LG’s Neighborhood

Friday night I held a mix-up-my-friends party, in which I invited GH and some of his friends and myself (well, you can't have a party and not invite yourself) and some of my friends, added a bunch of red wine and sat back to see what happened. All in all, there wasn't any bloodshed or even angst. Chatting, eating, drinking, and (Eventual) Cranium-playing. I was trying to learn a game called Munchkin, which I just couldn't get the rules down at all. Not that I was anything spectacular at Cranium. Here I've grown again -- branching out from the ol' comfort zone and mixing friends. Granted, it wasn't all of my friends -- nor all of his -- but for a first experiment I think it went well. (I never met any of Q's friends and X and I went to high school together, so this business of meeting the other person's friends and having them being unknown to you is really new).

I got home about an hour before everyone was due to arrive. I had premade the lasagne, but the house was a mess and Kumster picked *that exact moment* to tear a nail. Consequently I swore a lot and made GH be the Evil Nasty Man who had to hold her down while I administered a messy, ersatz first aid. (The next morning found me at the Vet's office where they removed the offending nail, trimmed the rest, cleaned it all up, antibiotics, and pain meds for $180). And so here I've grown again -- don't put off nail trims and your puppies are your kids, too. 

Then I went to one of the cooler baby showers I've been to: yummy good-for-you food, a game that made me realize I need to talk to my friends more (I'm narcissitic and it shows, yeah), and herbs as prizes. I scored dill, so expect some dill butter. And so here I've grown again -- the oldest mommy in the group and I learned new things.

I got home with an hour to get dressed for Cirque flamboyance: a silk kimono shirt that shoves the rack high and in, a semi-Renn-faire hairdo, and two (not one!) shades of blue eyeshadow. Oh, and the Shoes of Pain. I got these shoes for Dallas, they are high-heel sandals and they can be work appropriate (even at 4") and they feel great-- for the first 3 hours. After that it feels like the soles of your feet are burning, almost like blisters. I think it came from the rubbing of walking, so I'm going to look into those pads you put on the soles of your feet so you don't get that. Because aside from that, those shoes rock. (I have yet to find shoes that make me actually as tall as GH -- I'd need 5.5" heels and somehow I don't think I could ever justify work heels that were 5.5").

Cirque (Corteo, at Marymoor Park) was very nice. We got Tapis Rouge tickets which meant we got to go to the froufrou tent: wine, champagne, Bombay (TM) Gin Officially sponsored drinks and stuff, and a rotating appetizer bar that allowed for easy spotting of the Very Drunk Guests.  Now, I've been to a couple of Cirque shows, but they were Vegas Cirque -- Ka (once) and Mystere (twice). (I would love to see Zumanity and O and I'm going to Vegas soon but there's always room for more Vegas trips in a year). The point being -- Vegas Cirque is like Vegas Anything: large, ornate, flashy, and sensory overload. Corteo was a little more low key, a little more artsy. I won't spoil it -- I strongly suggest seeing it-- but I will say that if ever a man upholds his entire weight by my ponytail in an effort to impress other people that man won't be a man much longer. And so here I've grown again: Non-Vegas Cirque.

This morning I breakfasted at Ruby's and X is going to pay me to revise his 2006 taxes because his brokerage messed up his statement. Why am I doing this? 1. I get paid to play with numbers all of the time, why not his, and 2. the fewer headaches in his fi$cal life, the fewer in mine by proxy of the SC. The SC now owns a watch (we went to Target) and is learning to tell time by incentive. E.g., when it reaches *this* time you can do X or Y or Z. He is also currently helping me watch River, who is giggling and happy as she feasts on mac and cheese and broccoli. And so here he's grown again: responsibility and reward.

Happy Mother's Day. :)

As mother's day #3 rolls in, I find myself pondering a few things.  What have I learned so far?  Have I truly gotten used to being a mother?  Am I really doing enough for Cullen?  Is my life as close to what I would call normal as it can be?  Should I put some more effort into the hours between 8 & 11 PM?  When am I going to get the rest of these boxes sorted?  How much of the yard should I try to plant this year?  Have I been a better friend, spouse, etc. than I was in the past?

It's a litany of questions that pop into my stream of consciousness every day.  Some I have answers for and others I can't answer.

1. I have learned that there are some things and people that I do not have, nor should I try to find, the energy for.  I have learned that Costco Kirkland brand diapers are the best buy, that sometimes I am the only mattress that works for my son, that kids really are quite forgiving and resilient, that I can do at least 3 things at once and that most issues in a baby's life are a phase that just has to be ridden out (with a little guidance to insure that it doesn't become ongoing).  I have also learned that one has to be very careful of whether their remedy to a situation is about what is best for the child or about what makes the parent feel better.  Example: allowing your child to continue with a soother to the age of 4 is more about avoidance on the part of the parent than wht is best for the child.  I have learned that it is rare to find a family as put together and perfect as they might seem and that's fine because now I know I am not alone.
2. I would say that I am fairly used to being a mother, the scheduling of my day is fairly automatic, even if I have to make changes I do not consciously have to remember to think about Cullen.  I seem to turn towards loud cries and crashes to make sure that he is alright and I can tune out most cries that aren't Cullen.  I miss snuggling and talking to him even if I am away for a day at work.  I try not to let it get into the guilt zone though.
3. I could be doing more, but I think that is something that every parent would say, no matter what.  What I would like to increase is more time spent teaching him things like letters and numbers through games and such.  Not that I am going to sit him down classroom style, just incorporating more of it into our daily life so that he can soak it in and internalize it.
4. Life is getting to be very close to normal.  The only thing that I am in need of working on is how to incorporate gardening with Cullen around (this may require a fence).
5. Yes, I should probably put more activity into those hours instead of watching TV, but maybe I will start with an every other day thing at first ot ease myself into it.
6. The boxes need to be sorted before the second week in June so that we can have a yard sale.
7. The yard depends on budget & time.
8. I am trying, but I can always try harder.

We got a Wii! Paul's portion of the stimulus package was spent quickly & happily :) He picked up Smash Brothers Brawl and I got Super Mario Paper! We've set it all up and tried bowling & tennis already.

So! If you've got a Wii, send me your user info so I can friend you - or whatever its called :P

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As an update to this post, we got our check! I didn't even notice it because I forgot I had them deposit our refunds (and ergo our stimulus package) into our savings which I hardly ever pay attention to - so I had to log into our account. But it's there! This weekend we're supposed to go see Paul's parents - so mattress shopping will have to wait until next weekend. I still haven't decided what I want to do with some of the other money, but it's looking like fixing up my appearance because I really feel ugly lately. Some new clothes, new hair cut and some self-esteem boosters will do me some good :) My sister recently had her hair cut short and dyed a dark brown - I'm jealous. She looks so put-together and sleek now!

The SC is *almost* a kindergartener-- he graduates in 4 weeks from 'preschooler', ceremony and all. Today I went to his school to participate in his Mother's Day Tea, in which we were served apple juice and fruit and treated to 5 or 6 standards ("How Much is That Doggie in the Window?" for example) and I am now the proud wearer of a rolled paper bead necklace and a model of his hand, holding some flowers. Motherhood does reap rewards, although more often than not it's the intangibles that you hold dear.

This Sunday is Mother's day, and I am retrieving the SC earlier than normal so we can go do breakfast and fun things. But in the meantime, I have to get crackin' on my Mother's Day cards...

I saw Stranger than Fiction with P-Ade last winter and its hero, Harold Crick, starts out as a tax accountant who favors absolute structure in all parts of his life. He counts how many times he brushes each section of his teeth, he counts each step to the bus stop, he lives life by his clock. While by the end of the movie he lives life a little bit more rebelliously (and fuller, and freely) there is some comfort in knowing there is a numeric equivalent to life's little day to days.

It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, then, that I now have a spreadsheet for the Kilt (current ETA is May 27th based on latest calculations) and that I can tell you definitively that:

• one large tub of LUSH's Ocean Salt Scrub lasts me 3.3 months
• one tank of gas lasts me 5.5 days
• one bag of dog food lasts me just under 2 weeks
• my conditioner usage rate is approximately 25% more than my shampoo usage rate
• exactly 31 shredded mini wheat thingies of Kashi Shredded Mini Wheats make up a morning's serving of breakfast
• properly frothed milk in my milk frother needs to be at the halfway mark when cold
• the 32 gallon trash container I have is only 1/2 full any given pickup day (which is every week)
• the 96 gallon recycle container I have is only 1/2 full any given pickup day (which is every other week)
• 2 Trader Joe's bags can adequately hold a weeks worth of food, averaging $80
• laundry increases by 2 whenever the SC stays with me for the week
• 2.5 days of with-SC and 3.5 days of non-SC dishes make a load of dishes for the washer
• 1 pound of lean ground beef yields 7 meatballs
• Burt's Bees face moisturizer (in the little glass jar) lasts more than 3 months (and counting!)
• it takes 32-35 minutes to mow my lawn
• 33 minutes on the elliptical yields 400 calories burned, but 45 minutes yields 500

...But, Jane just got her Stimulus Package check from the government this week. According to the list I posted here a few months again - she wasn't supposed to get hers until the end of August! I really hope we get ours soon, Paul & I have decided to buy a new mattress with our check - as the one we're sleeping on was his from when he still lived with his family.

That's only going to be half of our check though, and I don't know what we'll do with the other. I'm tempted to revamp my wardrobe as I feel frumpy and completely unattractive lately - what I wouldn't give for a tailor! I know Paul wants to buy a Wii - since we don't have enough money (not even with out entire check) to get him a new computer like he wanted.

If we were responsible, we'd put it towards our credit card debt. However, our debt is not out of control anymore and the check is meant to be spent - not saved. They keep talking on the news about how this whole scheme will only work if people spend it and not just save it or pay bills. Its so difficult though to think of spending money on potentially frivolous things when you have bills to pay and a family to take care of.

What are all of you guys doing with your checks?

How many pair of shoes do you have? Out of those pairs, how many do you wear more than a few times a year?
Submitted by fightinggale.

I'm not a big shoe person, but this QotD reminds me that I really need to clean out my closet. There is a lot of stuff in there that I don't wear anymore - and a lot of stuff that's not right for the changing weather so I really need to cut back and store. Maybe I'll work on that this weekend?