Trick or Treat

It’s Halloween 2012.

Work is ramping up and craziness is ensuing there. So, I’ve noticed myself trying to control things more at home and I kind of like it. I wish I were just a little more like this all the time. I am actually thinking about resolving for New Year’s to be one of those people who can’t go to sleep with dirty dishes in the sink. Anyway – control.

And Halloween.

 

I took Elle to school this morning, and the teachers asked if I had brought her Halloween costume. Well, since they were doing the trunk-or-treat at 3:15 PM (hello, the reason my kid is in daycare is because I WORK in the midst of the day). Anyway – I hadn’t. I figured she was little, wouldn’t know the difference of participating, yaddayaddayadda.

 

But, they said they’d change her into her costume and they would be taking all the babies out to trick or treat through the line up of trunks.

 

So, despite a hectic morning and day, I left work and went home, grabbed both the check book (more on that momentarily) and the costume and stopped in to school.

 

Success.

 

In the meantime, I am running for the board of directors at the country club where we are members/where I grew up. The office woman called me to remind me that my bio is due asap. So, I told her I would get it to her quickly. I also then remembered this…that I needed to put down the deposit FOR OUR WEDDING at the club. So, thus the checkbook.

 

I will not elaborate but to say that the venue is now booked and April 27, we’ll make it official, with the party, the dress (did I mention I got one of those, too?!) and the whole she-bang.

 

But, this is about trick-or-treating (do you like that cliffhanger I just left you with?).

 

So, I had a manager’s meeting (weekly) and got that done with, and was working on a deadline project that I needed to wrap up by the end of the day today. It was nearing 3 PM. Being new to the whole trunk-or-treat experience, I wasn’t in a huge rush. I finally left work at like 3:20 PM. I got to our house to pick up Jon (who is working 7 PM – 7 AM building windmills) and head to trick or treating. Jon had the camera ready to go and we were on our way.

 

We probably got up to the school at like 3:35/3:40 by the time it was all said and done.

 

And…we’d missed it!

 

Seriously, missed it.

 

And, since I hadn’t seen my girlie in her costume, it was my first glimpse of her all dressed up (thanks Andrea for the costume, by the way!).

 

Here, my little moo-cow.

We left school and headed to Jon’s parents, where Elle would ‘trick or treat’ and hang out there until I was out of work.

She is so busy, and the tights and the getup just kill me. She actually didn’t mind the hood being on her head at all. I don’t know why, sometimes she can get weird about stuff on her head, but mainly hats, not hoods. Odd.

 

 

The tail just gets me. LOVE.

 

She was such a good girl all day long.

 

If you’ll recall last year, there was a massive poop blowout at Grandma and Grandpa Carpenter’s, and Elle ended up in the bath in the kitchen sink at their house as a result. This year? She simply peed on me as I was trying to change her diaper. 2 for 2, that girlie of mine.

 

Elle got a whole goodie bag of stuff at Jon’s parents – glow stick bracelets and necklaces, snacks and juice.

 

At my parents, she got a mini-wagon and some new books.

 

Anyway, we went and visited my Grandma Carrell, who has moved here from Missouri (and we like being able to see her much more regularly, I have to say). And Elle got a ‘universal remote control’ for toddlers.

 

So, this is what I have to say about all of that.

 

First, thank you.

 

Second, I kind of feel like I got jipped all those years with only getting candy.

 

All in all, a good day and a good trick or treating experience. I’m sure this will be among the most low key Halloween’s of ours for quite some time.

 

 

The Truth About Blogging

I love to write on this blog.

 

Sometimes it’s weird that I run into people, start telling them some story, and they say ‘oh yeah – I read that already’ — sometimes I feel like I ruin my own great stories because I share them here. But then, quite honestly, the fact that I’m sharing my life with people in such a large way is thrilling. Honestly – thrilling.

 

I find myself, out and about, thinking ‘oh – that’ll make a good blog post’ and I smile and laugh to myself as I mentally compose my very next entry.

 

And then, I get home.

 

And the laundry needs to be tended, the dishwasher loaded/unloaded, the floor swept, the high chair cleaned…on and on the list goes. And the desk and the chair and the computer and the keyboard sit lonely again.

 

I even have a list in my phone of all the blog entries I want to write.

 

But I don’t.

 

Not that I won’t, necessarily, but I don’t. Because it’s a LOT to be a full-time, working, capital M Mom, a friend and a partner and a lover and a community citizen to be proud of…

 

So, the blog entries go unwritten (and yet the laundry could also go undone, too) and I feel as though here’s just one more thing that I’ve tried to put on my list of things to do, and I don’t accomplish.

 

The truth about blogging, for me, is that it’s a reprieve. I love sharing my life, with those known and unknown. I like stumbling across new blogs when someone comments on one of my posts. I enjoy building friendships across time and space…and the truth is, it’s hard. It requires time to be a blogger, time that I don’t have sometimes.

 

I read other people’s blogs and think that they take much better photos, or it’s more clearly organized, or they use a better platform, or at least they blog with far more consistency than I can come up with. And I wonder how.

 

The truth about blogging is that it channels all sorts of great things for me – but it’s also one more thing to add to the growing list of tasks that I haven’t accomplished by day’s end.

 

I think I’ve asked this before, but if I haven’t, here goes: give me an app that helps to organize my life! I need one that I can plug in ‘blogging’ as a reminder, that I can add ‘talk to Mom about switching days of babysitting’ with a calendar that shows that I have a hair appointment Thursday at 6 p.m. Does one of the apps on my phone already do this? I don’t want to use multiple apps – I need one.

 

And this is what my day has come to – searching for an app to run my life.

 

My Day Off

I’m feeling inspired today, so you may see multiple posts here.

Before I forget – Elle is doing the CUTEST thing. She loves purses, and she wants to carry anything as a purse (she had my sports bra slung over her shoulder, carrying it like it was a purse last night). She loves to put things in and take things out. SOOO cute.
Not so cute, however, is how she loves to take things out of every cupboard and closet in the house.

 

Yes, child proof locks ought to have been installed long ago. They were purchased, but I have felt as though installing child proof locks is man’s work (i.e., Jon’s work). If you wait long enough, however, everything becomes woman’s work.

 

I realized this past week that the reason I cannot get my house clean (other than the fact that I was in Houston for three days for work and I’ve been incredibly exhausted) is because I’m spending an inordinate amount of time simply putting shit back where it goes, under the cupboards.

 

It was cute, a few months ago, when Elle wanted to play ‘make up’ while I did mine. That game has morphed, though, into pulling every single thing out from under the bathroom cupboard (don’t worry, cleaning supplies don’t live under the cupboard) and throw it on the floor. If the thing is inside another thing (i.e., tampons) then every tampon will be thrown on the floor individually, too.

 

So, today, on my day off, I went to Menards and bought better lock things. And I’ve installed them in the bathroom. And I have been cheering as I test the doors out. I just got back 30 minutes of every day!

 

Out of guilt, I did leave one drawer unlocked so she can play in it – but it’s only got hair bows in it. I can handle putting hair bows back. I cannot handle putting all the tampons, pads, towels, washclothes, baby shampoo, hairspray, cotton balls, makeup sponges and more back EVERY TIME the door to the bathroom opens. I feel like I’ve created an entire new world for myself.

 

Ahh, that feels good.

The First Purchase of…

…our wedding!

 

I have been sort of wishy-washy on the wedding thing. Every wedding I go to I sit and mentally criticize the things that the bride/groom choose to spend SO MUCH FREAKING MONEY ON and vow that I’ll never do it. Never spend THAT MUCH money on one day.

 

Well, I lied.

 

Jon said he wanted the party, but being a bit of an introvert, making a big to-do of a ceremony wasn’t high on his list. Neither of us being religious, it’s not like we’d have a church rolling out the red carpet (sorry) for us. To me, I wanted to publicly promise, in front of those I loved, to love Jon for the rest of my life as my husband (wow, that’s weird to write) and ensure that those people there would hold both of us up through our ‘good times and bad’.

 

And that was about as far as I got.

 

I thought that perhaps we could just take a nice trip/vacation some place and celebrate, just the two of us. And then we’d come home and be married.

 

I thought at one point that we could have something relatively small at the golf course where we live and are members. That sounded like what I wanted to do, really. Except, even to simply FEED guests in a way I’d be proud of, I was staring at a huge bill.

 

I was conflicted. I wanted to be married in front of my family and friends, but I wasn’t sure I could commit (ironic, right?). As we discussed it more and more, Jon said he didn’t care, really, that he just assumed that I’d always dreamed of a party. So, essentially, the ball was in my court.

 

I told Jon “I’m going wedding dress shopping with my Mom on Friday. Maybe I’ll know after that what I want to do.”

 

And I did.

 

Even if Jon and I went to some place tropical and got married, I’d still want to celebrate with the people I love. I can’t imagine not having photos of the event, not building memories for my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends with us. I feel like memories are the foundation of, well, everything. That, and photographic proof.

 

I tried on wedding dresses. I went in completely open-minded, not actually being sure I WANTED a wedding dress. I honestly thought I wanted something off the rack, slightly altered to fit me, from some place like Nordstrom’s or Saks. I felt like I wanted an evening gown style dress. So, I looked at them. I tried them on. I didn’t love them.

 

We had our appointment at Becker’s Bridal, which is located in this podunk town of Fowler, Michigan. The entire town seems to revolve around Becker’s Bridal – there’s a bridal store, a bridesmaid/mother of the bride dress store and a guys wedding attire store. The local economy hinges on wedding season, it appears.

 

I tried on several dresses and Danyel (our wedding-dress-guru) was amazing. She just kept plugging away, asking questions about what I liked, what I didn’t like. It was an amazing experience.

 

I’d actually put my own clothes back on and we were looking for round two of dresses to try on, when Danyel brought out a dress and asked if I’d be interested in trying it on.

 

‘Sure’ I said.

 

And that was it.

 

The last dress I tried on was the dress I bought (well, my Mom and Dad bought! THANK YOU).

 

I feel like a kid in a candy store and yet like an adult – sort of silly and yet incredibly excited. This dress – my dress – honestly makes me feel the most beautiful I’ve felt in a singular piece of clothing…it’s gorgeous. Err…I mean…it has a ribbon and a bow. My Mom is adamant that no one know what the dress look like until THE BIG DAY so the line is ‘it has a ribbon and a bow’. That’s what I’m allowed to say. And since she was the one who encouraged me to try it on – well – she gets to set the rules. That, and did I mention she paid for it? Yup, her rules go.

 

Like my Mom said, I kind of had talked everyone into acting as though getting married isn’t a big deal, but it IS. Regardless of how big or small the wedding or the reception may be.

 

So, when push came to shove, I knew what I wanted. I was decisive and all that good stuff…and Jon just rolled his eyes and breathed deep.

 

I swear – I swear – that I’m going to remain normal throughout the planning process. I’m going to act natural, of course.

 

But in the meantime, I think I’ve got a photographer picked out too…

 

I’m so looking forward to publicly promising to be Jon’s wife (again, weird to write), to have my family and friends watch and celebrate with us. I’m looking forward to making memories on that day, on the days leading up to it, and all the days after.

 

I’m a sucker for a great party – so here’s to our wedding!

My First-Ever Call to Poison Control

It was rivalry week – Michigan vs. Michigan State football on the schedule this afternoon.
We were invited to a party at a friends house. We headed over a little early. Elle was great, in her Michigan cheerleader gear. As I continue to forget, it’s challenging to have a toddler when no one else at the party does – their kids are either a little older or younger. Which means, you’re at an un-baby-proofed house. And it’s a buggar. I opted to head home (about 2 1/2 miles) with Elle for a nap and some down time – which was exactly what she needed. A 2 1/2 hour nap later, she slept through the game where the Victors Hailed…and we went back to the party to pick Jon up a little while after.

 

She was in good spirits, all was well.

 

We hung out for a little while longer, but then opted to head home. Elle was still in a good mood and while it was after her normal bedtime, she had just slept from 4:30-7, so I was feeling a little bit adventurous. She couldn’t go to bed too early (as I type this, she’s screaming from her bedroom). Anywho…

 

I was checking my facebook or twitter, or something equally as inconsequential and Jon was playing Borderlands or something like that on the stupid Xbox.

 

And Elle disappeared around the corner. Not unusual, she normally makes the loop from living room to dining room to kitchen, to kitchen dining room, back to living room.

 

Except it got quiet.

 

Too quiet.

 

So I sped into the kitchen around the corner, and there she was…playing under the sink. In my head, I dreaded seeing the garbage laid out across the kitchen floor.

 

Instead, she’s in the dishwasher detergent box – the Cascade Action Packs – and I calmly freak out, yell for Jon. Say the f-word a few times. There is a large chunk bitten out of the crystals-side of the action pack. F— F— F—, I say. At least once.

 

I read the back of the box.

 

Keep Out of Reach of Children.

 

Well, that ship sailed.

 

If swallowed or in mouth, drink one glass of water and call a Poison Control Center (their capitalization, not mine) or a doctor IMMEDIATELY.

 

Jon’s reaction this entire time is to pause his video game, come look at what I’m freaking about and say “oh, she’ll be fine”.

 

I force her to drink a cup of water, no lid, no sippy, just right out of the cup, down the front of her pj’s. More water, more water, not enough water. I try to Google Poison Control on my phone, but it’s taking a long time. Too long.

 

I run here, to my trusty computer, and Google Poison Control.

 

And I dial.

 

And Jon has un-paused his video games.

 

I am calm, and yet running through various scenarios in my head, in fact dreading that the Poison Control guy is going to say we need to head to the E.R., STAT…

 

It wasn’t nearly so dramatic.

 

I have to say, my Poison Control experience was great.

 

The guy who answered the phone asked for the child’s first name so he could refer to her by name, asked what she had gotten into, asked about her reaction and how she was acting, how long ago it happened, etc. I give all this information. He reassures me that, based on what I’ve told him and that it was a small amount, it’s not anything to worry about at all, but he’s just going to double check.

 

He puts me on hold, and I’m glad that he reassured me before putting me on hold. I told him the directions I’d followed from the back of the box and he was great.

 

Jon, on the other hand, was still playing video games.

 

The P.C. man comes back from having me on hold, and tells me that Cascade has about 45 different products that are some type of action pack, so he locates the one that I have and assures me that there is nothing to worry about if she’s not acting strange.

 

While he’s telling me this, Elle is coming at my face for big, slobbery kisses. Nope, she’s fine, I sa.

 

I think I scared her, honestly. Well, she scared me, too.

 

I laugh and tell the P.C. man that she’s giving me kisses, etc.

 

He asks for some more information from me (probably so they can report me to CPS or something…bad Mom of the year award, you know).

 

I was glad of his help.

 

And then he said they were doing a survey, and would I answer two questions.

 

Sure.

 

#1: Does the child have insurance?
(I answered yes, so…)

#2: What kind?
(I give my answer…)

 

The questions bothered me and got me thinking…why does it matter? I hope they’re using that information for good, to help more people, rather than proving that it’s not needed and taking Poison Control away…I digress.

 

And we hung up and I made Elle a bottle (after bitching at Jon that he continued to play his video game and couldn’t pause it for the additional seven minutes I would have required his support….I could just scream at the damn Xbox and him…).

 

I was mainly mad at myself, because I had the Cascade where it was, because the childproof lock-thing we have on the door is cumbersome, so I didn’t re-latch it the last time and because I’d known it was too-quiet and didn’t react in time.

 

As I rocked her to sleep (and battled her crying episodes twice through trying to write this post), I just felt like I wanted to become more of a hover-mother, to avoid this aftermath, but I don’t REALLY.

 

I feel like sometimes my level of laid-back-ness with Elle gets me – and will continue to get me into – trouble.

 

Ugh.

 

What to do?

 

Lock up all foreign substances. Monitor her more closely?? I don’t know. I don’t know. But for a 10 minute stretch this evening, I didn’t like at all where my parenting style got me. Not at all.

 

We’ve survived, however. Elle wasn’t suds-ing at the mouth and fought sleep in her usual ways. Jon’s playing video games and avoiding the topic at all and I’m going round and round in my mind and in this blog about what I need to change for this to never happen again.

 

So, there’s my first-ever call to poison control. Here’s to hoping it’s my last!

Day in the Life: October 16/17 2012

I love doing Day in the Life.

Totally random day that I chose. I wanted to do this on Thursday, because my Mom and I and her friends are going to the Temple Theater in Saginaw to watch PostSecret Live. But, I decided that ought to be a post on its own, so here’s my Day in the Life…

Forgive the photo quality – iPhone4 does NOT have a sweet camera.

10/16/12, 10:18 PM: It’s Tuesday evening and Jon and I are watching the Tigers, Elle is in bed and the presidential debate is on a different channel. We try to watch the debate, but can’t stomach any of it. Baseball’s better. The good guys (Detroit Tigers) are up 2-0 in the bottom of the 6th.

10/16/12, 11:25 PM: Need a snack of SOMETHING and stay healthy with a cucumber, see? Yes, I ate on the couch, watching the Tigers still. Still up 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth with Verlander leaving the game after 8.1 innings pitched.

11:30ish PM: I pass out on the couch, which rarely happens anymore, and the Tigers end up winning by the skin of their teeth.

 

11:41 PM: My own bed, where I barely remember actually crawling under the covers.

 

10/17/12

6:30 AM: Alarm goes off. Snooze until I get fed up and turn the iPhone alarm off.
7:00 AM: Second alarm goes off. Snooze once, then turn off the alarm altogether.

 

7:28 AM: Check Facebook on my phone while lying in bed.

 

7:29 AM: Elle (who moved to our bed around 4ish AM after a diaper change and bottle) is crying LOUDLY IN MY EAR. Should’ve given myself the hour headstart, but Jon’s laid off for the week, so I take full advantage of that fact.

 

7:41 AM: Elle has crawled on top of me and is laying on me sleeping. Which means I enjoy myself and my cuddly, cranky-morning girl. I love mornings in bed with her and Jon. I know it’s against all the parenting rules, but it makes me happy (most mornings) to have her snuggled next to me.

7:44 AM: Cuddling is now over. We are up and at ’em. Elle’s picking out an outfit…which means I chose this for her. She’s got a doctor’s appointment at 9 AM that Jon is taking her to. Her one year well baby check up!

7:46 AM: Turns out Elle is not awake or happy to be attempting to be awake. Meltdown #1 of the day ensues.

FYI, I hate those Huggies wipes. They are the worst. I bought them at Sam’s Club and they aren’t in the package like tissues, so that one pops up after the other, they’re just folded on top of one another. Worst idea ever. It feels like this box of wipes is lasting AGES as a result of purely hating them.

7:53 AM: This is where it gets good. I was mainly trying to capture two things a) my morning beauty and b)that my favorite PJ shirt is my 1998 Girls Michigan High School Athletic Association Golf long-sleeve t-shirt. That’s right, it’s 14 years old, that t-shirt I’m wearing.

7:59 AM: It’s a Day in the Life and most days I really do try to appreciate the wonderful view our backyard gives to us, so I wanted to share it too.

 

8:03 AM: Dressed, after trying on several options. It’s a black dress, gray/silver wrap and black tights. Comfortable option and yet looks trendy-ish.

Here are the products out of the huge silver case the I actually used on my face this day… Jergens Natural Glow face lotion, Almay Wake Up Makeup, Mac blush, Clinique blush brush, Revlon neutral tone eyeshadow, Urban Decay eye primer, Revlon (I think) mascara, Mac bronzer and brush, eyelash curler and dark purple Mac eyeliner. Not in that order…

After makeup:

I also want to show you my hair…and mainly that I am obviously in year three of a seven-year bad luck streak. I feel like I’m doing okay if this is my bad luck streak.

8:15 AM: Elle’s favorite drawer to play in. It’s like she can hear me opening it and comes running…notice the absence of combs (she’s taken them all into her toy bins) and the Fiber Choice pills. They’re in that drawer because I SHOULD really take them more often and that’s as likely a spot as any that I’ll take them and because it provides entertainment when Elle starts digging through the drawer. Like a rattle, except Metamucil style.

8:17 AM:

What’d I tell you?

 

8:27 AM: Elle is getting ready to head to the doctor with Jon while I’m trying to get out the door. My two favorite people!

 

8:28 AM: On my way to work.

My drive is so short, it’s a crap shoot what song’ll be on in the morning. Great start to the day with my favorite song of the year! Springsteen, by Eric Church.

8:33: Arrive at work. Seriously, it’s a FIVE MINUTE DRIVE!

My office, how I left it from the day before…

8:35 AM: Need coffee. Our office manager just bought me a coffee pot for work!

8:44 AM: Computer is getting up and running, I’m checking voice mails and taking a Zyrtec and a Biotin Vitamin. I’m in the process of trying to grow an excellent running ponytail…as soon as I have one, that’s when I’ll start running (that’s what I keep telling myself).

Michelle and I count cash and do our morning routine, get the bank deposit ready, etc. It’s a pretty typical morning thus far.

9:39 AM: Remember/realize that I’m to do engagement pictures with Rick and Jen (Jon’s brother and future sister-in-law). Call Jon to make a plan for his parents to watch Elle as Jon is slated to go to work that evening in Bay City. Only to find out that he is not going to work in Bay City, he is still laid off. Curse the construction industry and the shitty economy. Just a little more turn in the economy and I know he’d be more steady.

Debrief on Elle’s check-up. She got four shots, including a flu shot and weighed 20 pounds and was 30 inches tall. Excellent!

10:04 AM: Was supposed to have secured my family holiday plans over the weekend so our management team could finish our coverage schedule for the month of December, so I quickly message my Mom’s side and then my Dad’s side making an appeal to lock down holiday plans.

 

10:53 AM: Close the door to my office and get ready for a radio interview I’m doing with WJR out of Detroit. It’s with Dave Lorenz of Pure Michigan and it will air the weekend before our annual Deer Widows Weekend event at work.

 

While waiting, I check my Gmail and get a note on some of the economic development activity that we’ve been doing in my local community and get asked to put together a presentation for an upcoming buy-in presentation to key stakeholders.

 

11:58 AM: WJR spot went well, incredibly well. Lasted all of seven minutes and I think I hit all my talking points.
Met with my Lead Customer Service Rep to review her annual goals and make sure that she’ll meet her goals by year’s end. She starts an 11 day vacation tomorrow, so it’s kind of our last chance before the holiday season chaos begins.

 

We have a monthly lunch to celebrate manager’s birthdays that month and today happens to be our weekly manager’s meeting/Dawn’s birthday lunch. I ordered the Cheesy Chicken Gyro from Victor and Merek’s.

 

Should’ve gotten a pic before biting into it…I have an abnormally large bite I think.

Here’s my boss Phil with his tasty Victor & Merek’s lunch! I honestly love working for him, he’s a phenomenal man to work for.

1:29 PM: Meeting is finally done. They have a tendency to run long. We did start early since we did the lunch, so we’re done early. It’s good, because Thursday (tomorrow) is my last day before taking Friday/Saturday off.

 

2:58 PM: Typical busy work day. Just proofed a memo to go out to all 145 of our tenant/merchants, trying to secure release for our Deer Widows Weekend Bargain Hunting Guide to go to print, emptied my real mailbox which I do about once a week or so, and called Jon to make a plan for pictures in the evening.

 

3:02 PM: Confirm appointment for trying on bridal dresses at Becker’s Bridal and that my Mom can take the day off to go with me to to try on dresses. Looking forward to it regardless of what the outcome may be.

 

4:29 PM: Working on drafting an email to go to business-to-business contacts for our Veterans Day Sales. Need it done before I’m out of the office in Houston next week. Over the radio I hear Security get a call because someone thinks their car could blow up because it’s leaking gas in the parking lot. It’s actually nothing to worry about and is quickly taken care of.

 

 

My hair is at an awkward stage and doesn’t last down very long throughout the day…

 

5:35 PM: I keep the clock in my car at least 8 minutes fast because it helps me feel less late…on my way home to grab Jon and Elle and head to the park where we’re meeting Rick and Jen for pictures and Elle and Jon are going to play.

5:41: I pull in the driveway and Jon’s Jeep is running, the garage door and door to the house are wide open and no one is inside. Weird. I ultimately find Jon and Elle in the backyard on the patio talking with our neighbor Michael. When Elle sees me she takes off across the muddy new grass in her socks.

We load up to head to the park.

5:50 PM – 6:30 PM: Engagement pictures in the park.

 

 

 

A picture of Jon and Elle playing in the park while we were looking for great backdrop and light…

And, a little Daddy/Daughter photo grab:

 

6:30 PM: We decide that instead of getting pizza at Rick and Jen’s as previously planned, we’ll go to the local Mexican restaurant for dinner. And, a strawberry margarita is sounding pretty damn good.

Jon and I take our own ‘engagement’ pic. I love us and our duck faces.

6:36 PM: The back entrance to Nuevo Vallarta.

 

6:36 PM: Group picture at dinner.

Elle was a trooper through dinner, but she’s honestly getting harder and harder to take out to restaurants. We deal with it and I feel like we do it pretty well. Quite honestly, the only saving grace lately has been that Jon and I have downloaded the free Fisher-Price apps onto our phones. That’s always good for 5-10 minute spurts of sitting in one spot.

7:52 PM: After dinner and a margarita, it’s time to visit my Grandma’s new condo that she just moved into today.

My Mom was also over, helping my Grandma unpack boxes.

8:05 PM: Elle’s SUPER TIRED and got four shots and has been hanging in there with the best of them, so we take one of the boxes and make her a little tent/fort. She LOVES it.

8:28 PM: I had been wearing a three-strand green jade toned beaded necklace. Elle pulled at it (it was already broken, I just had rigged it to make it not look broken) and it came off my neck. So, she then played with it.

And in a few swift minutes, it was toast. You can see strands of it in motion across this picture.

 

8:44 PM: Finally  home and in PJs with a bottle for Elle, in her rocking chair in her room. Her hair is standing straight on end from being in a ponytail all day. You’ll also notice her love for plastic mini hangers, too. She just holds onto them for whatever reason. Weird, right?

9:22 PM: I am SO ready for bed. Long day. Tigers were supposed to be playing, which I would have watched, but instead it’s rain delayed. So I opt to watch PBS on my iPad in bed. I am 10 minutes into the American Experience episode about Jesse Owens and am determined to get further.

I washed my face, filled my water cup and put on my same PJs (yup, I do that!). Love the runny mascara under my eyes, yet I look so happy to be going to bed?! Totally an unflattering mid-section photo here. I’m going to go with it’s a bad angle and the t-shirt was bulging out…ick.

Anyway, by 9:25 PM I was OUT. I did not make any progress on watching my Jesse Owens show.

Maybe tonight.

There you have it – just a day in the life!

Postsecret The Play

I have much to update and two drafts in the queue that will have to wait.

 

I’ve just returned from Postsecret The Play and it was amazing. It was the second time that they’ve done this play – it was actually a workshop – and I forgot how much I enjoy Frank Warren’s take on the world.

 

But more than that, I spent time with my Mom and her friends and Hol Leigh, my Mom’s BFF’s Teri’s daughter-in-law (keeping up?). Anyway, it was so awesome to be with five other women for the evening, in such a cool atmosphere, doing something in a local-ish community but that had some sort of panache to it…I don’t know, I’m just feeling inspired as a result!

 

I think it’s good to get away, to spend time doing things that you enjoy doing or venturing slightly outside your comfort zone with people that you trust.

 

I have said repeatedly how lovely I think my Mom and her group of lady-friends are — I’m just glad that Hol Leigh and I get to be included, too!

 

It was at the Temple Theater in Saginaw, which was absolutely gorgeous. We had dinner at the Savoy Bar & Grill before hand, where an older woman waited on us in a smock apron, which was kind of neat too. When I asked for red wine she told me they had “Merlot or Chardonnay” for their red wines…definitely off the beaten path a little bit 🙂 The food was good, the company was excellent and the evening was a success.

 

I talked – a lot. I laughed – a lot more. It was refreshing and energizing all at once.

 

And – it turned out I walked around the entirety of the evening, feeling pretty sassy in my first-time-wearing-them-out skinny pants and heels, with my pants unzipped.

 

So, I ALMOST have it all together.

 

In the meantime, Elle and Jon hung out at home and got to play together. I need an Elle play day in a big way. Just a me-and-her kind of a day. Soon.

 

But in the meantime, I’ll live and thrive on nights like tonight, sharing time and space and memory with some of the best women I know. Thanks for a great night ladies!

 

P.S. – Can you believe we didn’t take a group photo together? Unbelievable.

Day in the Life: Fall 2012

I love Day in the Life from Navigating the Mothership.

Love it.

I’ve missed it two too many times in a row.

So, I was thinking tonight that I would do a Day in the Life tomorrow and/or Thursday this week, and I hadn’t caught up on my Mothership blog reading.

Until just now.

And, it’s time!

Day in the Life, Fall 2012 style.

I love reading about other Mom’s, Women, People and what their days look like. There is great support in knowing the mundane, I guess. At least for me.

So, I hope that you’ll consider posting a Day in the Life and sharing it, too.

Look for mine in the next day or two!

 

Formula to Milk

It’s the little things.
Seriously, we switched from formula (thank you Sam’s Club brand!) to Vitamin D, whole milk. Elle was nearly a year old, it seemed like the thing to do and the time to do it. She couldn’t live on powdered formula her whole life, right? Best to just see how the transition will go and…

 

So, we are now a family with milk in its fridge (neither Jon nor I have much use for a glass of milk).

 

And I was glad of that, felt like we were moving ‘up’ in the parenting world.

 

Except…

 

Except that NOW it’s becoming one of my daily fears to open the refrigerator and discover that we have less than a third of a gallon of milk, because that means that if it’s the morning, I have to try to remember to stop to get milk before I come home OR if it’s the evening, it means I’m likely going to have to run out again that night to get more.

 

I’m becoming scared of opening the fridge.

 

Which bodes well for my waistline, but not so good for our milk-on-hand needs.

 

Formula? You can just put as much as you think you could want in the little formula container. Throw a couple of bottles of water in the diaper bag, and you’re set.

 

But now? No. You have to actually think through the milk factor. You can’t throw a bottle of milk in your bag to go. It means that you have to actually either a) plan in advance or b) stop wherever you are to get a small thing of milk. Either way, not my cup of tea…err…milk, I guess.

 

Moral of the story: Careful what you wish for, you’re going to get it!

Dear Elle: Happy Birthday

Dear Elle,

You turned one yesterday.

Unbelievable and yet completely embraceable. It feels like its been a whirlwind of a year, and yet I can’t believe how much changed for us in such a short amount of time.

For the last six weeks or so we’ve been working on your trick, when we would say “How old are you going to be on your birthday?” you would hold up one finger, we would all clap (which you started doing, too) and laugh. It was excellent, and you came through on your birthday holding up one finger when we sang Happy Birthday to you. So proud of you and your little birthday trick!

You are suddenly enthralled with ‘tap dancing’. Your Grandma Karen has this mat in her walk-in shower that is wooden and on the tile floor, makes the coolest noise. You ‘tap’ on the mat, and love it. I just know you’re going to love tap shoes, too. Now, you just stomp around anywhere, ‘dancing’. It’s like you’re clogging/polka-ing and I love it!

You have taken lately to throwing fits – you are incredibly stubborn and don’t like NOT getting your way AT ALL. Sometimes I just laugh at you, because I don’t know what else to do, and it’s frankly pretty funny how you behave. It worries me that you’re going to be like that forever…but I know it’s just part of your testing boundaries, etc.

You have never met a stranger, I don’t think. Honestly, you go to everyone and anyone, you’re incredibly friendly. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that about you. You have so many people that love you so much, that I just am so glad that you love them right back. It’s awesome.

We did a little photo session this past week, the day before your birthday party.

Here you are, girlie:

Oh, did I mention your excellent ponies? You get pigtails or a pony tail most days now that your hair is so long. I’m still perfecting my hairdressing skills – and your Dad’s are non-existent – but we’re getting there. You love hair brushes and combs. You insist on bringing them out from the drawers in the bathroom.

You also love the toilet brush and the toilet. I caught you with the toilet brush heading for your mouth (where most things end up) the other day and got grossed out. I catch you with your hand in the pot quite often and we wash your hands. You are absolutely enthralled with water, so it doesn’t surprise me how much you love the toilet. Thus far, you leave the toilet PAPER alone, though, which I’m grateful for.
You have also become quite the climber. Anything and everything, you want to scale it as though it’s your own little Everest. It’s scary for sure, but it’s also something that makes me happy. It’s terrifying that you have no fear, but it’s also something I love about you.

You have five teeth – your  two front top teeth and two front bottom teeth, plus the tooth to the right of your top two teeth. You went from none to five in the matter of a few days, which didn’t bode well for sleeping habits.

You continue to be a light sleeper, and you haven’t slept through the night more than once in the last three months. Which is ANNOYING. Sleeping all night would be a wonderful trait. You end up in bed with your Dad and I every night – it’s a bad habit, but neither of us are about to dedicate an hour to get you back to sleep in the middle of the morning, so it’s into our bed you go. I keep setting mental deadlines of when we’re kicking you out, and they keep passing me by. Lucky you.

I’m so incredibly in awe of you – and what you will be. I feel like you and I, your Dad, we were meant for each other, to make each other better. You’re such a cool little girl and I’m just so truly fulfilled with being your Mom, with making our small community and the wider community better for you and the friends that you have made and will make.

What scares me is that life will be harder for you than it has been for me, which no parent wishes. I want the path to be even easier (though mine was quite smooth) and I want you to find more success (however you’ll end up defining that) than I feel I have.

You amaze me and fulfill me, truly.

There is no other way to describe it.

The past year has been the best of my life…which is saying something. I’ve had it good for most of the days, months, years that I’ve lived – but it’s phenomenal to be your Mom.

You amaze me.

I am overwhelmed by you.

Love,

 

Mom