The One Where I Want Warm And Sunny

So, do you ever have those days where you're like, ok, I'm going to get all this stuff done? I'm going to clean [such and such] and go to [here or there] and to the [chiropractor, bank, dry cleaners] and make dinner and play games with [child] and work at the computer. And then you don't get any of it done at all? But instead these other mysterious tasks comes up and you spend most of your day wondering why you are doing these things and not the other. I have yet to figure out how that happens but I think it happens way too often to me. And it's very possible that it's my ADHD that does it to me. But I haven't figured out how to get that to stop. Well, of course I'm on medication for it but giving a pair of glasses to a blind person isn't going to help them much. But right now I'm excited that Eli still hasn't woken up. But it's early yet.

I'm not sure why there aren't any street lights around here. There should be street lights so you can see at night. I hate driving here at night because I can't see. Jason says that's what headlights are for. And of course I get that, but headlights don't light everything up. And I want to see everything at once. Otherwise you can't drive so fast.

Have you ever thought of the person who goes around and collects the change out of phone booths? You probably never thought that was a job, or ever thought of it period, right? Who thinks of that anyway? I once new such a person (a person who collected the change not the person who didn't think it was a job.) That person never wanted change back from their dollars.

I recall a time where I sat at the Sand's Casino (I think it was the Sand's but it could've been somewhere else) around 1 or 2am playing Uno on the floor waiting for a bowling lane to open up. I can't remember if it was with friends or cousins. I did try out for the bowling team once my Sophomore year of high school. My friend and I did because we liked to bowl. But the other girls were very serious about it. And I sucked.

Today I was driving down Cumberland and I wasn't going too fast but this car ahead of me was going like 30 and I got a little close to them, but not so close like I was attached to their bumper. And then the dude just started to break and then stopped. Right in the middle of the road. Hello? Anyone home? Think McFly, think. Then after about 3 seconds they started going again.

Have you ever been ready to go to bed but kept stalling and not going because you knew that once you did you'd either A) have to get up again in about an hour to feed your baby B) not be able to fall asleep because your mind just wanders or C) just wake up in the morning and have to repeat your day over again?

I've been having this chronic pain in my lower ab region, possibly around my uterus portion of my tummy and I don't quite know what that's about. I thought perhaps that it was scar tissue forming as when the doctor was inside my tummy getting Eli out I had an obscure amount of scar tissue. I'm not sure I just used obscure correctly in that sentence but I am too lazy to look it up and I liked the way it sounds. But the point was I thought maybe it was scar tissue formation pain, if there is such a thing. So, I called my sister and she's like, that's not right. Go to the doctor. And I called my mom and she's like, that's not right. Go to the doctor. But I haven't yet because if I ignore it, it will go away.

And perhaps this is all sounding a little bit like whining. But I don't feel all whinish. I'm actually quite ok today. I'm glad I can feel ok about utter chaos. And I quite like the term "utter chaos." Utterly chaotic is good as well. I am stalling going to bed because of A,B&C above. I really, really want a vacation all by myself somewhere warm and sunny. I don't mind if you or the other came with me but you or the other are not allowed to talk during the warm and sunny parts.

The One With My Digressions

Remember a couple of weeks ago it was so, so nice outside and you could wear shorts? Jason finally replaced his struts in the Beemer after having his new ones in a box in the hallway for like, 6 months. Then he had to get it aligned. Which one would not think to be a big deal, right?

He took it to Pep Boys (because they had time last night and J has to drive to Indi tomorrow and wanted to take his car because you can't drive the Jeep over 60 mph and I don't want to drive it because trying to get Eli's car seat in the Jeep is like trying to get your 5 year old to fit in the overhead bin on an airplane--kind of hard and people stare.) They had it all night and then today they called and said they couldn't do it because on a BMW you have to place 150 lbs in both front seats and back. Why couldn't they just get 4 mechanics to sit in the car and the 5th align it?

Now he has to take it to the dealer. Which I'm guessing will lead to the service manager asking J how our X3 is working for us. And he'll have to tell him that we got rid of the piece of hud because you people couldn't figure out how to fix it after 6 attempts and I don't like being stranded with no gas and a gauge that says half full.

But here are a couple of pictures of that really nice day, which was my point to begin with. I love that big, huge, baby smile.

Today Jason got up with Zach and Eli while I slept because I didn't get any sleep last night, again, and I didn't feel so hot. Whenever J gets up with Zach he always forgets to give him his pill. So, we had such a fun afternoon... It's actually really funny for a few minutes because when Zach is in his crazy, jumping off the walls mood, he can be very entertaining to Eli. Zach was playing "tag" with Eli this evening. Eli was having fun crawling as fast as he could away from Zach. I'd be trying to get away, too.

That's chocolate on Eli's face. I made cookies tonight and they were so very good that I ate too many, of course, and feel all bloated and fat now but that should motivate me a little more to exercise tomorrow. Which I have been exercising much more often except on those days when I didn't get any sleep and am still so tired that I feel all weak-like and can't do anything for fear of passing out from exhaustion. What? Eli is only 11 months. You thought he might be sleeping through the night by now or something like all the other babies his age? My kids don't do that.

Here is the short version of our evening:

Then at bedtime, after I got Eli to stop crying and settled down in his bed, Zach kept begging me to go to bed as well. Normally I wait 20 minutes after putting Eli down before letting Zach go in because Eli just wakes up at Zach's fake coughs and sneezes and other lame attempts at waking him. But Zach went in and fell right asleep. I love it when he does that. It happens, like, never. Now I can watch The Unit in peace.

So, these days my main computer is my laptop. And I generally would use a mouse with it. But the one I had kept breaking or needing batteries or whatever so I got rid of it and just used the keyboard touch pad and buttons. This drives J crazy and so he hooked up a new mouse for me, complete with a fabulous little bluetooth adapter. But I didn't like that mouse. So, he got another one and hooked it up. And it worked. For one sitting. Then he fixed it again and it worked. For one sitting. And so on. So, I started using my touch pad again. Until the button stopped working and I now have been tapping the touch pad to click with. And I really like my laptop so I guess I need to venture out into the deep, dark garage and find another mouse I like.

And now I'm afraid that I had an actual point when I began writing all this but seem to have lost it in my mind-wandering. I guess it wasn't all that important and should probably go to bed as I have a long list of things to do tomorrow. Including trying to find time to get to the store as I've been trying all week to do. I'm not sure how my life got crazy enough that I don't have time to go grocery shopping. But seriously, I meant to go last Monday as I ran out of bananas last Sunday. And now I'm afraid I'm out of peas as well, which is Eli's favorite dinner. I just hate going to the store with both kids and Eli naps while Zach is at school and I don't really like going at night because I'd much rather be relaxing reading a great book. (That was a joke. I don't read great books--only crappy ones. No, really, I jest. I don't read at all because I don't have time for that. Which may actually be contributing to my declining IQ. And there goes my meandering mind again.)

Because If You're Awake At 3:00 In The Morning, You Need A Cookie

It's true. Put a stash of cookies wherever you feed your baby during the night. You'll feel better if you get a little sweet snack as well. The best ones are Girl Scouts' Thin Mints or Pepperidge Farms Mint Brussels. Run out of cookies? Try Cinnamon Toast Crunch or little powdered donuts. Those are good, too.

So, the night before we went to the Children's Museum, I did have a cookie when I was up with Eli. But that didn't get me any more sleep. Eli was having a worse-than-normal night and I got no sleep. Which is why Eli and I didn't wake up until 10am. Which is why I couldn't get to Gigi's by 11. Which is why we didn't get to the museum until 1-ish.

We finally got to the museum and headed straight to the Lego exhibit.

I love all the awesome things you can build if you have enough Legos. And I'm not sure why Zach won't look at me when I take his picture. Whatever.

Zach really wanted to build a castle in the little play-with-Legos area. But there were a lot of kids there and he didn't want to share. He wanted to go home so he could play with his own Legos. But he got over it.

Eli liked playing with the big baby sized Legos. He crawled all over them and chewed on a few.

Eli also loved this dragon seat. He crawled to it and started climbing all over it. He was fascinated by it for minutes and kept going back to it for more.

I think we spent an hour in the playscape area. The kids had so much fun. I love that they have a couple little safe areas for babies. Eli had tons of fun there and totally forgot he needed a nap.

Of course we had to try out the race car. Zach took a "fabulous" picture of me and Eli. Eli hates the stroller so we used the baby carrier for part of the time.



We had lots of fun. I wish we had known it closed at 5. I also wish I would have woken up earlier so we could have had more time. We didn't have time to see the Comic Book exhibit. (Which I blame myself because I was an hour late...) I also wish we could have gone next week when the Star Wars exhibit would be there, too. Because when little boys keep seeing Star Wars posters, they want to see something Star Wars. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is going to be there starting March 23. Cool thing is they will be there until Jan 2010. I think I'll plan our next visit for this summer when Tutankhamun (Golden King and Great Pharaohs) is there.

I also wish Eli didn't cry the whole way there and the whole way back. Because crying gets very, very old after 1 1/2 minutes, let alone 1 1/2 hours driving time. Zach thought it was great to hit Logan and then tell Logan to hit him back. And of course, Logan took him up on that--who wouldn't? Gigi and I heard our share of Spongebob (fill in the blank)pants jokes the way down. Even Bergen got in on that. Zach also felt the need to try to wake up Bergen and Logan on the way home since Eli wasn't doing a good enough job with the screaming. If you'd like to join us for the next Zach and Eli Freak Show on the Road (i.e. driving with us), hurry! Seats go fast.

Because I'm Random

I went to the mall by myself on Saturday and I came home to find the guys hanging out in the backyard. Jason hates the camera and hides. Whatever. At least I have cute kids.

Eli looks really, really scared here. I guess I would too if I had Zach man-handling me. Which I do have sometimes.

Eli is sooo cute. He has the best squealy laugh ever. And the cutest little chin and nose.

So, I have lots of projects going on right now and I'm really excited about a couple of them. I just need more time to get to them. I read about this fabric giveaway at M & M Studio and I know just what I'd do with that fabric. I'm not sure when I would do it but I still think it's cool fabric.

I get these emails from my favorite store ever, Anthropologie. I like a lot of their clothes. I like comfortable clothes but also fashionable. And I love it when an item is both. However, I don't know what it would take to get me to wear these. They are saying these are the newest "off the runway darling." Whatever that means. They look really comfy but I think they are hidious for anything besides going breakdancing with my peeps on back-to-the-80's night.

And now this is about the 10th time I have gone back to edit this post to get the stupid spacing how I want it. And it's still now how I want it. Cheap crap.

The One With a Birthday and Valentine's Day

I made a variation of this cake for Jason for his birthday. I didn't want to make the whole cake cuz then we'd eat it all and I'm glad I didn't because the icing was all wrong. Instead I filled 8-7oz ramekins and then cut each in half to layer the frosting. Then I threw the rest of the batter away (I would have halfed the recipe but that never works quite right). It had a buttercream icing recipe so I thought it be really good. It calls for 2 sticks of butter (wow!) and a bunch of egg yolks. But then it said for this cake you could take out the yolks (which I'm all over because I avoid yolks whenever possible) and to add in a tbsp of water. Well, it tasted funny. So Monday night I made different frosting for the leftover cake. I used my basic recipe and it was much better.

So someone brought up something about Valentine's gifts for teachers. I was all set to not do one, as I don't really do teacher gifts. But then Gigi told me about her sanitizer gift. Well, that was Wednesday and Zach's "friendship" party was on Thursday. I didn't want to go to the store for sanitizer and I didn't have a new one laying around. But I did have a small Kleenex box. Zach is all over cutting shapes and glueing and such. So we made a little gift for his teacher. It was kind of cute. (Star Wars is totally Valentiney.) Zach secretly made me one as well and gave it to me Saturday morning. He glued a heart on a bag of M&Ms he found and gave those to Jason. He didn't even mention that he didn't get a gift from us. He was worried that Jason and I forgot to get eachother something. Oh, and Zach has decided that his named is spelled Zack, with a K. Because there is no "huh" sound in Zach, just "kuh."

On Sunday I decided to make some little apple pie tarts. I was going to make them on Valentine's day but we still had ice cream left over from Friday night. My crust was a little dry but I was too lazy to start over again (which I normally do because I want a perfect crust.) I used my normal crust and apple filling recipe but cut the apples into little pieces. They made for a quick little treat.

The One With Money, Eating and Other Goings-On

We started teaching Zach about money. He can do jobs or read me a book for a quarter. He even wiped Eli's poopy butt for a quarter. We made this Juice Carton Wallet to hold his money. He looks at the Lego website all the time at the sets he wants to see if he has enough to buy it yet. We went to the store and he choose this. He was so excited. Funny thing, he was looking on the Lego website at the Pirate sets he wants, which he does almost daily. He did two jobs and wrote them on his job list. He gave himself $99.99 for one job and $19.99 for the other which just happen to be the prices of two of the sets. He's catching on.

I took Eli to the hospital for a Feeding Team appointment. I know, I had never heard of it either. His pediatrician was concerned about him because he hasn't been gaining very much weight and he wasn't swallowing food. Which is also probably why he wakes up 1-2 times a night starving his head off. Poor kid is hungry. He loves to chew and gnaw on whole foods but he doesn't swallow them. The feeding team is a speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist and dietitian. They look at how he eats, what he eats and reactions. They said that developmentally he's fine but the way his tongue is "humped" (I'm making an example with my hand so you can tell how is tongue is--can you see it?) makes it harder for him to swallow. I didn't know this, but the Gerber Nuk nipple encourages the tongue to stay that way. But because it started that way, he would only take the Nuk when I switched to bottles. Makes me say, "huh." Anyway, they gave me recommendations that basically consists of making him eat pureed baby food. And add some butter for more calories. He's doing a lot better now.

I think the Cumberland Elementry School crossing guard is hilarious. Her husband (partner, whatever) sits in their truck and she sits in there with him in between crossing people. For the longest time I thought she had this funky old lady bufont (sp?) with a hairnet over it. I have recently realized that it is actually a fur skin hat.

My hairdresser called me the other day. I thought it was totally random. She wanted to let me know she doesn't work at the salon anymore. She has to call me again to let me know where she's moving to when she figures it out. Kind of funny. I've been going to see her there for 6 years now.

The doctor I work for decided to have people on-site do my job. So, I'm out of that job. Plus the other company I worked for finally dissolved so I'm out that, too. Which is all okay with me. Actually I new it was coming and I still have our other business to run which has become the red-headed stepchild. And I'm doing some work for the best boss ever. I'm feeling change coming around our house and it's welcome, it just may be a while before it happens.

I'm also really annoyed with this stupid blogger thing because it keeps adding spaces between my paragraphs and I don't want a bunch of random spacing. No matter how many times I delete the spaces and save it, it adds more spaces. Stupid crap.

I love talking to my sister because we can say anything and we still like eachother. I talked to her today and told her how annoyed I was with shopping right now. Seriously, annoyed. And she told me I was fat and ugly, my nose was getting bigger and I'm getting wrinkles. And that when people see me they think, "poor girl, she's just not quite there..." The funny part about it is that she is also fat, ugly, big nosed and wrinkley. And seriously, the girl wears pjs, socks with flip flops, and drives a golf cart to take her kids to school. And people think I'm not quite there?

The One With Random Pictures

Have you checked out this post yet? Did you guess right? I'll let you know at the end.

You have another test. Answers at the end but don't cheat.

Two boys, same outfit.

This is Zach and Jason summer of 2004.

I love these pictures of Zach. It was December of 2004. We were staying in Chicago because Jason had a class or something. Zach and I spent the days walking around downtown shopping.

I'm so glad I didn't loose these pictures during my great hard drive debacle. This was Easter 2007. Jason and Zach wearing pink. It was adorable.

Oh, yeah. So in that post both pictures were Zach. Have you made your decision about this post yet? The first picture is Zach, the second is Eli.