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April 29, 2008
Like I needed help with crazy
The wind is driving me fucking nuts. I swear, we've had one nice, warm day that wasn't windy. The rest of the time it's either been cool, cloudy, rainy, or freakishly windy.
The weatherman said that today was supposed to be 83 and sunny. Tomorrow and Thursday, partly cloudy, 80's and windy. I thought that meant today would be awesome, and it was, but it was also damn breezy. So what's in store for tommorow, when the forecast actually says "windy?
Gusts up to 40 mph.
Posted by me at 9:48 PM | Comments (0)
April 28, 2008
I have new kitten syndrome
My days (particularly ones like today) are filled with Owen, so he's getting a lot more blog time.
I didn't mention it before, because I wasn't sure that it wasn't just my imagination. I think Owen has different colored eyes. I thought they were a bit different, right from the start, but I figured they were just in the process of changing and were browning at different rates. I'm not convinced that isn't the case, but the longer they stay different, the more I wonder if they'll always be that way. I just wish I could get a good picture, but his eyes are so dark the differences just don't show.
The car thing has been getting better. Owen seems to be getting more patient with the positions he hates. He'll actually sit in the bouncer for a whole shower without freaking out, sometimes without vibrating his ass off. In the car, he'll refrain from going postal while we're moving. He totally loses it while we wait in the preschool pick-line, but then calms down again when we start moving. This is a major improvement!
The sleep thing has been hit or miss. He alternates between AWESOME! and bleh. Last night, he only got up once. Today? He's only taken one decent nap. The rest of the time, he wouldn't even stay asleep while I held him. I'm confounded, but I'm hoping I get another good night.
And on that note...
Posted by me at 9:58 PM | Comments (0)
Now if only I could get a picture of it
Owen started smiling!
Posted by me at 1:00 PM | Comments (0)
April 27, 2008
We used to play this game
What's grosser than gross?
Finding matted cat hair around the base of your newborns pacifier.
What's grosser than that?
Sticking it right back into his mouth.
Posted by me at 1:58 PM | Comments (0)
April 25, 2008
Not so much fun
Yesterday, Owen slept something like 19 or 20 hours. He slept in the car and on the floor and in my arms while I shopped. He slept through stoplights and preschool pickup and even in the carseat while we were at home. He slept so much that even with his usual awake time before bed, I was afraid he would be up half the night. He wasn't, though, he slept right on through that too.
Today, he *wanted* to sleep. But he wanted to sleep on me. Most of the times I set him down, he woke up immediately. A few times, he managed to sleep long enough for me to shower or make lunch, but no longer. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but I'm really trying to play with the girls more. I'm with them all the time, but rarely involved with them. I don't want to just be a presence in their lives, I want to be active in their lives. I'm not very good at that. A lot of day, by the time I'm done fetching and butt wiping and cleaning up after and feeding them, I pretty much just want to be left alone to do my thing. I'm not good at being fun and playful, and most of the time it just feels like more work.
So, anyway, both girls were home today, and I had high hopes that we would figure out something that would be fun for all of us. Instead, I spent most of the day holding Owen, feeding Owen, or telling the girls to be quiet so Owen would fall asleep.
Posted by me at 9:49 PM | Comments (0)
Growing up in a modern world
Jamie was driving her shopping cart around the downstairs.
J: "I need to find Chuck E. Cheese!"
K: "You have a map!"
J: "No, I don't have GPS!"
Posted by me at 9:40 PM | Comments (0)
April 23, 2008
And then I found a gray hair
Just when I think you have it all together, I realize that I've been wearing my shorts inside out ALL DAY LONG. That includes skipping the usual preschool drop off line in favor of walking the girls in (and speaking to just about every teacher there), and a trip to the grocery store. No wonder that nice store employee was so unusually helpful.
Posted by me at 9:30 PM | Comments (2)
April 22, 2008
Review - Horizon Organic Milk with DHA
Brought to me (and therefore you) by Bzz Agent.
This time I got two coupons for a free half gallon of Horizon Organic Milk with DHA. The max value of the coupon was $3.99. It took me three tries to find this specific product - Super Target and Walmart both carry Horizon products, but neither had the DHA product. i finally found it at Albertson's, but it cost $4.99 for a half gallon, yipes!
Taste-wise, this stuff is pretty good. I got the 2% version, and it's creamier than regular 2%. I thought it had a tiny off taste, similar to the off taste I've seen in vitamin added OJ. Not really enough to bother me, but enough that I cold taste it over my cereal. When I served the milk straight up to my husband and kids, none of them noticed any difference.
I like the idea of organic milk, but I haven't been able to justify the price. The DHA is a nice feature, especially since I'm breastfeeding and supposed to be taking in more of the stuff,and Horizon is a green company that treats it's animals and it's employees with care and respect, but there's just no way I can spend nearly three times the money on this product that I would spend on generic milk.
For anyone interested, I have coupons for $0.55 off Horizon Organic Milk with DHA.
Posted by me at 9:58 PM | Comments (0)
April 19, 2008
Having fun always seems to come at the price of our sleep
Last weekend, we went to a rodeo with a bunch of people from the TKD school. Dinner was at 6:30, and the rodeo didn't end until 10. No big deal, right? It's a weekend, the kids don't have to get up early, it's good to break out of your routine, let's have some fun!
Yeah, the little one came and got us up at 6:30. Are you freaking kidding me? I mean, not only did they NEED more sleep, but Rex and I got to bed late, too, and would have loved a little more peace and quiet.
Last night, I got to go to a girls night type thing at a neighbors house. I only knew one of the women there, and it wasn't even at her house, but I got up my nerve and went anyway. And I had a glass of wine or so, and a really nice time. I liked everyone I met (I'm paranoid enough to be nervously wondering if they liked me, too), and I hope I'm invited again, and that we can get us and our kids together in the meantime.
Good grief, I'm desperate-for-a-girlfriend girl in the friend-making dating world. Ugh.
I decided to leave Owen at home while I went out. Once he goes to sleep after an 8ish feeding, he's good til at least 10:30, which is when I usually wake him up to feed him and put him in pj's so we can go to bed. I took my phone just in case, but I wasn't expecting to be needed for a while. And I wasn't. He was still peaceful and sleeping when I got home.
And then I tried to go to bed. He just. wouldn't. stay. asleep. Around 3:00, after nursing him repeatedly and trying to get him to sleep alone, I gave in and let him sleep on me. That bought me three hours straight, and then he was up for the morning, and Rex took him when he got up with the girls.
Since as far as his night was concerned, nothing was out of the ordinary, I can only assume he sensed my fine mood and felt the need to knock me back down a peg.
Posted by me at 10:53 AM | Comments (1)
April 17, 2008
I'm just the bitchy, nagging maid who lives here
You know how sometimes you go back and read your old posts to see what the details of your life were back then, to see the hurdles you've overcome, to see how much things have changed? I started this post *years* ago, and it horrifies me. Horrifies me because every. single. word. still applies.
I've been just an observer in my family for a while now.
I take care of what needs to be done, try to make sure the kids have a little fun, but I don't really get involved. I watch them play in the driveway, but I sit and read while they frolic. I don't really play games with them, and while they get their fair share of hugs, I haven't wrestled with them and gotten involved.
I start out every day already on the edge. It only takes an annoyance or two to push me over into bitch mode. Crying is the one behavior that kills me, because I can't get them to stop. I mean, if she were hitting, I could physically stop them, but aside from gagging them, I can't make the crying stop.
I'm a nag. I hear myself correcting them about things that don't really matter, and I can't seem to stop. I take every opportunity that the kids give me to leave them alone (not ALONE alone, but uninvolved in what they're doing).
I spend too much time on the computer. Worse, half the time I'm not really doing anything, just refreshing hoping for something interesting to happen that I can read about.
I think I've decided that I'm entitled to my bad mood. But really, who's entitled to a bad mood that's lasted two or three years? My attitude isn't fair to my kids, it's not fair to my husband, and it isn't fair to me. I have good days, don't get me wrong, but when I look back over the weeks and months, I'm more gloom than sunshine. I tend to remember the bad things and forget the funny, happy times.
Someone needs to slap me outta this. I have the feeling that someone is supposed to be me.
Posted by me at 10:10 PM | Comments (2)
April 16, 2008
I can handle cranky, but I may never drive again
I don't know what's up with Owen today. He's been awake more than asleep, which was normal for my girls, but he's been a super-sleeper.He dozes off, but won't stay asleep. He fusses and cries and won't let go. He screamed for 20 minutes straight on the way home from dinner tonight. He never even stopped to take a breath, and when I finally got him out of the car seat, he was sweaty all over and I was a total wreck.
Posted by me at 8:44 PM | Comments (0)
Product Review - Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner
I have another review, courtesy of BzzAgent.
Right after we moved into our new house, I received the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. According to the box, it will either clean a nasty shower in about two weeks, or keep a shower clean when used daily after your last shower of the day. It's also fun to watch!
I had sort of hoped to use the cleaner in the shower at our old house, since it was absolutely filthy. Unfortunately, I had to clean that shower by hand. However, I've used the Scrubbing Bubbles cleaner since we moved into the new house, and I can't see a single thing in the shower to clean by hand! The water still sheets off the glass and doesn't leave water spots, there's no scum or any of that black stuff that grows on the caulk.
The biggest downside to the cleaner is the price.The starter kit is about $25, and the bottles of solution, which only last about two weeks, are just under $4 at Super Target. I'm sure I'll end up buying more in a weak moment (or anytime I find a coupon!) but I'm not sure I'm willing to spend that kind of money day in and day out.
I'm not the kind of person who *likes* to clean, and since I just had a baby (kid #3!) I don't really have time, either. This has been a great time-saver, and it actually works!
For anyone interested, I have $5 off coupons for a starter kit, or you can go to www.automaticshowercleaner.com and print out a $7 off coupon.
Posted by me at 12:24 PM | Comments (0)
April 15, 2008
Did I mention how happy I am about the warranty?
Owen must be some kind of baby genius, because he rolled from front to back tonight. Twice! On the floor, so he didn't have the help from uneven surfaces. Unless we have a foundation issue, which doesn't seem so unlikely after the last week.
Saturday night, I tried to turn the heat back on. I hate alternating between running the heat and A/C, but the weather has just been that variable. To avoid cooking the girls and freezing the boy (and me!), I had to do it. Anyway, soon after I turned the heat on, I noticed that what I thought had been a passing low-flying helicopter was actually one of the heating units in the attic. Rex narrowed it down to the downstairs unit, so at least the girls have been warm the last few days. Thank god for new home warranties!
Last week, we had a huge storm with some nice sideways rain. While the girls were waving goodbye to Rex as he drove off for work, I found puddles in the foyer. One of them was at least three feet in from the door. I couldn't figure out where the water came in from, but we're assuming there's a gap in the seal around the door. I'm going to hose the door down when I get a chance so I can tell the warranty guy exactly what he needs to fix. Oh, and the same storm uprooted our baby trees AGAIN.
Posted by me at 9:32 PM | Comments (0)
April 14, 2008
Abort! Abort!
How pathetic is it that I started this post over a month ago?
I've given up on Project 365. It wasn't that I couldn't take a picture every day, it was just that I never remembered until it was dark, which left me taking pictures inside the house. Of crap. I mean, I had some good ideas, but at some point I was taking a picture every night in my bedroom, right before we went to sleep. And there just isn't much of interest in my bedroom. As much as I love my cats, I can only take so many interesting pictures of them asleep on the bed.
I really like the idea of a picture a day, and I was hoping that the project would get me in the habit of picking up my camera more every day. It certainly got me thinking about good places to go take pictures. I still have a few shots in my head that have been waiting for Spring to arrive. Of course, I've been a little distracted lately with the move and the new kid and the screaming, but I'm also hoping these new things will get me clicking away again, now that I have some new material.
And in the excuses column, I need to clear off my hard drive so I have space. I actually took a bunch of pictures Saturday night that I can't get off my camera until I back up some more of our family pictures.
Posted by me at 12:59 PM | Comments (0)
April 11, 2008
There's nothing like a stubborn, lazy 5 year old to make you feel like a completely inadequate parent.
Posted by me at 8:26 PM | Comments (0)
April 10, 2008
Registered
Posted by me at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)
Oh, my
Who let my little girl grow up?
Jamie is officially registered for kindergarten.
Posted by me at 9:08 PM | Comments (2)
April 9, 2008
Well, hell
I upgraded MT to 4.1, and it didn't fix any of my problems, including the one where my last 3 posts (and probably this one) show up in the monthly archives but not on the front page.
ETA: Well, somehow posting this fixed the problem of my posts not showing up, although I'm still getting the server error on my end when I post. Weird.
Posted by me at 10:20 PM | Comments (1)
Maybe tomorrow will be the day
I have got to start eating better.
It's like the day Owen came out, I said to hell with health and weight. First I cleaned the house of all the (ugh) Valentine's and Easter candy. With my mouth. Then I started in on anything else I could find that was sweet. I baked. I ate salty I didn't even want.
I thought that would help me get back into the healthy stuff we have, the fruit and such. Nope. I just got a giant bag of M&M's the next time I went to Target. Oh, and more chips, and cheese puffs, and some faux cheese crackers.
Two days ago, I had lemonade and waffle fries from Chick-fil-A for lunch. Yesterday, it was a third of a grilled cheese and a PILE of M&M's. It's 10am and I'm already trying to resist the chocolate. It's not working.
Every day I swear I'm going to stop with the chocolate, and start with the real food. Every morning, I get on the scale, and I'm surprised that I haven't starting gaining weight. I think that if I weren't eating all the junk, I'd probably be losing weight. Every day I justify another handful of junk because me kids are driving me nuts, or because I survived, or because I'm having a good day.
Posted by me at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)
April 8, 2008
Freaked out bunnies
Posted by me at 9:41 PM | Comments (0)
Just another manic, uh, Tuesday
Today was one of those days that seemed to be going great and then all of a sudden, I'm crying on Rex's shoulder while the kids that drove me to it go back to behaving like real little people again.
We had a play date with a friend of Jamie's from school and her little sister. They had a great time. Such a great time that Jamie was in tears most of the ride home, because she didn't want to leave. Owen was not screaming, for once, and then we got stopped at a light. He was just recovering from that bout of screaming when we hit another light. That pretty much sealed the fate of the rest of the trip home.
I should go back and talk about Katie and her pee. She seems to be regressing from being potty trained. I knew this could happen when we introduced the new baby, but I thought she was far enough from diapers that it wouldn't be a problem. Also, she hasn't started trying to act like a baby herself, so I'm not sure it's related. Anyway, today she leaked a bit before we went to pick Jamie up, so she got fresh panties. Then she wet her pants (she said leaked, but dude, she was soaked) at the friend's house. I could understand that, since we were at a strange place and she was probably involved and not paying attention. I asked her if she had to go more, several times, and she said no. She wet her pants again before we got home. THat would be not 30 minutes from the previous time. I told her if she wet her pants again, I would have to put her back in diapers, and if she's in diapers she can't go to TKD, which means no yellow belt. I thought that would be some good motivation. Less than two hours later, she was wearing wet pants again.
So coming home was a wee bit traumatic for the mother in me. Screaming kid, wet pants, and I was HUNGRY. Owen stopped crying the instant I got him out of his seat. He was even fine when I laid him on the floor so I could start dinner. Katie frickin' smiles at me while I tell her she's going to lose TKD. Jamie is trying to show me what she made in school before I've even set my purse down.
I doubt I'm even making sense any more. All I know is that I was still smiling until I walked in the door, and then I went straight to tears.
Posted by me at 9:36 PM | Comments (0)
April 7, 2008
Eep!
Posted by me at 9:41 PM | Comments (0)
Copycat
Jamie is such a lemming. I really want her to be an individual, express herself in her own way, but I think her early years of being parented by a control freak worked way too well.
Aside from demanding skirts or tights a lot, and telling me I'm wrong about the weather, she wants my input when she's getting dressed each day. I prefer to help on weekdays, so I know she'll be appropriately attired for preschool, but on the weekends I tell her to choose for herself. (I guide with "pants and long sleeves" or whatever so it's temperature appropriate.) Often, she'll still ask "what goes with a pink shirt," or something to that effect. Here I try to give her an opportunity to make decisions, and she tosses it back to me.
Today, we had the girls make birthday cards for their cousins. Rex wrote out the words for them, and they were supposed to copy them and then make pictures on the blank sides of the cards. Jamie did a good job writing out the whole sentence, Katie, of course needed some help. She ran out of room before they could write the names, so Rex helped her write K2.
When Jamie finished her card, I had her bring it to me so I could see her picture. She had gone back and added 2's into her sentence (and not where they made sense.) I asked her why, and she started in with this long explanation that involved something about the twins and next year and then just petered off into nothing. I asked her if she did it because Daddy and Katie did, and after a wee bit of prodding, she finally answered yes.
I expect the monkey-see-monkey-do thing from her younger sister, but I keep hoping Jamie will step up and show some individuality, instead of always looking to others for her personality. I'm afraid that when she gets to school, she's going to be so easily led to do the wrong thing by peer pressure. How can I strengthen her uniqueness and personality to hold up to public school?
Posted by me at 9:38 PM | Comments (2)
April 5, 2008
I'm melting!
Woo!
In spite of the fact that I polished off all the Easter candy, some Valentine's candy, the fudge sauce and some ice cream and some pie dough and, well, you get the picture. In spite of all that, I only have 6 more baby pounds to lose.
Of course, then there are the 7 pounds I gained due to poor management of my thyroid problem last spring, and then the 6 pounds I wanted to lose before that. But still, I'm happy to have gotten through a pregnancy without gaining a metric ton, and glad to see the pounds leaving the way they did when had babies at a younger age.
Posted by me at 1:13 PM | Comments (0)
April 4, 2008
I wasn't planning to bitch, but, well...
I just made what I thought was my worst pie crust ever. It's actually pretty damn good. Now if only I hadn't cut into the pie before the filling was cool (how the hell am I supposed to resist chocolate?) and set.
I probably should have skipped making the pie in favor of working on the taxes. Have I mentioned that I haven't done our taxes yet? I started, a while back, but stopped when I got to the part where I had to use more than 3 brain cells at once. Also, we're going to take a hit this year, because we made a wee bit of money selling our last house, and we didn't live in it long enough to be able to roll the money into this house. I'm not really excited to see how much we owe.
Wee man is losing his mellowness in favor of some nasty sleep habits. Actually, it's his falling asleep habits that are causing trouble. During the day, he is mostly unwilling to just drift off to sleep. Instead, he fights and screams and rejects everything until finally, he doesn't. Rex and I spend several hours each morning and/or evening trying to soothe him into sleepiness. The good news is that he's still doing pretty well at night, waking for two or three feedings and usually going right back to sleep. The last feeding, at 4 or 5am, is the crapshoot: will he go back to sleep, or stay up and scream for an hour? At this point, if he's asleep when I finish feeding him, I just slide down the bed and let him stay on me. Better than chancing him waking up and wanting to stay that way.
The girls are, well, driving me nuts. Jamie talks all the time, but says next to nothing. I've started calling her Captain Obvious, because, well, she is constantly putting into words what everyone can plainly see. If she isn't narrating our lives, she's asking for something, anything. We do 5 activities, she asks for 6. An hour after breakfast, she asking what she can have for dessert after lunch. I ask her not to do something, she just keeps TALKING and digging herself deeper and deeper into a hole. Katie has rediscovered her stubborn streak, in spades. I tell her to stop doing something and she says, "I didn't!" Ok, kid, I wouldn't have told you to stop if you hadn't done it. Send her to do a 2 minute task, and she comes back 15 minutes later and it's only half done. And yesterday? Four pairs of panties. I'm willing to take the blame for one of the accidents, at least partially, but the other three were all her.
Nuts, I tell you.
On the other hand, they are so sweet with Owen. Katie is constantly, if annoyingly, offering suggestions as to what he needs. They let me know when he's crying or waking up. They try to play with him, totally unaware that he can't figure out what the hell they're doing. When we talk to him, they remind us that he doesn't know how to talk.
Still, nuts
Posted by me at 9:46 PM | Comments (0)
April 3, 2008
I think I can. I think I can!
Have I mentioned that Owen hates his car seat?
I may have to revise that. I think he hates being on his back (unless he's in my arms, then he tolerates it just fine) so much, that the car seat turns him into a screaming devil child, at least some of the time. Putting him in the car is a real crapshoot. Sometimes, he shrieks the entire trip. Sometimes, he starts out fine and works up to screaming bloody murder. Rarely, he is quiet and thoughtful. on a couple spectacular occasions, he has fallen asleep, sometimes without making a peep. The screaming doesn't end in him passing out, which is to say there isn't a damn thing to look forward to when he starts up.
I'm really hoping this is a temporary thing. That he'll outgrow it, or become resigned or something. Today, he lost it while we did a quick run through the grocery store on the way to pick Jamie up from school. We made it about halfway through the store when he started up, but at least I could stuff a pacifier in his mouth and jiggle it to keep him interested. I didn't have time to pull him out of the seat and try to calm him, so I drove most of the way to the preschool with one hand behind me holding the paci in (my daughters refer to this as "skilz.") Why he spits the damn thing out just so he can scream about it is beyond me. He was mercifully quiet on the ride home. And he held it together for most of the trip to, TKD, and most of the trip home. Unfortunately, the last 10 minutes or so were unadulterated hell. The screaming distracted me so badly that I left half our dinner at the McDonald's drive thru, and had to go back. He was just slowing down when we got stopped at a traffic light, at which someone obviously poked him with needles. By the time we got home, I was in tears. I thought I was past that.
Next week, Rex goes back to work, regular hours. I'm terrified that I'm not going to be able to manage our mornings in a way that gets everyone fed, dressed and moderately clean in time for school. I'm going to have to take the boy with me every time I leave the house, something we've been avoiding whenever possible. I'm going to have to keep it together.
Trial by fire, baby!
Posted by me at 9:24 PM | Comments (1)
April 2, 2008
Really looking forward to that first smile
Owen rolled over tonight.
Ok, so I don't think I have some baby prodigy. I'm not even going to count this as officially rolling over, since he did it while he was on the couch, so there was probably some helpful slant. But still. The kid already has the strongest neck muscles of any newborn I've seen. It does mean that I probably shouldn't put him down to nap on on the couch anymore, which kind of sucks 'cause it's so convenient. And also, he's less likely (although not completely safe from) to be stepped on by a big sister.
Last night sucked pretty hard. Owen woke up every time I put him down in the pack'n'play. In just the few days he's slept in there, I've gotten spoiled. While he was in there, he would grunt and squirm and fart and then get quiet, so I never knew if he was waking up or falling asleep. Rex finally took him for an hour or so and got him to go to sleep (eventually) and I was smart and just let him sleep on me for the rest of the morning. That hour or so was the only solid block of sleep I got last night.
He also has a pretty regular fussy period every evening after dinner. I'd say from 6 or 7 until 9 or so. The upside is that he tends toward sleep during the making and eating of dinner. The downside is that there's just about nothing that really calms him down until he's good and ready to be soothed.
Posted by me at 9:11 PM | Comments (0)