(I have so many thoughts on this subject so excuse me if this is just a bunch of ramblings.)
This week I had an opportunity to get my hair styled for free (normally $50-$75---who actually does this?!). A friend-of-a-friend is training to become a stylist at a salon. She already has her license, but the salon requires she do more. Anyway, part of that training is doing stylings and then later, cuts and colors.
So I spent two hours getting a nice wash, dry, style, and then my make-up done. While I enjoyed being pampered (and the stylist was incredibly complimentary, which was really nice), it just confirmed to me one thing: I HATE hair. Hate it. Right now my hair care routine is this: run (so any hair "doing" from the previous day is undone by sweat and humidity), shower, and put in ponytail. This may or may not include a wash. More than likely not. It's just not important to me so I don't make time to do it.
I don't like dealing with hair care professionals either. (I like them, just not having to work with them.) I feel silly sitting in some chair with a person who doesn't know me at all. Someone who doesn't realize that I wash my hair very infrequently and doesn't know that most times I don't even bother drying it. And really, let's be honest. These people are generally artist-minded individuals. My right-brain-less brain can't communicate very well with them. Yes, yes, I know it's nice to meet people who are different from you, but this is hard for me. I have to sit in a chair for two hours and talk to someone with whom I have next-to-nothing in common?! So, uh, how about that weather?
As an aside, our weather yesterday was CrAzY! We got about 3-4 inches of rain. During which there was a fire alarm pulled at work. That's right; it's pouring rain and we're supposed to go outside and stand by the flagpole? You've got to be kidding. Fortunately, I had only walked 40 steps before we were told we could come back inside. Unfortunately I was already soaked after those 40 steps. How could a fire even exist in this weather? Turns out it was a prank. I was laughing. No, really, I was.
I guess I could explain my hair quirks to the stylist. Tell him/her that I want something that I can wash and wear because I don't even own hairspray. But (1) I think that style is nonexistent and (2) I'm embarrassed. I mean, the stylist is clearly a person who loves this stuff so much that they chose to make it their life's work. Then comes me...someone who dreads this. I mean, I want to look and feel pretty, but not at a cost. I'm just not willing to spend the time it takes.
So anyway, my hair. The poor girl spent 1.5 hours on it and used a lot of product and a lot of heat and this is the best my hair can do?! Really?! Do you understand why I don't try?
And you better believe that only two hours after I was home, my hair was back in a pony tail. This girl has work to do!
However, I will go back to "let" her cut it and color it. What should I do with it?
In college I watched a lot of daytime television. I never was into soaps, but I sure watched more than my fair share of talk shows. Ricki Lake, Jenny Jones, Sally Jesse, Maury Povich (never could get into Jerry Springer nor Oprah): I watched them all. These days only Maury Povich and Oprah survive, although Oprah is done this year. Now, I only watch daytime TV during Rhett's naps once my chores are done (and generally only as background noise while I work on laundry or sew).
Thankfully I have graduated from these types of programs. I just can't make myself watch them. I mean, how many women in America can there be that don't know who their baby daddy be? (If you haven't seen Maury in awhile, this is all he does. Every. Single. Episode. "Roger, you ARE the father!")
Who are the network executives catering to by only putting on soap operas and judge shows during nap time? Do people watch these shows anymore? What they should do instead is replay anything on Bravo. Seriously. I would work a lot faster if I knew old episodes of Project Runway or Top Chef were on. This fall season got a bit better with "The Price is Right" on at 2. Although, if yesterday was any indication, they've already changed that to "Let's Make a Deal." Really? Really?
Anyway, what would you like to see during naps?
Finally, are you watching Modern Family? It's on ABC on Wednesdays (9 p.m. Eastern, 8 p.m. Mountain). It is the best show on TV right now. I'm not kidding. You can watch the pilot on Hulu or catch all of season 1 with Netflix. Chuck and I laugh out loud nearly the entire show. It really is that good.
The weekend turned out much better than expected. Of the things I hoped to do on Friday, here's what I accomplished: made totally yummy banana nut muffins (seriously so good), worked on some sewing projects (growth chart seen below, a play mat for baby Lucy, and felt food for Emmy), watched Project Runway, and finished my book.
I didn't make the pumpkin bread because I want to take it to Young Women's on Wednesday and thought it better to wait. We didn't get to eat at Sam's Club because they had no power. Oh well, pretzels and pizza another day.
I still have a lot of stuff I have to do and some things I want to do, but I'm feeling a bit better about everything. (Or at least I was until I tried uploading a picture to Blogger and it keeps rotating it unnecessarily. ARGH.)
Do you ever have one of those weeks where you just don't want to do anything you're supposed to do? You know, like, cooking, or chores, or your calling, or running. It's been a hard week (hard 12 months, really) and I'm just kind of tired of all the stuff I have to do. And honestly, about running, can you blame me? I mean this is what the weather is right now:
There only one word to describe this: NASTY. I don't care it if is only 68 degrees. 100% humidity is just disgusting. (Click on the picture if you don't believe me.)
So what do I want to do? Make pumpkin bread, banana nut muffins, work on some sewing projects, and eat at Sam's Club for dinner. And when Rhett's in bed, I want to watch last night's Project Runway, sew some more, and then read my book and fall asleep. The end.
Rhett turned 2.5 yesterday; I can hardly believe it. He's such a joy to be around and we really love spending time with him.
He still loves playing with Little People. We've lost Baby Baby but Baby Mama and Baby Daddy still hang out with us. We got him a starter train set from Ikea on Monday and he spent all yesterday afternoon playing with it. He loves being outside and playing frisbee even though his throw needs help.
Some of his favorite things right now are asking, "Mom, what day is it?" He's obsessed with knowing what day it is and knowing what we do on those days. He's also obsessed with making sure I'm happy. "Mom, are you happy?" is a frequent question. Most of the time I can answer "yes" but when he asks as we're running up a steep hill and I'm pushing the 30-pound little man, my answer might not sound quite happy. But I am, little buddy. I am.
Here are some recent things he said that made us laugh.
Rhett: Mom, you're a big girl.
Me: Would you call me a lady?
Rhett: No.
Me: Would you call me a woman?
Rhett: No. Dad's a woman.
Rhett: Rhett want to take Rhett on a walk to the country. This bucket is his "country."
Rhett: Rhett can't climb a tree because Rhett not a monkey. Is it wrong to encourage your child to climb a tree at a park/gardens? Seriously, I'm asking.
Rhett: I like being with you Mom because we're a happy family.
Rhett: Dad, go away.
Me: Rhett, that's not a nice thing to say. Why do you want Dad to go away?
Rhett: Because he's not normal.
Me: What do you think normal means?
Rhett: It means real.
Rhett: Dad a big guy but you not a big guy.
Me: What am I?
Rhett: You a short guy.
P.S. My mom's last day of work is tomorrow. She'll join my father in retirement land. Happy Retirement Mom! Now come visit us. :)
And finally, some videos for your viewing pleasure. Well, at least for Emmy's viewing pleasure.
Because I work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I still feel like I have a weekend. But it's even better because it's always a four-day weekend. If only I could get Chuck on the same schedule.
Our great weekend started on Friday with a great run. (We made a pit stop at Giant; I love when I can make my runs double as grocery shopping.) The weather has been really beautiful and the mornings have been refreshingly cool. You will hear NO complaining from me about this stuff. Anyway, it was chilly enough where Rhett needed a hat. This is how he chose to wear it for about half of the run. What a weirdo.
After running, Rhett and I went to see butterflies. Some gardens near us had an exhibit on them and it closed Sunday, so it was nearly our last chance. I'm so glad we went! Rhett was initially unsure (see picture), but as long as he didn't have to be too close to them, he was fine. And he got to see some great caterpillars as well as turtles and fish when we walked around the park after visiting the butterflies.
During dinner prep, Chuck and I used our new parenting trick of giving Rhett flour as a toy. Again, it worked like a charm. And we got to apply the lesson we learned last time we did this: no glass bowls!
Saturday started out with another great run for me (and me alone). Then it was a quick get ready as we hied ourselves to Virginia. Let me tell you something about Virginia, we Marylanders don't like going there. This is okay because Virginians don't like coming to Maryland. I still haven't figured out why this is, but it just is. So if we're going, you know it must be a big event. And it was: I bought one of these with some leftover birthday money. It's kind of like a Cricut, but (in my opinion) just a bit cooler. I don't have to buy cartridges, but rather can use images and fonts straight from my own computer. I'm a bit afraid of it, so I need to find time to read the users' manual. But after that, well, freezer-paper-stenciled-things will soon be coming out my ears.
After picking up the machine, we headed to the Washington Capitals' (D.C.'s hockey team, just in case) practice arena to watch the guys skate. Of course we couldn't not buy Rhett his own jersey. Unfortunately we weren't able to get the jerseys signed. Maybe another time.
After Rhett's "nap" (another post for another day when I'm not so angry), we walked Bruno to a local park and played and then came home and played with our behind-the-house neighbor. They have a son who is three weeks older than Rhett and I have hopes they'll be BFFs. They seemed to have a good time. Then came dinner. Whenever I make these sandwiches I always splurge and get crab chips. These things are my manna from heaven (along with Hot Tamales and Air Heads and Cherry Clans). If any of you come to visit me, I pledge to always have some for you to try.
Once Rhett was in bed, Chuck and I went downstairs for more Daria watching. Seriously, Daria is one of the best shows to ever be on television and now one of the best shows available on Netflix. I'm not kidding. I love her. I love every character in the show. I think she's the girl I'd be in high school if I were to suddenly be 15 again. (Note: She's not who I was when I was 15 because I wasn't that self-confident. I wish I could have been her. But I'm definitely her now, just 18 years older and not in high school.) One of the episodes we watched last night included one of my favorite all-time Daria quotes. You can watch the episode here and fast-forward to minute 11:45 to catch Kevin saying it. It's probably not that funny to anyone else, but it's one of the rare movie quotes that is almost always in my head and I'm constantly saying it, but NO ONE else gets it. At least Chuck does now. Already my shoulders feel a bit lighter. (Due to my research in writing this post, it looks like you can watch every single Daria episode via the magic of the internet. Aren't you lucky.)
During the Daria watching, I got some much needed crafting and organizing done. My pajama drawer and running clothes drawer are in much better shape now, thank you very much. And crafting-wise, I did some brainstorming on gifts for family for Christmas and even started on some felt food.
Church on Sunday was as good as any Sunday church. When I came home there were real people looking at the house next door. This house has been vacant for over two years, so Chuck and I get excited every time someone is looking at it. And even more exciting is they seem to be our age! I didn't see any kids, but still, people! Next door! Real ones! This sighting was followed by another of Rhett's "naps" and then dinner with friends and dessert with Relief Society. Man I love weekends.
Last week I showed my Beehives a wedding picture of Chuck and me. It was one in black and white. One of my Beehives, Maureen*, asked if black and white was all they had when I was married, or if it was just our choice to have it done. I laughed sooooo hard at this. I mean, really, yes I could be her mother (in fact I think her mother and I are the same age), but I'm not that old, right?!
To the other Beehives' credit, at least one said, "How old do you think she is?! They had color back then." To which Maureen replied, "Well, I don't know my history very well."
Nice to know my wedding (which took place no longer than six years ago) was back in "history." These girls crack me up.
The next time I want to keep Rhett busy for a looooong time whilst I get things done, this is the way. The kid can spoon flour from one cup to the next for hours. It'll definitely help when the pool is no longer available due to cooler temps.
So. Not unlike other children, Rhett really likes peanut butter (and honey--thanks Grandpa No Google!). A lot. In fact, he likes it as much as Chuck likes pizza, which is enough to eat it everyday if given the option. Thankfully, however, Chuck doesn't start crying when I tell him he can't have pizza for lunch. Score. But Rhett, oh man, he will throw a fit when told he can't have peanut butter and honey for lunch.
Twice a week, on the days when he goes to the babysitter's house, I send him with peanut butter and honey. I'm totally taking the easy way out by doing it, but I don't want her to have to fight with him the way I do. So I fold. He does get carrot sticks though; that makes me feel a little bit better. But it's really important to me that he learns to like and eat many different things on the other five days. And when I say "different" it's not like I'm putting sashimi in front of him. I'm asking him to eat BBQ chicken pizza or tuna or enchiladas. I don't think I'm being too unreasonable here, am I?
Recently I asked a parenting "expert" about how to help my toddler become a better eater. This was her response:
I'm kind of tough on picky eaters because they often just get pickier and pickier. Part of this is due to the texture of a food--liver is anathema to most children--but you have a family kitchen, not a food court.
This sounds cruel, but if you try it, I promise that your child won't starve: Put away any food your child eats, cancel your visits and your visitors, and only offer three meals a day and two snacks of foods your child has always refused. Do it sweetly, say that's okay honey, I'm sorry you're not hungry, and take him out of his high chair in 20 minutes. No cookies, no pbh. By the third night, I promise you he'll eat whatever you put in front of him and he'll be amazed how much he likes it. The trick is being nice--and not negotiating, not making a big deal of it.
After last night's showdown where we tried to get Rhett to eat some enchiladas, I'm done. I think I could do what she suggested if I think it's the right thing. And the more and more picky he becomes, the closer I get to thinking it's the right thing. But what do you think of this method? Too cruel? Any other tips on how to make Rhett a better eater?
While we're at it, any tips at making Chuck a better eater? Kidding! (Kind of.)
[Rhett's getting his diaper changed and so his pants are off. He's about to take a nap.]
Me: Rhett, do you want me to leave your pants off so you can be cool during your nap?
Rhett: Rhett no want to be cool, Mom.
Rhett: Rhett having a hard time with Bruno. Ain't that the truth.
Rhett: [Singing to the sorta tune of, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"] You go when it's bad, you go when it's bad, you go when it's bad.
Rhett: [Singing] I'm bad, I'm bad, I'm bad when it's hot. What is this obsession with singing about badness?
Me: Okay, sweet pea, time to go.
Rhett: Don't call Rhett sweet pea, Mom.
Me: Okay, what should I call you?
Rhett: Bean.
Me: Uh, why Bean? Who calls you Bean?
Rhett: Auntie Em. It should be noted that at no time has my sister called Rhett "Bean." Who knows where he got this. And really, at no time has he initiated talk about Auntie Em. Dreaming?
Me: Goodnight, Rhett. I love you.
Rhett: Go away Mom.
Me: That's not a nice thing to say. You should say, "Good night. I love you."
Rhett: Good night. I love you. Go away.
Rhett: Thank you for the fork. Thank you for the olives. Thank you for the cheese. Thank you for the crackers. He's getting pretty dang good at saying thank you.
Rhett (to Rhett): Thank you right hand for the fork. [As he passed the fork to the left hand. And no, he doesn't know his right from his left, but he thinks he does.]
One final one
Rhett: Mom, don't get ready to go to the temple.
Me: I'm not going to the temple. Why do you think I'm going to the temple?
Rhett: Because of your shirt and your pants.
Me: Oh, this is what I wear to go to the temple?
Rhett: Yes! Oh my. As much as I hate to post it, here is what I was wearing. It's the mix of work shirt and pajama bottoms. But whatever it is, it is NOT temple appropriate!
We celebrated Chuck's birthday for two days. One of the days Chuck spent the afternoon and night at a very very important college football game (hint: one of the team's name rhymes with "noisy"). The lucky birthday boy got to spend four hours tailgating and then enjoying the entire game. And he lucked out with an awesome parking spot so he was out of the lot within four minutes! (It took his friend about 1.5 hours to do the same thing. Yikes.)
We also went to a parade during the two-day birthday fest. Rhett and Chuck got to shake the hand of the Republican gubernatorial candidate for Maryland. That's what happens when you're one of eight Republicans in our county--you get the royal treatment. (And for the record, I'm not really sure what I am. Chuck's the only registered Republican in our house.)
The boys wore their matching ties to church on Sunday. I can't help but take a picture of them when this happens. We had burgers and cake for dinner that night; Chuck's parents helped celebrate with us.
Hopefully Chuck had a great 31. Seriously, I can't say enough good things about him, so I won't even try. He's a great husband and a great father. Happy late birthday Chuck! I love you!
How about those Napoleon Mad Libs, eh? Pretty sweet! (Like anyone could even know that. GOSH.)
I think this is the longest I've gone without posting. I wish I had something exciting to share. But I have a big event for church coming up next week and it's taking a lot of my brain power, as well as my time. I'm back to my part-time schedule (and loving it!) but I forgot just how tired I get after a day with Rhett. Our weather has been disgusting this week, but should be beautiful this weekend. Can I be a bit sad that Hurricane Earl isn't coming closer to us? It would be such a great end to a year of natural disasters.
I've been busy sewing but nothing to show as it's been for the YW event next week and another round of candy corn banners. I sold the first five banners so quickly that I thought I'd get another set of five up in time for more Halloween traffic. I made Chuck a pair of pajama pants out of some awesome alligator sheets, but when I didn't cut them correctly (you mean they should be mirror images of each other? D'oh!), he couldn't wear them so I had to adjust them for me. So sad. Wink wink.
And if I could somehow get a picture of it I'd show you my 1.5" arm hair (no exaggeration) on my right bicep. Do you have a rogue hair somewhere? I should name this one. I keep plucking it but it forges onward!
Finally, this is Rhett's favorite new position. Every time he assumes it, I'm requested to take a picture. So I do. You can never have enough.
Not much going on around here. I'm back at home three of five weekdays and loving (mostly) every second of it (why won't you fall asleep child?!). Rhett's at the new babysitter for my two works days, and I think he'll do great there. Chuck is back at work and will face his 144 new students on Monday. Yesterday's high was in the 70s. Don't be too jealous; today will be back in the 80s. Life is good!
Except for yesterday when, for the first time in my life, I can honestly say that I got dressed in the dark and really regretted it. I was at the Metro before I realized my shoes did NOT at all go with my pants. Good thing I sit in a cubicle all day and see almost nobody. Bad thing I had a team kick-off meeting and I'm sure everyone noticed my shoes. Good thing that they're even nerdier than I am so I don't care. Phew. But still, dressed in the dark = living on the wild side.
And finally, we did this to the playroom wall during a recent TV-free Monday. I love it.
To the family reunion I brought along some "Get To Know You" pages for everyone in the family to fill out. And to my surprise, everyone did! Even the kids seemed to enjoy the project. Each page asked the name, age, and fun facts about that person (favorite book, favorite animal, favorite place to be, etc.). Why? Rhett has 21 cousins on his paternal side of the family. Twenty of those cousins live at least five hours away. He doesn't have a chance to get to know them or his aunts and uncles. I thought that I could create a book with these pages and then we can read them and slowly get to know the entire family. (I cheated and added my side of the family to the book too.) I them uploaded the pdf document to Lulu, a self-publishing company. Ordering the 50-page, soft-bound book cost only $15, and it arrived quickly. I am so excited about it I can barely stand it. The kids are hysterical and say funny things. I love how it turned out.
It's no secret that I hate summer. It's in my blood to hate it: my dad hates it, my sister hates it, and although my brother does most of his work during the summer, he only works to pay for his winter spent skiing, so I'm pretty sure he prefers the cold too. Growing up in a house where the thermostat was kept in the 60s pretty much ensures this.
Chuck and I did the summer switch again this year. After the success of last year, we thought it made sense. This year it was much harder, though. I think this was because of two reasons. First, our week-long trip was near the beginning of the summer rather than in the middle like last year. That made the summer drag (you mean I have to work five days a week for HOW many weeks in a row?!). Second, I like Rhett so much more this summer compared to last. He is so much more fun (and easy) to be around. I really, really missed him. Of course there were the usual things I missed by not being at home as much: making dinner, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, nap times. But mostly I missed the kid.
Every year I complain about Maryland's humidity. I really think it's the worst thing ever, and I honestly can't imagine why people would move to Maryland for any other reason other than they have a fiance just starting graduate school. Honestly. It's horrible here. So when summer started last year, Chuck had this idea of counting all the gross days. My response? "Hooray! Counting!" To my surprise, we had very, very few of them last year. Maybe five. We didn't even get through Memorial Day weekend this summer before I'd already passed last year's total. By now we've had over 50 days of 90+ degree days. Remember, that's 90 degrees with intense humidity. So you Utahans who had 1-2 days of humid weather? Try that times, like, 25. Nasty.
Because of this horrible, horrible weather, one thing I did not do this summer was run. Which kills me. I feel fat and lazy and I don't like myself as much. It makes running harder when I'm able to start again. Everything about it sucks. Except for the free Saturdays. Once we took advantage of me not running and went to Eastern Market. That was fun. But most of the time it's just depressing.
I apologize for the post with almost nothing uplifting. But that's what summer does to me. I think I have that Seattle disease, you know, SAD (seasonal affective disorder). But mine comes from too much heat and humidity and the Metro. I wish I was kidding. Sure there were some good moments (family reunion in Idaho, the earthquake, the beach trip, Rhett's easy transition to a "little guy" bed, and not losing power once during all the ridiculous storms) but come on Fall!
The good news is that Chuck goes back to work on Monday! (In case you're wondering, he's got all Geometry this year, one of which is ESOL and the other four are honors. Don't be fooled by the "honors" title, however. That just means his kids might recognize the numbers and symbols on the calculator they rely on to calculate 4 X 5.) I get back to regular running on Monday!! Rhett and I get back to playgroup next Friday!!! I get to feel like the wife, mother, and erin that I enjoy!!!! Happy times are ahead. I can feel it. Plus, I ate my first candy corns of the season. That's got to be a harbinger of goodness, right?
Oh, and for just a couple of days, we set up my backpacking tent in the basement. Rhett LOVED it. The end.
My totally awesome sister-in-law found these adorable fonts (yes, fonts that print as these pictures) that are just SCREAMING to be used craft-ily. But how? Freezer paper stencils, sure, but on what? Or as stickers? Or put on canvas and hung? I can't even tell you how much I absolutely love these but want something worthy of them. So tell me, how should I use them?
I admit that I am slightly OCD when it comes to crossing off things. Be they calendar days or grocery list items, I will sometimes make lists after the fact just so I can cross them off. So I knew that when I perused my new birthday book (Thanks again, em!) that this countdown chain would be the first thing I made. It took some time (31 links will do that), but I am super excited about it. Currently there are four links on it: four being the number of full-time days of work left for me before I return to part-time! Sweet.
And because my mother-in-law requested a couple of ties for someone's baby, I thought Rhett could use a new one too. So this is what he got.
Is anyone else hating Blogger's new upload tool? Blech!
Let's say that you have a two-year-old. You also have a husband, with whom you'd like to go out on dates occasionally. Doing so requires a babysitter. But your lovely son goes to bed easily at 6:45 p.m. In theory, babysitter could come over at 7 p.m. and when you get home around 10 or 11, all sitter would have done is sat and watched TV, played Wii, checked Facebook, read, texted...whatever. But no feedings, no playings, no diaper changes; no interaction with the kid at all. Once the kid is asleep, he's asleep.
Question: What do you pay the babysitter for this? (Remember, where you live, the going rate for babysitting is $10/hour.)
If the stores can start selling Halloween stuff, so can I right? I mass produced these candy corn banners some time ago, but thought it best to wait a bit to list them. Once I started seeing Halloween decor in the stores, I knew it was time for me too.
Anyway, tell your friends! Better yet, buy one for your friends. (Kidding, kidding.)
Update: I sold one the very first day I listed them! Sweet.
[Rhett's stomping his feet on his chair while sitting in the booster seat.] Me: What are you doing? Rhett: Stomping my old feet. Me: Where are your new feet? Rhett: In the closet!
[Rhett is crying in the grocery store because we're taking him from something he really wants to see. We give him a package of turkey pepperoni to see if that will pacify him. It does.] Rhett: Rhett happy now. Meat made Rhett happy.
[Rhett was just told that his cute cousin, Carolina, was coming over to play. He ran to the window.] Rhett: Rhett waiting to see Carolina. [Awwwww....]
[In the car in traffic on the way home...] Rhett: [quite loudly] Get out of the way car! Me: Okay. I'll admit to saying things at cars. But this is NOT something I say! Where does he get this?!
Me: Rhett, what's your favorite part of Family Home Evening? Rhett: Chocolate milk!
