Where the animal crackers go to die

Today I was busily typing on my laptop while my darling child entertained himself. All of his toys are right around the area of my recliner and side table that is home to my laptop so I can easily watch him. Lately he has become bored with his toys and has zeroed in on the squeaky toys in Rocky's cage. So of course, I heard him squeaking the dog toys the moment I looked away. I retrieve the toys and return them to the cage.

Bear, in the meantime, has scrambled up in my recliner. He often engages in diversionary tactics to get Momma out of the recliner so he can scramble up into the recliner and explore the Mecca that is my side table. On this table rests my laptop, a lap, 2 picture frames, and more often than not a glass of iced tea. This weekend he nabbed a coke off the table which luckily did not get on the laptop but did get all over the carpet. Today he scrambled up and immediately started messing with the laptop. Mind you, I am only approx. 10 feet away securing the dog toys. So I run over and scoop him up. During the scooping he drags his little fingers over the keyboard popping off 2 keys. Not just the keys but also the little white plastic tabs that hold the keys on.

I take him into his room and lay him down for a nap and return to the laptop to contemplate my options. So of course I turn to my trusty friend Google, which kindly showed me that people have WAY too much time on their hands. There were step by step instructions on replacing the keys and several YouTube videos. I checked a few of the videos but they were poorly lit and blurry so I turned to the step by step instructions. I found http://www.laptoprepair101.com which had pictures and instructions. I managed to get one key back on after about 15 minutes of figuring out how the impossibly tiny pieces of plastic fit together. So I go to put together the plastic pieces and one tiny clear piece pops free and disappears. #$@%^*!!!!!

So I get down on my hands and knees and start feeling for the piece on my biege carpet. There are toys all around so I move the toys and the chair. I learned that this particular area of the living room is the animal cracker graveyard. So I have to decide, do I crawl around on millions of crumbs or do I vacuum and risk sucking up the impossibly tiny plastic computer piece? After 15 minutes of searching I get out the shop vac and start sucking up pieces of cracker while feeling for the plastic piece with my other hand. After 30 minutes my carpet was clean and the plastic piece was nowhere to be found. So I visited my other trusty friend, Ebay, and paid way too much for a new H key to be delivered with plastic clippy pieces. So for now I am typing without the key on the H and I am becoming painfully aware of how many times I use the H key in a day.

The moral of today's story?

1. Animal crackers are the handiwork of the devil.
2. Children and laptops don't mix
3. I am in the wrong line of work. I need to start an Ebay business selling keyboard keys. I would be rich. Rich I tell you!

Why is it that weekends are almost always more tiring than weekdays? Even when I worked full time the weekends just wore me out. Although I do miss those heady days before having a child where I slept till noon on the weekends. Even in those days we stayed up half the night so the sleeping in didn't help much.

Friday night we went out to dinner with our neighbors and another couple who are friends of theirs. Between the 3 couples we had 4 kids. Which shouldn't be that big of a deal but they certainly ran us ragged. Luckily the restaurant was almost empty so it wasn't too big of a deal. Bear fell in love with a gum ball machine at the front that lit up. He spent half the evening running to the front of the restaurant and wrapping his whole body around it. Whoever invented high chairs for restaurants needs a new job. Those things couldn't keep a rock strapped in much less a squirming 1 year old. They need to invent them with the harnesses that come over the shoulders like they have on the roller coasters.

Saturday we got up and went out for sushi. We decided to stop at a couple of furniture stores to check out the 4th of July sales. But of course we couldn't agree on anything. Furniture shopping is the adult equivalent of if you buy a mouse a cookie. If you buy an adult a sofa, he'll want a matching love seat. If you get the love seat then you need a new recliner. It gets a wee bit ridiculous after awhile. Then we got home and I put together a banana split cake. I have had this cake before but never made it myself. It was a pain in the butt to make. And my pudding never set right. I even got cherries for the top and drizzled chocolate on it. I also threw together a corn casserole. We headed over to the neighbor's house for a BBQ/game night. We ate and drank ourselves sick and by the time desserts came out everyone was too full so I ended up bringing home 3/4 of that cake. Ugh.

Today I did my weekly shopping. I managed to hit 3 grocery stores, Walmart, and CVS. I got some good deals but shopping in 100 degree heat takes it out of you. How sad is it that I am ready for the week?

Wasting time...

I spent 4 hours on and off today playing my least favorite game, Find the Mail Key. We live in a neighborhood where the mailboxes are grouped together in locked boxes. When we moved in the previous owners only gave us one key to our mailbox because apparently we are not the only ones who have a hard time keeping up with the keys.

I could go to the post office and get them to put in a new lock and give me 2 keys but that would involve me going to the post office of my own free will and waiting 3 days for them to install the new lock. I'd rather have flaming bamboo shoved under my finger nails. So instead I tore apart my house for hours. We dug through the trash, checked under all the furniture, checked our cars, etc.

I finally gave up and sat in my recliner to check my email and thought I should check the chair one last time. I had already moved it earlier to look underneath but this time I popped it up and looked with a flashlight. There in the wood frame I saw a tiny glint of gold. The key was wedged in the wood frame in such a way that it would not have fallen through. Grrr.....4 hours of my life. What a waste.

 

It's been a while since I posted, huh? Saturday we checked out the local wine festival. It was unbelievably hot but we had a great time. I picked up a couple of bottles of amazing Texas wines. Then we checked out a new sushi place that put our usual place to shame. All in all it was a good weekend. We even did a little home improvement by replacing our ghetto mirrored light fixture in the guest bath. The new one is pretty much a piece of crap too but at least it looks better.

Today I went to a local park with 2 girls from church. I say girls because they are 24 and saying ladies just makes me or them sound old. I only know one girl barely and the other I just met today. It is so hard making new friends especially over play dates. They brought 2 and 3 kids with them respectively so it was a little difficult getting a chance to actually talk. Every time we would start to discuss something a kid would run off. I never got a chance to really learn anything about either of them.

Rain on my parade why dont'cha?

Today was another dreaded 6 month checkup at the dentist. I hate going to the dentist worse than anything. I would go to the OB/GYN every day for a year if it meant never having to go to the dentist again (with no cavities). When I get there the receptionist gives me flack about my insurance card. My husband's insurance only gives you one card for both medical and dental and she was trying to refuse it because she thought it was only a medical card. I got it all straightened out after I explained for the 3rd time that the Met Life Dental number was on the card wouldyoufreakingcallthempleasethx!

They call me back and of course my blood pressure is way higher than normal per usual. It is always fine when they check it at the doctor and always ridiculously high at the dentist. Coincidence? I think not. The hygenist comes in and starts cleaning my teeth and asking a million questions. It is very difficult to sound intelligent while talking with a spit sucker stuck in the side of your mouth. When will they learn?

She gets me all cleaned up and the dentist comes in to verify her work. She tells him I have no cavities and he follows that up with an "I hope you're right, lets just check why don't we". So I get to sit through the stress of him probing my mouth too. (She has missed a cavity before that he found on a previous visit) But alas my mouth was perfect. I like to think it is due to my $100.00 electric toothbrush I bought myself for Christmas. Who needs jewelry or purses when you can have clean teeth?

So at this point I am feeling pretty good. Smug, almost. Then as a parting shot he say "Your teeth healthy but you would be an excellent candidate for cosmetic work like a whitening". Ugh. That just pissed me off. I think its just the way he said it but it just took the freaking wind out of my sails. Now I have a new reason to hate the dentist, he is insulting. Imagine if you went to the OB/GYN and during your breast exam he mentioned that you were healthy but an excellent candidate for cosmetic surgery like a boob job? I really need to find a new dentist.

Another weekend...

Our weekend was good, busy, but good. Saturday we went to a local vineyard with friends and did a wine tasting and tour. Then my husband and I stayed and had dinner there. I picked up a bottle of my favorite local wine for later. It was wonderful. I even spotted another blogger I read there. I didn't want to randomly walk up to her but I did leave her a message on her blog the next day.

Sunday I got up and made banana bread for my husband and gave him his Father's Day card. After church we stopped at the mall and he picked out a new pair of Oakleys as his gift. We also stopped at Academy and picked up a baby pool for Bear. Our next door neighbors have a 2 year old and we have been talking for weeks about getting a baby pool to put in the side yard between our houses.

When we got home I ran and got a much needed pedicure and picked up some CVS deals. When I got home the neighbors had put a baby pool of their own in the side yard. I took Bear out there and sat him in the pool where he promptly began screaming bloody murder. He refused to go near the baby pool the rest of the day. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Watching the pool from a safe distance.

Playing at the park

We took advantage of the 98 degree heat today to get outside and get wet. My neighbor and her friend invited me and Bear to go to the park with them and their kids. They have an area where water comes out of fountains in the ground and buckets that fill up and dump on your head. Bear was a little apprehensive and he spent the majority of his time focusing on the smallest water fountain while the bigger kids played with the tall ones. I encourage him to play with the bigger kids but I am also trying to savor this time where he is the little guy.

Yes, dear

So I went out to dinner tonight with a large group of girlfriends and of course the topic of marital relations (trying to avoid the googling) came up during our conversation. One of the girls told me that she has a friend who has been married 10 years, has 3 kids and in the course of those 10 years has never once said no to her husband. Not once?!? So then the question was asked as to the frequency of these marital relations and she says her friend told her that they do it 3-4 a week.

That just blows my mind. Never once say no because of a headache? Cramps? Pregnancy? Not in the mood? Tired? She says that her friend feels it is her obligation as a wife to never refuse her husband. Wow, I wonder if every wife felt like that what the divorce rate in this country would be? I agree that every couple needs intimacy to keep the marriage going but I think this woman deserves a gold star or a cookie or something.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I just really haven't been up to much. My husband was in a golf tournament all weekend so I spent the weekend home with the baby. Although I did sneak away for breakfast with my best friend on Saturday before my husband left for the golf course so that was a nice break. Oh, and I spent approx 3 hours at an Albertson's near my house that is shutting down buying up going out of business deals.

I love being at home full time but it is definitely making me a bit boring. I spend my days playing with Bear, cleaning, and clipping coupons. Saving money is becoming a wee bit of an obsession for me lately. I am trying so hard to be a good steward of our money now that we have cut our budget significantly with me leaving my job. I always thought people who clipped coupons were nerds but I realize now that they were pretty clever. It is hard to keep up with the what you have, when to use it, manufacturer vs store coupons, etc. I have my trusty coupon organizer but it is still a lot of work. I have literally doubled my grocery shopping time.

But I will say that it is a lot of fun to walk out of a store with a lot of stuff for nearly nothing while everyone else's grocery bills are climbing. I think I just really want to prove to my husband that me staying home won't be a hardship on our family financially. Especially since I decided to quit my job just as the prices of gas and food are doubling. I spent $74.00 filling my SUV this weekend and that was at Sam's Club. I wish I had a car with better gas mileage but it is paid for so it still comes out better than making a car payment and I don't drive much anymore.

I think my new obsession with saving money really boils down to my fear of having to go back to work because we can't pay our bills. I know there are worse things in life but now that I am home I really can't imagine going back if I can help it. So if you have any tips on saving cash let me know. I spend a lot of time frequenting the Money Saving Mom website and she has great ideas but I would love to hear any of yours.

When the cat is away.....

The mouse will buy an obscene amount of Mexican food all for herself...

Well, maybe not ALL for herself...

A decision she will later regret at the pre-bedtime diaper change..

Updates, in case you care

Yes, I am still here. I noticed recently that I have a habit of posting about something and then never mentioning it again. Some of you may not care but some of you may. So just a general status update for those of you who care....

1. Yes, Bear is sleeping again.

That night

was apparently just a nod to the Teething Gods and their mighty power of sleep deprivation.

2. No, I have not done anything with the suggestive ball found in the backyard. It has mysteriously moved to the opposite end of the yard and I am hoping it will mysteriously migrate itself on to greener pastures. I did, however, throw 2 seemingly innocuous plastic colored balls back into the neighbors yard yesterday while ignoring the ball from Mandee.

3. No, I haven't broken my new camera , yet. *Knock on wood furiously*. Unfortunately the new camera did not come with the ability to upload pictures from itself to my computer by osmosis. You would think for as much as I paid it would but alas, it doesn't. I even bought a nifty device that plugs into the side of my laptop that I just pop the memory card into to upload the pictures yet that still doesn't overcome my laziness.

So there you have it. Updates. Besides that I am just being a sloth this week. I have been getting the housework done, watching the baby, baking fresh bread every day and cooking dinner but all of these things can be done from the comfort of my home. So maybe I am not a sloth just more of a homebody. I did venture out once this week to the library where I picked up some books that I have been devouring after Bear goes to bed. I am currently half way through The Year of Pleasures. I am still working on my Dove chocolate stash although I may need to venture out and replenish it soon. I have been tagged for a Meme which I promise I am working on. I think that about covers it.

This message is sponsored by Motrin, Baby Orajel, and Dove Chocolates

I have been blessed that for the majority of Bear's 16 months on earth he has been a great sleeper. I have always been a little afraid to say anything for fear of jinxing it. He usually sleeps a solid 13 hours a night with at least 2 hours of nap time or more during the day. I'll duck while you Moms throw something at me.

Last night my illusions of grandeur were shattered. I stayed up late talking to the hubby and we didn't settle down to sleep until around 12-12:30ish. Around 1 a.m. Bear started crying out some. Now it's not unusual for him to cry out a few times in his sleep. So I listened for a little bit on the baby monitor to see if he was settling down. He continued the cry outs for awhile so I decided to peek in. Big mistake.

The little whimpers I heard before were nothing compared to the full on wails of a child who realizes Momma is up and in his room. MUST.GET.OUT.OF.CRIB.NOOOOOWWWWW. OK so I get him up and lay on the couch in his room for awhile rubbing his back. Typically this works if he is upset. Then I lay him down. Big mistake, again. So I leave the room for a bit hoping he will settle down and fall asleep on his own.

I go through this until somewhere in the neighborhood of 4:30 a.m. Trying out milk, juice, food, back rubs, baby Motrin until we finally both crash at 4:30 in my bed. At 8:00 a.m. he awakes refreshed and ready to party. Momma, not so much. I get up and feed him breakfast and let him play for as long as I can stay awake and then put him down at 10 a.m. for a nap. It is 1:48 and he is still down. I know I need to go wake him up or potentially incur the wrath of an angry toddler at 3 a.m. tonight but ugh I am tired. And yes, I did take a nice nap from 10- 1. Thank God I am not working. I still don't know what caused last night's up all night baby fiesta. No fever, not hungry, not thirsty, not cold, not hot, clean diaper. I guess we can chalk this one up to teething. Thank God for the Dove milk chocolates I bought last night at the store. They make anything bearable.

Where has the time gone?

This week starts my 7th week as a SAHM. It has been flying by. This is the happiest I have been in a long time. I am not as tired and stressed anymore. I have more time for socializing with friends and playing with my son. I have the house clean and dinner ready when my husband gets home so that frees up time for us to just hang out in the evenings. I still have to remind myself every Sunday night that I really don't have to go to work tomorrow. It seems so surreal.

I really never expected my social life to increase once I wasn't working. I figured that I would become one of those Moms parked in front of Oprah in my sweatpants all day. Instead I have found myself becoming less of a hermit. Working full time sucked all the energy out of me. When I got home in the evening I had to do laundry, clean the house, do dishes, take care of dinner, play with Bear, etc, etc. The weekends were spent trying to run errands and finish up tasks that weren't done on weeknights. I really wasn't up for having people over as much because that weekend time was so precious.

Now I actually get my weekends off because the housework and errands are done during the week. We went to a pool party Saturday afternoon then had friends over for dinner that evening. Sunday I went out to lunch after church with a friend and we caught the Sex and the City movie. Then our husbands went to hit golf balls while we watched movies at the house with Bear and cooked dinner. It was amazing. And I knew I didn't have to rush them out the door so I could get everything ready for work and daycare.

I would go back to work if we financially couldn't make it but I am so grateful for this opportunity to not have to. I was afraid when I left my job that I would regret it. That I would miss being part of the working world and earning my keep. I was afraid that staying home wouldn't be everything I had built it up in my mind to be and that I would be bored to tears. But I have to say I honestly love it.