Life has sure changed a lot since college days. It’s 8:30 and here I am just about ready for bed. Paul wants me to play DDR with him and I’m not sure if I can manage. Of course, I know that if I get started dancing it will be easy to keep going. That game is way too addictive.
I spent most of today trying to clean our basement. Hopefully we will be able to paint it sometime this week. The paint we bought is called Flemish Blue. It was really hard to decide between it and Hola Indigo. I really don’t know how the paint people come up with such names. Our upstairs walls are Orchid Whisper, which sounds like it should be purple or something. It’s actually white with a tiny hint of blue.
Abigail and Sam spent the day and Nana and Papa’s house. I am so thankful for free babysitting. Of course, there are many other reasons it is good to be close to family.
I have been reading “The New Strong-Willed Child” by Dr. James Dobson. I am not sure that it has been all that helpful. Except it reminds me that I am not the only one out there with a strong-willed little one. That would be Abigail, of course. She can be incredibly sweet and well-behaved, but she can also drive me nuts. I think she was born to be a leader. Unfortunately, she’ll have to learn not to be so bossy.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
And for this I get paid...
There has been snow here for a little over a week now. It makes me happy because I can watch the snow fall while I'm stuck at work. The MN people from the purchasing company do not like the snow. They get worried it will delay their flights home. Last Friday, most of the MN people left at 10:30 am so they would beat the snowstorm out. My 3rd boss (from MN) made the comment "These other employees aren't really dedicated. They're leaving early because of a little snow." So I had to say "Like how last time you wanted to fly out when there was to be snow you left a day early?" only to be informed I wasn't supposed to bring that up. Where is the fun in that? Anyhow, yesterday was my 3rd boss's last day in Cleveland for the indefinite future. It was a snowy day. One of my co-workers kept walking in and asking him if the airport had shut down yet. At one point I started laughing, only to be informed that I was encouraging the co-worker. But I have to keep my sense of humor. At this point if I don't laugh I might cry. It will be an experience to be without a supervisor on site.
On a happier work note, I got to break things this week. In order to see whether we could go to a thinner gage steel, I got to build the box, then drop a wrench on it to see how badly each version dented. What's better is nobody from the shop came in to see what all the noise was. Also on the happy side is that there is still chess being played at lunch.
Then today the company gave us breakfast, because we have such pride in what we do that we are willing to keep up the hard work through this (we had to suffer through a state of the co. address before the food). Then later today we found out that as "displaced workers" we are in a good position to receive unemployment assistance when the time comes. Hopefully it won't come to that.
Now, if only I could find time to go out running in the snow, I might be able to say my winter was complete.
I realize this had nothing to do with the siblings. At the moment the recent stories I have of their procrastination of homework are not contributing to my insainity level as much as my job. I guess that is something to be thankful for. Funny, I didn't think of it that way before. As VeggieTale says, "A thankful heart is a happy heart."
On a happier work note, I got to break things this week. In order to see whether we could go to a thinner gage steel, I got to build the box, then drop a wrench on it to see how badly each version dented. What's better is nobody from the shop came in to see what all the noise was. Also on the happy side is that there is still chess being played at lunch.
Then today the company gave us breakfast, because we have such pride in what we do that we are willing to keep up the hard work through this (we had to suffer through a state of the co. address before the food). Then later today we found out that as "displaced workers" we are in a good position to receive unemployment assistance when the time comes. Hopefully it won't come to that.
Now, if only I could find time to go out running in the snow, I might be able to say my winter was complete.
I realize this had nothing to do with the siblings. At the moment the recent stories I have of their procrastination of homework are not contributing to my insainity level as much as my job. I guess that is something to be thankful for. Funny, I didn't think of it that way before. As VeggieTale says, "A thankful heart is a happy heart."
I think about the Future
... and it scares me sometimes. Last night, I was reminded of my tendency to worry about things too much, and I was tempted to blog on it a little today. For now, though, it's no problem.
The thing that made me worry for the future today was a thread I was reading in a homeschooling forum during lunch. Granted, Derek and I aren't even thinking about education for Rachel right now (at least, formal things like school and what-not), much less homeschooling, but the forum was on the same site as the clothdiapering forums, and the Rose Thorns forums aren't as active enough for me to use them as spontaneous reading material.
The thread was started by a mother who wanted to start homeschooling her two children. She was interested in resources for homeschooling, as well as why her two-year-old didn't seem interested in learning her ABC's.
There was something wrong with this. What was wrong with this, you ask?
1. The opening post was in direct violation of English grammar rules. The entire post is written with ellipses replacing periods and commas, allowing fragments of sentences to exist all over the place. There were no spelling mistakes, but she did sprinkle some net abbreviations into the paragraph (if it could be called one).
2. She was amused at the thought of her two-year-old being only interested in pink, as if there was something else she should be interested in at that age.
I don't pretend to know a thing about homeschooling, nor do I like questioning the teaching capabilities of someone I've never met, but reading that post, and the comments after it, made me cringe. It reminded me of the many people I've encountered on the internet who seem to think that they're perfectly understandable to others even if they OMGHATEENGLSHIDONTPLAYTHISTOLERNGRAMAR.
Are people like this deciding to pull their kids from public schools to teach them how to communicate like that? Why is the ellipsis being so blatantly misused? Are we waiting for the day when telepathy will eliminate the need for punctuation? I'd like that; this way, I'd be able to beam thoughts of "WHY DO YOU PASS ME ON THE RIGHT SIDE, YOU IMPATIENT" [expletives omitted] to the people who think that they're somehow more important than everyone else on the road. Yup, definitely looking forward to the day when we all end up with our feet in our mouths for unrestrained communication.
I'm glad to know a few successfully homeschooled people, so that I will remember not to make too many generalizations. This doesn't stop me from fearing for the future, not one bit.
The thing that made me worry for the future today was a thread I was reading in a homeschooling forum during lunch. Granted, Derek and I aren't even thinking about education for Rachel right now (at least, formal things like school and what-not), much less homeschooling, but the forum was on the same site as the clothdiapering forums, and the Rose Thorns forums aren't as active enough for me to use them as spontaneous reading material.
The thread was started by a mother who wanted to start homeschooling her two children. She was interested in resources for homeschooling, as well as why her two-year-old didn't seem interested in learning her ABC's.
There was something wrong with this. What was wrong with this, you ask?
1. The opening post was in direct violation of English grammar rules. The entire post is written with ellipses replacing periods and commas, allowing fragments of sentences to exist all over the place. There were no spelling mistakes, but she did sprinkle some net abbreviations into the paragraph (if it could be called one).
2. She was amused at the thought of her two-year-old being only interested in pink, as if there was something else she should be interested in at that age.
I don't pretend to know a thing about homeschooling, nor do I like questioning the teaching capabilities of someone I've never met, but reading that post, and the comments after it, made me cringe. It reminded me of the many people I've encountered on the internet who seem to think that they're perfectly understandable to others even if they OMGHATEENGLSHIDONTPLAYTHISTOLERNGRAMAR.
Are people like this deciding to pull their kids from public schools to teach them how to communicate like that? Why is the ellipsis being so blatantly misused? Are we waiting for the day when telepathy will eliminate the need for punctuation? I'd like that; this way, I'd be able to beam thoughts of "WHY DO YOU PASS ME ON THE RIGHT SIDE, YOU IMPATIENT" [expletives omitted] to the people who think that they're somehow more important than everyone else on the road. Yup, definitely looking forward to the day when we all end up with our feet in our mouths for unrestrained communication.
I'm glad to know a few successfully homeschooled people, so that I will remember not to make too many generalizations. This doesn't stop me from fearing for the future, not one bit.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
environmental dangers
Kathy has seen the house, and in a few weeks, Shae will, too, and I'm willing to bet that its condition will not have changed in the interval between their visits.
Well, the tree will be packed away.
But I'm speaking of that condition people refer to as "babyproof". I disbelieve in such an absolute condition, but lately Derek and I have been (vaguely) thinking of moving the house into the "babyproof" range, seeing that Rachel's getting pretty active as of late. We don't expect her to be jetting around the house tomorrow, or anything, but she's managed to stop smashing her nose into the playmat *every* time we've set her on her stomach. I figure our "unsafe house" days are numbered.
In light of that somber revelation, I've started mental lists (plural because I tend to start and restart similar lists in my head, instead of revising them) of what needs to be done in the upcoming days/weeks/months to keep me and Derek from stumbling upon a sad, messy sight in the future (or, at the very least, reduce the probability of such things from happening). These include:
-Finding a place to put the gamecube other than on the floor.
-Moving books from lower shelves.
-Framing and hanging the Change poster
-Getting babygates, socket covers, cabinet locks+
Admittedly, it's hard to think of her as being mobile, especially with her attachment to being carried around so much. She's on my lap now, napping and making sucking motions with her mouth every once in a while.
... Yeah.
Well, the tree will be packed away.
But I'm speaking of that condition people refer to as "babyproof". I disbelieve in such an absolute condition, but lately Derek and I have been (vaguely) thinking of moving the house into the "babyproof" range, seeing that Rachel's getting pretty active as of late. We don't expect her to be jetting around the house tomorrow, or anything, but she's managed to stop smashing her nose into the playmat *every* time we've set her on her stomach. I figure our "unsafe house" days are numbered.
In light of that somber revelation, I've started mental lists (plural because I tend to start and restart similar lists in my head, instead of revising them) of what needs to be done in the upcoming days/weeks/months to keep me and Derek from stumbling upon a sad, messy sight in the future (or, at the very least, reduce the probability of such things from happening). These include:
-Finding a place to put the gamecube other than on the floor.
-Moving books from lower shelves.
-Framing and hanging the Change poster
-Getting babygates, socket covers, cabinet locks+
Admittedly, it's hard to think of her as being mobile, especially with her attachment to being carried around so much. She's on my lap now, napping and making sucking motions with her mouth every once in a while.
... Yeah.
MEGA FUN
Those of you who have read my previous posts know that I hate housework, so you are probably wondering what I have to say about it being fun. I have to be honest, I am borrowing from Karen Scalf Linamen.
Karen Scalf Linamen is one of my very favorite authors. For those of you unfamiliar with her work, she has written such masterpieces as “I’m not suffering from insanity, I’m enjoying every minute of it,” “Sometimes I wake up Grumpy, and sometimes I let him sleep,” and “Hand over the chocolate and no one gets hurt.”
In her book “Harried with Children,” Linamen discusses many myths and mysteries of motherhood. In one chapter about housework she tries to provide motivation to homemakers, who like me have a lack of inspiration to do housework. Her reasons to do house are as follows (with my thoughts on then following)
Mental Space - It’s easier to think when there is no clutter. I know this to be true, although clutter is hardly the first distraction for me.
Exercise - Maybe if I can convince myself of this it will make me more eager to clean.
Gratitude - It would be nice if our families were grateful for our cleaning. Unfortunately, I think housework is taken for granted as long as it stays done. But really the point is that we should be grateful for the housework that needs to be done, because it is a sign of prosperity. I will try!
Accomplishment - Housework gives us a sense of accomplishment. Some types of housework are better about this than others, namely the ones that stay done for more than five minutes.
Family - Our family will know they are nurtured, loved and cared for. “Isn’t it enough that I tell them they are nurtured even as I announce that dinner will be served ten minutes before bedtime or as soon as I can find the can opener, whichever comes first?” she writes.
U deserve it - I deserve a clean house?
Nobody Else is Going to do it - Amen to that!
She also offers some great practical suggestions. Like when you are cleaning a room, place all the things that don’t belong in that room in a basket, that way you don’t have to run back and forth across the house several times. This has revolutionized housework for me. For instance, my house is now full of laundry baskets containing completely random items that I still haven’t gotten around to putting away.
Anyway, if you are experiencing a housework slump, like me. I highly suggest this book. Linamen’s books are always full of great anecdotes, which generally provide lots of laughs.
On a side note, all I have been able to think today is "Lance, the turtle, Aloha Lance! Lance the turtle, Dance, Dance, Dance!" Let me know if that's stuck in your head too now! Yay, Veggie Tales!
Karen Scalf Linamen is one of my very favorite authors. For those of you unfamiliar with her work, she has written such masterpieces as “I’m not suffering from insanity, I’m enjoying every minute of it,” “Sometimes I wake up Grumpy, and sometimes I let him sleep,” and “Hand over the chocolate and no one gets hurt.”
In her book “Harried with Children,” Linamen discusses many myths and mysteries of motherhood. In one chapter about housework she tries to provide motivation to homemakers, who like me have a lack of inspiration to do housework. Her reasons to do house are as follows (with my thoughts on then following)
Mental Space - It’s easier to think when there is no clutter. I know this to be true, although clutter is hardly the first distraction for me.
Exercise - Maybe if I can convince myself of this it will make me more eager to clean.
Gratitude - It would be nice if our families were grateful for our cleaning. Unfortunately, I think housework is taken for granted as long as it stays done. But really the point is that we should be grateful for the housework that needs to be done, because it is a sign of prosperity. I will try!
Accomplishment - Housework gives us a sense of accomplishment. Some types of housework are better about this than others, namely the ones that stay done for more than five minutes.
Family - Our family will know they are nurtured, loved and cared for. “Isn’t it enough that I tell them they are nurtured even as I announce that dinner will be served ten minutes before bedtime or as soon as I can find the can opener, whichever comes first?” she writes.
U deserve it - I deserve a clean house?
Nobody Else is Going to do it - Amen to that!
She also offers some great practical suggestions. Like when you are cleaning a room, place all the things that don’t belong in that room in a basket, that way you don’t have to run back and forth across the house several times. This has revolutionized housework for me. For instance, my house is now full of laundry baskets containing completely random items that I still haven’t gotten around to putting away.
Anyway, if you are experiencing a housework slump, like me. I highly suggest this book. Linamen’s books are always full of great anecdotes, which generally provide lots of laughs.
On a side note, all I have been able to think today is "Lance, the turtle, Aloha Lance! Lance the turtle, Dance, Dance, Dance!" Let me know if that's stuck in your head too now! Yay, Veggie Tales!
Monday, January 22, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
A Note on Things Random
First of all, we did survive the party. And I have thus far resisted the leftover chocolate cake which is calling to me from the kitchen. My house was a long way from clean but at least it was mostly picked up. For his Birthday, we gave Sam an HO scale model train. He’s a bit little to really play with it, but he loves to watch it go around and around. All the kids at the party really liked it. He also got some other fun toys (including a radio-controlled car that Abigail is scared of). It was hard on Abigail to watch Sam get all the presents.
Also, I would like to comment on the passing, a couple weeks ago of a great man, whose life has affected millions, and continues to have an impact on about 100 million daily. I speak of course of Momofuko Ando, the inventor of ramen noodles. He invented this plastic wrapped brick of noodles in 1958, and college students (and others) everywhere are eternally grateful.
Lastly, a few days ago I posted a complaint about a generic medicine having been substituted for my regular prescription. I did some research (thanks to Google), and I discovered that thousands of people have been having issues with this same generic, Levothyroxine, in fact the several Thyroid associations are petitioning the FDA for stricter regulations. Armed with this information, I stormed into Walgreens and demanded name-brand product. Okay, so those of you who know me know better. Actually, I meekly walked to pharmacy counter and made a polite request. The technician was very helpful and agreed to change my folder so that they couldn’t give me a generic without my consent. Anyway, since the switch back I am feeling much better.
Coming Soon: Why housework is MEGA FUN!
Also, I would like to comment on the passing, a couple weeks ago of a great man, whose life has affected millions, and continues to have an impact on about 100 million daily. I speak of course of Momofuko Ando, the inventor of ramen noodles. He invented this plastic wrapped brick of noodles in 1958, and college students (and others) everywhere are eternally grateful.
Lastly, a few days ago I posted a complaint about a generic medicine having been substituted for my regular prescription. I did some research (thanks to Google), and I discovered that thousands of people have been having issues with this same generic, Levothyroxine, in fact the several Thyroid associations are petitioning the FDA for stricter regulations. Armed with this information, I stormed into Walgreens and demanded name-brand product. Okay, so those of you who know me know better. Actually, I meekly walked to pharmacy counter and made a polite request. The technician was very helpful and agreed to change my folder so that they couldn’t give me a generic without my consent. Anyway, since the switch back I am feeling much better.
Coming Soon: Why housework is MEGA FUN!
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