the unsteady income did make us uneasy. Things were working well for us and the extra time he got to spend with Kaelyn was awesome, but I think he missed the daily grind of a regular job and with the economy being the way it is, it was scary for us to invest in something new. Still, he did well for his first year and it seems that now that he's wrapping things up, people are calling left and right wanting service! It was hard to pass up the additional income though. It will be a great cushion for us and it makes us both feel so much better knowing that it's there. The not so great part is obviously he will have less time with Kaelyn and I know he'll miss that. We have great care for her and she's happy with our caregiver, so we are good there, but I know that Roger enjoyed the extra time with her, especially now that she's so little and so in love with her daddy!
For me, I think this move is all positive. The opportunity for him to start something from the ground floor is amazing...and to be backed by such a well respected, well established company is even better. Plus, learning about solar power can only be good. Even though we live fine off my income alone and have been able to fund all our fun stuff with Roger's business, it's nice to know that we'll have the second steady income guaranteed to us. We'll be able to save even more and have a fall back for times like when we don't have a renter and need to pay two mortgages (I did not enjoy that last month!) We were not expecting this development in his career and I won't go into how it came about, but suffice to say, we were not looking for this. The stars just aligned perfectly and we felt like we had to jump on it.
We'll be getting used to a new schedule over the next couple of months and I have a feeling that the adjustment might be hard for all of us. With both of us going into work early now (6:30 am), we'll have to work out how to get Kaelyn to our sitter. It's a long drive, which means earlier mornings for both of us. I just hope I have my car back soon so we can take turns. As it stands now, Roger drives me to and from work...which is just extra driving and time for him. Still, we are going into this holiday season with new hope for our future. We're excited...even if cautiously so. We'll be working hard, the days will be tiring, but the peace of mind will be nice. We'll make that much more of an effort to maximize the time we do have together on the weekends. I'll be looking into changing my schedule so that I can have a flex day every other Friday and Roger may be put on a 4-10 schedule that will give him three day weekends as well...so, we should be good there.
I'm ready for the weekend and plan to fully enjoy it. We'll be helping friends move tomorrow and may go shopping on Sunday. Nothing big. Just time together as a family. Always good.
To end: Thank you to all who have served past and present. Thank you to the families that sacrifice your loved ones. And to all those who I've known that have lost their lives fighting for our freedom (and to everyone that I don't know)...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
I finally cashed in my birthday present and had the house cleaners come in yesterday. The house is so clean and smells so great. How wonderful! There's nothing like that "clean house" smell.
In other news, Roger has accepted a new position with a well established company that is starting an HVAC section here in Sacramento. The company is known for it's solar power and while they are getting the HVAC thing set up, have offered to have Roger start early and learn the solar part of the business. This means several things. One, he will temporarily have to give up on the business, since it could cause some conflict. This is sad in some ways because his business was taking off...but the unsteady income did make us uneasy. Things were working well for us and the extra time he got to spend with Kaelyn was awesome, but I think he missed the daily grind of a regular job and with the economy being the way it is, it was scary for us to invest in something new. Still, he did well for his first year and it seems that now that he's wrapping things up, people are calling left and right wanting service! It was hard to pass up the additional income though. It will be a great cushion for us and it makes us both feel so much better knowing that it's there. The not so great part is obviously he will have less time with Kaelyn and I know he'll miss that. We have great care for her and she's happy with our caregiver, so we are good there, but I know that Roger enjoyed the extra time with her, especially now that she's so little and so in love with her daddy!
For me, I think this move is all positive. The opportunity for him to start something from the ground floor is amazing...and to be backed by such a well respected, well established company is even better. Plus, learning about solar power can only be good. Even though we live fine off my income alone and have been able to fund all our fun stuff with Roger's business, it's nice to know that we'll have the second steady income guaranteed to us. We'll be able to save even more and have a fall back for times like when we don't have a renter and need to pay two mortgages (I did not enjoy that last month!) We were not expecting this development in his career and I won't go into how it came about, but suffice to say, we were not looking for this. The stars just aligned perfectly and we felt like we had to jump on it.
We'll be getting used to a new schedule over the next couple of months and I have a feeling that the adjustment might be hard for all of us. With both of us going into work early now (6:30 am), we'll have to work out how to get Kaelyn to our sitter. It's a long drive, which means earlier mornings for both of us. I just hope I have my car back soon so we can take turns. As it stands now, Roger drives me to and from work...which is just extra driving and time for him. Still, we are going into this holiday season with new hope for our future. We're excited...even if cautiously so. We'll be working hard, the days will be tiring, but the peace of mind will be nice. We'll make that much more of an effort to maximize the time we do have together on the weekends. I'll be looking into changing my schedule so that I can have a flex day every other Friday and Roger may be put on a 4-10 schedule that will give him three day weekends as well...so, we should be good there.
I'm ready for the weekend and plan to fully enjoy it. We'll be helping friends move tomorrow and may go shopping on Sunday. Nothing big. Just time together as a family. Always good.
To end: Thank you to all who have served past and present. Thank you to the families that sacrifice your loved ones. And to all those who I've known that have lost their lives fighting for our freedom (and to everyone that I don't know)...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
(Un)Awarness
It amazes me that, when my life gets crazy busy (at it often does), how completely unaware I can be of what is happening outside my own little world.
For example, just a few weeks ago, we had a huge fire at our local mall. The story was complete with the mall closing down just before the holidays, the extensive damage, and a crazed guy that may or may not have had a bomb that started the whole thing. This happened to occur the week after our vacation, and just before my now infamous trip to DC. I worked late that day, came home thinking about dinner and Kaelyn and worrying about everything I still had left to do before I left that weekend. Roger asked me what I heard about the fire and my answer was “absolutely nothing”. To make it worse, until yesterday, it never even occurred to me that if the trip to DC hadn’t come up, I would have been with my coworkers in a class in that very location…as it was happening…and that they all pretty much had witnessed the drama unfold. As a matter of fact, until yesterday, I had forgotten that it even happened, as I had quickly melted back into my own world soon after hearing about it.
During this same period of time, the San Francisco Giants got into the World Series. I sort of remember Roger telling me something about it, but I really didn’t clue in. The first game was during my plane ride back to Sacramento. I was annoyed that the pilot kept waking me up with updates on the score. The other day, they won the championship. That, at least, I was mentally conscious enough to catch wind of. What I didn’t realize, was the outcomes or the existence of the other four games.
One thing that I do try to keep track of, regardless of what is happening to me personally, is local and national elections. I don’t love talking about politics. I despise getting into debates or sharing/knowing what others’ political leanings are. The endless phone calls, the misleading propaganda, and downright false advertising sickens me. Still, this is our system and I fully support it. I do my research, learn the issues, and sometimes even talk to my husband about what I’m thinking and ask for his opinion. I vote. Yesterday’s elections were both the most annoying and most interesting I have ever witnessed and I was interested in so much more than just what was happening here in California. I don’t want to get into details, but my job, and particularly my project, is highly political…so the Nevada Senate races were crucial to how we proceed (not if…that was a given…just how).
Now, happily, it’s over. I have my marching orders. My phone will stop ringing. The commercials will end. I can slip back into worldly oblivion and into my own comfortable little cocoon of a life.
For example, just a few weeks ago, we had a huge fire at our local mall. The story was complete with the mall closing down just before the holidays, the extensive damage, and a crazed guy that may or may not have had a bomb that started the whole thing. This happened to occur the week after our vacation, and just before my now infamous trip to DC. I worked late that day, came home thinking about dinner and Kaelyn and worrying about everything I still had left to do before I left that weekend. Roger asked me what I heard about the fire and my answer was “absolutely nothing”. To make it worse, until yesterday, it never even occurred to me that if the trip to DC hadn’t come up, I would have been with my coworkers in a class in that very location…as it was happening…and that they all pretty much had witnessed the drama unfold. As a matter of fact, until yesterday, I had forgotten that it even happened, as I had quickly melted back into my own world soon after hearing about it.
During this same period of time, the San Francisco Giants got into the World Series. I sort of remember Roger telling me something about it, but I really didn’t clue in. The first game was during my plane ride back to Sacramento. I was annoyed that the pilot kept waking me up with updates on the score. The other day, they won the championship. That, at least, I was mentally conscious enough to catch wind of. What I didn’t realize, was the outcomes or the existence of the other four games.
One thing that I do try to keep track of, regardless of what is happening to me personally, is local and national elections. I don’t love talking about politics. I despise getting into debates or sharing/knowing what others’ political leanings are. The endless phone calls, the misleading propaganda, and downright false advertising sickens me. Still, this is our system and I fully support it. I do my research, learn the issues, and sometimes even talk to my husband about what I’m thinking and ask for his opinion. I vote. Yesterday’s elections were both the most annoying and most interesting I have ever witnessed and I was interested in so much more than just what was happening here in California. I don’t want to get into details, but my job, and particularly my project, is highly political…so the Nevada Senate races were crucial to how we proceed (not if…that was a given…just how).
Now, happily, it’s over. I have my marching orders. My phone will stop ringing. The commercials will end. I can slip back into worldly oblivion and into my own comfortable little cocoon of a life.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Halloween
We spent most of the weekend waiting for the rain that was promised us…happily, it never showed up and the fall weather, though a little chilly on Saturday felt, refreshing and sweet.
By the time I left work on Friday, I was both physically and mentally exhausted. The trip to DC earlier in the week, coupled with the fact that my project schedule has been accelerated by a year pretty much had me beat (I’m better now). Roger picked me up from work a little after 4 (my car is in the shop with a bad clutch) and he, Kaelyn and I went to pick out our pumpkins for carving and get something for dinner since neither of us felt like cooking. We were late with the pumpkins this year, mainly because of all the traveling we did this month, but at least we got them and were able to carve them.
After dinner, the plan was to carve our pumpkins, but I just couldn’t muster up enough energy to do it. Instead, we settled on picking out our patterns (witch brewing in the moonlight for me, and really freaky skull for Roger) and cleaning the pumpkins out so they would be ready in the morning. After Kaelyn went to bed, we put in a scary movie, got out the tequila, and relaxed the rest of the night. I never even got a shot in…I was so tired, that I fell asleep during the movie and didn’t wake up until Saturday morning! Roger, bless him, slept on the couch, sitting up, next to me, because he didn’t want to wake me up to go to bed.
Saturday was relaxing as well. We were expecting it to rain so just sat around at home waiting for it to come. We did take a walk to the park next door and went to a deli to get some meats and cheeses for sandwiches that night, but that was pretty much it. We carved our pumpkins, roasted the seeds, and just hung out at home.
Halloween was as good as I hoped it would be. OMG! Kaelyn was so adorable in her strawberry shortcake costume. We were even able to get some pictures of her with her hat on…which was a feat in and of itself! She had no idea what was going on, but loved all the attention she got. Klara and Forrest came over and handed out candy with us. I made some apple turnovers just before trick or treating started and they were still hot when we came back. We enjoyed eating and sharing them with the parents that brought their kids around.
Around 9pm Halloween was over. The first major holiday of the fall season is behind us…now the rush begins. Thanksgiving is just around the corner!
By the time I left work on Friday, I was both physically and mentally exhausted. The trip to DC earlier in the week, coupled with the fact that my project schedule has been accelerated by a year pretty much had me beat (I’m better now). Roger picked me up from work a little after 4 (my car is in the shop with a bad clutch) and he, Kaelyn and I went to pick out our pumpkins for carving and get something for dinner since neither of us felt like cooking. We were late with the pumpkins this year, mainly because of all the traveling we did this month, but at least we got them and were able to carve them.
After dinner, the plan was to carve our pumpkins, but I just couldn’t muster up enough energy to do it. Instead, we settled on picking out our patterns (witch brewing in the moonlight for me, and really freaky skull for Roger) and cleaning the pumpkins out so they would be ready in the morning. After Kaelyn went to bed, we put in a scary movie, got out the tequila, and relaxed the rest of the night. I never even got a shot in…I was so tired, that I fell asleep during the movie and didn’t wake up until Saturday morning! Roger, bless him, slept on the couch, sitting up, next to me, because he didn’t want to wake me up to go to bed.
Saturday was relaxing as well. We were expecting it to rain so just sat around at home waiting for it to come. We did take a walk to the park next door and went to a deli to get some meats and cheeses for sandwiches that night, but that was pretty much it. We carved our pumpkins, roasted the seeds, and just hung out at home.
Halloween was as good as I hoped it would be. OMG! Kaelyn was so adorable in her strawberry shortcake costume. We were even able to get some pictures of her with her hat on…which was a feat in and of itself! She had no idea what was going on, but loved all the attention she got. Klara and Forrest came over and handed out candy with us. I made some apple turnovers just before trick or treating started and they were still hot when we came back. We enjoyed eating and sharing them with the parents that brought their kids around.
Around 9pm Halloween was over. The first major holiday of the fall season is behind us…now the rush begins. Thanksgiving is just around the corner!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Uninspired
I’ve been pretty uninspired to write anything lately. I don’t know why. We’ve had a lot going on and it seems that the more that happens, the less I feel like writing.
I just got back from a three day business trip to Washington DC. It was a whirlwind and I’m not sure completely worth my time. I missed Roger and Kaelyn like crazy, as I always do when I’m away from them. I finally got home at midnight last night and was never so happy to be sleeping in my bed next to my husband. It truly felt like I had been gone a lifetime. Kaelyn cut another tooth while I was gone and seems to have grown another inch!
This last week since being back from our family vacation has been extremely busy for all of us, but we still managed to spend time doing the things we enjoyed. The biggest thing that happened is that we found a renter for our other house, which is a huge relief. It seemed like forever, but it was only empty for three weeks. I can handle that! We were busy making sure the house was ready and our renters moved in a couple of days ago. I had wanted to go to Apple Hill last weekend to visit the pumpkin patch, walk around and enjoy the fall weather. Unfortunately, it rained the whole time. Instead, we stayed home while I made some homemade noodles and chicken soup. Vickie spent the day with us on Sunday and made over 100 chocolate chip cookies. To my surprise, there were still some left when I got home last night…not what I expected nor what I needed!
Kaelyn is also pretty much back to normal. She listens to us again and doesn’t whine and complain as much as she did when we first returned from our trip. So, it seems that it takes an average of one day of “retraining” to undo the damage of each day of spending time with grandparents. That will be good to know for future visits!
I’m really looking forward to this holiday season…it will be busy, but so much fun at the same time. Halloween is already this weekend. Kaelyn will be Strawberry Shortcake and is wearing a handmade dress and hat that Klara made for her for her birthday. I can’t wait to get the pictures of her. With her red curly hair, she will look like the cutest little doll! We should have good weather too…which is nice.
We’re still trying to decide what to do for Thanksgiving. We have been invited to spend the holiday with Vickie’s family, but really want to spend time at home and I love cooking the meal. We just don’t know who we’d invite to join us, if anyone…although we would like it to be more than just us.
Other than that, I don’t have much to say….like I said, I’m just not feeling very inspired….
I just got back from a three day business trip to Washington DC. It was a whirlwind and I’m not sure completely worth my time. I missed Roger and Kaelyn like crazy, as I always do when I’m away from them. I finally got home at midnight last night and was never so happy to be sleeping in my bed next to my husband. It truly felt like I had been gone a lifetime. Kaelyn cut another tooth while I was gone and seems to have grown another inch!
This last week since being back from our family vacation has been extremely busy for all of us, but we still managed to spend time doing the things we enjoyed. The biggest thing that happened is that we found a renter for our other house, which is a huge relief. It seemed like forever, but it was only empty for three weeks. I can handle that! We were busy making sure the house was ready and our renters moved in a couple of days ago. I had wanted to go to Apple Hill last weekend to visit the pumpkin patch, walk around and enjoy the fall weather. Unfortunately, it rained the whole time. Instead, we stayed home while I made some homemade noodles and chicken soup. Vickie spent the day with us on Sunday and made over 100 chocolate chip cookies. To my surprise, there were still some left when I got home last night…not what I expected nor what I needed!
Kaelyn is also pretty much back to normal. She listens to us again and doesn’t whine and complain as much as she did when we first returned from our trip. So, it seems that it takes an average of one day of “retraining” to undo the damage of each day of spending time with grandparents. That will be good to know for future visits!
I’m really looking forward to this holiday season…it will be busy, but so much fun at the same time. Halloween is already this weekend. Kaelyn will be Strawberry Shortcake and is wearing a handmade dress and hat that Klara made for her for her birthday. I can’t wait to get the pictures of her. With her red curly hair, she will look like the cutest little doll! We should have good weather too…which is nice.
We’re still trying to decide what to do for Thanksgiving. We have been invited to spend the holiday with Vickie’s family, but really want to spend time at home and I love cooking the meal. We just don’t know who we’d invite to join us, if anyone…although we would like it to be more than just us.
Other than that, I don’t have much to say….like I said, I’m just not feeling very inspired….
Monday, October 18, 2010
Our Vacation and the Haunted Hoochie
We got back from our “vacation” yesterday afternoon and are all trying to get back to our normal routines. It’s hard for all of us. I’m back at work and that somewhat has me on a normal schedule, but work is anything but normal right now. There’s just so much going on…a last minute trip to DC next week, right after I took a week off…not great timing. Roger has a lot of work to catch up on too, and don’t even get me started on Kaelyn! I now know why the word is called “spoiled”. Our relatives ruined our child…but more on that later.
We spent last week in Florida and Ohio visiting both sides of the family. There were so many people who hadn’t met Kaelyn yet, and we really didn’t want to wait too much longer to have her meet them. I started out both trips (Florida and then Ohio), thinking it would be nice to live near family again. There are so many advantages to it…the time for them to bond with Kae, spending holidays together without traveling, being close enough to visit without having to take time off work, etc. But, by the time we got back on a plane Saturday morning, Roger and I were cemented in our opinion that Sacramento is right where we want to be. With all the advantages of being near family, the distance is also…well, healthy. First, it’s impossible for us to live near all our family since they are split between Florida/Alabama, Ohio, and Greece. To pick one set to be near is torture and no matter what we decide, we would still have to travel somewhere to see someone. It’s much nicer to say, “We live here. Near no one” than to choose and have to deal with the consequences of what the other families would think and feel.
Secondly, our families spoiled Kae rotten! Sure, if they saw her more often, they probably wouldn’t be so bad, but still…
Every time Kae made a sound, someone was there to pick her up, give her a cookie or a cracker, or do whatever they could to make her smile again. And while I think the love and consolation of a crying baby is good, the truth is Kaelyn is a faker. She’s one year old. She’s testing us. She recently learned the meaning of “no” and while she listens to Roger and me when we say it, she will whine about it…to get us to give in. We don’t. But my mom totally does. She’s also teething (managed to cut two more teeth while we were away) and sometimes that pain will make her cranky. Roger and I try to distract her with teething rings or carrots to make her feel better. We give her medicine only if she absolutely needs it…and so far has only been that bad once. Sometimes she cries out while she’s sleeping. Only once, maybe twice, and she does this in her sleep. We have learned after that initial cry to wait. Most of the time, she doesn’t make another sound and is fast asleep when we check on her. I think this is from the pain of teething, or maybe she’s dreaming, but the fact remains, she cries and we wait to see if it’s “real” before doing anything. Our families were the complete opposite. If she so much as breathed heavily, someone was in there picking her up (waking her up) and giving her something to eat, drink or play with. Not good.
Kae may complain a little bit when I first put her down for a nap or at bedtime, but normally, after she voices her initial frustration, she lies there quietly and is asleep by the time the second song on the music CD I play for her is over. After we got back yesterday, she threw a mini tantrum when I put her down for the night. For the last week, that bought her more time to play. Now, I feel like I have to re-train her.
For all the complaining I’m doing, I do love our families and love how much they love and adore Kae. I think it’s great for her to have people in her life that will spoil her and I want her to be excited about these trips in the future. And while I’ll spend the next few days/week getting her back on our routine, I’m truly happy that she got time with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. She loved the attention and they loved her. This is why I think it would be good to be near them again…and the result of her “spoiling” is why I’m happy that we are a little further away most of time.
Overall, the trip was really good. We left early on Saturday morning, spend a four hour layover in Dallas, which wasn’t nearly as bad as it sounds, and was in Florida in time for dinner. Kaelyn got to meet my Grandmother for the first time, we visited my Dad’s farm and ate A LOT of food! We left for Ohio Wednesday afternoon, got there extremely late and welcomed sleep when it finally came to us. We had a Thanksgiving dinner on Friday, followed by the Haunted Hoochie (the world’s best haunts). We had another birthday party for Kaelyn on Saturday, and visited many many friends and family of Roger. It was a great time. We had little sleep in Ohio and when we got home all we wanted was to relax. We were in bed by 8pm!
In one week, we had a total of 6 flights. Kaelyn was good on all but two of them. And those were the two in between Dallas and Columbus. For some reason, she wouldn’t sleep on this leg and that was pretty miserable, but overall, she did great. The plane put her to sleep and when she was awake, she was in a good mood. Her ears didn’t seem to bother her that much. She tugged on them a little during the decent, but luckily for all of us, seemed to equalize them easily. Funny enough, I’ve been pretty congested lately and my ears killed me on the decent. I haven’t felt that bad since I was a little kid…but if I had to choose between me and Kaelyn to be in pain, I would pick me any day.
Only one flight was delayed and that happened to be the very last one. We boarded on time, Kaelyn took her bottle, and was nearly asleep when we were told the plane was being taken out of service and we had to de-board. We were told that they wouldn’t be giving us the stroller back and we had to change concourses (coincidentally, the same gate we had arrived at earlier that day). Luckily, we ran into good friends of ours at the airport, that were also on our flight. Thank God they were there! There was no way we could have carried Kaelyn, our two roller suitcases, her diaper bag, our drinks, and jackets without the stroller, without them. (And yes, we did do the entire trip with only carry-on’s…American Airlines charges $25 to check a bag and I just couldn’t bring myself to pay that fee.)
Being home is nice. Our bed, our couch, our routine, our rules. Fall seems to have shown up while we were away too. We left with weather in the upper 90’s and returned to highs in the low 70’s and a little bit of rain. I’m welcoming the changing of the season. The crispness of fall, the comfort foods, and the holidays. Halloween is just around the corner. I can’t believe it…
We spent last week in Florida and Ohio visiting both sides of the family. There were so many people who hadn’t met Kaelyn yet, and we really didn’t want to wait too much longer to have her meet them. I started out both trips (Florida and then Ohio), thinking it would be nice to live near family again. There are so many advantages to it…the time for them to bond with Kae, spending holidays together without traveling, being close enough to visit without having to take time off work, etc. But, by the time we got back on a plane Saturday morning, Roger and I were cemented in our opinion that Sacramento is right where we want to be. With all the advantages of being near family, the distance is also…well, healthy. First, it’s impossible for us to live near all our family since they are split between Florida/Alabama, Ohio, and Greece. To pick one set to be near is torture and no matter what we decide, we would still have to travel somewhere to see someone. It’s much nicer to say, “We live here. Near no one” than to choose and have to deal with the consequences of what the other families would think and feel.
Secondly, our families spoiled Kae rotten! Sure, if they saw her more often, they probably wouldn’t be so bad, but still…
Every time Kae made a sound, someone was there to pick her up, give her a cookie or a cracker, or do whatever they could to make her smile again. And while I think the love and consolation of a crying baby is good, the truth is Kaelyn is a faker. She’s one year old. She’s testing us. She recently learned the meaning of “no” and while she listens to Roger and me when we say it, she will whine about it…to get us to give in. We don’t. But my mom totally does. She’s also teething (managed to cut two more teeth while we were away) and sometimes that pain will make her cranky. Roger and I try to distract her with teething rings or carrots to make her feel better. We give her medicine only if she absolutely needs it…and so far has only been that bad once. Sometimes she cries out while she’s sleeping. Only once, maybe twice, and she does this in her sleep. We have learned after that initial cry to wait. Most of the time, she doesn’t make another sound and is fast asleep when we check on her. I think this is from the pain of teething, or maybe she’s dreaming, but the fact remains, she cries and we wait to see if it’s “real” before doing anything. Our families were the complete opposite. If she so much as breathed heavily, someone was in there picking her up (waking her up) and giving her something to eat, drink or play with. Not good.
Kae may complain a little bit when I first put her down for a nap or at bedtime, but normally, after she voices her initial frustration, she lies there quietly and is asleep by the time the second song on the music CD I play for her is over. After we got back yesterday, she threw a mini tantrum when I put her down for the night. For the last week, that bought her more time to play. Now, I feel like I have to re-train her.
For all the complaining I’m doing, I do love our families and love how much they love and adore Kae. I think it’s great for her to have people in her life that will spoil her and I want her to be excited about these trips in the future. And while I’ll spend the next few days/week getting her back on our routine, I’m truly happy that she got time with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. She loved the attention and they loved her. This is why I think it would be good to be near them again…and the result of her “spoiling” is why I’m happy that we are a little further away most of time.
Overall, the trip was really good. We left early on Saturday morning, spend a four hour layover in Dallas, which wasn’t nearly as bad as it sounds, and was in Florida in time for dinner. Kaelyn got to meet my Grandmother for the first time, we visited my Dad’s farm and ate A LOT of food! We left for Ohio Wednesday afternoon, got there extremely late and welcomed sleep when it finally came to us. We had a Thanksgiving dinner on Friday, followed by the Haunted Hoochie (the world’s best haunts). We had another birthday party for Kaelyn on Saturday, and visited many many friends and family of Roger. It was a great time. We had little sleep in Ohio and when we got home all we wanted was to relax. We were in bed by 8pm!
In one week, we had a total of 6 flights. Kaelyn was good on all but two of them. And those were the two in between Dallas and Columbus. For some reason, she wouldn’t sleep on this leg and that was pretty miserable, but overall, she did great. The plane put her to sleep and when she was awake, she was in a good mood. Her ears didn’t seem to bother her that much. She tugged on them a little during the decent, but luckily for all of us, seemed to equalize them easily. Funny enough, I’ve been pretty congested lately and my ears killed me on the decent. I haven’t felt that bad since I was a little kid…but if I had to choose between me and Kaelyn to be in pain, I would pick me any day.
Only one flight was delayed and that happened to be the very last one. We boarded on time, Kaelyn took her bottle, and was nearly asleep when we were told the plane was being taken out of service and we had to de-board. We were told that they wouldn’t be giving us the stroller back and we had to change concourses (coincidentally, the same gate we had arrived at earlier that day). Luckily, we ran into good friends of ours at the airport, that were also on our flight. Thank God they were there! There was no way we could have carried Kaelyn, our two roller suitcases, her diaper bag, our drinks, and jackets without the stroller, without them. (And yes, we did do the entire trip with only carry-on’s…American Airlines charges $25 to check a bag and I just couldn’t bring myself to pay that fee.)
Being home is nice. Our bed, our couch, our routine, our rules. Fall seems to have shown up while we were away too. We left with weather in the upper 90’s and returned to highs in the low 70’s and a little bit of rain. I’m welcoming the changing of the season. The crispness of fall, the comfort foods, and the holidays. Halloween is just around the corner. I can’t believe it…
Monday, October 4, 2010
New Toys
I have never been quick to jump on the technology bandwagon. I didn't have a DVD player for years after DVDs were pretty much the only thing you could rent or buy and the only reason why I finally switched over is because my VCR broke and I won a new DVD player at a Christmas party I attended. I've never had a iPod, iPhone, or i-anything. I'm not even sure what an MP3 is. The TV I had when I got married was archaic. Before Roger brought in the flat screens, I happily watched TV on a 29" box tv I bought while I was in college.
When I was in the AF, I was given a palm pilot (I think). When I left the AF, I opened my desk drawer and gave it to my replacement...brand new, still in the box.
Cell phones are just another thing that I'm not fast on. I didn't even own one until I was in Japan, and then only got it because Stacy did and I went with her to pick it up. It only made phone calls. I started texting regularly about two years ago. Roger and I signed up for a family plan and we got phones with full keyboards. Before then, I refused to write anything with numbers on a phone...and I mean, seriously, texts seem like a step back from actually talking to someone and hearing their voices live!
Anyway, it's safe to say that I'm a little behind the power curve when it comes to technology.
At our garage sale last weekend, I lost my cell phone. I'm pretty sure it was stolen, but I did give it to Kaelyn to play with just before it disappeared for good. I wasn't that heartbroken about it. The phone was starting to be a very big source of anger for me. Shutting off at random times, not holding a charge, dropping calls, etc. It had some features to allow me Internet access that I never used. I wanted a new one...a simple one that just made phone calls. That's it.
Saturday, after a full day of hanging out with Vickie (me an Kaelyn) and working on getting the rental cleaned up (Roger), we finally made a trip to Verizon to get me a replacement. Truthfully, I kind of enjoyed my week without a cell phone, but with the world revolving around them, it was inconvenient at times...so, a new cell phone it was.
Roger and I were both eligible for upgrades, so we decided to each get a new phone. I told the guy. "Calls only." He did his job. By the time we were done, our new phones (the Droid) has Internet access, apps (a new slang word for me), navigation, full keyboard text, touch screen, talks to me, and yes, even makes phone calls!
Yesterday, I downloaded applications that count my calories, WW points, give me weather updates all around the world, GPS navigation system, and a bar code reader (that was really fun to play with). We went shopping to buy some baby gates and a highchair for Kaelyn. I scanned the high chair to read instant reviews and get coupons. I checked my email, thought about updating the blog, and got turn by turn directions to get a different store than the one we normally go to. All from my phone! The only thing I didn't do was make a phone call.
I'm still not super excited about the latest and greatest technology, but I will admit that I love my new phone. I'm pretty sure once the novelty of it wears off for me, I won't use the features as much...will probably be back to just calling and texting, but it is fun to play with right now.
In other news, Kaelyn is very close to walking...she also decided that in the meantime, she will do a real crawl (before it was army crawls and rolls). She's super speedy and hard to keep up with.
Friday night, Roger and I went to Esther and Lester's wedding. It was beautiful....and sort of a date night for us since we didn't bring Kaelyn. She and Vickie and the dogs had a great time though...and so did we. It was wonderful, exhausting, and exciting all at the same time.
Here's to the start of another busy week!
When I was in the AF, I was given a palm pilot (I think). When I left the AF, I opened my desk drawer and gave it to my replacement...brand new, still in the box.
Cell phones are just another thing that I'm not fast on. I didn't even own one until I was in Japan, and then only got it because Stacy did and I went with her to pick it up. It only made phone calls. I started texting regularly about two years ago. Roger and I signed up for a family plan and we got phones with full keyboards. Before then, I refused to write anything with numbers on a phone...and I mean, seriously, texts seem like a step back from actually talking to someone and hearing their voices live!
Anyway, it's safe to say that I'm a little behind the power curve when it comes to technology.
At our garage sale last weekend, I lost my cell phone. I'm pretty sure it was stolen, but I did give it to Kaelyn to play with just before it disappeared for good. I wasn't that heartbroken about it. The phone was starting to be a very big source of anger for me. Shutting off at random times, not holding a charge, dropping calls, etc. It had some features to allow me Internet access that I never used. I wanted a new one...a simple one that just made phone calls. That's it.
Saturday, after a full day of hanging out with Vickie (me an Kaelyn) and working on getting the rental cleaned up (Roger), we finally made a trip to Verizon to get me a replacement. Truthfully, I kind of enjoyed my week without a cell phone, but with the world revolving around them, it was inconvenient at times...so, a new cell phone it was.
Roger and I were both eligible for upgrades, so we decided to each get a new phone. I told the guy. "Calls only." He did his job. By the time we were done, our new phones (the Droid) has Internet access, apps (a new slang word for me), navigation, full keyboard text, touch screen, talks to me, and yes, even makes phone calls!
Yesterday, I downloaded applications that count my calories, WW points, give me weather updates all around the world, GPS navigation system, and a bar code reader (that was really fun to play with). We went shopping to buy some baby gates and a highchair for Kaelyn. I scanned the high chair to read instant reviews and get coupons. I checked my email, thought about updating the blog, and got turn by turn directions to get a different store than the one we normally go to. All from my phone! The only thing I didn't do was make a phone call.
I'm still not super excited about the latest and greatest technology, but I will admit that I love my new phone. I'm pretty sure once the novelty of it wears off for me, I won't use the features as much...will probably be back to just calling and texting, but it is fun to play with right now.
In other news, Kaelyn is very close to walking...she also decided that in the meantime, she will do a real crawl (before it was army crawls and rolls). She's super speedy and hard to keep up with.
Friday night, Roger and I went to Esther and Lester's wedding. It was beautiful....and sort of a date night for us since we didn't bring Kaelyn. She and Vickie and the dogs had a great time though...and so did we. It was wonderful, exhausting, and exciting all at the same time.
Here's to the start of another busy week!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
My Birthday
Yesterday was my 35th birthday. Not really a milestone, but I guess sort of.
The day started out a little normal. Kaelyn had her one year checkup. Roger has been taking her lately, but I wanted to go this time. I actually enjoy them and missed going. She is doing great! But, she had to get some pretty painful shots, which broke my heart. I was the one that had to hold her down. She looked up at me with her sad eyes and her boo-boo lip and I wanted to cry too.
After the appointment, we both had to go to work. Roger gets the pleasure of taking Kaelyn with him sometimes. This makes me jealous and I was feeling that way even more yesterday. The thing is, though, once I get to work, it's a sprint. Yesterday was no different. I rarely have to think about home...though I catch myself doing it often.
After work, Roger met me downtown. He had planned a sushi dinner with my best friends here in Sac, Vickie and Klara. Since I weighed in during lunch and discovered I lost another 3.5 lbs (yeah) I totally relaxed and just enjoyed myself. We racked up a pretty big bill, but it was fun. What's so great about these dinners, is that I'm really the only one, out of the four of us, that likes sushi...and I love it! But my friends and Roger don't. Even though they can get other food there, it's still pretty nice that on my birthday, they go to my favorite place and try my favorite foods even though it's not all that appetizing to them. Pretty great....especially considering I won't eat peas for anyone (it's the only food I truly don't like).
For my birthday, Roger got me a maid (and flowers...lilies, my favorite). He also bought me a crock pot (the one he wanted to get Vickie for her birthday...and one that I told him I wanted). I know what most people think. A husband shouldn't get his wife a crock pot and a maid. He needs to by jewelery or something else. Well, I'm different. I get jewelery from my family. They live in Greece and can get it easier than us here. I have more jewelery than I'd ever wear. It's a waste for anyone else to get it for me. But, here's what was on my birthday wish list: A house cleaning service, a crock pot, and an apron. I got it all, plus a sushi dinner. Not bad! I guess I'm not like other women. I don't get all bent out of shape about him getting me something I would never get myself. I want the things that I want. I love to cook and I like things clean. It's pretty simple with me.
If it sounds like I'm getting defensive, it's because someone said this to me yesterday. Before I even got my presents. I told her what I wanted and she wrinkled her nose and said "A maid? That's insulting! He should by you jewelery and clothes" Well, I'm not skinny yet. He can buy me clothes when I'm skinny and I already explained the jewelery thing. I love to cook and I love a clean house. I do most of the housecleaning...it's a trade off for Roger doing all the home improvement projects I want. I really like having someone come in every now and then and really deep clean the house...but that's pretty expensive...over $250 for our entire house. We don't get to do it that often, and I'm really looking forward to it again. We don't spend that kind of money frivolously. So, to have him set that aside and get me a maid is a pretty big deal.
Anyway, enough of that. I have a busy two days ahead of me as we get closer to the end of the fiscal year. Then I'm taking Friday off. Overall, it will be a great week!
The day started out a little normal. Kaelyn had her one year checkup. Roger has been taking her lately, but I wanted to go this time. I actually enjoy them and missed going. She is doing great! But, she had to get some pretty painful shots, which broke my heart. I was the one that had to hold her down. She looked up at me with her sad eyes and her boo-boo lip and I wanted to cry too.
After the appointment, we both had to go to work. Roger gets the pleasure of taking Kaelyn with him sometimes. This makes me jealous and I was feeling that way even more yesterday. The thing is, though, once I get to work, it's a sprint. Yesterday was no different. I rarely have to think about home...though I catch myself doing it often.
After work, Roger met me downtown. He had planned a sushi dinner with my best friends here in Sac, Vickie and Klara. Since I weighed in during lunch and discovered I lost another 3.5 lbs (yeah) I totally relaxed and just enjoyed myself. We racked up a pretty big bill, but it was fun. What's so great about these dinners, is that I'm really the only one, out of the four of us, that likes sushi...and I love it! But my friends and Roger don't. Even though they can get other food there, it's still pretty nice that on my birthday, they go to my favorite place and try my favorite foods even though it's not all that appetizing to them. Pretty great....especially considering I won't eat peas for anyone (it's the only food I truly don't like).
For my birthday, Roger got me a maid (and flowers...lilies, my favorite). He also bought me a crock pot (the one he wanted to get Vickie for her birthday...and one that I told him I wanted). I know what most people think. A husband shouldn't get his wife a crock pot and a maid. He needs to by jewelery or something else. Well, I'm different. I get jewelery from my family. They live in Greece and can get it easier than us here. I have more jewelery than I'd ever wear. It's a waste for anyone else to get it for me. But, here's what was on my birthday wish list: A house cleaning service, a crock pot, and an apron. I got it all, plus a sushi dinner. Not bad! I guess I'm not like other women. I don't get all bent out of shape about him getting me something I would never get myself. I want the things that I want. I love to cook and I like things clean. It's pretty simple with me.
If it sounds like I'm getting defensive, it's because someone said this to me yesterday. Before I even got my presents. I told her what I wanted and she wrinkled her nose and said "A maid? That's insulting! He should by you jewelery and clothes" Well, I'm not skinny yet. He can buy me clothes when I'm skinny and I already explained the jewelery thing. I love to cook and I love a clean house. I do most of the housecleaning...it's a trade off for Roger doing all the home improvement projects I want. I really like having someone come in every now and then and really deep clean the house...but that's pretty expensive...over $250 for our entire house. We don't get to do it that often, and I'm really looking forward to it again. We don't spend that kind of money frivolously. So, to have him set that aside and get me a maid is a pretty big deal.
Anyway, enough of that. I have a busy two days ahead of me as we get closer to the end of the fiscal year. Then I'm taking Friday off. Overall, it will be a great week!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Yin and Yang...the Garage Sale
I'm a planner. I prepare...and when I'm done, I plan and prepare some more. Roger always says he doesn't know why I plan so much, because everything always works out for me anyway. This is true, but that's because I prepare, and make back up plans, and back up those back up plans.
Roger, on the other hand, is not so much of a planner. He's more of a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of guy. And somehow things always work out for him too. This drives me crazy! As I'm planning things out, he's usually relaxing or working on something else he waited until the last minute to do. While I'm fretting about things I may have forgotten, he's betting on those things never happening to begin with.
A couple of weeks ago, Roger told me that he wanted to have a garage sale at our other house. Since we're not going to rent it furnished starting October, we needed to get rid of things. And if we sold it all, then we wouldn't have to move it. I liked this idea. I immediately told him that we should take an ad out in the Penny Saver, or the Sac Bee. I would make signs that people could actually see. (Who really thinks that people can see much less read the garage sale signs that are usually out?) I looked on Google Maps to find all the entrences to the neighborhood from the main road and decided that 11 signs was the perfect number. I made a list of things to go through in our current house that Roger could take over there. This all within about one hour of being told we were having a garage sale.
Roger's response to all this? "Relax Babe! I got it...you don't have to do anything." I wasn't sure. We never had a garage sale together before. But, it was a busy few weeks for me. Between work and Kaelyn's birthday, I had my hands full with other projects. It was nice to take this off my plate.
As the garage sale date got closer, I began to have doubts that we were actually having one. Roger was working a lot too and the weekends leading up to it were filled with other activities. He never once mentioned having to go over there and go through stuff. Finally, Friday morning, just before I left for work, I asked him..."Are we having a garage sale tomorrow?" Yes, we were! But nothing had been done. No ads, no signs made, no merchandise organized. Roger's plan was to go over there after work on Friday and sort through stuff and make a list of general prices for things.
I helped him. But not much. I picked Kaelyn up and met him for dinner first. Then we went to the house and as he saw things he called them out to me. I wrote them down with a price on an old sheet of music he had lying around. Ten minutes later, Kaelyn was screaming and her and I were on our way home. Roger came home less than two hours later. I couldn't possibly see how we was done already! He said it was "good enough". I asked about signs...he thought he would stop by Home Depot on the way there in the morning and buy a couple to put up.
Saturday morning was a wreck. I managed to get Roger out the door just after 7, then showered, went through Kaelyn's clothes, and got her ready. We were there just before 8. I was happy to see signs up...they weren't the best, but at least they were there. I followed them in only to discover they weren't ours at all! There was another sale just a few houses down. Their signs were leading people to ours. Roger already had several customers when I got there, he never put up a single sign. He was going through things during the sale. We were there until 2pm and made $1500!! That's right. Roger was pretty proud that after all my doubts, we had such a successful day.
I normally don't love garage sales, but this one was fun. Not only because we were making a ton of money, but because Vickie came over and kept me company. Plus I met a lot of really great people. I swear some of the nicest people in the world stopped by our place. I lost my phone at some point...still don't have it...so, deduct another $100 off our profit for a new one, but other than that the day was perfect. Kaelyn enjoyed all the people coming and going, and after it was over we went out to dinner with Vickie and her brother, Michael. The best part, was that the garage sale served as a sort of open house. Several people were interested in it and I'm pretty sure that one guy (came back twice to look at it), will be signing a lease with the property management company this week!
I have to give Roger credit. He has the magic touch. I'll still plan and prepare, but I won't worry about him so much anymore.
Relaxed yesterday and getting ready to head back to work this morning. It should be a mellow week...the only big thing we have going on is a wedding to attend on Friday. Should be fun. Roger and I will be going out together without Kaelyn. We're both looking forward to some adult time...
Roger, on the other hand, is not so much of a planner. He's more of a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of guy. And somehow things always work out for him too. This drives me crazy! As I'm planning things out, he's usually relaxing or working on something else he waited until the last minute to do. While I'm fretting about things I may have forgotten, he's betting on those things never happening to begin with.
A couple of weeks ago, Roger told me that he wanted to have a garage sale at our other house. Since we're not going to rent it furnished starting October, we needed to get rid of things. And if we sold it all, then we wouldn't have to move it. I liked this idea. I immediately told him that we should take an ad out in the Penny Saver, or the Sac Bee. I would make signs that people could actually see. (Who really thinks that people can see much less read the garage sale signs that are usually out?) I looked on Google Maps to find all the entrences to the neighborhood from the main road and decided that 11 signs was the perfect number. I made a list of things to go through in our current house that Roger could take over there. This all within about one hour of being told we were having a garage sale.
Roger's response to all this? "Relax Babe! I got it...you don't have to do anything." I wasn't sure. We never had a garage sale together before. But, it was a busy few weeks for me. Between work and Kaelyn's birthday, I had my hands full with other projects. It was nice to take this off my plate.
As the garage sale date got closer, I began to have doubts that we were actually having one. Roger was working a lot too and the weekends leading up to it were filled with other activities. He never once mentioned having to go over there and go through stuff. Finally, Friday morning, just before I left for work, I asked him..."Are we having a garage sale tomorrow?" Yes, we were! But nothing had been done. No ads, no signs made, no merchandise organized. Roger's plan was to go over there after work on Friday and sort through stuff and make a list of general prices for things.
I helped him. But not much. I picked Kaelyn up and met him for dinner first. Then we went to the house and as he saw things he called them out to me. I wrote them down with a price on an old sheet of music he had lying around. Ten minutes later, Kaelyn was screaming and her and I were on our way home. Roger came home less than two hours later. I couldn't possibly see how we was done already! He said it was "good enough". I asked about signs...he thought he would stop by Home Depot on the way there in the morning and buy a couple to put up.
Saturday morning was a wreck. I managed to get Roger out the door just after 7, then showered, went through Kaelyn's clothes, and got her ready. We were there just before 8. I was happy to see signs up...they weren't the best, but at least they were there. I followed them in only to discover they weren't ours at all! There was another sale just a few houses down. Their signs were leading people to ours. Roger already had several customers when I got there, he never put up a single sign. He was going through things during the sale. We were there until 2pm and made $1500!! That's right. Roger was pretty proud that after all my doubts, we had such a successful day.
I normally don't love garage sales, but this one was fun. Not only because we were making a ton of money, but because Vickie came over and kept me company. Plus I met a lot of really great people. I swear some of the nicest people in the world stopped by our place. I lost my phone at some point...still don't have it...so, deduct another $100 off our profit for a new one, but other than that the day was perfect. Kaelyn enjoyed all the people coming and going, and after it was over we went out to dinner with Vickie and her brother, Michael. The best part, was that the garage sale served as a sort of open house. Several people were interested in it and I'm pretty sure that one guy (came back twice to look at it), will be signing a lease with the property management company this week!
I have to give Roger credit. He has the magic touch. I'll still plan and prepare, but I won't worry about him so much anymore.
Relaxed yesterday and getting ready to head back to work this morning. It should be a mellow week...the only big thing we have going on is a wedding to attend on Friday. Should be fun. Roger and I will be going out together without Kaelyn. We're both looking forward to some adult time...
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Happy Birthday Kaelyn!
Today is Kaelyn's first birthday...I can't believe it. The other day, a friend of mine brought over some pictures that she took of Kaelyn at our Superbowl party. She was only four months old...she looked so tiny. Now, she doesn't even really look like a baby. Her mess of curly hair makes her look like a toddler. My little girl is growing so fast!
We had Kaelyn's birthday party on Sunday and it was great fun. Roger and I put a lot of work and energy into it and were exhausted when it was over. Saturday, Roger had a bachelor party to go to and I had made plans to take Kaelyn to Lance's Virgo party. I had spent that morning grocery shopping, then making fondant for the cakes and the potluck dishes for Roger and I to take to our respective parties. While Kaelyn was napping, Roger and I wrapped her presents (we give them to her tonight). The day went by so fast! Before I knew it, it was 5. Our parties both started at 6, but we were both pretty late.
We didn't get home from the Virgo party until close to 11pm. I put Kaelyn to bed (she had long been asleep) and proceeded to make potato salad for the next day and clean up the kitchen. Roger came home around 1 am. We stayed up for another hour hanging out and talking. I had brought some cupcakes home for him and he decided to eat them then, which meant that he stayed up pretty late with the sugar rush. I fell asleep long before him. The alarm went off way too early.
Sunday morning was a scramble. I had to make 3 cakes (one lemon, one chocolate, and batch of giant chocolate cupcakes), make the frosting, and decorate the cakes. Vickie came over a couple of hours early with the sugar cookie stars and rainbow she made for the cake and to help me roll out the fondant. I was nervous, but the cake turned out beautifully (pictures will be on Facebook soon). I also made the bbq sauce for Roger's baby back ribs, which takes about 2 hours to reduce. Roger did the rest of the cooking, ribs, tri tip, pork tenderloin, corn on the cob, and chicken kabobs. Our friends did not go hungry!
The party itself was a blast. We ate and played with Kaelyn...who enjoyed all the attention. I let her splash around in our water fountain outside. She was such a ham and with the encouragement of our friends put on a very good show. Michelle was taking pictures. I can't wait to see them. After the fountain, I stripped her down and we sung Happy Birthday and gave her the cake. Again, she did not disappoint. Without me trying to prevent her from makin a mess, she dug into her chocolate cake, smeared it everywhere, and even threw peices around the kitchen. She also managed to eat quite a bit of it. I bet there's nothing like your first taste of chocolate! Too bad, I can't remember mine.
By the time we were done with cake, Kaelyn was pretty tired. We had some presents to open but she wasn't that into it. I ended up opening them myself while she sat on the floor rubbing her eyes. Our friends are so great. Klara stayed up all night making her a Strawberry Shortcake outfit for Halloween...deciding to sew it when she heard me say at Lance's the night before that I thought she'd make a cute one. Vickie stayed up all night making and decorating the sugar cookies. And I thought I was a hero for making potato salad! Ha!
I had a pretty big headache by the time the party was over. Kaelyn and I both went down for naps and Roger cleaned up by himself...he's so awesome.
Tonight, it's just us and I'm really looking forward to it. Dinner and presents, nice and relaxing. I can't wait...
We had Kaelyn's birthday party on Sunday and it was great fun. Roger and I put a lot of work and energy into it and were exhausted when it was over. Saturday, Roger had a bachelor party to go to and I had made plans to take Kaelyn to Lance's Virgo party. I had spent that morning grocery shopping, then making fondant for the cakes and the potluck dishes for Roger and I to take to our respective parties. While Kaelyn was napping, Roger and I wrapped her presents (we give them to her tonight). The day went by so fast! Before I knew it, it was 5. Our parties both started at 6, but we were both pretty late.
We didn't get home from the Virgo party until close to 11pm. I put Kaelyn to bed (she had long been asleep) and proceeded to make potato salad for the next day and clean up the kitchen. Roger came home around 1 am. We stayed up for another hour hanging out and talking. I had brought some cupcakes home for him and he decided to eat them then, which meant that he stayed up pretty late with the sugar rush. I fell asleep long before him. The alarm went off way too early.
Sunday morning was a scramble. I had to make 3 cakes (one lemon, one chocolate, and batch of giant chocolate cupcakes), make the frosting, and decorate the cakes. Vickie came over a couple of hours early with the sugar cookie stars and rainbow she made for the cake and to help me roll out the fondant. I was nervous, but the cake turned out beautifully (pictures will be on Facebook soon). I also made the bbq sauce for Roger's baby back ribs, which takes about 2 hours to reduce. Roger did the rest of the cooking, ribs, tri tip, pork tenderloin, corn on the cob, and chicken kabobs. Our friends did not go hungry!
The party itself was a blast. We ate and played with Kaelyn...who enjoyed all the attention. I let her splash around in our water fountain outside. She was such a ham and with the encouragement of our friends put on a very good show. Michelle was taking pictures. I can't wait to see them. After the fountain, I stripped her down and we sung Happy Birthday and gave her the cake. Again, she did not disappoint. Without me trying to prevent her from makin a mess, she dug into her chocolate cake, smeared it everywhere, and even threw peices around the kitchen. She also managed to eat quite a bit of it. I bet there's nothing like your first taste of chocolate! Too bad, I can't remember mine.
By the time we were done with cake, Kaelyn was pretty tired. We had some presents to open but she wasn't that into it. I ended up opening them myself while she sat on the floor rubbing her eyes. Our friends are so great. Klara stayed up all night making her a Strawberry Shortcake outfit for Halloween...deciding to sew it when she heard me say at Lance's the night before that I thought she'd make a cute one. Vickie stayed up all night making and decorating the sugar cookies. And I thought I was a hero for making potato salad! Ha!
I had a pretty big headache by the time the party was over. Kaelyn and I both went down for naps and Roger cleaned up by himself...he's so awesome.
Tonight, it's just us and I'm really looking forward to it. Dinner and presents, nice and relaxing. I can't wait...
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Birthdays Galore
This week is all about birthdays. So many of them that I feel like I have to break the blog down into a mid-week and end of week summary. This week alone, we have Vickie, Lance and Michele's birthday's, Kaelyn's birthday party, a Virgo Birthday party, and a bachelor party (which I know has nothing to do with actual birthdays).
Monday, after work, I had to get my car smogged (ok smog checked...one of the joys of living in California). I also needed to go shopping for birthday cards and presents...having focused so much of my time getting ready for Kaelyn's upcoming birthday means that I've neglected all my other friends. I feel sort of bad about that, but not really considering that I'll probably never be so organized with Kaelyn's birthday again, and I'm pretty sure that the times of me being well prepared for birthday month are also gone for good. Besides, I got it all done so far.
Anyway, I had a brilliant idea that I would drop my car off at the smog place after work and have Roger come pick me up so we could go shopping together, then pick up my car and go home. What I didn't realize, is that it literally only takes 15 minutes to do the smog test. Since my car was new when I moved here six years ago, I didn't need a test, so I had no idea. Roger apparently did know, but didn't tell me for some odd reason (because that seems like one of the things he would normally tell me). So, the smog place was completely finished with my car and gave it back to me just as Roger pulled up.
We decided to go to Target because, well, that's where I go for just about everything lately. The thought behind Roger shopping with me was that he would save me some time by helping me make decisions or at least splitting up our friends and shopping separately. I don't know why I thought this since shopping with Roger usually feels like I'm with a 10 year old. It took forever! He wanted to get Halloween candy over a month early. (He says so that it's out of the way, but I know it's so he can eat it all...mark my words, we'll be buying more before Halloween). Then, he wanted to look at the sale racks. After 45 minutes, we finally got around to actually shopping for our friends. At that moment, Roger informed me that it takes him forever to pick out cards and has no ideas or opinions on what to get anyone else. Exasperating! After another hour, he suggests that we buy Vickie a crock-pot cook book. I let him know that she rarely cooks and probably doesn't have a crock pot. He then decided to call Vickie and ask her weird questions about crock pots and after that call, decided we should also buy her a crock pot. Instead, we bought her a necklace and I got a crock pot. By then, I was starving, so I went into "super efficient Beth" mode and ran around getting everything else, found the fastest moving line, and got us out of there. Then, Roger says to me "You know, if you just came here by yourself, you'd probably be home by now and I would have had dinner ready for you." Really? I swear sometimes he does this to me on purpose.
Tuesday night, was Vickie's birthday dinner. Roger spent a lot of time trying to gauge whether or not the crock pot would have been a welcome gift. He's so fixated on this. I bet he suggests we buy her one for Christmas too. The dinner was great fun. It happened to be just after I weighed in (lost another 4 lbs), so I was feeling pretty relaxed about just enjoying the dinner. Kaelyn was with us and blessedly very well behaved the whole time...even though we stayed out past her normal bedtime.
Yesterday, was Lance's birthday, but he likes to celebrate that at his annual Virgo party...that is this weekend, so instead, Roger and I went to the mall after work to get Kaelyn's birthday pictures taken. We spent quite a bit of time there since our appointment was at 6 and we got there at 4, but Kaelyn stayed in a good mood the whole time. We got some cute pictures, but I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. I don't know why exactly. They are cute (because she is) but, to me, they looked like pictures we could have taken. And I don't think they captured her magnificent eyes and long eyelashes. Still, we ordered a lot and I'm sure I'll change my mind about them soon enough.
Today, is Michele's birthday, but since her party is tomorrow, we actually have a night that we're not doing anything birthday related...except for shampooing the rugs. And we wouldn't be doing that if it weren't for Kaelyn's party on Sunday and the absence of any time to clean carpets between today and then.
Tomorrow, we are going to Michele's for her birthday celebration. Saturday, Vickie and I will be making cookies and fondant for Kaelyn, Roger will be going to a bachelor party, and Kaelyn and I will be going to the Virgo party. Lance has always included me in the Virgo party because my birthday so close to everyone else's, but I'm technically a Libra. At least this time, I'll be bringing a real Virgo with me! Sunday, is Kaelyn's birthday party, her actual birthday is the following Tuesday and exactly one week later, is my birthday...followed by Stacy's two days later. By the time we get to mine, I'm usually done with birthdays all together. Now that we throw Kaelyn's in the mix, I'm even more averse to having any sort of celebration for just myself. It's too much. If I'm sick of it, I'm sure everyone else is too. Oh well...I just won't age anymore. For the next 50 years, I'll stay 34 and be a medical miracle. Great plan!
...........
I noticed that when I'm on my personal blog page, it says this is my 79th post...but the blog roll seems to be stuck on 75...wonder which posts are missing or are they? I only count 75, so some of them must disappear. I wonder what will happen when I post this...will it say 76 for once? Hmmm....
Monday, after work, I had to get my car smogged (ok smog checked...one of the joys of living in California). I also needed to go shopping for birthday cards and presents...having focused so much of my time getting ready for Kaelyn's upcoming birthday means that I've neglected all my other friends. I feel sort of bad about that, but not really considering that I'll probably never be so organized with Kaelyn's birthday again, and I'm pretty sure that the times of me being well prepared for birthday month are also gone for good. Besides, I got it all done so far.
Anyway, I had a brilliant idea that I would drop my car off at the smog place after work and have Roger come pick me up so we could go shopping together, then pick up my car and go home. What I didn't realize, is that it literally only takes 15 minutes to do the smog test. Since my car was new when I moved here six years ago, I didn't need a test, so I had no idea. Roger apparently did know, but didn't tell me for some odd reason (because that seems like one of the things he would normally tell me). So, the smog place was completely finished with my car and gave it back to me just as Roger pulled up.
We decided to go to Target because, well, that's where I go for just about everything lately. The thought behind Roger shopping with me was that he would save me some time by helping me make decisions or at least splitting up our friends and shopping separately. I don't know why I thought this since shopping with Roger usually feels like I'm with a 10 year old. It took forever! He wanted to get Halloween candy over a month early. (He says so that it's out of the way, but I know it's so he can eat it all...mark my words, we'll be buying more before Halloween). Then, he wanted to look at the sale racks. After 45 minutes, we finally got around to actually shopping for our friends. At that moment, Roger informed me that it takes him forever to pick out cards and has no ideas or opinions on what to get anyone else. Exasperating! After another hour, he suggests that we buy Vickie a crock-pot cook book. I let him know that she rarely cooks and probably doesn't have a crock pot. He then decided to call Vickie and ask her weird questions about crock pots and after that call, decided we should also buy her a crock pot. Instead, we bought her a necklace and I got a crock pot. By then, I was starving, so I went into "super efficient Beth" mode and ran around getting everything else, found the fastest moving line, and got us out of there. Then, Roger says to me "You know, if you just came here by yourself, you'd probably be home by now and I would have had dinner ready for you." Really? I swear sometimes he does this to me on purpose.
Tuesday night, was Vickie's birthday dinner. Roger spent a lot of time trying to gauge whether or not the crock pot would have been a welcome gift. He's so fixated on this. I bet he suggests we buy her one for Christmas too. The dinner was great fun. It happened to be just after I weighed in (lost another 4 lbs), so I was feeling pretty relaxed about just enjoying the dinner. Kaelyn was with us and blessedly very well behaved the whole time...even though we stayed out past her normal bedtime.
Yesterday, was Lance's birthday, but he likes to celebrate that at his annual Virgo party...that is this weekend, so instead, Roger and I went to the mall after work to get Kaelyn's birthday pictures taken. We spent quite a bit of time there since our appointment was at 6 and we got there at 4, but Kaelyn stayed in a good mood the whole time. We got some cute pictures, but I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. I don't know why exactly. They are cute (because she is) but, to me, they looked like pictures we could have taken. And I don't think they captured her magnificent eyes and long eyelashes. Still, we ordered a lot and I'm sure I'll change my mind about them soon enough.
Today, is Michele's birthday, but since her party is tomorrow, we actually have a night that we're not doing anything birthday related...except for shampooing the rugs. And we wouldn't be doing that if it weren't for Kaelyn's party on Sunday and the absence of any time to clean carpets between today and then.
Tomorrow, we are going to Michele's for her birthday celebration. Saturday, Vickie and I will be making cookies and fondant for Kaelyn, Roger will be going to a bachelor party, and Kaelyn and I will be going to the Virgo party. Lance has always included me in the Virgo party because my birthday so close to everyone else's, but I'm technically a Libra. At least this time, I'll be bringing a real Virgo with me! Sunday, is Kaelyn's birthday party, her actual birthday is the following Tuesday and exactly one week later, is my birthday...followed by Stacy's two days later. By the time we get to mine, I'm usually done with birthdays all together. Now that we throw Kaelyn's in the mix, I'm even more averse to having any sort of celebration for just myself. It's too much. If I'm sick of it, I'm sure everyone else is too. Oh well...I just won't age anymore. For the next 50 years, I'll stay 34 and be a medical miracle. Great plan!
...........
I noticed that when I'm on my personal blog page, it says this is my 79th post...but the blog roll seems to be stuck on 75...wonder which posts are missing or are they? I only count 75, so some of them must disappear. I wonder what will happen when I post this...will it say 76 for once? Hmmm....
Monday, September 13, 2010
Patriot Day and a Jazz Party
This weekend was really busy. After an extremely busy and crazy work week, I was looking forward to some time to relax. That didn't come until later Sunday night, but at least I was prepared for a crazy weekend this time.
Roger worked late on Friday and didn't get home until just before 7:30. By then, Kaelyn was more than ready for bed. She's been going to bed a little earlier lately due to how cranky she's been. I think another tooth is on the way. She got this way when the first one broke skin. But, she's also going through a growth spurt, so that could be the culprit too. After Kaelyn was asleep, Roger and I spent the rest of the night cleaning the house. Fun times were had by all! Ok, not. We were exhausted after that and went to bed early ourselves...Friday night mayhem...whatever.
Saturday was crazy. Roger had to meet a contractor at one of the construction sites he'll be working on soon in the morning and Kaelyn and I had a million errands to run....including going to the post office to pick up her birthday package from my mom. That was not the best idea I ever had! First, it was huge...and trying to carry a baby and large awkward package to my car was not the easiest thing I ever did. Add to that, the fact that Kaelyn thought it would be fun to practice her drumming on the big box while we were transporting it...well, let's just say that luckily nothing was breakable inside. When I had to choose between dropping her and dropping the box, I chose the box...I'm a great mom aren't I?
We got home in time for lunch. Putting away groceries, making lunch for the three of us, and getting ready for guests at the same time...what fun. Kaelyn also used that exact time to practice climbing the stairs for the first time. Roger had to finally stop helping me and play with her just so we could rest a little easier that she wouldn't kill herself.
Vickie arrived around 1 and her and I left for a trip to Michael's and Target to buy birthday supplies for Kaelyn. That was actually a break for me, because Roger stayed home to put Kaelyn down for a nap, make the chicken wings for the Jazz party, and put snacks out for our guests....all who arrived around 4. Our house was the meeting place for a caravan up to a winery in Camino where we were having a very big, end of summer Jazz party. Roger and I went to this same party last year, one day before Kaelyn was born. Because there were over a 100 people going to this thing, there were several pre-parties set up around Sacramento for people to meet at, get to know one another and drive up together. Our group was pretty great...we were enjoying our convesation so much, that we actually left 40 minutes later than we were supposed to....my fault for talking instead of getting ready.
The party itself was wonderful. We started it with a moment of silence and pledge led by Roger, then good music, good food, dancing and friends. Kaelyn came with us. She ate dinner, then spent about an hour being passed around all our friends and getting all the attention she loves. After that, she easily fell asleep and we were really able to enjoy some adult time. We got home at midnight...exhausted and sleepy. Bed was immediate.
Yesterday was pretty mellow, but still packed. We slept in, then decided to go to the Home Show downtown. For the first time ever, we didn't get anything! It was great restraint on our part, especially considering all the home projects still on our list. We got home late in the afternoon, and I immediately started cooking dinner (Salmon and steamed green beans...the Salmon needed marinating time). We ate, called Roger's mom to talk about our upcoming trip to Ohio, put Kaelyn to bed, and then finally got to sit down and relax. We watched 2 hours of tv together...until Roger fell asleep, started snoring, and woke me up...I guess 2 hours was too long for both of us. I slept well and am now ready for another crazy week. It will be busy this week, both at work and at home. Will have lots to write about.
For now, I'll sign off with Kaelyn's latest favorite word. "Bob"...
Roger worked late on Friday and didn't get home until just before 7:30. By then, Kaelyn was more than ready for bed. She's been going to bed a little earlier lately due to how cranky she's been. I think another tooth is on the way. She got this way when the first one broke skin. But, she's also going through a growth spurt, so that could be the culprit too. After Kaelyn was asleep, Roger and I spent the rest of the night cleaning the house. Fun times were had by all! Ok, not. We were exhausted after that and went to bed early ourselves...Friday night mayhem...whatever.
Saturday was crazy. Roger had to meet a contractor at one of the construction sites he'll be working on soon in the morning and Kaelyn and I had a million errands to run....including going to the post office to pick up her birthday package from my mom. That was not the best idea I ever had! First, it was huge...and trying to carry a baby and large awkward package to my car was not the easiest thing I ever did. Add to that, the fact that Kaelyn thought it would be fun to practice her drumming on the big box while we were transporting it...well, let's just say that luckily nothing was breakable inside. When I had to choose between dropping her and dropping the box, I chose the box...I'm a great mom aren't I?
We got home in time for lunch. Putting away groceries, making lunch for the three of us, and getting ready for guests at the same time...what fun. Kaelyn also used that exact time to practice climbing the stairs for the first time. Roger had to finally stop helping me and play with her just so we could rest a little easier that she wouldn't kill herself.
Vickie arrived around 1 and her and I left for a trip to Michael's and Target to buy birthday supplies for Kaelyn. That was actually a break for me, because Roger stayed home to put Kaelyn down for a nap, make the chicken wings for the Jazz party, and put snacks out for our guests....all who arrived around 4. Our house was the meeting place for a caravan up to a winery in Camino where we were having a very big, end of summer Jazz party. Roger and I went to this same party last year, one day before Kaelyn was born. Because there were over a 100 people going to this thing, there were several pre-parties set up around Sacramento for people to meet at, get to know one another and drive up together. Our group was pretty great...we were enjoying our convesation so much, that we actually left 40 minutes later than we were supposed to....my fault for talking instead of getting ready.
The party itself was wonderful. We started it with a moment of silence and pledge led by Roger, then good music, good food, dancing and friends. Kaelyn came with us. She ate dinner, then spent about an hour being passed around all our friends and getting all the attention she loves. After that, she easily fell asleep and we were really able to enjoy some adult time. We got home at midnight...exhausted and sleepy. Bed was immediate.
Yesterday was pretty mellow, but still packed. We slept in, then decided to go to the Home Show downtown. For the first time ever, we didn't get anything! It was great restraint on our part, especially considering all the home projects still on our list. We got home late in the afternoon, and I immediately started cooking dinner (Salmon and steamed green beans...the Salmon needed marinating time). We ate, called Roger's mom to talk about our upcoming trip to Ohio, put Kaelyn to bed, and then finally got to sit down and relax. We watched 2 hours of tv together...until Roger fell asleep, started snoring, and woke me up...I guess 2 hours was too long for both of us. I slept well and am now ready for another crazy week. It will be busy this week, both at work and at home. Will have lots to write about.
For now, I'll sign off with Kaelyn's latest favorite word. "Bob"...
Thursday, September 9, 2010
What Project Management Has Taught Me About Parenthood
Last night, during dinner, I watched in wonder as Kaelyn very precisely picked little pieces of chicken off the tray of her high chair and fed herself. She is growing so incredibly fast. As we approach her first birthday, I often wonder how I’m going to do as a mother. I don’t feel like I have the skills needed to really raise her and teach her and protect her. How am I going to make sure that she has the skills necessary to be a well-adjusted, happy, and productive adult? I posed this question to Roger, who in is infinite wisdom said, “I haven’t yet seen a project you can’t manage.” Honestly, I don’t think he was listening, because he seemed to still be stuck on my reiterations of work and not realized that I had switched to talking about Kaelyn.
But, he has a point. My child is not a “project” I need to manage, but I can probably use what I learned as a Project Manager and apply them to Kaelyn. For example:
1. Schedule is everything. First, you have to have a good schedule and realistic expectations. You also need to have enough flexibility in your schedule, that small deviations don’t cause a major disaster. This is true both for projects and children.
2. When someone cries…everyone (over)reacts. Whether it’s a baby, customer, team member, or boss, crying gets everyone’s attention. The problem is that the reaction usually doesn’t address the root problem. And if the goal is just to make the crying stop, then the message to the crier is “If I cry, I’ll get exactly what I want. This works.” Bad results.
3. Change is inevitable. Even with the best planning, change is going to come. The key, is to create an environment where the change doesn’t cause massive panic. Parents and project managers alike have to remain calm, take time to evaluate the change, and respond accordingly.
4. Expect the unexpected. I’ve seen some crazy things in my career, but I have a feeling it’s nowhere near the curve balls my daughter is going to throw at me. Bracing myself now.
5. You will be tested. Team members, subordinates, customers, and children will test you, no doubt. How firm is this deadline? What are the real consequences for not doing my homework? If I cry, will I get what I want? Be prepared and stand firm. I often remind myself at work that I am not making friends...it's impossible to be authoritative with your best friend. Same with Kaelyn. I love her, but I'm her mom, not her girlfriend. That is a very clear and necessary distinction!
6. Present a united front. In running a project, it’s sometimes challenging to balance the different goals and priorities of the groups you’re working with. When something is really important, then the PM has to get buy in from everyone and create one united front. Same with parenting. It does no good for me to enforce a rule if Roger is just going to undermine it. Even if we don’t agree, we need to be on the same page when it comes to Kaelyn.
7. Respect is earned. Yes, even with the parent/child relationship. I learned a long time ago not to ask for anything I wouldn’t do myself, hold others accountable, and praise them often for their good work. I also learned to not make promises I couldn’t keep. There’s nothing worse than going back on your word. Trust is everything.
8. Let them be part of the solution. Situation: Something isn’t getting done according to schedule. I talk to a team member about it. I can dictate that he “get it done, or else” or I can say “what would it take for this to happen? “ or “Here are some options, which one works best for you?” It’s easier to get what I want, if I let the problem help with the solution. It’s perfectly ok for a team member or a child to give me their input and thoughts. The final decision is always mine…but, if they figure out how to solve the problem themselves, they are more likely to follow through.
9. You will be bombarded with a lot of useless (and some useful) information. Almost every day I’m sent information on best practices, management techniques, and new ideas to have a better project. The info can be overwhelming and it’s tempting to scrap my old methods for the new trendy ones. I’ve noticed this with parenting too. Newsletters, mailings, books, tv shows, all giving me the new trendy, and often conflicting, ways to raise my child and ensure that she’s the smartest one in class. Some of the info is good. But I have to trust myself enough to wade through all the crap to get to the good stuff. Not as easy as it seems.
10. You have to love it! My job is highly stressful, demanding, and often exhausting. But I love it. I couldn’t imagine putting myself through this much everyday for something I hated doing. Parenthood, so far, has been even more stressful, tiring, and difficult than anything I’ve ever dealt with at work…but the rewards are so great and my love for Kaelyn is so intoxicating that it’s easy to ignore the hard stuff for all the good I have.
I wish that Kaelyn had come with a users’ manual…and even though there are plenty of books out there that claim to have the perfect parenting techniques, the truth is, Kaelyn is an individual. I’ve read a lot about how to be a good mom to her and I’ve implemented quite a bit of what I’ve read. The fact remains, though, she, Roger and I are going to have to “learn as we go”. I’m sure even if Kaelyn was our 10th child, she would be uniquely different from all the previous 9. Maybe that’s my number 11: No matter how alike they seem, no two projects (or children) are exactly the same….
But, he has a point. My child is not a “project” I need to manage, but I can probably use what I learned as a Project Manager and apply them to Kaelyn. For example:
1. Schedule is everything. First, you have to have a good schedule and realistic expectations. You also need to have enough flexibility in your schedule, that small deviations don’t cause a major disaster. This is true both for projects and children.
2. When someone cries…everyone (over)reacts. Whether it’s a baby, customer, team member, or boss, crying gets everyone’s attention. The problem is that the reaction usually doesn’t address the root problem. And if the goal is just to make the crying stop, then the message to the crier is “If I cry, I’ll get exactly what I want. This works.” Bad results.
3. Change is inevitable. Even with the best planning, change is going to come. The key, is to create an environment where the change doesn’t cause massive panic. Parents and project managers alike have to remain calm, take time to evaluate the change, and respond accordingly.
4. Expect the unexpected. I’ve seen some crazy things in my career, but I have a feeling it’s nowhere near the curve balls my daughter is going to throw at me. Bracing myself now.
5. You will be tested. Team members, subordinates, customers, and children will test you, no doubt. How firm is this deadline? What are the real consequences for not doing my homework? If I cry, will I get what I want? Be prepared and stand firm. I often remind myself at work that I am not making friends...it's impossible to be authoritative with your best friend. Same with Kaelyn. I love her, but I'm her mom, not her girlfriend. That is a very clear and necessary distinction!
6. Present a united front. In running a project, it’s sometimes challenging to balance the different goals and priorities of the groups you’re working with. When something is really important, then the PM has to get buy in from everyone and create one united front. Same with parenting. It does no good for me to enforce a rule if Roger is just going to undermine it. Even if we don’t agree, we need to be on the same page when it comes to Kaelyn.
7. Respect is earned. Yes, even with the parent/child relationship. I learned a long time ago not to ask for anything I wouldn’t do myself, hold others accountable, and praise them often for their good work. I also learned to not make promises I couldn’t keep. There’s nothing worse than going back on your word. Trust is everything.
8. Let them be part of the solution. Situation: Something isn’t getting done according to schedule. I talk to a team member about it. I can dictate that he “get it done, or else” or I can say “what would it take for this to happen? “ or “Here are some options, which one works best for you?” It’s easier to get what I want, if I let the problem help with the solution. It’s perfectly ok for a team member or a child to give me their input and thoughts. The final decision is always mine…but, if they figure out how to solve the problem themselves, they are more likely to follow through.
9. You will be bombarded with a lot of useless (and some useful) information. Almost every day I’m sent information on best practices, management techniques, and new ideas to have a better project. The info can be overwhelming and it’s tempting to scrap my old methods for the new trendy ones. I’ve noticed this with parenting too. Newsletters, mailings, books, tv shows, all giving me the new trendy, and often conflicting, ways to raise my child and ensure that she’s the smartest one in class. Some of the info is good. But I have to trust myself enough to wade through all the crap to get to the good stuff. Not as easy as it seems.
10. You have to love it! My job is highly stressful, demanding, and often exhausting. But I love it. I couldn’t imagine putting myself through this much everyday for something I hated doing. Parenthood, so far, has been even more stressful, tiring, and difficult than anything I’ve ever dealt with at work…but the rewards are so great and my love for Kaelyn is so intoxicating that it’s easy to ignore the hard stuff for all the good I have.
I wish that Kaelyn had come with a users’ manual…and even though there are plenty of books out there that claim to have the perfect parenting techniques, the truth is, Kaelyn is an individual. I’ve read a lot about how to be a good mom to her and I’ve implemented quite a bit of what I’ve read. The fact remains, though, she, Roger and I are going to have to “learn as we go”. I’m sure even if Kaelyn was our 10th child, she would be uniquely different from all the previous 9. Maybe that’s my number 11: No matter how alike they seem, no two projects (or children) are exactly the same….
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Diet Update
I started this blog with the intention of using it to keep myself accountable on losing my baby weight. I gained 80 pounds during pregnancy!! So far, I’ve maybe lost 30…that leaves me 50 to go. Almost one year later. That sucks.
Anyway, I had good intentions. I was going to be painfully honest about my weight, my food, etc. I was going to get it through my thick skull that the days of me eating whatever I wanted had caught up to me. I was going to eat right, realize that my body has changed forever and be skinny again by Kaelyn’s first birthday.
So, that didn’t happen…and neither did using this blog to keep myself accountable. The truth is, it’s just too hard for me to own up to my shortcomings and I’d much rather talk about the everyday things in my life, than my diet…the bane of my existence.
I was hoping that blogging about it would help, because the thought of people, including myself, knowing my weight is terrifying to me. And, therefore, pretty motivating. I wanted to lose weight quickly. Breastfeeding wasn’t the miracle diet that it was hyped up to be. Weight didn’t just start falling off me. So, I tried some extreme stuff. I tried no carbs…that lasted for two weeks and I lost 10 lbs. Then, after I pigged out on pasta, I quit. After that, I tried Michael Thurman. I didn’t buy the program, just sort of cheated off another friend who’s had some success with it. That lasted for one week in which I lost 8lbs…but as good as it was, it’s just not realistic for me to cut out all sodium, all wheat products, all carbs, etc. So, I quit that.
I’ve been pretty depressed about this. I’ve never been fat a day in my life. I never really had to worry about what I was eating or how much I exercised. And if I ever wanted to lose a dress size for a party, a vacation, my wedding, I just upped my workouts, ate more vegetables and would lose weight in an instant. Those days are over. My metabolism has taken a nose dive. I’ve lived this past year as a fat person…and the majority of the year before that as a pregnant person. I don’t like it. It makes me feel like crap.
Five weeks ago, I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting. I didn’t want to go because I didn’t want to get on the scale. I didn’t want to face the truth. (At the doctor’s office, I don’t look at my weight…and they don’t tell me). And even though they are pretty private about our weights, the leader knows, and I know. Not good. But, facing the scale in a semi-public forum is doing exactly what I was hoping this blog would do. It’s keeping me accountable. And it’s doing more…it’s tapping into my competitive side. The part of me that looks at this as a game between me and the scale. A game I’m going to win. Every week so far, I’ve lost weight. The scale had a pretty good head start at the beginning of this race, but every week, I’m chipping away at the gap. I’m getting closer and that’s good. In 4 weeks, I lost 12 lbs. And I feel better. I’m motivated to keep going and not having to give up anything in particular…not looking at food as the enemy has made it even easier.
Now that Kaelyn is eating more solids, changing my family’s diet is even more important to me. Looking back, even though I’ve always eaten a lot of food, my diet hasn’t been that bad. Since I love to cook, most of what I ate was fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, of course pasta (it’s not the devil food…I promise) etc. I would eat desserts, but not every day. Since I got married, things have been different. Roger, although a great cook, wasn’t used to cooking for himself every day. He would grill himself a steak for dinner and make a box of macaroni and cheese. He never ate vegetables. Frozen pizzas, frozen meatballs, and hotdogs were a mainstay for him. He loves to snack, so he always has chips, cookies, crackers, etc, around. For me, these foods are triggers, so I never bought them. If I was motivated enough to leave the house and buy myself a small bag of chips, then I figured I deserved it. I never made it easy for myself to have these foods.
When Roger and I married, I didn’t want to deprive him of everything he was used to. I let him buy his frozen pizzas and his potato chips, but naively thought that if I took over the cooking, those things would slowly disappear from his diet. But, when pregnancy hit, it was just easier to let him feed me…and he fed me his stuff…and I ate it…and I gained 80 lbs. After Kaelyn was born and I went back to work, we split up the cooking duties. He has half the days, I have the other half…Sundays we cook together. This helped me out a lot as far as finding time to get everything done. But on Roger’s day, it’s usually take out, hot dogs, or meat and potatoes.
After my first weight watchers meeting, I had a talk with Roger. I told him that I didn’t want to be tempted by his foods anymore and I didn’t want Kaelyn growing up with this kind of diet. In order for her to be healthy, and me to lose weight, Roger had to change his habits too. He resisted at first. He tried to bargain with me. “What’s wrong with having pizza on Friday nights only?” “Or what’s so bad about take-out Chinese? It’s meat and vegetables, and rice.” And my personal favorite..”Kids love hotdogs! Are you really suggesting that we deny Kaelyn this staple?”
This wasn’t an easy conversation. Trying to convince him that we could still eat pizza and hotdogs and have some chips every so often, but not every day or even once a week, wasn’t easy. But he eventually decided to give me a chance. On his days, he actually cooks. Since he loves to grill that hasn’t been a problem, but instead of potatoes or French fries as sides, he cooks frozen vegetables. On my days, I’m more elaborate. I experiment with creating dishes that use fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs. I put a little freshly grated asiago cheese on his vegetables to make them more appealing to him. I also cook about twice as much as I know we’ll eat, because I’ve noticed that when I do, Roger will heat it up as leftovers on his days. It makes it easier for him, sure…but it’s better food for us to eat, so I don’t mind.
We still love pasta, but we’ve cut way back. We make it ourselves. The fat and calorie content may be the same, but I figure eating it fresh at least leaves out the extra preservatives and sugar. It also tastes a lot better! Besides, having to make it, ensures that we only eat it on days when we have enough time to make it…it’s prevented pasta from being the “we have no time, what can we make in 30 minutes or less” dinner option.
We enjoy our food and savor it, but we also sit down outside and talk to each other (instead of watch tv) and we tend to eat less as a result! Another trick I use is to feed Kaelyn her dinner while we are eating ours. (I used to feed her first, then Roger and I could concentrate on our dinner and Kae would just sit with us.) Concentrating on her, makes me eat much slower, which gives time for my “full” reflex to kick in.
………………………….
Roger still struggles a little. I notice that he still eats the foods we’re trying to avoid…just not around me. The other day he was home for lunch and made himself some hotdogs…and I found a bag of potato chips stashed in the very back of our top pantry shelf (it wasn’t there earlier in the week). When I made Kaelyn’s practice cakes, I would eat one small slice the day I baked it. Roger would eat the rest…usually getting up sometime in the middle of the night to have a slice. This weekend, I saw an open box of Girl Scout cookies on his workbench and realized that he’s storing his supply of snacks in the garage and eating them when he’s outside working…sneaky!
I admit I get annoyed with this at times. Seeing the evidence of his resistance…but, I do know that he’s trying and he’s being as supportive as he knows how to be. He’s not eating these things in front of me, he’s eating more vegetables and he’s gotten into the habit of having a small bowl of grapes before bed…as opposed to the bowl of ice cream he used to eat. I also have to remember that his is harder for him. He’s never eaten the way I’m asking him to. I have. Maybe not in the last two years, but I’m returning to old habits while he’s trying to create all new ones. Plus, he’s lost weight too. He’s not tracking, so we don’t know how much, but I can see the difference…in both of us.
………………..
In full discloser, I’m not really following Weight Watchers to the tee. I haven’t logged food or counted points since the first week. But, I am aware of what is better vs. what is worse to eat. I already know what a healthy diet looks like…I just need the motivation of the scale…and so far, it’s working great.
Normally, today would be a weigh-in day, but the group voted to skip it the day after long weekends…I voted against this, but I was the only one. I still tried to act like I would be facing the scale today…so I wouldn’t lose momentum. I don’t weigh myself at home, so I have no idea how much I’ve actually lost this past week, but I’m sure I lost something. I’m hoping at least 2 lbs…which would put me at a total 14 lbs lost since starting. My goal is to register a total of 16 lbs lost by next Tuesday…that’s 4 lbs in 2 weeks. Not undoable at all.
I’m feeling much better lately too. My clothes are fitting much nicer. Buttoning my jeans isn’t difficult. I also noticed my waist this morning! I haven’t seen that in forever! I’m still nowhere near the size (4) I was before I got married, but I’m getting there…just a couple to three more sizes, about 50 lbs, and I’m guessing one more year and I’ll be there. So, that’s my new goal. As skinny as I was by Kaelyn’s 2nd birthday and a little bit skinnier every week. Mostly, I want us all to be healthy…and we are. It gets better every day…yeah!
Anyway, I had good intentions. I was going to be painfully honest about my weight, my food, etc. I was going to get it through my thick skull that the days of me eating whatever I wanted had caught up to me. I was going to eat right, realize that my body has changed forever and be skinny again by Kaelyn’s first birthday.
So, that didn’t happen…and neither did using this blog to keep myself accountable. The truth is, it’s just too hard for me to own up to my shortcomings and I’d much rather talk about the everyday things in my life, than my diet…the bane of my existence.
I was hoping that blogging about it would help, because the thought of people, including myself, knowing my weight is terrifying to me. And, therefore, pretty motivating. I wanted to lose weight quickly. Breastfeeding wasn’t the miracle diet that it was hyped up to be. Weight didn’t just start falling off me. So, I tried some extreme stuff. I tried no carbs…that lasted for two weeks and I lost 10 lbs. Then, after I pigged out on pasta, I quit. After that, I tried Michael Thurman. I didn’t buy the program, just sort of cheated off another friend who’s had some success with it. That lasted for one week in which I lost 8lbs…but as good as it was, it’s just not realistic for me to cut out all sodium, all wheat products, all carbs, etc. So, I quit that.
I’ve been pretty depressed about this. I’ve never been fat a day in my life. I never really had to worry about what I was eating or how much I exercised. And if I ever wanted to lose a dress size for a party, a vacation, my wedding, I just upped my workouts, ate more vegetables and would lose weight in an instant. Those days are over. My metabolism has taken a nose dive. I’ve lived this past year as a fat person…and the majority of the year before that as a pregnant person. I don’t like it. It makes me feel like crap.
Five weeks ago, I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting. I didn’t want to go because I didn’t want to get on the scale. I didn’t want to face the truth. (At the doctor’s office, I don’t look at my weight…and they don’t tell me). And even though they are pretty private about our weights, the leader knows, and I know. Not good. But, facing the scale in a semi-public forum is doing exactly what I was hoping this blog would do. It’s keeping me accountable. And it’s doing more…it’s tapping into my competitive side. The part of me that looks at this as a game between me and the scale. A game I’m going to win. Every week so far, I’ve lost weight. The scale had a pretty good head start at the beginning of this race, but every week, I’m chipping away at the gap. I’m getting closer and that’s good. In 4 weeks, I lost 12 lbs. And I feel better. I’m motivated to keep going and not having to give up anything in particular…not looking at food as the enemy has made it even easier.
Now that Kaelyn is eating more solids, changing my family’s diet is even more important to me. Looking back, even though I’ve always eaten a lot of food, my diet hasn’t been that bad. Since I love to cook, most of what I ate was fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, of course pasta (it’s not the devil food…I promise) etc. I would eat desserts, but not every day. Since I got married, things have been different. Roger, although a great cook, wasn’t used to cooking for himself every day. He would grill himself a steak for dinner and make a box of macaroni and cheese. He never ate vegetables. Frozen pizzas, frozen meatballs, and hotdogs were a mainstay for him. He loves to snack, so he always has chips, cookies, crackers, etc, around. For me, these foods are triggers, so I never bought them. If I was motivated enough to leave the house and buy myself a small bag of chips, then I figured I deserved it. I never made it easy for myself to have these foods.
When Roger and I married, I didn’t want to deprive him of everything he was used to. I let him buy his frozen pizzas and his potato chips, but naively thought that if I took over the cooking, those things would slowly disappear from his diet. But, when pregnancy hit, it was just easier to let him feed me…and he fed me his stuff…and I ate it…and I gained 80 lbs. After Kaelyn was born and I went back to work, we split up the cooking duties. He has half the days, I have the other half…Sundays we cook together. This helped me out a lot as far as finding time to get everything done. But on Roger’s day, it’s usually take out, hot dogs, or meat and potatoes.
After my first weight watchers meeting, I had a talk with Roger. I told him that I didn’t want to be tempted by his foods anymore and I didn’t want Kaelyn growing up with this kind of diet. In order for her to be healthy, and me to lose weight, Roger had to change his habits too. He resisted at first. He tried to bargain with me. “What’s wrong with having pizza on Friday nights only?” “Or what’s so bad about take-out Chinese? It’s meat and vegetables, and rice.” And my personal favorite..”Kids love hotdogs! Are you really suggesting that we deny Kaelyn this staple?”
This wasn’t an easy conversation. Trying to convince him that we could still eat pizza and hotdogs and have some chips every so often, but not every day or even once a week, wasn’t easy. But he eventually decided to give me a chance. On his days, he actually cooks. Since he loves to grill that hasn’t been a problem, but instead of potatoes or French fries as sides, he cooks frozen vegetables. On my days, I’m more elaborate. I experiment with creating dishes that use fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs. I put a little freshly grated asiago cheese on his vegetables to make them more appealing to him. I also cook about twice as much as I know we’ll eat, because I’ve noticed that when I do, Roger will heat it up as leftovers on his days. It makes it easier for him, sure…but it’s better food for us to eat, so I don’t mind.
We still love pasta, but we’ve cut way back. We make it ourselves. The fat and calorie content may be the same, but I figure eating it fresh at least leaves out the extra preservatives and sugar. It also tastes a lot better! Besides, having to make it, ensures that we only eat it on days when we have enough time to make it…it’s prevented pasta from being the “we have no time, what can we make in 30 minutes or less” dinner option.
We enjoy our food and savor it, but we also sit down outside and talk to each other (instead of watch tv) and we tend to eat less as a result! Another trick I use is to feed Kaelyn her dinner while we are eating ours. (I used to feed her first, then Roger and I could concentrate on our dinner and Kae would just sit with us.) Concentrating on her, makes me eat much slower, which gives time for my “full” reflex to kick in.
………………………….
Roger still struggles a little. I notice that he still eats the foods we’re trying to avoid…just not around me. The other day he was home for lunch and made himself some hotdogs…and I found a bag of potato chips stashed in the very back of our top pantry shelf (it wasn’t there earlier in the week). When I made Kaelyn’s practice cakes, I would eat one small slice the day I baked it. Roger would eat the rest…usually getting up sometime in the middle of the night to have a slice. This weekend, I saw an open box of Girl Scout cookies on his workbench and realized that he’s storing his supply of snacks in the garage and eating them when he’s outside working…sneaky!
I admit I get annoyed with this at times. Seeing the evidence of his resistance…but, I do know that he’s trying and he’s being as supportive as he knows how to be. He’s not eating these things in front of me, he’s eating more vegetables and he’s gotten into the habit of having a small bowl of grapes before bed…as opposed to the bowl of ice cream he used to eat. I also have to remember that his is harder for him. He’s never eaten the way I’m asking him to. I have. Maybe not in the last two years, but I’m returning to old habits while he’s trying to create all new ones. Plus, he’s lost weight too. He’s not tracking, so we don’t know how much, but I can see the difference…in both of us.
………………..
In full discloser, I’m not really following Weight Watchers to the tee. I haven’t logged food or counted points since the first week. But, I am aware of what is better vs. what is worse to eat. I already know what a healthy diet looks like…I just need the motivation of the scale…and so far, it’s working great.
Normally, today would be a weigh-in day, but the group voted to skip it the day after long weekends…I voted against this, but I was the only one. I still tried to act like I would be facing the scale today…so I wouldn’t lose momentum. I don’t weigh myself at home, so I have no idea how much I’ve actually lost this past week, but I’m sure I lost something. I’m hoping at least 2 lbs…which would put me at a total 14 lbs lost since starting. My goal is to register a total of 16 lbs lost by next Tuesday…that’s 4 lbs in 2 weeks. Not undoable at all.
I’m feeling much better lately too. My clothes are fitting much nicer. Buttoning my jeans isn’t difficult. I also noticed my waist this morning! I haven’t seen that in forever! I’m still nowhere near the size (4) I was before I got married, but I’m getting there…just a couple to three more sizes, about 50 lbs, and I’m guessing one more year and I’ll be there. So, that’s my new goal. As skinny as I was by Kaelyn’s 2nd birthday and a little bit skinnier every week. Mostly, I want us all to be healthy…and we are. It gets better every day…yeah!
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