I have a pantry that has food on one side and junk on the other. I've moved some of the junk (lightbulbs, cleaning supplies, etc) and moved it to a closet upstairs to free up some much needed space. The bins are for when I find something of the kids, I can through it in the respective bin, instead of letting it pile up on the steps (the curse of the two-story). The paper bin is for school memos, projects in progress, etc. The kids know exactly where their stuff is when they are looking for it and I'm happy that I can't see it! Now I just need to work on those other shelves :-). I'll post more pictures in a different post (Blogger wouldn't let me post more than one...I guess they are too big)
Friday, October 28, 2005
Pantry Organizing
I have a pantry that has food on one side and junk on the other. I've moved some of the junk (lightbulbs, cleaning supplies, etc) and moved it to a closet upstairs to free up some much needed space. The bins are for when I find something of the kids, I can through it in the respective bin, instead of letting it pile up on the steps (the curse of the two-story). The paper bin is for school memos, projects in progress, etc. The kids know exactly where their stuff is when they are looking for it and I'm happy that I can't see it! Now I just need to work on those other shelves :-). I'll post more pictures in a different post (Blogger wouldn't let me post more than one...I guess they are too big)
Snapshot Thursday (A Little Late)
What's at the top of my to-do list?
--I need to come up with some appetizers for Mary's party on Sunday
--I need to bake her birthday cake
-- I'd like to go through the kids clothes and store what they've grown out of and give away what we no longer need
What have I accomplished?
--Made chili and froze it for Mary's party
-- Started going through Abby and Sam's clothes
-- Painted front doors
-- Did the two picture walls (bedroom and breakfast room)
--Put bins with each child's name on them to put items they like to have access to and don't want to go upstairs for everyday (Game Boys, toys that need to be brought upstairs, etc.) Also did a paper bin for school work in progress, and school info.
What's bugging me?
--Mary has a runny nose and all week she would wipe it on my jeans when she was on the floor and on my shirts when I was holding her.
--My messy closets. I really want to get some deep cleaning/organizing done!
--My brother has not come over yet to seal our swingset! I called and he didn't return my call!
--I spent 9 hours (with interruptions) making a nun outfit and 5 hours making a Pope outfit and I wish I could have spent a little extra money and bought the darn things but I'm too cheap! I DON'T HAVE 14 hours to kill!
What's the BUZZ?
--Flylady.com --Great site for getting your house organized! I'm getting the e-mails which are way overwhelming, but she says I don't have to do anything yet, I just need to read them to get a feel for the flow and attitude. I've done this before and stopped because I didn't have time to fly! And I got too many e-mails from her! But I'm doing it again because I'm desperate to get my house in order.
What's my latest obsession?
--Organizing my house!
--I need to come up with some appetizers for Mary's party on Sunday
--I need to bake her birthday cake
-- I'd like to go through the kids clothes and store what they've grown out of and give away what we no longer need
What have I accomplished?
--Made chili and froze it for Mary's party
-- Started going through Abby and Sam's clothes
-- Painted front doors
-- Did the two picture walls (bedroom and breakfast room)
--Put bins with each child's name on them to put items they like to have access to and don't want to go upstairs for everyday (Game Boys, toys that need to be brought upstairs, etc.) Also did a paper bin for school work in progress, and school info.
What's bugging me?
--Mary has a runny nose and all week she would wipe it on my jeans when she was on the floor and on my shirts when I was holding her.
--My messy closets. I really want to get some deep cleaning/organizing done!
--My brother has not come over yet to seal our swingset! I called and he didn't return my call!
--I spent 9 hours (with interruptions) making a nun outfit and 5 hours making a Pope outfit and I wish I could have spent a little extra money and bought the darn things but I'm too cheap! I DON'T HAVE 14 hours to kill!
What's the BUZZ?
--Flylady.com --Great site for getting your house organized! I'm getting the e-mails which are way overwhelming, but she says I don't have to do anything yet, I just need to read them to get a feel for the flow and attitude. I've done this before and stopped because I didn't have time to fly! And I got too many e-mails from her! But I'm doing it again because I'm desperate to get my house in order.
What's my latest obsession?
--Organizing my house!
If I Had $50,000...
If you had $50,000, and were forced to spend it…what would you spend it on? I love doing this. I love pretending I have huge sums of money and figuring out how I would spend it. I lot of my figures are estimates....but it was a fun exercise.
New wedding ring--$3000?
Replace blacktop driveway with concrete--$6000?
Update upstairs (new paint, baseboards, doors and bathroom)--$3000
New furnace and air conditioner—I have no idea $5000?
New roof--$8,000?
Put hardwood floors in the Dining Room, Breakfast room and Kitchen. $8000?
Dining Room furniture (the room is still bare)--$3000
Build custom storage (shelving and cabinets) in the hall to my bathroom-$2000
Take a trip to Disney World as a whole family (no camping, fly)--$5000
Save the remaining $7000, to replace as much carpeting as I could, when kids get older and aren’t so messy.
Can you tell I have a 25 year old house that needs some work?
Now it's your turn...where would YOU spend it??
New wedding ring--$3000?
Replace blacktop driveway with concrete--$6000?
Update upstairs (new paint, baseboards, doors and bathroom)--$3000
New furnace and air conditioner—I have no idea $5000?
New roof--$8,000?
Put hardwood floors in the Dining Room, Breakfast room and Kitchen. $8000?
Dining Room furniture (the room is still bare)--$3000
Build custom storage (shelving and cabinets) in the hall to my bathroom-$2000
Take a trip to Disney World as a whole family (no camping, fly)--$5000
Save the remaining $7000, to replace as much carpeting as I could, when kids get older and aren’t so messy.
Can you tell I have a 25 year old house that needs some work?
Now it's your turn...where would YOU spend it??
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
My Baby is Turning One!
This is my baby. Well...she's not much of a baby anymore. Babies drink from a bottle, don't walk, can't feed themselves and can't call for "Momma". They don't know how to defend themselves from big, toddler brothers, they don't have a favorite TV show and they don't have a bunch of teeth! What happened to my baby? My baby is turning one. She'll be one on November 2nd.Meanwhile, I'm preparing for a party and thinking that's what it's all about. I'm NOT thinking about how my little, baby girl is becoming a full blown toddler with a mind of her own! That in one year she has gone from a blank staring baby with cradle cap to a beaming, walking, little girl who knows what she wants and whose personality is slowly being revealed like a blossoming flower.
She knows how to get my attention when I'm distracted (by screaming), she knows how to slow me down in my tracks when I'm running around cleaning the house (wraps arms around legs), she knows how to show me she's done eating (throws food on the floor), she can get me to put down Ben and pick her up (by crying louder than him), and she can get me to kiss her all over just by looking at me. All this started with a single cell. Amazing.
I feel like I've had so little to do with what she's become and will become. Yes, I know...I fed her, changed her, loved her and taken care of her every need. I just know that this is a small part compared to what her Creator has done. And I know that the plans God has for her are greater than any I could have for her. I know that who she becomes as a person will have not as much to do with me and more to do with who God created her to be.
This morning I greeted Mary with my usual shower of kisses and had a realization that she won't always be like this. She won't always be totally accepting of my shower of kisses. I look at Abby, and yes, she likes to snuggle, but she's always on the go! Her cheeks aren't as full as Mary's so they aren't beckoning kisses like Mary's are. She doesn't fit in my lap anymore and never requests to be there. She doesn't want to be held, but does like a hug and a kiss every now and then. I kiss Mary's feet because I love baby feet, but I don't think I would ever want to kiss Abby's anymore. And yet, Abby was once like Mary, couldn't get enough of me, never wanted me to leave the room and loved my shower of kisses.
I think I will treasure this time with Mary (and Ben). As I'm cooking this pot of chili for the party, I'm challenging myself to not just think about the party, but to think about my little ones who won't be little forever.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Snapshot Thursday
Every Thursday I'm going to do a "Snapshot" of what's going on in my life. I will answer the questions: What's on my To Do List, what have I just accomplished, what's really bugging me, what's the "Buzz" (meaning what are me and my friends talking about), and what's my latest obsession. These are off the top of my head. It might change as I go along.
What's at the top of my To Do List?
--Mary's First birthday party is in 10 days. I need to get ready for it. Figure out who is bringing what and get the house ready.
--We need to paint the front doors. I'm using Behr paint and chose the color Cinnamon Cherry. This has been on my to do list since we moved into this house 1 1/2 ago.
What have I accomplished?
--I finally ordered pictures (through Walmart Photo Center) to update my picture wall in my Breakfast room and Bedroom. I will take pictures of them when I'm done so you can see it. I also helped my mom by setting up her picture wall and ordering pictures for her.
--I invited everyone to come to Mary's Bday party.
What's bugging me?
--Mary keeps getting into the moss on my fake ficus tree. This really bugs me. It's almost gone. I'll have to remoss when she's past this stage.
--Ben keeps taking the lids off the markers and is drawing on the table, counters, windows and his own body. The markers are all dried out now so I threw them out. Note to self: Put new markers out of Ben's reach.
--The fact that the kids never have socks in their drawers and have to hit me up for them every morning. Note to self: Buy more socks or get laundry done. Scratch that...buy more socks!
--I injured myself in my first soccer game and haven't been able to play since! Meanwhile, my 8 week postpartum friend with 6 children is out there playing her heart out!
What's the Buzz?
--Knifty Knitters! http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=nw0229 and http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=nw0121 . My sister and neighbor are going crazy making scarves! My sister is making them for all of her sisters in law (she has 5). I'm giving them to Abby for Christmas. My neighbor's poor daughter is wondering when SHE can play with her own birthday gift!
--Pure Romance party http://www.pureromance.com/ . My sister went to this party where *gasp* "toys" were passed around and other things like lotions, etc. that might help in the bedroom (I don't want to use the "S" word because every perv will do a search and get my blog...I'll still can't shake all the people searching and getting my "My Milkshakes..." blog ---http://fourintow.blogspot.com/2005/08/my-milkshakes-bring-all-boys-to-yard.html ). I had a good laugh with my mom discussing this bedroom stuff. I placed an order for some mild stuff (I need all the help I can get...please don't pass judgment:-).
What's my latest obsession?
--The Food Network! I want to learn, learn, learn, more about cooking. I want to watch this channel and record some shows. HGTV is out...Food Network is in!
What's at the top of my To Do List?
--Mary's First birthday party is in 10 days. I need to get ready for it. Figure out who is bringing what and get the house ready.
--We need to paint the front doors. I'm using Behr paint and chose the color Cinnamon Cherry. This has been on my to do list since we moved into this house 1 1/2 ago.
What have I accomplished?
--I finally ordered pictures (through Walmart Photo Center) to update my picture wall in my Breakfast room and Bedroom. I will take pictures of them when I'm done so you can see it. I also helped my mom by setting up her picture wall and ordering pictures for her.
--I invited everyone to come to Mary's Bday party.
What's bugging me?
--Mary keeps getting into the moss on my fake ficus tree. This really bugs me. It's almost gone. I'll have to remoss when she's past this stage.
--Ben keeps taking the lids off the markers and is drawing on the table, counters, windows and his own body. The markers are all dried out now so I threw them out. Note to self: Put new markers out of Ben's reach.
--The fact that the kids never have socks in their drawers and have to hit me up for them every morning. Note to self: Buy more socks or get laundry done. Scratch that...buy more socks!
--I injured myself in my first soccer game and haven't been able to play since! Meanwhile, my 8 week postpartum friend with 6 children is out there playing her heart out!
What's the Buzz?
--Knifty Knitters! http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=nw0229 and http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=nw0121 . My sister and neighbor are going crazy making scarves! My sister is making them for all of her sisters in law (she has 5). I'm giving them to Abby for Christmas. My neighbor's poor daughter is wondering when SHE can play with her own birthday gift!
--Pure Romance party http://www.pureromance.com/ . My sister went to this party where *gasp* "toys" were passed around and other things like lotions, etc. that might help in the bedroom (I don't want to use the "S" word because every perv will do a search and get my blog...I'll still can't shake all the people searching and getting my "My Milkshakes..." blog ---http://fourintow.blogspot.com/2005/08/my-milkshakes-bring-all-boys-to-yard.html ). I had a good laugh with my mom discussing this bedroom stuff. I placed an order for some mild stuff (I need all the help I can get...please don't pass judgment:-).
What's my latest obsession?
--The Food Network! I want to learn, learn, learn, more about cooking. I want to watch this channel and record some shows. HGTV is out...Food Network is in!
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Pizza Party!!
Sunday we had the family over for a big pizza party celebrating Sam's 9th birthday. I followed an episode on the Today show: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9683196/ . I followed it to a "T" except I used store bought pizza dough. I bought wheat, garlic & herb and regular pizza dough. I used their recipe for the red and white sauce. The toppings I served were pepperoni, sausage, bacon, chicken, red onions, green and red peppers, basil pesto, red pepper pesto, mushrooms, artichokes, black olives, and of course, lots and lots of mozzarella cheese. It was delicious! I also had regular store bought pizza sauce because I didn't feel I had enough of the homemade. I personally felt the store bought was fine and in the future I would just use this instead of making my own. I baked all the pizza dough in advance and spread them out in two long ovals on each cookie sheet (jelly roll pan). This is the way the author of the cookbook, Pam Anderson, suggests. She says it ensures that middles cook through and you can fit more pizzas in the oven at the same time. Brilliant, I say!
Then, when it was time to eat, I let everyone dress a pizza or half a pizza. They LOVED this part. Once the pizzas were dressed, they went back into the oven at a lower temp for about 10 more minutes. Ted and I used the garlic and herb crust and topped it with white sauce, chicken, and mushrooms (onions or peppers could have been good too). This one was really good! My dad was very grateful that I had wheat crust available and had a whole one to himself, topped with lots of veggies and no meat. The pesto really helped to give the pizza some zing. The kids really enjoyed dressing their own pizza too! Many of us have to sacrifice what we really love in order to share pizza with others or because you are ordering it where every topping costs extra. The sky was the limit here!
I also had Pam Anderson's (no...not the busty blonde) caesar salad with homemade croutons. The croutons were scrumptious, but I probably would have been happier with store bought dressing instead of what her recipe called for. But NOTHING, beats homemade croutons.
I had about 10 adults and 11 kids and we went through about 5 pizza dough balls or 10 pizzas (because I split each ball of dough into two pizzas). My mistake was that I had quite a few pizza crusts left over. But I gave half of them away and froze the rest for future meals.
I recommend this meal for a birthday party because it pleases everyone and I didn't have to bake something different for the kids.
Then, when it was time to eat, I let everyone dress a pizza or half a pizza. They LOVED this part. Once the pizzas were dressed, they went back into the oven at a lower temp for about 10 more minutes. Ted and I used the garlic and herb crust and topped it with white sauce, chicken, and mushrooms (onions or peppers could have been good too). This one was really good! My dad was very grateful that I had wheat crust available and had a whole one to himself, topped with lots of veggies and no meat. The pesto really helped to give the pizza some zing. The kids really enjoyed dressing their own pizza too! Many of us have to sacrifice what we really love in order to share pizza with others or because you are ordering it where every topping costs extra. The sky was the limit here!
I also had Pam Anderson's (no...not the busty blonde) caesar salad with homemade croutons. The croutons were scrumptious, but I probably would have been happier with store bought dressing instead of what her recipe called for. But NOTHING, beats homemade croutons.
I had about 10 adults and 11 kids and we went through about 5 pizza dough balls or 10 pizzas (because I split each ball of dough into two pizzas). My mistake was that I had quite a few pizza crusts left over. But I gave half of them away and froze the rest for future meals.
I recommend this meal for a birthday party because it pleases everyone and I didn't have to bake something different for the kids.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Exclusive Interviews With Abby and Sam
ABBY (Age 7)
If you had a magic wand and could make any wish come true, what would you wish for?
I wish that we would have a dog.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
A mom.
How many kids do you want to have?
500. Just kidding! Four.
What kind of husband do you hope to have?
Like helpful... I like Danny in my class. He's funny. At recess he's always trying to get me to chase him and I say, "No". Today I heard he has a crush on me.
Who'd you hear that from?
Joey.
What's a crush?
It means like umm...somebody loves you.
What do you think he loves about you?
I don't know.
What do you like about yourself?
That God made me special...and I'm funny. I'm lucky to have a sister and two brothers. Actually three sisters and two brothers (including her sister that died in utero at 23 weeks).
How did God make you special?
I have bangs and not too many people have bangs. And I'm lucky to have a Dad that works for Charter.
Why?
Because sometimes he brings home some cool stuff and now we can do Charter On Demand.
Mom, can you please stop asking me questions because I really want to watch the movie.
How about one more question...What do you hope to do tomorrow?
To play with my friends and play with Jessica because I don't get to play with her that much.
Thank you for spending this time with me. I love you.
(Blows me a kiss)
SAM (Turns 9 in 3 days)
If you had a magic wand and could make any wish come true, what would you wish for?
Uhhh...A million dollars. LOL (at the way I typed "Uhhhh")
What would you do with a million dollars?
Spend it on video games (SSX III), a house, and a lap top.
What do you like about yourself?
Uhhh...I don't know...My glasses?
What do you like about your personality?
What does that mean?
The way you act and the way you think...
Being funny.
What can you do better than most kids your age?
Maybe Math..Spelling...run...
Is there anything you wish you could change about yourself?
To not have as many fears. I guess I don't have that much but...
What do you hope to get for your birthday this Sunday?
An SSX III.
What kind of wife do you want when you grow up?
I want her to be nice.
How many kids do you want to have?
A million! Just kidding. LOL. Stop copying everything I say!
This is an interview...I'm supposed to write everything you say!
LOL.
How many kids do you want?
Four.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
A builder.
What do you want to build?
A house.
What is your favorite thing to do when you come home from school?
Play Playstation II.
What do you hate with the greatest passion?
When Ben's screaming.
Thank you for taking this time with me. I love you.
(Looked at me and smiled)
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Leftovers
My husband gets the leftovers...and I don't mean meals. He gets my leftovers.
We have a great relationship. I love him more than I ever have. We hardly ever fight. We really enjoy just being with each other. It all sounds good, but at the end of the day, he walks in the door...I give him a half-smile and a kiss and continue to go about my duties.
I remember when I first saw Ted. I was in orientation at McDonald's, paying attention to the Manager when I saw him walk by in his polyester duds. He was carrying frozen fry boxes. I was attracted to him right away. I was 16 years old when I first saw my husband. He was 17. Eventually I got to know him at work. I loved it when I saw that we were scheduled together. I would happily anticipate my shift. We even exchanged some heated words: "I need a six piece please!" and "No more cheeseburgers in the bin!". I remember talking to him in the break room. I found out he played soccer and went to CBC, a local, private, all boys, Catholic highschool. Have I died and gone to heaven? (Back then I didn't know I should be looking for a great father and husband. I thought that a soccer jock with muscular legs and a great smile was all I needed!). He was easy to talk to. We played on the McDonald's softball team together. I would stare at his legs from the outfield while he was on first base. Besides being attracted to him, I saw something in him that was different from the other guys. He wasn't trying to put on a show. He was comfortable in his own skin. He didn't act cocky or fake.
One night, after close on a summer weekend, I looked up his house in the phone book. There quite a few Naumann's but I thought I would look for one that was close to our McDonald's. I didn't know his parent's name, so I didn't know if I had the right house, but I thought if I just drove by, I might see his car and know where he lived. I think my McDonald cookies fell or my visor or something...and I went to pick it up, and horror of horrors...I crashed straight into a street cleaning truck! My face slammed against the steering wheel (we had no airbags back then) and I bit into my tongue. I was freaking out! I climbed out of the car and knocked on the door of the house that I crashed in front of. Would you believe that his Uncle answered the door? It was NOT his house! I went to gradeschool with his cousin and I crashed in front of HER house!!! And her last name was not Naumann because it was her mother that was a Naumann. There was an unrelated Naumann next door or something...but anyway, I digress.
So here I am, bleeding mouth, 2:00am in the morning, letting Ted's uncle (whom I knew from church and being in his daughter's class) know that I needed help and he was in his underwear!!!! They checked out my tongue and called my parents. My sister and mom came over right away. While we were waiting, they asked what I was doing over there. I was totally embarrassed, but I told his cousin (who also worked at McDonald's) that I was looking for Ted's house (I never was a good liar). So anyway, I was taken to the ER and they gave me 12 stitches in the tongue.
I talked pretty funny after that. I remember talking to him in the break room afterwards and telling him about my accident all the while thinking, "You have NO idea this was all because of you!" His parents found out because, of course, their niece told them (what was I thinking telling HER!!!).
Eventually I told the McDonald's gossip queen that I liked Ted and she told him. He needed to break up from this girl he didn't like all that much and asked me out while I was on a "lobby break". Well...he thought he asked me out, but he never used the words. I figured what he meant, eventually. We started dating after that. Ted was the center of my universe! I wanted to see him all the time. We had the manager schedule us together whenever he could. I was passionate about this boy! I saw no wrong in him. Everything was rosey. We would close together and then kiss afterwards in his car with the creepy maintenance guy watching us from inside. We couldn't get enough of each other. We have plenty of love notes and momentos from our dating years.
Little did we know what we would start together. Now we have a mortgage, 4 kids, real jobs and responsibilities. It's hard to juggle it all. We know that somewhere underneath it all is a young couple who stole kisses in drive thru and the deep freeze. But for now, most of my kisses land on the little ones cheeks while my husband is out earning a living. It's real life. I know our passion isn't over. I see my parents. Boy are THEY passionate! It's a little sickening. And they had a ROUGH time raising 6 kids. I know I won't have to wait that long for our passion to come back. I do miss it.
In the meantime, I am making an oath. I want to do little things to show my husband I love him. I don' t want him to always feel like he gets the leftovers. I think a little more affection will go a long way.
We have a great relationship. I love him more than I ever have. We hardly ever fight. We really enjoy just being with each other. It all sounds good, but at the end of the day, he walks in the door...I give him a half-smile and a kiss and continue to go about my duties.
I remember when I first saw Ted. I was in orientation at McDonald's, paying attention to the Manager when I saw him walk by in his polyester duds. He was carrying frozen fry boxes. I was attracted to him right away. I was 16 years old when I first saw my husband. He was 17. Eventually I got to know him at work. I loved it when I saw that we were scheduled together. I would happily anticipate my shift. We even exchanged some heated words: "I need a six piece please!" and "No more cheeseburgers in the bin!". I remember talking to him in the break room. I found out he played soccer and went to CBC, a local, private, all boys, Catholic highschool. Have I died and gone to heaven? (Back then I didn't know I should be looking for a great father and husband. I thought that a soccer jock with muscular legs and a great smile was all I needed!). He was easy to talk to. We played on the McDonald's softball team together. I would stare at his legs from the outfield while he was on first base. Besides being attracted to him, I saw something in him that was different from the other guys. He wasn't trying to put on a show. He was comfortable in his own skin. He didn't act cocky or fake.
One night, after close on a summer weekend, I looked up his house in the phone book. There quite a few Naumann's but I thought I would look for one that was close to our McDonald's. I didn't know his parent's name, so I didn't know if I had the right house, but I thought if I just drove by, I might see his car and know where he lived. I think my McDonald cookies fell or my visor or something...and I went to pick it up, and horror of horrors...I crashed straight into a street cleaning truck! My face slammed against the steering wheel (we had no airbags back then) and I bit into my tongue. I was freaking out! I climbed out of the car and knocked on the door of the house that I crashed in front of. Would you believe that his Uncle answered the door? It was NOT his house! I went to gradeschool with his cousin and I crashed in front of HER house!!! And her last name was not Naumann because it was her mother that was a Naumann. There was an unrelated Naumann next door or something...but anyway, I digress.
So here I am, bleeding mouth, 2:00am in the morning, letting Ted's uncle (whom I knew from church and being in his daughter's class) know that I needed help and he was in his underwear!!!! They checked out my tongue and called my parents. My sister and mom came over right away. While we were waiting, they asked what I was doing over there. I was totally embarrassed, but I told his cousin (who also worked at McDonald's) that I was looking for Ted's house (I never was a good liar). So anyway, I was taken to the ER and they gave me 12 stitches in the tongue.
I talked pretty funny after that. I remember talking to him in the break room afterwards and telling him about my accident all the while thinking, "You have NO idea this was all because of you!" His parents found out because, of course, their niece told them (what was I thinking telling HER!!!).
Eventually I told the McDonald's gossip queen that I liked Ted and she told him. He needed to break up from this girl he didn't like all that much and asked me out while I was on a "lobby break". Well...he thought he asked me out, but he never used the words. I figured what he meant, eventually. We started dating after that. Ted was the center of my universe! I wanted to see him all the time. We had the manager schedule us together whenever he could. I was passionate about this boy! I saw no wrong in him. Everything was rosey. We would close together and then kiss afterwards in his car with the creepy maintenance guy watching us from inside. We couldn't get enough of each other. We have plenty of love notes and momentos from our dating years.
Little did we know what we would start together. Now we have a mortgage, 4 kids, real jobs and responsibilities. It's hard to juggle it all. We know that somewhere underneath it all is a young couple who stole kisses in drive thru and the deep freeze. But for now, most of my kisses land on the little ones cheeks while my husband is out earning a living. It's real life. I know our passion isn't over. I see my parents. Boy are THEY passionate! It's a little sickening. And they had a ROUGH time raising 6 kids. I know I won't have to wait that long for our passion to come back. I do miss it.
In the meantime, I am making an oath. I want to do little things to show my husband I love him. I don' t want him to always feel like he gets the leftovers. I think a little more affection will go a long way.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Make Yourself Replaceable
Tomorrow night Ted is leaving for the weekend. He's going on a golf weekend with friends he's had since college. And you know what?? I'm happy for him! I know that my attitude about this weekend is a gift from God. Before, I had the attitude of fear. How am I going to handle a full weekend without my breaks to look forward to? Will Ben drive me crazy? What can I do with the kids so they can have fun even though Ted is not here? They are off school tomorrow too! So it will be an especially long weekend. I decided I'd let Sam and Abby have friends over tomorrow since they have the day off. Saturday, their cousin is having a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese's. After that, Grandma and Grandpa are taking Sam and Abby for the night! This is not such a bad deal after all! I always think of Sam and Abby has my easy ones, but when they're gone and I tuck in Ben and Mary for the night at 8pm...the rest of the time is MINE!!! Sam and Abby are in bed by 9pm. That hour makes a big difference. You don't start anything at 9pm. By the time you think of what you want to do, it's time to go to bed. 8pm, however...the night is YOUNG :-).
Another reason I am happy is that we can each take breaks. He gave me my weekend retreat and now he's taking his weekend. Now that I'm done nursing, the opportunities for breaks are opening up. I'm really looking forward to a crop weekend in November. I've done NO cropping since Mary came. This is the only way it's going to happen.
In the business world, my old boss always told me to make sure you make yourself replaceable. I thought this sounded ridiculous! Why would you make yourself replaceable, then they could just fire you! But she looked at it in a different way...you could get promoted. By training other people to do parts of your job, you free yourself to learn and do other things...and you have people who can fill in for you during vacations, leaves, or a promotion!
Well, I have people who can do my job while I'm gone. Here are some ways I lean on others to do my job:
--Babysitters--One of the very most important things Ted and I did when we had kids, was to find good babysitters! They are worth their weight in gold. We always have two so that when one is busy, we can call on the other. It's great to be able to have someone who is used to my kids, knows what they need and runs the show so I can get a break.
--Neighbors--It is great to have at least one neighbor that you can call in a pinch. I have one I use for everything. She's listened, via monitor, to a sleeping child while I did a school pick-up. She'll pick up a needed grocery item if she's heading there and I can't. She's helped me come up with menus for family bday parties. She's great!
--Carpoolers--I have done some sort of carpooling since Sam was in preschool. It's awesome! I got over the fact that someone else was picking up my precious child really quick! When you don't have to wake a napping toddler to pick up at school, you really appreciate it!
--Fast Food--OK...this is a common one we all do. We know that we are very replaceable as cooks!
--Mom's Day Out Program--Yesterday when I took Ben to his MDO school, he cried when I dropped him off, but not another tear the rest of the day! It's his fourth day at school. I was so happy! I know he's getting great interaction/play time with his peers and I'm getting a needed break from my lovely two year old. It makes me a happier person to look forward to this every week.
--Cleaning Lady--I've never done this. But I think every working mother deserves one. I even know some SAHM's that have one!
--A Fellow Mom Friend--What would I do if I didn't have someone to ask for advice? Or another mom to vent to when things get rough? Or someone to report progress to? Or someone to share the victories with? (All dangling participles...someone tell me how to avoid this without sounding funny!). And when you get a break...someone to take it with! You need girlfriends. They are a must!
--Retired Grandparents--I'm so glad my parents have moved closer to me. Now I can do more school activities with their help. The other day I ate lunch at school with Sam and Abby because my parents watched Mary. The loved spending the time with her.
--A Good Husband--I know I'd never go far without a good, supportive husband. I know that if he discouraged half the things I did because it would be too much work for him...I'd never do anything. It really starts here. I have a friend who is not married and pregnant. She is thrilled because she's always wanted a baby and is almost 40, she's just never found the right man. She got pregnant from a long relationship that has since broken up. This is her chance to have what she's wanted and I'm thrilled for her. But I can't imagine doing it alone. I don't know how single mom's do it. Ted is my emotional support as well as my physical support. He's my tag teamer. I know I can hand the baton over to him and we can finish the race! This is something to be extremely grateful for (dangling participle...I DON'T CARE!).
I've made myself replaceable (to a degree) as a mom. My "promotion" right now is just getting a break, but someday it may be more. These breaks make me a better, happier mom. They make me feel more affectionate towards my children. I enjoy my time with them more when I know I can get away when I need to.
They say it takes a village to raise a child, but we often try to do it by ourselves. I think we women need to help eachother out more and ACCEPT help from others more. The next time that grocery clerk asks if you need help bringing your groceries out while your kids are climbing all over the cart....TAKE IT!
Another reason I am happy is that we can each take breaks. He gave me my weekend retreat and now he's taking his weekend. Now that I'm done nursing, the opportunities for breaks are opening up. I'm really looking forward to a crop weekend in November. I've done NO cropping since Mary came. This is the only way it's going to happen.
In the business world, my old boss always told me to make sure you make yourself replaceable. I thought this sounded ridiculous! Why would you make yourself replaceable, then they could just fire you! But she looked at it in a different way...you could get promoted. By training other people to do parts of your job, you free yourself to learn and do other things...and you have people who can fill in for you during vacations, leaves, or a promotion!
Well, I have people who can do my job while I'm gone. Here are some ways I lean on others to do my job:
--Babysitters--One of the very most important things Ted and I did when we had kids, was to find good babysitters! They are worth their weight in gold. We always have two so that when one is busy, we can call on the other. It's great to be able to have someone who is used to my kids, knows what they need and runs the show so I can get a break.
--Neighbors--It is great to have at least one neighbor that you can call in a pinch. I have one I use for everything. She's listened, via monitor, to a sleeping child while I did a school pick-up. She'll pick up a needed grocery item if she's heading there and I can't. She's helped me come up with menus for family bday parties. She's great!
--Carpoolers--I have done some sort of carpooling since Sam was in preschool. It's awesome! I got over the fact that someone else was picking up my precious child really quick! When you don't have to wake a napping toddler to pick up at school, you really appreciate it!
--Fast Food--OK...this is a common one we all do. We know that we are very replaceable as cooks!
--Mom's Day Out Program--Yesterday when I took Ben to his MDO school, he cried when I dropped him off, but not another tear the rest of the day! It's his fourth day at school. I was so happy! I know he's getting great interaction/play time with his peers and I'm getting a needed break from my lovely two year old. It makes me a happier person to look forward to this every week.
--Cleaning Lady--I've never done this. But I think every working mother deserves one. I even know some SAHM's that have one!
--A Fellow Mom Friend--What would I do if I didn't have someone to ask for advice? Or another mom to vent to when things get rough? Or someone to report progress to? Or someone to share the victories with? (All dangling participles...someone tell me how to avoid this without sounding funny!). And when you get a break...someone to take it with! You need girlfriends. They are a must!
--Retired Grandparents--I'm so glad my parents have moved closer to me. Now I can do more school activities with their help. The other day I ate lunch at school with Sam and Abby because my parents watched Mary. The loved spending the time with her.
--A Good Husband--I know I'd never go far without a good, supportive husband. I know that if he discouraged half the things I did because it would be too much work for him...I'd never do anything. It really starts here. I have a friend who is not married and pregnant. She is thrilled because she's always wanted a baby and is almost 40, she's just never found the right man. She got pregnant from a long relationship that has since broken up. This is her chance to have what she's wanted and I'm thrilled for her. But I can't imagine doing it alone. I don't know how single mom's do it. Ted is my emotional support as well as my physical support. He's my tag teamer. I know I can hand the baton over to him and we can finish the race! This is something to be extremely grateful for (dangling participle...I DON'T CARE!).
I've made myself replaceable (to a degree) as a mom. My "promotion" right now is just getting a break, but someday it may be more. These breaks make me a better, happier mom. They make me feel more affectionate towards my children. I enjoy my time with them more when I know I can get away when I need to.
They say it takes a village to raise a child, but we often try to do it by ourselves. I think we women need to help eachother out more and ACCEPT help from others more. The next time that grocery clerk asks if you need help bringing your groceries out while your kids are climbing all over the cart....TAKE IT!
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
A Day In My Life
I thought I would record my day as it happens and update it through out the day. It is a picture of my life...but just today. Every day is different.
6:15am--Ben wakes up. Ted gets up with him because he has to get ready for work anyway. He gets out a healthy S'mores Pop Tart for Ben to eat.
6:30am--Ted wakes up Sam and Abby to get ready for school. They help themselves to breakfast(Strawberry Pop-Tart for Sam, S'mores Pop-Tart for Abby). It's picture day, so I layed out their clothes last night. Abby is buying today. Sam is bringing. He's pretty picky. He usually brings except on Fridays when it's Domino's Pizza Day.
6:35am--Ted comes in to say he is taking a shower. This is my wake up call. I'm "on" now. I can usually lay in bed til Ben comes looking for me.
6:40am--Ben climbs into bed with me with a "stinky poot". I would like to have done without the aroma, but he seems happy so I'll deal with it.
7:00am--Mary wakes up. Late for her. I get her and then make Sam's lunch. Mary eats a Nutri-grain bar for breakfast. I brush Abby's hair so it looks good for her pictures.
7:10am--Ted tells me I can take a shower if I want...he has no early appointments and it's not our turn to drive carpool. I go shower.
7:25am--Kids are picked up for school. Ted remembers that he left our carseats in the car when he dropped it off at Dobb's last night (alternater problems), so he leaves to pick up the carseats and brings them back before leaving for work. Back-up-My car died on me yesterday when I was leaving to pick up the kids from school. My mom came over so I could use her car to get them.
7:30am-7:40am--Change Ben's diaper and hold him on the couch.
7:40am-8:00am--I finish getting ready for the day while Ben and Mary entertain themselves.
8:00am--I remember that I need some pictures of Mary. She's 11 months old now and I feel like I haven't taken many lately of Mary or Ben. I get out the camera and take some pictures of them sitting on the couch with the morning sun on them.
8:30am--I forgot to eat! Eat a bowl of Oatmeal Squares. My favorite cereal.
8:45am--Take video of Mary walking because I haven't done this yet and she's been walking for a couple of weeks!
9:00am--Rewash a stinky load of laundry that I forgot to put in the dryer..and haven't touched for days. I vow to catch up on laundry today!
--Put up some paint swatches against my fireplace brick (which is the same brick on the outside of my house) to help me decide what to paint our front doors. I want to it to be painted sometime this Fall before it gets cold. Previous owners did a horrible paint job on them. A milky white that doesn't cover the doors well. I'm leaning towards a burgundy color.
9:15am--I take a dash through the house. Really...I started running around. I'm sure I looked like a child playing, but I was testing some pulled muscles from my soccer game last Tuesday. I was sore the whole week!!! I'm an old, out of shape woman! My pulled muscles hurt when I genuflect (spelling?), or get up from the floor after I change a diaper (putting weight on one leg). I decide I will play tonight...but try to take it easy to let these muscles heal. I don't "take it easy" very well. I think I have to be Superwoman. What am I trying to prove?? That I'm still 20? (I'm 36).
9:20--Start this blog. I will publish this and then edit through out the day.
9:35--It's quite. Where's Mary? Eating Chapstick. Yuck. Took it away.
9:40--Move everything from the big, new baby diaper bag to a smaller one I used with the other kids. Much better! Decide to keep still good diaper bag and stash it with all the other "still good" diaper bags that I never use.
--Charge up cell phone, and batteries for camera.
--Start clearing clutter counter (don't finish)
--Change another poop from Ben.
--Clip Ben's nails.
--Work on Laundry.
10:00am--Where are Ben and Mary? Upstairs in Sam's room. They're happy...don't mess with it.
10:04--Mom calls. She decides she's not going to have her annual hayride/chili dinner. She's getting bookcases beside her fireplace and she'll wait to have people over when they're done. I can go ahead and have Mary's bday party at my house instead of combining with this event. I'll have it the same day we were planning. 10/30. I think I'll have white chili as well as the regular chili. Sam's bday dinner is 10/16 so it will be a crazy month. Thanks, Mom for watching the kids yesterday. No problem, they were so cute! (8 minute conversation).
10:15--Check on Ben and Mary...They're ok....but they're making a mess of Ben's room. Oh well.
10:20--Is it hot in here or is it me?? Get plastic shoeboxes for Sam and neighbor for tonight. They have cubscouts. I need to put moist dirt in the shoeboxes so they can make animal prints. You mean MUD? Ok...note to self...dig in the yard for dirt today.
--Made bed.
10:25--Ted calls. He tells me he IS going to the Cards playoff game today. But he told his boss to give him a choice next time because his commission suffers when he does this stuff. The other guys have higher salaries and don't rely on commission as much. There is a pay increase in the works that will happen by the end of the year which should make it easier for Ted. His boss confirms this. Then his pay will be mostly salary with bonuses on top. I feel better about him going to the baseball game (which will take up most of his day) knowing his pay will change soon. Ted's happier that I'm happier because quite the discussion ensued last night because of his bosses "forcing" him to go the baseball game. 5 minute conversation. Bye...have fun. Lucky Ted.
10:38--Why is Mary so crabby?? DUH! She needs a nap! Layed her down.
10:40--Updated Blog.
10:50--Back to the Laundry folding.
11:00--Ben wants his "over the door Nerf Basketball Net" on the entertainment center shelf. He keeps complaining when he loses his ball on the shelf. Whine...whine...Ben, use your nice voice!
11:12--Neighbor calls. Is my car ready? She'll take me to get it when she drops her son off for Kindergarten if I want. Thanks...haven't heard from them yet. Talk to her for 17 minutes. All the while, Ben is complaining about wanting something to eat. I make him mac-n-cheese. He's whining most of the time I'm on the phone. He was good most of the morning! Honest!
11:30--Made myself lunch. A ham sandwich on whole wheat bread, Dorito's and Diet Pepsi. Oh yah...Famous Amos Cookies. Relax for 20 minutes while I eat. Ben let's me.
11:50--Back to the Laundry...I told you I was committed.
12:07pm--Mary wakes up. Gave her mac-n-cheese and chopped ham.
--Changed Ben again! Another poop!
12:15--Changed Mary's diaper.
12:18pm--Neighbor calls again. Do I have a shop-vac? Her upstairs toilet has flooded. It's dripping all the way into the basement! Two levels! We help eachother out. Her 4 kids are between the ages of my first 3. It's great to have her to lean on. We both know what it's like to be stay at home moms. We offer the help most people wouldn't think of. I went downstairs and got the shop vac.
12:40--Layed Ben down for a nap. I pick up at 2:30 so the earlier he goes down the better. He likes a 2 1/2 hour nap. They are always cut short when I pick up. I pick up Mon, Tues and Wed.
12:45--Surveyed the damage at my neighbors...It AIN'T good. She thinks her 2 year old did something to the toilet to make it run forever. She didn't hear the water running until her son pointed to the water dripping from the ceiling in the family room. She's got beach towels and buckets catching the drips. We lament together. If it's not one thing...it's another. But it could have been worse. She could have left the house and the water would have run forever!!
1:15--Sit down with Mary and watch a taped Oprah.
2:00--My neighbor Mary calls again. Do I have the phone number of the taper who did my bathroom? No, it was done through a contractor. Mary is letting me borrow her van so I can pick up the kids from school. She walks her kids home from school so she doesn't need her car. I come over to the keys and ask her if she has any dirt for Sam's cubscout project. She has a ton of top soil because her husband just dug up the entire yard, tilled in compost and reseeded the whole front. She said he wouldn't miss 2 half full containers of dirt. So I got my dirt from her. I didn't have to dig!
2:35--Woke up Ben from his nap, filled the sippy cups and grabbed some cereal for the kids to snack on.
2:40--Took the neighbor's car to pick up Sam, Abby and Devon (our other neighbor) from school.
3:25--Back from carpool. Ben wants to swing outside. Layed Mary down for a second nap and swung Ben on the swingset.
3:45--Bring Ben inside. Ted comes home from the baseball game. Cards won! Normally, Ted doesn't come home until 6:00pm. This is early! Lucky me!
4:00--Ben goes through a crabby rant. 15 minutes. Whew. All done. Got Sam's dirt wet. Now it's definitely mud. Maybe I did too much. It shrunk. I think I need more dirt now!
4:10--Mary wakes up. Has a poop...and is really cranky. Did the poop wake her up? That wasn't a very long nap at all! Ben gets cranky again. Ted takes him out to swing again.
4:15--My sister, Becky, calls. She wants to know if she can come over now. She plays soccer with me. Why not? Sure! She works for the school as a Paraprofessional. So her day ends early. She's on her way over now. She'll eat with us and hang out til it's time to go to our game.
4:30--Get ready for soccer game. Ben is crabby and clingy..."hold you, hold you, hold you!"
5:00pm--Leave with Becky to buy the family Taco Bell. I take Ben to give Ted a break. He whines the whole way there.
5:40pm--Eat. Ted and I eat 2 Gorditas each because they are the lightest choice on the menu without going "Fresco"...which we don't like. They left out our breadsticks (for the kids)! This is the second time! I ate with Ben on my lap because he was upset I didn't get him a drink. I didn't get any of us drinks! Ted ate with Mary on his lap. Whew.
6:15pm--Becky takes Ted to get the car. It's ready. It was just a battery cable problem. $150. Not bad....could have been worse.
--Take Sam and neighbor, Alex, to cubscouts. They tie their own neckerchiefs in the back seat and they look BAD. I apologized to the leader. He jokingly told me they weren't going to have uniform inspections today.
7:00--Head to soccer game. Get on the field and realize there is NO way I am playing on these legs. My thighs couldn't handle it. Pain shot through immediately. My home jogs were not good indicators after all. I sat out the whole game. My coach said it would just make it worse. I knew I didn't have a choice. I held my teammate's 6 week old. He was so chubby and cute. Our team has about 41 kids between us all.
8:45pm--Get home. Ted's reading "Chronicles of Narnia" to the Sam and Abby. Ben and Mary are already in bed. It's our new tradition. Every night we read one chapter. We're almost done with the first book. We want to read the second, "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" before the movie comes out. I pull out a wine cooler left over from a family get together. I really wanted cold water but there were no bottles in the fridge. I should drink these up anyway. :-)
9:00--Sam and Abby go to bed. I finished this blog and then hung out with Ted in the family room. We talked about our day and then turned on the TV to watch the news.
10:45pm--Goodnight!
6:15am--Ben wakes up. Ted gets up with him because he has to get ready for work anyway. He gets out a healthy S'mores Pop Tart for Ben to eat.
6:30am--Ted wakes up Sam and Abby to get ready for school. They help themselves to breakfast(Strawberry Pop-Tart for Sam, S'mores Pop-Tart for Abby). It's picture day, so I layed out their clothes last night. Abby is buying today. Sam is bringing. He's pretty picky. He usually brings except on Fridays when it's Domino's Pizza Day.
6:35am--Ted comes in to say he is taking a shower. This is my wake up call. I'm "on" now. I can usually lay in bed til Ben comes looking for me.
6:40am--Ben climbs into bed with me with a "stinky poot". I would like to have done without the aroma, but he seems happy so I'll deal with it.
7:00am--Mary wakes up. Late for her. I get her and then make Sam's lunch. Mary eats a Nutri-grain bar for breakfast. I brush Abby's hair so it looks good for her pictures.
7:10am--Ted tells me I can take a shower if I want...he has no early appointments and it's not our turn to drive carpool. I go shower.
7:25am--Kids are picked up for school. Ted remembers that he left our carseats in the car when he dropped it off at Dobb's last night (alternater problems), so he leaves to pick up the carseats and brings them back before leaving for work. Back-up-My car died on me yesterday when I was leaving to pick up the kids from school. My mom came over so I could use her car to get them.
7:30am-7:40am--Change Ben's diaper and hold him on the couch.
7:40am-8:00am--I finish getting ready for the day while Ben and Mary entertain themselves.
8:00am--I remember that I need some pictures of Mary. She's 11 months old now and I feel like I haven't taken many lately of Mary or Ben. I get out the camera and take some pictures of them sitting on the couch with the morning sun on them.
8:30am--I forgot to eat! Eat a bowl of Oatmeal Squares. My favorite cereal.
8:45am--Take video of Mary walking because I haven't done this yet and she's been walking for a couple of weeks!
9:00am--Rewash a stinky load of laundry that I forgot to put in the dryer..and haven't touched for days. I vow to catch up on laundry today!
--Put up some paint swatches against my fireplace brick (which is the same brick on the outside of my house) to help me decide what to paint our front doors. I want to it to be painted sometime this Fall before it gets cold. Previous owners did a horrible paint job on them. A milky white that doesn't cover the doors well. I'm leaning towards a burgundy color.
9:15am--I take a dash through the house. Really...I started running around. I'm sure I looked like a child playing, but I was testing some pulled muscles from my soccer game last Tuesday. I was sore the whole week!!! I'm an old, out of shape woman! My pulled muscles hurt when I genuflect (spelling?), or get up from the floor after I change a diaper (putting weight on one leg). I decide I will play tonight...but try to take it easy to let these muscles heal. I don't "take it easy" very well. I think I have to be Superwoman. What am I trying to prove?? That I'm still 20? (I'm 36).
9:20--Start this blog. I will publish this and then edit through out the day.
9:35--It's quite. Where's Mary? Eating Chapstick. Yuck. Took it away.
9:40--Move everything from the big, new baby diaper bag to a smaller one I used with the other kids. Much better! Decide to keep still good diaper bag and stash it with all the other "still good" diaper bags that I never use.
--Charge up cell phone, and batteries for camera.
--Start clearing clutter counter (don't finish)
--Change another poop from Ben.
--Clip Ben's nails.
--Work on Laundry.
10:00am--Where are Ben and Mary? Upstairs in Sam's room. They're happy...don't mess with it.
10:04--Mom calls. She decides she's not going to have her annual hayride/chili dinner. She's getting bookcases beside her fireplace and she'll wait to have people over when they're done. I can go ahead and have Mary's bday party at my house instead of combining with this event. I'll have it the same day we were planning. 10/30. I think I'll have white chili as well as the regular chili. Sam's bday dinner is 10/16 so it will be a crazy month. Thanks, Mom for watching the kids yesterday. No problem, they were so cute! (8 minute conversation).
10:15--Check on Ben and Mary...They're ok....but they're making a mess of Ben's room. Oh well.
10:20--Is it hot in here or is it me?? Get plastic shoeboxes for Sam and neighbor for tonight. They have cubscouts. I need to put moist dirt in the shoeboxes so they can make animal prints. You mean MUD? Ok...note to self...dig in the yard for dirt today.
--Made bed.
10:25--Ted calls. He tells me he IS going to the Cards playoff game today. But he told his boss to give him a choice next time because his commission suffers when he does this stuff. The other guys have higher salaries and don't rely on commission as much. There is a pay increase in the works that will happen by the end of the year which should make it easier for Ted. His boss confirms this. Then his pay will be mostly salary with bonuses on top. I feel better about him going to the baseball game (which will take up most of his day) knowing his pay will change soon. Ted's happier that I'm happier because quite the discussion ensued last night because of his bosses "forcing" him to go the baseball game. 5 minute conversation. Bye...have fun. Lucky Ted.
10:38--Why is Mary so crabby?? DUH! She needs a nap! Layed her down.
10:40--Updated Blog.
10:50--Back to the Laundry folding.
11:00--Ben wants his "over the door Nerf Basketball Net" on the entertainment center shelf. He keeps complaining when he loses his ball on the shelf. Whine...whine...Ben, use your nice voice!
11:12--Neighbor calls. Is my car ready? She'll take me to get it when she drops her son off for Kindergarten if I want. Thanks...haven't heard from them yet. Talk to her for 17 minutes. All the while, Ben is complaining about wanting something to eat. I make him mac-n-cheese. He's whining most of the time I'm on the phone. He was good most of the morning! Honest!
11:30--Made myself lunch. A ham sandwich on whole wheat bread, Dorito's and Diet Pepsi. Oh yah...Famous Amos Cookies. Relax for 20 minutes while I eat. Ben let's me.
11:50--Back to the Laundry...I told you I was committed.
12:07pm--Mary wakes up. Gave her mac-n-cheese and chopped ham.
--Changed Ben again! Another poop!
12:15--Changed Mary's diaper.
12:18pm--Neighbor calls again. Do I have a shop-vac? Her upstairs toilet has flooded. It's dripping all the way into the basement! Two levels! We help eachother out. Her 4 kids are between the ages of my first 3. It's great to have her to lean on. We both know what it's like to be stay at home moms. We offer the help most people wouldn't think of. I went downstairs and got the shop vac.
12:40--Layed Ben down for a nap. I pick up at 2:30 so the earlier he goes down the better. He likes a 2 1/2 hour nap. They are always cut short when I pick up. I pick up Mon, Tues and Wed.
12:45--Surveyed the damage at my neighbors...It AIN'T good. She thinks her 2 year old did something to the toilet to make it run forever. She didn't hear the water running until her son pointed to the water dripping from the ceiling in the family room. She's got beach towels and buckets catching the drips. We lament together. If it's not one thing...it's another. But it could have been worse. She could have left the house and the water would have run forever!!
1:15--Sit down with Mary and watch a taped Oprah.
2:00--My neighbor Mary calls again. Do I have the phone number of the taper who did my bathroom? No, it was done through a contractor. Mary is letting me borrow her van so I can pick up the kids from school. She walks her kids home from school so she doesn't need her car. I come over to the keys and ask her if she has any dirt for Sam's cubscout project. She has a ton of top soil because her husband just dug up the entire yard, tilled in compost and reseeded the whole front. She said he wouldn't miss 2 half full containers of dirt. So I got my dirt from her. I didn't have to dig!
2:35--Woke up Ben from his nap, filled the sippy cups and grabbed some cereal for the kids to snack on.
2:40--Took the neighbor's car to pick up Sam, Abby and Devon (our other neighbor) from school.
3:25--Back from carpool. Ben wants to swing outside. Layed Mary down for a second nap and swung Ben on the swingset.
3:45--Bring Ben inside. Ted comes home from the baseball game. Cards won! Normally, Ted doesn't come home until 6:00pm. This is early! Lucky me!
4:00--Ben goes through a crabby rant. 15 minutes. Whew. All done. Got Sam's dirt wet. Now it's definitely mud. Maybe I did too much. It shrunk. I think I need more dirt now!
4:10--Mary wakes up. Has a poop...and is really cranky. Did the poop wake her up? That wasn't a very long nap at all! Ben gets cranky again. Ted takes him out to swing again.
4:15--My sister, Becky, calls. She wants to know if she can come over now. She plays soccer with me. Why not? Sure! She works for the school as a Paraprofessional. So her day ends early. She's on her way over now. She'll eat with us and hang out til it's time to go to our game.
4:30--Get ready for soccer game. Ben is crabby and clingy..."hold you, hold you, hold you!"
5:00pm--Leave with Becky to buy the family Taco Bell. I take Ben to give Ted a break. He whines the whole way there.
5:40pm--Eat. Ted and I eat 2 Gorditas each because they are the lightest choice on the menu without going "Fresco"...which we don't like. They left out our breadsticks (for the kids)! This is the second time! I ate with Ben on my lap because he was upset I didn't get him a drink. I didn't get any of us drinks! Ted ate with Mary on his lap. Whew.
6:15pm--Becky takes Ted to get the car. It's ready. It was just a battery cable problem. $150. Not bad....could have been worse.
--Take Sam and neighbor, Alex, to cubscouts. They tie their own neckerchiefs in the back seat and they look BAD. I apologized to the leader. He jokingly told me they weren't going to have uniform inspections today.
7:00--Head to soccer game. Get on the field and realize there is NO way I am playing on these legs. My thighs couldn't handle it. Pain shot through immediately. My home jogs were not good indicators after all. I sat out the whole game. My coach said it would just make it worse. I knew I didn't have a choice. I held my teammate's 6 week old. He was so chubby and cute. Our team has about 41 kids between us all.
8:45pm--Get home. Ted's reading "Chronicles of Narnia" to the Sam and Abby. Ben and Mary are already in bed. It's our new tradition. Every night we read one chapter. We're almost done with the first book. We want to read the second, "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" before the movie comes out. I pull out a wine cooler left over from a family get together. I really wanted cold water but there were no bottles in the fridge. I should drink these up anyway. :-)
9:00--Sam and Abby go to bed. I finished this blog and then hung out with Ted in the family room. We talked about our day and then turned on the TV to watch the news.
10:45pm--Goodnight!
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