Saturday, January 01, 2011

1/1/2010 A New Year

Our biggest event of New Year's Eve was finally starting to night-train Katrina. Whoopee!

She took to the idea OK, but the bigger problem was for us remembering what to do. Finally I found some bedpads we'd had for the boys, and we also remembered that we have to wake her up to go.

She did pretty well overall. At 3am she was a little damp, but no more than she is during the day (she has a "leaking" problem). In the morning, same thing, but nothing totally soaked.

Tonight she threw a major tantrum about not having a pull-up, crying that without one, she might wet her underpants. I finally calmed her down by suggesting she go to bed without underpants (just PJs), and promised (falsely) that we'd find a pull-up if her PJs got wet.

She's cooperative about going when we wake her up at least, if we even really wake her up. This was hard with Gabriel, because he wouldn't wake up enough to get himself to go, and would stand in front of the toilet wavering so much he'd almost fall over. At least girls get to sit!

Today I welcomed the new year by welcoming it as late as possible. I slept until 11:30am. Eleven-thirty!!! I LOVED it. Then didn't get out of bed until 12:30, after watching cooking shows with Julian. Then in the afternoon, I took a nap. This is just what I need to detox from being completely exhausted all the time. Last week, without the kids in school, I actually got to work even earlier -- around 7:30 -- but I paid dearly for it by being wasted all day long.

One goal I have with this long weekend is to get our winter stuff straightened out once and for all -- fill in all the missing gaps! It's amazing just how much stuff is needed, how difficult it is to find in one place, and how difficult it is to find at all. We're already past peak season for buying winter gear, and a lot of stores and online catalogs are out of certain sizes. I must remember to do this shopping in August next year if need be.

In fact, if anyone needs any swimwear, I'd better get on it now!

One more day of blissful weekend/holiday/vacation...then the grind starts again for real.

1/1/2010

Thursday, December 30, 2010

12/30/2010 The Holiday Week

And so ends by far my easiest, most productive, least stressful work week yet. This was not because of work itself, but rather, because of no school.

Funny, two full-time moms I've talked to found the holidays more stressful than regular times. And no wonder, holidays with family interactions and so much to do, are stressful. But the particular combination that makes up my life -- our school's excess projects, multiple pickups, having two boys completely out of control when we get home, my standards for lunch (no school lunch and no packaged lunches), and not having any extra family support at home -- makes holidays a true break. Dare I say, even a vacation.

We got a lot done too, not the least of which was signing closing papers on our refinance today. 4.375%, yay! This will lower our monthly payments by over $400. We'll likely put that savings right back into the mortgage, but it's nice to have the extra flexibility.

School starts again next week, but I sure as heck hope to make the most from my remaining 3 days of freedom.

12/30/2010

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

12/29/2010 Coffee Night

Off to Coffee with mom friends!! And no big deal, this is SUCH an easy week. Work is SO easy when there's no school!

12/29/10

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

12/28/2010 The wife at home

I went to work early today, left late, and worked hard. But when I left work, I was able to run an errand on the way home, then go home to astounding peace. Actually, it was a weird day, because I left before the kids were up, and Dave had taken them to Tonya's for an unusual weekday sleepover before I got home. I never even saw them today.

But what a stunning difference my workdays have been this week, not having the painful 30-40 minute pickup time, and the very stressful work when I get home trying to get the boys to work on school projects while I clean up lunches, make dinner, and start tomorrow's lunches.

Instead, I can leave work when I'm at a good breaking point, have a direct drive home, and walk in and find everyone playing quietly (or, as today, absent). Meantime, Dave's taken care of answering phone calls, returning library books, waiting for the appliance repairman (our dryer is making death-throe noises), rescheduling Gabriel's teeth sealant appointment, picking up our new storage shelves, and scheduling our mortgage refi closing document signing, getting kids to pick up their rooms, finding batteries for whatever needs it.

WHAT a difference! Working life is soooo much easier when someone's at home taking care of everything!! I wouldn't even mind if it meant I still had to cook and grocery-shop -- I get left with the things I like to do, and with time to do them!

Well, I'm not going to get a new wife anytime soon, but this really underscores our dire need for some domestic help. Next year, when all 3 kids are in school.

For sleepover night tonight, Dave and I actually went shopping to find him some snow gear. This is an expensive and time-consuming new obsession to get started in, but once we have everything covered, things will go much smoother for the frequent trips to the mountain I'd like to take this winter. I'm trying to keep myself from going crazy and taking everyone on another snow trip over New Year's, since there really is no good reason to do it other than....I just want to go back. We really don't have the time, and school starts next week (wwwWWWWAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!), but 3 weeks until our ski trip seems SOOOO long.

So does the time when it will become practical and economical to hire someone to help us. Boy, how I need that.

12/18/2010

Monday, December 27, 2010

12/27/2010 Back to Rancho

Awww, my boys. I love them so much. This is a great photo.


Katrina had a great time too, and no trouble keeping up with the pack. I think we can safely retire all our strollers.


These were taken at one my favorite places in the world, Rancho San Antonio. But I wasn't there. I was at work today, and will be this whole week. Meantime, Dave's company has shut down and he's at home taking care of the kids this week. For the most part, I'm not sure who has the better of the deal, but if it means a fun beautiful walk at Rancho, he wins!

12/27/2010

Sunday, December 26, 2010

12/26/2010 7!

Julian's birthday today! Not an extension of Christmas, but his OWN birthday!

I was up early for a coordinated call with East Coast relatives, but Mom Nature had her own ideas (something about an itty-bitty blizzard), so that happened later when we weren't around. The boys played with their RC cars and lightsabers pretty much all day. Julian and Dad worked together to put together his "My First Clock" toy, which they both enjoyed.

I was sluggish and unproductive today, but did manage to bake Julian's birthday cake, and later make the frosting. I had a brainstorm about how to do this: do it with him -- let him decorate his own cake rather than surprise him. I thought we'd do it together, but he got right into it and wanted to do it himself. Well, almost himself, until a pastry-chef-underling appeared and demanded a role, which he obliged.







We finally declared it done, and I was very happy for the pressure to be removed for me to make a neat fabulous cake! And he loved it!



We sang Happy Birthday, he opened his generous birthday presents, we listened to Happy Birthday from East Coast family, and finished the day with one very special-feeling 7-year-old.


The trouble with the middle child is that his age isn't so shocking -- it's one I've done before, and it's one I'll do again, so the extremes surrounding the firstness or lastness of an age never exist for him. Still, 7. My mother says that's the age of reason. You've got a lot to live up to, kid!

12/26/2010