I'm the kind of person that when I love something, I want to tell the whole world about it. So, I've decided to start a new little feature called "Favorite Things Friday". In theory (and with all the best intentions) I'll post a photo and description of something I just love every Friday. Again, this is all in theory. Please check back tomorrow for my first favorite thing!
Edited to add: Each item I highlight in Favorite Things Friday is just a favorite thing of mine. I have not recieved free samples or any sort of kick-back from these companies, websites, etc. for highlighting their product. If I ever review a product I have recieved for free, I will certainly let you know! Thankssomuch!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Working Mom Blues
I am feeling rather bleh these days. I think primarily it is my dissatisfaction with my job. I e-mailed Abel on Monday and all the message said was "I want to quit." I really do want to quit. But, that would be pretty stupid for multiple reasons, including:
1) The Economy Stupid.
2) Abel's job is still very much up in the air.
3) My hours, etc. are a mom's dream -- 20 hours, 2.5 days a week, very flexible...
4) I start to go a little crazy after too many days at home.
But, it also would be great for many reasons. And, in my mind that list is much longer than the four reasons listed above. I know I can make it through the holidays. Then we'll reassess. My dream situation is that Congress comes back for a lame duck session and passes the language to secure Abel's job. Then, he gets a big fat raise for basically saving the entire industry. Then I can quit my job and stay at home with Lucas. But, the big fat raise will still allow us to send Lucas to this wonderful 1/2 day nursery school in our town so I'll still get some time to myself during which I'll clean the house, cook amazing healthy meals, volunteer at our local public school and of course BLOG.
Sound good?
Yes!
Okay team let's make it happen!
1) The Economy Stupid.
2) Abel's job is still very much up in the air.
3) My hours, etc. are a mom's dream -- 20 hours, 2.5 days a week, very flexible...
4) I start to go a little crazy after too many days at home.
But, it also would be great for many reasons. And, in my mind that list is much longer than the four reasons listed above. I know I can make it through the holidays. Then we'll reassess. My dream situation is that Congress comes back for a lame duck session and passes the language to secure Abel's job. Then, he gets a big fat raise for basically saving the entire industry. Then I can quit my job and stay at home with Lucas. But, the big fat raise will still allow us to send Lucas to this wonderful 1/2 day nursery school in our town so I'll still get some time to myself during which I'll clean the house, cook amazing healthy meals, volunteer at our local public school and of course BLOG.
Sound good?
Yes!
Okay team let's make it happen!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Cancel on me, please!
Last night my friend called me to cancel our play date for this morning. While she felt horribly guilty for doing it at the last-minute, I actually felt a bit of relief when I listened to her voicemail message.
Don't get me wrong, my son and I very much look forward to the chance to talk (me) and play (him) with our good buddies. We live a solid 40 minute drive from our friends but have done a good job of getting together once a month, alternating our visits, over the past two years. Lucas and his little buddy get along really well. They're both rough and tumble boys and they each love the new-to-them abundance of trucks and trains at the other's house.
Two weeks ago, I had a lunch scheduled with a good friend during my only possible window for a weekday lunch--at 1pm on my half day of work. At 8am that morning, she e-mailed to cancel. A former colleague, boss, mentor and all-around good friend, I very much look forward to our rare lunches. Yet, I wasn't crushed that she cancelled. In fact, I was a bit excited about it!
If this play date and lunch were so highly anticipated, why in the world was their cancellation met with relief and excitement?
Because a canceled play date = a free morning and a cancelled lunch = a free afternoon!
I admit it: I over-schedule my our life. Plain and simple. Whenever I look at the calendar I always think that our schedule is do-able. Then, in the throws of packed days and meeting-filled nights, I long for some down time. Time to just hang out.
This morning's canceled play date meant lazing around in our jammies (while playing trucks, of course) and a chance to hop on-line to write this post. Canceled lunches give me time for solo-grocery shopping (any mom knows that is a true luxury!) or an afternoon nap (sometimes a necessity!). And when the cancellation comes at the last minute, there is almost no chance I'll be able to fill it up again. That's an added bonus!
So here's a message to all my friends: I do love spending time with you and thoroughly look forward to our get-togethers. But, don't feel guilty if you have to cancel, especially at the last minute. You're really giving me a gift. (But, let's be sure to reschedule soon: I'm pretty booked for the next few weeks!)
Original post to DC Metro Moms. In her spare moments, Aimee blogs at www.smilingmama.blogspot.com.
Comments
BananaBlueberry said...
I agree :) I love the occasional day when we stay in pjs and play trucks! Life is so nice and relaxing- while seeing it through your little one's eyes !
Diana said...
Now I'm tempted to schedule a play date with you guys and see if you cancel! :)
Wife and Mommy said...
Hanging out in jammies is a luxury that happens less and less as my kids get older. Must schedule days in to just laze about!
Robin said...
Couch potatoe days are our favorite!
Shannon said...
Even better: when they cancel via e-mail/voicemail/text, and you don't have to actually talk to them and conceal your secret excitement!
April said...
you can schedule me for whenever you like - and then pretend I called to cancel!
Claire Jess said...
I have felt this so often - love my time with people/at activities but also love the surprise free time that just can't get too full because it lands in your lap so late.
Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!
Don't get me wrong, my son and I very much look forward to the chance to talk (me) and play (him) with our good buddies. We live a solid 40 minute drive from our friends but have done a good job of getting together once a month, alternating our visits, over the past two years. Lucas and his little buddy get along really well. They're both rough and tumble boys and they each love the new-to-them abundance of trucks and trains at the other's house.
Two weeks ago, I had a lunch scheduled with a good friend during my only possible window for a weekday lunch--at 1pm on my half day of work. At 8am that morning, she e-mailed to cancel. A former colleague, boss, mentor and all-around good friend, I very much look forward to our rare lunches. Yet, I wasn't crushed that she cancelled. In fact, I was a bit excited about it!
If this play date and lunch were so highly anticipated, why in the world was their cancellation met with relief and excitement?
Because a canceled play date = a free morning and a cancelled lunch = a free afternoon!
I admit it: I over-schedule my our life. Plain and simple. Whenever I look at the calendar I always think that our schedule is do-able. Then, in the throws of packed days and meeting-filled nights, I long for some down time. Time to just hang out.
This morning's canceled play date meant lazing around in our jammies (while playing trucks, of course) and a chance to hop on-line to write this post. Canceled lunches give me time for solo-grocery shopping (any mom knows that is a true luxury!) or an afternoon nap (sometimes a necessity!). And when the cancellation comes at the last minute, there is almost no chance I'll be able to fill it up again. That's an added bonus!
So here's a message to all my friends: I do love spending time with you and thoroughly look forward to our get-togethers. But, don't feel guilty if you have to cancel, especially at the last minute. You're really giving me a gift. (But, let's be sure to reschedule soon: I'm pretty booked for the next few weeks!)
Original post to DC Metro Moms. In her spare moments, Aimee blogs at www.smilingmama.blogspot.com.
Comments
BananaBlueberry said...
I agree :) I love the occasional day when we stay in pjs and play trucks! Life is so nice and relaxing- while seeing it through your little one's eyes !
Diana said...
Now I'm tempted to schedule a play date with you guys and see if you cancel! :)
Wife and Mommy said...
Hanging out in jammies is a luxury that happens less and less as my kids get older. Must schedule days in to just laze about!
Robin said...
Couch potatoe days are our favorite!
Shannon said...
Even better: when they cancel via e-mail/voicemail/text, and you don't have to actually talk to them and conceal your secret excitement!
April said...
you can schedule me for whenever you like - and then pretend I called to cancel!
Claire Jess said...
I have felt this so often - love my time with people/at activities but also love the surprise free time that just can't get too full because it lands in your lap so late.
Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!
Weekend Wrap Up
After a rough morning, Friday got considerably better in the afternoon. I got Lucas down for a nap and as I was eating lunch the water people came back. Apparently the woman from the morning team went back to the office and talked with her supervisor about their inability to install the remote reader at our house. He suggested that she bring another better technician out because they really should be able to install it. Voila! It was super easy and now I won't have to read my own meter and send in the little postcard every three months.
After Lucas woke up, I told him that we were going to gymnastics! He got SO excited. Note: I told him 1 hour before we were supposed to leave (after calling to confirm the building was open and open gym taking place!). The hook was that he had to pee in the potty 2 times before we left. Success! He had an awesome time.
Abel was home when we got back (approx. 5:45pm) and he immediately took over Lucas-duty so I could change and freshen up for our fantabulous DC Metro Moms party that night. It was so fun--great transportation (Chevy Traverse sponsored it and we all drove to and from in several Traverses), great food, great wine and most importantly, great people. It was so fun to hang out with old friends and meet some of the awesome bloggers I've been reading for months.
Saturday night my friends Summer and Ike got married. Torrential rains (and moving the ceremony from outside on the water to inside) didn't dampen the festivities a bit. I wore this new dress (mine is black, however):
Isn't it beautiful?! I just love it! I'll also wear it to a December wedding (with absolutely no over-lapping guests) so I did splurge on it. But, I just loved wearing it and it was especially fun to dance in--all those little ruffles move a bit! This past week was so busy I didn't think about accessories until about 2 hours before the wedding. I'll definitely need to put more thought into my shoes, jewelry and bag before December.
Sunday night Abel went over to Virginia to see (and buy!) a cute toddler bed for Lucas. We've really been debating what to do about his sleeping situation. At almost-three, Abel feels he should be out of the crib. The problem is that his nursery is quite small and a twin bed wouldn't leave much room. Eventually when we have a second baby Lucas will move into the current guest room to use the current double-bed (so we can kick him out and let guests sleep there when they come). So, I didn't want to buy a twin bed and mattress which he'd use for a (hopefully!) short time in the nursery and I'm certainly not ready to give up the guestroom yet. We saw this adorable cherry (to match his other nursery furniture) toddler bed for $70 on Craigslist and got it for $50. I feel like that is a great solution as the toddler bed fits his current crib mattress and will be easy to store down the road.
Tomorrow is Abel's 34th birthday so I'll be busy baking a cake tonight!
After Lucas woke up, I told him that we were going to gymnastics! He got SO excited. Note: I told him 1 hour before we were supposed to leave (after calling to confirm the building was open and open gym taking place!). The hook was that he had to pee in the potty 2 times before we left. Success! He had an awesome time.
Abel was home when we got back (approx. 5:45pm) and he immediately took over Lucas-duty so I could change and freshen up for our fantabulous DC Metro Moms party that night. It was so fun--great transportation (Chevy Traverse sponsored it and we all drove to and from in several Traverses), great food, great wine and most importantly, great people. It was so fun to hang out with old friends and meet some of the awesome bloggers I've been reading for months.
Saturday night my friends Summer and Ike got married. Torrential rains (and moving the ceremony from outside on the water to inside) didn't dampen the festivities a bit. I wore this new dress (mine is black, however):
Isn't it beautiful?! I just love it! I'll also wear it to a December wedding (with absolutely no over-lapping guests) so I did splurge on it. But, I just loved wearing it and it was especially fun to dance in--all those little ruffles move a bit! This past week was so busy I didn't think about accessories until about 2 hours before the wedding. I'll definitely need to put more thought into my shoes, jewelry and bag before December.Sunday night Abel went over to Virginia to see (and buy!) a cute toddler bed for Lucas. We've really been debating what to do about his sleeping situation. At almost-three, Abel feels he should be out of the crib. The problem is that his nursery is quite small and a twin bed wouldn't leave much room. Eventually when we have a second baby Lucas will move into the current guest room to use the current double-bed (so we can kick him out and let guests sleep there when they come). So, I didn't want to buy a twin bed and mattress which he'd use for a (hopefully!) short time in the nursery and I'm certainly not ready to give up the guestroom yet. We saw this adorable cherry (to match his other nursery furniture) toddler bed for $70 on Craigslist and got it for $50. I feel like that is a great solution as the toddler bed fits his current crib mattress and will be easy to store down the road.
Tomorrow is Abel's 34th birthday so I'll be busy baking a cake tonight!
Friday, October 24, 2008
What a crappy morning
Things that happened before noon today:
1) I woke up and went for a morning walk (4th time this week, thank-you-very-much) so that is a good thing. The only good thing of the morning, actually, because then all the rest of this happened.
2) Lucas head-butted me (a regular occurrence and big problem) and gave me a fat lip.
3) The WSSC (water) people came to install the remote reader and not only were they unable to install it, they tracked mud all through the house.
4) Lucas peed on the couch.
5) Lucas peed on the carpet under the dining room table. Seriously, only like 10 minutes after the previous pee. I knew I shouldn't have blogged about potty training.
Luckily, I have a very fun happy hour to look forward to tonight with the fabulous and amazing DC Metro Moms. Otherwise I just don't think I'd make it through the rest of the day.
1) I woke up and went for a morning walk (4th time this week, thank-you-very-much) so that is a good thing. The only good thing of the morning, actually, because then all the rest of this happened.
2) Lucas head-butted me (a regular occurrence and big problem) and gave me a fat lip.
3) The WSSC (water) people came to install the remote reader and not only were they unable to install it, they tracked mud all through the house.
4) Lucas peed on the couch.
5) Lucas peed on the carpet under the dining room table. Seriously, only like 10 minutes after the previous pee. I knew I shouldn't have blogged about potty training.
Luckily, I have a very fun happy hour to look forward to tonight with the fabulous and amazing DC Metro Moms. Otherwise I just don't think I'd make it through the rest of the day.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Heartbroken
Several months ago (like in March!) I took Lucas to open gymnastics at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex. He loved it. LOVED it. Loved it so much that he asks to go to "nymnastics" often. The problem is that the wacky schedule of open gymnastics often doesn't mesh with my days home. Or, the times are smack-dab in the middle of his nap. So, we've only be there a few times (like twice!).
After our Tuesday morning play date was cancelled I realized that there was open gymnastics so decided we'd go there instead. I told Abel about my plans Monday night but did not intend to tell Lucas until we were there. Just in case. Just in case something went wrong.
Abel, however, had other plans. First thing Tuesday morning he told Lucas I was taking him to gymnastics then promptly left for work. So, I enjoyed approximately 4 hours of Lucas: begging to go to "nymnastics now mama!" "nymnastics, mama?" "MAMA, nymnastics!!!"
L O N G morning indeed.
Finally, it was time to leave. Actually, it wasn't time to leave but we left anyway because walking around outside the complex or watching the older kids in the gymnastics arena certainly had to be more fun than convincing Lucas to play or do something--anything--other than ask about going to gymnastics.
When we arrived the parking lot was suspiciously empty.
When I got Lucas out of the car a truck pulled up. A nice older man told us the whole place was closed...something about a broken pipe.
OH NO.
Lucas was inconsolable. Heartbroken. It was awful. Just awful. Ten solid minutes (which of course felt like 10 solid years) of me just saying "I'm so sorry Lucas" and him crying "NOT BROKEN" "nymnastics NOT broken Mama" "don't say sorry, say yes! nymnastics".
Oh, my darling baby, if only my saying yes would make it so.
Finally I got him back into the car seat and we hightailed it over to a nearby Chick-fil-A. Some time in their playroom, a kids meal and a shared milkshake made everything okay.
We got home and he went down for a nap, probably just as mentally exhausted as physically exhausted. I thought he had gotten over it.
Until he woke up two hours later sobbing: "mama, nymnastics".
After our Tuesday morning play date was cancelled I realized that there was open gymnastics so decided we'd go there instead. I told Abel about my plans Monday night but did not intend to tell Lucas until we were there. Just in case. Just in case something went wrong.
Abel, however, had other plans. First thing Tuesday morning he told Lucas I was taking him to gymnastics then promptly left for work. So, I enjoyed approximately 4 hours of Lucas: begging to go to "nymnastics now mama!" "nymnastics, mama?" "MAMA, nymnastics!!!"
L O N G morning indeed.
Finally, it was time to leave. Actually, it wasn't time to leave but we left anyway because walking around outside the complex or watching the older kids in the gymnastics arena certainly had to be more fun than convincing Lucas to play or do something--anything--other than ask about going to gymnastics.
When we arrived the parking lot was suspiciously empty.
When I got Lucas out of the car a truck pulled up. A nice older man told us the whole place was closed...something about a broken pipe.
OH NO.
Lucas was inconsolable. Heartbroken. It was awful. Just awful. Ten solid minutes (which of course felt like 10 solid years) of me just saying "I'm so sorry Lucas" and him crying "NOT BROKEN" "nymnastics NOT broken Mama" "don't say sorry, say yes! nymnastics".
Oh, my darling baby, if only my saying yes would make it so.
Finally I got him back into the car seat and we hightailed it over to a nearby Chick-fil-A. Some time in their playroom, a kids meal and a shared milkshake made everything okay.
We got home and he went down for a nap, probably just as mentally exhausted as physically exhausted. I thought he had gotten over it.
Until he woke up two hours later sobbing: "mama, nymnastics".
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