life with WE

Resolution - write down or don't?

So today is the last day of 2008.  Woo dee freakin doo.  Kidding!

Do you make resolutions each year?  I do.  And I know it's dumb, but I do.  And I break most of them before the end of January.  But then I keep making them all year long.  Trying - always trying - to better myself. 

Mike also is a resolution maker.  Yet we approach our resolutions differently.  He wants them written down - committing them to paper is making a commitment.  I think if he could get them notarized, he would.  And I have to admit - he's right.  You heard me, Mike is right about that ONE THING.  (Happy New Year's Eve gift my dear!)  I'm generally too scared to write my down.  Because if I write them down and don't achieve them, I have failed.  But have I?

I do generally give it the old college try.  Does that count?

One resolution I made and kept was to do something more green around my house.  And I did.  I ditched the paper towels, paper napkins, and we try to stay away from bottled water.  (Of course when you are driving across IN and you are desperately thirsty, all you can do is buy bottled water from a gas station and say sorry to the earth.)  I have to say that I'm a bit worried about coming up with one to use for '09.  I do the cloth bags, and ditched the things I just mentioned, and we are phasing in those crazy corkscrew light bulbs.  What else can I do that is cheap?  Because you know, my resolution to fix the economy didn't work out just yet.

So I'm going to spend today thinking about resolutions, possibly, just possibly, committing some to paper.  Will you? 

Whatever you do, have a wonderful conclusion to 2008.  And remember my new mantra - EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE IN OH-NINE!

Should auld acquaintance be forgot and all that jazz!

Recent things I have learned...

1.  Kids who are given a gazillion new things for Christmas will somehow manage to still be BORED.
2.  These same kids will fight each other, whine, and argue about everything they can.
3.  The mother of these kids will be counting down the hours until school starts again.  January 5th - it's not that far off.
4.  Easy bake ovens haven't changed a damn bit.  You still can bake a cake over a 100 watt light bulb in twelve minutes.  Witness.

5.  Pixos are the tool of the devil.  I don't care that they are safer than aquadots.  All of it sucks!  Of course, when I say that, Warren covers my mouth and screams, "they are FUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNN!"

6.  Small reindeer will attack their cousin Cousin Cody for socks.  Especially if said socks contain a crisp $20 and $5 from great -grandma and great-grandpa!

7.  Elaine's hair really is getting 'more downer' (longer).  And if set in front of the right person, she can have french braids!

8. Missing your morning caffeine is BAD.  I don't care what people say - coffee rules the world - or at least the world I want to live in!  (And there is no reason for missing the coffee other than pure laziness and then rushing to get out the door.  You know, the usual.)

I ruined Christmas. Singlehandedly!

So, we survived Christmas.  Shweh. 

It was a good one, although if you ask Elaine, I "ruined her Christmas at Grammie's AND great grandma Betty's."  Hmmm.  I'm going to make sure to remember to tell her that story when she has children.  Do you know how I ruined her Christmas?  By not letting her bake in her miniwave oven at Grammie's house (we had 10 minutes before we had to leave), and because her cousin got a cupcake maker at great grandma Betty's house and she didn't. 

Oh. My. God.  Can we say drama?

My sister Jessie used to throw similar fits each Christmas when she didn't get exactly what she wanted - which she had usually come up with days prior to Christmas.  Now I know how my mom felt.  Of course, I just laughed when Elaine said it, and then tried to ruin a few other people's Christmases!

AND were you curious about The Nutcracker DVD?  Well it made it!  Early Christmas Eve morning, it arrived via UPS.  Did W even notice it?  Not really - but he was glad it was there.  Until he watched it and informed me it was NOT the one they had watched in music class.  That damn Santa - he's such a dipshit sometimes! 

So glad we are done with that holiday.  I'm still repeating my mantra "it'll be fine in oh-nine!"

Season's Greetings

I will not be posting the rest of the week.  But I wanted to wish you and yours a wonderful holiday.  Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy Kwanzaa!

Also, if that Nutcracker DVD doesn't show up today, I am totally screwed.

I don't want to knock someone over for a Cabbage Patch doll.

How far do you go to get your child's MUST HAVE item for Christmas?  And what if this item changes or becomes more important on say, December 22nd? 

Yeah.  That's right.  Warren mentioned his love of The Nutcracker earlier this season.  He said perhaps he would like to have the movie.  Then it became slightly more important, but I was either sleeping or ignoring or something.  Then last night he asked three times to write a letter to Santa because he definitely wanted to add The Nutcracker to his list.

Ruh roh.

I started looking online to see what stores possibly carried the movie.  Um yeah, they are all ON BACKORDER until January.  I called Blockbuster, Best Buy, Circuit City, Target and Walmart.  I checked to see if Amazon could deliver by Christmas.  Do you know who can?  Target online.  As long as my order was placed yesterday with one day shipping selected.

So I did it.  I ordered while Mike ordered me "not to be that parent".  Whoops.  I was that parent.  And if that freaking movie doesn't show up before Christmas, I will freak out.  And most likely, Warren will not even notice that he got it or didn't, but for some reason I am invested in keeping the myth of Santa Claus alive.  His friends began talking about it last year and of course there is more talk this year, but I want him to believe.  Because I believed - forever.  Because he's that kid who loves something like that and will likely be heartbroken when he finds out the truth.  Because we all need to believe.  Because he's a sweet kid with a soft heart who wants a ballet movie for Christmas.  Because he's a good kid, a really good kid, and although he fights with his sister, he helps me immensely without even being asked.  Because he won't be a kid much longer and he's already too responsible sometimes and I don't want him to grow up just yet.  Because I want him to be six and have his prized item from Santa on Christmas.

Does that make me crazy?

Random stream of consciousness on this Monday morning.

Hi!  It's me!  Did you miss me on Friday?  Because I missed you.  I'm sorry, but I was very busy with two school parties (E and W) and then a cookie exchange.  Never mind the fact that I met ladies out for dinner the night before and enjoyed an adult beverage or two.  (And really, I held it to 2 - who's proud of me?)  And then came the weekend and whatever, it's Monday.

I should mention now that the coffee is brewing but not finished, so this post is likely to be more rambly than you ever imagined.

School is on break now for 2 weeks.  TWO WEEKS.  And if my kids keep fighting every morning like they have been for the past month, I'm going to have to start throwing stuff at them.  For real.  Like frozen waffles.  The other day they made me so mad with their fighting that I declared there would be no more poptarts until 2009.  Of course poptarts are unrelated to fighting, but I'm sick of them only eating those and I totally knew it would get their attention.  And it did!  Yet still fighting.  But they are eating cereal this morning.

Um, if you know me, you'll know that I am a big fat fatty who enjoys eating as if it is a hobby.  I think we should declare eating a hobby.  Who's with me?  I also like cooking and I'm no longer all that good at baking which sort of depresses me.  (Hurry up Mr. Cuisinart coffee maker, I need you!)  Anywho, I want you all to go out RIGHT NOW and buy this:

EDY'S SLOW CHURNED THIN MINT COOKIE

it is only out for a limited time.  And it is love.  Ice cream = love and when you can combine girl scout thin mints with ice cream, it's like a love overload.  Get some for real.  You will not be sorry!  And randomly, I have made a damn good roast twice now.  I found the recipe on this website - and everything I've tried from there has been great.  I mean really - put some garlic in the roast, some olive oil on top and right on the oven rack!  Rock on!  Some recipes are more challenging (I don't mind a challenge as long as the ingredients aren't super expensive) and some are simple.  The roast - simple.  I've also learned from her site the most sure fire way to cook hard boiled eggs without over cooking them! (Before this, my yolks always had that green rim around them.  Not too pleasant looking!)

You should know that my coffee is done now, but I'm certainly not going to go back and edit the previous rambling.  NO TIME.

Today I'm going to run around like a maniac doing a few returns and a few last minute purchases while my kids make a gingerbread house with grandma Bonnie.  I salute you Bonnie Jean!  WOO HOO!

Also, I watched Baby Mama last night.  And it was funny, until it got real at the end.  I mean it was still sweet and all, but I wanted all comedy all the time.  I do still adore Tina Fey.  I worship her!  And Amy Poehler, she's also great!

Oooh and one more thing.  Paper napkins - gone.  Cloth napkins - NOW!  I'll report in later on this very important topic - I'm sure you are waiting with  baited breath, right?  What is baited breath by the way?

Paper towels - were you curious?

Were any of you wondering how life without paper towels is going?

Crickets...

Well, I'm going to tell you anyway.  HA!  It hasn't been bad at all!  It's actually been easier than I thought.  Once they were removed from the kitchen counter I realized I had to turn elsewhere for my hand drying and clean up needs.  I do have one roll of towels for emergency use.  And by emergency I mean dog puke or cooking bacon.  Those are both emergencies.  I mean have you ever seen me when I NEED BACON?

I also recently watched some GTV - green TV while in Arkansas visiting inlaws.  A good suggestion there (which we have implemented) was to put 2 trash cans in the bathrooms.  One trash and one recycling.  Good thought because many times I think, "I should carry this shampoo bottle down and put it in the recycling."  Then I forget and end up tossing it in the little trash can.  I carry said trash can down and unless it falls out, I forget to pull it out and put it in recycling.  SO, for 1.48 each I picked up two extra trash cans at Walmart - and now both upstairs bathrooms are recycle ready.  Which is good, because those Dixie cups can be recycled that my kids use because they are the germy-est kids you've ever met!

We have one more paper napkin left.  And then it's on to the trial of cloth napkins.  I own many, and why own them if we won't use them?  I am worried about their absorbency.  But I'd rather try and fail then to not try at all.

Ooh and on an unrelated topic - We had dinner last night at Red Robin.  Warren chose it because he reached 10 marbles!  We toasted him with our sodas - he loved it! 

Freaking out can commence NOW!

People, I cannot possibly post today.  Do you know why?  It is only 8 MORE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

Holy Crap! 

I need to make a to-do list before I freak out.  M'kay?  I promise to be more in control tomorrow.  Today, I freak out.

Carry on now.  Go about your business.

Sometimes, not all that often, but sometimes, you get it right.

Sometimes you are struck by parenting genius.  Other times... well, not so much.

Recently, I complained about Warren's "aaaawwwwwuuuunnnnh".  He gives that to me when I ask or tell him to do anything.  "W, time to get dressed!" "Aaaawwwwwuuuunnnnh."  "W, we have Cub Scouts tonight so we need to eat early."  "Aaaawwwwwuuuunnnnh."  And so on, and so on.  You get the picture, don't you?  He does it MANY MANY times a day.

Or I should say he USED to do it MANY MANY times a day.  That's right (she says as she reaches her had to pat herself on the back then realizing she has very dry skin on her back and is itchy and oh what was I saying?).

We tried yelling at him when he said it.
We tried ignoring him when he said it.
One day I tried flicking him on the arm whenever he said it.

None of that worked.

Then it occurred to me.  Those people, they say to use positive reinforcement.  I filled a glass with 10 marbles.  It was a Sunday.  I said, "any time you say aaaawwwwwuuuunnnnh, I'm taking a marble out of the jar.  If there are ANY marbles left in this cup on Wednesday night we will all get ice cream."  Then Mike added, "if there are 10 marbles in there on Wednesday, we'll go out to dinner too!"

That first day he lost three marbles.  And he was beside himself.  But we made it for ice cream Wednesday and that was all the encouragement he needed.  He asked for a new rule - that we add a marble back to the jar for each day he doesn't say "aaawwwwwuuuunnnnh" at all.  Fair enough.  So now, when he gets it back to 10, we'll go out to dinner, his choice.  

It's been almost two weeks, and we're up to 9 marbles.

Does it take 18 or 21 days to make a new habit?  Please God, let this one stick!

If a phone rings early in the morning, does anyone hear it?

Scene: a quiet household.  All four members are sleeping.
Time: 4:58 AM
A phone rings in the distance.
Husband: Are you kidding me?
Wife: I'll go get it.
Answers phone to hear a recorded "your child's school will be closed today due to inclement weather".
Wife: Crap.

Do you know what today is?  It's SUPPOSED to be first babysittee free day.  W should be at school.  E should be at preschool.  I should be running around free as a bird.  Doing what?  I don't know.  But I sure wasn't planning on being home with a child who peed their pullup while awake (hello SHE'S FOUR), and a boy who wants a third poptart.

ARG.

And it's only a 'glazing' of ice, less that 1/8 inch thick with a dusting of snow on top.  Safety shmafety.