We're going to Universal Studios tomorrow for the long weekend. I've got to finish some work stuff before we can go so I'm pulling one of those horrid all nighters. I'm getting closer to being able to go to bed, I hope. I just had to take a quick breather to refresh my mind a bit. If I had any sense at all, I would have put the computer down and not blogged. But apparently, I don't.
Worse than that, I don't even have anything exciting to say.
Its a tough week for my team. We're making a push to release some products before the long weekend. Everyone is mentally on vacation, but we're hanging in there and getting it done. To help with moral, I stopped this morning and picked up two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. They were "Hot Fresh Now. " Yum. They are a Southern tradition and if you've ever been involved in a high school sport or club, you've sold a few dozen or so at a big intersection to raise money for something. We've been talking about having some for weeks now. After yesterday, donuts were definitely in order. My team was appreciative and we had a pleasant morning, temporarily forgetting the nightmare before us. The funny thing is that people came out of the woodwork when they found out that we had Krispy Kreme. I had no idea that I had that many friends in the office. These donuts are literally people magnets. They were coming from every department to see who had the Krispy Kreme donuts. We were glad to share because we certainly aren't stingy and we were feeling a bit sluggish after the initial feast. I'm partial to Dunkin Donuts myself so I must admit that I was a bit surprised by the overwhelming reactions to these hot donuts. Who knew the power these things possessed? I bet these people would have washed my car or babysat my kids to get one of these donuts. I'm thinking if we want to change the World, we just need to mass produce Krispy Kreme donuts. I believe they really are a starting point to World peace.
This will be the name of the parenting book that I am going to write. If I wasn't so darn busy being SuperMom, I'd explain. Luckily, it is pretty much self-explanatory. I think I'll include a DVD with video clips that show examples of exactly how to ensure that your child expects dessert after every meal. Better yet, I'll give seminars with my baby on my hip holding the remote control because he's already decided that it belongs to him. I'd love to elaborate further but I have to go make muffins so that I can bribe my child to get out of bed in the morning ;-).
Is this possible or do you just lose all together?
Ben is on the move and with that everything on the floor goes in his mouth. We're telling Sam on a daily basis that he's got to be more diligent about picking his stuff up off the floor. He listens sporadically these days so I can't depend on him. The area rug in the family room has a lot of color and pattern. The only way to ensure that it is safe for Ben is to vacuum because this baby could find a needle in a haystack blindfolded with one hand tied behind his back. So every night after dinner, I vacuum. And if its small and left on the floor, it gets sucked up. I hate doing this but its lose a toy or risk Ben putting it in his mouth. Sad thing is that I've sucked up at least a dozen Legos at this point and Sam hasn't even noticed. So does doing the best for Ben overrule the toy sacrifice? Will I even get an honorable mention this year? Um, doubtful. I'm sure there's some clause about getting on your hands and knees with a flashlight to save the Legos.
Holy Cow Batman! I can't believe that I forgot to write about this movie. What a weird movie. And I couldn't break away. It was like watching a train wreck. I was morbidly interested and sickened at the same time. It was awesome and awful at the same time. I was sympathetic to Bree, but then confused by everyone's reaction to her. Those really close to her didn't notice she was really a man and others who should have loved her unconditionally were sickened by her. It was sad and odd at the same time. If you haven't seen it, you should.
increase my bust.
Not really, but I have that mantra going through my head. I must, I must, I must blog before bed. Not a whole lot to say, but I can at least say that I did blog today.
Let's see...
1. Got up and even though I've shopped like a lunatic for two weeks now, I did the I've got nothing to wear dance.
2. Got kids dressed, greeted the sitter at the door, and rode off to work in silence. Ahhh, my only me time is my ride to work. And I generally do it without the radio. Not on purpose, but the sad thing is that I don't miss the radio. I'm so into my own thoughts and the quiet that I generally don't notice that the radio isn't on. Pitiful, I know.
3. Worked. Crappy day. Won't go there because I don't want to relive it.
4. Came home, played on the floor with my boys, made a library run, fed the baby, shared a frozen pizza with Sam, got everyone clean and tucked in bed, picked up the house, cruised the Net for too long, and then started to blog.
5. After blogging, going to bed.
Doesn't sound like much, but trust me it was more than enough for one day.
Being totally committed to getting this thing going again, I've just come in from my four hour yard sale. I'm hot, but my pocket is full of cash.
Never Again. Never, never, never again. All together now - NEVER AGAIN.
All in all it was successful and I unloaded a bunch of crap, but two things happened to infuriate me....
1. Can you hold that lawn mower for me? I need to run to the bank and get some cash. I'll be back in 20 minutes. - Never came back and three other people asked about the lawn mower so it was a totally lost sale. If you say you're coming back, then damnit come back. I was being very kind to hold said lawn mower for you. Hell, I don't even know you, but I was being kind so be kind in return.
2. Will you take $2 for this curtain rod? - Um, no. I want the price that's on it or I would have put $2 for it. I put $5 because that's way beyond fair. I paid over $40 for it and if don't want to pay $5 then it won't be yours. But don't offer $2 and then act like I'm not being fair when I say no. I'm committed to $5 and if no one wants to pay me $5 then I'll put it back in my basement. Good Dog, you could have offered $4 and I probably would have said yes, but don't insult me with $2. It just don't work that way.
Trying to get this thing going again...
1. My kids - (WOW. I still can't believe that word is plural. Every time I say it out loud, I freak just a little bit inside even though its been almost eight months. The "s" sound on the end of that word sounds so grown up. Like when did I grow up?!?!) They are both the neatest, coolest little dudes I know. They are funny, sweet, incredibly handsome, and growing up WAY too fast.
2. My husband - Ed is my fav-o-rite husband. Well he is my only husband, but I'm sure if I had multiple husbands, he'd be numero uno. He's just the right amount of supportive, considerate, generous, and asshole all at the same time. Most of the time, he knows just what I need even if it isn't what I want. He thinks that I should have all the clothes and shoes that I want and he doesn't think that Ann Taylor is too expensive. That alone makes him the World's Best Husband. I realize that I'm a spoiled brat and he does too, but he really doesn't seem to mind. Everyday, he makes life totally interesting even if it is in some body function disgusting humor kind of way.
3. My house - This is my third house. Each was brand new and we picked out all the goodies, but this one truly has my heart. I loved that last two, but with each I kept dreaming of the next one. I can honestly say that I'm not even looking at new homes. I L.O.V.E. this house. Its mine for keeps.
4. Baby Einstein - When a girl needs a shower or five minutes to blog, this stuff does the trick. I swear its like Baby Crack and all he has to do is hear the first note and he whips his head in the direction of the TV so fast its scary. If in ten years they discover that these DVDs cause kids to become serial killers, this boy is in trouble because he's getting a daily dose. Its horrible I know, but he's in the attached at the hip stage and a girl's gotta shower, ya know?
5. Netflix - Who knew that having movies delivered to your home could be so much fun? I kept holding on to that Blockbuster card and was way too chicken to make the switch, but once the movies started showing up at my mailbox, I was a believer. Netflix is tons of fun and none of the work.
6. Diet Dr. Pepper - I swear this stuff tastes just like real Dr. Pepper. I don't even realize that I'm drinking a Diet drink and God knows that I HATE Diet drinks. I'm only allowing myself one a day because I'm still nursing, but when the breastfeeding ends I'm going to drown myself in it.
7. Coach - Anyone whose ever owned one knows exactly why this one makes my list. I feel stylish and they last even when you're dragging around two kids. And when people see me on the street, they think I've got it together. They have no idea that the bottom of my handbag is filled with old Cheerios.
8. Wireless Networks - I'm all about working, but from the comfort of my couch thankyouverymuch.
9. TiVo - Love is being able to watch the Sopranos or What Not To Wear on my own schedule. Need I say more?
10. My Blackberry - Hated, hated, hated the idea of getting one. I was NEVER going to be one of those tied to email kind of people. But when "that thing" was finally thrust upon me, I was truly transformed. Never has a gadget changed my life as much as this little jewel. I always feel like I know what the heck is going on. I'm organized, connected, efficient, and reachable wherever I am. What I thought would tie me down, gave me freedom like I didn't know was possible.
Just saw a teen at the gas station with a ring of hickies around his neck. All the way around his neck. Gag:
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld
We took Sam to a birthday party in November at which the party favor was a goldfish. I'm still plotting revenge on this friend by the way. Next time her kid comes to my house he is leaving my house with a hamster or better yet a Siamese cat. They are "dog" people and consider us to be "cat" people. Anyway, this goldfish lived on top of our refrigerator in a very small glass bowl until Christmas when Santa took pity on the poor thing and delivered a Spongebob Aquarium to our house. $30 gets you a plastic 1.5 gallon tank and a really small air pump. Essentially, it is a big fish bowl that bubbles with a Bikini Bottom backdrop. Totally cheesy.
So after reading the instructions and assembling the tubing and pump, Goldie has a new home. A week later, I take Sam (with baby in tow) to Petco. We get another goldfish that's silver with orange specks who gets the name Orangey and a skinny little fish that gets the name Ready. I spent a grand total of $0.42. Sam was delighted.
A week later Organey is floating. CRAP. Ed and I scramble to remove him from the tank and we decide to flush him. Great. Sam doesn't notice and we think we're in the clear. That is until bedtime when we tell Sam to go to the bathroom before getting in bed. You guessed it. Goldie didn't flush and Sam sees him floating in the toilet. So an impromptu discussion of fish Heaven ensues and the tears finally stop. Two days later, Ready floats and gets flushed. This time we watched to be sure he actually went down the toilet. It takes Sam two days to notice that he is down to one fish. To ease the pain, we offer to take him to get a couple more fish. At this point, my friend informs me that all the left over "party favors" died weeks ago so I'm thinking that we can't be that bad of fish parents as Goldie is still alive. We decide that maybe we are over feeding them and do some research on the proper amount of food.
A trip to Petsmart produces three new fish. We decided to go to a different store just in case the fish at Petco were somehow inferior. We spend way too much time picking out fish so that each fish looks totally different. This time I spend $0.92 and we don't name the fish. We now have the original solid goldfish, a silver one with gold specks, a gold one with a black tail, and a black one with gold spots. In Sam's mind, fish are now disposable pets and even asks on the way home if these die can he get more. Great.
Weeks go by and I think we're doing a really good job because everyone looks healthy and active. Almost daily, Ed and I discuss the fish and how they are doing. We think we're feeding them the right amount and we're changing their water weekly. We even made a special trip to Petsmart for water conditioner to remove the chlorine. Nothing is too good for our little fish. We're invested in these little creatures and Sam could care less. Until Tuesday, when the first one died. Then Wednesday, the original fish and a third fish died. And then yesterday, the last fish died. Tonight when Sam went to bed, he asked me that when we go to get more fish, could I ask the store owner how to keep them alive. Honey, I've decided that there will be no more fish. I've got too much going on these days to have the added pressure of trying to keep goldfish alive. While I don't buy into the "cat" people label, we definitely aren't "fish" people.
emailed me to tell me that I haven't updated my blog in 2 weeks! I know I said that I'd try really hard to keep it updated, but give a girl a break ;-).
Anyway...
Work is going OK. Ben is doing well with my SIL and barely seems to notice the few hours he is away from me. Whew. So far so good. But it is 7:10pm and its only 50 minutes until my bedtime. Yes, I go to bed at 8pm. Yawn. I get up with Ben 2-3 times a night and then get up at 5:30am. It is a fast and furious morning but the afternoons are free with my boys.
This morning I kissed Sam goodbye and was struck by the fact that his features are maturing. He no longer has baby features. He nose, his cheeks, his lips are all childlike. I can't believe it. Maybe its because I'm looking at Ben, but when did my first baby grow up? I can't believe he will be six on Saturday.
My birthday was uneventful. Sam wanted to make me a cake which meant I had to bake a cake. Within minutes he was on to something else and I was left to bake the cake alone. He came back in time to frost and then sprinkle with some candy. Then he was so proud of the cake he made. Um, excuse me, frosting does not a cake make. I can't wait until the last of the cake is gone. Because I'm nursing, I'm not dieting but I'm trying to eat smart so these last couple of baby pounds will drop off. I'm back in my regular clothes but I'm 35 now so these pounds need to come off now or they never will.
So this just turned out to be a post about nothing. Maybe tomorrow I'll say something more entertaining.
its off to work I go.
I went to the office yesterday to resign. Said what I wanted to say and expected to hear "Don't let the door hit in the a$$ on the way out." Instead, I was asked to think about other options first and call back tomorrow. So I went home more confused.
Two hours later, my dotted-line boss calls to tell me that 8-1 Monday thru Thursday would be great if I could commit to that. The person who has been doing my Project Management duties would get a promotion and continue handling those details. I would still keep my title and do all the product planning and communication. Oh and still manage the outsource gig.
Ed and I discussed it and I talked to my SIL about watching Ben. We all got our ducks in a row and I'm pretty happy with the arrangement. So I'll start on Monday. Wish me luck. I'm fairly confident I can pull this off. I'll only work 20 hours a week, I won't be away from Ben too long, and when I'm home, I won't be working at all. I may cry a little the first couple of days, but I'm sure my mornings will fly by. And best of all, my afternoons will be free for my boys.
Ior are breastfeeding supplies and accessories WAY over priced?
I just returned from Babies R Us where I spent almost $300 on a single pump, sterilizing stuff, and storage bags. The pump is the Avent Uno and I had to get something to keep up my supply if I have to return to the office to work out a notice when I resign. The only pump I've ever had luck with is the Isis so I hope the Uno works for me. I just don't think the Isis would be enough if we're separated for more than one feeding. When Sam was a baby, I purchased an Ameda pump and I had no luck with it whatsoever. I've got a supply in the freezer so Ben's covered, I just don't want my supply to dip.
Anyway, back to my gripe. This pump couldn't have cost more than $10 to make, but yet they charge $150. It better be worth it. Its like they know you won't be spending money on formula so in comparison, it is still cheaper to breastfeed even if you had to invest in some hardware and supplies. I hope this isn't true, but I feel a bit put out right now. I can't bring myself to open it because once you open the box, its nonreturnable.
A few days ago while looking for my film camera, I found a book called Simple Steps in my bedside table. I don't remember buying it but the intro says that the authors were on Oprah a few times so I'm sure I saw the show and then purchased the book. I'm not really one to make New Year's resolutions but this book seems kind of cool so I thought I'd give it a try.
Each week has four simple steps that help you get control of your health, weight, home, and spirit. At the end of ten weeks, my mind will no longer be "a cluttered mess of worries, wishes, and chores that I can't keep track of." I'm trying not to be too cynical and give it my best shot.
The first week requires that I walk 20 minutes, drink 64oz of water, and save $2 everyday. It also requires that I clean out one drawer or closet each week. Today is my official start. I cleaned out the junk drawer in the kitchen without a whole lot of success. There were so many little odds and ends in the drawer that I didn't know what to do with. I didn't want to get discouraged so I moved on to the coat closet. It has become the place we put things we were too lazy to put in their proper place or we didn't really know where to put it. I was able to really clear the clutter and it really did make me feel good. There was tons of stuff that didn't really belong in this closet that I was able to put away. I got rid of some stuff we no longer needed and really got the closet in shape. I keep opening the closet to look inside. It really does make me feel good to see it in order.
I haven't walked yet, but I'm going to go knock that task out right now.
I keep telling everyone that Ben looks just like Sam so I thought I'd take some time to post some pictures to prove it.
I give you The Clones -
Samuel - (Sorry for the poor quality. I only had a 1M camera at the time. Boy, technology and the price of digital cameras sure has changed in 6 years.)
Benjamin -
Ok, may not exact clones, but definitely similar :->
I'm hoping this works -
Loved these pictures and hadn't had time to post them previously.
First day of school - Sam
Sam and Mom - First day of school (Mom 7 months pregnant)
Fall T-Ball. He was really good. So much better than he was in the Spring. He looks so small in this picture - sniff.
Halloween - I sent Ed out to take his picture with his Pumpkin. I envisioned him sitting on the steps next to the pumpkin. Obviously Sam had other ideas. Ed showed me this picture the next morning after Benjamin was born. I LMAO. This is so Sam.
Some serious size difference -
Look what I caught him trying to do! He couldn't figure out how to get out. Instead of helping him, I ran for the camera.
Hey what are you looking at?!?!
Benjamin - 9 weeks.
Its not the best picture, but I caught a smile. I love the way his eyes sparkle.
