Today I am 35 weeks and 4 days pregnant.
Today I woke up at 4 am feeling really well rested. That'll happen when I fall asleep before 9pm.
Today I have a lunch meeting for church. Woohoo, Chinese buffet!
Today I will clean the house as best I can. It will look like I did nothing, because right now all my best work is going into growing this baby. Seriously. I hurt if I bend down to the floor, and have to work entirely too hard to get up off the floor (where the bulk of our cleaning needs to happen today!). Maybe I can sweep everything into one big pile for people to grab their own crap to put away, then Andy can sweep all the rest into the trash.
Today we had a great morning. Even got to school a few minutes earlier than our usual just-on-time.
Today Lauren has her first dance class at her new dance studio. I am excited, and she is ridiculously excited.
Today Aubrey is planning ways to save the rainforest. That makes me ridiculously proud. I remember sending money to World Wildlife Fund when I was a kid.
Today Sasha came in from outside to tell me she had to poop, then proceeded to run to the toilet. Seriously big news, as this girl loves nature, and doing nature-like things out in nature.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
One Kings Lane, anyone?
Have you been to this website? They have some pretty cool stuff. Some $$$ stuff. And some adorable, affordable stuff. (psst... scroll to the bottom of the page and click on 'downstairs' - that's the bargain basement where I fell in love...) AND RIGHT NOW you can become a member and get a $15 credit. (And if you use this link, when you make a purchase with your credit, I get a $15 credit, just so you know.)
Look at what I just ordered, for $5.95 - that includes shipping. I am in love. This might be a Christmas present for my mom, or a Christmas present for Aubrey, Lauren & Sasha's mom, as I love it that much.
(Feed the birds is what that fancy script says, if you can't make it out. My love of Mary Poppins may have influenced this purchase slightly.)
(Sorry for any spam-ish feel, I just think it's cool that you can 'spend' $15 before opening your wallet!)
Look at what I just ordered, for $5.95 - that includes shipping. I am in love. This might be a Christmas present for my mom, or a Christmas present for Aubrey, Lauren & Sasha's mom, as I love it that much.
(Feed the birds is what that fancy script says, if you can't make it out. My love of Mary Poppins may have influenced this purchase slightly.)
(Sorry for any spam-ish feel, I just think it's cool that you can 'spend' $15 before opening your wallet!)
Monday, October 10, 2011
Today
Today I am feeling very pregnant. And I hurt. And I am wishing it was November 10 instead of October 10.
Today there's no school, so we are a house full of laziness.
Today I want to make these. Thank you, pinterest. :-) Perfect timing, as last night Andy used the last dryer sheet.
Today is cloudy and muggy. And the yard is super muddy from all the rain this weekend. I've never been happier to have such a muddy backyard.
Today we are having baked cod for dinner. Whenever we have cod, I think about childhood Christmas Eve's - oyster stew (disgusting!), codfish gravy on baked potatoes (delicious - though it sounds disgusting!), hoska (our family Christmas bread), huge cans of black olives, pickled beets, enchilada casserole, and my Grandma Ruthie and Aunt Ibby.
Today there's no school, so we are a house full of laziness.
Today I want to make these. Thank you, pinterest. :-) Perfect timing, as last night Andy used the last dryer sheet.
Today is cloudy and muggy. And the yard is super muddy from all the rain this weekend. I've never been happier to have such a muddy backyard.
Today we are having baked cod for dinner. Whenever we have cod, I think about childhood Christmas Eve's - oyster stew (disgusting!), codfish gravy on baked potatoes (delicious - though it sounds disgusting!), hoska (our family Christmas bread), huge cans of black olives, pickled beets, enchilada casserole, and my Grandma Ruthie and Aunt Ibby.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Today
One of my friends posted what she did today, and since I'm in a bit of a blogging lull, I thought this might help me get back into things a bit. Thanks, Emily, for this idea that I stole. :-)
Today I stole this blog idea and re-posted my comment left at the scene of the crime as my very own post here.
Today I did NOT visit pinterest (this is news, I tell ya!).
Today I washed and hung one load of laundry out to dry.
Today the weather was gorgeous. GORGEOUS.
Today Sasha and I played in a park with friends.
Today the above-mentioned friends said I look noticeably bigger than a week ago AND that I am beautiful. (Seeing as I'm almost 33 weeks pregnant, both of these made me feel really good!)
Today I got annoyed with crappy grammar on facebook posts.
Today I baked chocolate-chocolate chip friendship bread.
Today I no-baked cookies.
Today dinner was cereal because the hour that I spend in the kitchen before dinner was taken up by emptying the dishwasher while arguing with the girls about helping to clean the living room. (The living room that would've taken about 5 minutes to pick up if we could've skipped the arguing.)
Today I looked at a pile of towels that needs to be folded.
Today I stole this blog idea and re-posted my comment left at the scene of the crime as my very own post here.
Today I did NOT visit pinterest (this is news, I tell ya!).
Today I washed and hung one load of laundry out to dry.
Today the weather was gorgeous. GORGEOUS.
Today Sasha and I played in a park with friends.
Today the above-mentioned friends said I look noticeably bigger than a week ago AND that I am beautiful. (Seeing as I'm almost 33 weeks pregnant, both of these made me feel really good!)
Today I got annoyed with crappy grammar on facebook posts.
Today I baked chocolate-chocolate chip friendship bread.
Today I no-baked cookies.
Today dinner was cereal because the hour that I spend in the kitchen before dinner was taken up by emptying the dishwasher while arguing with the girls about helping to clean the living room. (The living room that would've taken about 5 minutes to pick up if we could've skipped the arguing.)
Today I looked at a pile of towels that needs to be folded.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Two birthdays, stitches, and a new school. And some randomness, too. Not in that order.
Sheesh, two birthdays in this house since I last blogged.... life must be busy! :-)
Aubrey turned 9! (Holy bleep, I do not feel old enough to have a 9 year old.) Poor thing wanted a slumber party birthday party, and so she invited only a handful of friends - only one rsvp'd (that she couldn't come). The other 3 didn't rsvp at all, and didn't show up. Aubrey was crushed. I had a feeling before it happened, so I tried to brace her as best I could. And we (Andy and I) had already decided that it was time to have a kitten in the house, and that a 9 year old is old enough for some responsibility in caring for it, so we let her pick HER kitten. She helped pay for it, she named it, she helps clean up the litterbox... Anyway, I took her looking at kittens the night she was supposed to be partying like a rockstar. And why? Whywhywhy do people not rsvp? Just a quick call. Or text. Or e-mail. Freakin' annoying people.
And also, we decided to switch elementary schools. The old school was okay*, but Aubrey was struggling in some areas, and they were not as helpful as she needed them to be. So when a flyer came about a charter school, we checked it out and decided a switch was necessary. She's having a tough time with homework, but is apparently doing well in class. So we are brainstorming ways to get her to concentrate and focus at home. Lauren is, well, Lauren. Didn't even want me to walk her into the building on her first day. I DID walk her in, but that's not what she wanted. Crazy girl.
*and what I really mean is, I thought the old school was okay. Until I saw her struggling so much with some of the homework she was doing in the 2nd week at the new school - I'm pretty sure they should've held her back or something. Learned that old school doesn't teach phonetics. Isn't phonetics key in learning to read and comprehend? Also, watching Aubrey try to answer some of her homework questions, it appears that they worked really hard at teaching their 3rd graders how to pass the standardized tests last year, and neglected other things as a by-product.
Sasha turned 2 in the middle of all of this. She is an awesome 2 year old, I have to admit. Loves to sing and be sung to - 'You are my Sunshine' is a favorite, along with 'The Itsy-bitsy Spider' and, thanks to our summer camp program at the preschool, an annoying song about a princess sung to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'. I can no longer sing to her about a twinkling star - she gets mad at me and insists I sing about the princess. Stupid summer camp. She loves to eat. Especially fruit. Pretty sure she'd attempt to eat her weight in bananas (all 19.4 pounds of her) everyday if I'd let her.
She loves playing with baby dolls, and likes to play "Squeezy Pie" - a game where we hug eachother again and again. But Not the Hippopotamus is a favorite book, along with Beautiful Oops (awesome book!!!) and Pat the Bunny.
Oh, and Sasha got stitches. In her chin. From falling from a standing position on the floor while playing with Lauren. This child climbs everything (she's gotten on top of the kitchen counter to turn on the microwave before) and she needs stitches from falling at ground level. Of course. Anyway, she was a trooper. Hated being papoose-d, but it was absolutely necessary to keep her still enough for the doc to stitch her up. She beat Lauren to needing stitches. But I figure Lauren's expensive, holey mouth makes up for it.
(Oh hey, about that expensive mouth... so when she was 3 we had to remove her two front teeth that had been capped when she was 18 months old. Grown up teeth are nowhere near to coming in. While in Colorado, a tooth next to her hole got knocked out. Another capped tooth. With no hopes of fixing it. She's got a 3-tooth wide hole. And, no joke, the most expensive mouth in the house.)
Today I am 28 weeks pregnant. Andy took a picture of me at 26 weeks. I am HUGE! Definitely looked bigger than I felt at that point. But now I kinda feel as big as I look. Bending over, squatting down to get something off the floor is really tough. Getting out of bed is a production. Enough of a production that when I wake up in the middle of the night needing to pee, I weigh how badly I need to pee against the effort necessary to get out of bed. Staying in bed is often the winner.
Aubrey turned 9! (Holy bleep, I do not feel old enough to have a 9 year old.) Poor thing wanted a slumber party birthday party, and so she invited only a handful of friends - only one rsvp'd (that she couldn't come). The other 3 didn't rsvp at all, and didn't show up. Aubrey was crushed. I had a feeling before it happened, so I tried to brace her as best I could. And we (Andy and I) had already decided that it was time to have a kitten in the house, and that a 9 year old is old enough for some responsibility in caring for it, so we let her pick HER kitten. She helped pay for it, she named it, she helps clean up the litterbox... Anyway, I took her looking at kittens the night she was supposed to be partying like a rockstar. And why? Whywhywhy do people not rsvp? Just a quick call. Or text. Or e-mail. Freakin' annoying people.
And also, we decided to switch elementary schools. The old school was okay*, but Aubrey was struggling in some areas, and they were not as helpful as she needed them to be. So when a flyer came about a charter school, we checked it out and decided a switch was necessary. She's having a tough time with homework, but is apparently doing well in class. So we are brainstorming ways to get her to concentrate and focus at home. Lauren is, well, Lauren. Didn't even want me to walk her into the building on her first day. I DID walk her in, but that's not what she wanted. Crazy girl.
*and what I really mean is, I thought the old school was okay. Until I saw her struggling so much with some of the homework she was doing in the 2nd week at the new school - I'm pretty sure they should've held her back or something. Learned that old school doesn't teach phonetics. Isn't phonetics key in learning to read and comprehend? Also, watching Aubrey try to answer some of her homework questions, it appears that they worked really hard at teaching their 3rd graders how to pass the standardized tests last year, and neglected other things as a by-product.
Sasha turned 2 in the middle of all of this. She is an awesome 2 year old, I have to admit. Loves to sing and be sung to - 'You are my Sunshine' is a favorite, along with 'The Itsy-bitsy Spider' and, thanks to our summer camp program at the preschool, an annoying song about a princess sung to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'. I can no longer sing to her about a twinkling star - she gets mad at me and insists I sing about the princess. Stupid summer camp. She loves to eat. Especially fruit. Pretty sure she'd attempt to eat her weight in bananas (all 19.4 pounds of her) everyday if I'd let her.
She loves playing with baby dolls, and likes to play "Squeezy Pie" - a game where we hug eachother again and again. But Not the Hippopotamus is a favorite book, along with Beautiful Oops (awesome book!!!) and Pat the Bunny.
Oh, and Sasha got stitches. In her chin. From falling from a standing position on the floor while playing with Lauren. This child climbs everything (she's gotten on top of the kitchen counter to turn on the microwave before) and she needs stitches from falling at ground level. Of course. Anyway, she was a trooper. Hated being papoose-d, but it was absolutely necessary to keep her still enough for the doc to stitch her up. She beat Lauren to needing stitches. But I figure Lauren's expensive, holey mouth makes up for it.
(Oh hey, about that expensive mouth... so when she was 3 we had to remove her two front teeth that had been capped when she was 18 months old. Grown up teeth are nowhere near to coming in. While in Colorado, a tooth next to her hole got knocked out. Another capped tooth. With no hopes of fixing it. She's got a 3-tooth wide hole. And, no joke, the most expensive mouth in the house.)
Today I am 28 weeks pregnant. Andy took a picture of me at 26 weeks. I am HUGE! Definitely looked bigger than I felt at that point. But now I kinda feel as big as I look. Bending over, squatting down to get something off the floor is really tough. Getting out of bed is a production. Enough of a production that when I wake up in the middle of the night needing to pee, I weigh how badly I need to pee against the effort necessary to get out of bed. Staying in bed is often the winner.
Monday, July 18, 2011
goggles and ice packs
Sasha needs goggles, because her big sisters have goggles. She's yet to want to stick her head under water, but she still feels like she needs to wear her goggles. Too cute.
Anyway, this girl who must be just like her big sisters, but who is also entirely independent and free-thinking and unconcerned with the way things should be, has got some silly ideas about how the world works. So when she hurt her foot this afternoon and I held an ice pack on her foot, it didn't take long for her to take the ice pack out of my hands and off of her foot. Her right cheek needed the ice. Doesn't matter where she actually gets hurt, the right cheek always needs the ice. She tried holding the ice pack on both cheeks, but that was not as comforting as the right cheek alone. All this because the first time she used an ice pack, it was on her right cheek. I'm glad it was one of her northern cheeks, and not a southern cheek. And I kinda hope she never outgrows this oddity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
edited to add: is it difficult for anyone else to type 'goggles'? Google is such a part of my life, I kept typing 'google' and deleting to fix...
Thursday, July 14, 2011
baby names
Oiy, the baby name discussions have begun, and man, oh man, is it tough. We don't like trendy names. Andy has an aversion to old names. I'm with him on some... Bertha ain't ever gonna happen. But some old names? Some old names are just awesome. The man has no respect for the classics, I tell you!
LOVE the name Oscar, but seeing as that was our cat's name, we can't do that. Or I feel like we can't do that, at least. LOVE the name Ruth, but Andy cannot stand it. Ruth is the strongest contender for a girl's middle name, because Ruth is my grandmother's name - but Andy keeps hoping I'll agree to another name from that branch of the family tree...
Anyway, maybe we've found the perfect name. Boy or girl, it wouldn't matter (which is super cool, as each of our girls' names could be boy names. Anyway, this name is super unique, the kid would have an easy enough time learning to spell it, and it's just cute. Super cute. Drum roll, please....
Baby's name will be W. 'Dub' for short. Isn't that awesome? I don't know why we never thought of that before, but we LOVE it!
Hahahahaha. No, we don't love it. At all. But we think it's hilarious, so this kid is currently being called 'Dub.' Oh, and if I am creative and gutsy enough to post something to this effect on fb, please do me a favor and play along like you love it, okay? ;-)
LOVE the name Oscar, but seeing as that was our cat's name, we can't do that. Or I feel like we can't do that, at least. LOVE the name Ruth, but Andy cannot stand it. Ruth is the strongest contender for a girl's middle name, because Ruth is my grandmother's name - but Andy keeps hoping I'll agree to another name from that branch of the family tree...
Anyway, maybe we've found the perfect name. Boy or girl, it wouldn't matter (which is super cool, as each of our girls' names could be boy names. Anyway, this name is super unique, the kid would have an easy enough time learning to spell it, and it's just cute. Super cute. Drum roll, please....
Baby's name will be W. 'Dub' for short. Isn't that awesome? I don't know why we never thought of that before, but we LOVE it!
Hahahahaha. No, we don't love it. At all. But we think it's hilarious, so this kid is currently being called 'Dub.' Oh, and if I am creative and gutsy enough to post something to this effect on fb, please do me a favor and play along like you love it, okay? ;-)
Sunday, June 26, 2011
green planting and eating
I have an old dresser that came from my grandparents' house. Not antique-old, but junky-old, that we used for Sasha for awhile, until it became evident that multiple drawer-openings a day would not work. But I just couldn't toss it. Not because of sentimental reasons, but because there HAD to be another use for this wood, besides taking up space in the landfill.
I held on to this dresser for months, even though Andy wanted me to toss it. I had no plans for it, but I couldn't toss it. Then, a cousin-in-law posted a link on fb about repurposing an old dresser in to a planter. Genius!
Here's the first drawer I've converted. One drawer at a time, baby!
I'm even picturing turning the dresser frame up on it's back and planting potatoes or something similar.
And another thing... have you ever eaten pea tendrils? Holy _____. You must find some and try them. Apparently they are good sauteed or otherwise cooked, but my tendrils never got that far, as we all loved them raw - by themselves or in salad. (Here is someone else's blog post dedicated to pea tendrils, with more information AND pictures!) Suffice it to say, one of my miscellaneous containers will be holding pea tendrils as soon as it's cool enough to plant the little suckers.
I held on to this dresser for months, even though Andy wanted me to toss it. I had no plans for it, but I couldn't toss it. Then, a cousin-in-law posted a link on fb about repurposing an old dresser in to a planter. Genius!
Here's the first drawer I've converted. One drawer at a time, baby!
I'm even picturing turning the dresser frame up on it's back and planting potatoes or something similar.
And another thing... have you ever eaten pea tendrils? Holy _____. You must find some and try them. Apparently they are good sauteed or otherwise cooked, but my tendrils never got that far, as we all loved them raw - by themselves or in salad. (Here is someone else's blog post dedicated to pea tendrils, with more information AND pictures!) Suffice it to say, one of my miscellaneous containers will be holding pea tendrils as soon as it's cool enough to plant the little suckers.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Blessings
Seems like forever ago that I started the 1000 Blessings challenge. It's been so long that I would have to dig too far to link to the original challenge. It's been over a year since I last mentioned any blessings. Oops. Here goes. (and there may be repeats, as it's been 14 months... but a blessing is a blessing, and *for me* the important thing is to remember them... even if I'm repeating)
#67 - my sister
#68 - peach cobbler from Schoepf's BBQ
#69 - Andy's patience with me while I struggle through this rough patch of exhaustion
#70 - the dairy that sells raw milk
#71 - steak ala Andy. That boy can cook, but man oh man, that boy can really grill.
#72 - Aubrey's thoughtfulness
#73 - Lauren's imagination
#74 - Sasha's determination and vocabulary
#75 - my Jaimie. Haven't seen her in almost 2 years, and we can go months without talking, but that doesn't matter. She's my Jaimie. And I'm gonna see her soon!!! :-)
#67 - my sister
#68 - peach cobbler from Schoepf's BBQ
#69 - Andy's patience with me while I struggle through this rough patch of exhaustion
#70 - the dairy that sells raw milk
#71 - steak ala Andy. That boy can cook, but man oh man, that boy can really grill.
#72 - Aubrey's thoughtfulness
#73 - Lauren's imagination
#74 - Sasha's determination and vocabulary
#75 - my Jaimie. Haven't seen her in almost 2 years, and we can go months without talking, but that doesn't matter. She's my Jaimie. And I'm gonna see her soon!!! :-)
13w6d, tutus and one LONG vent
I am officially out of my first trimester, and am mostly done with the icky feelings. Still very exhausted, because sleep alludes me even though I am freakin' tired. And still not gaining any weight, but seeing as I was a good 20 lbs overweight, I'm not concerned.
AND, I met my midwife. She is so sweet, so laidback, so my kinda midwife! She owns a birth center, but also attends homebirths. We are leaning towards another homebirth, but I am glad we have another comfortable, safe option if we aren't feeling 'home' (because I KNOW we will not be feeling hospital unless there is a medical reason for it). I was pleasantly surprised, though, that Andy thinks he'd prefer home... since our previous midwife missed Sasha's homebirth, I was thinking of the birthcenter for his sake, mostly.
And, Ali's wedding is in less than a month. Woohoo! Our trip out there begins in just over a week, with a stop in Colorado Springs to spend several days with my Jaimie, and at some point some time with my April (April! We've got to look at schedules... Friday, June 10th, in the evening??? or some time Saturday June 11th, during the day???) Combined, Ali and Daniel have 3 nephews and 5 nieces. Or, 3 nephews and 5 flower fairies. The 3 youngest - Lauren, Kate and Sasha - will be in tutus. (And shirts, my model was naked for the photo shoot - we're lucky she had the tutu on at all, as she was also throwing a tantrum.) I am really happy with how they turned out. Really, really happy. Sometimes I get my craft on and really kick some butt. ;-)
And, on the drama side of things, I am done with drama. Been done for years, but occasionally some sneaks in, and I get to figure out how to deal. So, here's my vent about the situation... feel free to ignore if you want, I just need to get it out.
A year ago Judy and I became friends. Very good friends very quickly. And I observed that her favorite way to deal with conflict was to get pissed at people and not talk about it, but choose to ignore/avoid the person she's mad at. I really didn't think anything of it when she had problems with her neighbor, because she always talked about how her neighbor frustrated her, and *hello* you can't pick your neighbors, so if you need to ignore them, so be it. I really didn't think much about it when a similar situation happened with the wife of her husband's coworker. Again, *hello* sometimes people are in your life whether you want them there or not.
BUT, seeing as we chose to be friends, how she confided an awful lot in me, and I in her, that we have loads in common, when I wanted to talk about an issue between our daughters, this is how the conversation went:
me: Aubrey said that Jax kept touching her during dance class and wouldn't stop, so she asked me to talk to you about it.
J: Well that's not what Jax said happened, but I don't want to talk about it. This isn't the first time this has happened, and I just told Jax to stay away from Aubrey.
me: That's probably a good idea, a break would be good for them.
And that's where the conversation ended because some people can't have an uncomfortable conversation in order to make things better. And the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I'm left to assume that Judy thinks Aubrey is some evil bully (because I have no idea what Jax's side of the story is) as opposed to two grown ups helping their growing daughters realize that they can talk to eachother and figure out a way to get along, because any rational person knows that what actually happened lies somewhere in the middle of Aubrey's side and Jax side.
(No, this was not the first incident between the girls, but I ignored previous incidents as I've always encouraged Aubrey to use her words and work things out on her own if she can.)
SO, I haven't had a conversation of substance with Judy in over a month, and I am counting down the days until we leave on our trip, as by the time we get back, they will have moved to Connecticut. I know, very mature of me. But I've spent enough energy on this crazy lady when she wasn't implying that she didn't like my kid... I have no more energy to spend on her now. And, honestly, I am the one doing the avoiding, but it all relates to her not knowing how to communicate if there's something other-than-pleasant to talk about.
Thanks, feels good to get that out. :-) BTW, something kinda funny... Andy has always maintained that Judy's crazy. I should know by now to trust his take on people. And not necessarily avoid them, but keep a bit more distance than I kept from Judy.
AND, I met my midwife. She is so sweet, so laidback, so my kinda midwife! She owns a birth center, but also attends homebirths. We are leaning towards another homebirth, but I am glad we have another comfortable, safe option if we aren't feeling 'home' (because I KNOW we will not be feeling hospital unless there is a medical reason for it). I was pleasantly surprised, though, that Andy thinks he'd prefer home... since our previous midwife missed Sasha's homebirth, I was thinking of the birthcenter for his sake, mostly.
And, Ali's wedding is in less than a month. Woohoo! Our trip out there begins in just over a week, with a stop in Colorado Springs to spend several days with my Jaimie, and at some point some time with my April (April! We've got to look at schedules... Friday, June 10th, in the evening??? or some time Saturday June 11th, during the day???) Combined, Ali and Daniel have 3 nephews and 5 nieces. Or, 3 nephews and 5 flower fairies. The 3 youngest - Lauren, Kate and Sasha - will be in tutus. (And shirts, my model was naked for the photo shoot - we're lucky she had the tutu on at all, as she was also throwing a tantrum.) I am really happy with how they turned out. Really, really happy. Sometimes I get my craft on and really kick some butt. ;-)
And, on the drama side of things, I am done with drama. Been done for years, but occasionally some sneaks in, and I get to figure out how to deal. So, here's my vent about the situation... feel free to ignore if you want, I just need to get it out.
A year ago Judy and I became friends. Very good friends very quickly. And I observed that her favorite way to deal with conflict was to get pissed at people and not talk about it, but choose to ignore/avoid the person she's mad at. I really didn't think anything of it when she had problems with her neighbor, because she always talked about how her neighbor frustrated her, and *hello* you can't pick your neighbors, so if you need to ignore them, so be it. I really didn't think much about it when a similar situation happened with the wife of her husband's coworker. Again, *hello* sometimes people are in your life whether you want them there or not.
BUT, seeing as we chose to be friends, how she confided an awful lot in me, and I in her, that we have loads in common, when I wanted to talk about an issue between our daughters, this is how the conversation went:
me: Aubrey said that Jax kept touching her during dance class and wouldn't stop, so she asked me to talk to you about it.
J: Well that's not what Jax said happened, but I don't want to talk about it. This isn't the first time this has happened, and I just told Jax to stay away from Aubrey.
me: That's probably a good idea, a break would be good for them.
And that's where the conversation ended because some people can't have an uncomfortable conversation in order to make things better. And the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I'm left to assume that Judy thinks Aubrey is some evil bully (because I have no idea what Jax's side of the story is) as opposed to two grown ups helping their growing daughters realize that they can talk to eachother and figure out a way to get along, because any rational person knows that what actually happened lies somewhere in the middle of Aubrey's side and Jax side.
(No, this was not the first incident between the girls, but I ignored previous incidents as I've always encouraged Aubrey to use her words and work things out on her own if she can.)
SO, I haven't had a conversation of substance with Judy in over a month, and I am counting down the days until we leave on our trip, as by the time we get back, they will have moved to Connecticut. I know, very mature of me. But I've spent enough energy on this crazy lady when she wasn't implying that she didn't like my kid... I have no more energy to spend on her now. And, honestly, I am the one doing the avoiding, but it all relates to her not knowing how to communicate if there's something other-than-pleasant to talk about.
Thanks, feels good to get that out. :-) BTW, something kinda funny... Andy has always maintained that Judy's crazy. I should know by now to trust his take on people. And not necessarily avoid them, but keep a bit more distance than I kept from Judy.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Oh, she's a crazy smart silly goofy thing
Sasha LOVES apples, doesn't love apple skin. I rarely give her a peeled apple, as I figure she'll get used to the peel and eventually eat it. (the peel is packed full of good-for-you, I want her to eat it!)
She has learned that the dogs will eat anything she drops. Anything. So, she nibbles her peel off her apple, drops it on the floor, and the dogs swoop in and eat the peel before she has a bite of naked apple in her mouth. This system works for them, and means I'm not picking up apple skin bits, but dangit, eat your peel, Sasha!
Also, she recently taught Andy how to play fetch, with her playing the role of the dog. Hilarious.
She has learned that the dogs will eat anything she drops. Anything. So, she nibbles her peel off her apple, drops it on the floor, and the dogs swoop in and eat the peel before she has a bite of naked apple in her mouth. This system works for them, and means I'm not picking up apple skin bits, but dangit, eat your peel, Sasha!
Also, she recently taught Andy how to play fetch, with her playing the role of the dog. Hilarious.
Monday, April 25, 2011
9w2d
So far I am feeling very, very pregnant, but not in an enjoyable way at all. Combine the extreme exhaustion I had with Aubrey, the crazy aversion to real food I had with Lauren, plus the nasty near-24/7 nausea I had with Sasha, and constant mild pain in my lower back, and that sums up my last few weeks.
Suffice it to say, I am a bundle of fun. Less than 3 weeks, if this all ends at the end of my first trimester. For the sake of my marriage and family, I pray it ends then. Please, please, please pray with me that I feel better by mid-May. Pretty please?
And I could go on and on, complaining about things, but I'm going to try not to. I'm going to try really, really hard to focus on how exciting this is. We are going to have a baby! A baby that GOD decided we needed. A little person that the world needs, and we get to raise him/her. How awesome is that? Obviously I love all of my children, but there's a little something extra (not LOVE, just something) about knowing that this was not MY plan, but HIS. I can't get over that. Cannot.
Okay, I gotta go, it's time to puke. ;-)
Suffice it to say, I am a bundle of fun. Less than 3 weeks, if this all ends at the end of my first trimester. For the sake of my marriage and family, I pray it ends then. Please, please, please pray with me that I feel better by mid-May. Pretty please?
And I could go on and on, complaining about things, but I'm going to try not to. I'm going to try really, really hard to focus on how exciting this is. We are going to have a baby! A baby that GOD decided we needed. A little person that the world needs, and we get to raise him/her. How awesome is that? Obviously I love all of my children, but there's a little something extra (not LOVE, just something) about knowing that this was not MY plan, but HIS. I can't get over that. Cannot.
Okay, I gotta go, it's time to puke. ;-)
Friday, April 8, 2011
6w6d
I'm walking on eggshells, waiting for the icky morning sickness to start. So far, I'm okay unless I don't eat enough, or I eat too much. And I'm fine with this level of sickness, except I'm afraid it's gonna get worse, and I'm waiting for that to happen. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Yuck.
Oh well. In other pregnancy relate news, most people I know are socially aware enough to know that some things are not cool to say to the pregnant lady. But for one girl I work with. Poor thing is seriously lacking in social etiquette. Her initial response to me was, "Oh God." At which point I walked away, using work as an excuse to not stay and chat longer. The next thing she said to me when she came into my classroom several minutes later was, "Uh oh???" To which I replied, "No!" with an edge to my voice implying that she was horribly wrong to think this baby was an 'uh oh.' Really, lady, none of your effing business!!!
And really, I do not mind sharing how this baby came to be (umm, not THOSE details, but the planned vs. unplanned aspect), but when someone is going to take such a rude stance, and NEVER ONCE say "Congrats!" or "How exciting!" or some other positive, encouraging remark, THAT person is not going to get any part of the truth. I will lie to her. Grrrr. She makes me so mad!!!
While I'm venting, I'm gonna let all the biotch out. Pregnancies are not 'uh ohs' or 'mistakes.' If you are having sex, you might get pregnant, even when using protection. Says so right on the box or package or printed material. Pregnancy is an assumable risk of having sex. A pregnancy might be a 'surprise,' but call my baby an 'uh oh' or a 'mistake,' and my fist flying into your face is an assumable risk.
Okay, enough about stupid people. Now for the juice. :-) This baby is God's plan, and our plans are quickly readjusting around God's plan! And we are fine with it. Excited, in fact. Really, really excited. Except for the waiting-to-puke, that is.
I want to not have an ultrasound, and be surprised by baby's sex upon delivery. Andy doesn't like that idea. We'll see what happens. I say an ultrasound is unnecessary, as we specialize in girls. :-)
Oh, and my 'due date' is November 26th. Our children have always been born on someone else's birthday. Well obviously we are all born on someone else's birthday, but I mean someone very important in our lives... Aubrey on her Godmother's birthday, Lauren on my grandmother's birthday, Sasha on Andy's dad's birthday. So, the weeks surrounding November 26th look like this: Andy 11/12, Andy's grandma 11/19, Andy's mom 12/9 (or is it 12/10? crap, it's one of those days). So, what day will it be??? :-)
Oh well. In other pregnancy relate news, most people I know are socially aware enough to know that some things are not cool to say to the pregnant lady. But for one girl I work with. Poor thing is seriously lacking in social etiquette. Her initial response to me was, "Oh God." At which point I walked away, using work as an excuse to not stay and chat longer. The next thing she said to me when she came into my classroom several minutes later was, "Uh oh???" To which I replied, "No!" with an edge to my voice implying that she was horribly wrong to think this baby was an 'uh oh.' Really, lady, none of your effing business!!!
And really, I do not mind sharing how this baby came to be (umm, not THOSE details, but the planned vs. unplanned aspect), but when someone is going to take such a rude stance, and NEVER ONCE say "Congrats!" or "How exciting!" or some other positive, encouraging remark, THAT person is not going to get any part of the truth. I will lie to her. Grrrr. She makes me so mad!!!
While I'm venting, I'm gonna let all the biotch out. Pregnancies are not 'uh ohs' or 'mistakes.' If you are having sex, you might get pregnant, even when using protection. Says so right on the box or package or printed material. Pregnancy is an assumable risk of having sex. A pregnancy might be a 'surprise,' but call my baby an 'uh oh' or a 'mistake,' and my fist flying into your face is an assumable risk.
Okay, enough about stupid people. Now for the juice. :-) This baby is God's plan, and our plans are quickly readjusting around God's plan! And we are fine with it. Excited, in fact. Really, really excited. Except for the waiting-to-puke, that is.
I want to not have an ultrasound, and be surprised by baby's sex upon delivery. Andy doesn't like that idea. We'll see what happens. I say an ultrasound is unnecessary, as we specialize in girls. :-)
Oh, and my 'due date' is November 26th. Our children have always been born on someone else's birthday. Well obviously we are all born on someone else's birthday, but I mean someone very important in our lives... Aubrey on her Godmother's birthday, Lauren on my grandmother's birthday, Sasha on Andy's dad's birthday. So, the weeks surrounding November 26th look like this: Andy 11/12, Andy's grandma 11/19, Andy's mom 12/9 (or is it 12/10? crap, it's one of those days). So, what day will it be??? :-)
Friday, April 1, 2011
6w1d
About a month ago we upgraded vehicles. My much-loved maxima had become the 'golden turd' and was no longer safe for our family. We found an awesome deal on a perfect sequoia (I went suv instead of minivan... too many monstrous trucks in Texas, I wanted to be as safe as possible). And I LOVE it. We were torn between the sequoia or a large sedan, and boy, am I glad we went for the sequoia.
Baby #4 (YIKES!!!) is on the way, due late November. We are really excited. We told everyone on April 1st (hahahaha), and Aubrey wasn't sure she should believe us. I don't blame her, but it took lots of convincing! Our other kiddos are spaced 3.5 years apart, Sasha and Baby will be less than 2.5 years apart... I'm nervous about that, but know it'll work out.
So far, I'm feeling okay - my fingers are crossed that I stay feeling okay! And I'm down 4lbs this week... odd, as I have no puking to attribute it to, but whatever.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
hiatus???
Obviously I'm not blogging much these days. Hopefully I'm taking a break, as I do enjoy it, and want to keep blogging. But these days it's just easier to leave the computer off and do other things, so that's what I'm doing. Other things.
Preschool - day-to-day work, plus planning the summer program, plus the weather + full moon have made the students crazy this week
Call Committee to find our church's new pastor
Chair of our "Commitment 2011" team at church (oops, how did I become Chair? Stinkin' Floating Hand Syndrome strikes again!)
wedding plans for someone dear to me
trying to figure out if Aubrey has a diagnose-able issue (seemingly severe lack of attention at lots of times) (ftr, I don't want her to need a diagnosis, but something is up, and if having a diagnosis will allow her to get some help, let's do it)
trying to pretend like I know how to keep a house sort of clean
planning our garden
house guests tomorrow - for a whole week
family drama caused by stupid relatives
girl scouts (no more cookies, though, thank God!)
dance class
play group - including the one that I'm hosting and need to prepare for
make a menu plan
feel guilty about all the eating out last week (which helps inspire the menu plan)
dramatic 8.5 yo drama, crazy 5 yo drama, 1.5 yo learning and practicing the drama
sleep deprivation due to mind-overload
So, basically, I'm just making my absence official. Because I like to be official. And hopefully I'll be back. Soon.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Today
It's cold here. Like, don't let the geriatric cat outside 'cause he might die cold. And it's still 40' colder in Wisconsin, so I'm not complaining. Scratch that. My teeth aren't chattering as I complain. ;-)
I'm feeling very write-a-letter-ish lately, so I'm sending Great Aunt Alyce a note, and my cousin Bernard a card, and my girlies are sending notes to some Wisconsin friends.
I'm thinking about starting a blog about things my girlies say and do, for our family and friends. Mostly Lauren, because, well, she gives us the most material to work with, but it wouldn't be exclusively Lauren. And I know I share lots about the girls *when I do blog*, but I'm thinking a place just for the girls. And I'd need to make some rules, like to update it weekly or daily. Hmm, thinking about it.
Hey, I'm working on cookbooks for my niece and nephew (16 and 14), any basic, simple, beginning-cook recipes you'd like to share?
Laundry day today, and turkey dinner tonight. Awesome turkey dinner because I'm not making it. Judy's doing all the cooking, and bringing dinner to us tonight. She and her girls are joining us. Pretty sweet deal.
Sasha's been fighting a fever for a few days now. The worst part of her day is about 1am, when she's almost waking up, crying, can't get comfortable. It lasts for less than 10 minutes, so I'm not medicating her. But also, this short burst in the middle of the night is messing with mama's sleep. I may be napping today.
I'm feeling very write-a-letter-ish lately, so I'm sending Great Aunt Alyce a note, and my cousin Bernard a card, and my girlies are sending notes to some Wisconsin friends.
I'm thinking about starting a blog about things my girlies say and do, for our family and friends. Mostly Lauren, because, well, she gives us the most material to work with, but it wouldn't be exclusively Lauren. And I know I share lots about the girls *when I do blog*, but I'm thinking a place just for the girls. And I'd need to make some rules, like to update it weekly or daily. Hmm, thinking about it.
Hey, I'm working on cookbooks for my niece and nephew (16 and 14), any basic, simple, beginning-cook recipes you'd like to share?
Laundry day today, and turkey dinner tonight. Awesome turkey dinner because I'm not making it. Judy's doing all the cooking, and bringing dinner to us tonight. She and her girls are joining us. Pretty sweet deal.
Sasha's been fighting a fever for a few days now. The worst part of her day is about 1am, when she's almost waking up, crying, can't get comfortable. It lasts for less than 10 minutes, so I'm not medicating her. But also, this short burst in the middle of the night is messing with mama's sleep. I may be napping today.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Yes, I steal blog ideas
So, Emily, thanks for this idea. :-)
1 What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before? Road trip TO Wisconsin with THREE girlies.
2 Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't think I did (if I could remember my resolutions, I'd tell you for sure), and yes.
3 Did anyone close to you give birth? A bunch of friends had babies.
4 Did anyone close to you die? Yes.
5 What countries did you visit? The good ole US of A.
6 What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? Patience. And some me-time.
7 What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Easter Sunday - the beginning of the end of the end of an era in my family (follow that? it was the day my Uncle Dick, the last of The Four, was found in his home, he died a few days later)
8 What was your biggest achievement of the year? Wrangling, I mean raising, 3 daughters. Still in process, but so far, so good.
9 What was your biggest failure? House work. I should just flunk out and hire a maid. As soon as my money tree spouts, that's what I'm doing!
10 Did you suffer illness or injury? Luckily, no.
11 What was the best thing you bought? White Mountain Bulgarian Yogurt. LOVE the stuff.
12 Whose behavior merited celebration? Aubrey's, Lauren's and Sasha's.
13 Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Aubrey's, Lauren's and Sasha's. ;-)
14 Where did most of your money go? bills and groceries. raw milk isn't cheap, but oh baby, is it good! (tasty AND good for you!)
15 What did you get really, really, really excited about? roadtrip to Wisconsin, Thanksgiving with the family
16 What song will always remind you of 2010? The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert
17 Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? thinner. marginally.
c) richer or poorer? umm, the same?
18 What do you wish you’d done more of? crafting
19 What do you wish you’d done less of? bitching
20 How did you spend Christmas? at home, just us. Christmas Eve we went out for Chinese buffet after church. Christmas day we made a big old turkey dinner.
21 Did you fall in love in 2010? Nope, but confirmed that when I did fall in love, I picked a winner!
22 What was your favorite TV program? The Middle
23 Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Hate is a really strong word. But the answer is no. No one new on my Hate List. ;-)
24 What was the best book you read? The Nicholas Flamel books
25 What was your greatest musical discovery? The Band Perry. "Lord make me a rainbow, I’ll shine down on my mother. She'll know I’m safe with you when she stands under my colors..."
26 What did you want and get? a haircut
27 What did you want and not get? a Sequoia
28 What was your favorite film of this year? Kick Ass
29 What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 30, my parents came to town and Andy made his fish fry.
30 What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? a million dollars
31 How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? clean, if not wrinkle free
32 What kept you sane? deep breaths
33 Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Ellen
34 What political issue stirred you the most? a local school board thing. btw, Texas sucks in that regard.
35 Who did you miss? my sister, Colleen, Jaimie, Kim and my grandma
36 Who was the best new person you met? Judy. She's my TXBFF
37 Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010. Sometimes you need to speak up. And I don't like being ignored.
38 Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
She grew up on a side of the road
Where church bells ring and strong love grows
She grew up good
She grew up slow
Like American Honey
Steady as a preacher
Free as a weed
Couldn't wait to get goin'
But wasn't quite ready to leave
So innocent, pure and sweet
American Honey
There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowin' in the wind
Callin' out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothin's sweeter than summertime
And American Honey
Get caught in the race
Of this crazy life
Tryin' to be everything
Can make you lose your mind
I just want to go back in time
To American Honey, yeah
There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowin' in the wind
Callin' out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothin's sweeter than summertime
And American Honey
Gone for so long now
Gotta get back to her somehow
To American Honey
Mmmm yea yea
Oh there's a wild, wild whisper
Blowin' in the wind
Callin' out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothin's sweeter than summertime
And American Honey
(American Honey by Lady Antebellum)
1 What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before? Road trip TO Wisconsin with THREE girlies.
2 Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't think I did (if I could remember my resolutions, I'd tell you for sure), and yes.
3 Did anyone close to you give birth? A bunch of friends had babies.
4 Did anyone close to you die? Yes.
5 What countries did you visit? The good ole US of A.
6 What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? Patience. And some me-time.
7 What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Easter Sunday - the beginning of the end of the end of an era in my family (follow that? it was the day my Uncle Dick, the last of The Four, was found in his home, he died a few days later)
8 What was your biggest achievement of the year? Wrangling, I mean raising, 3 daughters. Still in process, but so far, so good.
9 What was your biggest failure? House work. I should just flunk out and hire a maid. As soon as my money tree spouts, that's what I'm doing!
10 Did you suffer illness or injury? Luckily, no.
11 What was the best thing you bought? White Mountain Bulgarian Yogurt. LOVE the stuff.
12 Whose behavior merited celebration? Aubrey's, Lauren's and Sasha's.
13 Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Aubrey's, Lauren's and Sasha's. ;-)
14 Where did most of your money go? bills and groceries. raw milk isn't cheap, but oh baby, is it good! (tasty AND good for you!)
15 What did you get really, really, really excited about? roadtrip to Wisconsin, Thanksgiving with the family
16 What song will always remind you of 2010? The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert
17 Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? thinner. marginally.
c) richer or poorer? umm, the same?
18 What do you wish you’d done more of? crafting
19 What do you wish you’d done less of? bitching
20 How did you spend Christmas? at home, just us. Christmas Eve we went out for Chinese buffet after church. Christmas day we made a big old turkey dinner.
21 Did you fall in love in 2010? Nope, but confirmed that when I did fall in love, I picked a winner!
22 What was your favorite TV program? The Middle
23 Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Hate is a really strong word. But the answer is no. No one new on my Hate List. ;-)
24 What was the best book you read? The Nicholas Flamel books
25 What was your greatest musical discovery? The Band Perry. "Lord make me a rainbow, I’ll shine down on my mother. She'll know I’m safe with you when she stands under my colors..."
26 What did you want and get? a haircut
27 What did you want and not get? a Sequoia
28 What was your favorite film of this year? Kick Ass
29 What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 30, my parents came to town and Andy made his fish fry.
30 What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? a million dollars
31 How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? clean, if not wrinkle free
32 What kept you sane? deep breaths
33 Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Ellen
34 What political issue stirred you the most? a local school board thing. btw, Texas sucks in that regard.
35 Who did you miss? my sister, Colleen, Jaimie, Kim and my grandma
36 Who was the best new person you met? Judy. She's my TXBFF
37 Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010. Sometimes you need to speak up. And I don't like being ignored.
38 Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
She grew up on a side of the road
Where church bells ring and strong love grows
She grew up good
She grew up slow
Like American Honey
Steady as a preacher
Free as a weed
Couldn't wait to get goin'
But wasn't quite ready to leave
So innocent, pure and sweet
American Honey
There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowin' in the wind
Callin' out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothin's sweeter than summertime
And American Honey
Get caught in the race
Of this crazy life
Tryin' to be everything
Can make you lose your mind
I just want to go back in time
To American Honey, yeah
There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowin' in the wind
Callin' out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothin's sweeter than summertime
And American Honey
Gone for so long now
Gotta get back to her somehow
To American Honey
Mmmm yea yea
Oh there's a wild, wild whisper
Blowin' in the wind
Callin' out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothin's sweeter than summertime
And American Honey
(American Honey by Lady Antebellum)
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