Time Keeps on MovingIt's amazing to me how time just flies by. It's now been 8 months since I stopped working at the 'Zon but it feels like yesterday. I definitely miss working - all those pleasant adult conversations - (and the moolah of course) but staying home has been such a blessing.
I am very very very excited that preschool is about to start. Less than 4 weeks until Pookie has her first day. Thankfully there is a 'meet the teacher' day in two weeks so that should help ease the transition. There is another little girl that Pookie really likes that will be in her class so a playdate is in order sometime in the next three weeks to cement that friendship again.
Summer, did you pass me by?
I swear that summer has passed me by. I had big plans of sitting outside with my feet dangling in the kiddie pool on the back deck chatting with my sister (a teacher with summer off) while Pookie splashed around... but it's been too cold. So sad! I'm suprised that the news reports haven't dubbed 2011 'the year that skipped summer' -- you know how they always name the storms like 'winter blast 2010' and such. How do you name summer when it didn't happen? I had to put on fleece and warm sweats to sit outside after dinner tonight!
Well - we are giving the wading pool a try tomorrow with a friend visiting from San Diego with her son. My fingers are crossed that it is at least warm out but I'm predicting that she will bring a sweater or jacket for sure (as will I!). Not sure if her little guy can stand the cold water on a 'not warm' day since he is from sunny, delightful, warm, inviting San Diego. Oh how I miss you SeaWorld!
Smurfs
Did you love the smurfs? I did... but not nearly as much as my younger sister. She was even Smurfette for halloween one year in elementary school (or was that in college?). Of course McDonalds just has to get smurf toys - argh. So I've been there twice this month and each time I asked about Smurfette but was told that she was sold out immediately. Well et me tell you that those folks don't know what they are talking about!! Today I broke down and split some chicken selects with Pookie for lunch and thank goodness I asked the front cashier if she had a smurfette.... she did!! It cost me $2.30 but I have one very happy four year old who is so excited to show her Aunt that she now has a smurfette too.
Remodeling some more
The guys pulled apart one of the remaining two unremodeling bedrooms downstairs. It's already warmer and less smelly now that the old wood has been removed from the foundation walls and the new foam boards are up. I fully understand that my husband is a 'one room at a time' kind of guy but spending the majority of my waking hours (and all of my sleeping ones) here at this abode make me hungry for some major remodeling. Of course the budget doesn't like my ideas so I'm slowly making my way toward a new kitchen that we can actually afford while slipping my slave labor Dad into the basement to get some of the work done on that project. Thanks Dad!!
Missing Grandma CC
Well Grandma CC took off for her job with FEMA out to North Dakota. What happened in ND you ask? Flooding of course. She loves it there and is excited that everyone is so friendly. She's only been gone a week but I'm still mad because August is the best chance we have for some good weather and it's before preschool starts... I was planning on some fun P-town days with Grandma but now it's not going to happen. (Grandma TT works a full time job so she can't play with us during the week) Get home soon Grandma CC - we miss you!
Kittens, Kittens, everywhere!!
I broke down and let Pookie get a kitten. Sadly our old cat, Luna, passed away in June. I waited as long as I could but the Humane Society hosted Catapalooza last weekend I got sucked in. I truly wanted to get an adult kitty as they are harder to place and come 'ready' to be mellow. But those big brown eyes and talk of 'kit-lings' (her made up word that she prefers to the word kitten - go figure) broke me down. To those mean people who didn't give a damn that my little four year old had her heart set on either the white or gray kitten that evil Saturday morning - shame on you. I know you heard her tiny voice that was so sad as you were only 24 inches from us as we crouched in front of the cage and you STOLE them away. I just don't think I could have taken a kitten away from a small child - there were 6 to choose from in that cage alone but nooooo you just had to take the two she wanted!! AHHHH. After a rough night of feeling very sad (we were robbed!) she decided that she would still love a kitten even if she had to get a black one.
Which leads me to our new 8 week old kitten Boo Boo. He is a nice little guy and I hope he grows up to be a mellow cat... otherwise Grandma and Grandpa will be getting themselves a new companion. Come visit us and meet Boo Boo!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Hawaii and the Living Room
Hawaii 2011
Wow, we had a great family vacation in Wailea (Maui) last week. My side of the family, without my SIL and brother, went on this one so there were 9 of us total. It was wonderful to hang at the pool, frolic at the beach, and eat some great food. Special thanks to my cool hubby for doing the sunrise bike ride with our teenage nieces - nobody wants to get up at 2:00am but he did!! An extra special thank you to the MacCulloch family for allowing us to use their condo - it's soooooo nice and it was fantastic to have all of us in one home.
Living Room Makeover
I won a contest for a living room makeover and they did it while we were in Hawaii last week. The living room looks great - check out the pics - and we were surprised that they also decorated the dining room and entry way! We paid the painter to paint the dining room and entry way but I didn't expect the interior designer to decorate them. Huge props to Authentic Home and Fine Construction for the excellent work that they did.
https://picasaweb.google.com/katherine.e.hamilton/LivingRoomMakeover2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCI6RitPErtrxsgE&feat=directlink
Jet Lag
So you can't really have jet lag from Hawaii to Seattle but I swear that Pookie (who is 4) is having time zone issues now. It was a three hour time difference so we were going to bed REALLY early in Hawaii and getting up at the crack of dawn to 'try' and stay on Seattle time as best we could. Now Pookie is getting really cranky around lunch time here and tomorrow I have to wake her up early as the interior design lady is coming to take a photo of us for her blog. Pookie and I are not morning people so it should be an exciting Wednesday.
Wow, we had a great family vacation in Wailea (Maui) last week. My side of the family, without my SIL and brother, went on this one so there were 9 of us total. It was wonderful to hang at the pool, frolic at the beach, and eat some great food. Special thanks to my cool hubby for doing the sunrise bike ride with our teenage nieces - nobody wants to get up at 2:00am but he did!! An extra special thank you to the MacCulloch family for allowing us to use their condo - it's soooooo nice and it was fantastic to have all of us in one home.
Living Room Makeover
I won a contest for a living room makeover and they did it while we were in Hawaii last week. The living room looks great - check out the pics - and we were surprised that they also decorated the dining room and entry way! We paid the painter to paint the dining room and entry way but I didn't expect the interior designer to decorate them. Huge props to Authentic Home and Fine Construction for the excellent work that they did.
https://picasaweb.google.com/katherine.e.hamilton/LivingRoomMakeover2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCI6RitPErtrxsgE&feat=directlink
Jet Lag
So you can't really have jet lag from Hawaii to Seattle but I swear that Pookie (who is 4) is having time zone issues now. It was a three hour time difference so we were going to bed REALLY early in Hawaii and getting up at the crack of dawn to 'try' and stay on Seattle time as best we could. Now Pookie is getting really cranky around lunch time here and tomorrow I have to wake her up early as the interior design lady is coming to take a photo of us for her blog. Pookie and I are not morning people so it should be an exciting Wednesday.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Sunshine Hooray!
Sunshine
Wow, today the sun is shining and all is right with the world. We got outside, planted some flowers, talked with our neighbors, and saw 99% of all the people walking around with smiles on their faces. You don't realize how much you miss the sunshine until it shines on you full force!
Powderpost Beetles
If we really have these on our fence I'm going to be very angry. We moved my flower pots away from the house where we were storing them for the winter about 1 month ago. They have been sitting over next to the fence with our neighbors to the north and today as I pulled all of the old flowers and planted new ones I had to GASP and call my J-man over to check out something that has started eating the fence on one specific board. UGH. ARGH. Not saying anything to our neighbors yet - I'm sure they can't see the damage - until we figure out what kind of pest is really doing the damage but I'm fairly certain it's this beetle thing and not termites (thank goodness). Found some poison spray on the home depot website that says it will do the trick so we might try a bottle of that then see what happens.
Kitchen Design
A really kitchen designer came to my house, took the measurements, and will meet with us in 2 weeks to present the design ideas she has for our kitchen. I am so very excited about this. I have plenty of ideas and we did the whole DIY thing at the last house. This time around J-man would really like to pay somebody else to do the work but I just don't know if I can let go of the process and hand it over to somebody else. (control freak much?) Anybody know what the difference is between 'custom' cabinets from a cabinet maker versus the 'all plywood' versions of the cabinets at home depot? The only thing I can think of is that of course the custom guy can make a 19" one whereas at good old HD you would get 18" or 21" with nothing in between other than a filler piece.
Living Room Makeover
The designer and construction company owner came over to check out our living room that they are making over for us (a $2500 value!!!). So far I think we are getting paint, drapes, a new fireplace surround, mantel, and furniture placement. The designer made me nervous when she said that she might do the final placement with me gone from the house. Umm, have you met me? Not sure that I can be convinced to leave a designer alone in my home - who knows what craziness might ensue!
Barbie Mermaid
Well, we now have the book, the doll, and the DVD of Barbie: A Mermaid Tale (or is it Tail?). Pookie only gets to watch the movie one time each day since it is a full hour long. She begs and pleads to watch it but I'm going to stay firm on this one as that is a long movie for somebody who is four years old. She loves this silly movie and wants to play Mom and Mermaid Daughter all the time now. It's funny because now she wants to be the mom and everyone else has to be the evil sister and/or barbie. Thank goodness that we've already survived the Ariel Mermaid craze so we have plenty (read this as waaaaay too many) mermaid dolls, bath toys, squinkies, etc, etc.
Mississippi Bound
Well my mother left this morning to head to mississippi to help the victims of these terrible tornados. I have no idea why FEMA is jumping in so soon and putting the lives of the FEMA workers in danger. My mom is an on-call volunteer who is paid only when she is deployed to help on a disaster. She loves helping people and really is able to make a difference by making sure that the victims she helps get the full benefit of the assistance programs. I'm nervous having her out there in the 'alley' when I hear that May is the 'busy' season for tornados -- what the heck? Is that a joke? She will be back in time for my niece's graduation from high school so that is a relief but then she is probably back out there in July for another two months. Sigh - Mom, I miss you and was planning on having you entertain Pookie with me!!
Wow, today the sun is shining and all is right with the world. We got outside, planted some flowers, talked with our neighbors, and saw 99% of all the people walking around with smiles on their faces. You don't realize how much you miss the sunshine until it shines on you full force!
Powderpost Beetles
If we really have these on our fence I'm going to be very angry. We moved my flower pots away from the house where we were storing them for the winter about 1 month ago. They have been sitting over next to the fence with our neighbors to the north and today as I pulled all of the old flowers and planted new ones I had to GASP and call my J-man over to check out something that has started eating the fence on one specific board. UGH. ARGH. Not saying anything to our neighbors yet - I'm sure they can't see the damage - until we figure out what kind of pest is really doing the damage but I'm fairly certain it's this beetle thing and not termites (thank goodness). Found some poison spray on the home depot website that says it will do the trick so we might try a bottle of that then see what happens.
Kitchen Design
A really kitchen designer came to my house, took the measurements, and will meet with us in 2 weeks to present the design ideas she has for our kitchen. I am so very excited about this. I have plenty of ideas and we did the whole DIY thing at the last house. This time around J-man would really like to pay somebody else to do the work but I just don't know if I can let go of the process and hand it over to somebody else. (control freak much?) Anybody know what the difference is between 'custom' cabinets from a cabinet maker versus the 'all plywood' versions of the cabinets at home depot? The only thing I can think of is that of course the custom guy can make a 19" one whereas at good old HD you would get 18" or 21" with nothing in between other than a filler piece.
Living Room Makeover
The designer and construction company owner came over to check out our living room that they are making over for us (a $2500 value!!!). So far I think we are getting paint, drapes, a new fireplace surround, mantel, and furniture placement. The designer made me nervous when she said that she might do the final placement with me gone from the house. Umm, have you met me? Not sure that I can be convinced to leave a designer alone in my home - who knows what craziness might ensue!
Barbie Mermaid
Well, we now have the book, the doll, and the DVD of Barbie: A Mermaid Tale (or is it Tail?). Pookie only gets to watch the movie one time each day since it is a full hour long. She begs and pleads to watch it but I'm going to stay firm on this one as that is a long movie for somebody who is four years old. She loves this silly movie and wants to play Mom and Mermaid Daughter all the time now. It's funny because now she wants to be the mom and everyone else has to be the evil sister and/or barbie. Thank goodness that we've already survived the Ariel Mermaid craze so we have plenty (read this as waaaaay too many) mermaid dolls, bath toys, squinkies, etc, etc.
Mississippi Bound
Well my mother left this morning to head to mississippi to help the victims of these terrible tornados. I have no idea why FEMA is jumping in so soon and putting the lives of the FEMA workers in danger. My mom is an on-call volunteer who is paid only when she is deployed to help on a disaster. She loves helping people and really is able to make a difference by making sure that the victims she helps get the full benefit of the assistance programs. I'm nervous having her out there in the 'alley' when I hear that May is the 'busy' season for tornados -- what the heck? Is that a joke? She will be back in time for my niece's graduation from high school so that is a relief but then she is probably back out there in July for another two months. Sigh - Mom, I miss you and was planning on having you entertain Pookie with me!!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Hoppy Easter, April 2011
Fourth Birthday
Wow, my small daughter turned 4 this month! I can really tell that she is getting big now with her vocab, polite manners, interest in new things, and just getting taller. She's a lucky girl that gets to have three parties. One with mom and dad on the day of her birthday, one with her buddies, and then another family party at Easter with the whole gang.
Hoppy Easter
I'm excited for our Easter party here at our home. Both sides of the family are coming and it should be a nice, relaxed, afternoon. We will be hunting for eggs with one cousin who is almost 3 so that should be fun. Otherwise it is all adults and older teens - plus my great family (both sides) are bringing food so that we are sharing the load this time around.
Week 14/15-ish
Gosh - what a difference 4-ish months makes in my new job! Here are some positive things that I've noticed:
1. I don't yell at my small child anymore to 'hustle'
2. My small child is getting braver, less shy, and less clingy (some of this is age but most of this is because I'm with her all day in my opinion)
3. My house is clean - not obsessively clean but generally clean
4. I can tell what/why my small child is upset about now... is she tired, hungry, being crossed, etc. Prior to staying home it was always a guessing game but since we are together now I understand what type of day she is having.
Some of the negative things:
1. It's getting hard to sleep at night. I think I'm not exercising my brain enough during the day as compared to working at the 'zon where I stressed out my brain and fell into bed each night.
2. Finding play dates is still difficult
Overall doing the SAHM thing has been very positive for me. I certainly miss my work friends and the challenge of doing a great job at something tough but this is a nice break from the rat race.
Preschool!
We got into a preschool for September and couldn't be happier. We are still on the waiting list for co-op preschool but we will give this other school a chance of course! As I've been talking to Pookie about her new school that she will attend after the summer is over she is getting a bit panicky. She thinks it will be like her daycare so I keep telling her that it's about playing and very very very short time. I know I will need to stay with her the first few times or she will melt down. It's on my 'to-do' list to call the school and see if we can come observe the four-year-old class in May a couple of times so that she can see what the new routine might be like and think about it over the summer.
Tiny Dancers
Pookie is taking ballet class and is loving it. It's on Saturday mornings so that she can be in the same class as a good friend of hers. Of course that means that I don't meet other SAHM's with whom I might be able to set up playdates. Sigh. Well it means a lot to Pookie that she gets to dance with her friend so I'm willing to suck this one up. I love the little pink tights and white leotards - she looks so tiny and cute.
Living Room Makeover
I won! Yes, it's true - I won a living room makeover and I am SO excited. Authentic Home is an interior design company here in West Seattle and together with Fine Construction Inc they sponsored a contest I entered for a living room makeover valued at $2,500! It's the biggest prize I've ever won (J-man too) so we are both excited. We meet with them on Monday the 25th of April so I hope to understand a bit better exactly what we might be getting. I'm fairly certain we will get new paint, drapes, and moving around our furniture. My fingers are crossed that Fine Construction will be able to reinvent our fireplace and maybe build some shelving with doors so that we can store toys for Pookie out here. Any thoughts about mounting our TV above the fireplace? I think it would be okay since we only do cartoons on this upstairs TV for an hour or two each morning and then it's off the rest of the day (90% of the time anyway). Well if you have time check out the website for both companies - they have good sites.
Wow, my small daughter turned 4 this month! I can really tell that she is getting big now with her vocab, polite manners, interest in new things, and just getting taller. She's a lucky girl that gets to have three parties. One with mom and dad on the day of her birthday, one with her buddies, and then another family party at Easter with the whole gang.
Hoppy Easter
I'm excited for our Easter party here at our home. Both sides of the family are coming and it should be a nice, relaxed, afternoon. We will be hunting for eggs with one cousin who is almost 3 so that should be fun. Otherwise it is all adults and older teens - plus my great family (both sides) are bringing food so that we are sharing the load this time around.
Week 14/15-ish
Gosh - what a difference 4-ish months makes in my new job! Here are some positive things that I've noticed:
1. I don't yell at my small child anymore to 'hustle'
2. My small child is getting braver, less shy, and less clingy (some of this is age but most of this is because I'm with her all day in my opinion)
3. My house is clean - not obsessively clean but generally clean
4. I can tell what/why my small child is upset about now... is she tired, hungry, being crossed, etc. Prior to staying home it was always a guessing game but since we are together now I understand what type of day she is having.
Some of the negative things:
1. It's getting hard to sleep at night. I think I'm not exercising my brain enough during the day as compared to working at the 'zon where I stressed out my brain and fell into bed each night.
2. Finding play dates is still difficult
Overall doing the SAHM thing has been very positive for me. I certainly miss my work friends and the challenge of doing a great job at something tough but this is a nice break from the rat race.
Preschool!
We got into a preschool for September and couldn't be happier. We are still on the waiting list for co-op preschool but we will give this other school a chance of course! As I've been talking to Pookie about her new school that she will attend after the summer is over she is getting a bit panicky. She thinks it will be like her daycare so I keep telling her that it's about playing and very very very short time. I know I will need to stay with her the first few times or she will melt down. It's on my 'to-do' list to call the school and see if we can come observe the four-year-old class in May a couple of times so that she can see what the new routine might be like and think about it over the summer.
Tiny Dancers
Pookie is taking ballet class and is loving it. It's on Saturday mornings so that she can be in the same class as a good friend of hers. Of course that means that I don't meet other SAHM's with whom I might be able to set up playdates. Sigh. Well it means a lot to Pookie that she gets to dance with her friend so I'm willing to suck this one up. I love the little pink tights and white leotards - she looks so tiny and cute.
Living Room Makeover
I won! Yes, it's true - I won a living room makeover and I am SO excited. Authentic Home is an interior design company here in West Seattle and together with Fine Construction Inc they sponsored a contest I entered for a living room makeover valued at $2,500! It's the biggest prize I've ever won (J-man too) so we are both excited. We meet with them on Monday the 25th of April so I hope to understand a bit better exactly what we might be getting. I'm fairly certain we will get new paint, drapes, and moving around our furniture. My fingers are crossed that Fine Construction will be able to reinvent our fireplace and maybe build some shelving with doors so that we can store toys for Pookie out here. Any thoughts about mounting our TV above the fireplace? I think it would be okay since we only do cartoons on this upstairs TV for an hour or two each morning and then it's off the rest of the day (90% of the time anyway). Well if you have time check out the website for both companies - they have good sites.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Green Cupcakes
What Week is This?
I think I'm at about Week 11 of being a stay at home mom (SAHM) but I've lost track. This is now my job but I keep finding myself talking about Amazon as 'my team' and at 'my job' when talking with other people - whoops! I guess it's hard to let go of an identity formed over 13 years in just 3 short months.
My Little Pony
Oh how my daughter loves the new My Little Pony shows on 'The Hub' (channel 123). I've let her watch with commercials a couple of times to get on the computer which led to her saying to my husband, "Dad can I watch The Hub where friends and family come together?" Oh my - guess that scary memory of hers might be a little sponge for marketing phrases. Maybe there is a future marketing genius in the making here. Of course when we went to Target to buy a baby hamster toy she changed her mind and instead of getting the small $5 toy and having money left over she decided to spend every penny and lay out her full $20 to buy the giant Princess Celestia pony with light up wings and she even talks! Thankfully this has led to many minutes of playing with her ponies while I do some things like oh... use the bathroom alone. Sigh.
Tangled and Green Cupcakes
Today is St. Patricks Day so we whipped up some chocolate cupcakes and then made some green colored frosting. We baked the cupcakes and left them to cool at home while we drove down the street to hit the admiral theater and watch Tangled for the third time. We were the only people in there until the last minute when a middle age blond guy showed up by himself. Am I the only person that thinks that is a little odd... why would he see the movie alone - kind of creepy?!? Anyhoo... and 1/2 way into the movie Pookie busts out with, "Mom, I can't sit here the whole time so let's just go home." No argument from me as I've seen that movie twice already so off we went. I have a sneaking suspicion that she remembered the green frosting just waiting for her at home and found that more appealing than watching her movie another time.
Remodeling and Decorating
Mom - you were right. Staying home truly does lead me to reconsider every single decorating decision I've made in this house. Right now the two bedrooms and playroom are looking good but all other rooms need some serious help. I'm leaning towards a beach decor theme for the living, dining, kitchen, and upstairs bathroom. Any thoughts on that my friends? Will I tire of it... probably... but I'm hoping I could get at least 5 years out of it! My goal is to get some nice neutral pieces like the couch (the costly pieces of course) and then be able to tweak paint, art, and a rug to change the decor theme when I reach my breaking point. Advice, tips, your thoughts... all welcome on this subject. My husband is going nuts hearing me talk about this. I can see his eyes glaze over and I imagine he looks at me and hears, 'blah, blah, blah, $$$$'. I can actually hear the little cash register bell ringing when I see the look of fear in his eyes. (insert evil laugh here).
We are DIY kind of folks but have recently found the best electrician known to mankind. We love him and he is an absolute rock star. Thank you Dick for rewiring the basement lights and 'grandma's' bedroom. This weekend is all about mud/tape and J-man is a little hesitant to get started. A good friend hired somebody to do a room in their house with the mud/tape and it cost about $1,000. Yikes. We figure to do it ourselves and if it's really horrible then wait for my Dad to get back to Washington to help fix it. I have confidence in my husband as he is a very smart guy so I think it's going to turn out great.
JC Penney Sales
Why would I ever pay full price on anything from JC Penney? I get these ads in the mail each week telling me it's going to be 60% (varies) off of all home decor. Wow! I'm logging on to buy another set of sheets for our wonderful king size bed. Oh how I love thee my king size bed. It's funny how I spent a bundle of cash on new bedroom furniture (which I love - go Bassett!) and a super nice mattress but then I never really want to spend much money on sheets. I kind of figure that the 'man smell' (anyone who has ever been inside a fraternity knows what I mean here) just doesn't come out after awhile hence the new sheets. Now the trick is to try and find sheets that fit tightly but not so tight that they pop off. The ones I bought last time are a little too big, go figure, and the fitted sheet is bunching up due to our restless legs.
Cutest Baby
The other night I went to dinner with some friends and saw a new baby! My good friend just had her first baby in December, a boy, and he is now 13 weeks old. Wow - he was a super mellow baby and seriously super-model cute. She thought I was just being nice but when I got home I continued to pass on the cute comments to my husband! If she does decide to try the SAHM roll I am going to pester her to get him a modeling gig as a baby. At 13 weeks he is just the right amount of chubby, smiles all the time, made lots of coo-ing noises, and was laid back. I think he could be a rock star for a baby gap photo shoot.
Weekend Party
I'm nervous for a weekend party this Saturday. Friends are hosting a 'no kids' shindig so that makes it fun right off the bat! It is a 'minute to win it' theme so there will be lots of crazy activities that need doing. I think it sounds really fun but I'm afraid that my massive competitiveness streak will eek out and I will embarrass my husband! All week I've been having to remind myself that 'its all in fun, all in fun, all in fun'. Sad but true!
Letting Go
Super proud of my brother and sis-in-law for letting their oldest daughter (18) travel by herself to visit the Grandparents in Arizona. I swear that my Dad and I were more worried than anyone about getting her safely to my house (she drove herself over the pass!), off to the airport, onto the plane, and safely into the arms of Grandma and Grandpa. I'm sure she did great but I can't really remember the first time I had to fly by myself... no friends... no family. I think it might have been for work so I must have been in my mid-twenties, right? I kept having these thoughts all day that some icky pervert would try to sit next to her on the flight (open seating on SW) but then I realized that there is no way in heck that she would ever allow herself to get taken advantage of! My oldest niece is one bossy girl (pot meet kettle) who isn't afraid to speak up for herself which is probably why her parents knew she could make this trip on her own!
I think I'm at about Week 11 of being a stay at home mom (SAHM) but I've lost track. This is now my job but I keep finding myself talking about Amazon as 'my team' and at 'my job' when talking with other people - whoops! I guess it's hard to let go of an identity formed over 13 years in just 3 short months.
My Little Pony
Oh how my daughter loves the new My Little Pony shows on 'The Hub' (channel 123). I've let her watch with commercials a couple of times to get on the computer which led to her saying to my husband, "Dad can I watch The Hub where friends and family come together?" Oh my - guess that scary memory of hers might be a little sponge for marketing phrases. Maybe there is a future marketing genius in the making here. Of course when we went to Target to buy a baby hamster toy she changed her mind and instead of getting the small $5 toy and having money left over she decided to spend every penny and lay out her full $20 to buy the giant Princess Celestia pony with light up wings and she even talks! Thankfully this has led to many minutes of playing with her ponies while I do some things like oh... use the bathroom alone. Sigh.
Tangled and Green Cupcakes
Today is St. Patricks Day so we whipped up some chocolate cupcakes and then made some green colored frosting. We baked the cupcakes and left them to cool at home while we drove down the street to hit the admiral theater and watch Tangled for the third time. We were the only people in there until the last minute when a middle age blond guy showed up by himself. Am I the only person that thinks that is a little odd... why would he see the movie alone - kind of creepy?!? Anyhoo... and 1/2 way into the movie Pookie busts out with, "Mom, I can't sit here the whole time so let's just go home." No argument from me as I've seen that movie twice already so off we went. I have a sneaking suspicion that she remembered the green frosting just waiting for her at home and found that more appealing than watching her movie another time.
Remodeling and Decorating
Mom - you were right. Staying home truly does lead me to reconsider every single decorating decision I've made in this house. Right now the two bedrooms and playroom are looking good but all other rooms need some serious help. I'm leaning towards a beach decor theme for the living, dining, kitchen, and upstairs bathroom. Any thoughts on that my friends? Will I tire of it... probably... but I'm hoping I could get at least 5 years out of it! My goal is to get some nice neutral pieces like the couch (the costly pieces of course) and then be able to tweak paint, art, and a rug to change the decor theme when I reach my breaking point. Advice, tips, your thoughts... all welcome on this subject. My husband is going nuts hearing me talk about this. I can see his eyes glaze over and I imagine he looks at me and hears, 'blah, blah, blah, $$$$'. I can actually hear the little cash register bell ringing when I see the look of fear in his eyes. (insert evil laugh here).
We are DIY kind of folks but have recently found the best electrician known to mankind. We love him and he is an absolute rock star. Thank you Dick for rewiring the basement lights and 'grandma's' bedroom. This weekend is all about mud/tape and J-man is a little hesitant to get started. A good friend hired somebody to do a room in their house with the mud/tape and it cost about $1,000. Yikes. We figure to do it ourselves and if it's really horrible then wait for my Dad to get back to Washington to help fix it. I have confidence in my husband as he is a very smart guy so I think it's going to turn out great.
JC Penney Sales
Why would I ever pay full price on anything from JC Penney? I get these ads in the mail each week telling me it's going to be 60% (varies) off of all home decor. Wow! I'm logging on to buy another set of sheets for our wonderful king size bed. Oh how I love thee my king size bed. It's funny how I spent a bundle of cash on new bedroom furniture (which I love - go Bassett!) and a super nice mattress but then I never really want to spend much money on sheets. I kind of figure that the 'man smell' (anyone who has ever been inside a fraternity knows what I mean here) just doesn't come out after awhile hence the new sheets. Now the trick is to try and find sheets that fit tightly but not so tight that they pop off. The ones I bought last time are a little too big, go figure, and the fitted sheet is bunching up due to our restless legs.
Cutest Baby
The other night I went to dinner with some friends and saw a new baby! My good friend just had her first baby in December, a boy, and he is now 13 weeks old. Wow - he was a super mellow baby and seriously super-model cute. She thought I was just being nice but when I got home I continued to pass on the cute comments to my husband! If she does decide to try the SAHM roll I am going to pester her to get him a modeling gig as a baby. At 13 weeks he is just the right amount of chubby, smiles all the time, made lots of coo-ing noises, and was laid back. I think he could be a rock star for a baby gap photo shoot.
Weekend Party
I'm nervous for a weekend party this Saturday. Friends are hosting a 'no kids' shindig so that makes it fun right off the bat! It is a 'minute to win it' theme so there will be lots of crazy activities that need doing. I think it sounds really fun but I'm afraid that my massive competitiveness streak will eek out and I will embarrass my husband! All week I've been having to remind myself that 'its all in fun, all in fun, all in fun'. Sad but true!
Letting Go
Super proud of my brother and sis-in-law for letting their oldest daughter (18) travel by herself to visit the Grandparents in Arizona. I swear that my Dad and I were more worried than anyone about getting her safely to my house (she drove herself over the pass!), off to the airport, onto the plane, and safely into the arms of Grandma and Grandpa. I'm sure she did great but I can't really remember the first time I had to fly by myself... no friends... no family. I think it might have been for work so I must have been in my mid-twenties, right? I kept having these thoughts all day that some icky pervert would try to sit next to her on the flight (open seating on SW) but then I realized that there is no way in heck that she would ever allow herself to get taken advantage of! My oldest niece is one bossy girl (pot meet kettle) who isn't afraid to speak up for herself which is probably why her parents knew she could make this trip on her own!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Germs and Play Dates
Germs
Sigh - we've got germs. Big nasty ugly ones! Pookie had a little runny nose about 2 weeks ago that developed into a little cough. I took her in and the doctor said she was fine but then heard me cough during the exam and said that I sounded worse than my daughter. Later the same day my doctor told me I had a 'mild' case of bronchitis. Of course I proceeded to get much worse over the next week (all during the visit from Grandma - darn it) but now I am hopefully on the road to recovery. Today is purify the house day. I heart clorox wipes and lysol spray.
The Hub
Oh television you are like crack to a small child obsessed with ponies and dolls. For those of you without an almost 4 year old there is a new channel (since October 2010 apparently) called The Hub. My daughter asks me almost daily, "Mom, can I watch The Hub?" to which I reply, "Sure, but just two shows and you have to watch the commercials as I am going to get on the computer." AHHHH - poor parenting is making an appearance and it's called The Hub!! Of course you know she is watching it right now while I type this - sigh.
Laundry
Why is it that when I worked it felt like we did laundry in a huge batch on Sunday night while watching television... but now that I'm home I do a load almost every day PLUS a huge load on the weekend? Maybe I make more laundry by being home but how is that possible? Mystery of the week...
Play Dates
Wow, so I scheduled three different play dates (I use the word loosely since only one involved a child of the same age as Pookie) and then had to cancel everything since I was so sick. Go figure! Trying to get something going for tomorrow with a friend who is also recovering from a cough/sickness so we don't think the kids would get sick if they played together. Hopefully next week I can get over to Bainbridge to visit some of the Real Housewives of Kitsap County (oh yes, you know who you are ladies!).
Sigh - we've got germs. Big nasty ugly ones! Pookie had a little runny nose about 2 weeks ago that developed into a little cough. I took her in and the doctor said she was fine but then heard me cough during the exam and said that I sounded worse than my daughter. Later the same day my doctor told me I had a 'mild' case of bronchitis. Of course I proceeded to get much worse over the next week (all during the visit from Grandma - darn it) but now I am hopefully on the road to recovery. Today is purify the house day. I heart clorox wipes and lysol spray.
The Hub
Oh television you are like crack to a small child obsessed with ponies and dolls. For those of you without an almost 4 year old there is a new channel (since October 2010 apparently) called The Hub. My daughter asks me almost daily, "Mom, can I watch The Hub?" to which I reply, "Sure, but just two shows and you have to watch the commercials as I am going to get on the computer." AHHHH - poor parenting is making an appearance and it's called The Hub!! Of course you know she is watching it right now while I type this - sigh.
Laundry
Why is it that when I worked it felt like we did laundry in a huge batch on Sunday night while watching television... but now that I'm home I do a load almost every day PLUS a huge load on the weekend? Maybe I make more laundry by being home but how is that possible? Mystery of the week...
Play Dates
Wow, so I scheduled three different play dates (I use the word loosely since only one involved a child of the same age as Pookie) and then had to cancel everything since I was so sick. Go figure! Trying to get something going for tomorrow with a friend who is also recovering from a cough/sickness so we don't think the kids would get sick if they played together. Hopefully next week I can get over to Bainbridge to visit some of the Real Housewives of Kitsap County (oh yes, you know who you are ladies!).
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Separation Anxiety - Week 5
Week 5 - Mid Way Point
Wow, Pookie is having major separation anxiety this week. The past few weeks I figured that she didn't want to go to her daycare/school because she figured I was going to work but now it's getting a little crazy. She absolutely wants to be in the same room with me every minute of the day. Seriously, I tell her that I'm going to use the restroom and she gets a look of panic on her face and runs to the restroom so that she is with me the whole time. We talk every day that we are going to stay together and that I'm not going to work anymore but she still doesn't believe it I think. Off to google some research on this topic!
Coupons
I love coupons. I've been reading the ads and clipping coupons like crazy. In fact I now have a little spreadsheet going so that I can track the prices on the things I buy all the time. It's really interesting that places like costco, target, and safeway run ads on things like big packs of paper towels but they are all different quantities so you can't quickly run a price compare. You really have to try and break it down into price per unit to get a true comparison. I've got a few websites to research on being a true coupon queen!
Play Dates
Sigh. This play date thing is harder than I thought. I'm not a very spontaneous person so picking up the phone and trying to get something put together is hard! I wish there was a standing play date that we could go to each week... oh wait... that is called taking a class! Well, maybe I need to enroll Pookie into the gymnastics class - that would be something fun for us to do.
Receipt Jar
We tallied up the receipt jar and it wasn't that bad. I'm still over budget, of course, but at least I can see where the money went. J-man was really nice about it and pointed out the areas where we need to watch our money. So far I have high hopes for February!
Wow, Pookie is having major separation anxiety this week. The past few weeks I figured that she didn't want to go to her daycare/school because she figured I was going to work but now it's getting a little crazy. She absolutely wants to be in the same room with me every minute of the day. Seriously, I tell her that I'm going to use the restroom and she gets a look of panic on her face and runs to the restroom so that she is with me the whole time. We talk every day that we are going to stay together and that I'm not going to work anymore but she still doesn't believe it I think. Off to google some research on this topic!
Coupons
I love coupons. I've been reading the ads and clipping coupons like crazy. In fact I now have a little spreadsheet going so that I can track the prices on the things I buy all the time. It's really interesting that places like costco, target, and safeway run ads on things like big packs of paper towels but they are all different quantities so you can't quickly run a price compare. You really have to try and break it down into price per unit to get a true comparison. I've got a few websites to research on being a true coupon queen!
Play Dates
Sigh. This play date thing is harder than I thought. I'm not a very spontaneous person so picking up the phone and trying to get something put together is hard! I wish there was a standing play date that we could go to each week... oh wait... that is called taking a class! Well, maybe I need to enroll Pookie into the gymnastics class - that would be something fun for us to do.
Receipt Jar
We tallied up the receipt jar and it wasn't that bad. I'm still over budget, of course, but at least I can see where the money went. J-man was really nice about it and pointed out the areas where we need to watch our money. So far I have high hopes for February!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Week 4 Review
Week 4 Ramblings
Wow, Week #4 has blown by. I am fairly certain this is because I actually did things this week... ah ha - this might be the key to my sanity!
Going Outside
We did it! A huge thank you to our neighbor for accompanying us on our BIG outing to the park on Tuesday. We left the house at 1:40 and didn't get home until 4:40. The girls had a wonderful time playing and the longer we stayed the more people that we both knew started showing up. I can't wait for the sunshine to peek out so that I can become more of a park Mom. My neighbor is an awesome Mom (and person) who I really like. She is also interested in parks that are not, gasp, in our neighborhood! I'm willing to try it as it's always more fun to have somebody to chat with at the park than standing there getting cold all by yourself while the kids run around.
Home School & Preschool
Well the workbook pages are a hit. Pookie actually asks to do them if I forget! On the days when we haven't done them during the day then my husband is having fun doing them with her after dinner. I have to say that working on the pages during the day is much more productive. She really wants to rough house with her Dad after (or before) dinner... or play trains... or throw things around the house... all the things that I don't like doing of course!
So most of you who are already SAHM's probably know that it's a massive undertaking to find the right preschool. It is January and one of the local preschools already had their open house (which we attended of course) and will let us know in March if Pookie gets in. My fingers are crossed since it's a great program from all accounts of the other parents who have kids going there (at least 5 families, that we like, that I can think of off the top of my head). As a backup plan I am also doing a classroom visit and signing up for the coop program. I feel like I might be more of a coop Mom so that I can volunteer in the classroom and learn more about child development in the required classes... but we will see how it all works out. Thankfully I have another 4 weeks before the coop applications are due so that seems like enough time to find a sitter so that I can attend the in-class visit.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Oh my goodness. I never knew how much I would miss the food court. Full disclosure, I am not a great cook. I give it my best effort but I'm a strict follower of instructions so the creative part of cooking escapes me. Thankfully my family is not that picky but there have been many dinner creations where we just start laughing sitting at the table trying to chew up that super dry pork chop (last night for instance). Three meals is day is a little overwhelming. I have actually forgotten to feed my small child lunch one day last week. Apparently neither one of us was hungry! We made it to about 2:30 and then we both realized we were starving - whoops. My colleagues at work will understand as we often wouldn't be hungry, or busy in meetings, and then wander down for a sandwich around 2:00. Ah, the good old days of having 20-plus places to eat without having to leave the building.
I make a weekly menu and have been saving them for the past 3 weeks so that I can figure out a full monthly menu. Yes, I realize this is a little obsessive but I don't like thinking about the menu so this makes sense to me. I'm working on it and will probably post it when I'm done just in case anybody else wants to try my weekly ideas for dinner.
Visit From GraGra
We are busy counting down the days until GraGra arrives for her visit from sunny Arizona. She is only staying for 6 nights but Pookie has been telling me that she is excited to sleep with GraGra "all the nights". She usually is down in the guest bedroom for 30 mintues then wants to come back to her own room. Have I mentioned that my Mom (GraGra) is a good cook? Oh gosh, what a coincidence that I am REALLY looking forward to her coming for a visit. Even my husband perks up when thinking about the delicious meals that will be waiting for him during those 6 nights!
Ice Cream Floats
As I sit here typing this my daughter and husband are enjoying creamsicle floats. That is vanilla ice cream with orange soda pop poured on it. This is a first creamsicle float for Pookie and when asked "Do you like it?" she murmurs back "Oh Yeah!" with her little mouth crammed full of ice cream. I am abstaining from the floats tonight. I have, once again, jumped onto the Weight Watchers bandwagon. I paid for the online membership and have the iPhone App so it's pretty easy to enter the things I'm eating and track my points. So far these past two weeks have been a little hard but I do feel like it's the right step for me at this point. For those of you who haven't put two-and-two together yet that means that my monthly menu is now going to have some serious 'points' review so that I can be cooking things that we will eat but that I also won't break the bank with on the Weight Watchers points system.
Obsessive Cleaning
I've tried to let up on the obsessive cleaning thing this past week. I only vacuumed once and need to do it again tonight (or tomorrow as the case might be!). The real kicker is the main bathroom. We've only got one on the main floor and another full bathroom in the basement but I never use the one downstairs. The one upstairs is vintage 1941 with yellow and maroon tiled walls. Don't get me wrong, it's in good shape considering that the house is 70 years old. We have lived here for 3.5 years and I'm done with this bathroom. It's not my style at all and I'm about ready to attack it. J-man is begging me to tolerate it for awhile longer but my patience is wearing thin. Thankfully he mentioned that tomorrow we will overhaul the floor (deep clean and re-caulk around the edges) which is a baby step towards appeasing me. Five months from now in July I will be telling you about my massive tile painting project. Those hideous tiles are going to be painted white - either by me or by someone I hire. After that I'm getting help from my Dad to install a brand new vanity... goodbye 1941 sink that I hate. I think that tonight I will make a countdown for the bathroom so that I have a reminder to keep me from demo-ing those darn tiles next week.
Upcoming Week 5
I'm looking forward to visiting with more friends during week 5 and hitting the park again if the weather holds. It is also (drum role) the week when we will tally up the receipt jar and have the 'come to reality' discussion. J-man thinks it will be fun, he smiled and laughed... little does he know that I have spent waaaay too much money this month and it won't be fun at all. I keep saying that some of my purchases like the preschool workbooks are multi-month investments but I have a sneaking suspicion that the February numbers might look a lot like the January numbers unless we really start hitting the free places like the library instead of the shops like the used bookstore. Until next week my friends!
Wow, Week #4 has blown by. I am fairly certain this is because I actually did things this week... ah ha - this might be the key to my sanity!
Going Outside
We did it! A huge thank you to our neighbor for accompanying us on our BIG outing to the park on Tuesday. We left the house at 1:40 and didn't get home until 4:40. The girls had a wonderful time playing and the longer we stayed the more people that we both knew started showing up. I can't wait for the sunshine to peek out so that I can become more of a park Mom. My neighbor is an awesome Mom (and person) who I really like. She is also interested in parks that are not, gasp, in our neighborhood! I'm willing to try it as it's always more fun to have somebody to chat with at the park than standing there getting cold all by yourself while the kids run around.
Home School & Preschool
Well the workbook pages are a hit. Pookie actually asks to do them if I forget! On the days when we haven't done them during the day then my husband is having fun doing them with her after dinner. I have to say that working on the pages during the day is much more productive. She really wants to rough house with her Dad after (or before) dinner... or play trains... or throw things around the house... all the things that I don't like doing of course!
So most of you who are already SAHM's probably know that it's a massive undertaking to find the right preschool. It is January and one of the local preschools already had their open house (which we attended of course) and will let us know in March if Pookie gets in. My fingers are crossed since it's a great program from all accounts of the other parents who have kids going there (at least 5 families, that we like, that I can think of off the top of my head). As a backup plan I am also doing a classroom visit and signing up for the coop program. I feel like I might be more of a coop Mom so that I can volunteer in the classroom and learn more about child development in the required classes... but we will see how it all works out. Thankfully I have another 4 weeks before the coop applications are due so that seems like enough time to find a sitter so that I can attend the in-class visit.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Oh my goodness. I never knew how much I would miss the food court. Full disclosure, I am not a great cook. I give it my best effort but I'm a strict follower of instructions so the creative part of cooking escapes me. Thankfully my family is not that picky but there have been many dinner creations where we just start laughing sitting at the table trying to chew up that super dry pork chop (last night for instance). Three meals is day is a little overwhelming. I have actually forgotten to feed my small child lunch one day last week. Apparently neither one of us was hungry! We made it to about 2:30 and then we both realized we were starving - whoops. My colleagues at work will understand as we often wouldn't be hungry, or busy in meetings, and then wander down for a sandwich around 2:00. Ah, the good old days of having 20-plus places to eat without having to leave the building.
I make a weekly menu and have been saving them for the past 3 weeks so that I can figure out a full monthly menu. Yes, I realize this is a little obsessive but I don't like thinking about the menu so this makes sense to me. I'm working on it and will probably post it when I'm done just in case anybody else wants to try my weekly ideas for dinner.
Visit From GraGra
We are busy counting down the days until GraGra arrives for her visit from sunny Arizona. She is only staying for 6 nights but Pookie has been telling me that she is excited to sleep with GraGra "all the nights". She usually is down in the guest bedroom for 30 mintues then wants to come back to her own room. Have I mentioned that my Mom (GraGra) is a good cook? Oh gosh, what a coincidence that I am REALLY looking forward to her coming for a visit. Even my husband perks up when thinking about the delicious meals that will be waiting for him during those 6 nights!
Ice Cream Floats
As I sit here typing this my daughter and husband are enjoying creamsicle floats. That is vanilla ice cream with orange soda pop poured on it. This is a first creamsicle float for Pookie and when asked "Do you like it?" she murmurs back "Oh Yeah!" with her little mouth crammed full of ice cream. I am abstaining from the floats tonight. I have, once again, jumped onto the Weight Watchers bandwagon. I paid for the online membership and have the iPhone App so it's pretty easy to enter the things I'm eating and track my points. So far these past two weeks have been a little hard but I do feel like it's the right step for me at this point. For those of you who haven't put two-and-two together yet that means that my monthly menu is now going to have some serious 'points' review so that I can be cooking things that we will eat but that I also won't break the bank with on the Weight Watchers points system.
Obsessive Cleaning
I've tried to let up on the obsessive cleaning thing this past week. I only vacuumed once and need to do it again tonight (or tomorrow as the case might be!). The real kicker is the main bathroom. We've only got one on the main floor and another full bathroom in the basement but I never use the one downstairs. The one upstairs is vintage 1941 with yellow and maroon tiled walls. Don't get me wrong, it's in good shape considering that the house is 70 years old. We have lived here for 3.5 years and I'm done with this bathroom. It's not my style at all and I'm about ready to attack it. J-man is begging me to tolerate it for awhile longer but my patience is wearing thin. Thankfully he mentioned that tomorrow we will overhaul the floor (deep clean and re-caulk around the edges) which is a baby step towards appeasing me. Five months from now in July I will be telling you about my massive tile painting project. Those hideous tiles are going to be painted white - either by me or by someone I hire. After that I'm getting help from my Dad to install a brand new vanity... goodbye 1941 sink that I hate. I think that tonight I will make a countdown for the bathroom so that I have a reminder to keep me from demo-ing those darn tiles next week.
Upcoming Week 5
I'm looking forward to visiting with more friends during week 5 and hitting the park again if the weather holds. It is also (drum role) the week when we will tally up the receipt jar and have the 'come to reality' discussion. J-man thinks it will be fun, he smiled and laughed... little does he know that I have spent waaaay too much money this month and it won't be fun at all. I keep saying that some of my purchases like the preschool workbooks are multi-month investments but I have a sneaking suspicion that the February numbers might look a lot like the January numbers unless we really start hitting the free places like the library instead of the shops like the used bookstore. Until next week my friends!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Wrapping Up Week 3
80's Toys and Television
Did you know that My Little Pony has been remade at least 3 times in the past 4 years? It's killing me! Every time we pass by them at Target they have a new shape, new style, etc and Pookie must have the newest one. They even have their own tv show now on 'The Hub' (channel 121) which we DVR so that Pookie can watch it when we let her watch tv. Oh - and Strawberry Shortcake is on that channel too... which Pookie also loves! Oh, and hey - Grandma - do NOT buy her the new ponies - we bought them yesterday (I'm so weak!).
Groceries
Well today I made progress... it's raining here and Pookie wanted to stay in her jammies so we are going really slow today! I typed up a list, based on my Amazon Fresh purchases, that puts the prices next to the things I buy all the time. Then I'm going to go through the ads from Safeway, QFC, and Metropolitan Market to see who has the best prices! Yea me! I know you can pay to subscribe to a service that does this for you so we will see how much doing this benefits my sense of purpose before I cave in and pay for the service.
Going Outside
Our outdoor adventure today will be walking to the car and around QFC as we go get the things I need to complete the meals for this week. I'm counting on sunshine on Monday and also on J-man to get me and the child outside this weekend.
Home School
Yesterday during my $200 trip to Target (yikes) I bought 4 new workbooks for Pre-K. These things rock! Pookie liked doing them and even asked about them this morning when she got up. We are going to put in 30 minutes each morning and 30 minutes in the evening working on workbook pages. Some of it is way too easy for her (the mazes aren't really mazes - what's up with that?) but some of the letter tracing and such is new to her - yippee! Thanks for the idea Jennie, your 'lesson plan' idea that you use during summer made me recall the 'packets' that my Mom would make for me and my younger sister during the summers. I would crank through those packets since I knew the Friday one had a special treat in it! I'm thinking about buying some packets and making them up on the weekend so that we know which pages and skills we are focusing on each week. Thank goodness our printer is also a copier so we can do the same workbook sheets over a few times!
Upcoming Week 4
I'll say it again and maybe next week I'll stick to it... going outside. Must... go... outside... with... small... child!
Did you know that My Little Pony has been remade at least 3 times in the past 4 years? It's killing me! Every time we pass by them at Target they have a new shape, new style, etc and Pookie must have the newest one. They even have their own tv show now on 'The Hub' (channel 121) which we DVR so that Pookie can watch it when we let her watch tv. Oh - and Strawberry Shortcake is on that channel too... which Pookie also loves! Oh, and hey - Grandma - do NOT buy her the new ponies - we bought them yesterday (I'm so weak!).
Groceries
Well today I made progress... it's raining here and Pookie wanted to stay in her jammies so we are going really slow today! I typed up a list, based on my Amazon Fresh purchases, that puts the prices next to the things I buy all the time. Then I'm going to go through the ads from Safeway, QFC, and Metropolitan Market to see who has the best prices! Yea me! I know you can pay to subscribe to a service that does this for you so we will see how much doing this benefits my sense of purpose before I cave in and pay for the service.
Going Outside
Our outdoor adventure today will be walking to the car and around QFC as we go get the things I need to complete the meals for this week. I'm counting on sunshine on Monday and also on J-man to get me and the child outside this weekend.
Home School
Yesterday during my $200 trip to Target (yikes) I bought 4 new workbooks for Pre-K. These things rock! Pookie liked doing them and even asked about them this morning when she got up. We are going to put in 30 minutes each morning and 30 minutes in the evening working on workbook pages. Some of it is way too easy for her (the mazes aren't really mazes - what's up with that?) but some of the letter tracing and such is new to her - yippee! Thanks for the idea Jennie, your 'lesson plan' idea that you use during summer made me recall the 'packets' that my Mom would make for me and my younger sister during the summers. I would crank through those packets since I knew the Friday one had a special treat in it! I'm thinking about buying some packets and making them up on the weekend so that we know which pages and skills we are focusing on each week. Thank goodness our printer is also a copier so we can do the same workbook sheets over a few times!
Upcoming Week 4
I'll say it again and maybe next week I'll stick to it... going outside. Must... go... outside... with... small... child!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Musings from Week 3
Week 3 Ramblings
This is Tuesday of Week 3 on my experiment of being a stay-at-home-mom (sahm) and wow, this is harder than I thought it would be. For those of you working full time I know you are thinking, "You are crazy. I would give my right arm to stay at home and spend time with my kid(s). There is no way that would be harder than what I'm doing right now." You would be right... this isn't harder than working full time and being a good wife and being a good mother... but it is still harder than I expected it would be. The kicker is the boredom. Yep - you heard me - it is boring to be home all day. I'm sure my whining would be reduced to zero if we had won the mega millions lotto but it wasn't meant to be so we chose to be reduced to one income, a large mortgage, and a new receipt jar to track my miscellaneous expenses. My husband claims to only have one receipt in the jar which is jam packed already and it's only Week 3!!
The Receipt Jar
It's a brilliant idea from my super smart husband (J-man) but it's also the bane of my existence. I know that I buy a lot of stuff but I swear it's all stuff that I need. (You can stop laughing now.) I am dreading the month end reconciliation and I think that J-man is eagerly anticipating it!
I'm Almost Four
So the small child with whom I spend my days (also known as Pookie) is almost four. She told me the other day that she wants two birthday parties this year. One with her Grandma that is Dora and another party with her friends that is Rapunzel. I guess it's a good thing I loaded up on the Rapunzel party stuff way back in December prior to the receipt jar. (insert maniacal laughter here)
Obsessive Cleaning
When I worked full time I was always complaining about the house being dirty. I even tried having a cleaning person come every two weeks. It was nice but I just couldn't stand to pay the money each time and still not have my blinds cleaned or the baseboards dusted. This old 1941 house has amazing woodwork but at some point in time the trim was all painted white and now shows every speck of dust. Now I'm home all day and Pookie loves cleaning house with me... but I just don't have the motivation. The first few days were great. Every day I vacuumed, mopped, and dusted. Organized the pantry and every closet in the house. Sadly now that those things are done I'm over the whole cleaning thing. I realize now that if I took a full day off work each quarter to deep clean my house I would have been much happier. Note to self for when I do eventually go back to working full time.
Computer Withdrawal
"My name is Katie and I am addicted to my computer." After 13+ years of being on the computer every day for hours on end it has been really hard to go cold turkey. I try to log on once a day but I have guilty mom feelings if I stay on too long... or, gasp, let Pookie watch a movie while I'm on the computer! The crazy thing is that my coworkers and I used to complain about the insane amount of email we would get at work but once it's gone it is sad how much I miss it. I'm hoping to overcome this and be more in the moment. Now I find that I'm jealous when J-man comes home to talk about and I know nothing about it. Trying to stay off the computer and keep the television off makes for a very uninformed day.
Home School
Sending Pookie to daycare five days a week from age 12 months through 44 months (1 year - 3.75 years) allowed me to be just a wee bit self righteous about the 'education' she was receiving. In the back of my mind, and sometimes out loud, I would think that by now she would be (reading, doing math, jumping rope, roller skating, playing the violin) if only I had been a SAHM. Well working moms, I'm here to tell you that it's just not true! I'm sure that more one-on-one time would (and will!) improve the skills that Pookie has but I really should have let go of the guilt. So to any of you that currently stay home with your kids I'm interested in finding out if you have a schedule. At daycare they have play time but then circle time or specific activity time. I keep thinking I need to do this at home so that we have some predictability to the day... is that for me or for the preschooler? (I'm thinking it's for both of us!)
Weeks 1, 2, and 3 in Review
Sadly week 1 was a blur. Cleaning, actually going to the grocery store, reading books on my iPhone and letting Pookie stay in her pajamas all day to watch television... oh those lazy days of week 1. Week 2 was better as I started reaching out to my SAHM network of friends to pick their brains. I even had a visit from a friend with her new baby girl! Week 3 is all about getting into gear with a daily routine (but I'm going to be flexible... I swear!) and also getting out of the house each day. One big revelation these 3 weeks has been that if given a choice Pookie and I will literally stay inside our house all day long. The J-man, who loves the outdoors, thinks this is insane and has now taken to asking what we did outside today when he gets home each night. Darn him!
Looking Forward to Week 4
If I write it then I'm accountable for it, right? Week 4 is going to be about a daily routine, setting up some time with friends, and going outside. Tune in for an update next week!
This is Tuesday of Week 3 on my experiment of being a stay-at-home-mom (sahm) and wow, this is harder than I thought it would be. For those of you working full time I know you are thinking, "You are crazy. I would give my right arm to stay at home and spend time with my kid(s). There is no way that would be harder than what I'm doing right now." You would be right... this isn't harder than working full time and being a good wife and being a good mother... but it is still harder than I expected it would be. The kicker is the boredom. Yep - you heard me - it is boring to be home all day. I'm sure my whining would be reduced to zero if we had won the mega millions lotto but it wasn't meant to be so we chose to be reduced to one income, a large mortgage, and a new receipt jar to track my miscellaneous expenses. My husband claims to only have one receipt in the jar which is jam packed already and it's only Week 3!!
The Receipt Jar
It's a brilliant idea from my super smart husband (J-man) but it's also the bane of my existence. I know that I buy a lot of stuff but I swear it's all stuff that I need. (You can stop laughing now.) I am dreading the month end reconciliation and I think that J-man is eagerly anticipating it!
I'm Almost Four
So the small child with whom I spend my days (also known as Pookie) is almost four. She told me the other day that she wants two birthday parties this year. One with her Grandma that is Dora and another party with her friends that is Rapunzel. I guess it's a good thing I loaded up on the Rapunzel party stuff way back in December prior to the receipt jar. (insert maniacal laughter here)
Obsessive Cleaning
When I worked full time I was always complaining about the house being dirty. I even tried having a cleaning person come every two weeks. It was nice but I just couldn't stand to pay the money each time and still not have my blinds cleaned or the baseboards dusted. This old 1941 house has amazing woodwork but at some point in time the trim was all painted white and now shows every speck of dust. Now I'm home all day and Pookie loves cleaning house with me... but I just don't have the motivation. The first few days were great. Every day I vacuumed, mopped, and dusted. Organized the pantry and every closet in the house. Sadly now that those things are done I'm over the whole cleaning thing. I realize now that if I took a full day off work each quarter to deep clean my house I would have been much happier. Note to self for when I do eventually go back to working full time.
Computer Withdrawal
"My name is Katie and I am addicted to my computer." After 13+ years of being on the computer every day for hours on end it has been really hard to go cold turkey. I try to log on once a day but I have guilty mom feelings if I stay on too long... or, gasp, let Pookie watch a movie while I'm on the computer! The crazy thing is that my coworkers and I used to complain about the insane amount of email we would get at work but once it's gone it is sad how much I miss it. I'm hoping to overcome this and be more in the moment. Now I find that I'm jealous when J-man comes home to talk about
Home School
Sending Pookie to daycare five days a week from age 12 months through 44 months (1 year - 3.75 years) allowed me to be just a wee bit self righteous about the 'education' she was receiving. In the back of my mind, and sometimes out loud, I would think that by now she would be
Weeks 1, 2, and 3 in Review
Sadly week 1 was a blur. Cleaning, actually going to the grocery store, reading books on my iPhone and letting Pookie stay in her pajamas all day to watch television... oh those lazy days of week 1. Week 2 was better as I started reaching out to my SAHM network of friends to pick their brains. I even had a visit from a friend with her new baby girl! Week 3 is all about getting into gear with a daily routine (but I'm going to be flexible... I swear!) and also getting out of the house each day. One big revelation these 3 weeks has been that if given a choice Pookie and I will literally stay inside our house all day long. The J-man, who loves the outdoors, thinks this is insane and has now taken to asking what we did outside today when he gets home each night. Darn him!
Looking Forward to Week 4
If I write it then I'm accountable for it, right? Week 4 is going to be about a daily routine, setting up some time with friends, and going outside. Tune in for an update next week!
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