Thursday, August 30, 2007

Glutton for punishment

Because there's always room to be more overwhelmed and crazy than I already am, I volunteered to lead the Daisy scout troop at D's school. Supposedly the committment is one afternoon a month to meet and do a craft. I'm not naturally crafty or creative but I do LOVE Michael's so I'm sure that I can handle that part. And a few more bags of craft supplies drifting around the house won't hurt anyone. And, because it's me, the thing that I'll obsess over is what to bring for snacks... something healthy? something homemade? something in a box from the store? something for the girls to make and eat themselves, therefore qualifying as both a craft AND a snack?

The upside is I get to spend time with D and her sweet little friends.

The downside is I'm going to have to try to find a sitter who'll be able to watch A or I'll have to (gulp) bring him with me to the Daisy meetings. All the snacks in the world aren't going to keep him occupied for an hour and the post-school afternoon meeting time rules out our current crop of sitters, so I'll have to give this one some thought.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

You, me and coffee

It has been a highly stressful last few weeks, manifested mainly in my marked increase in caffeine consumption. We're talking three cups of coffee in the a.m. and at least two Diet Cokes a day. When less than 4 months ago I was still in "nursing mode" and only drinking 1/2 cup of coffee in the morning.

Why? Well, besides dealing with the gloriously entertaining monotony of being a full-time mom to a one-year-old, and the never ending battle to stay organized, and the ENORMOUS stream of paperwork generated by having one (just ONE!) kid in kindergarten, we have the ongoing stress of the great "move or renovate" debate, now entering it's third year. It seems impossible that M and I have been talking about this subject for that many years without ever coming to a single decision, a plan of action, or simple resolution. Can it really be that difficult?! Shouldn't be, since I'm a fairly decisive person and M, as an attorney, makes educated, researched decisions for his living. But no. We're still crammed into our beautiful, tiny house endlessly discussing what to do next. It's as boring and pointless as it sounds, folks. Both of us, and probably D too, can trot out a whole list of pros and cons and interest rates and names of builders and designers and ideas, but to act on any of this information? Nope. Seems impossible.

Why? Well, M's been insanely busy, travelling, trials, lots of work pressure. I spend my days chasing after A and trying to cram a full days worth of chores into the 90 minutes he naps in the morning. Then we have swim lessons, tennis lessons, meals to make.... I don't know why I'm so busy, I just am. I long, yearn, pray for the day when they are both in school (even just part-time) so that I have a couple of uninterrupted hours a day. I wonder sometimes if this "at home" mom thing is the right thing for me. I lack the certain amount of patience and tolerance for disorganization that (I think) would enable me to function more calmly. I get quite testy when asked to guess, for the 4000th time, what kind of baby animal D is pretending to be, and yes, honey I love that picture your making. What's that? A bunch of flying hearts? No? Ohhh, of course, they're baby stingrays! I'm irritated by having toys, books and balls hurled at me all day long. Now, some of the toys have started making noises all on their own... a car & truck puzzle that makes its ambulance noise in the morning and the Fisher Price kitchen will mysteriously starting burbling and dinging away at night. Sometimes, by the time everyone has been fed, and dinner is cleaned up, and lunches and snacks have been made, and the coffee is set for the morning it's after 10:00. Does that seem late to you? No? Then you must be under 30, because that seems late to me! I hate to complain because I asked for and chose this life and I am blessed to be able to concentrate fully on the kids and not have to work outside of the house. And, when all is said and done, I crawl into bed exhausted, but happy. So maybe that is why no decisions are being made and why we continue to live all smushed happily into our little house.

I really need a vacation.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Get your fuss on

Anyone who knows D appreciates her ability to coin unique and entirely apropos phrases. The other day as A followed M around the house whining to be picked up, she yells out, "Watch out Daddy, he's going to put the fuss on you!" I thought it was great - just really apt. Much as when she described him to someone as the "messy thrower of crunchies."

A is hitting every milestone - head on and at top speed. He's got separation anxiety, night terrors, a growing sense of independence and static-clinginess; he's drooling, teething, walking, starting to talk, attempting to climb and wanting to eat on his own. The result of all this growth and change? He's a total fuss bucket. I imagine it would be like me waking up one morning and realizing I could fly. Or speak like six new languages. You'd be amazed, confused, torn between wanting to explore your new talent(s)and wondering how it happened. Of course, it's easy to talk about but I have less patience when I'm trying to go about my daily business with one moppet clinging to my leg and the other one asking a non-stop stream of questions, ranging from a simple request for definition ("Mommy, what's a precipice?") to the sublime ("Mommy, if I dress up like Sleeping Beauty am I really a princess?)

We're on our last summer trip before Kindergarten starts -- spending a few days in Naples with my parents. It's beastly hot, but the kids are having a great time playing with the cousins and I'm enjoying seeing my family.

Have a happy Monday everyone!

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Dog days of summer

Top 10 Signs That You Wish Summer Was Over:

1) You no longer care that your daughter eats most meals dressed as a Disney princess
2) You consider a bowl of Lucky Charms and a glass of milk a good breakfast ... or dinner
3) Your grocery list is pretty much peaches, blueberries, corn and ice cream
4) Your yard only looks nice the day after the lawn guy cuts it
5) 100% humidity makes blow-drying your hair useless
6) You haven't turned on the oven in weeks
7) The a/c runs 24/7
8) Walking to the car makes you sweat
9) Not even the dog wants to go for a walk
10) Your kid doesn't start school for 3 weeks but you've already bought everything on her class supply list

Stay cool!

One more reason ....

11) You find it amusing to chase the dog with a remote control car