Friday, January 30, 2009
A super-cute blog
I came across this blog today. It is totally cute and unique. The blogger is a graphic designer and actually creates those neat-o blog layouts you see on some blogs. She's got a giveaway going right now that I'm entering, because HOW CUTE would a personalized "Little Miss Sew and Sew" header be??
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Two out of three...
... is bad! Two out of the three humans that live at our house are sick, and the other one isn't so tip-top, either. I have been feeling crummy on-and-off all week, and it's really hit me now. I think it's just a nasty cold. I have a bad cough and just feel bad in general. W hasn't been feeling so well either. He was absolutely pitiful when we left school yesterday, and he was pointing at his left ear, indicating that it hurt. He has only had one prior ear infection, but I automatically knew that it was that. So I called the pediatrician. Luckily, we were able to get right in to see the nurse practitioner. She was super-nice, and confirmed that he does, in fact, have an ear infection. She wrote us a script for amoxicillin, and off we went to the pharmacy. One Tootsie-Pop and dose of children's Motrin later, he was closer to being his old self. He was a semi-good sport about taking his anti-biotic at suppertime, so that was good. He's got to take it twice a day for ten days. Ugh. Not fun for anyone. I just hope he doesn't get the runs or any other nasty side-effects from it.
Unfortunately, this throws a crimp in my weekend plans. I was going to clean the house top-to-bottom. We are having our house re-appraised so that we can get a lower mortgage interest rate, and I really need to get it semi-presentable. Moreover, we have company next weekend. A dear, dear friend of ours from all the way back to middle school (for Mike) and high school (for me) is flying up from MS on Saturday and staying until Tuesday. We can't wait! Mike is super-excited; this is his absolute best friend in the entire world (besides moi, of course!), so he's really looking forward to this. He's even taking Monday off from work so that they can go into NYC together. As much as I'd like to tag along, the thought of taking W as well just isn't very appealing, believe it or not.
So I don't know when things are going to get done around here. Our schedules are such that it's difficult to get ANYTHING done, to be honest. Sigh.
Unfortunately, this throws a crimp in my weekend plans. I was going to clean the house top-to-bottom. We are having our house re-appraised so that we can get a lower mortgage interest rate, and I really need to get it semi-presentable. Moreover, we have company next weekend. A dear, dear friend of ours from all the way back to middle school (for Mike) and high school (for me) is flying up from MS on Saturday and staying until Tuesday. We can't wait! Mike is super-excited; this is his absolute best friend in the entire world (besides moi, of course!), so he's really looking forward to this. He's even taking Monday off from work so that they can go into NYC together. As much as I'd like to tag along, the thought of taking W as well just isn't very appealing, believe it or not.
So I don't know when things are going to get done around here. Our schedules are such that it's difficult to get ANYTHING done, to be honest. Sigh.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A "suspicious white powder"...
...otherwise known as "sugar" or "flour" (hopefully) was discovered in 12 envelopes mailed to the WSJ offices in NYC today. Mike actually wasn't there for the excitement. He stayed home this morning with W (who is sick) so that I could go to work. He didn't go in to work until after noon, so he didn't have to deal with the evacuation, thank goodness. He's working at a satellite office this afternoon.
There are some real crazies out there.
There are some real crazies out there.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The inauguration
It's happened. Barack Obama is the 44th POTUS. How happy was I to see that clip of #43 getting on that helicopter. I thought the celebrations surrounding the event were lovely... all except for Rev. Lowery's little "funny" at the end of his benediction. I am sure he was trying to be cute and funny, but the humor was lost on me. Why not ask people of ALL colors to "embrace what is right"? This only adds fuel to Obama's critics' fires. Sigh. Rick Warren definitely did the right thing by playing it straight (no pun intended!); his prayer was wholly appropriate and inspiring, IMHO.
Oh, and was John Roberts not told that he was to give the oath of office? Seems to me that he should have practiced his lines a bit more...
Be sure to check out Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson's prayer from an inauguration event held yesterday--it truly says it all, in beautifully-chosen words.
In other news, W is sick. He has a temperature of just over 100. I'm keeping him home tomorrow. Poor him. He has a snotty nose and a bad cough. He's a good sport, though. Very cuddly and sweet.
Oh, and was John Roberts not told that he was to give the oath of office? Seems to me that he should have practiced his lines a bit more...
Be sure to check out Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson's prayer from an inauguration event held yesterday--it truly says it all, in beautifully-chosen words.
In other news, W is sick. He has a temperature of just over 100. I'm keeping him home tomorrow. Poor him. He has a snotty nose and a bad cough. He's a good sport, though. Very cuddly and sweet.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Three day weekend
We have really enjoyed our three-day weekend. It's amazing how much-needed this break is! I mean, W and I just had two weeks off of school/work, but I have just been exhausted. Should a person really need a vacation AFTER a vacation? Maybe so.
On Friday afternoon, after school, W and I went to Market Fair, this mall that's nearby that has some fancier fare. We had fun in the toy store, where W played at the train table. W enjoyed a small bowl of sugar-free chocolate ice cream, which really is quite delicious. He got it all over his shirt, which really bothered him, but I was able to Shout! it out when we got home. It was super-cold; I think the high on Friday hovered around 17.
When we awoke on Saturday morning, our temperature gauge read "4.3". That's right. FOUR-POINT-THREE DEGREES. I immediately called my dad, a complete weather freak, to let him know about the cold. Seriously, I cannot remember actually being somewhere that got that cold. Even when I was at Smith I don't recall the temperature getting that low; I think I would have remembered that. So it didn't get much warmer on Saturday than it did on Friday, but we got out and about. We drove down to Hamilton because there is a Chick-Fil-A with a decent indoor play place. First, though, we went to the Barnes and Noble there; they have a really nice Thomas train table set-up. While W was playing at the train table, Mike and I switched off watching him and wandering around the bookstore. At one point, we smelled something a little (well, a lot) funky. Mike, angel that he is, volunteered to take W to the bathroom to change him. God bless him. Mike said it was the worst diaper he's experienced in a VERY long time. Very tenacious poop ALL OVER. I think he had to resort to dampening the paper towels, which W did NOT appreciate at all. Boy, was I glad I missed out on that one.
After that, and lunch, we did a quick trip into Wal-Mart to get some hygeine items for Levi Sunday. Once a year, our church has what we call "Levi Sunday". After a brief worship service, the congregation disperses and goes to different work stations to work on service projects for the Trenton area. There was a station for assembling lunches for TASK (Trenton-Area Soup Kitchen), one for putting together hygeine kits for folks and one for making cards for shut-in's, nursing home residents, and hospital patients. After working a while, we all enjoyed subs from Wa-Wa. Yum. Oh, and everyone wore jeans. Bonus, on a day as cold as it was. It's called Levi Sunday not because of the jeans, though. The Levites were set apart to do service in the ancient Temple; our church strives to avoid making a distinction between worship and mission/community work, or hearing and doing. I think it's so important to combine the two; too often, we think of a church building as THE PLACE to worship God. However, our worship of God should be evident in our daily lives and actions, not just for an hour on Sunday.
Anyway, after church, we went to a neighbor's house for their son's 2nd birthday party. It was really time for W's nap, so we didn't stay long, but it was fun nonetheless. I think W was a little done with celebrating birthdays, as we had been to another friend's child's 2nd birthday party the evening prior. He was a good sport, though. He's definitely a bit of a wall-flower, especially around big crowds and people he doesn't know, but so are his parents, so he gets it honestly.
We watched the playoff games yesterday. Can I be honest? I am SO GLAD the Eagles didn't win. Philly fans can be really obnoxious; it was bad enough that the Phillies won the World Series. I don't think any of us could have survived a Super Bowl victory! While watching the games, I managed to get some laundry done, as well as a draft "dodger" sewn for the bottom of our front door. The door just doesn't fit well, and even though we also have a storm door, the cold air comes in sometimes. So I got a little bit of corduroy fabric from the Red Tag section at Jo-Ann's and sewed a tube, filled it with bird seed (hope it doesn't attract critters!), and volia! Drafts dodged! We'll see how effective it is...
Mike took W on the train this morning. This is sort of a weekly outing for them. Since Mike has a monthly parking and train pass for his NYC commute, it doesn't cost a dime for them to take a little ride. They ride from Hamilton up to New Brunswick, get Dunkin' Donuts, and ride back. W loves the train, and Mike adores the alone time they get. I get to vacuum and catch up on whatever else needs doing. Everyone wins!
Back to the grind tomorrow. But really, I love my job. It IS work, but I enjoy it so much, it doesn't feel like "work". I know how fortunate I am to have my child in such a wonderfully nurturing environment, especially since I am in the same building with him and can sneak peeks into his classroom every once in a while! It really is a dream-come-true.
On Friday afternoon, after school, W and I went to Market Fair, this mall that's nearby that has some fancier fare. We had fun in the toy store, where W played at the train table. W enjoyed a small bowl of sugar-free chocolate ice cream, which really is quite delicious. He got it all over his shirt, which really bothered him, but I was able to Shout! it out when we got home. It was super-cold; I think the high on Friday hovered around 17.
When we awoke on Saturday morning, our temperature gauge read "4.3". That's right. FOUR-POINT-THREE DEGREES. I immediately called my dad, a complete weather freak, to let him know about the cold. Seriously, I cannot remember actually being somewhere that got that cold. Even when I was at Smith I don't recall the temperature getting that low; I think I would have remembered that. So it didn't get much warmer on Saturday than it did on Friday, but we got out and about. We drove down to Hamilton because there is a Chick-Fil-A with a decent indoor play place. First, though, we went to the Barnes and Noble there; they have a really nice Thomas train table set-up. While W was playing at the train table, Mike and I switched off watching him and wandering around the bookstore. At one point, we smelled something a little (well, a lot) funky. Mike, angel that he is, volunteered to take W to the bathroom to change him. God bless him. Mike said it was the worst diaper he's experienced in a VERY long time. Very tenacious poop ALL OVER. I think he had to resort to dampening the paper towels, which W did NOT appreciate at all. Boy, was I glad I missed out on that one.
After that, and lunch, we did a quick trip into Wal-Mart to get some hygeine items for Levi Sunday. Once a year, our church has what we call "Levi Sunday". After a brief worship service, the congregation disperses and goes to different work stations to work on service projects for the Trenton area. There was a station for assembling lunches for TASK (Trenton-Area Soup Kitchen), one for putting together hygeine kits for folks and one for making cards for shut-in's, nursing home residents, and hospital patients. After working a while, we all enjoyed subs from Wa-Wa. Yum. Oh, and everyone wore jeans. Bonus, on a day as cold as it was. It's called Levi Sunday not because of the jeans, though. The Levites were set apart to do service in the ancient Temple; our church strives to avoid making a distinction between worship and mission/community work, or hearing and doing. I think it's so important to combine the two; too often, we think of a church building as THE PLACE to worship God. However, our worship of God should be evident in our daily lives and actions, not just for an hour on Sunday.
Anyway, after church, we went to a neighbor's house for their son's 2nd birthday party. It was really time for W's nap, so we didn't stay long, but it was fun nonetheless. I think W was a little done with celebrating birthdays, as we had been to another friend's child's 2nd birthday party the evening prior. He was a good sport, though. He's definitely a bit of a wall-flower, especially around big crowds and people he doesn't know, but so are his parents, so he gets it honestly.
We watched the playoff games yesterday. Can I be honest? I am SO GLAD the Eagles didn't win. Philly fans can be really obnoxious; it was bad enough that the Phillies won the World Series. I don't think any of us could have survived a Super Bowl victory! While watching the games, I managed to get some laundry done, as well as a draft "dodger" sewn for the bottom of our front door. The door just doesn't fit well, and even though we also have a storm door, the cold air comes in sometimes. So I got a little bit of corduroy fabric from the Red Tag section at Jo-Ann's and sewed a tube, filled it with bird seed (hope it doesn't attract critters!), and volia! Drafts dodged! We'll see how effective it is...
Mike took W on the train this morning. This is sort of a weekly outing for them. Since Mike has a monthly parking and train pass for his NYC commute, it doesn't cost a dime for them to take a little ride. They ride from Hamilton up to New Brunswick, get Dunkin' Donuts, and ride back. W loves the train, and Mike adores the alone time they get. I get to vacuum and catch up on whatever else needs doing. Everyone wins!
Back to the grind tomorrow. But really, I love my job. It IS work, but I enjoy it so much, it doesn't feel like "work". I know how fortunate I am to have my child in such a wonderfully nurturing environment, especially since I am in the same building with him and can sneak peeks into his classroom every once in a while! It really is a dream-come-true.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Speaking of manners...
I had the most bizarre thing happened to me today; I mean, I was really waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and tell me I was being Punk'd. W and I were at our favorite grocery store, Wegman's, today after school. We were in the produce section. I had just put our bananas in a bag after counting out seven of them with W. I turned the cart around to get to the produce weigh station to print out our little price sticker, when all of a sudden...
Cranky Old Man: Hey! You just bumped your cart into my G-D leg! Watch where you're going!
Me: Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to.
COM: (sarcastically) Yeah, I know you didn't. Why don't you think about what you're doing and watch where you're going. Get your head out of the clouds. Pay attention to other people.
Me: silent; staring in disbelief
COM: walking away, mumbling various insults
Did that really just happen? I mean, he sort of took it over the line with the foul language. If I hadn't been so shocked, I might have said something snappy back to him, such as, "Excuse me, please don't use that language in front of my child" or something to that effect. Mike says I should have gotten the store manager to kick him out for his profanity.
On the way home, still not believing what had happened, I got to thinking about the guy. What a miserable person he must be to speak in such a manner to a complete stranger. I mean, if that's how he talks to people he doesn't know, can you imagine how he acts towards people he does know? I said a little prayer for the guy. I really did. Even if he did act like a turd.
On a completely different note, the weather outside is frightful. It's 18 degrees out right now. Tonight's low will be 7. That's not a typo--it will be 7 degrees tonight. Tomorrow's high will be 17. Brrrrrrrr!
Cranky Old Man: Hey! You just bumped your cart into my G-D leg! Watch where you're going!
Me: Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to.
COM: (sarcastically) Yeah, I know you didn't. Why don't you think about what you're doing and watch where you're going. Get your head out of the clouds. Pay attention to other people.
Me: silent; staring in disbelief
COM: walking away, mumbling various insults
Did that really just happen? I mean, he sort of took it over the line with the foul language. If I hadn't been so shocked, I might have said something snappy back to him, such as, "Excuse me, please don't use that language in front of my child" or something to that effect. Mike says I should have gotten the store manager to kick him out for his profanity.
On the way home, still not believing what had happened, I got to thinking about the guy. What a miserable person he must be to speak in such a manner to a complete stranger. I mean, if that's how he talks to people he doesn't know, can you imagine how he acts towards people he does know? I said a little prayer for the guy. I really did. Even if he did act like a turd.
On a completely different note, the weather outside is frightful. It's 18 degrees out right now. Tonight's low will be 7. That's not a typo--it will be 7 degrees tonight. Tomorrow's high will be 17. Brrrrrrrr!
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