Well, here's the start of my "100 Things About Me" list that almost every blogger seems to put up eventually. Unfortunately, mine's going to be cut a bit short (for now) because we found out today that I'm going to be induced on Sunday night. Apparently BabyBoy is getting quite large - 8lb 10oz at today's ultrasound - and the docs don't want him getting much larger. I knew he was big, but wowie zowie. I've only gained 19 lbs. total, so a lot of the weight is HIM. Wish me luck for Monday, I'm still planning on a natural birth (at the moment). See ya!
1) I've been married to M for almost 7 years.
2) We have a wonderful 4-year-old daughter (D) and a BabyBoy on the way.
3) I met my husband in 1995 while interviewing him for a job. It was love at first sight. I knew I was going to marry him within an hour of meeting him.
4) I was born in Milwaukee, spent my early childhood in Kingston, Jamaica and the rest of my life mostly in Florida.
5) I went to The University of Florida.
6) While a freshman at UF, I decided a great way to impress guys would be to learn all about football.
7) Turns out I love football!! I know all about college and pro teams and can provide a pretty decent game analysis.
8) My favorite college team is the Gators. My favorite pro team is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
9) I'm the eldest of five, but my middle brother died in a car accident when I was 24.
10) We named our daughter after a skier from the 2002 Norweigan Olympic team. Her middle name is from my maternal grandmother.
11) I hate gardening and refuse to have anything to do with it.
12) I'm terrified of lizards and frogs, but can handle almost anything else that creeps or crawls.
13) I learned to ride a horse before I could ride a bike.
14) I'm still not that great on a bike, but I took first place in a Walk, Trot, Canter class at a local horse show.
15) I have a teddy bear that my paternal grandfather gave me when I was about 18 months old.
16) I have no sense of rhythm but I love to dance.
17) The first song I knew all the words to was "Bridge Over Troubled Water."
18) I am a voracious reader.
19) I own all the Harry Potter books and was shocked, SHOCKED, by Book 6.
20) I think the best gift in the world is an iTunes gift certificate.
21) I once stayed awake for 48 hours downloading music from the Internet.
22) I know how to code an HTML page.
23) I was on the Varsity swim team for 4 years in high school.
24) My favorite food is a baked potato.
25) I love 80s music and classic rock n' roll.
26) My first concert was Chicago, the opening act was the J.Geils Band ("Freeze Frame!")
27) The last concert I went to was New Order.
28) I once dated a skateboarder named Stoney and a surfer boy named Skip. (Not at the same time!)
29) My all time favorite movie is The Shawshank Redemption.
30) I'm a TV junkie.
31) The only magazine I subscribe to is National Geographic.
32) I've never been shy, but sometimes I keep my opinions to myself to avoid conflict.
33) I dislike procrastination and indecisiveness.
34) I'm a Scorpio.
35) I'm a neat freak when it comes to my daughter's toys. But in 4 years, we've only lost 1 toy (the cow from her Fisher-Price farm.)
36) The first "R" movie I saw was Jaws.
37) My favorite place to vacation is the beach, any beach.
38) The most beautiful place I've ever been is Lake Bled, Slovenia.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Monday, July 17, 2006
Why was I up all night?
I went to Sephora today (w/D) but got so tired after looking at 1 or 2 things that I just got a bunch of samples and left. Maybe when D is back in school and BabyBoy is in a stroller I won't feel so frickin' exhausted all the time. Of course, maybe it is because a lizard got into the house last night and hauled a** to the TV cabinet before M could grab it. It was one of those big freaky-deaky albino fat gecko ones too. Gross. So I kept waking up on and off all night because I knew, JUST KNEW, it was going to come looking for me and sure 'nuff about 4:00 a.m. I get up to go to the bathroom and THERE it is right on our bedroom wall. So I yell for M to get it and he's all grumpy because I woke him up and naturally he doesn't get it, and there's some cursing, and then it runs under his nightstand. So I decide to stay up the rest of the night, lights on, staring at the spot it disappeared and I doze off at around 6:15 and I wake up at 6:40 and D comes in at 7:00 and stares at me and says "Mommy, what are you DOING? What are you looking at?" And so I tell her there's a lizard under Daddy's nightstand and I'm watching for it and she says "Are you going to kill it?" and I say OF COURSE. And she replies with "NOOOOOO, let's save it and make it do a lizard show!" She's so kind to animals, but it still must die. So anyway, I tell her she's in charge of watching for it while I take a shower (I wanted to be sure to be out of the bedroom before M goes to work) and when I come out of the bathroom there it is RIGHT under the baby's bassinet - UGH! So I yell, again, for M who comes on the run, but in much better spirits, no cursing, and with better aim because he is awake and has had a cup of coffee and he corners the little slimeball in the bathroom and beats it to death with his Via Spiga (or was it Kenneth Cole?) dress shoe and then flushes it down the toilet. So that's why I'm a bit worn out today and feeling crampy and grumpy. But at least there isn't a lizard in my bedroom to keep me awake all night for the next 3 weeks and I'm going to take a nap to celebrate that little fact.
Why won't anyone believe me when I say that lizards really are out to get me? They don't like me, they never have, and they take every opportunity to get inside the house and stalk me!
G'night.
Why won't anyone believe me when I say that lizards really are out to get me? They don't like me, they never have, and they take every opportunity to get inside the house and stalk me!
G'night.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Hot and bothered
We're back in town after a fun-filled week with my parents in Naples. D's cousin came over for a few days to play and spend the night at Grandma's and it was so much fun watching the kids together. My brother and I always comment how its weird and wonderful to watch them play - just like we used to when we were kids. We visited the awesome Naples Conservancy with the kids and had a great time in the animal rehab center and the Discovery center. D just loves getting hands-on with little critters. So NOT like her mommy.
Blistering hot here right now. Our house, feeling neglected for a week, decided to go on hiatus too. We came back to: the a/c not working, giant palmetto bug invasion, termite swarms, and about four other service-call related problems to deal with. Our lawn guy is totally AWOL and we look like we're living in a meadow. Not to mention that even after M and I have each vacuumed and mopped twice and the cleaners have been here once, there are STILL ashes all over the place. M even got down on hands and knees to hand clean the firebox and grate and still... what a mess.
I'm off to Mazzaro's this morning to get a Chocolate Decadence for M for Father's Day. Mazzaro's puts the "M" in "mmm, mmm, good."
Blistering hot here right now. Our house, feeling neglected for a week, decided to go on hiatus too. We came back to: the a/c not working, giant palmetto bug invasion, termite swarms, and about four other service-call related problems to deal with. Our lawn guy is totally AWOL and we look like we're living in a meadow. Not to mention that even after M and I have each vacuumed and mopped twice and the cleaners have been here once, there are STILL ashes all over the place. M even got down on hands and knees to hand clean the firebox and grate and still... what a mess.
I'm off to Mazzaro's this morning to get a Chocolate Decadence for M for Father's Day. Mazzaro's puts the "M" in "mmm, mmm, good."
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Nesting
I was nesting last night. Washing and drying and folding little baby boy outfits and making myself really nostalgic for when D was a baby and almost every night that it was clean, I'd put her in my favorite little baby nightgown -- soft, soft white cotton with pale pink and blue flowers. She looked like an angel. Of course, almost every night I would have to strip it off of her by around the fourth feeding when her diaper would leak or I would have a leak while nursing or something like that. Anyway, i hope I have the same feeling for one of these little boy outfits -- soft, soft cotton but with trucks or bugs or puppies or fish instead of flowers.
Sometime this week I'll have to ask M to get the rest of our baby stuff down from the attic -- the bassinet, stroller, baby car seat, Diaper Genie, baby bathtub (I need to see if it can be re-used or if I'll have to replace it). Then, in a few months, the next cycle of baby equipment will begin and we'll be hauling out the play-yard, high chair, exersaucer. This time, though, since I know he's going to be our second and last child, I'll be happy to just give away everything as he grows out of it.
I am very worried about the cramped quarters we'll be enduring once the baby arrives. The baby will be sleeping in our room in the bassinet until he can sleep through the night in his crib in The Kids' room (what is now D's room). Fizzy will have to sleep in the living room, because there will be no place for her bed with the bassinet in our room. I worry about M having to sleep on the couch. I worry that between the new baby's stuff and D's stuff there will be NO ROOM anywhere in any closet or on any shelf ever again. I'm totally annoyed that we have been talking and talking and talking about re-modelling the house and it never goes anywhere. We even had a contractor come out and look at it about a month ago - he said that he'd get an estimate to us, but we haven't heard a word since. And now it's crunch time and I really don't want to deal with a newborn and remodelling at the same time. So do we wait some more? Almost more important than dealing with the house is the freakin' yard - something must be done. There's virtually no grass left, and with rainy season here, we're going to be dealing with a sea of mud and sand and weeds and crap every day. We need a fence and sod and some flower beds and I don't know who is going to take care of that.
Alright, enough crazy talk. Such minor worries when you look at the big picture. It's the hormones, right?
Sometime this week I'll have to ask M to get the rest of our baby stuff down from the attic -- the bassinet, stroller, baby car seat, Diaper Genie, baby bathtub (I need to see if it can be re-used or if I'll have to replace it). Then, in a few months, the next cycle of baby equipment will begin and we'll be hauling out the play-yard, high chair, exersaucer. This time, though, since I know he's going to be our second and last child, I'll be happy to just give away everything as he grows out of it.
I am very worried about the cramped quarters we'll be enduring once the baby arrives. The baby will be sleeping in our room in the bassinet until he can sleep through the night in his crib in The Kids' room (what is now D's room). Fizzy will have to sleep in the living room, because there will be no place for her bed with the bassinet in our room. I worry about M having to sleep on the couch. I worry that between the new baby's stuff and D's stuff there will be NO ROOM anywhere in any closet or on any shelf ever again. I'm totally annoyed that we have been talking and talking and talking about re-modelling the house and it never goes anywhere. We even had a contractor come out and look at it about a month ago - he said that he'd get an estimate to us, but we haven't heard a word since. And now it's crunch time and I really don't want to deal with a newborn and remodelling at the same time. So do we wait some more? Almost more important than dealing with the house is the freakin' yard - something must be done. There's virtually no grass left, and with rainy season here, we're going to be dealing with a sea of mud and sand and weeds and crap every day. We need a fence and sod and some flower beds and I don't know who is going to take care of that.
Alright, enough crazy talk. Such minor worries when you look at the big picture. It's the hormones, right?
Saturday, June 03, 2006
R & R
My peaceful and relaxing week "off" is almost at an end. My family will be home tomorrow evening and I'm looking forward to seeing them.
In one short week I managed to go to a movie, watch the LOTR series (deluxe DVD version), read a book, walk the dog twice a day, make ice cream, buy some blankets and other stuff for the baby, find new pants, make (but not eat!) a peanut butter pie, and listen, uninterrupted, to all the 80s music I wanted. We're talking Duran Duran, Simple Minds, Berlin... stuff that usually makes M cringe. But I loved driving around singing along to "Hungry Like the Wolf." Back to Raffi on Monday. At least I got my fill of great old music and elves -- there's something about that Legolas. Too bad Orlando Bloom looks kinda skeevy in real life. Sigh.
I also spent way too much time online, mostly due to bad summer TV reruns, and as a result I know way too much about Brad & Angelina's baby and the Denise Richards/Heather Locklear/Richie Sambora love triangle. If you ask me, Denise Richards is making some pretty poor choices in men. Charlie Sheen is no catch in my book, but he looks great next to Richie Sambora. Plus everyone knows you DON'T hook up with your best friend's husband/boyfriend/crush. C'mon people - that's stuff you learn in high school!! Tragically, I guess Denise considers herself above the basic rules of best-friendship.
That I even give a crap about any of this just shows I've been alone too long.
In one short week I managed to go to a movie, watch the LOTR series (deluxe DVD version), read a book, walk the dog twice a day, make ice cream, buy some blankets and other stuff for the baby, find new pants, make (but not eat!) a peanut butter pie, and listen, uninterrupted, to all the 80s music I wanted. We're talking Duran Duran, Simple Minds, Berlin... stuff that usually makes M cringe. But I loved driving around singing along to "Hungry Like the Wolf." Back to Raffi on Monday. At least I got my fill of great old music and elves -- there's something about that Legolas. Too bad Orlando Bloom looks kinda skeevy in real life. Sigh.
I also spent way too much time online, mostly due to bad summer TV reruns, and as a result I know way too much about Brad & Angelina's baby and the Denise Richards/Heather Locklear/Richie Sambora love triangle. If you ask me, Denise Richards is making some pretty poor choices in men. Charlie Sheen is no catch in my book, but he looks great next to Richie Sambora. Plus everyone knows you DON'T hook up with your best friend's husband/boyfriend/crush. C'mon people - that's stuff you learn in high school!! Tragically, I guess Denise considers herself above the basic rules of best-friendship.
That I even give a crap about any of this just shows I've been alone too long.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Thunderstruck
OMG. Yesterday afternoon, I had just hung up the phone with my friend J from Pittsburgh and was settling in to re-watch "The Two Towers," this time with the book handy to follow along (yes, I'm that geeked out. What next? Dungeons and Dragons?) when a terrific storm started to brew. I heard some thunder pretty close by, so unplugged the computer and TV and had just settled back down on the couch to read when there was this explosive noise and all the lights went out. When my ears stopped ringing and my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I realized our fireplace screen, a massive heavy copper thing, was flung all the way across the room -- on top of our poor dog. I freed the dog, looked outside expecting to see our big tree blown up, and instead I saw the top of our chimney sitting in the front yard.
A flashlight examination of the living room revealed ash everywhere and the flue for the chimney sitting in the blackened, scorched firebox. The lightning had literally blown the chimney apart. The strike even charcoal-ized some random bits of wood we had left in the grate after our last fire. (Let that be a lesson to everyone that you should really clean your fireplace after every fire.)
An electrician had to come out to re-set our breaker box, a nice man named Dale from A-1 Electric, who reminded me of the Mel Gibson character in Conspiracy Theory, and he helped me to inspect the outlets, walls, etc. for damage. Later my friend B's husband came over to inspect the attic and make sure there was nothing smoldering up there or, as I feared, for gaping holes in our roof. Thank goodness, no damage, other than to the chimney which we really won't be needing anytime soon.
So what else did we lose? The phone, the handset of which was literally blown apart. My cell phone charger. And, sadly, the antique lights in D's bathroom - I'll have to have Dale come out next week to see if they can be repaired. Thank goodness I had unplugged the TV and computer. And let that be a lesson to anyone who thinks it is safe to stay on the phone during a lightning storm!
No lasting damage, except maybe to the dog, who this morning is still a cringing furball of fear. She refuses to leave my side (is under the computer chair right now) and spent the night panting and sighing on her bed. When B's husband came over she practically leaped into his arms -- clearly I am not to be trusted any longer. First the family goes missing and now I've blown up the house.
The good news is I found some comfortable pants yesterday morning at the mall and my s-i-l found another pair on eBay for me.
A flashlight examination of the living room revealed ash everywhere and the flue for the chimney sitting in the blackened, scorched firebox. The lightning had literally blown the chimney apart. The strike even charcoal-ized some random bits of wood we had left in the grate after our last fire. (Let that be a lesson to everyone that you should really clean your fireplace after every fire.)
An electrician had to come out to re-set our breaker box, a nice man named Dale from A-1 Electric, who reminded me of the Mel Gibson character in Conspiracy Theory, and he helped me to inspect the outlets, walls, etc. for damage. Later my friend B's husband came over to inspect the attic and make sure there was nothing smoldering up there or, as I feared, for gaping holes in our roof. Thank goodness, no damage, other than to the chimney which we really won't be needing anytime soon.
So what else did we lose? The phone, the handset of which was literally blown apart. My cell phone charger. And, sadly, the antique lights in D's bathroom - I'll have to have Dale come out next week to see if they can be repaired. Thank goodness I had unplugged the TV and computer. And let that be a lesson to anyone who thinks it is safe to stay on the phone during a lightning storm!
No lasting damage, except maybe to the dog, who this morning is still a cringing furball of fear. She refuses to leave my side (is under the computer chair right now) and spent the night panting and sighing on her bed. When B's husband came over she practically leaped into his arms -- clearly I am not to be trusted any longer. First the family goes missing and now I've blown up the house.
The good news is I found some comfortable pants yesterday morning at the mall and my s-i-l found another pair on eBay for me.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Time management
Nothing like having a lot of time on your hands! Actually it's been sorta counter-productive for me because instead of being my usual organized, scheduled self, I've not really done anything all week. I should be taking advantage of the free time to get errands done, or chores, or go find some pants that fit, or even take a nap, but instead I've done things like the Lord of the Rings marathon. And read three magazines in one day. Today I made rum & raisin ice cream.
All that punctuated by the fact that we found out my grandfather passed away on Tuesday night (long illness, very expected) and with M away and everyone in Jamaica for the week, it was up to my brother and I to try to track mom & dad down and now he is dealing with the funeral home until everyone gets back on Saturday. So I didn't even really do anything with that, except talk to some relatives.
Tomorrow, though, I mean it, I will make it to the mall. I'm down to 1 pair of shorts and 1 pair of khakis that fit and if they get dirty I'll be wearing my pjs until I do laundry. Plus I'd like to get a cute little homecoming outfit for the baby. Not that we used D's -- I was so exhausted and frazzled when we left the hospital it's a miracle I was dressed, let alone the baby -- but I think I'll be a bit more "together" when BabyBoy is born. I think.
Fizzy is horribly suspicious that I've done something dastardly with the rest of the family. She wanders from room to room, peeks into D's bedroom, then comes over to stare at me. Poor doggy.
All that punctuated by the fact that we found out my grandfather passed away on Tuesday night (long illness, very expected) and with M away and everyone in Jamaica for the week, it was up to my brother and I to try to track mom & dad down and now he is dealing with the funeral home until everyone gets back on Saturday. So I didn't even really do anything with that, except talk to some relatives.
Tomorrow, though, I mean it, I will make it to the mall. I'm down to 1 pair of shorts and 1 pair of khakis that fit and if they get dirty I'll be wearing my pjs until I do laundry. Plus I'd like to get a cute little homecoming outfit for the baby. Not that we used D's -- I was so exhausted and frazzled when we left the hospital it's a miracle I was dressed, let alone the baby -- but I think I'll be a bit more "together" when BabyBoy is born. I think.
Fizzy is horribly suspicious that I've done something dastardly with the rest of the family. She wanders from room to room, peeks into D's bedroom, then comes over to stare at me. Poor doggy.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Sound of silence
It's hard not having anyone to take care of, besides yourself, that is. It's too quiet and I'm way off my routine/schedule. Except for walking the dog. I even sort of miss the constant low-level chit-chat in the background that is the sound of D playing legos, or coloring, or just playing in her room. I don't quite know what to do with myself!
Maybe it's just the horrendous discomfort of being 30 weeks pregnant. I went on a brief expedition for maternity clothes this morning only to come back empty handed and bummed about how ugly everything was. Stuff that I saw on my friends just a year ago that looked amazingly cute on them, look like crap on me. And can I tell you how much I hate this "under-belly," "mid-belly," belly band business?! I just can't deal with that band, it cuts me in all the wrong places. I'd love a huge loose pair of linen pants, but they're not to be found anywhere.
10 more weeks. Tonight is the start of my Lord of the Rings marathon. Whee.
Maybe it's just the horrendous discomfort of being 30 weeks pregnant. I went on a brief expedition for maternity clothes this morning only to come back empty handed and bummed about how ugly everything was. Stuff that I saw on my friends just a year ago that looked amazingly cute on them, look like crap on me. And can I tell you how much I hate this "under-belly," "mid-belly," belly band business?! I just can't deal with that band, it cuts me in all the wrong places. I'd love a huge loose pair of linen pants, but they're not to be found anywhere.
10 more weeks. Tonight is the start of my Lord of the Rings marathon. Whee.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Home alone
M & D left this morning for NC to visit his parents. They'll be gone for not one, not two, but seven whole days. Leaving me with nothing, NOTHING, to do this week except rest, relax, watch movies and occasionally take the dog for a walk. Amazing. Don't know what to do first, although I'm sure I'll end up cleaning, since I can't help myself.
First off, I'm running out to stock up on some good magazines -- you know: InStyle, Vogue, Vanity Fair - nothing remotely "kiddie." Then maybe I'll get some pie.
First off, I'm running out to stock up on some good magazines -- you know: InStyle, Vogue, Vanity Fair - nothing remotely "kiddie." Then maybe I'll get some pie.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Icon-fusion
We had a nice weekend here getting caught up on our sleep and getting back to our regularly scheduled routine after a week of visiting with my in-laws.
After Mass yesterday, M took D over to the little grotto at church where there is a large statue of Mary. She had on her crown of flowers (last Thursday was the official May crowning at school) and her flowing robes and I guess they stood there for a bit silently contemplating. Then they caught up to me and D's first response was "Mom, we saw the Statue of Liberty!" It reminded me of the time we saw Father G out near the car line at school one day, and as we walked by D stage-whispers, "Look Mom, there's God!" I guess a logical leap for a 3-year-old, since we tell her that Church is "God's house."
Only two more weeks of school to go! I'm thankful, since most of D's friends are already out. I decided that, this summer, we are taking it easy. I just don't have the energy to go racing around town to activities and appointments. So, except for one week of nature camp and her Monday swim lessons, we're going to be completely spontaneous. We've got lots of outdoor stuff now - a nice canopy tent in the backyard, a new kid's picnic table and sandbox which our lovely neighbors generously gave us, the sprinkler ball, wading pool and, of course, TONS of play-doh. I also snagged a vintage set of Tupperware popsicle molds on eBay (just like the ones we had when I was a kid!!) so I'm sure we'll have fun thinking of juice combinations to go in them. When I was a kid, we always started out with OJ or some other nutritious juice, but by the end of the summer we were freezing Coca-Cola.
Hard to believe it's been almost one year since I started this blog and we were getting ready to go to Kosovo.
After Mass yesterday, M took D over to the little grotto at church where there is a large statue of Mary. She had on her crown of flowers (last Thursday was the official May crowning at school) and her flowing robes and I guess they stood there for a bit silently contemplating. Then they caught up to me and D's first response was "Mom, we saw the Statue of Liberty!" It reminded me of the time we saw Father G out near the car line at school one day, and as we walked by D stage-whispers, "Look Mom, there's God!" I guess a logical leap for a 3-year-old, since we tell her that Church is "God's house."
Only two more weeks of school to go! I'm thankful, since most of D's friends are already out. I decided that, this summer, we are taking it easy. I just don't have the energy to go racing around town to activities and appointments. So, except for one week of nature camp and her Monday swim lessons, we're going to be completely spontaneous. We've got lots of outdoor stuff now - a nice canopy tent in the backyard, a new kid's picnic table and sandbox which our lovely neighbors generously gave us, the sprinkler ball, wading pool and, of course, TONS of play-doh. I also snagged a vintage set of Tupperware popsicle molds on eBay (just like the ones we had when I was a kid!!) so I'm sure we'll have fun thinking of juice combinations to go in them. When I was a kid, we always started out with OJ or some other nutritious juice, but by the end of the summer we were freezing Coca-Cola.
Hard to believe it's been almost one year since I started this blog and we were getting ready to go to Kosovo.
Friday, May 05, 2006
6 down, 3 to go
Tomorrow I will be 6 months along! Whee! August 5 is right around the corner! Last dr. appt. was great - he's very active and pretty big. I'm doubling my efforts to be careful about what I eat. With the exception of this weekend when my Mom, M-I-L and sisters are all coming to take me out for a fancy brunch.
The other day D saw one of those planes pulling an advertising banner - she pointed it out to me, "Look Mommy! A coupon up there." So cute. The last time we saw one we had explained the difference between an ad and a coupon - but I guess some of the finer points got confused.
Three more weeks of school to go. Next year, D will still be at the same school, but going five mornings a week. I think she's ready, most of her friends are returning, and it will really be a nice break for me since I'll have Junior to deal with at that point. I'm hoping my mom can come to help for a few weeks or a month like she did with D, but unfortunately, we're out of rooms here. So we'll have to do some creative juggling.... I'd send D to my parents for a month, but she'll be in school. I hate to put my mom in a hotel.... I wonder if we can renovate in 3 months?
School ends with an event called "Water Day," which I thought was some kind of educational event about conservation, ecology, blah blah blah. Come to find out it's a day of slip n' slides, sprinkler balls, wading pools, etc. for the kids on the last day of school. What was I thinking?! Anyway, I can still help because, after the water fun, they have a make-your-own sundae bar and I'll help do that. I don't know what D is more excited about, the water or the ice cream.
M's parents arrive for a week visit tomorrow so today I'm cleaning house and making muffins and a lasagna and a bunch of other make-ahead stuff. Busy day, but it will be nice to visit with them for a week.
The other day D saw one of those planes pulling an advertising banner - she pointed it out to me, "Look Mommy! A coupon up there." So cute. The last time we saw one we had explained the difference between an ad and a coupon - but I guess some of the finer points got confused.
Three more weeks of school to go. Next year, D will still be at the same school, but going five mornings a week. I think she's ready, most of her friends are returning, and it will really be a nice break for me since I'll have Junior to deal with at that point. I'm hoping my mom can come to help for a few weeks or a month like she did with D, but unfortunately, we're out of rooms here. So we'll have to do some creative juggling.... I'd send D to my parents for a month, but she'll be in school. I hate to put my mom in a hotel.... I wonder if we can renovate in 3 months?
School ends with an event called "Water Day," which I thought was some kind of educational event about conservation, ecology, blah blah blah. Come to find out it's a day of slip n' slides, sprinkler balls, wading pools, etc. for the kids on the last day of school. What was I thinking?! Anyway, I can still help because, after the water fun, they have a make-your-own sundae bar and I'll help do that. I don't know what D is more excited about, the water or the ice cream.
M's parents arrive for a week visit tomorrow so today I'm cleaning house and making muffins and a lasagna and a bunch of other make-ahead stuff. Busy day, but it will be nice to visit with them for a week.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Anxiety prone
Maybe it is just a pregnancy thing, but I'm so much more anxious about stuff these days. Like today - sort of a milestone, D's first school field trip. We're going to a Jack Hartmann concert and I volunteered to be a driver. Starting about 3:00 a.m. I started worrying about it - what if I get lost, what if the other kid I'm driving gets car sick, what if I can't get her car seat in the car (being in a not-so-flexible state, it's a legit concern!), what if it rains and the traffic is bad....sheesh. I ran through about 100 different non-problems, almost e-mailed D's teacher to tell her we weren't coming, then woke up at 6 to tell myself it's all in my head. Crazy prego hormones. Ugh.
I'm really trying to be aware of our time committments though and I've made an extra effort not to over-programme our days. Still, we're supposed to go straight from the concert this a.m. to playgroup to my OB appointment and somehow get to the grocery store and figure out something for lunch -- it's just a bit much, so I suspect something will get skipped. I've found if I overdo it, by the end of the day I'm worn out and I get terrible Braxton-Hicks contractions and literally feel like my bladder is going to fall out of me. Which should be a REAL cause for anxiety, but I don't have time to think about it with all the made-up nonsense going through my head.
I'm really trying to be aware of our time committments though and I've made an extra effort not to over-programme our days. Still, we're supposed to go straight from the concert this a.m. to playgroup to my OB appointment and somehow get to the grocery store and figure out something for lunch -- it's just a bit much, so I suspect something will get skipped. I've found if I overdo it, by the end of the day I'm worn out and I get terrible Braxton-Hicks contractions and literally feel like my bladder is going to fall out of me. Which should be a REAL cause for anxiety, but I don't have time to think about it with all the made-up nonsense going through my head.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Saturday morning surprise
The original title of this post was supposed to be 10.5, which is the average number of hours I've been sleeping at night for the last week. It's been heaven not having to get up early to get D to school and since M has been sleeping in as well, we're all as lazy as can be. BUT, I had to change the title because after my lovely 10.5 last night, I woke up about 8, took a nice hot shower and as I came into our bedroom, I noticed a funny little black thing in the door to the hall. No biggie -- looked like a ponytail holder or maybe yard debris tracked in by the dog. So I got some TP to pick it up and when I grabbed it lo! and behold it was a frickin' baby black SNAKE. It squiggled around at me and I threw the whole thing onto the floor yelling for M to help. Luckily, D was already awake playing Lego in her room and when she heard me yell, had the good sense to yell back "I'm staying in here! Don't let it come in my room Mommy!"
So M got our official Wildlife Trapper Tupperware container (in case you aren't familiar with this style, it's the nice large square one that has trapped field mice, baby rats, lizards, spiders, a baby frog, and now, a black snake) and managed to scoop it up using the official Wildlife Trapper Flexible Cutting Board, and he and D took the whole thing into the front yard to let it go. He's very humane about the animals we trap - the vast majority are let go alive due to a nasty incident he had with a glue trap about 15 years ago. Long story. Tell you later.
Anyway, so the thing is out of the house, thank goodness, but now I'm left wondering how exactly it got in and wound up in our doorway without attracting anyone's attention - especially the dog's, some watchdog she is! - and if there are any others slithering around. Things that make you go hmmmm, indeed.
So that was our Saturday. Later in the morning we went down to the Farmer's Market where I scored some sourdough bread and then we all had smoothies and M got a veggie burger and I bought some chocolate. After lunch, D and I had our ritual Food Network Festival wherein we get caught up on all the eps of Barefoot Contessa, Paula Deen and Everyday Italian that I TiVo during the week. All in all, a nice day, even with the weird start.
So M got our official Wildlife Trapper Tupperware container (in case you aren't familiar with this style, it's the nice large square one that has trapped field mice, baby rats, lizards, spiders, a baby frog, and now, a black snake) and managed to scoop it up using the official Wildlife Trapper Flexible Cutting Board, and he and D took the whole thing into the front yard to let it go. He's very humane about the animals we trap - the vast majority are let go alive due to a nasty incident he had with a glue trap about 15 years ago. Long story. Tell you later.
Anyway, so the thing is out of the house, thank goodness, but now I'm left wondering how exactly it got in and wound up in our doorway without attracting anyone's attention - especially the dog's, some watchdog she is! - and if there are any others slithering around. Things that make you go hmmmm, indeed.
So that was our Saturday. Later in the morning we went down to the Farmer's Market where I scored some sourdough bread and then we all had smoothies and M got a veggie burger and I bought some chocolate. After lunch, D and I had our ritual Food Network Festival wherein we get caught up on all the eps of Barefoot Contessa, Paula Deen and Everyday Italian that I TiVo during the week. All in all, a nice day, even with the weird start.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Into the ficklemint
So here's what's been occupying my mind for the last week or so. D saw the Tarzan episode of Backyardigans last week and when, at dinner, I asked her for a re-cap she went through the whole show and insisted that part of it was them going "into the ficklemint." "Do you mean peppermint?," we asked. Spearmint? Basement? I think we ran though every possible _mint/ment combination until we all gave up in frustration. Especially me, since I take great pride in being fluent in Three-Year-Old-ese.
Anyway, I finally figured it out today - Into the Thick of It. I can move on now.
I had my 5 month check up last week. Everything looks great with BabyBoy and I'm very pleased to have only gained 10 lbs. so far. One reason it's a lot easier to keep my munching in check is the terrible heartburn I have every time I eat. Ugh.
Next week we get ready for our annual Easter Weekend Family Gathering. This year, in addition to my whole family, we'll be joined by M's brother and his wife and 4 kids. So it ought to be quite a crowd. We decided to rent a tent and some big tables and chairs so that we can all be outside in comfort while we eat and visit. It would be quite difficult to cram 14 adults and 7 kids into our teeny house, so pray for a continuation of the great weather we've had so far this spring.
For Easter Sunday I'm serving pastries/muffins, fruit, baked ham, hashbrown casserole, green bean salad, rolls, hard-boiled eggs and cake and/or lemon meringue pie for dessert. Plus coffee, mimosas, etc. Hope there's enough variety for adults and kids alike.
Anyway, I finally figured it out today - Into the Thick of It. I can move on now.
I had my 5 month check up last week. Everything looks great with BabyBoy and I'm very pleased to have only gained 10 lbs. so far. One reason it's a lot easier to keep my munching in check is the terrible heartburn I have every time I eat. Ugh.
Next week we get ready for our annual Easter Weekend Family Gathering. This year, in addition to my whole family, we'll be joined by M's brother and his wife and 4 kids. So it ought to be quite a crowd. We decided to rent a tent and some big tables and chairs so that we can all be outside in comfort while we eat and visit. It would be quite difficult to cram 14 adults and 7 kids into our teeny house, so pray for a continuation of the great weather we've had so far this spring.
For Easter Sunday I'm serving pastries/muffins, fruit, baked ham, hashbrown casserole, green bean salad, rolls, hard-boiled eggs and cake and/or lemon meringue pie for dessert. Plus coffee, mimosas, etc. Hope there's enough variety for adults and kids alike.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Expecting
Big news! We've been hesitant to broadcast it, but we're pregnant again! I'm officially 21 weeks (yay! past the half-way mark) and out of the most dangerous time for miscarriage, so I'm finally feeling comfortable talking about it. The most exciting part is that it's a BOY! Oh boy! I'm so used to girls and girly things and girlishness. This is going to be a huge, but welcome, change for the family. I'm very excited about having a little guy around - maybe with blond curly hair and my brown eyes?
So far, this pregnancy is going very well. I've been eating everything and had only very mild morning sickness. Maybe it's the difference between carrying boys and girls, but it's mostly healthy stuff I crave and I've developed almost an addiction to garlic. I will eat it raw. I smear it on toast. M had some stomach aches at first, because he'd gotten used to my not using it at all for the last 4 years and suddenly it's in everything but the oatmeal.
The due date is August 5, so another long hot pregnant summer to get through. But for now, we're enjoying the beautiful cool spring weather and getting outside all we can. Among the summer "indoor" projects that I've got planned is taking my blog entries from our stay in Kosovo last summer and printing them into some type of book or scrapbook or something. We've got tons of great picures to add, and I think it will be a great keepsake for our family.
D's fourth birthday is just around the corner too and it's amazing and wonderful to watch her change from a pre-schooler to a full-fledged "big girl." I love it.
So far, this pregnancy is going very well. I've been eating everything and had only very mild morning sickness. Maybe it's the difference between carrying boys and girls, but it's mostly healthy stuff I crave and I've developed almost an addiction to garlic. I will eat it raw. I smear it on toast. M had some stomach aches at first, because he'd gotten used to my not using it at all for the last 4 years and suddenly it's in everything but the oatmeal.
The due date is August 5, so another long hot pregnant summer to get through. But for now, we're enjoying the beautiful cool spring weather and getting outside all we can. Among the summer "indoor" projects that I've got planned is taking my blog entries from our stay in Kosovo last summer and printing them into some type of book or scrapbook or something. We've got tons of great picures to add, and I think it will be a great keepsake for our family.
D's fourth birthday is just around the corner too and it's amazing and wonderful to watch her change from a pre-schooler to a full-fledged "big girl." I love it.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Happy New Year!
I almost passed out when I realized it's been almost two months since my last post. I wish I had all kinds of good excuses involving exotic travel or top-secret missions, but really it just boils down to laziness, mixed with holiday-rushing-around-ness with a dash of kid-related craziness. It seems like every time that I did get around to writing I'd end up with D at one elbow and the dog at the other both of them staring at me like I never, ever spend any time with them at all. Well, maybe the dog has an excuse but certainly not the Kid.
Anyway. To summarize. Thanksgiving=Georgia with my sister-in-law's family. Christmas=North Carolina with my in-laws. New Year's=Us in a car returning from NC. Santa was great, D was a doll, we're back to school. The end.
NC was super, D & I had our first White Christmas, which just seemed so much more Christmas-y than the usual green Florida Christmas, where you're wearing shorts to Christmas breakfast and by the time the family gathers for dinner the a/c has kicked on. Something to be said for Jack Frost nipping at your nose after all.
Since we had snow, M was able to ski (no broken bones, whew!) and D went snow-tubing. Snow-tubing looks utterly dangerous, but really all that happens is your kid ends up soaking wet and frozen after a few hours of gliding down the slope. And this is just at the "bunny" slope for pre-schoolers or chicken-hearted older kids. She loved it though, as did Grandpa, who handled the push off duties, and M, who handled towing her back to the top of the slope at the end of each run. I was in charge of taking pictures, stamping my feet, and yelling "Put your hood up!" every 2 minutes. Despite my (groundless) fears of broken bones, both of them really enjoyed their winter adventures. One night at bedtime, D said to me "Mommy, am I a sespert?" Finally I puzzled out that she was saying "expert," as in expert tuber. She had overheard M's tales of going down the Black Diamond slope and my saying that was only for experts. Or the young. All my worrying for nothing though as everyone was just fine. I should remember that the next time I start to work myself up about things. Ooohhh...a resolution? Nah.
Anyway, yes I have missed writing here a lot and I'm glad my little blog hasn't disappeared into the ether. I promise I'll be back soon.
Anyway. To summarize. Thanksgiving=Georgia with my sister-in-law's family. Christmas=North Carolina with my in-laws. New Year's=Us in a car returning from NC. Santa was great, D was a doll, we're back to school. The end.
NC was super, D & I had our first White Christmas, which just seemed so much more Christmas-y than the usual green Florida Christmas, where you're wearing shorts to Christmas breakfast and by the time the family gathers for dinner the a/c has kicked on. Something to be said for Jack Frost nipping at your nose after all.
Since we had snow, M was able to ski (no broken bones, whew!) and D went snow-tubing. Snow-tubing looks utterly dangerous, but really all that happens is your kid ends up soaking wet and frozen after a few hours of gliding down the slope. And this is just at the "bunny" slope for pre-schoolers or chicken-hearted older kids. She loved it though, as did Grandpa, who handled the push off duties, and M, who handled towing her back to the top of the slope at the end of each run. I was in charge of taking pictures, stamping my feet, and yelling "Put your hood up!" every 2 minutes. Despite my (groundless) fears of broken bones, both of them really enjoyed their winter adventures. One night at bedtime, D said to me "Mommy, am I a sespert?" Finally I puzzled out that she was saying "expert," as in expert tuber. She had overheard M's tales of going down the Black Diamond slope and my saying that was only for experts. Or the young. All my worrying for nothing though as everyone was just fine. I should remember that the next time I start to work myself up about things. Ooohhh...a resolution? Nah.
Anyway, yes I have missed writing here a lot and I'm glad my little blog hasn't disappeared into the ether. I promise I'll be back soon.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Organized
I finally overcame five years of procrastination and hung some pictures on the walls. As always with projects like that, you have a "why didn't we do this sooner" moment as you admire your handiwork. I can't even remember the reason we didn't when we first moved in, but I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that we never, ever imagined that we would be here this long. Now that they're up there, it's a sure-fire bet that M will get a job offer somewhere else and we'll have to move.
After some online research, I found a site that sells decorative iron work. I think some of the iron crosses would look super in the living room. I'm going to call today to find out where their stuff is made as I'd prefer to buy something made in the USA, not mass-produced elsewhere.
A busy week ahead... aside from our usual commitments, we're hosting D's playgroup this Friday which is doubling as a Bon Voyage party for our friends who are moving to D.C. Very sad. But we'll have a nice final playgroup with them. I'm going to get some t-shirts for the kids to decorate for each other and of course there'll be cake.
After some online research, I found a site that sells decorative iron work. I think some of the iron crosses would look super in the living room. I'm going to call today to find out where their stuff is made as I'd prefer to buy something made in the USA, not mass-produced elsewhere.
A busy week ahead... aside from our usual commitments, we're hosting D's playgroup this Friday which is doubling as a Bon Voyage party for our friends who are moving to D.C. Very sad. But we'll have a nice final playgroup with them. I'm going to get some t-shirts for the kids to decorate for each other and of course there'll be cake.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
First Halloween
D was a Pumpkin Fairy for Halloween. We went to a Halloween party at a neighbor's, went trick-or-treating at 2 or 3 houses and then spent about an hour handing out candy, which I think was her favorite part of the night. She made sure EVERYONE went home with a package of candy corn. It was hilarious to hear her commenting on the other kids costumes - they'd say "oh what a cute little pumpkin" and she'd respond with "thanks, I like your [insert costume] too!" So grown up.
She got about 5 pieces of candy, which is perfect for a three-year-old. We have about a half-bucket leftover from trick-or-treating. I've scavenged all the Reese's cups out of it and the rest is just a giant orange bucket o' temptation. Lucky for me, basically all we have left are M&Ms and Snickers, and I'm not too fond of either of those except when I'm desperate for a chocolate fix.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Vegan conspiracy?
Mercury in our fish, mad cow and now bird flu in chickens. So what's a red-blooded carnivore like me supposed to eat? I suppose the people over at PETA are feeling pretty happy these days. I guess it's time to drag out my ancient Moosewood cookbook and try out some of their yummy veggie casseroles and soups. Actually though, I was a bit alarmed that bird flu was showing up in the Balkans, Croatia to be specific. Hygiene and food safety were HUGE issues when we were over there and I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see problems in Kosovo because of it. I'm glad M is not going back over after all.
In other news, I am so thankful that my family in Naples, FL was spared the worse of Hurricane Wilma. Actually Naples, which is mostly new construction, withstood the storm very well. I guess there is a lot of tree and foliage damage, but not to much structurally other than roofs, shingles and signs. Not at all like New Orleans, or even what Wilma did to Miami. My parents, sister and brother are all fine, and are waiting to get the utilities back on line. Actually my parents had phone service Monday night, which says a lot about Naples infrastructure, I think. My brother was hosting a Halloween party this weekend, which D, M and I were really looking forward to, but it's on hold until they know if they'll have electric and water (they have a well system).
In the meantime, here in St. Pete, we had some very blustery, rainy weather but the only catastrophic damage was to our Halloween decorations. You know that white cobwebby stuff you string up? Yeah, well, it's not made to withstand 40 mph wind gusts.
Have a spook-tacular Halloween! I'll post picture of D in her pumpkin costume next week!
In other news, I am so thankful that my family in Naples, FL was spared the worse of Hurricane Wilma. Actually Naples, which is mostly new construction, withstood the storm very well. I guess there is a lot of tree and foliage damage, but not to much structurally other than roofs, shingles and signs. Not at all like New Orleans, or even what Wilma did to Miami. My parents, sister and brother are all fine, and are waiting to get the utilities back on line. Actually my parents had phone service Monday night, which says a lot about Naples infrastructure, I think. My brother was hosting a Halloween party this weekend, which D, M and I were really looking forward to, but it's on hold until they know if they'll have electric and water (they have a well system).
In the meantime, here in St. Pete, we had some very blustery, rainy weather but the only catastrophic damage was to our Halloween decorations. You know that white cobwebby stuff you string up? Yeah, well, it's not made to withstand 40 mph wind gusts.
Have a spook-tacular Halloween! I'll post picture of D in her pumpkin costume next week!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Storm watch
Hello. I've dragged myself away from the Weather Channel's continuous coverage of Hurricane Wilma. I had to take a break. We have our evacuation plans. We've collected our important papers, precious mementos and of course, my iPod, and are ready to flee if need be. And this is all on the remote chance it heads toward the Bay area. Right now we're just on the fringes - close enough to need to prepare, far away enough to not take those preparations TOO seriously. For instance, my "supply" trip to Publix this morning. Sure I stocked up on more bottled water. But in trying to prepare, but not overprepare, I also found myself buying M&Ms, yogurt raisins, Tostitos, Stove Top stuffing, and Chocolate-flavored Silk. Mmmm. Random food items! There might be a meal in there, but basically, we'll be eating movie theatre snacks for a few days if we lose power.
At least they'll be easy to throw in the car in a hurry.
Probably the best comment I've heard so far on the hurricane was this morning at school drop-off. D was sitting with some of her little girlfriends and another little girl came running up saying, "Guys, guys...I have important and bad news! My daddy says this storm is going to hook a hard right and come right at us!" Immediately all the other little girls jumped in with their own commentary and opinions. It was so innocent and cute and grown up all at once.
At least they'll be easy to throw in the car in a hurry.
Probably the best comment I've heard so far on the hurricane was this morning at school drop-off. D was sitting with some of her little girlfriends and another little girl came running up saying, "Guys, guys...I have important and bad news! My daddy says this storm is going to hook a hard right and come right at us!" Immediately all the other little girls jumped in with their own commentary and opinions. It was so innocent and cute and grown up all at once.
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