Birthday festivities

After a rather sleepless night, I got up at 5:20am and just went for a run.  Nothing like starting off my birthday with a good 3.5 mile run!  Not as intense as my 5-mile run yesterday, but still felt good to loosen up my muscles and get a breeze in my face.  The weather is PERFECT right now in the mornings - 65-70F, no breeze, first light just coming over the horizon at 5:45am, and hardly anyone out and about.  I love my running time on the weekends.  The husband always asks me why I would get up earlier on the weekend than during the week, and this is why - I love the peace it brings me.  :)

Then, a nice breakfast and morning time to do what I want, not what the girls need.  Opened all the windows for fresh air, took a leisurely shower, talked with the hubby about various things, and then chatted via Skype with my best college girlies.  So cathartic!

Then it was off to my in-laws' house to celebrate my birthday.  When we pulled up to the house, L came running out the front door and yelled "Happy birthday, Mama!" and hugged me.  So sweet!  E came out as well, saying "happy!  happy!  Mama!"  Ha!  Love my girls.  They had such a nice spread of food for us - Nathan's hot dogs (hot dogs have been my favorite food since I was 5), stuffed mushrooms, stuffed peppers, olives, veggies, a fruit bowl, Pei Wei noodles (noodles for long life!), decadent chocolate cake (from the hubby), lemon meringue pie (from the in-laws), and way too much of all of it.  Yum!  We had such a good time over there today - I'm so lucky to have in-laws that are so thoughtful, caring, and wonderful grandparents to my daughters. 

After we came back home, E decided it was time to disobey every. single. thing. we asked her to do or not to do.  She was in everything, and pitching a giant fit every time someone told her to redirect.  I think she was tired, but it definitely grated on my nerves all evening.  The husband and girls gave me my gifts after we came home, which consisted of an awesome cornucopia of books, drawings from the girls, alcohol (my favorite, Smirnoff!), the One Ring (from Lord of the Rings, mwahaha), and a new puzzle game for my Nintendo DS.  This is breaking my birthday/Christmas rule to the extreme - I've told my husband time and time and TIME again that I don't want anything electronic related as gifts for my birthday or Christmas (after having many birthdays and Christmases that were 100% electronics.  I don't deal in that stuff all the time like he does!  I don't want it!  Yeesh!), so I had to pout about that one.  However, I know I'll love the game.  Sshh, don't tell him, we don't want to encourage him.

Gifts from the girls and hubby.  Notice L already reading one of my books?  Hee hee.

I also received cards, gifts, phone calls, and well wishes from numerous family and friends all through the day.  I am truly lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life wishing me well as I turn 32 and embark on my 33rd year of life.  If this coming year goes anything like today, I know it will be the best year yet!

Happy at 32.  :)

Pre-birthday festivities

Since my birthday is tomorrow, and today is Saturday, we (okay, I) decided to start celebrating a little early.  My in-laws were more than happy to take the girls off our hands, so we went out to dinner and a movie.  After dropping off the girls (the girls literally waved us out the door so that they could have one-on-one time with their grandparents, LOL!), we went to The Melting Pot for dinner.  I'd always wanted to try it, we had a coupon, and now we had an occasion.  It was great!  Definitely paying for the atmosphere there, but it was a fun one-time sort of place to eat.  The appetizers were dipped in cheese fondue, the entree (meats) in a vegetable broth sort of concoction, salad was amazing, and then the chocolate-dipped fruits and cheesecakes for dessert were heavenly.  I also had a raspberry martini (I think it was called the raspberry framboise?), and that was PERFECT.  Such a great dinner.

Mmm, appetizer!  Once we added Tabasco sauce to the cheddar cheese, it was awesome.

Not only did the staff sign a card for my birthday, I got this at dessert time!  WOOHOO!

Then, movie.  We saw Looper.  It was an excellent movie for what it was.  However, I wish there was a disclaimer attached to the movie about some of the things that happen within it (I know, it would give the story away, blah blah blah) so that people that might have issues with those things (e.g. my husband) would know to avoid seeing it.  ARGH.  Nothing like having a husband that is totally and completely overwhelmed by what happened at the end.  Poor guy.

Now, to sleep.  Tomorrow, birthday!

Halloween decorations

Last year after Halloween, the girls and I went nuts in the Halloween clearance sections of Target and Wal-Mart for this year.  I told them that we'd be able to decorate the house with all the stuff if they wanted.  Today, in need of something to keep them from tearing the walls down, I suggested we get it all out and decorate.  Boy were they excited!  We have cobwebs, stickers, pumpkin bags, lights, socks, and even black light spray.  The girls went to town with the stickers while I put up cobwebs, which was just hilarious.  However, the downstairs looks pretty Halloween-y, and the lights in their rooms makes them so happy.  Yay decorating!

Stickers anyone?

%*$&@*# cat

I posted on Tuesday about the cat's issues and the $$$ we spent on her to figure this all out.  At the time, I joked to my husband that the cat would probably repay us in kind by pooping in the house.

I really didn't expect to be right, and not so soon.

Switching her diet over is a nightmare.  She won't hardly touch the new food, picking around it and eating all the old food, which is what she's allergic too.  She avoids the new "treat" food (wet food with vitamin dust mixed in it) like I'm feeding her the plague, and isn't so keen on me trying to give her more attention.  She's puking all over the house again (my carpet is SO in need of a deep cleaning), and she pooped on the stairs this morning.  Just...ARGH!

Why did I bother spending $$$ on her when all she's going to do is be a bitch about everything and continue to do things around the house she knows she's not supposed to?!?  I really wanted to strangle her this morning when I found the poop.  It is SO F*ING FRUSTRATING having a cat that won't be affectionate toward anyone, even when we try to be for her, and then having her just f* up the entire house and household (read:  cash) by doing whatever the hell she wants.  I'm THISCLOSE to throwing her outside some night with the coyotes and seeing how she does.

However, I keep telling myself she is a member of the family.  Family does not get rid of another family member simply because that person is being bad.  You work with them as much as you can.  I feel like I've done this for years, since she started being horrible (when L was born), and gotten no repayment for it.

What do I do?  She's 10 years old - it's not like I can give her away or take her to a shelter (no one would want her).  I'm considering just cordoning her off in one little room until she behaves properly, and then expanding her range, but I don't know if she'd learn (she's awful dumb, in all seriousness).  I've been trying to train her for almost five years that I won't fill her food bowl if she's standing right by it - she still doesn't get it, and if I don't fill it when she's right there, she goes off and poops somewhere in anger!

*bangs head against wall*  This cat, not the girls, is going to be the death of me.

Running...fail.

This morning, while out on our run, the front wheel of the BOB came off.  Talk about coming to a grinding halt!  Thank goodness the girls were strapped in and okay, just surprised.  I had to pull the stroller off the road, figure out what happened (it just popped out), put it back on, tighten some bolts, and then jog carefully home.  I had to adjust it again because it was listing badly to the right, but now it's good.  Just...wow!  Unexpected.  Jog jog jog jog STOPOMG.  Wtf just happened?  Hey wait, where's the front wheel?!?  Are you girls okay???  "Mama, what happened?"  The wheel came off, we're going to have to pull it off the road to fix it, are you okay?  Ugh.

Back to the normal grind

The girls were so exhausted from traveling yesterday that they slept until almost 7am.  That's unheard of in this household.  So, once they were up, I threw them both in the bath tub and brushed their teeth since neither of those things happened last night.  Breakfast, call the preschool to tell them we'd be late, and then finishing things before we headed out the door.

L got to school at 8:30am, 30 minutes after they usually start.  There were still parents there dropping off their kids.  WTF, people?!?  School starts at 8am!  It's not wonder your kids are having issues with adjusting if they aren't there for the initial "bonding" time that the other kids get!!!  How hard is it to get your kid to school on time on a normal basis?!?!???

E and I then went to my in-laws house to pick up the dog, and then we went to the vet's office to pick up the cat.  As Cookie is 10 years old (senior kitty) and having a few issues, we told the vet to go ahead and do some more-than-usual testing.  It turns out the Cookie is having back pain, so she needs some vitamins (I think?) to help alleviate that pain.  Okay, no big deal, we can do that.  Then, she has an intestinal something or another that is probably due to an allergy, most likely her food.  The vet thinks she might be allergic to chicken, which is why she keeps throwing up her food lately.  Why just now?  Hmm.  He suggested some different non-chicken-based foods to use, so we'll try that.  Finally, she's borderline for pancreatitis, which she'll have to be monitored for over the next months.  All told, that cat set us back a pretty penny for her vet visit as well as kennel time.  Damn thing had better not puke and poop everywhere at home!

I have to teach tonight and I'm exhausted.  Guess we'll see how that goes.  I can't wait to be rested and feeling normal again!

CA Trip, Day 5

Woke up late this morning (6:30am) and boy was it nice.  Breakfast was awesome (diet be damned, mwahaha!), and then we went back to the room to pack up our stuff to check out.  The girls were just whining about everything, completely driving me insane.  I finally turned on Scooby Doo for them to watch and not bother the husband and I while we packed, and then they had to fight over the chair they wanted to sit in (which they both could fit in very easily - ARGH!)!  Finally finished packing, checked out, got gas for the rental car, and then headed back over to A, V, and S's place for the day. 

S has definitely got a defiant streak in him.  I'm sure it was partly due to the fact that there were other people there for a few days, and he thought he could get away with things, but he would flat out refuse to do things for the adults and even sit there and say "no!" to your face.  You shoved someone, apologize and give them a hug.  "NO!"  If you don't, you'll get a time out.  "No!  No time out!"  Well then, apologize and give them a hug.  "NO!"  Okay, off to time out you go.  I love my nephew to death, but I'm afraid I'd be the death of him if I was left in charge - he was driving me crazy, and I wasn't Mommy trying to deal with him!  Definitely feel for V on days like this.

After the girls got a bit of a nap, we said our good byes and headed off to the airport.  Returned the car, checked in, ate dinner at the airport McDonald's, flew to Las Vegas, had L whine at me for quite awhile that she wanted to play on the slot machines (HAHA!), flew to Tucson with a sleeping E in my arms, got our bags, loaded the car, drove home (at which point L finally crashed), and then schlepped the girls to bed while the husband and I unloaded the car.  I think it was 10pm when we got home, and close to 11:30pm by the time we got to bed.  LONG DAY.  Great trip, but long travels with the girls!

CA Trip, Day 4

Today was Beach Day!  We drove over to A, V, and S's, and then headed out to Laguna Beach.  The drive over was gorgeous - it's no wonder it's such a huge artist community.  The hills surrounding the area just make it beautiful beyond belief, and the houses on top of those hills must be worth millions!  We parked in the public parking lot, walked a short distance to the beach, and then set up camp near the playground (not that the kids actually used it).  Then, beach!  L got doused by the ocean almost immediately, resulting in sand everywhere, but she loved it.  E didn't want to touch the sand or sea at all for quite awhile.  It was quite funny - I'd hold her low over the sand and she'd curl her legs up as far as she could to not touch the sand.  Ha!  She eventually did, and liked it, but it took awhile.  We played in the sand and water, walked out to where there are tide pools at low tide (it was high tide), and just generally enjoyed our time in the sun.  I got sunburn on my back, but it could have been much worse I suppose.  E fell asleep on my husband at the beach, and L fell asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel.  We threw them both in the tub to wash off all the sand and then ate some lunch.

Attempted nap at the hotel was a total failure.  E refused to nap and instead played with the hotel curtains.  L couldn't nap because E kept talking to her, plus she had just slept in the car.  ARGH!  So, back to the townhouse we went to meet up for dinner at Souplantation.  Yummy!  Then, back to the hotel for the evening. 

Back to AZ tomorrow, but not before playing with S a little more!

CA Trip, Day 3

Ah, a day to relax and recoup.  Breakfast at the hotel, hanging out at A, V, and S's, napping at the hotel, swimming at their community pool, and fabulous meals by V.  Who could ask for better on a vacation?  The kids were all crazy most of the day playing with each other, but that's okay.  So glad for a day when there wasn't a whole lot to do.  A and I went out to get some sushi for lunch, but that was about it in terms of "going out."  Beach tomorrow!

CA Trip, Day 2

The girls woke up bright and early (ugh) so that we could go get breakfast at the hotel.  Such a nice provided breakfast - there are even waffle makers!  The girls enjoyed watching the other people in the hotel come and go while picking at their food (apparently, the "colored cereal" [Fruit Loops] was the best thing EVER).  Back to the room, pack up our stuff, drive over to A, V, and S's place, and then off we went to Disneyland.

20 minutes of freeway driving was not so bad at all.  20 minutes of waiting in traffic lines until we could turn into the Disney parking structure was not so great.  I guess it's just part of the experience.  L was about to pee herself in excitement, even in the parking garage.  Once we parked and got all our stuff together, we walked over to the entrance to buy tickets, put stuff in the lockers, sunscreen up everyone (it was gonna be a hot/humid day), and then entered Disneyland.

I wish I could have had a video camera trained on L and E's faces as we entered and they saw just how vast and cool the entire place was.  L, who can normally talk her face off, was absolutely silent and had her fingers in her mouth (nervous gesture).  E could not stop craning her head around in every direction to look at everything.  L couldn't believe that the actual characters we'd seen on the computer and on TV were standing around waiting to meet people here.  Sleeping Beauty's castle was just amazing to her - while we were waiting for everyone else to do something (I can't remember now), she dragged me by the hand to walk through the castle.  Then, she ran back to Auntie V and wanted to go through again.  Her eyes were just shining!  Made me incredibly happy.  I think E was just thrilled to see everything and everyone. 

Our first (real) stop was Toontown, in the very back of the park.  It's meant for little ones, and apparently the characters (i.e. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto) are outside and available to meet you right when it opens.  Our first character meet-and-greet was with Minnie Mouse.  Both girls were TERRIFIED, lol!  They didn't want to go near her!  The pictures are hilarious because of this.  Then, we saw Goofy and got a few pictures, off to Mickey's house for a tour and pictures, and then we played played played in Toontown.  YAY!

We had passed the princess area on our way to Toontown, so the girls desperately wanted to go back and meet the princesses.  When we had originally gone by, there was Tiana (Princess and the Frog), Cinderella, and Ariel and Eric (Little Mermaid).  When we came back and got in the 45-minute long line (!), there was Snow White, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), and Jasmine (Aladdin).  Fine, okay, whatever, the girls will get to meet some princesses, right?  Not their favorite (Tiana), but that's okay.  When we were almost at the front of the line, it was time for the princesses to switch out.  All of a sudden, Tiana was back!  The girls were beyond excited.  When it was our turn, we met Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Cinderella, and Tiana.  The girls actually hugged them all, got a few pictures, and looked so happy.  L was still completely beside herself and couldn't manage two words, but as soon as we were away from them, she exploded with words about all of it.  E wanted so badly to see Tiana, and when she finally did, she just had this look of complete wonder on her face and could hardly hug her and tear her eyes away from Tiana's face.  Just adorable! 

Then, I can't remember what all we did in what order.  We had a great picnic lunch that V made in a picnic area just outside the park, at which time the space shuttle Endeavor came roaring overhead on the back of a 747.  We rode the Disney train, Winnie the Pooh ride (met Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore too!), saw Halloween decorations, watched E nap in the stroller for awhile, rode the Dumbo ride, had a whirl around the carousel, toured Sleeping Beauty's castle (L was so happy!), and then settled down for the parade on Main Street.  E had her jaw open the entire time, and L was asking me questions about who was who and waving at everyone as they went by.  They waved back!  We got the girls Mickey ears with their names embroidered on them, a stuffed Disney toy of their choice (E got Donald Duck and L got Mickey the sorcerer), and then packed our stuff back up to head "home." 

Long day.  Got back to A, V, and S's, had dinner, went back to the hotel for a bath (boy were we all sweaty), and totally collapsed in bed.  I'm so glad we did this with the girls, but I am so very, very tired.

CA Trip, Day 1

We finished packing up our stuff this morning and went to the airport for our flight to Orange County.  We flew from Tucson to Las Vegas, stayed on the plane, and then flew to Orange County.  Orange County is so much nicer of an airport than LAX!  I'd fly there again in a heart beat over LAX.  Got our rental car (damn you, people, for not taking my gift certificates!  RAR!), drove to the hotel, checked in, and attempted to get the girls to nap.  When L fell asleep face down, we were pleased.  Poor child was so tired.  When E started riding her pillow around the pack-n-play like a horse and chanting "'up!  'up!  'up!", we knew she was failing at the nap thing.  Meh.  After we did that for a short while, we loaded up again and went to A, V, and S's townhouse for a visit and dinner.  Boy were the girls (and S) excited!  Then, it was back to the hotel for a bath, relax, and then bed.  The husband and I got the king-size bed, L got the sofa bed, and E got the pack-n-play.  Husband and I camped out in the bathroom area until the girls were asleep, then went to konk out ourselves.  Long day, but happy to be hear.  Can't wait for Disneyland tomorrow!

Ah, the nap

Dear Nap Time,

You rock.  I look forward to you everyday, some days more than others, because you rock so much.  Not just for me, but for the girls too!  We need to stay close.  I don't think I could do without you.  You're such a wonderful, wonderful thing that happens around here.  I love you  more than words can say.

Love, Me

Penguin?

E's word for band-aid sounds vaguely like "penguin."  So, we constantly have the following conversation:

E:  Penguin?
Me:  What?
E:  Penguin!  *points to knee*
Me:  You don't need a band-aid, you're fine.  We have to save them for emergencies.
E:  *wailing*  PENGUIN!

I should really get that on video someday...

Run run run

Running with the girls just might be harder than running 6.2 miles alone.  Just might. 

*exhausted*

Baby doll bed

I picked up a baby doll bed on clearance today at the store for the girls.  I've been looking for a baby bed/cradle for cheap for awhile, so this was great.  I was so pleased!  The girls were too.  As soon as we got home, they wanted it out of the box so they could play with it.  First thing E does?  LAY ON IT.  Apparently, it's more fun as a bed for the girls than for a doll!  Hilarious.  Sometimes, I wish I could think like they do so I can anticipate their reactions.  Other times, it's more fun to just see what they'll do.  Ha!

E on the doll bed.  Just a bit too big.

L on the doll bed.  DEFINITELY doesn't fit!

Biosphere 2

We had a nice trip up to Catalina/Oracle this morning to see the Biosphere 2 (Biosphere 1 being our planet).  It was a nice drive, the weather was fantastic, it was super interesting (for us, the adults - I think the girls just liked running around), and we had a fun little lunch at the McDonalds in Catalina.  Thanks to a Groupon I got in July, we paid $35 for all of us to go on our (new!) annual membership.  If we had paid at the door when we walked in, it would have been $60!  Great deal, and definitely paid for itself in one visit.  I'm so glad my MIL could come along, as the girls adored hanging off of her, and it was cool to see everything that was inside the structure and learn how it has/does work/worked. 

Biosphere 2 panorama shot

More of the structures that support the main Biosphere.

E and L loved playing on the stairs while the tour guide spoke.

A small desert study area outside.

Looking at the "ocean" from the viewing area down below.

My dawdling eater

L decided to take 50 minutes to eat her breakfast this morning, and one entire hour for lunch today.  Drove me f*ing bananas.  Breakfast was 3 oz of yogurt, half a bagel, and a small cup of milk.  THAT'S IT.  Lunch was turkey pieces (probably the equivalent to one larger piece of lunch meat), three strawberries (she ate those in 30 seconds), slices of hard-boiled egg (requested), and juice.  I DON'T GET IT.  What do I have to do to get her to not stare off in space for 10 minutes between bites?!?!?  It's driving me batty!  I've even just left the table with E to try to get her to eat faster (she doesn't like being at the table alone), but that does nothing.  ARGH!  Then, she eats dinner in about 20 minutes tonight.  *bangs head against wall*  If anyone needs me, I'll be over in this corner tearing my hair out.

High protein, low carb

My doctor called today:  my thyroid is normal.  So, all the extra weight on me is my own fault.  Great.  I have nothing to blame but myself.

She had mentioned as well on Tuesday that I should try a high protein, low carb diet.  That led to a ton of reading on foods that are high in protein and high in carbs, so that I'd know what to go towards and what to avoid.  Then, a trip to the grocery store was in order to get some of these things.  Then, a change in diet.  Hmm.

Yesterday was okay.  Today?  I was starving by 3pm.  I'm going to have to figure out a better balance.  Breakfast seems to be going great, but lunch is not.  Maybe that means I'll have to beef up my salad (literally!).  It probably didn't help that I didn't have dinner until 8pm, but c'est la vie.

I wonder how else I can incorporate more protein and less carbs in my diet?  Hmm...

Preschool Play Date

L has been complaining about one little boy in her class, B, and how he hits her.  I've been telling her that maybe he doesn't have any friends and that's why he hits people, maybe she should be his friend?  I think she's been trying, because he's all over her at school now, in her face when they go to leave ("Bye L!  Bye! Bye! Bye!"), and seems to want to be near her.  B's mom and I finally got our information exchanged and set up a play date.  This one was rescheduled from last week since L (and E, and the husband, and I) have been sick. 

This was apparently B's first play date ever, and boy was he excited.  When I turned the corner onto the street where he lives, I saw him and his mom standing at the end of the driveway.  I waved at them, and at that point B started jumping up and down screaming "L! L IS HERE! L! L! L!" He was squealing insanely when I shut off the car and finally opened the door, and L was giggling and happy as can be too.  Such excitement!  I think the poor kid ran from our car to his front door and back about 10 times before I got L and E unloaded, and his mom was trying to get him to calm down.  LOL!  Once we got in the house, it was great.  L and B played side by side (not really together) the entire time, E had fun playing with random things and watching a baby channel on TV, and we all had a nice time on their back patio in the perfect weather.  B kept trying to hug L, and after awhile L just didn't want him that close to her at all (ha!).  It's funny to me because L is usually that type of person!  I'm pretty sure I said a few things that made B's mom go "omg what is WRONG with her?!?!" but meh, whatever.  She said that she'd bring B over some time to play at our house, so it must not have been that bad. 

Yay for a great play date!  I could never keep my house that clean and clutter free, but it's nice to imagine I could (hahaha).  Here's a picture I snapped of the three kids on the bench in front of their house as we were leaving.

E, B, and L on the bench.

The scale and I

I've avoided the scale all summer.  I've worked out six days a week - days 1, 3, and 5 I run 3-6 miles, days 2, 4, and 6 I do 30-45 minutes of aerobics.  I've avoided eating out, drank nothing but water for 8 weeks to cleanse my system, did not go overboard eating things that aren't so good for you (e.g. ice cream, french fries, potato chips), avoided most foods that aren't good for you (see previous list), and even thought I was starting to see part of a six pack around my baby flab. 

I'm pretty sure it was all for moot.  The scale at the doctor's office said I'm 10 pounds heavier than where I was before I started doing my six-day-a-week routine.  The nice six pack lines are more weight, I'm pretty sure, and what the F* is the point of avoiding all the bad stuff out there if the healthy stuff is just going to put more weight on me?  I dropped two dress sizes last year when I started working out, and while I still fit in the smaller size, it's apparently not going to be for long.

I'm just really f*ing upset.  "Maybe it's the scale?"  Nope, pretty sure it's not, that scale gets calibrated weekly specifically to make sure it doesn't screw up.  "Maybe it's muscle!"  I doubt it.  Maybe I'm just never going to be the weight that I want to be, I'll never lose (now 20!) pounds, and never get into the size I want to be.  It's not impossible, it can't be, but my body just says no apparently.  According to the BMI, my goal weight is the upper limit for my height.  How ridiculous is that?

It shouldn't upset me this much and yet it does.  If my mother calls tomorrow and complains about how she's underweight again, I'm going to hang up on her. 

Just...I don't know what to do.  My doctor is checking to see if my thyroid is the problem, but I'm willing to bet $100 that it will come back normal.  Translation:  nope, not your body, you're just a fat idiot.  Ugh.

Angry.  Upset.  Hurt.  Ashamed.  Frustrated.  Ergh.

I've got a date!

I'm sitting here wondering if I should tell my husband I have a date Friday night.  *GASP* Yes, I know, a married woman going out on a DATE.  WITHOUT HER HUSBAND.  WITH ANOTHER WOMAN.  Does that qualify me as bisexual?  Hmm...

My old HR manager at the prison and I finally touched base today and we're going out Friday evening to catch up.  I can't remember the last time I saw her - it must have been my last day in 2009!  How crazy!  I hadn't realized the prison had gotten a new warden in the last two years, and I'm sure 90% of the staff is different.  Crazy.  I can't wait to see her!

Now, how to break it to the husband.  Do you think "Honey, I'm thinking of branching out with women" or "I'm going out on a date, don't wait up" would be the better start to the conversation?  ;)

Sick - The more, the merrier (not)

L brought home her sickness Thursday from school.  Friday, she's sick.  Saturday, she and I are sick.  Sunday, me, the husband, E, and L are sick.  The more the merrier, eh?  Egad it's hard to take care of kids when you feel like crap.  I actually went for a run this morning to try to clear my head and sinuses.  It worked...until I stopped running.  Yuck.  I'm really hoping this goes away tomorrow.  L seems to be on the mend, but E has rivers of snot coming from her nose.  Not looking forward to trying to care for the kiddos alone tomorrow while the husband goes to work. 

China Cabinet!

I've wanted a china cabinet ever since we bought this house 5+ years ago.  However, with having babies and other basic necessities to take care of first (white walls!  *shriek*  WHERE'S THE PAINT?!?!?), I held off.  I mean, china cabinets can be extremely expensive!  Also, they can be extremely ugly and unwieldy.  I remember the one my great-grandmother had in her house and it looked something like this.  Huge, ugly, and entirely unnecessary for a house our size.  Well, heck, she lived in a mobile home - talk about out of place!

This past spring, I thought about it again and starting perusing the local ads on Craigslist to see if I couldn't find one that was A) reasonably sized, B) reasonably priced, C) in reasonably good condition, and D) at a reasonable distance from our house.  Some were okay, others not so much, until I found The One earlier this week.  It was reasonably sized, fit perfectly into the space I had in mind, was almost the same color as our dining room table (yay, a match!), was 25-30 years old but well kept, and was about six miles from our house.  The person selling it wanted $100 for it, as he was moving and just wanted to get rid of it.  $100 for The One?  No problem!

The husband and I went to the man's house this morning to pick it up.  Thankfully, my MIL watched our girls while we picked it up so that we could get all the seats out of our minivan.  We loaded it up, took it home, set it up in the living/dining room, and voila!  China cabinet of my dreams.  I'm not crazy about the basket weave pattern at the bottom (think 1970s hip), but it will work for now.  Then, while cleaning the glass shelves in the interior, I managed to slice open a finger and break one of the shelves.  *sigh*  At least it broke inside the cupboard portion, so it was an easy clean up.  Still, something to get replaced.  We move all our wedding china into it (mostly still wrapped up and/or in boxes into the cabinet portion), and it was fun to finally open it up ~7.5 years later and find that yes, it is indeed still intact.  Lol!

I don't think the girls quite know what to do with it, which is great, but having it also necessitates some furniture moving around the living room.  We'll see how it turns out as I've changed things three times and am still unhappy with it.  Meh.  Now that I'm thinking about it again (while typing this), I've got another idea!  We'll see tomorrow.  In any case, enjoy the pictures.

L by our new china cabinet, which is right by their play kitchen.

E and L by the china cabinet.

"Look, Mama, I can lean on it!"

"Look, Mama, I can bang my head on the glass!"

CHINA!  Isn't it pretty?  So nice to see it again, lol.

Ugh, I hate having a sick child

L came home from school yesterday sneezing and sniffling, and overnight it turned into a full-blown stuff-up nose, coughing, and general disinterest in eating or doing much of anything.  We've watched a LOT of cartoons today, ate jello and ice cream, read tons of stories, and sang a bunch of made-up songs.  I really hate having any child sick, because they don't deal with it well and I wish I could magically make it go away.  At least she tends to get over things quickly - I'm hoping she'll be 100% by the time school comes back around on Tuesday.  Funny enough, I remember several people telling me that "after she's in school for a month [since she's never been in daycare], she'll be sick all the time!"  Well, it's been a month, folks, and this is the first illness.  Sigh.  I guess better now than when she's in kindergarten, and it's been awhile, but it still sucks!

Purebred vs Mutt

The husband has talked for a long time about getting a "guard-"type dog for our family.  First it was a Rottweiler, then it was a German Shepherd, and now it's a Doberman Pinscher.  Basically, a big scary-looking dog that will intimidate people, watch out for our family, and be putty around the girls.  We've also been talking for awhile about whether we should get another dog to be a companion to Belle (in her middle-to-older age) or not.  I know that he'll never make a decision until something is forced upon him, so I decided to take the reins and start looking into getting a Doberman.  When I told him yesterday that it would be a birthday present for him next year, he said "pets are bad gifts, let's just get one!"  I think that's a yes, lol.

However, we had a long discussion this evening about whether having a purebred is worth it, or if we should just get a mutt.  We have a mutt now, and she's awesome, but he's apparently had not-so-great experience with a purebred German Shepherd as a child.  However, I keep saying that was just ONE dog, who knows how others are?  He says, why not get a mutt so the purebred tendencies aren't there so much?  We're getting nowhere, and I'm still looking for Doberman breeders, emailing them, and trying to figure out what we want out of a dog.

Opinions?  Thoughts?  Are we crazy for wanting a purebred Doberman?  Should we just go to the pound?  If you're thinking "rescue a Doberman!," don't worry, I've thought of that too; however, rescues will not place a dog with a family with super young kids (like ours). 

Community College - Whoa.

The first day of class (8/23), I had 18 people show up:  14 registered, 2 registered absent, and 4 people just showed up.

The second day of class (8/28), I had 21 people show up:  20 registered, and 1 that walked in halfway through class.

The third day of class (8/30), I had 20 people show up:  1 person was absent.

Yesterday, the fourth day of class (9/4), was the last day at the community college to add classes.  When I showed up at 5:45pm for my 6:10pm class, there was a lady sitting there waiting to see if I had any openings left.  OMG, SERIOUSLY?!??  I signed her paperwork, she raced off to the registrar's office, got the book at the bookstore, and got back just in time for class.  That's 22 students (my maximum capacity is 22), all of whom are showing up, all of whom have a million questions, all of whom have different learning rates, capabilities, interests, and struggles.  I just...need alcohol.

The best and worst part about these 22 are the 3-4 that said they are taking the class on the recommendation of someone who took it before and had me as their instructor.  I kid you not.  The other class that runs during the day identical to mine (except for the instructor) has barely 12 people, the amount needed for the class to be held.  I'm overflowing!  HOW does this happen?!?!? 

As my husband says, though, with 22 people this semester and the amount of people that have completed my course in the past, there's a GOOD chance that many of them will return in the spring for the continuation class I'm trying to put together right now.  Then I'll definitely have two classes to teach - one beginning, and one continuing.  That's good, right?

Or will I need more alcohol?!?

Music Treasure!

When we went to visit the husband's dad's dad (Grandpa W) in July, he told me he had a box of piano music that he was going to throw out unless I wanted it.  He had kept it for many, many years and it came from family.  I told him I'd take a look through it and pick it up Labor Day weekend.  In all honesty, I thought it would be a crap load of music that I might keep a few things from and pitch the rest.  I picked up the box from him Saturday morning, thanked him, put it in the back of the van, and forgot about it.

The husband brought it inside on Sunday when he was unloading the car from our trip, which reminded me that we had it.  Everything was yellowed with age, falling apart from years of stifling heat in a garage, and really not looking so hot.  I thought, okay, I'll go through it tomorrow to see what's there and then recycle it.

I started going through the box Monday morning and couldn't believe what I was finding.  Original printings of many pieces I would definitely play or want to have a score for (e.g. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #3, Chopin Mazurkas, opera scores), many original compositions from composers for Grandpa W's aunt (who originally started this collection), and even a tiny music dictionary bound in linen and hand sewn together.  All of this stuff was from about 1900-1950.  The absolute BEST part of the entire collection were the items tucked inside many covers of books.  I found reviews of concerts from the 1940s, program schedules of performances in and around New York City during that time, notes from a teacher to students for practicing, lecture notes from Grandpa W's aunt for classes she attend at New York Music college between 1900-1910, and even some print ads for musical items for sale.  Unbelievable find.  I emailed Grandpa W and told him what I found, and he said he remembered now that his aunt (and mother, who added to the collection), would tuck those things into books and he'd clean forgot about all of them.  There was even a small Courier and Ives print tucked in one of the books!  It totally made my day.

I'm putting one of the reviews in here that I found quite interesting.  It's a review of the premiere of Hindemith's Sonata for Two Pianos.  The reviewer, the composer Virgil Thomson, didn't like it.  He also says that "Duo-pianism has a certain elephantine quality anyway."  HA!  I wonder what duo pianists today would think of that.

New York Herald-Times, late November 1942

Poison Control, call #3

The last time E drank something that warranted a call to poison control was back in May.  Before that, sometime this year, she had eaten part of my deodorant.  What is with this child and her eating/drinking habits?!??

This morning, I was digging through a box of music while the husband was doing odds and ends on the computer.  I started to smell something odd but ignored it because I figured it was just that - an odd smell.  The husband comes in and practically shrieks, to which I turn around and see E standing in the middle of the living room drinking from a bottle of white board cleaner that she had managed to unscrew the top of.  My husband immediately took it away from her, went to get her water, and told me to call Poison Control.  PC advised us to make sure she drank something, ate something, got a bath from head to toe (toddlers tend to splash things), and make sure she didn't get super drowsy or nauseous in the next couple hours.  E was thrilled to be having a bath alone, drank a whole sippy of milk, munched on Cheez-Its, and had a ball running around with her sister after her bath.  Perfectly.  Normal.  Mommy and Daddy, on the other hand, were not so much.  Husband was so upset her couldn't bathe her and needed to be alone for awhile.  I cried while I was washing her from being so upset, and told her she can't keep doing stuff like this because it will kill me!  PC called back after a hour to check on her, and she was fine, but I still feel awful.  The bottle was out of reach - the damn kid got a chair and knocked it down with toy!  How do you stop a child that is determined?!?!??

I'm really, REALLY hoping that's the last time we have to call them this year.  Otherwise, we are SO screwed when she can really start getting into things.  Yikes.  L was never like this!!!!!!

Ornery little brat.

Birthday celebration

The birthday party yesterday was great.  It was just family and we had a great time eating tons of food (the lemon pasta recipe V gave me to make went over super well!), gorging on desserts, watching Ho-Ho open gifts, watching the kids run around playing, got a family picture (thanks, A!), and I especially loved spending time with my nephew S.  We spent the night in the nursery - E in the crib, and then the husband, myself, and L on two twin mattresses.  Well, it started out that way, but with L tossing and turning so much, I moved out to the couch in the living room.  It wasn't too shabby, and when I came in at 5:30am, E was awake (ARGH) and L was curled up next to the husband.  HA!  We went to dim sum this morning and it was delicious.  The drive home didn't go as planned - we had planned the girls to nap but they didn't, so I entertained them most of the way (and fought of car sickness), and then they napped at home.  Exhausted, but so glad to be home!

The entire family together (plus the dog!)

My lemon spaghetti dish - yum.

Ho-Ho looking at her photo book we gave her.

Ho-Ho's birthday cake, by the husband's cousin J.  The top cake was decorated by the great grandchildren, lol.

Ho-Ho blowing out her candles.

L licking her yummy cupcake.

The W grandchildren - S, E, and L.

C and L play Angry Birds on someone's phone!

Happy birthday...

We're at a birthday party today for my husband's grandmother.  She's 80 this month!  Can't wait to celebrate with family.  Will post pictures later!