Daily

* My boy woke up at 6 today.  My girl woke up at 9:15.  The boy went for a nap the minute the girl woke up.  Ergo, I have been awake for almost 4 hours and have only had to care for one child at a time.  I feel like I'm on vacation. 

* I really really want to go to NYC for a weekend this fall, but I don't want the kids to come.  Anyone want to come with me?  

* some day I want a vegetable garden.  

* Ziva is leaving NCIS.  I cannot be consoled.  If Tony and Ziva do not end up together, life is not worth living

job hunting

When it's time for me to go back to work, I guess I can't be a secretary in 1959. 

Check out this quiz 

 

Let's see.  I answered no to #'s:  1, 4, 6,7,8,12,17,18,19,21, and 25.   Which means I would have answered yes to 14 questions, giving me a score of  56%.   That's an F and no where near the 80% I need to be a good secretary during the Kennedy administration.   Good thing I wasn't born in 1940 which would have made me just the right age to be job hunting in 1949!  I wouldn't have lasted a minute in a secretarial job with those as the job requirements. 

Then again,  I could totally have been Roger Sterling's secretary he's never sober enough to notice whether or not I'm being sarcastic.   Then again, Joan scares me...

New Hotness

We picked up the minivan this morning for our trip Down South.   When I pulled into preschool this morning for drop off I was all "LOOK AT ME!! I HAVE ONE TOO!!!" and gave my best "I'm better than you" expression when walking past sedans.

Okay I didn't do the last part, but I was super excited to be tooling around in my minivan.   We're going to Target this afternoon to pick some stuff up and I'm beyond thrilled to put all the Target bags in the back of my minivan.   It doesn't take much to knock my socks off.

I have made my mother promise me that if she ever wins the lottery she will give me $60K so I can move out of this condo.  I may have to raise that up to $90K so I can get out of the condo AND buy a minivan.   I'm sure she won't mind.

Almost there

Some days I think I've conquered this whole stay at home Mom thing.   Then there are days that I come home and look at my house and wonder when Matt Paxton and Dr. Chabaud are coming to film Hoarders (oh, and A&E - please pick up Hoarders for next season.   Don't make me resort to watching the TLC knock off version).

Today was good,  the boy and I went for a four mile walk this morning,  though we were super slow about it and I only burned around 230 calories.  FYI.   Then this afternoon all three of us walked to our local park.  So not a bad day for the kids,  but not a great day for the house either.   Some day I will master the art of raising children and keeping a clean house, but today us not that day.  My mother tried to be nice and said it will always be difficult to keep my place de-cluttered because it's small and there are no closets.   I have turned that into meaning I don't have to try.   "Oh,  this pile of mail that's been growing larger for 6 months?  It's okay that it stays in the kitchen, I have no closets".   "The mountain of clean laundry over here?  Totes acceptable - I have no closets".   It's not a good scene.

Running is a sickness.   I'm not particularly good at it (at my best I average an 11 minute mile) and I hate every single step I take while I'm running.   But when I woke up this morning and saw that it was sunny and a lot of the snow has melted all I wanted to do was bang out a 5K.   You know, because running 3.11 miles is so easy....

However, that would have left the children home by themselves and it was cold so I stayed inside.   And my legs are protesting the two consecutive days of running I did on Monday and Tuesday.   But I NEED to run!

Craziness aside,  we reserved a minivan for a trip down to Virginia later this spring.   I am so excited to call a minivan my own for 5 days.   We will be picking up the van before Andrew goes to work the day before we leave which means I get to do drop off and pick at preschool with a minivan!!  HA!  No longer will I be the only sedan in a sea of SUVs and minivans!  Okay, for one day I won't be the only sedan in a sea of SUVs and minivans.   But I will cherish that day. 

I am woe.

I have a lot of whines today. 

1.   my Little Guy had his 6 month well visit today (18 pounds and 13.5 ounces!) and got three shots.  The poor kid - he slept most of the day and the few hours he was awake were miserable for him.  I felt so bad for him and there was nothing I could do!  I know he needs the shots (IMMUNIZE YOUR KIDS, YOU HIPPIE FREAK!) but damn, they aren't easy on those little bodies.

2.  The Boston Public Library doesn't have 11/22/63 in ebook format.  What?  Dear BPL,  this is 2013 not actually 1963.   Get the freaking ebook.  I may use my gift cards to purchase it... but my mother has the paperback version and I'm not sure I have it in me to pay for a book that I can get for free.  I still have to finish Mayflower and then I swore up and down I would finally finish A Song of Ice and Fire before I move onto anything else.   So BPL,  you have a few weeks to get with the program.  And the century. 

3.  I have a cough.  So does my son.  Neither one of us can take medicine for it - him because he is only 6 months old for it, and me because I am still nursing him.  WOE IS US.

4.  It's so cold.  I had to wear a peacoat, scarf, and gloves today.  WHILE I WALKED FROM MY TOASTY HOUSE TO MY CAR WITH HEATED SEATS.   Oh Em Gee, my life is so hard.  And cold.

5.  I went to the dentist today and I had plaque on two of my teeth.   And a cavity and now I have to go back in 2 weeks for a filling.  I don't know why I have such awful teeth.  My parents took me to the dentist regularly when I was a kid,  I go regularly as an adult.  I brush twice a day, minimum.  I use mouthwash every time I brush.   Is this because I don't floss?  Does anyone actually floss?  I hate cavities!

And I can't even drown my whines with wine.

No, I am not pregnant.  I just don't have any wine in the house.

what I do all day

I took two weeks off.  I apologize.  I have reasons for being unable to find the time to update, but they are boring and you probably don't care. 

This is a tiny tidbit into my super exciting and cool boring and ordinary life.   This exchange took place while I was sitting in the Target parking lot waiting for the children to wake up. 

 

So yeah.  That's how I spend my time.   I don't know why Andrew engages me, but every so often  he'll reply to my inane comments.   It usually comes out later that he was on a conference call and had nothing else to do.  

But,  FOR REALS, I went to the drive up teller at a bank today.  A BANK.  AND I SPOKE TO A HUMAN.    I still would rather go to a drive up ATM,  but for some reason the bank we go is retro and they are all about 1987.  I say good for them.  1987 was a good year;  it was the one and only time I have ever been to Disney World.    I can now say I used a drive up teller.  I feel like I should cross it off my bucket list,  but my bucket list isn't THAT lame.   Close though.

Century 21

I got a pedicure today at a local nail salon.   After I was done,  I went to pay and saw a small sign behind the register "do not put tip on credit card".

Huh.

Well, sorry lady,  I don't carry cash.  I have never carried cash.   I was born in 1981,  which means by the time I was handling my own money,  debit cards were king.   While I can recognize cash,  I'm not quite sure what to do with it...  how to you figure out where your money went if you can't track the purchases?   What do you do with all those coins?  How do you know if you have enough cash for what you will be doing?

Anyway,  my point is I don't carry cash.   Therefore,  I cannot give anyone a cash tip unless I plan ahead.    And to be honest,  I'm not a fan of cash tips - I have to pay taxes on 100% of my income,  I'm not really sure why anyone else thinks they don't have to, just because a portion of their income comes from tips.   You'll get no sympathy from me.  I'll tip you 20%,  but I don't feel bad that you have to pay taxes on it.

So we're back to my already completed pedicure, and no way of giving a tip.   The choice was now in the lady's hands.... I can either NOT leave a tip,  or you can suck it up, let me put the tip on the card, and pay your taxes on it.  

I'll let you guess which one she picked.

Note to self,  find another nail salon!

I scare small children

A few months ago I chopped off my hair.   I generally get about 2 hair cuts a year and I wanted to make the one I got in April-ish last awhile.   I went really really short.

this short (excuse the crappy iPhone picture.... also, I'm not sure what was going on with my eyebrows in this picture but rest assured they look much better now):

But it's June now, and my cut has grown out a bit.   It doesn't look nice anymore and it's still too short to pull back into a ponytail.   I really should go get it trimmed,  but that's another $50 and who has $50 laying around to get a hair cut every 2 months?  Oh... most people?  There will be a point in my life when my kids are no longer taking every red cent I earn,  right?  RIGHT?  Please tell me that one day I will be in control of my money and I can get my haircut with some regularity.  And maybe not have to think twice about buying myself a coffee at Dunkin Donuts. 

cheating

I have an adorable video of Baby Girl to upload, but my phone and youtube are in a fight right now and until I can figure out the root of their issues and help them work through it,  I can't upload it.   I also don't have any more time to act as therapist right now,  so you'll have to make do with this list.   If you are younger than 30ish it may not mean as much to you,  but I was dying.   Especially with the first one.  11 years??




You are old.  You're welcome for reminding you. 

memories

I follow my Alma Mater on Twitter.   Random aside - How does one get the job of being in charge of social media for an institution?  Because I could totes update the Facebook, twitter,  instagram, foursquare (I don't really know what foursquare is, but I'm sure I could figure it out...) as my full time job.

Anyway,  I follow Saint A's on Twitter.   Last night was the last day on campus for most of the current Anselmians as finals end today.   The tweet went out asking alumni what they had done on their last night on campus.   I thought back to that night 9 years ago (NINE.YEARS.AGO) and tried to remember.   Oddly enough for that motley crew of college friends,  we didn't sit around all night and play asshole trivial pursuit.  We all piled into cars,  drove over an hour away to Hampton Beach and watched the sun come up.   I have no idea WHY we did this (clearly none of us had finals on the last day),  but we did.  I don't know why we did most of the things we did in college,  but I think that's half of the point of going to college.   I don't know why we thought film canisters (remember film?) were receptacles for beverages,  why walking in the o-zone at night was a good idea,  why on earth we ever drank fuzzy navels,  why any of us thought a liberal arts degree would help us in any way,  or why I didn't travel more when I had the chance.   I wouldn't go back and do it again,  but if I could choose a few random days and nights here and there... 

Now I need a moment to process the fact that I could have gone to college two times over plus an extra year thrown in there in the time that has passed since graduation! 

quick shot

* I'm a day and a half early with May's picture,  but better early than never... or something.

* Baby Girl developed a strange fear of slides and we don't know why.  She usually loves slides.  I think she's just tapped in the head.

* It's really time for me to get back to Storm of Swords or Clash of Kings, or whatever the hell the 3rd book in the Game of Thrones series is.  It's not a good sign that I can't even remember the name of the book that I'm reading.   I got really frustrated with the lack of progress that Ayria seems to be making and a I took a few months off.   Bad idea.

* My book club book for June is Moloka'i,  which I cannot find at Canton public library or Boston public library available in ebook format.  That is driving me crazy, I don't like to pay for books!  Meh!  (it looks really good though,  here it is)   Just the cover makes me want to go to Hawaii.

* After the June book club,  I will be able to join the rest of my friends in the required vat glass of wine everyone else enjoys while discussing the book gossiping.   I'm excited.

10 on Tuesday

1.  After being in Virginia for a few days,  I've come to the realization that I would enjoy living in another part of the country for a little while.  I don't foresee that happening any time soon,  but if it were come to pass I think I'd be okay with it.

2.  Army Wives.  WTF.  First Pamela leaves the show.  I know this show has never been afraid of getting rid of main characters,  but Pamela???   I'm annoyed.  And then this General Holden/ General Clarke fight for the 3rd star - I'm just not interested.   The best story line is Roxy's rise to be the FRG leader since now Trevor's an officer.  And she's dressing like Claudia Joy... that will last.... two episodes.  At most. 

3.  What is up with this weather?  Last week it was in the 70's and this morning I walked out to my car and it was 26 degrees.   What. Is. Up. With. That.   Baby Girl was in the OCEAN last Friday!  Of course, we were 500 miles south of where we are now,  but that's besides the point.  WHY IS IT COLD AGAIN?

4.  Gas in New Jersey is a good 20 cents less than it is in MA.   And they are all self serve stations.  That's just not fair,  how can New Jersey manage to have cheap gas, but other states can't?  I paid $3.67 yesterday in Jersey.    What is wrong with me that I think $3.67 a gallon for gas is cheap?

5.  Little Guy's wardrobe is coming along.   I'm confident that he will be dressed 5 out of 7 days a week at this point,  at least till he's 4ish months.   That's infinitely better than it was a few weeks ago.

6.  My dreams of a double stroller have been dashed.   I just don't think we can fit one in the trunk of our car.  We tried to fit the Graco Room 2 Grow in the trunk and it was a miserable failure.  Once the Little Guy gets bigger and doesn't need to be in his infant seat in the stroller I think I will be able to get a Sit'n'Stand or double umbrella, but we are SOL in the beginning.  I think the Beco Gemini that I want will help with the situation though (the robot pattern.  Natch)

7.  Hunger Games.   I haven't seen the movie yet!  And I don't know when I can get a babysitter!  What a cruel cruel world.   I have no problems going to see it by myself, but Andrew really wants to see it too and it would be a nice date night...  who wants to baby sit? 

8.  Speaking of movies.... I secretly not so secretly want to see Titanic in 3D.  I don't know why,  I didn't even like it when it was released the first time.  I'm not a DiCaprio fan... never have been.   But I'd see it if someone gave me a ticket.

9.  I found this cleaning schedule on Pinterest (it can be found originally posted here).  I think I'm going to give it a whirl.  Anything is better than the nothing that usually happens now.

 10.  I have 69 more work days until my maternity leave.   But who's counting?