I really like my house. I truly do. I love the openness of the layout, the small yard, and my bathroom. It fits my personality. There are many things I'd like to change, though.
I want to plant a satsuma tree in the backyard. I want the master bath to have a shower instead of just a bath. I wish the boys had a bunk bed and the other room could function as a playroom/guest room. I want the old desktop out of the living room and to rearrange the space so that the tv goes where the fireplace currently sits. I want nice, effective shades and window treatments. I need two new lamps and a dresser in the bedroom. I need two new stools in the kitchen, as well as a nice storage piece for desk supplies (either a roll top desk or an anitque piece). We need to do something about some flooring problems (that we hope aren't foundation problems), need to deal with the siding on one side of the house, and need to buy a new front door. The bedroom and Ander's bedroom need new paint jobs. We need a new comforter set in my bedroom. In short, there's a list of improvements that would make our home perfect.
Except...
There's the commute. It's too long to get home in the afternoon. Once Ander has school events, the commute will be really crazy. Also, we really could use more space. We can deal with the space we have now, with the right storage pieces...but we don't have the right storage pieces.
So what do we do? Move? Stay? The problem is that I worry about moving because of the higher cost of a house in the city. But I don't want to make unnecessary improvements on our house if we are moving. At the same time, I really want a shower. And a tree. And a bunk bed. I feel like I'm in limbo, not spending anything on this house, thinking we need to save it all for a move that may or may not happen.
It's annoying that we only have one working bar stool. The lack of lamp on Alan's side of the bed drives me crazy. The big table in my living room shatters the peace of the room. The sunlight needs to be blocked.
I need to find patience, I guess. But if you know me, you know that's not my gift.
Etcetera.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Saving the Earth
I do a few ecofriendly things. I use reusable bags about 90% of the time these days. When I do get plastic bags, I reuse them (mostly for stinky diapers). I try to unplug the computer at night. I turn off lights in rooms where we don't need light. I use the fancy foreverish lightbulbs.
But, really, I suck about being environmentally conscience. A lot of it is about keeping peace in my household. It doesn't mean much to my husband to recycle or unplug unused appliances, so he protests the very idea. Some of it is about time. Time is so limited around here that adding anything to my to do list sounds a bit, well, crazy.
But I keep thinking about energy, especially with the oil spill, and I realize that I need to do something. And let's face reality - it won't be giving up my 65 degree a/c setting. So I think I really will designate one of our two trash cans for recycling. Once it is full, we'll just use the other one and toss that stuff, so I don't have old food containers lying around. (My OCD is still stronger than my environmentalist calling and old trash is very OCD inducing.) Now, how to convince the hubby?
Etcetera.
But, really, I suck about being environmentally conscience. A lot of it is about keeping peace in my household. It doesn't mean much to my husband to recycle or unplug unused appliances, so he protests the very idea. Some of it is about time. Time is so limited around here that adding anything to my to do list sounds a bit, well, crazy.
But I keep thinking about energy, especially with the oil spill, and I realize that I need to do something. And let's face reality - it won't be giving up my 65 degree a/c setting. So I think I really will designate one of our two trash cans for recycling. Once it is full, we'll just use the other one and toss that stuff, so I don't have old food containers lying around. (My OCD is still stronger than my environmentalist calling and old trash is very OCD inducing.) Now, how to convince the hubby?
Etcetera.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
The Summer Camp Shuffle
Wow, summer camp sure is hard work for the parents. On the plus side, Ander seems pretty happy with it. He still doesn't like getting dropped off in the morning, mostly because he prefers to sleep in and watch movies all day (a la daddy ;)), but he gets an extra 15 minutes of precious sleep in the morning. ('Course, mommy sucks at math, since his bedtime is still between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. and he doesn't get a nap at summer camp...sigh. Perhaps that explains the whiney and the stupids and the obstinates?)
But each day is different and everything is carried by my skinny, weakling of a nerdy kid. (Apologies to child-who-will-not-be-named in the future, should he ever read this, for the nerdy shout out. Surely, he will grow into a cool, strong, manly man.) (Maybe.) Lunch box, complete with two snacks, lunch, utensils, drinks, and ice packs. Ice packs that, I might note surily, have to be refrozen every night and once exploded in a sticky blue cloud in his lunch box. Backpack, with spare clothes and sunscreen every day. Water bottle, with ice. And purple lanyard for carrying it, with pink and baby blue paisleys. Yep, HIS choice.
On Mondays, he needs a bathing suit and towel, labeled with his name. He'll need it again on Wednesday, and we have to wash it in between, because he only owns one suit. It seems silly to buy two suits just to swim twice a week. Well, it SOUNDED silly until each Tuesday night, around 9 p.m., when mommy says, "oh shit! His suit is wet and dirty." {rolls eyes at own genius}
Tuesdays are field trip days. Not only does lunch need to be lighter for carrying on the bus, but he MUST wear his purple shirt, or they don't let him go. And he MUST be there on time. Note that, in my household, purple and red is an entire laundry category. If we would have skipped that batch of clothes, we cannot now.
On each Wednesday, we have to pay $5 cash pizza fee, which sucks because we get out cash on Thursdays, and never in $5 increments from the drive-though $10, $20 or $50 bills only cash machine. Plus, he needs a separate check for tuition.
Friday is sometimes, but not always, theme day. This week? Safari. What do we wear? An elephant nose? It has to be cool and comfortable, so probably a green t-shirt. Because as you know, grass is green. A+ parenting!
Alan does drop-off and pickup, added an extra special layer of fun. He forgets things and gets stressed, so while my darling husband is KING of doing the laundry and dishes (bless him...and I don't mean that sarcastically), I pack everything. I leave for work before he does, so I leave a DAILY list (sunscreen on kid, lunch from frig (dry stuff is already packed in lunch box), backpack, and water bottle) plus a daily list (swimsuit, towel, $5 cash for pizza, check for tuition). I prepack the lunch box and unpack it when he gets home. I have an area of the counter prepared for child's stuff. I am organized like crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. And they locked me in a little rubber room. There where daily and weekly lists in that room. Daily and weekly lists make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once...
Etcetera.
But each day is different and everything is carried by my skinny, weakling of a nerdy kid. (Apologies to child-who-will-not-be-named in the future, should he ever read this, for the nerdy shout out. Surely, he will grow into a cool, strong, manly man.) (Maybe.) Lunch box, complete with two snacks, lunch, utensils, drinks, and ice packs. Ice packs that, I might note surily, have to be refrozen every night and once exploded in a sticky blue cloud in his lunch box. Backpack, with spare clothes and sunscreen every day. Water bottle, with ice. And purple lanyard for carrying it, with pink and baby blue paisleys. Yep, HIS choice.
On Mondays, he needs a bathing suit and towel, labeled with his name. He'll need it again on Wednesday, and we have to wash it in between, because he only owns one suit. It seems silly to buy two suits just to swim twice a week. Well, it SOUNDED silly until each Tuesday night, around 9 p.m., when mommy says, "oh shit! His suit is wet and dirty." {rolls eyes at own genius}
Tuesdays are field trip days. Not only does lunch need to be lighter for carrying on the bus, but he MUST wear his purple shirt, or they don't let him go. And he MUST be there on time. Note that, in my household, purple and red is an entire laundry category. If we would have skipped that batch of clothes, we cannot now.
On each Wednesday, we have to pay $5 cash pizza fee, which sucks because we get out cash on Thursdays, and never in $5 increments from the drive-though $10, $20 or $50 bills only cash machine. Plus, he needs a separate check for tuition.
Friday is sometimes, but not always, theme day. This week? Safari. What do we wear? An elephant nose? It has to be cool and comfortable, so probably a green t-shirt. Because as you know, grass is green. A+ parenting!
Alan does drop-off and pickup, added an extra special layer of fun. He forgets things and gets stressed, so while my darling husband is KING of doing the laundry and dishes (bless him...and I don't mean that sarcastically), I pack everything. I leave for work before he does, so I leave a DAILY list (sunscreen on kid, lunch from frig (dry stuff is already packed in lunch box), backpack, and water bottle) plus a daily list (swimsuit, towel, $5 cash for pizza, check for tuition). I prepack the lunch box and unpack it when he gets home. I have an area of the counter prepared for child's stuff. I am organized like crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once. And they locked me in a little rubber room. There where daily and weekly lists in that room. Daily and weekly lists make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once...
Etcetera.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Sign Language
We sign a lot with Loki. The director of his preschool has two deaf children, and she clearly signs with him, too. Lately, he's been putting signs together to tell us what he wants - like little sentences. It's really nice. Even though he is talking more and more since the tubes were put in, it's much easier to communicate in sign language. I really hope we keep doing it. With Ander, we slacked off, and now he barely knows any sign language at all.
I am trying to teach Ander the fingerspelling alphabet. I figure it's a fun way to practice spelling words. Now that he is 4 (yes, 4!!!), he is starting to get the idea that letters spell words, and, even better, that only certain letters in a certain order spell words.
Now, if I could just improve hubby's communication skills! LMAO.
Etcetera.
I am trying to teach Ander the fingerspelling alphabet. I figure it's a fun way to practice spelling words. Now that he is 4 (yes, 4!!!), he is starting to get the idea that letters spell words, and, even better, that only certain letters in a certain order spell words.
Now, if I could just improve hubby's communication skills! LMAO.
Etcetera.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Down Time
I'm home sick with the flu. No doubt I'll be home tomorrow with two kids sick with the flu, but until and unless that happens, it's just me. I seriously don't know what to do with myself. My house is a mess, and I want to clean up, but I'm too sick. I run out of breath. So I'm stuck watching tv or reading. And, well, while this sounds like fun, it's actually quite sucky.
Also, I sort of really like my job {ducks and hides from the haters} and I find myself checking my blackberry every two seconds, which means I can't even sleep. I sense the vibrate from the other room!
Most people would give anything for three days off, paid, yes? I am bored out of my mind. Plus, I feel icky.
Etcetera.
Also, I sort of really like my job {ducks and hides from the haters} and I find myself checking my blackberry every two seconds, which means I can't even sleep. I sense the vibrate from the other room!
Most people would give anything for three days off, paid, yes? I am bored out of my mind. Plus, I feel icky.
Etcetera.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Cheapest, Simplest, Best Organizing and Time Management Thing I Ever Did
Well, besides a calendar/planner. Everyone, even a SAHM, needs a good portable calendar and to do list. But, besides having a planner (in my case, right now, my blackberry, though I am torn about whether it's the best planner for me right now), the best organizing thing I ever did was to invest in reusable shopping bags.
Invest is perhaps an inaccurate word. I gathered together all of the cheap totes that I had gotten over the years - the bag that I good at the baby expo I went to when I was pregnant, the computer logo bag my dad brought back from some conference, and a cheapo tote I bought when I used to go to Jazzercise. (Oh, how I miss Jazzercise, but I simply have no babysitter or time.) I supplemented with 100% recyclable bags from Old Navy for $0.99 each, but Wal-mart sells the same thing for $0.50 each nowadays. (Nowadays is such an old lady from South Louisiana thing to say. :))
I've explained this process before, but it's such a time saver that it is worth explaining again. Humor me...I'm a personal organization nerd.
The bags go in the trunk of my car. Actually, they hang on a special hook so they don't actually take up valuable stroller storage space. When I shop, I bring the bags and load them up as I walk through the store. One carries items that go to parts of my house other than the frig, freezer, and pantry (like toiletries, coffee supplies since coffee is keep under the kitchen window and not in the pantry, and baby wipes). Another carries pantry items. Sometimes, that takes two bags, but when it does, it's a good reminder that, perhaps, I am purchasing too much processed crap and not enough good for me stuff, like fruits and veggies. One bag is for our weekly two gallons of milk for the boys. Another carries frig/freezer stuff. Sometimes, I need two bags for that, too. I do get plastic bags on occassion, for lining small trash cans and getting rid of extra stinky diapers, by using plastic bags for the bread and the eggs, so they are obvious when unloading and don't get squished, and sometimes when I forget to bring my recycle bags into the store. {blushes} Honestly, I almost always remember the bags now, though.
When I check out, I unload one bag, then put the bag itself right in front of the stuff that I want loaded in it. Next bag, followed by the stuff I want in that bag. Then I put the next bag down, followed by the stuff, and so on. It sort of forces the cashier to load the bags just like I like them.
The bags are so much easier to carry, load into the car, and unload, so hubby doesn't need to help like he used to. 10 bags of groceries suddenly becomes 4 or 5! And, because they are sorted already, when I get home, I can ask hubby to put the milk and frig stuff away, while I unload the other two bags. It is quick and efficient. The empty bags go on my launchpad (with my purse and other essentials), to go back into my truck the next time I leave the house. A chip clip, binder clip, or other magnetic clip given out for free at some lawyer conference stays attached to the outside bag (as I store them inside of themselves) holds a grocery/shopping list to the bag.
I would say these bags easily save me a good 15 - 20 minutes per shopping trip. Also, because they make it really easy to designate what gets unloaded where, it makes it much easier to share the unloading chore, or, if I am doing it myself, unload only the important stuff (frig/freezer stuff), get the boys involved in something (a snack and a cartoon, maybe?), and then unload everything else.
These really cheap bags also come in handy for tons of other stuff. For example, on Mondays, I bring the boys each a clean blanket to preschool and I bring Loki more diapers and wipes. Cheapo bag to the rescue. I don't bring lunch daily (since I have lunch meetings or am out of the office about 3 days a week), but when I do - cheapo bag. Boys going spend the night with grandma? Cheapo bag for clothes and sippy cups. Going to a friend's potluck? Cheapo bag holds a soft drink and appetizer. If I lose one, so what? They were free or $0.50! I even use them around the house. I'll sort Ander's toys/clothes/crap into one, Loki's stuff into another, stuff that goes to the closet into another, and stuff that goes into my car into another. Then I deliver the stuff (having Ander unpack and put away his own, of course). Library books go into one bag for returns. Workout clothes go into a bag for a quick afterwork run. (Okay, that one is TOTALLY theory. Hush.)
Seriously, if you do one thing to organizing, gather up some totes and start using them for shopping and any other purpose you can think of. Then share your ideas with me. 'Cause I'm that kind of nerdy bag lady.
Etcetera.
Invest is perhaps an inaccurate word. I gathered together all of the cheap totes that I had gotten over the years - the bag that I good at the baby expo I went to when I was pregnant, the computer logo bag my dad brought back from some conference, and a cheapo tote I bought when I used to go to Jazzercise. (Oh, how I miss Jazzercise, but I simply have no babysitter or time.) I supplemented with 100% recyclable bags from Old Navy for $0.99 each, but Wal-mart sells the same thing for $0.50 each nowadays. (Nowadays is such an old lady from South Louisiana thing to say. :))
I've explained this process before, but it's such a time saver that it is worth explaining again. Humor me...I'm a personal organization nerd.
The bags go in the trunk of my car. Actually, they hang on a special hook so they don't actually take up valuable stroller storage space. When I shop, I bring the bags and load them up as I walk through the store. One carries items that go to parts of my house other than the frig, freezer, and pantry (like toiletries, coffee supplies since coffee is keep under the kitchen window and not in the pantry, and baby wipes). Another carries pantry items. Sometimes, that takes two bags, but when it does, it's a good reminder that, perhaps, I am purchasing too much processed crap and not enough good for me stuff, like fruits and veggies. One bag is for our weekly two gallons of milk for the boys. Another carries frig/freezer stuff. Sometimes, I need two bags for that, too. I do get plastic bags on occassion, for lining small trash cans and getting rid of extra stinky diapers, by using plastic bags for the bread and the eggs, so they are obvious when unloading and don't get squished, and sometimes when I forget to bring my recycle bags into the store. {blushes} Honestly, I almost always remember the bags now, though.
When I check out, I unload one bag, then put the bag itself right in front of the stuff that I want loaded in it. Next bag, followed by the stuff I want in that bag. Then I put the next bag down, followed by the stuff, and so on. It sort of forces the cashier to load the bags just like I like them.
The bags are so much easier to carry, load into the car, and unload, so hubby doesn't need to help like he used to. 10 bags of groceries suddenly becomes 4 or 5! And, because they are sorted already, when I get home, I can ask hubby to put the milk and frig stuff away, while I unload the other two bags. It is quick and efficient. The empty bags go on my launchpad (with my purse and other essentials), to go back into my truck the next time I leave the house. A chip clip, binder clip, or other magnetic clip given out for free at some lawyer conference stays attached to the outside bag (as I store them inside of themselves) holds a grocery/shopping list to the bag.
I would say these bags easily save me a good 15 - 20 minutes per shopping trip. Also, because they make it really easy to designate what gets unloaded where, it makes it much easier to share the unloading chore, or, if I am doing it myself, unload only the important stuff (frig/freezer stuff), get the boys involved in something (a snack and a cartoon, maybe?), and then unload everything else.
These really cheap bags also come in handy for tons of other stuff. For example, on Mondays, I bring the boys each a clean blanket to preschool and I bring Loki more diapers and wipes. Cheapo bag to the rescue. I don't bring lunch daily (since I have lunch meetings or am out of the office about 3 days a week), but when I do - cheapo bag. Boys going spend the night with grandma? Cheapo bag for clothes and sippy cups. Going to a friend's potluck? Cheapo bag holds a soft drink and appetizer. If I lose one, so what? They were free or $0.50! I even use them around the house. I'll sort Ander's toys/clothes/crap into one, Loki's stuff into another, stuff that goes to the closet into another, and stuff that goes into my car into another. Then I deliver the stuff (having Ander unpack and put away his own, of course). Library books go into one bag for returns. Workout clothes go into a bag for a quick afterwork run. (Okay, that one is TOTALLY theory. Hush.)
Seriously, if you do one thing to organizing, gather up some totes and start using them for shopping and any other purpose you can think of. Then share your ideas with me. 'Cause I'm that kind of nerdy bag lady.
Etcetera.