We're at Red Lobster last night (yes, we eat out a lot) with Husband, the boys, and Iago. We happened to be talking about the non-residential brother-in-law (we'll call him BIL). BIL lives with Husband's aunts. I had exchanged emails with Husband's aunt and she had indicated that they would like BIL to get a job where he can support himself (he currently delivers pizza) and have him get his own place. She would like to retire soon and wants to be able to afford to retire.
Iago, supported by us for the last 12 years and currently paid a minimal allowance for watching the kids, is completely out of touch with reality. He says, "How does BIL living there impact their finances? He pays rent."
One, I don't know if BIL pays rent. And if he does, it's just nominal and being used as an incentive to get him to move out. I don't think Iago would have a clue what it costs to support an additional person in the house. There's increased food consumption, electricity, water, heating costs, etc. My guess is that Iago assumes those have to be paid for anyway and doesn't think that adding another person to the house increases any of that. I'm thinking of all the dishes that need to be washed, the clothes that are laundered, the computer and video game usage that wouldn't normally be there, the heat that's turned up during the day when most people are normally at work. . . none of that would occur to Iago.
And finances aren't the only thing. Lack of privacy. Lack of freedom. Another opinion in the house. It's hard having an extra person in the house. Husband looks forward to one day living alone with me. Unless something happens to Iago, though, I don't think it will ever happen.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Worried
Got a call from my brother tonight. He's been having back pain so he went to urgent care. Turns out that one of his bolts has popped. He needs to get hold of the surgeon who put the metal plates in his back to check out the x-ray to get more info. He's worried. I'm worried.
For those who don't know, in my senior year of high school, my brother was in a rappelling accident. He fell 40 feet and landed on his back on a giant boulder. He was taken by Life Flight to the hospital where they suctioned out his shattered vertebrae and replaced them with metal. He's had them since. It was a trying time when they originally told us he wouldn't walk. Now, many, many years later, a bolt has popped. Near his spinal cord. . . yeah, I'm worried for him.
For those who don't know, in my senior year of high school, my brother was in a rappelling accident. He fell 40 feet and landed on his back on a giant boulder. He was taken by Life Flight to the hospital where they suctioned out his shattered vertebrae and replaced them with metal. He's had them since. It was a trying time when they originally told us he wouldn't walk. Now, many, many years later, a bolt has popped. Near his spinal cord. . . yeah, I'm worried for him.
More Time to Prepare
We moved into our new home at the end of August. It's a beautiful, big home. We have enough bedrooms that both Igor & Hannibal can have their own rooms. When we moved into the house, the paint colors of all the rooms was to our liking, the valances and window treatments complemented our existing furniture, and everything looked fresh and new. Except for one room - the room destined to be Igor's "own room."
Igor's room had holes in the wall from paintings or other hooks and furniture, so it needed patching. It was also a baby blue color that we didn't want to have to try to match once we patched the walls. The color we picked instead was a darker blue to complement the Star Wars Clone Wars bedding from Target.
When we moved in, we set the boys up in Hannibal's room to ease the transition to the new house. We didn't want all the changes (new house, Igor going off to kindergarten, etc.) to be too much and thought they should share the room at least until we painted Igor's room. We have repeated that we would move Igor into his own room once it was painted.
Thanksgiving comes and my mother is coming to stay overnight. We have a double bed for Igor we bought several years ago from the Amish store, but no mattress. We buy a mattress for the double bed and set up the bed in the unpainted room. We buy separate sheets (don't want mom to sleep on Star Wars sheets!). Mom goes back to Cleveland. Igor continues to sleep in Hannibal's room because his room isn't yet painted.
My husband has a day off and patches the walls. On another day, he covers the patches with splotches of the new paint so the first coat might be all we need. All that's left is to actually tape off the room and paint it. We think we'll get to it over the long Christmas holiday weekend. We don't. Igor has been napping in his "own room" but spending the nights in Hannibal's room.
Then, at 2:45 a.m. last night, Igor awakens us to tell us he has wet his bed. Sluggish, tired parents (Hannibal has been up most nights with a cold this week) we tell him to change out his clothes, he gets water from the bathroom, and uses the toilet. But his sheets and bedding in Hannibal's room are wet. However, the Star Wars bedding is on the bed in his own room, so we send him there where he excitedly spends the rest of the night.
Tonight, as we're getting ready to put them to bed, we realize that the bedding for Igor's toddler bed in Hannibal's room never made it into the dryer. I recommmend that we put Igor to bed in his own room. Husband reluctantly agrees. Husband takes Hannibal for bedtime. I take Igor who is so excited, especially when I plug in his Darth Vader lava lamp nightlight. He happily goes to sleep after a book and the required two songs (Jingle Bells, Batman Smells and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star). Unfortunately, Hannibal after half an hour has just finished screaming and might finally be asleep - he doesn't like sleeping alone.
Meanwhile, when we come downstairs, Husband says to me, "I needed more time to prepare for this." Really? We've been here since August and we've known since then that they'll be sleeping in their own rooms. How much more time did we need? I felt the need to bite the bullet, as husband was always coming up with excuses on why we shouldn't put Igor in his own room. Tonight, it was "I don't think it was the best idea to do this when Hannibal is feeling poorly already." When would be a good time? The kid has been looking forward to this for ages and ages. We can try to paint the room this long New Year's weekend. But I really think it's time for him to sleep in his own bed and for us to trade off which kid we put down for the night so they each get quality time alone with each of us. More time to prepare. It's been four months.
Igor's room had holes in the wall from paintings or other hooks and furniture, so it needed patching. It was also a baby blue color that we didn't want to have to try to match once we patched the walls. The color we picked instead was a darker blue to complement the Star Wars Clone Wars bedding from Target.
When we moved in, we set the boys up in Hannibal's room to ease the transition to the new house. We didn't want all the changes (new house, Igor going off to kindergarten, etc.) to be too much and thought they should share the room at least until we painted Igor's room. We have repeated that we would move Igor into his own room once it was painted.
Thanksgiving comes and my mother is coming to stay overnight. We have a double bed for Igor we bought several years ago from the Amish store, but no mattress. We buy a mattress for the double bed and set up the bed in the unpainted room. We buy separate sheets (don't want mom to sleep on Star Wars sheets!). Mom goes back to Cleveland. Igor continues to sleep in Hannibal's room because his room isn't yet painted.
My husband has a day off and patches the walls. On another day, he covers the patches with splotches of the new paint so the first coat might be all we need. All that's left is to actually tape off the room and paint it. We think we'll get to it over the long Christmas holiday weekend. We don't. Igor has been napping in his "own room" but spending the nights in Hannibal's room.
Then, at 2:45 a.m. last night, Igor awakens us to tell us he has wet his bed. Sluggish, tired parents (Hannibal has been up most nights with a cold this week) we tell him to change out his clothes, he gets water from the bathroom, and uses the toilet. But his sheets and bedding in Hannibal's room are wet. However, the Star Wars bedding is on the bed in his own room, so we send him there where he excitedly spends the rest of the night.
Tonight, as we're getting ready to put them to bed, we realize that the bedding for Igor's toddler bed in Hannibal's room never made it into the dryer. I recommmend that we put Igor to bed in his own room. Husband reluctantly agrees. Husband takes Hannibal for bedtime. I take Igor who is so excited, especially when I plug in his Darth Vader lava lamp nightlight. He happily goes to sleep after a book and the required two songs (Jingle Bells, Batman Smells and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star). Unfortunately, Hannibal after half an hour has just finished screaming and might finally be asleep - he doesn't like sleeping alone.
Meanwhile, when we come downstairs, Husband says to me, "I needed more time to prepare for this." Really? We've been here since August and we've known since then that they'll be sleeping in their own rooms. How much more time did we need? I felt the need to bite the bullet, as husband was always coming up with excuses on why we shouldn't put Igor in his own room. Tonight, it was "I don't think it was the best idea to do this when Hannibal is feeling poorly already." When would be a good time? The kid has been looking forward to this for ages and ages. We can try to paint the room this long New Year's weekend. But I really think it's time for him to sleep in his own bed and for us to trade off which kid we put down for the night so they each get quality time alone with each of us. More time to prepare. It's been four months.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Christmas Eve Services
So, I haven't been to church in a while. A long while. I've started to feel the yearning to go back. It was helped by the request of Igor to someday go to a church service with me. My thought was that Christmas Eve services would be a great way to introduce him to church. I have always loved the Cantata's and the carols of Christmas Eve. However, Husband doesn't go to church. We agreed when we got married that he would come to Christmas & Easter with me only if I was regularly attending church. He's never been to Christmas or Easter services with me. So it would just be Igor and I going, leaving Hannibal with Husband.
The schedules at two local United Methodist churches have a children's program around 4-4:30. Unfortunately, Husband agreed to serve dinner at 5 p.m. and both his residential and non-residential brothers were invited. Plus, those are the children's services. While Igor would probably enjoy them, they're not what will refuel me.
Both churches also have 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. services. Unfortunately, Husband agreed to allow his aunt visiting from Tennessee to come visit the boys and give them their presents. Arrival time? 8 p.m. She will be leaving by 9:30 so she can be in a 10 p.m. mass. However, that means the 8 p.m. service is out. And there is NO WAY I am keeping a 5 year old awake and calm through a 10 p.m. candlelight vigil service on Christmas Eve.
End result: I'm probably skipping church again this year. Husband is apologetic that he made all these plans without checking with me, but I think inwardly he's glad I'm not going.
I guess I'll get back to making my buche de noel, the cookies for Santa, the candy, and cleaning the house for company. Luckily, the presents are wrapped. I will have to stuff the stockings once the kids go to bed (and even picked up stuff for non-residential brother-in-law who will be spending the night). Glad we have two extra days of the weekend to recover once the festivities are over!
The schedules at two local United Methodist churches have a children's program around 4-4:30. Unfortunately, Husband agreed to serve dinner at 5 p.m. and both his residential and non-residential brothers were invited. Plus, those are the children's services. While Igor would probably enjoy them, they're not what will refuel me.
Both churches also have 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. services. Unfortunately, Husband agreed to allow his aunt visiting from Tennessee to come visit the boys and give them their presents. Arrival time? 8 p.m. She will be leaving by 9:30 so she can be in a 10 p.m. mass. However, that means the 8 p.m. service is out. And there is NO WAY I am keeping a 5 year old awake and calm through a 10 p.m. candlelight vigil service on Christmas Eve.
End result: I'm probably skipping church again this year. Husband is apologetic that he made all these plans without checking with me, but I think inwardly he's glad I'm not going.
I guess I'll get back to making my buche de noel, the cookies for Santa, the candy, and cleaning the house for company. Luckily, the presents are wrapped. I will have to stuff the stockings once the kids go to bed (and even picked up stuff for non-residential brother-in-law who will be spending the night). Glad we have two extra days of the weekend to recover once the festivities are over!
My Fireplace
I may have mentioned that Husband is giving me a working fireplace for Christmas. What this so far has involved is:
- Having the Fireplace guys come out to do an inspection of the fireplace (estimated cost: $100)
- At the inspection, being informed that there are things wrong with the fireplace: damper needed a safety clip, lines to the pilot were melted (guy doing the repair said he had never seen something like this before), and the fireplace needed a thorough cleaning (cost: an additional $250).
- Scheduling a visit for them to do the repair on Monday of this week, but them canceling because we were out of town for the weekend and hadn't confirmed.
- Scheduling a 6:30 a.m. appointment for yesterday so we could still make it to work on time and having them show up at 7.
- At the 7 a.m. appointment yesterday, realizing he'd left something back at the shop (45 minutes away) and asking if he could just come back in the evening to complete the repair.
- Calling him last night to find out he had fallen asleep on the couch with his daughter and didn't have a sitter to watch the daughter, could he come in the morning when we wake up?
- Calling him this morning when we wake up to have him come, only to find out that he's at urgent care with his daughter who might have the flu. Guess we'll see him in about a week since I don't want the flu in my house.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
If I had a million dollars. . . I'd be rich
This morning, while eating breakfast, I was reading about these guys who built a 12,000 square foot home in Galena, OH. They've been trying to sell it for $4.6 million and it's been on the market for over a year. Well, I don't have much sympathy - seriously, our home was WAY less than that and it took three years to sell.
I was thinking about it and even if I won the lottery (which is very unlikely since we don't really play it), I don't think I'd feel the need to buy a $4.6 million house. That's too much. Husband and I often play the game, "If we win the lottery, how would we spend it?" and usually it ends up like the list below. Of course, it's all dependent on how much the winnings would be.
I was thinking about it and even if I won the lottery (which is very unlikely since we don't really play it), I don't think I'd feel the need to buy a $4.6 million house. That's too much. Husband and I often play the game, "If we win the lottery, how would we spend it?" and usually it ends up like the list below. Of course, it's all dependent on how much the winnings would be.
- pay off all of our debt
- college funds for our kids, our nieces & nephews (all of them), and maybe a few friends' kids who need some help
- new house & car
- houses & cars for siblings & my mom
- motorcycle for Husband
Monday, December 14, 2009
Tickle your own. . .
First off: baby head butts to the nose when leaning in to give hugs & kisses at bedtime really hurts. If I didn't have a headache before, I do now. Ouch! Overprotective Husband took away all of Hannibal's blankets and stuffed animals until he said sorry to me.
Second story: Husband took the boys up to get their shower while I took the household trash to the curb. When I came upstairs, I hear the following from Igor to his dad, "Daddy, it tickles when Hannibal touches my penis!" Husband's response, "Don't touch each others' penises - tickle your own penis in private." Really? Ah, boys.
Second story: Husband took the boys up to get their shower while I took the household trash to the curb. When I came upstairs, I hear the following from Igor to his dad, "Daddy, it tickles when Hannibal touches my penis!" Husband's response, "Don't touch each others' penises - tickle your own penis in private." Really? Ah, boys.
Scale Issues
Made the mistake of weighing myself on the bathroom scale for the first time since we moved. Yikes! We've been talking about "getting back on the diet." This only reaffirms what I already knew - it's not that my pants are shrinking. I'm so close to the danger zone that I set for myself. There's only one time I've surpassed a certain number and I was pregnant with Hannibal at the time. And I bawled. Even pregnant I didn't want to weigh over that number. Now I'm close again and I don't even have the excuse of being pregnant. It's time to figure out how to get that workout back into my schedule again. It's hard to build that in during the most stressful time of the year for me, but it's important so I'll find the time.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Heinous Day & Santa Claus Visits
Today was heinous. The children were incredibly poorly behaved out of the gates this morning and it just snowballed from there. Add a 1.5 hour wait in the line at the mall for Santa and the result is two tired parents that are angry at everything and everybody - including each other.
My kids swing on a pendulum and a really good day is usually followed by a really bad day when it comes to their behavior. Today was the result of a fantastic day yesterday. On Sundays, Husband gets to sleep in, so when little Hannibal woke up, I took him downstairs. He screamed the whole way because I wasn't dad. Hannibal prefers dad for his mattress, probably because Husband's thermally gifted. Igor followed downstairs soon after, awakened by Hannibal's cries. The babysitter, er, I mean TV was switched to Disney Channel and I was able to snooze a little with both on my lap watching drivel.
My light nap was broken by the need for the kids to have food, so I gave them some raisins as a snack while I made cinnamon rolls. They eagerly ate the cinnamon rolls and some strawberries with some milk. Not the best breakfast, but not the worst. Hannibal pushed the cinnamon roll away so he could have strawberries.
While they were still eating, I pulled out my candy making supplies. This year, I was going to make some chocolates for the holidays and let the boys help me. That's not happening now. I started to paint some snowflake lollipop molds when they started fighting over paper and crayons. I sent Igor to Time Out, only for him to refuse to go and then ended up chasing him around the house as he ran away. Husband came down the stairs and that's how Igor finally ended up in Time Out. Hannibal ended up in Time Out for hitting me.
Our plan was to go see Santa at Easton as soon as he was available - which was 11 a.m. Easton Town Center, where we go every year, is now a 45 minute drive for us. We could go to 2 other malls that are closer, but Easton has special meaning for me. We didn't get into line until 2:00 p.m. with all the time outs and bad behavior and lunch somewhere in the middle. We almost cancelled the trip, but this is the last opportunity we have before Christmas. The Shelf Elf we have (http://www.elfontheshelf.com/), though, did disappear and we told the boys that he had made a highly unusual mid-day trip back to Santa to tell him how bad they were being. The Elf hasn't come back yet.
We waited in line with two boys (luckily, Hannibal had at least napped on the way there in the car) for 1 1/2 hours. Hannibal refused to even smile, but at least didn't cry. The boys both need haircuts, but since we went to Wild Lights, we didn't have the time. After Santa, we picked up toner so I could print the Christmas newsletters I wanted to mail out yesterday, and then went home. Husband & I fought because he wanted to stop at the grocery store and I wanted to go straight home. We had horrendously-behaving kids. Husband was stressed from all the people in the line and the wait. Did I really want to deal with this at the grocery store? No.
On the ride home, Igor picks fights in the backseat with his brother. When we got home, he went into time out and was in and out for about an hour. We were going to send him to bed without dinner. But he'd only had french fries for lunch. Husband is mad still about the grocery store, so he tells me I have to figure out dinner. I make biscuits and soup. Igor complains about dinner the whole time we eat, otherwise dinner was silent. Right after dinner, we made the kids pick up the toys (and I threatened to throw away any that I found on the floor). Then to bed. Lights were out by 7:30 p.m. Yes, we sent them to bed early. But they needed it and so did we.
Husband went to the grocery for necessities and I worked on stuffing Christmas cards. Now, I'm blogging and he's killing things playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the Xbox 360. But the holidays have me completely and utterly stressed. There's too much to do - I'd hoped to make candy today (that's not happening this season, it seems) and start wrapping presents. Oh well. "After all. . . tomorrow is another day."
My kids swing on a pendulum and a really good day is usually followed by a really bad day when it comes to their behavior. Today was the result of a fantastic day yesterday. On Sundays, Husband gets to sleep in, so when little Hannibal woke up, I took him downstairs. He screamed the whole way because I wasn't dad. Hannibal prefers dad for his mattress, probably because Husband's thermally gifted. Igor followed downstairs soon after, awakened by Hannibal's cries. The babysitter, er, I mean TV was switched to Disney Channel and I was able to snooze a little with both on my lap watching drivel.
My light nap was broken by the need for the kids to have food, so I gave them some raisins as a snack while I made cinnamon rolls. They eagerly ate the cinnamon rolls and some strawberries with some milk. Not the best breakfast, but not the worst. Hannibal pushed the cinnamon roll away so he could have strawberries.
While they were still eating, I pulled out my candy making supplies. This year, I was going to make some chocolates for the holidays and let the boys help me. That's not happening now. I started to paint some snowflake lollipop molds when they started fighting over paper and crayons. I sent Igor to Time Out, only for him to refuse to go and then ended up chasing him around the house as he ran away. Husband came down the stairs and that's how Igor finally ended up in Time Out. Hannibal ended up in Time Out for hitting me.
Our plan was to go see Santa at Easton as soon as he was available - which was 11 a.m. Easton Town Center, where we go every year, is now a 45 minute drive for us. We could go to 2 other malls that are closer, but Easton has special meaning for me. We didn't get into line until 2:00 p.m. with all the time outs and bad behavior and lunch somewhere in the middle. We almost cancelled the trip, but this is the last opportunity we have before Christmas. The Shelf Elf we have (http://www.elfontheshelf.com/), though, did disappear and we told the boys that he had made a highly unusual mid-day trip back to Santa to tell him how bad they were being. The Elf hasn't come back yet.
We waited in line with two boys (luckily, Hannibal had at least napped on the way there in the car) for 1 1/2 hours. Hannibal refused to even smile, but at least didn't cry. The boys both need haircuts, but since we went to Wild Lights, we didn't have the time. After Santa, we picked up toner so I could print the Christmas newsletters I wanted to mail out yesterday, and then went home. Husband & I fought because he wanted to stop at the grocery store and I wanted to go straight home. We had horrendously-behaving kids. Husband was stressed from all the people in the line and the wait. Did I really want to deal with this at the grocery store? No.
On the ride home, Igor picks fights in the backseat with his brother. When we got home, he went into time out and was in and out for about an hour. We were going to send him to bed without dinner. But he'd only had french fries for lunch. Husband is mad still about the grocery store, so he tells me I have to figure out dinner. I make biscuits and soup. Igor complains about dinner the whole time we eat, otherwise dinner was silent. Right after dinner, we made the kids pick up the toys (and I threatened to throw away any that I found on the floor). Then to bed. Lights were out by 7:30 p.m. Yes, we sent them to bed early. But they needed it and so did we.
Husband went to the grocery for necessities and I worked on stuffing Christmas cards. Now, I'm blogging and he's killing things playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the Xbox 360. But the holidays have me completely and utterly stressed. There's too much to do - I'd hoped to make candy today (that's not happening this season, it seems) and start wrapping presents. Oh well. "After all. . . tomorrow is another day."
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Christmas Lights
I love Christmas lights. When I was little, I remember getting bundled up so my dad could take us to NELA park in Cleveland (http://cleveland.about.com/od/clevelandhistory/p/nelapark.htm). It was a GE Lighting Assembly plant and we would make an annual pilgrimage to see their Christmas light display. You would walk along what seemed at the time to be a never-ending sidewalk to see the various scenes depicted in all their colorful glory. I have to say it's one of my happiest Christmas memories. (Much better than the Christmas eve purchase of the Christmas tree and all the shouting and yelling to get it put up that night, often resulting in staying up until 1 or 2 a.m. and thinking you were missing Santa because you were still awake.) I have been back since and will admit that it didn't seem as impressive, but isn't that always the case when you become an adult and realize the proportions in your head were way off base with reality?
Tonight, we took our children to see Wild Lights at the Columbus Zoo (http://www.columbuszoo.org/Wildlights.aspx). The lights were fantastic! They've switched to LED and the lights look brighter. I enjoyed the light & music display watched across the water of the pond. More fun was watching Hannibal dance to it. And, of course, when it was over, having to run Igor to find a bathroom quickly. We had the kids bundled up in their winter coats and hats and mittens, sitting in the Radio Flyer wagon with the OSU blanket wrapped snuggly around them as we wandered around.
Unfortunately, a damper was put on my fun by Husband. Husband hates people. This event was crowded. We did skip seeing Santa because it was a 45 minute to an hour wait. What's funny is that it was Husband's idea to go tonight. It wasn't too cold (about 43 degrees Fahrenheit before the sun went down). He failed to account for the crowds, though. I spent the evening trying to keep up behind the wagon while he pulled it ahead through the zoo. My legs are short. He's 6'5". It was hard to keep up. He couldn't hear a word I'd say because he was too busy mapping out our path and protecting the wagon, not to mention he was wearing a scarf. It didn't help that we were jostled - on purpose, I think - by several people who just didn't care that we were walking there and that someone actually walked directly into the side of the wagon and almost fell over it. Husband does these things because we want to. And it's a nice sacrifice. But he sometimes sucks the fun out of it. . . however, the kids had a ball and we hopefully made some memories of our own for them. We might have to make this an annual tradition. I'll just have to remember that it's for the kids' benefit and maybe husband will loosen up after a couple of years . . . for our kids' sake, I hope so!
Tonight, we took our children to see Wild Lights at the Columbus Zoo (http://www.columbuszoo.org/Wildlights.aspx). The lights were fantastic! They've switched to LED and the lights look brighter. I enjoyed the light & music display watched across the water of the pond. More fun was watching Hannibal dance to it. And, of course, when it was over, having to run Igor to find a bathroom quickly. We had the kids bundled up in their winter coats and hats and mittens, sitting in the Radio Flyer wagon with the OSU blanket wrapped snuggly around them as we wandered around.
Unfortunately, a damper was put on my fun by Husband. Husband hates people. This event was crowded. We did skip seeing Santa because it was a 45 minute to an hour wait. What's funny is that it was Husband's idea to go tonight. It wasn't too cold (about 43 degrees Fahrenheit before the sun went down). He failed to account for the crowds, though. I spent the evening trying to keep up behind the wagon while he pulled it ahead through the zoo. My legs are short. He's 6'5". It was hard to keep up. He couldn't hear a word I'd say because he was too busy mapping out our path and protecting the wagon, not to mention he was wearing a scarf. It didn't help that we were jostled - on purpose, I think - by several people who just didn't care that we were walking there and that someone actually walked directly into the side of the wagon and almost fell over it. Husband does these things because we want to. And it's a nice sacrifice. But he sometimes sucks the fun out of it. . . however, the kids had a ball and we hopefully made some memories of our own for them. We might have to make this an annual tradition. I'll just have to remember that it's for the kids' benefit and maybe husband will loosen up after a couple of years . . . for our kids' sake, I hope so!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Date Night that Wasn't
Last night was "First Tuesday of the Month" and my father-in-law (hereinafter referred to as FIL for lack of better nickname yet) planned to pick up the kids and take them out so Husband & I could do whatever. Yay! Date Night. Of course, over the years date night has morphed into something much less fun than before. Our plans? Bring takeout home and wrap Christmas presents. And then if there's time, some alone time without kids. . .
I left work promptly at 5:00 p.m. (highly unusual for me) and called my husband from the road. He was still at work. Bummer. But FIL had the kids. When I got home Iago was playing Xbox in the living room. No worries because I had other things to do and the house is big enough now not to bother me. I started a load of laundry. I opened the packages from Amazon.com to see if they were my husbands' gifts. Nope. And then I went to the computer to Facebook a bit and then to start the Christmas card list.
The phone rings. It's Husband. I thought he was calling to see what I wanted for dinner. Nope. The sleet/ice storm had begun. FIL was nervous being out with the kids in our minivan. So FIL was bringing home Kentucky Fried Chicken for everyone for dinner. There goes the evening. Darn weather!
We did have a decent evening dinner and FIL left shortly after. We put the kids to bed and I got most of my Christmas cards addressed while my husband played Xbox. . . not sure how that was fair.
Bed last night just before midnight. Up this morning at 5:26 a.m. I'm beat.
I left work promptly at 5:00 p.m. (highly unusual for me) and called my husband from the road. He was still at work. Bummer. But FIL had the kids. When I got home Iago was playing Xbox in the living room. No worries because I had other things to do and the house is big enough now not to bother me. I started a load of laundry. I opened the packages from Amazon.com to see if they were my husbands' gifts. Nope. And then I went to the computer to Facebook a bit and then to start the Christmas card list.
The phone rings. It's Husband. I thought he was calling to see what I wanted for dinner. Nope. The sleet/ice storm had begun. FIL was nervous being out with the kids in our minivan. So FIL was bringing home Kentucky Fried Chicken for everyone for dinner. There goes the evening. Darn weather!
We did have a decent evening dinner and FIL left shortly after. We put the kids to bed and I got most of my Christmas cards addressed while my husband played Xbox. . . not sure how that was fair.
Bed last night just before midnight. Up this morning at 5:26 a.m. I'm beat.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
What Elaborate Lengths Men Will Go through!
When I was little, my brother, who is about six and a half years older than me, would use me to get girls. I still remember the time I got to see Little Mermaid on him because he asked a girl if she wanted to go with him when he took his little sister to see Little Mermaid. . . I was about 16. I thought it was sad then but wasn't complaining about getting to see a movie for free!
Now I'm a lot older and I'm still amazed by what men will do and what elaborate schemes they go through to get women. I'm a big fan of the show How I Met Your Mother and the character of Barney played by Neill Patrick Harris is a bit exaggerated in what he will go through, but I think it's not as big an exaggeration as some like to think it is.
Take today. We are out grabbing dinner and grocery shopping with the family. My husband gets about half a dozen or more calls from the brother-in-law that doesn't live with us. BIL, as we'll call him since I haven't yet come up with a suitable nickname here, works as a pizza delivery guy. He's 11 months younger than my husband, who turned 40 this year.
Well, it seems there's a short woman at work who's really cute - and 22. A co-worker of BIL's asked her if he got an elf costume if she would wear it and come over to see his kids. BIL got into the act and offered up my children for the event. So the half-dozen phone calls were to coordinate when this elf would come to our house to see my boys. And what she's allowed to say/do around my kids. And whether my husband would get to see it or if there would be pictures. I guess she's coming Wednesday. And BIL will take her to dinner in exchange for her doing it. . . I'm highly amused. I just hope they don't mess with the mythos we have created surrounding Santa for our children!
Now I'm a lot older and I'm still amazed by what men will do and what elaborate schemes they go through to get women. I'm a big fan of the show How I Met Your Mother and the character of Barney played by Neill Patrick Harris is a bit exaggerated in what he will go through, but I think it's not as big an exaggeration as some like to think it is.
Take today. We are out grabbing dinner and grocery shopping with the family. My husband gets about half a dozen or more calls from the brother-in-law that doesn't live with us. BIL, as we'll call him since I haven't yet come up with a suitable nickname here, works as a pizza delivery guy. He's 11 months younger than my husband, who turned 40 this year.
Well, it seems there's a short woman at work who's really cute - and 22. A co-worker of BIL's asked her if he got an elf costume if she would wear it and come over to see his kids. BIL got into the act and offered up my children for the event. So the half-dozen phone calls were to coordinate when this elf would come to our house to see my boys. And what she's allowed to say/do around my kids. And whether my husband would get to see it or if there would be pictures. I guess she's coming Wednesday. And BIL will take her to dinner in exchange for her doing it. . . I'm highly amused. I just hope they don't mess with the mythos we have created surrounding Santa for our children!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
A Mostly Typical Saturday
Today is Saturday. Usually, this is my day to sleep in. However, my husband and I have decided on particular Christmas presents for each other. With the new house, he is going to give me something he doesn't particularly care for (a working fireplace) and I am giving him something I don't particularly want (wired/mounted surround sound in my "formal" living/family room where the behemoth big screen resides). His present is scheduled to be installed on Dec. 11th. My present involves research. So instead of sleeping in as late as I normally can, we got out of beds when the boys woke up, grabbed showers, hit Starbucks, and headed to a fireplace store. After a 45 minute drive, we arrive and have to wait another 10 minutes before the store opens.
Once inside, it's painfully obvious we know nothing about our fireplace. "Is it a prefab or a masonry?" Well, I think it's a masonry, but the guys at the store think, based on who built our house, that it's a prefab. All I know is it's gas and has a full chimney. However, if it's prefab, I guess that means ventless logs are out. Ventless logs are a lot more efficient and put heat into your home instead of leaking heat out of your home. They showed us vented logs, ventless logs, and inserts. Then we scheduled an inspection and for them to come show us how our fireplace works - having never had one, we want it checked out before we attempt to use it for the first time to make sure we don't blow up our new house!
After that, it was headed toward home. We stopped & split up. I took Igor with me to Hallmark to buy gift bags and cards for the birthday party later in the day. We ended up having time to go to Goodwill where I found a shirt & pants for my youngest niece and a pair of pants for my youngest nephew. We also had the good fortune at Hallmark to find something Igor wanted to buy for his dad for Christmas. Yippee! A few things off my list. Meanwhile, my husband took Hannibal with him to the grocery store to buy things for lunch and dinner. We headed home, had ham & salami sandwiches while I "wrapped" the birthday presents. Hannibal went off to nap while Igor & I headed to the birthday party - another 40+ minute drive. I feel like I've been in the car a lot and it's not even 1 p.m.!
The birthday party was for a friend's daughter who turned 5. It was fun catching up with some folks I hadn't seen and Igor had fun. He had cake & ice cream which makes it just about perfect. It was a bit of chaos watching what felt like 20 kids trying to create stuffed animals and dress them, but we did walk away with a "Wishing Raccoon" that seems to have a tendency to hit my son and has spent most of the day in timeout (the stuffed raccoon, not the son). I think something's wrong with his wishing star.
After that we headed for home, grabbing gas for the empty tank on the way. Once home, I fall asleep in a chair while husband makes a delicious Mexican beef & rice dinner with tortillas (nary a vegetable to be found). I wipe snot from Hannibal's nose throughout dinner, realizing that I feel sick, too.
After dinner, we indulge the kids with movie night and the selection for the 5 & 2 year olds is "The Nightmare Before Christmas." I have informed them that any nightmares tonight they should go to daddy's side of the bed. Up to bed, with a few meltdowns later, we get teeth brushed and lights out. Then we come downstairs where there are still dirty dishes, but husband is playing Call of Duty on the Xbox 360 and I am blogging. . . under a nice warm blanket in the recliner. Would rather watch a chick flick, but husband seems out of sorts, so I won't ask for it. Instead, I think I'll go indulge my Facebook addiction a little bit more. . . and we'll probably both do this until Iago comes to claim the downstairs around 11.
A typical Saturday (except for the getting up early part!).
Once inside, it's painfully obvious we know nothing about our fireplace. "Is it a prefab or a masonry?" Well, I think it's a masonry, but the guys at the store think, based on who built our house, that it's a prefab. All I know is it's gas and has a full chimney. However, if it's prefab, I guess that means ventless logs are out. Ventless logs are a lot more efficient and put heat into your home instead of leaking heat out of your home. They showed us vented logs, ventless logs, and inserts. Then we scheduled an inspection and for them to come show us how our fireplace works - having never had one, we want it checked out before we attempt to use it for the first time to make sure we don't blow up our new house!
After that, it was headed toward home. We stopped & split up. I took Igor with me to Hallmark to buy gift bags and cards for the birthday party later in the day. We ended up having time to go to Goodwill where I found a shirt & pants for my youngest niece and a pair of pants for my youngest nephew. We also had the good fortune at Hallmark to find something Igor wanted to buy for his dad for Christmas. Yippee! A few things off my list. Meanwhile, my husband took Hannibal with him to the grocery store to buy things for lunch and dinner. We headed home, had ham & salami sandwiches while I "wrapped" the birthday presents. Hannibal went off to nap while Igor & I headed to the birthday party - another 40+ minute drive. I feel like I've been in the car a lot and it's not even 1 p.m.!
The birthday party was for a friend's daughter who turned 5. It was fun catching up with some folks I hadn't seen and Igor had fun. He had cake & ice cream which makes it just about perfect. It was a bit of chaos watching what felt like 20 kids trying to create stuffed animals and dress them, but we did walk away with a "Wishing Raccoon" that seems to have a tendency to hit my son and has spent most of the day in timeout (the stuffed raccoon, not the son). I think something's wrong with his wishing star.
After that we headed for home, grabbing gas for the empty tank on the way. Once home, I fall asleep in a chair while husband makes a delicious Mexican beef & rice dinner with tortillas (nary a vegetable to be found). I wipe snot from Hannibal's nose throughout dinner, realizing that I feel sick, too.
After dinner, we indulge the kids with movie night and the selection for the 5 & 2 year olds is "The Nightmare Before Christmas." I have informed them that any nightmares tonight they should go to daddy's side of the bed. Up to bed, with a few meltdowns later, we get teeth brushed and lights out. Then we come downstairs where there are still dirty dishes, but husband is playing Call of Duty on the Xbox 360 and I am blogging. . . under a nice warm blanket in the recliner. Would rather watch a chick flick, but husband seems out of sorts, so I won't ask for it. Instead, I think I'll go indulge my Facebook addiction a little bit more. . . and we'll probably both do this until Iago comes to claim the downstairs around 11.
A typical Saturday (except for the getting up early part!).
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Welcome
Hello & welcome! I am reviving my old "Judith's Journal" in a more updated fashion. No longer will I mail out updates, but post them here. I had been thinking of doing more of a "Judith's Journey" and thought about doing progress toward weight losss, but then I couldn't tell exciting and new stories of the family interspersed around my sometimes happy/sometimes disappointing results with the scale. And, well, I should have predicted that "Judith's Journey" would have already been taken? Of course, so is Judith's Journal, so this is really "Judith Journal" which makes it sound like a rather unfortunate name for a woman rather than a blog address.
Hopefully, my next post is going to be a cast of characters to help you follow the journal entries, but first I'll have to find some suitable nicknames for my family. Of course, with my addiction to Facebook, I'll just go ahead and ask for some suggestions. . .
Hopefully, my next post is going to be a cast of characters to help you follow the journal entries, but first I'll have to find some suitable nicknames for my family. Of course, with my addiction to Facebook, I'll just go ahead and ask for some suggestions. . .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)