Valentine's Day Preparations

Valentine's Day is fast approaching! It's a holiday I've always loved, even more so since my first Valentine's Day with Abel (which I blogged about last year). I'm still brainstorming my idea for this year's handmade card for him. Last year's ended up pretty cute. I traced my hand and Lucas's hand and cut them out. Then, I glued their "wrists" to the back of a flat note card so that they came around the front where I intertwined the fingers to "close" the note. There was a message from Lucas and me on the inside. I certainly don't strive for perfection with these cards--the cheesier and more homemade looking, the better!

Tomorrow Lucas and I will be "writing" out some Valentine notes to send to our far-away family members. Before Christmas I ordered 10 of these caricature note cards from VistaPrint. (A site I learned about from A Parent in Silver Spring: they offer all these great products for free, you just pay shipping!) Since I already had enough Christmas cards, I turned them into Valentine's Day cards!


If you are planning on sending out electronic Valentine messages, you can make your own personalized candy hearts (like mine above) here.

Abel noticed me cherry picking my favorite candy heart colors last night. I eat the white, yellow and green first. I'm neutral on orange but really dislike the pink and purple. How about you?

Grace in Small Things, Week 1

I've been really enjoying Susan at Friday Playdate's Grace in Small Things posts, an idea she got from Schmutzie. (Follow that?) The challenge is to write down 5 things each day that have graced your life. I really like this idea because I believe it is so easy to not notice the many, many small graces that we encounter each day. So, I'm jumping in. Except, I'm a month late. And, I don't think I an commit to posting each day so I'll commit to posting a list each week.

Here's my first list.

1. A warm day in February. It was 50 degrees on Sunday, the first day of February and I was outside for a good chunk of the day to enjoy it.

2. Abel getting home from work early on Tuesday. (I wonder if 6pm would be considered early, on time or late in other parts of the country!)

3. Wednesday's light dusting of snow and Lucas stomping around in his boots thoroughly enjoying it while I brushed off the car before dropping him off at daycare and heading to work.

4. No bake cookies. Whipping up a batch of my ultimate comfort food. (Actually half a batch because I was almost out of sugar and knew I'd eat 90% of them myself!)

5. Sisters. My wonderful sister and being able to offer just a small bit of comfort to my friend Katie on the anniversary of her sister's death.

Favorite Things Friday: Royal Doulton Provence Noir Dishes

My dishes are one of my favorite things! I adore them so much, I can't believe it has taken until my 14th Favorite Things Friday to write about my Royal Doulton Provence Noir dishes.

Aren't they beautiful?

When I was in high school, my aunt bequeathed two place settings of a truly lovely antique china pattern to me. Over the years, I've collected these from antique stores and dream someday of having a complete set. When we got married, I couldn't exactly register for them because they can only be found at antique stores, ebay and Replacements, Ltd. Instead, Abel and I decided to register for fancier everyday dishes. Abel had a definite opinion about our dishes (much to my dismay!) and these were a set we could both agree on. I couldn't be happier with the choice! These are especially perfect because they are sturdy enough for every day and yet dressy enough that I can set a really beautiful table with them.

The only problem is that I only have 8 sets (and due to my clumsy nature only 7 dinner plates). Normally, of course, that is a fine quantity. But, when I entertain it just doesn't cut it. I'd love several additional place settings, but would settle for even just a few more dinner plates. Perhaps I'll buy myself some for our anniversary in May!

Why I can never be a letter carrier and other things that tire you out

So Sunday afternoon I delivered about 100 fliers for an upcoming town forum. We divide the town into 19 routes and flier the whole town for this annual event. I was going strong for the first half hour. But, holy batman, my town is chock full of hills and many, many steps leading to front doors. The total route was only about 4 full blocks (the entire way around each block) but it took almost 2 hours of very steady walking/climbing. By the end I was exhausted. And came to the conclusion that I could never be a letter carrier. (Or, if I were, I'd be dead for the first few weeks but then would probably get into amazing shape.) Seriously, as of yesterday, I was still limping around. Luckily, Abel suggested I grab my ipod on the way out the door so I got to listen to two great episodes of This American Life, one of my most favorite things.

Yesterday Lucas and I went to Pump It Up's open gym, upon the advice of Jessica at A Parent in Silver Spring. It was really fun! Lucas went crazy and took a solid 2.5 hour nap when we got home. I'd pay $7 for a 2.5 hour nap any day! I did get rather annoyed at one of the moms there. She had one child who was, I'd guess, 12-14 months old. Definitely a little too young for most of the equipment. But, she was in the jumper, etc. going crazy. Yes, the adults can certainly have fun and enjoy, too. But, come on. Don't let your personal entertainment/exercise get in the way of my kid's fun and safety.

Overall, I think that the Tuesday open gymnastics at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complexr (which I really need to write a full review on) is a better experience. But, their time slot is 11:30am-12:30pm and Lucas is always extremely tired/cranky by the time we get home. This open play at Pump it Up, in contrast, is 10am-11:30am which means we're home and eating by noon and that makes a world of difference for Lucas.

Whew!

25 Things About Me

Jumping on the bandwagon...

1. I am a very lucky person. Items I’ve won include (but are not limited to): an all-expense paid trip for two to LA, including concert, limos, and fancy meals; $1,000 cash; a month of Boot Camp for Women; countless movie tickets; 4 tickets to a concert of my choice plus limo ride to/from; a year-long membership to SitterCity; and many more miscellaneous things I can’t even remember. Because of this, I often assume I will win contests and am disappointed when I don’t.

2. I write with my left hand but do almost everything else right-handed.

3. I’ve met President Clinton twice; and, Al Gore and Hillary Clinton each once. I will be looking for opportunities to meet President Obama during the next eight (yes, eight!) years.

4. It gives me a great thrill to have typed the words “President Obama” above.

5. Almost every boss I’ve ever had has hired me again or has tried to hire me again.

6. I am quickly becoming addicted to social media: Facebook, blogs and Twitter.

7. I met my husband because we lived together in a group house. My friends get a kick out of the fact that I “lived with” him before we were married.

8. The first time I flew, I was 13 and flew alone from Dulles to Frankfurt, Germany. I saved up every penny of my $600 plane ticket by babysitting my butt off for two years. I was in Europe for 3 weeks visiting my then-best friend.

9. I studied Tae Kwon Do for 7 years and was one belt away from becoming a Black Belt before I quit. I hope to get back to it one day. I broke boards with my hands and feet. It was an amazing feeling.

10. I can not read lips. Don't even try. I can not understand you.

11. I have officially become a Buckeye’s fan since meeting and marrying Abel. I even root for them against Penn State now. (Sorry, Dad.)

12. Writing this list is much harder than anticipated.

13. My lucky number is “2” (see above). Maybe it will work for you, too.

14. I am not very good at arithmetic and, to practice and challenge myself, try to add up the numbers on license plates as quickly as possible.

15. Despite this daily practice, I often still use my fingers to add.

16. I’ve only ever lived in two states: Pennsylvania and Maryland. (DC is not a state.)

17. Efficiency is very important to me. With each task, I try to do it the most efficient way possible. In my line of work (fundraising) you stuff a lot of letters. I believe I do this in the most efficient way possible and get annoyed when my co-workers do not listen to my advice to improve their own technique. I wonder if I will ever be at a stage in my life when I no longer have to stuff letters. (Most likely not.)

18. I started working at my sister’s university during her sophomore year. Every time I walked across campus, I would look for her. I continued to do this after she graduated. It was really fun to work there while she was a student.

19. I checked the website of that university every day for months looking for a job opening that was a good fit for me because I wanted to get an MBA there for free. It was one of the smartest financial moves I’ve ever made.

20. I truly believe I saw a ghost one night during my freshman year in college when a group of us were prowling the halls of our 110 year old building in the middle of the night. (Hey, it was a women’s college; what else were we going to do?)

21. I love public speaking. Love it! In fact, I would like to have the opportunity to do it more often.

22. I am very competitive. I try to hide this fact. I’m afraid I don’t hide it very well.

23. I’m addicted to Diet Coke and am trying to cut back.

24. I was in labor with Lucas for 9 hours before I mentioned it to anyone, including Abel. When I told him that it was time to go to the hospital he first showered, packed his bag (which was supposed to have been packed already) and took out the trash. He’s lucky I didn’t kill him.

25. For approximately 3 days in May 2008, I thought I had cancer (the doctors did, too). I believe it may have been a miracle that the biopsy of my lymph node came back completely clear.

Mommy Triage

I'm over at DC Metro Moms today writing about laundry. Well, a little more than laundry. Laundry being deep. Both literally and metaphorically deep. Read it here.

Mommy Triage

The situation in my laundry room reached a critical state several days ago. By this morning I had to literally walk across a floor covered by least one foot of laundry to reach the washer.

It was time to triage.

Sheets, blankets and towels: low priority. Everything of my son's, though possibly the most dirty items in the room, could also wait. After all, thanks to an abundance of hand-me-downs and generous grandparents, he has more clothes than my husband and me combined. You know where I'm going here: underwear. Underwear had to be at the top of the list. Unless, that is, if we wanted to go commando tomorrow.

Triage.

Merriam-Webster defines triage as:

1 a: the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients and especially battle and disaster victims according to a system of priorities designed to maximize the number of survivors b: the sorting of patients (as in an emergency room) according to the urgency of their need for care
2: the assigning of priority order to projects on the basis of where funds and other resources can be best used, are most needed, or are most likely to achieve success.

Triage.

While I know there are times that we feel like we are dealing with battles and disasters, I think the second definition is most applicable here. I mean, isn't that what moms--and some dads, too--do every moment of every day?

Two kids are crying. Which one needs you the most or is most likely to be comforted quickly allowing you to move on to the next? The bills are due but you don't have enough money to pay everything now. Which can be pushed back a week or two? Clean the house or get on the (dirty) floor and play with your child? Which will have the best long-term reward?

There are never enough resources--time, money, energy, even hands--to accomplish everything we need to do each hour, day or week. I think that often, without even realizing it, most moms are mentally performing triage on daily life. I know I am.


Original post to DC Metro Moms. When Aimee Olivo isn't ignoring doing laundry. She blogs at www.smilingmama.blogspot.com.

Comments

Stimey said...
This is a great post. That is exactly what we do every day!

amy said...
Hi-I was hoping you could spread the word about this great opportunity. Freelance writing about shopping in the DC area. Thanks

Do you love Shopping?
Examiner.com, DC Edition is looking for local Shoppers to contribute to our online edition as local Examiners. If you love Shopping and are passionate about writing we would love to have you as a writer. We are looking for writers to focus on 20 different diverse shopping and retail topics
You can provide useful information while promoting yourself or your business. If you have a desire to provide your local community with useful information about a subject you love, then the team at Examiner.com would like to speak with you!
Examiner.com is rapidly becoming the online destination for local information, news and events in 60 major markets across the country. Examiners are local people with useful knowledge to share. This is not a full-time job, you decide how much you want to write and what you want to write about. One of the best parts about being an Examiner is where and how you work. You can work from your home office, an internet café or just about anywhere else with an internet connection.
If you are interested please email amy@fitzdrakesearch.com and I’ll give you the information you need to apply.
YOU MUST INDICATE DC IN YOUR REPLY

Diana Funk said in reply to amy ...
This is really inappropriate. What about a comment for Aimee's funny post?

Ames T. Philips said in reply to amy ...
Amy,

Please stop shilling your "opportunity" like this. This is not the appropriate venue for that.

Ames

FishyGirl said...
Absolutely. Every second of every day. You know what? I can't NOT do it. My laundry MUST be sorted or I can't do it. Whereas my husband, when he does laundry, just kinda throws in whatever's on top, so we end up with a clean blanket and a bunch of dish towels, but no underwear. Great post.

Mom on the Run said...
Laundry pile...I mean laundry floor. That's it I'll leave all laundry on the floor and then call it the floor. We'll use what clothes we have left. Kind of like in Henry the VIIIth's time where everyone would throw bones and trash on the floor and then servants would put a lyaer of straw on top.

Jessica McFadden said...
I can completely relate. You just described my laundry...and my life!


Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!