My heart nearly dropped to the floor when I spied the most insane instructor headed towards the class I was taking this morning. I thought briefly about fleeing to the weight room or track to avoid having her teach a cardio & core class, but I decided to suck it up and followed her to the classroom. Where I was surprised to see that there was already an instructor there. And then it dawned on me that she was actually there to take the class, not to teach it.
This particular instructor is well known for being the toughest. In fact, if you mention her name in some of the other classes, the instructors will often take their class to a whole new level. Just at the mere mention of her name. I've only taken her spin class. And it's tough, but it's VERY good. Well, here she was. One of us. The nervousness in the room was nearly palpable. I'm sure everyone was thinking the same thing I was thinking. Oh Shit!
This is sure to put me on some short list into hell, but here are some random "good thoughts" I had during the class.
- Wow! She's not very coordinated off of a bicycle.
- Dang, she sweats a lot.
- Look at me! I'm doing the high impact/high intensity moves. Look at her! Low impact! Pphhhffft!
- I am catching up to her on the track! Woo hoo!
- Dang, she sweats a lot.
- Aww, look...she had to leave early!
And then? Just as the class was ending, she walks back in. With the next class. That she was teaching. So forget about the lack of coordination or the low impact moves. This woman is a machine.
In other news at the tennis club, my Veteran Family Representative was in the class this morning (which I had feared, which is why I haven't been to this class in 2 weeks). She distracted me from a good warm up by talking to the woman that was next to her (the two of them were in front of me). And then? Then, she had the audacity to make a comment while we were up at the track that she couldn't hear what the class instructor said BECAUSE SOMEONE WAS TALKING. Oh please!! When we got back to the room, she turns to me and asks if I got her email. I just smiled and said "Yes. Thank you." when what I really wanted to tell her was that we're not going to get all BFFs over this. I figure that will sort itself out later.
In even more news from the tennis club, Lance and I successfully spent our club credit. I now have some smashing new workout attire, a new water bottle, Lance has a new shirt, and was treated to an hour long hot stone massage. Life is good. :)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
My default response is to sit on my butt!
As you may remember, I was warned about "cutting my husband out of my life" by taking on all the work around the house. I was advised to create a spreadsheet with all the week's tasks on it and ask everyone to pick the things they LOVE to do. So, I spent a good portion of time yesterday, taking everything out of my normal format and putting it into a new spreadsheet. I did this, because I guess I expected a response of joy and happiness over DOING CHORES! Because I apparently just met my husband yesterday.
Instead, I got a "oh, yeah, I read your blog" and some half hearted glances at the spreadsheet. After promising him that he didn't HAVE to pick any of the chores, he reluctantly selected his chores. Except the chores he picked (cleaning sinks and toilets in bathrooms, cleaning bathroom mirrors, replenishing toilet paper, and sorting through coupons and disposing of expired ones) are ones that I normally do on Mondays. And since he didn't do them this morning at 5am, before he left for work, I'm feeling a little bit like hmmmm. What do I do today? I do have a whole list of other stuff that needs to be done (that I would normally do on another day), but no. I'm stuck thinking about my normal Monday chores. I've solved the issue by deciding that I'll sit on my butt. Because that will get it done. :)
I dropped Morgan off at school this morning and headed to the tennis club. I got a decent workout in (my arms will be hating me later), got a shower, and then tried to figure out how to spend the $300+ credit I have at the tennis club before it expires on Wednesday. I decided to rent a locker and get Lance a massage. Still, have lots of money to spend. I'm about to buy some very overpriced athletic gear, but if I don't, I'll have nothing to show for the credit I have! I shouldn't have waited so long! After getting the locker and massage set up, I picked Bennett up from the nursery and we headed to the Terrific Toddlers class at the club. He normally LOVES this class, but he kept grabbing my fingers and leading me to the door. Wanting to leave. Or wanting to be held. With his fingers shoved in his mouth. I'm thinking he's working on some teeth? He's not usually that clingy in social situations like that. Not even "If you're happy and you know it" could get him to break away. Poor guy!
After the gym, I went home and cooked up some grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids and packed them up. We went to pick up Morgan from school and then hit the park for lunch and playtime after with some friends. Bennett lightened up with food and play and now the kids are napping. We didn't get home until 2pm, so they'll probably sleep until at least 4. Which gives me only a couple of hours to kill before Lance gets home. This just might turn out to be a good one! It's also the only night this week that I'll be home, so I need to make sure I take my turns with bath time, pajamas, teeth brushing and bedtime stories. My poor hubby - I have something every other night this week!
At least he gets to DO CHORES! :)
Instead, I got a "oh, yeah, I read your blog" and some half hearted glances at the spreadsheet. After promising him that he didn't HAVE to pick any of the chores, he reluctantly selected his chores. Except the chores he picked (cleaning sinks and toilets in bathrooms, cleaning bathroom mirrors, replenishing toilet paper, and sorting through coupons and disposing of expired ones) are ones that I normally do on Mondays. And since he didn't do them this morning at 5am, before he left for work, I'm feeling a little bit like hmmmm. What do I do today? I do have a whole list of other stuff that needs to be done (that I would normally do on another day), but no. I'm stuck thinking about my normal Monday chores. I've solved the issue by deciding that I'll sit on my butt. Because that will get it done. :)
I dropped Morgan off at school this morning and headed to the tennis club. I got a decent workout in (my arms will be hating me later), got a shower, and then tried to figure out how to spend the $300+ credit I have at the tennis club before it expires on Wednesday. I decided to rent a locker and get Lance a massage. Still, have lots of money to spend. I'm about to buy some very overpriced athletic gear, but if I don't, I'll have nothing to show for the credit I have! I shouldn't have waited so long! After getting the locker and massage set up, I picked Bennett up from the nursery and we headed to the Terrific Toddlers class at the club. He normally LOVES this class, but he kept grabbing my fingers and leading me to the door. Wanting to leave. Or wanting to be held. With his fingers shoved in his mouth. I'm thinking he's working on some teeth? He's not usually that clingy in social situations like that. Not even "If you're happy and you know it" could get him to break away. Poor guy!
After the gym, I went home and cooked up some grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids and packed them up. We went to pick up Morgan from school and then hit the park for lunch and playtime after with some friends. Bennett lightened up with food and play and now the kids are napping. We didn't get home until 2pm, so they'll probably sleep until at least 4. Which gives me only a couple of hours to kill before Lance gets home. This just might turn out to be a good one! It's also the only night this week that I'll be home, so I need to make sure I take my turns with bath time, pajamas, teeth brushing and bedtime stories. My poor hubby - I have something every other night this week!
At least he gets to DO CHORES! :)
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Can someone please tell him he's 17 months old?
He insisted on eating exactly what his big sister was eating this morning. Cereal. With milk.Saturday, September 27, 2008
"You did a wonderful job on my son's circumcision!"
Yes. Those words actually came out of my mouth tonight. At a child's first birthday party, nonetheless. People, you can dress me up, but you can't take me out.
The funny thing is, I was looking at this woman and thinking that she looked awfully familiar. I was thinking maybe she was a news anchor or something, just without all the makeup. I knew something was missing - I just didn't realize it was the whole lab coat thing. It was then that the hostess said something to her eldest son about the doctor. And then it hit me! She is the one that did Bennett's circumcision. And before I knew it, I blurted it out! "Oh, I thought I recognized you!" Followed by several statements about my son's circumcision. And what a nice job she did. And how apparently she does the best ones. Because that's what I was told over and over at the hospital. Inappropriate much?
Coming out of the jumpy house, all red-faced, sweaty and smiling is my little walking beautiful circumcision. I figured asking her to take a look at it, or showing it off to the crowd of people that had to endure my bragging was crossing some sort of boundary that I really didn't need to even be thinking about.
On the way home, Lance asked me if I thought she had been invited because she was a family friend, or if it was because she did the birthday boy's circumcision. I told him I didn't know. He said, "Now I'm feeling bad that we didn't invite her to Bennett's first birthday party. Maybe I should get in touch with the one that did mine."
We are such the pair, aren't we?
The funny thing is, I was looking at this woman and thinking that she looked awfully familiar. I was thinking maybe she was a news anchor or something, just without all the makeup. I knew something was missing - I just didn't realize it was the whole lab coat thing. It was then that the hostess said something to her eldest son about the doctor. And then it hit me! She is the one that did Bennett's circumcision. And before I knew it, I blurted it out! "Oh, I thought I recognized you!" Followed by several statements about my son's circumcision. And what a nice job she did. And how apparently she does the best ones. Because that's what I was told over and over at the hospital. Inappropriate much?
Coming out of the jumpy house, all red-faced, sweaty and smiling is my little walking beautiful circumcision. I figured asking her to take a look at it, or showing it off to the crowd of people that had to endure my bragging was crossing some sort of boundary that I really didn't need to even be thinking about.
On the way home, Lance asked me if I thought she had been invited because she was a family friend, or if it was because she did the birthday boy's circumcision. I told him I didn't know. He said, "Now I'm feeling bad that we didn't invite her to Bennett's first birthday party. Maybe I should get in touch with the one that did mine."
We are such the pair, aren't we?
Friday, September 26, 2008
We have a winner!
The past few days have been a whirlwind around our house. Yesterday, I was running all day. Dropped Morgan and her friend of at school, came home and made a fruit salad and then headed to MOPS. Left MOPS and tried to do a quick trip to Costco, but had to leave my buggy with the food in it because there were way too many too long lines and I never would have made it to pick the kids up from school in time. During nap time, I did dishes and prepped stuff for playgroup and then I loaded the kids up in the car and we headed over to the park for playgroup. After they got nice and sandy at the park, we loaded back up in the car, swung by Little Caesars for their $5 pizza, and then came home. We walked in the door at 6:04 and I was able to get Morgan in the shower and bathe Bennett, get him in his pajamas, brush Morgan's hair and get them settled at the table with pizza for dinner before the babysitter came at 6:30. Lance was at a Giant's game with his coworkers and I had bible study. So, I showed her around and gave her my pre-printed instructions. I asked her if she wanted any pizza and she informed me that she'd already eaten (which I took as a good thing, since she obviously plans!). I said goodbye and goodnight to the kids and went to bible study. I came directly home and she had put all the dishes in the sink (I had run the dishwasher while we were at playgroup, so it was full, but clean) and was just hanging out watching TV. She said the kids did great. She said that Bennett cried for like a second and then just went to sleep. Yeah!!
I explained to her that our niece used to babysit for us but that she is now going to college and has two jobs and just doesn't really have the time for us anymore. She told me that she also works two jobs. So, in addition to the tennis club job (Monday through Friday), she's also a nanny for an 8 year old boy. She works for them from 6am to 6pm and does the tennis club thing while he's in school. So, she may become my new regular! I told her that Lance and I were excited about the possibility of going on dates again and she said that she just adored my kids. :) I think we made a connection. Bennett even woke up this morning asking for her. Apparently they played with balls. Which is just about the best thing that you could ever do with him.
Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner! I *heart* her! :)
Today I was working in the classroom and it was Johnny Appleseed Day. Which apparently is the next best thing to Christmas and Easter because Morgan asked (1) if we could go out to dinner to celebrate the really special day and (2) if she could wear a dress to school. Who knew?? I got to run the "cool" center at center time today, where we weighed and measured apples and counted how many seeds they had in them. The kids kept asking, "Can I PLEAAAASSSE eat my apple now?!" It was fun, though and I'm exhausted! I'm about to "call in sick" and not do any chores today. Because I'm tired and because tomorrow is another busy day. Soccer, park, party, luau. Sunday shouldn't be too bad though. Just church and the park.
I explained to her that our niece used to babysit for us but that she is now going to college and has two jobs and just doesn't really have the time for us anymore. She told me that she also works two jobs. So, in addition to the tennis club job (Monday through Friday), she's also a nanny for an 8 year old boy. She works for them from 6am to 6pm and does the tennis club thing while he's in school. So, she may become my new regular! I told her that Lance and I were excited about the possibility of going on dates again and she said that she just adored my kids. :) I think we made a connection. Bennett even woke up this morning asking for her. Apparently they played with balls. Which is just about the best thing that you could ever do with him.
Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner! I *heart* her! :)
Today I was working in the classroom and it was Johnny Appleseed Day. Which apparently is the next best thing to Christmas and Easter because Morgan asked (1) if we could go out to dinner to celebrate the really special day and (2) if she could wear a dress to school. Who knew?? I got to run the "cool" center at center time today, where we weighed and measured apples and counted how many seeds they had in them. The kids kept asking, "Can I PLEAAAASSSE eat my apple now?!" It was fun, though and I'm exhausted! I'm about to "call in sick" and not do any chores today. Because I'm tired and because tomorrow is another busy day. Soccer, park, party, luau. Sunday shouldn't be too bad though. Just church and the park.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
It's not all about me
This morning, after dropping Morgan and her friend Colin off at school, I ran home to whip up a fruit salad and then headed over to my MOPS meeting. This time, instead of a craft, we had a speaker. Since the theme of MOPS this year is "Adventures in Mothering", the topic of today's discussion was "A Three Ring Circus".
The speaker did an excellent job talking about balance and what that means. She talked about how people typically fall into one of two categories - "people" people or "task" people. She talked about how you'll know the "task" people because they have all their cereals and pastas in Tupperware containers. Neatly organized. Alphabetically. And lined up properly. To "task" people, these types of activities bring them happiness. The "people" people would rather do activities with other people and their cereal and pastas are in the cabinet in the general vicinity of the grains. :) While I believe that I have a talent for organization, I'm very much a people person. I love hanging out with my family and friends.
The speaker talked about balancing your life by adding more of the things you LOVE to do to your daily life. Yeah, we all have things we don't want to do, but we have to be responsible adults. They need to get done, but does everything have to get done every day? She suggested picking three things. And making at least two of them things you LOVE to do. She said to not add anything else to your plate until the three are done. And then, when they are done? Add just one more. If you have to put that one off until tomorrow because you can't do it, that's okay, too. Also, there are things that maybe you don't LOVE to do, but that you do well. For me, that's organization. I do it well, but it's not what drives me. So, it's something that I would just naturally do.
Does it all have to be done by us (meaning us moms)? This was a point that really struck me. Because since I've been staying at home, I've been trying very hard to "do it all". To do all the things that I couldn't do because I was working. Couldn't organize my house. Couldn't even keep it clean. Couldn't spend time with my kids doing their activities. Couldn't take them to the park every day. Couldn't spend much time with my friends. Couldn't enjoy every weekend with my family because there was always something that I had to do because I couldn't get to it during the week. So, now? I'm trying to do it all. And I'm not letting anyone else help. I have taken sole responsibility for the house, the food, the activities, the financial planning and tracking, the yard, etc., etc.
The speaker pointed out that by trying to do it all ourselves, we are doing a disservice to the other people in our family. When we do it all, where does that leave everyone else? It's true that maybe the kids can't mop the floor the right way, but why not let them try if that's what they want to do? Why not let them contribute? And with our husbands, why not hand some of it over to them? What makes us think that they WANT us to do it all? Maybe they feel cut out.
This really hit home with me. My husband is wonderfully indecisive. I say wonderfully because I'm not at all indecisive. And this has worked for ME. But, maybe this isn't the best thing for us. We need to continue to live our lives as a couple, even when sometimes it's easier for me to just do it myself. Because that's not fair to him.
Here was her idea. Make a big spreadsheet of all the stuff you have to do. Each week, let every member of the family pick the things they LOVE to do. Then let every member pick the things that they do well, but maybe don't love. What you'll be left with are the things nobody wants to do. And then, do them together and make them fun.
I'm going to have a discussion with my hubby on this and see what he thinks. Because you know what, this isn't just about me. It's about my family too. And if there's a way to make everyone happier, then I'm all about that. Just wait until I spring this one on Lance. Honey! I'm going to make you soooo happy! You can do laundry again!! :)
The speaker did an excellent job talking about balance and what that means. She talked about how people typically fall into one of two categories - "people" people or "task" people. She talked about how you'll know the "task" people because they have all their cereals and pastas in Tupperware containers. Neatly organized. Alphabetically. And lined up properly. To "task" people, these types of activities bring them happiness. The "people" people would rather do activities with other people and their cereal and pastas are in the cabinet in the general vicinity of the grains. :) While I believe that I have a talent for organization, I'm very much a people person. I love hanging out with my family and friends.
The speaker talked about balancing your life by adding more of the things you LOVE to do to your daily life. Yeah, we all have things we don't want to do, but we have to be responsible adults. They need to get done, but does everything have to get done every day? She suggested picking three things. And making at least two of them things you LOVE to do. She said to not add anything else to your plate until the three are done. And then, when they are done? Add just one more. If you have to put that one off until tomorrow because you can't do it, that's okay, too. Also, there are things that maybe you don't LOVE to do, but that you do well. For me, that's organization. I do it well, but it's not what drives me. So, it's something that I would just naturally do.
Does it all have to be done by us (meaning us moms)? This was a point that really struck me. Because since I've been staying at home, I've been trying very hard to "do it all". To do all the things that I couldn't do because I was working. Couldn't organize my house. Couldn't even keep it clean. Couldn't spend time with my kids doing their activities. Couldn't take them to the park every day. Couldn't spend much time with my friends. Couldn't enjoy every weekend with my family because there was always something that I had to do because I couldn't get to it during the week. So, now? I'm trying to do it all. And I'm not letting anyone else help. I have taken sole responsibility for the house, the food, the activities, the financial planning and tracking, the yard, etc., etc.
The speaker pointed out that by trying to do it all ourselves, we are doing a disservice to the other people in our family. When we do it all, where does that leave everyone else? It's true that maybe the kids can't mop the floor the right way, but why not let them try if that's what they want to do? Why not let them contribute? And with our husbands, why not hand some of it over to them? What makes us think that they WANT us to do it all? Maybe they feel cut out.
This really hit home with me. My husband is wonderfully indecisive. I say wonderfully because I'm not at all indecisive. And this has worked for ME. But, maybe this isn't the best thing for us. We need to continue to live our lives as a couple, even when sometimes it's easier for me to just do it myself. Because that's not fair to him.
Here was her idea. Make a big spreadsheet of all the stuff you have to do. Each week, let every member of the family pick the things they LOVE to do. Then let every member pick the things that they do well, but maybe don't love. What you'll be left with are the things nobody wants to do. And then, do them together and make them fun.
I'm going to have a discussion with my hubby on this and see what he thinks. Because you know what, this isn't just about me. It's about my family too. And if there's a way to make everyone happier, then I'm all about that. Just wait until I spring this one on Lance. Honey! I'm going to make you soooo happy! You can do laundry again!! :)
I could get used to seeing my name up there..
http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=357563&altf=Qbjhf&altl=Lvfnqfm
Thanks, Lara, for your vote of confidence! :)
Thanks, Lara, for your vote of confidence! :)
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Making plans for the future
Today during lunch, I was talking to Morgan about how we are going to have a new babysitter come tomorrow night while I'm at bible study. I told her who it was, but she can't place the name to the face. I'm sure she'll recognize her when she gets here tomorrow night. She asked why her cousin couldn't just babysit and I told her that because she has two jobs and is going to college now, she isn't as available as she used to be. So, I thought it was time to try a new babysitter and given that I won't be gone very long tomorrow night, it seems like a good way to test it out. She goes on to tell me that she knows that I'll tell the new babysitter about reading books to Bennett before bed and about her having to be in bed on time since there's school the next day.
Me: "That's right. And if it works out, maybe we'll have her come every few weeks and so Daddy and I can go on a date."
Morgan: "Yeah. When I go on a date, will you have to get a babysitter?"
Me: "For who? Bennett? No, you'll be MUCH OLDER when you are able to start dating, so Bennett won't need a babysitter. Besides, are you thinking that you'll invite Daddy and I along?"
Morgan: "Yeah. You and Daddy will come with me on my date. Then you'll have to get a babysitter for Bennett."
Me: "Well, if you promise me that you will let Daddy and I come on your date with you, then I will promise to get a babysitter for Bennett."
Morgan: "Okay. Because I will always be older than Bennett."
Me: "That's true. And if we were to have another baby, Bennett would be older than that baby but you would still be older than both. You'll always be the oldest."
Morgan: "I bet you wanted me to be a boy."
Me: "Nope. I was very happy to find out you were a girl."
Morgan: "Yeah. Then I bet you wanted a boy when Bennett was born."
Me: "Yes. I did."
Morgan: "We are so lucky. We have a great family!"
Me: "Yep, I think we do! We are very blessed!
Morgan: "Yep, we got just the right things. We have a perfect family! I never want to leave."
Me: "Okay."
Morgan: "Except I probably will want to later. And when I have my own kids, if my husband agrees (that part kills me!), I'll let them do whatever they want except be mean."
Me: "Well, when you have your own family in your own house, you can make your own rules. Will you let them paint the floors?"
Morgan: "If they do it with me or the Daddy, the that is okay."
Me: "Will you let them play with sharp knives?"
Morgan: "Of course not. They will only be able to do things that are appropriate."
Me: "Like what kinds of things are not appropriate?"
Morgan: "Playing with knives. Or water."
Me: (laughing) "Why not water?"
Morgan: "It's too messy. They will get it ALL OVER their clothes."
Me: "But you'll let them paint the floors?"
Morgan: (thinking a moment) "Yes. I'll have a room that is a TOTAL DISASTER and they can paint whatever they want in there."
Me: "Sounds good."
Morgan: "Yep. But they cannot play with knives. Or water."
Me: "Okay, those will be your rules then. You don't have to have the same rules as me."
Morgan: "Yeah. That's right!"
Don't ask me how we got from a babysitter to painting floors, but that's how conversations with a five year old go, I suppose!
Me: "That's right. And if it works out, maybe we'll have her come every few weeks and so Daddy and I can go on a date."
Morgan: "Yeah. When I go on a date, will you have to get a babysitter?"
Me: "For who? Bennett? No, you'll be MUCH OLDER when you are able to start dating, so Bennett won't need a babysitter. Besides, are you thinking that you'll invite Daddy and I along?"
Morgan: "Yeah. You and Daddy will come with me on my date. Then you'll have to get a babysitter for Bennett."
Me: "Well, if you promise me that you will let Daddy and I come on your date with you, then I will promise to get a babysitter for Bennett."
Morgan: "Okay. Because I will always be older than Bennett."
Me: "That's true. And if we were to have another baby, Bennett would be older than that baby but you would still be older than both. You'll always be the oldest."
Morgan: "I bet you wanted me to be a boy."
Me: "Nope. I was very happy to find out you were a girl."
Morgan: "Yeah. Then I bet you wanted a boy when Bennett was born."
Me: "Yes. I did."
Morgan: "We are so lucky. We have a great family!"
Me: "Yep, I think we do! We are very blessed!
Morgan: "Yep, we got just the right things. We have a perfect family! I never want to leave."
Me: "Okay."
Morgan: "Except I probably will want to later. And when I have my own kids, if my husband agrees (that part kills me!), I'll let them do whatever they want except be mean."
Me: "Well, when you have your own family in your own house, you can make your own rules. Will you let them paint the floors?"
Morgan: "If they do it with me or the Daddy, the that is okay."
Me: "Will you let them play with sharp knives?"
Morgan: "Of course not. They will only be able to do things that are appropriate."
Me: "Like what kinds of things are not appropriate?"
Morgan: "Playing with knives. Or water."
Me: (laughing) "Why not water?"
Morgan: "It's too messy. They will get it ALL OVER their clothes."
Me: "But you'll let them paint the floors?"
Morgan: (thinking a moment) "Yes. I'll have a room that is a TOTAL DISASTER and they can paint whatever they want in there."
Me: "Sounds good."
Morgan: "Yep. But they cannot play with knives. Or water."
Me: "Okay, those will be your rules then. You don't have to have the same rules as me."
Morgan: "Yeah. That's right!"
Don't ask me how we got from a babysitter to painting floors, but that's how conversations with a five year old go, I suppose!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Now what?
Blame it on hormones or whatever you will, but by some stroke of happenstance, my entire house is clean and all my laundry is done. I had a burst of energy, starting Sunday morning and I've managed to get almost my entire week's worth of chores done in just a few days. Now what??
Bennett and I enjoyed a nice quiet morning at home. Just me and him. Giggling. Talking about animals, him making me taco and baking powder soup for lunch (play kitchen). Then, me chasing him around the house as he went from one thing he wasn't supposed to get into to another. We did manage to squeeze in a trip to the grocery store, where he really charmed everyone. Starting with the Fed Ex driver we saw on the way in. He has this thing about waving to the workers. Don't know how he knows it, but when he sees someone doing their job, he waves and says hi. Not to the other shoppers in the store. Nope. The Fed Ex guy in his truck. The butcher putting out meat. The cashier in line or the mail person in their truck. Never to anyone else. Ever. Kind of reminds me of Sesame Street for some reason! :)
Morgan has ballet this afternoon and while she's dancing, I'll be strolling around with Bennett, getting my exercise in. Since I managed to miss my 5pm class yesterday due to the kids oversleeping their naps, I ended up walking on the treadmill after the kids went to bed (but before the new Heroes!) I'm walking tonight and then I'll be meeting my kindergarten mom friends in the morning to walk before playgroup. My poor arms are going to feel neglected! But, you squeeze in what you can, right? Maybe I'll do some push-ups and sit-ups before the kids wake up from their naps.
Girls night at the movies is tonight. We are going to see The Women. I heard that there's not a single man in the entire movie. Which, I understand it's about women, but c'mon. Can't they throw a Brad Pitt or a Johnny Depp in there for us? We have needs, people! :)
Oh, and for those wondering how things are going on the babysitting front, I had no choice but to suck it up and call one of the girls from the tennis club. On Thursday night, I have my new bible study and Lance is going to a Giants game with his coworkers. Bible study is during bedtime, so I didn't feel right about bringing them to the childcare at the church when they would rather be in their bed. So, I called one of the girls from the list and she'll be here on Thursday! I figure it's a good trial run to see how she does and if all goes well, maybe we can see about getting a once or twice a month date night into her rotation. Wouldn't that be heaven?
Bennett and I enjoyed a nice quiet morning at home. Just me and him. Giggling. Talking about animals, him making me taco and baking powder soup for lunch (play kitchen). Then, me chasing him around the house as he went from one thing he wasn't supposed to get into to another. We did manage to squeeze in a trip to the grocery store, where he really charmed everyone. Starting with the Fed Ex driver we saw on the way in. He has this thing about waving to the workers. Don't know how he knows it, but when he sees someone doing their job, he waves and says hi. Not to the other shoppers in the store. Nope. The Fed Ex guy in his truck. The butcher putting out meat. The cashier in line or the mail person in their truck. Never to anyone else. Ever. Kind of reminds me of Sesame Street for some reason! :)
Morgan has ballet this afternoon and while she's dancing, I'll be strolling around with Bennett, getting my exercise in. Since I managed to miss my 5pm class yesterday due to the kids oversleeping their naps, I ended up walking on the treadmill after the kids went to bed (but before the new Heroes!) I'm walking tonight and then I'll be meeting my kindergarten mom friends in the morning to walk before playgroup. My poor arms are going to feel neglected! But, you squeeze in what you can, right? Maybe I'll do some push-ups and sit-ups before the kids wake up from their naps.
Girls night at the movies is tonight. We are going to see The Women. I heard that there's not a single man in the entire movie. Which, I understand it's about women, but c'mon. Can't they throw a Brad Pitt or a Johnny Depp in there for us? We have needs, people! :)
Oh, and for those wondering how things are going on the babysitting front, I had no choice but to suck it up and call one of the girls from the tennis club. On Thursday night, I have my new bible study and Lance is going to a Giants game with his coworkers. Bible study is during bedtime, so I didn't feel right about bringing them to the childcare at the church when they would rather be in their bed. So, I called one of the girls from the list and she'll be here on Thursday! I figure it's a good trial run to see how she does and if all goes well, maybe we can see about getting a once or twice a month date night into her rotation. Wouldn't that be heaven?
Monday, September 22, 2008
A big girl talk
On Saturday morning, Morgan was playing in the playroom and then she came into the kitchen where I was cooking breakfast and told me that she saw someone drive by our house and take a picture. I asked her about the car and she told me that it looked like a silver minivan. I thought it was strange, but I didn't see anything myself and you never know what an imaginative five year old is going to come up with. Shortly after, we left and headed over to a local festival where I was working the booth for the mothers club and the kids and Lance roamed around, having fun (or at least that was the idea). We dropped Morgan off at a birthday party on the way home and then when we got home and started unpacking the car (with a VERY tired Bennett), we were approached by our next door neighbors. They told us that they had seen someone drive by our house that morning, very slowly, taking pictures. This corroborated what Morgan had told me, so they definitely had my attention. They proceeded to tell me that the SAME CAR (silver minivan) was parked across the street from our houses a couple of weeks ago and had been taking pictures of our house and their house. When they realized what was happening, they started to approach the car and they took off. They described the person as a clean cut white man.
The hair is standing on the back of my neck. My mothering radar is going off. Something isn't right here. I start mulling it over and the more I think about it, the more I'm getting freaked out. The town we live in is one of the top ten safest cities in the U.S., according to Forbes magazine. I guess I wasn't prepared for something like this. And, while it may be nothing, it also might be something. And my gut is telling me that it's just not right. So, I decided to call the police department and make a complaint. They inform me that there's really nothing that they can do unless the car is out there at the time I call. I asked them if they would like to talk to the neighbor to get a description of the car and they said, "sure, you can have them call us". I had also emailed my friend who is an ex-Oakland police officer for her advice. We went back and forth on email, but the bottom line is that there really isn't much they can do unless I get a license plate number or they are out there at the time. She suggested having a code word with Morgan, not keeping the same routine (hard with school aged and active kids!), and just being cognizant in general. I also talked to a friend of ours who happens to work for the police department in our city and he's promised to drive by our house a couple of times a nights on the nights he's working.
I decided to also talk to my neighbors and have them be on the lookout. So, this afternoon after lunch, we go over to Morgan's buddy's house and I'm talking to his Dad about this. She is, of course, all ears. On the way back home, she wants to know why I called the police department. So, I put Bennett down for his nap and spent the next thirty minutes having a "big girl" talk with her.
I explained that we were going to have a code word that only she, me, and Daddy would know. If every anyone needed to pick her up and she wasn't expecting them, they would need to provide her with the code word. We picked our code word, she told me what it was a couple of times and then we role played.
Me: "Hi Morgan. Your mom sent me to pick you up"
Morgan: "Hi. CODE WORD"
Me: "No, YOU never say the code word. Not to anyone! You ask them if they know the code word. And if they don't, you politely tell them that you cannot go with them, that's your mom's rule".
Morgan: "Oh, okay"
Me: "Want to practice again?"
Morgan: "Yeah"
Me: "Hi Morgan. Your mom said I should come pick you up"
Morgan: "If you don't know the code word, there's a rule about me not going with you"
Me: "Code word? Oh, I know the code word. It's"
Morgan: "I can't go with you"
Me: "Good!"
We did it a few more times, sometimes with me giving the right code word and sometimes with not knowing it. She's got the idea now. We talked about how it could be a total stranger, or it might even be someone she knows, but who is not allowed to pick her up. We came up with a few examples of those kinds of people, and I could tell that she was getting it.
We also talked about safety when we are together. I told her that if I were to ever tell her the code word when we are at home, she's to go get Bennett and take him into her room and lock the door. Or, if we are out in public, she's to take him to a safe place, like our car and shut the door. I told her that I would show her how to lock it. Morgan says, "I know that whenever it's dangerous, we should always lock the door." I explained, that that's sort of true, but the main thing is that she should only be concerned with getting her brother to the safe place we've talked about. I explained that if something were happening to me, she should only care about her and her brother and not what's happening to me. She was all, "Yeah, because we're little. And you're big, so you have to deal with it." Yeah, something like that.
Then, we went on to talk about taking things from strangers. I pretended I was a stranger offering ICE CREAM. You LOVE ice cream, Morgan! She looked for a moment like she would tell them YES, I'LL HAVE THE ICE CREAM. So, I explained to her that there may be something in the ice cream that could make her very sick. "Or kill me", she chimes in. Yes, or kill you. I told her about how when I was little they caught people putting razor blades into apples and candy at Halloween, so we would have to check the candy and all VERY CAREFULLY. I reminded her of how we've done this in the past. She asked, "Can't I just ask them if they've put something bad in the candy?" Ahh, my innocent daughter. I explained that BAD people aren't exactly going to tell you that they've done BAD things. She got it.
Next, we talked about inappropriate touching. This conversation nearly had me in tears. It's hard to even go there. But, we talked about it and I told her that no matter what, if this were to ever happen to her, she HAS to tell me. I told her that someone might do something bad to her and then tell her that they would hurt her or me or someone else in the family, but that she has to trust that I will take care of it and she HAS to tell me. She told me that she knew that I would take care of it. "I know just what you would do!" And I'm thinking, "yeah, I would find that SOB and..." and she says, "You'd call the police!" Smiling, I say, "Yes, you are right." That's the first thing I would do.
Hard discussions, this big girl talk. But, I want her prepared and I want her to know that her mother is NOT GOING TO LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO HER! I hope I was able to walk that fine line of preparing her for what could happen and not freaking her out.
I guess this is the scary part about having your heart walk around in the real world. All innocent and unknowing. Parenting is not easy.
The hair is standing on the back of my neck. My mothering radar is going off. Something isn't right here. I start mulling it over and the more I think about it, the more I'm getting freaked out. The town we live in is one of the top ten safest cities in the U.S., according to Forbes magazine. I guess I wasn't prepared for something like this. And, while it may be nothing, it also might be something. And my gut is telling me that it's just not right. So, I decided to call the police department and make a complaint. They inform me that there's really nothing that they can do unless the car is out there at the time I call. I asked them if they would like to talk to the neighbor to get a description of the car and they said, "sure, you can have them call us". I had also emailed my friend who is an ex-Oakland police officer for her advice. We went back and forth on email, but the bottom line is that there really isn't much they can do unless I get a license plate number or they are out there at the time. She suggested having a code word with Morgan, not keeping the same routine (hard with school aged and active kids!), and just being cognizant in general. I also talked to a friend of ours who happens to work for the police department in our city and he's promised to drive by our house a couple of times a nights on the nights he's working.
I decided to also talk to my neighbors and have them be on the lookout. So, this afternoon after lunch, we go over to Morgan's buddy's house and I'm talking to his Dad about this. She is, of course, all ears. On the way back home, she wants to know why I called the police department. So, I put Bennett down for his nap and spent the next thirty minutes having a "big girl" talk with her.
I explained that we were going to have a code word that only she, me, and Daddy would know. If every anyone needed to pick her up and she wasn't expecting them, they would need to provide her with the code word. We picked our code word, she told me what it was a couple of times and then we role played.
Me: "Hi Morgan. Your mom sent me to pick you up"
Morgan: "Hi.
Me: "No, YOU never say the code word. Not to anyone! You ask them if they know the code word. And if they don't, you politely tell them that you cannot go with them, that's your mom's rule".
Morgan: "Oh, okay"
Me: "Want to practice again?"
Morgan: "Yeah"
Me: "Hi Morgan. Your mom said I should come pick you up"
Morgan: "If you don't know the code word, there's a rule about me not going with you"
Me: "Code word? Oh, I know the code word. It's
Morgan: "I can't go with you"
Me: "Good!"
We did it a few more times, sometimes with me giving the right code word and sometimes with not knowing it. She's got the idea now. We talked about how it could be a total stranger, or it might even be someone she knows, but who is not allowed to pick her up. We came up with a few examples of those kinds of people, and I could tell that she was getting it.
We also talked about safety when we are together. I told her that if I were to ever tell her the code word when we are at home, she's to go get Bennett and take him into her room and lock the door. Or, if we are out in public, she's to take him to a safe place, like our car and shut the door. I told her that I would show her how to lock it. Morgan says, "I know that whenever it's dangerous, we should always lock the door." I explained, that that's sort of true, but the main thing is that she should only be concerned with getting her brother to the safe place we've talked about. I explained that if something were happening to me, she should only care about her and her brother and not what's happening to me. She was all, "Yeah, because we're little. And you're big, so you have to deal with it." Yeah, something like that.
Then, we went on to talk about taking things from strangers. I pretended I was a stranger offering ICE CREAM. You LOVE ice cream, Morgan! She looked for a moment like she would tell them YES, I'LL HAVE THE ICE CREAM. So, I explained to her that there may be something in the ice cream that could make her very sick. "Or kill me", she chimes in. Yes, or kill you. I told her about how when I was little they caught people putting razor blades into apples and candy at Halloween, so we would have to check the candy and all VERY CAREFULLY. I reminded her of how we've done this in the past. She asked, "Can't I just ask them if they've put something bad in the candy?" Ahh, my innocent daughter. I explained that BAD people aren't exactly going to tell you that they've done BAD things. She got it.
Next, we talked about inappropriate touching. This conversation nearly had me in tears. It's hard to even go there. But, we talked about it and I told her that no matter what, if this were to ever happen to her, she HAS to tell me. I told her that someone might do something bad to her and then tell her that they would hurt her or me or someone else in the family, but that she has to trust that I will take care of it and she HAS to tell me. She told me that she knew that I would take care of it. "I know just what you would do!" And I'm thinking, "yeah, I would find that SOB and..." and she says, "You'd call the police!" Smiling, I say, "Yes, you are right." That's the first thing I would do.
Hard discussions, this big girl talk. But, I want her prepared and I want her to know that her mother is NOT GOING TO LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO HER! I hope I was able to walk that fine line of preparing her for what could happen and not freaking her out.
I guess this is the scary part about having your heart walk around in the real world. All innocent and unknowing. Parenting is not easy.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
On academics
Being the parent of a school aged child is enough to send this perfectionist momma into a panic attack. The range of levels of the kids in Morgan's kindergarten class is quite vast. There are kids that are struggling with a word like "is" and others that can read and write at a first grade level. My daughter falls squarely in the middle right now. I'm kicking myself for not having worked with her on phonics and the elements of reading before starting Kindergarten. I wish I'd made a bigger stink about her preschool teacher last year, who did not work with the kids on these types of skills as much as I would have liked. I know that she'll be fine and I know that she's catching on quickly, but I can't help but want her to be at the head of the class. With the girl who can spell read and spell words like animal. I know she's smart. I know she has so much potential. If only....
But also, part of me is glad she's not at the head of the class. She can go through the process of improving herself, and she'll have something to strive towards. I just hope that she keeps her hunger for learning and her drive for getting ahead. Right now, she's been learning roughly 2-3 new words every day. She's already up to 17 words that she can read on sight. When she was first tested, she knew two - "a" and "I". We've been working with flash cards every night. She reads them to every living thing in our house. Twice. I know it's working because words that she used to struggle with, like "the", she's quick to call out now. We try to make it fun by making crazy sentences, having her "teach the dog to read" and basically making games out of it. She's still hungry. She's proud of herself for her progress, especially when she masters a word that she considers hard, like "look".
I'm also proud of her. I can't help but start to wonder how the rest of her academic life will go. Will she maintain the hunger? Will she lose her drive? Will she get to the head of her class, or will she always be struggling to get there? Will she have more of a literary mind like her mother, or will she be more of a math and science kid like her father? Will I have to nag her to do her homework, or will she happily get it done on her own?
Welcome to parenting a school-aged child, huh?
The good news is, that Morgan is teaching Bennett the stuff she's learning. He's becoming a pro in Zoo Phonics! This can only mean great things for his academic future, right? Welcome to parenting a second child, huh?
But also, part of me is glad she's not at the head of the class. She can go through the process of improving herself, and she'll have something to strive towards. I just hope that she keeps her hunger for learning and her drive for getting ahead. Right now, she's been learning roughly 2-3 new words every day. She's already up to 17 words that she can read on sight. When she was first tested, she knew two - "a" and "I". We've been working with flash cards every night. She reads them to every living thing in our house. Twice. I know it's working because words that she used to struggle with, like "the", she's quick to call out now. We try to make it fun by making crazy sentences, having her "teach the dog to read" and basically making games out of it. She's still hungry. She's proud of herself for her progress, especially when she masters a word that she considers hard, like "look".
I'm also proud of her. I can't help but start to wonder how the rest of her academic life will go. Will she maintain the hunger? Will she lose her drive? Will she get to the head of her class, or will she always be struggling to get there? Will she have more of a literary mind like her mother, or will she be more of a math and science kid like her father? Will I have to nag her to do her homework, or will she happily get it done on her own?
Welcome to parenting a school-aged child, huh?
The good news is, that Morgan is teaching Bennett the stuff she's learning. He's becoming a pro in Zoo Phonics! This can only mean great things for his academic future, right? Welcome to parenting a second child, huh?
All prepped and ready to go
I overslept this morning and didn't make it to the early service at church. I got up with the kids who are like little angry trolls this morning. Bennett screamed at me when I put him in his highchair for breakfast because I dared to put cheerios on his tray instead of in a bowl. I'm obviously the most ignorant momma in the world, at least according to his reaction. Morgan is driving me nuts with her non-stop made up songs and noises just for the sake of making noise.
I realized that we were out of waffles and knowing that they will likely want some hot food this week, decided to whip up another batch of homemade waffles. Both kids had cereal and waffles and Bennett also insisted on having peaches. As I was making breakfast, I peered into the refrigerator and saw the pork tenderloin that I had thawed earlier in the week to cook and had not yet managed to cook. So, I prepped it and put it in the crock pot to make my yummy Slow Cooked Pulled Pork. I decided to go ahead and also prep the tomato, cucumber, celery and onion salad as well as the home baked potato fries so that all I have to do is throw the potatoes in the oven about half an hour before we are ready to eat. This led to me going ahead and dicing up some celery and onion for tuna salad sandwiches for lunch. So, I've now managed to prep all our food for the day. I also managed to miss the late service at church as well. Oh well. That's what they make podcasts for, right?
Lance was corralling the kids while I was doing all the prepping and cooking and I'm pretty sure he's having "a morning" right along with me. After he woke up (he slept in after I got up with the kids), he came downstairs and one of the first questions to me was "isn't there that park play date today?" No such luck. But, I told him, we can take the kids to the park. Not as appealing as me removing them from the house and him having time to watch some football in peace and quiet.
Plan for the rest of the day is to get my weekly planning done and maybe even some yard work. I feel a burst of energy, so I suppose I should take advantage of it, huh?
I realized that we were out of waffles and knowing that they will likely want some hot food this week, decided to whip up another batch of homemade waffles. Both kids had cereal and waffles and Bennett also insisted on having peaches. As I was making breakfast, I peered into the refrigerator and saw the pork tenderloin that I had thawed earlier in the week to cook and had not yet managed to cook. So, I prepped it and put it in the crock pot to make my yummy Slow Cooked Pulled Pork. I decided to go ahead and also prep the tomato, cucumber, celery and onion salad as well as the home baked potato fries so that all I have to do is throw the potatoes in the oven about half an hour before we are ready to eat. This led to me going ahead and dicing up some celery and onion for tuna salad sandwiches for lunch. So, I've now managed to prep all our food for the day. I also managed to miss the late service at church as well. Oh well. That's what they make podcasts for, right?
Lance was corralling the kids while I was doing all the prepping and cooking and I'm pretty sure he's having "a morning" right along with me. After he woke up (he slept in after I got up with the kids), he came downstairs and one of the first questions to me was "isn't there that park play date today?" No such luck. But, I told him, we can take the kids to the park. Not as appealing as me removing them from the house and him having time to watch some football in peace and quiet.
Plan for the rest of the day is to get my weekly planning done and maybe even some yard work. I feel a burst of energy, so I suppose I should take advantage of it, huh?
Saturday, September 20, 2008
My husband, the convert
Growing up in the south, going to an SEC school, and generally breathing in the southeast means that there's one thing that's sacred on a Saturday in fall. And that's football. Regardless of what else is going on, football is something we all make time for. My husband? He now falls squarely into this religion of ours.
When I met him, he didn't watch football at all, really. Much less college football. But, all it took was a few seasons of me hogging the remote during the games and him enduring my screaming, cussing and enthusiasm. He became a fan. He's seen my reserved mother come unglued, screaming and cussing while watching our Auburn Tigers. Then a few years ago, I brought him to my home school, Auburn University, to see what all the ruckus was about. This is when his conversion truly came about. We were there for the Auburn vs. Florida game in October of 2006. For any fans out there, this was the single defeat that Florida suffered in their 2006 National Championship season. This was one hell of a game and that's when Lance truly fell in love with college football and became an honorary Auburn Tiger. It also happened to be Morgan's first game. :)
Out here in sunny California, the weather may be nice and the sights very scenic. But on crisp Saturdays in the fall, I long for the orange and blue and the smell of Jim Beam and coke accompanied by screams of "war eagle". Having experienced it for himself now, Lance understands and cusses and screams his best "war eagle" with me, helps wrangle kids from out in front of the TV, helps to keep them quiet, and offers to make dinner. Because Momma's watching football. And around here, that's sacred.
Tonight, if you are an Auburn Tiger, let's just say that it was a good game, despite the final score. It was nice to see the offense show some signs of life this season. It was a long fought game, and overall we played nicely. War Damn Eagle!
When I met him, he didn't watch football at all, really. Much less college football. But, all it took was a few seasons of me hogging the remote during the games and him enduring my screaming, cussing and enthusiasm. He became a fan. He's seen my reserved mother come unglued, screaming and cussing while watching our Auburn Tigers. Then a few years ago, I brought him to my home school, Auburn University, to see what all the ruckus was about. This is when his conversion truly came about. We were there for the Auburn vs. Florida game in October of 2006. For any fans out there, this was the single defeat that Florida suffered in their 2006 National Championship season. This was one hell of a game and that's when Lance truly fell in love with college football and became an honorary Auburn Tiger. It also happened to be Morgan's first game. :)
Out here in sunny California, the weather may be nice and the sights very scenic. But on crisp Saturdays in the fall, I long for the orange and blue and the smell of Jim Beam and coke accompanied by screams of "war eagle". Having experienced it for himself now, Lance understands and cusses and screams his best "war eagle" with me, helps wrangle kids from out in front of the TV, helps to keep them quiet, and offers to make dinner. Because Momma's watching football. And around here, that's sacred.
Tonight, if you are an Auburn Tiger, let's just say that it was a good game, despite the final score. It was nice to see the offense show some signs of life this season. It was a long fought game, and overall we played nicely. War Damn Eagle!
Friday, September 19, 2008
And the universe laughs in my face
Remember the woman at the gym I was talking about? The one who was experiencing some sort of disease that causes you to do socially inappropriate things like talking non-stop during an exercise class and telling someone who doesn't care about your early entrance into menopause? The one that I've tried to avoid for about five years now. Yeah, so check this out.
At the Boo Hoo breakfast on the first day of school, we were asked if we wanted a "veteran family" to be a point of contact for us to help us with any questions we might have. Figuring that it wouldn't hurt to know someone who has been around for a while, I put my name and email address down on the paper.
I got an email from my veteran family contact today. Guess who it is??
Yes, you cruel universe you!
At the Boo Hoo breakfast on the first day of school, we were asked if we wanted a "veteran family" to be a point of contact for us to help us with any questions we might have. Figuring that it wouldn't hurt to know someone who has been around for a while, I put my name and email address down on the paper.
I got an email from my veteran family contact today. Guess who it is??
Yes, you cruel universe you!
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