Last Thursday I had an appointment with my eye doctor (yes, I really did have to make an appointment to get my eyes checked) during the time that Ross was at preschool. I didn't really have time to drive home again before picking Ross up, so as I ran out the door I picked up my gym bag and decided to head to the gym (which is right next door to Jeremy's clinic) with any extra time.
Now, I consider it a real treat to get to drive the car by myself with the tunes turned up. There is just something therapeutic about it to me. So, I took the car that morning (even though it meant letting Ross in it, which doesn't happen very often). One of the things I love about the car is the USB jack that lets me plug my IPod right into the car. So, Ross & I jammed out to my IPod tunes on the way to preschool.
When I got done with my appointment, I grabbed my stuff and headed to the gym. As I was walking, and trying to get my IPod fired up, I realized it wouldn't turn on. Crap! I've had problems with it before and usually plugging it into a power source fixes the problem. So, I headed back to the car and monkeyed with it a bit, until I realized that there was just NO WAY this thing was going to turn on again -- ever. Sigh...so that is the bad news...I love my trusty little IPod Nano. I've had it for 4 years and it has kept me company through hundreds of hours of running and workouts.
I went to the gym anyway, but was totally off because, well, I NEED music to get motivated. And the guy running on the eliptical next to me who was humming to his IPod (well, maybe it was closer to a grunt) didn't cut it as music for me.
The good news...on Friday, my dear husband was kind enough to stop and pick-up a new IPod Nano for me (plus the Nike kit which tracks runs for you -- I can't wait to try that). It is lime green, which I'm just tickled about. I love green. :-) It has a touch screen and, best of all, a radio receiver (which I love because sometimes I just don't want to listen to any of the 300+ songs I have on my IPod).
And so, this brings me again to some more bad news...I don't think I'm smart enough to operate the stupid thing. I've had nothing but problems with it since I got it...I think I'm going to have to go into an Apple store and ask for a live tutorial, because I just don't get this stupid little thing. Is this a sign of aging? Am I technologically elderly? I'm now at the point in life where technology is just too much for me (reminds me of the VCR that my Grandma had but wouldn't turn on for herself)!
Dear little silver IPod, please come back, I promise I don't love the new IPod more than you!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Sniff, sniff...
Yesterday we spent the day working hard on projects around the house and are one room closer to being ready to sell this place. We did Lucy's room yesterday and it was just a little bittersweet.
The room needed painting -- badly. The wall above the changing table was gross. Not that I don't wash it off on a regular basis, but after the kids have ran their hands and feet all over that wall for 4+ years, it just looks a bit nasty. And the room was covered in toy marks. I'm sure any parent out there knows exactly what I'm talking about. Seriously, can't the toy companies come up with a way of coating toys so that they don't leave a trail of colorful paint marks on the walls when the kids bump them (or, as is often the case at our house, chuck the toys at the wall really darn hard)?
As a part of all this, we upgraded Lucy to a big bed. Actually, she is borrowing Hannah's furniture until after we move and Hannah's room is being turned into a temporary toy room. The plan is to move before Hannah arrives here for the summer break (and, if that doesn't happen, we'll just have to worry about it later). So, I have an empty changing table in my bedroom and an empty armoire in my living room. We're going to sell them, but are waiting for a replacement on our recalled crib (ironic that they just recalled it and we no longer need it and our kids survived just fine). We were supposed to be able to use the set for big kids -- you know, the changing table becomes a dresser and the crib pieces become a big bed. Yeah, that really didn't work out so well (so take this as a warning any expecting parents out their). The drawers in the furniture are baby sized. They are really quite useless for anything larger than toddler clothes. I'm not sure why this didn't occur to me when we were shopping...I guess I'll chalk it up to pregnancy brain.
I'm just a little sad to see the baby furniture go. We've had it almost exactly 6 years. And while I'm totally done having babies and ready to move beyond our baby days, I'm also a little sad to see them go. We have almost completely de-babied our house. The crib is gone. The bouncer is long gone...as well as the bottles, rattles, itty sleepers and boppies. All we have left at this point are a few strollers, a sling (my favorite that Lucy can still fit in and I can't bear to part with) and car seats (though, with the new car seat laws, car seats hardly count as a "baby" item anymore).
I really don't want anymore kids, but every once in a while I wish I could have my babies back again -- just for a bit, though definitely not at night time, meal time or diaper changing time.
The room needed painting -- badly. The wall above the changing table was gross. Not that I don't wash it off on a regular basis, but after the kids have ran their hands and feet all over that wall for 4+ years, it just looks a bit nasty. And the room was covered in toy marks. I'm sure any parent out there knows exactly what I'm talking about. Seriously, can't the toy companies come up with a way of coating toys so that they don't leave a trail of colorful paint marks on the walls when the kids bump them (or, as is often the case at our house, chuck the toys at the wall really darn hard)?
As a part of all this, we upgraded Lucy to a big bed. Actually, she is borrowing Hannah's furniture until after we move and Hannah's room is being turned into a temporary toy room. The plan is to move before Hannah arrives here for the summer break (and, if that doesn't happen, we'll just have to worry about it later). So, I have an empty changing table in my bedroom and an empty armoire in my living room. We're going to sell them, but are waiting for a replacement on our recalled crib (ironic that they just recalled it and we no longer need it and our kids survived just fine). We were supposed to be able to use the set for big kids -- you know, the changing table becomes a dresser and the crib pieces become a big bed. Yeah, that really didn't work out so well (so take this as a warning any expecting parents out their). The drawers in the furniture are baby sized. They are really quite useless for anything larger than toddler clothes. I'm not sure why this didn't occur to me when we were shopping...I guess I'll chalk it up to pregnancy brain.
I'm just a little sad to see the baby furniture go. We've had it almost exactly 6 years. And while I'm totally done having babies and ready to move beyond our baby days, I'm also a little sad to see them go. We have almost completely de-babied our house. The crib is gone. The bouncer is long gone...as well as the bottles, rattles, itty sleepers and boppies. All we have left at this point are a few strollers, a sling (my favorite that Lucy can still fit in and I can't bear to part with) and car seats (though, with the new car seat laws, car seats hardly count as a "baby" item anymore).
I really don't want anymore kids, but every once in a while I wish I could have my babies back again -- just for a bit, though definitely not at night time, meal time or diaper changing time.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Whole Family
Ah, I have been re-miss in my posting once again. I'd like to say it will get better, but alas, I doubt that is the case for a while. Yes, the holidays have come and gone, but now we are in the thick of getting serious about our move. I've got a massive list of stuff to do around the house so that we can put it on the market (hopefully no later than the beginning of February). Painting, cleaning, sorting, storing, donating...the list is endless right now!
So, I thought I would post a few new (or newer) family pictures in lieu of a writing much today. It isn't often that we manage to get the whole crew sat down for a picture, but we somehow managed it twice in the last two months!
So, I thought I would post a few new (or newer) family pictures in lieu of a writing much today. It isn't often that we manage to get the whole crew sat down for a picture, but we somehow managed it twice in the last two months!
Friday, December 10, 2010
PINK!
We have a pink problem here and she goes by the name of Lucy. That girl is just a pink fanatic! I'm not sure where this obsession came from. I mean, yes, she has plenty of pink in her wardobe, but there are lots of other colors present as well. Her room is BEIGE and her bedding is BLUE. So, I know it isn't just a result of my pushiness (though, yes, I do love pink and her next room WILL be pink).
It is reported that last weekend she played Go Fish with Grandma & the boys. Apparently she had a card with a pink fish in her hands and she WOULD NOT give it up. No way no how was that girl going to give the pink fish up.
Today I was rocking her and told her she had pretty brown eyes. Then I asked her what color my eyes were. Her answer? Pink eyes! I told her, that no, my eyes were brown, too. And then she clarified, "my want pink eyes". (Note: for some reason the word "I" and their name has been replaced with the word "my" by my children, so we hear a lot of "my likes that" or "my wants that") I told her she couldn't have pink eyes, which resulted in a major fit before naptime. Sigh...what am I gonna do with this girl?
I'm not upset about this development. I mean, really, I love all things pink and girly. However, it gets frustrating when she refuses to wear anything but pink socks, even when she is wearing purple and orange!
It is reported that last weekend she played Go Fish with Grandma & the boys. Apparently she had a card with a pink fish in her hands and she WOULD NOT give it up. No way no how was that girl going to give the pink fish up.
Today I was rocking her and told her she had pretty brown eyes. Then I asked her what color my eyes were. Her answer? Pink eyes! I told her, that no, my eyes were brown, too. And then she clarified, "my want pink eyes". (Note: for some reason the word "I" and their name has been replaced with the word "my" by my children, so we hear a lot of "my likes that" or "my wants that") I told her she couldn't have pink eyes, which resulted in a major fit before naptime. Sigh...what am I gonna do with this girl?
I'm not upset about this development. I mean, really, I love all things pink and girly. However, it gets frustrating when she refuses to wear anything but pink socks, even when she is wearing purple and orange!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Saying Goodbye!
To my scrap booking/card making hobby, that is. I finally had to force myself to make a choice: either I can scrapbook or I can exercise, but I don't have time on a daily basis for both. I chose exercising for many reasons, but mostly because I really enjoy it (and, well, I really enjoy being thin) and it is good for me. My consolation is that I get to keep my knitting stuff -- since I can take it with me when I'm otherwise doing things that are non-productive (like riding in a car) I can justify keeping the hobby.
A few months ago I had purged a lot of my stamping stuff on Ebay, but only stuff I didn't use anymore. A few weeks ago I got drastic with the clean out. I had an indecent amount of extra paper in my office. As in, I had AT LEAST an extra pack of every color of paper that Stampin' Up makes (or used to make anyway -- 48 colors + all the neutrals). So, every pack of unopened paper went. I thinned my stamp collection by 1/2. And I got rid of about 1/3 of my stamp pads. I listed them on Craigslist and have been happy to get rid of most of the sequestered items -- the rest are sitting in boxes waiting to go, but they will NOT go back in my cupboards. I'm in the process of finishing Lucy's 1 year album. And when that is done, the rest of the lot is going (well, almost everything -- I'm keeping some crafting basics for the kids).
I'm kind of torn between relief and sadness. I really enjoy paper crafting. I also really was stressing about having all that stuff and not using it. And it is GREAT to get it out of here and free up the space (and get some of the cash back in my pocket).
So, goodbye stamps and paper and punches and ink! May you bring hours of entertainment to the next person (and surely many grumblings from their husbands)!
A few months ago I had purged a lot of my stamping stuff on Ebay, but only stuff I didn't use anymore. A few weeks ago I got drastic with the clean out. I had an indecent amount of extra paper in my office. As in, I had AT LEAST an extra pack of every color of paper that Stampin' Up makes (or used to make anyway -- 48 colors + all the neutrals). So, every pack of unopened paper went. I thinned my stamp collection by 1/2. And I got rid of about 1/3 of my stamp pads. I listed them on Craigslist and have been happy to get rid of most of the sequestered items -- the rest are sitting in boxes waiting to go, but they will NOT go back in my cupboards. I'm in the process of finishing Lucy's 1 year album. And when that is done, the rest of the lot is going (well, almost everything -- I'm keeping some crafting basics for the kids).
I'm kind of torn between relief and sadness. I really enjoy paper crafting. I also really was stressing about having all that stuff and not using it. And it is GREAT to get it out of here and free up the space (and get some of the cash back in my pocket).
So, goodbye stamps and paper and punches and ink! May you bring hours of entertainment to the next person (and surely many grumblings from their husbands)!
Friday, December 3, 2010
The devil lives here!
And he goes by the name of Ross. Seriously, that boy is just a HANDFUL! Anyway, I was snapping pictures the other day and this is what he greeted me with:
Lovely, isn't he? This is one to save for those moments in life when I want to embarrass him!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Critters!
So, it has been a long time since I posted -- too long. My apologies -- there isn't much point in keeping a blog if I'm not going to post on it. I have my reasons, which range from not having enough time (but then, who does have enough time?) to irritations with the world on a whole. Anyway...I want to try to do better.
So, I'm going to get back on track by telling you the tale of our critter problems. It has been a few weeks -- maybe a month or more since this happened -- but the story needs told. One day I walked into the kids bathroom to see something green on the shower wall. Now, the kids bathroom is very white and bright -- white tub and surround, white shower curtains, white trim and very pale beige walls. So, a neon green object on the wall stands out. I look, expecting to see something of the kids glued to the wall, only to find a tree frog (such as the one pictures below that I found in my flower bed) clinging to the wall. Okay, how on EARTH did a frog get in my kids bathroom?!?! The window doesn't even open!!!
So, what to do? I can deal with furry critters, but I DON'T DO AMPHIBIANS!!! I briefly considered calling Jeremy and telling him he HAD to come home over his lunch to take care of this. Then I thought again, since I'm pretty sure he would have said no anyway. Ok, so who do I call? Yup, you guessed it, poor Betty got a call. The first thing she asked me was how much Jose I had consumed that morning. And she asked me that again after she peeked around the bathroom and couldn't find it. Once we found it hidden on the window sill, she finally believed that I wasn't skunk drunk at 11:00 in the morning. So, luckily, Betty got it outside for me. But a few hours later, I look out my front door to see it clinging to the side of the house at eye level right by the door. Poor thing...I got my broom out and played a game of hockey-frog until it was out in the street (I don't think I killed it, but it was pretty sad looking by the time I was finished).
Jeremy almost always gets up about 20 minutes before I do. On good days, I get up once he's in the shower, so that I'm ready to get in when he gets out. About a week after the above incident, I did just this. As I was opening the door to the bathroom, Jeremy says to me (from the shower), in a very serious voice, "Michelle, stop. There is a frog on the window." Now, just so you know...Jeremy likes critters even less than I do. So, I backed out of the room and shut to the door. Crap! How are these things getting in? There isn't a window that opens in our bathroom either!
These things were too big to have come in through the exhaust vents. My only conclusion, after having read dozens of blog posts with similar problems, is that they were coming up the drain of the tub. So, we keep our drains closed now, which is slightly annoying because we have a perpetual puddle of stagnant water in our tubs. And I check under the toilet seats, and behind the toilet and around the windows, etc. before I do anything else in the bathroom!
And somewhere in the middle of these two incidents, I went out to my garage one day (actually, Lucy puked on the garage floor and I went out to clean it up) to hear a funny skittering sound. I look around and note that the noise is coming from an empty box on the floor (we're getting ready to put a bunch of stuff in storage before we put the house on the market, so I've been hoarding boxes). I look in the box to find a mouse. A little thing -- a creepy, ugly little thing. Sorry, but I don't like mice AT ALL -- or rodents of any sort for that matter. Luckily, the box was really tall, so it had apparently crawled up the spare car seat on the floor and fell in, but couldn't get out. Now, normally I have NO compassion for critters in my house. I don't usually let critters escape alive. But, since this thing was already contained in the box, I picked it up, carried it out to the road and down the street a little before letting it out. Wanna know that little ~!@# did? It ran back up the street, straight up my driveway and back to the same corner it started in. Gah!!! It was WAR now. I put rat poison down...I haven't seen the mouse again, but most of the rat poison was eaten.
The worst thing was that we had THREE spare car seats sitting on the floor of the garage, all of which had obvious signs of mouse habitation. One ended up in the trash (it was too old really anyway), but the other two had to be taken apart and cleaned. I really HATE having to wash car seats.
So, apparently my home is just a bit to inviting...I need to find the critter welcome mat that is apparently hidden somewhere and remove it!
So, I'm going to get back on track by telling you the tale of our critter problems. It has been a few weeks -- maybe a month or more since this happened -- but the story needs told. One day I walked into the kids bathroom to see something green on the shower wall. Now, the kids bathroom is very white and bright -- white tub and surround, white shower curtains, white trim and very pale beige walls. So, a neon green object on the wall stands out. I look, expecting to see something of the kids glued to the wall, only to find a tree frog (such as the one pictures below that I found in my flower bed) clinging to the wall. Okay, how on EARTH did a frog get in my kids bathroom?!?! The window doesn't even open!!!
So, what to do? I can deal with furry critters, but I DON'T DO AMPHIBIANS!!! I briefly considered calling Jeremy and telling him he HAD to come home over his lunch to take care of this. Then I thought again, since I'm pretty sure he would have said no anyway. Ok, so who do I call? Yup, you guessed it, poor Betty got a call. The first thing she asked me was how much Jose I had consumed that morning. And she asked me that again after she peeked around the bathroom and couldn't find it. Once we found it hidden on the window sill, she finally believed that I wasn't skunk drunk at 11:00 in the morning. So, luckily, Betty got it outside for me. But a few hours later, I look out my front door to see it clinging to the side of the house at eye level right by the door. Poor thing...I got my broom out and played a game of hockey-frog until it was out in the street (I don't think I killed it, but it was pretty sad looking by the time I was finished).
Jeremy almost always gets up about 20 minutes before I do. On good days, I get up once he's in the shower, so that I'm ready to get in when he gets out. About a week after the above incident, I did just this. As I was opening the door to the bathroom, Jeremy says to me (from the shower), in a very serious voice, "Michelle, stop. There is a frog on the window." Now, just so you know...Jeremy likes critters even less than I do. So, I backed out of the room and shut to the door. Crap! How are these things getting in? There isn't a window that opens in our bathroom either!
These things were too big to have come in through the exhaust vents. My only conclusion, after having read dozens of blog posts with similar problems, is that they were coming up the drain of the tub. So, we keep our drains closed now, which is slightly annoying because we have a perpetual puddle of stagnant water in our tubs. And I check under the toilet seats, and behind the toilet and around the windows, etc. before I do anything else in the bathroom!
And somewhere in the middle of these two incidents, I went out to my garage one day (actually, Lucy puked on the garage floor and I went out to clean it up) to hear a funny skittering sound. I look around and note that the noise is coming from an empty box on the floor (we're getting ready to put a bunch of stuff in storage before we put the house on the market, so I've been hoarding boxes). I look in the box to find a mouse. A little thing -- a creepy, ugly little thing. Sorry, but I don't like mice AT ALL -- or rodents of any sort for that matter. Luckily, the box was really tall, so it had apparently crawled up the spare car seat on the floor and fell in, but couldn't get out. Now, normally I have NO compassion for critters in my house. I don't usually let critters escape alive. But, since this thing was already contained in the box, I picked it up, carried it out to the road and down the street a little before letting it out. Wanna know that little ~!@# did? It ran back up the street, straight up my driveway and back to the same corner it started in. Gah!!! It was WAR now. I put rat poison down...I haven't seen the mouse again, but most of the rat poison was eaten.
The worst thing was that we had THREE spare car seats sitting on the floor of the garage, all of which had obvious signs of mouse habitation. One ended up in the trash (it was too old really anyway), but the other two had to be taken apart and cleaned. I really HATE having to wash car seats.
So, apparently my home is just a bit to inviting...I need to find the critter welcome mat that is apparently hidden somewhere and remove it!
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