Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Snippets
Things the kids have said recently.
Jillson, in response, when I asked if she wanted to watch an episode of Dora with her little sister: Lay it on me, Mom!
Madelyn to me: Hey, Babes! Can I get more milk? You cool with dat?
I readily admit that the Gutsy Dad and I say "Hey, Babes!" to each other all the time. But "You cool with that?" "Lay it on me?" Do we really say those things, and, more importantly, isn't it crazy how they can pick up the vernacular at such a young age? Makes me so sad that we are no longer immersing them in a (real) foreign language. They'd be fluent by now!
Friday, April 22, 2011
CSI: Kansas
Let's talk about yesterday.
In the 15 minutes it took me to put away groceries and make lunch for the kids, Madelyn perpetrated the following crime.
Please note that at no point did her abettor, Jillson, who currently delights in reporting Madelyn's every minor infraction, say a single word. I caught them red-handed when they came up the stairs in response to my summons for lunch. (Okay, I caught them pink-handed.)
They had paint on their hands, faces, legs, arms, and clothes. Scraps of toilet paper (evidence of remorseful attempts to clean?) were decoupaged to their fingers and lips.
And on the carpet of the home we are renting. (Please note the hand towel--further evidence of an attempted cover-up.)
Baby Blue-a-Lotta was found face down in her own, um, paint.
The trail of evidence led to the bathroom, where the toilet paper roll was mysteriously empty.
I would like to note for the record that for once I remained calm. I did not yell. Madelyn said "I did it, Mommy" before I even asked. They both agreed they had been extremely naughty and that there would be consequences. Both apologized a hundred times.
After washing hands and faces and after an expedited and very quiet lunch, Madelyn went straight to a nap. Jillson was confined to the couch with books and a blanket (no TV). She meekly offered to help me clean, but I declined her offer. I explained that sometimes Mommies just need a little space.
I returned to the scene of the crime. Baby Blue-a-Lotta went into the washing machine with the kids' clothes and the hand towels. The paints and paintbrushes and clumps of damp toilet paper went into the trash. Hot water went into the steam cleaner, and an hour and a half later, it was over.
In the 15 minutes it took me to put away groceries and make lunch for the kids, Madelyn perpetrated the following crime.
Please note that at no point did her abettor, Jillson, who currently delights in reporting Madelyn's every minor infraction, say a single word. I caught them red-handed when they came up the stairs in response to my summons for lunch. (Okay, I caught them pink-handed.)
They had paint on their hands, faces, legs, arms, and clothes. Scraps of toilet paper (evidence of remorseful attempts to clean?) were decoupaged to their fingers and lips.
Why yes, that IS paint and water all over my treadmill.
And on the carpet of the home we are renting. (Please note the hand towel--further evidence of an attempted cover-up.)
Baby Blue-a-Lotta was found face down in her own, um, paint.
The trail of evidence led to the bathroom, where the toilet paper roll was mysteriously empty.
I would like to note for the record that for once I remained calm. I did not yell. Madelyn said "I did it, Mommy" before I even asked. They both agreed they had been extremely naughty and that there would be consequences. Both apologized a hundred times.
After washing hands and faces and after an expedited and very quiet lunch, Madelyn went straight to a nap. Jillson was confined to the couch with books and a blanket (no TV). She meekly offered to help me clean, but I declined her offer. I explained that sometimes Mommies just need a little space.
I returned to the scene of the crime. Baby Blue-a-Lotta went into the washing machine with the kids' clothes and the hand towels. The paints and paintbrushes and clumps of damp toilet paper went into the trash. Hot water went into the steam cleaner, and an hour and a half later, it was over.
Oh, but there's an epilogue.
Before dinner, I heard Jillson shriek "Mommy! Come quickly! Maddie is drawing on the couch with a marker!" And, indeed, she was. A black dry-erase-board marker on my tan twill couch.
I have no photographs or energy left, but suffice to say that today was spent researching the removal of permanent marker from fabrics and thanking God for slipcovers, oversized laundry machines, and the internet.
Have I mentioned recently how much I would enjoy a glass of red wine?
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Please Excuse Me While I Brain-Dump
Moving always makes me go a little crazy, so here's where I stand with my annoying to-do list ("work" obligations and fun, social stuff excluded).
DONE:
1) Bunk bed delivery date scheduled. (Adorable twin-sized bedding purchased and waiting.)
2) All paperwork, forms, checks, etc., assembled, signed, and sent to the right people for our upcoming closing for the house in GA.
3) Final appointment with allergist (the one here) scheduled.
4) Final appointment with OB (the one here) scheduled.
5) Jillson's fake birthday party scheduled & majority of decor and favors purchased.
6) Final haircut (with stylist here) scheduled.
7) Dates for the movers to come, scheduled.
8) Kennel reservation for the dogs for these dates so the dogs don't suffer too many nervous breakdowns watching our stuff get packed up again, scheduled.
9) Temporary lodging for the six of us reserved for our last ten days in KS.
10) Final housecleaning scheduled.
11) Carpet cleaning scheduled.
12) Walk-through with landlord scheduled.
13) Hotels for roadtrip to GA (three nights) booked. (You have no idea how long it takes to find hotels along the route in non-sketchy areas that allow dogs AND have suite-style rooms that allow the parents to put the kids to bed and SHUT THE DOOR in order to retreat to an ante-chamber for post-day-on-the-road vegetating.)
14) Flights, hotel, & car booked for Boulder wedding weekend.
15) Flights booked for June/July Maine trip.
TO DO:
1) Finish handing out invites for Jillson's birthday party.
2) Order cake. Get party hats.
3) Sort through clothes, toys, and stacks of paper to offload as much unneeded stuff as possible before movers come, and to reunite missing toy parts.
4) Finish repairing landscaping destroyed by Tiller.
5) Arrange childcare for the movers' dates as well as all final appointment (hair, allergist, OB). Easier not to have them underfoot.
6) Pack for the temporary lodging/roadtrip/wedding weekend.
7) Empty kids' bathroom so it can be the "do not pack" room.
8) Schedule pre-roadtrip tune-ups (oil changes) for both cars.
9) Arrange dogcare for wedding weekend.
10) Purchase seasonally appropriate maternity dress for wedding.
11) Reserve dogcare for 4th of July weekend.
12) Register Jillson for school. (Must show proof of residency; no can do yet.)
13) Research preschool options for Madelyn.
14) Paint dining room and entryway, sun porch, master bedroom, and kids' rooms in new house.
15) Schedule delivery of household goods.
16) Unpack.
17) Have fence installed. (Waiting for stupid HOA approval.)
18) Install gas line & purchase gas range (insert angelic choral singing here).
19) Unpack some more.
20) Have baby.
21) Breathe.
22) Drink wine.
DONE:
1) Bunk bed delivery date scheduled. (Adorable twin-sized bedding purchased and waiting.)
2) All paperwork, forms, checks, etc., assembled, signed, and sent to the right people for our upcoming closing for the house in GA.
3) Final appointment with allergist (the one here) scheduled.
4) Final appointment with OB (the one here) scheduled.
5) Jillson's fake birthday party scheduled & majority of decor and favors purchased.
6) Final haircut (with stylist here) scheduled.
7) Dates for the movers to come, scheduled.
8) Kennel reservation for the dogs for these dates so the dogs don't suffer too many nervous breakdowns watching our stuff get packed up again, scheduled.
9) Temporary lodging for the six of us reserved for our last ten days in KS.
10) Final housecleaning scheduled.
11) Carpet cleaning scheduled.
12) Walk-through with landlord scheduled.
13) Hotels for roadtrip to GA (three nights) booked. (You have no idea how long it takes to find hotels along the route in non-sketchy areas that allow dogs AND have suite-style rooms that allow the parents to put the kids to bed and SHUT THE DOOR in order to retreat to an ante-chamber for post-day-on-the-road vegetating.)
14) Flights, hotel, & car booked for Boulder wedding weekend.
15) Flights booked for June/July Maine trip.
TO DO:
1) Finish handing out invites for Jillson's birthday party.
2) Order cake. Get party hats.
3) Sort through clothes, toys, and stacks of paper to offload as much unneeded stuff as possible before movers come, and to reunite missing toy parts.
4) Finish repairing landscaping destroyed by Tiller.
5) Arrange childcare for the movers' dates as well as all final appointment (hair, allergist, OB). Easier not to have them underfoot.
6) Pack for the temporary lodging/roadtrip/wedding weekend.
7) Empty kids' bathroom so it can be the "do not pack" room.
8) Schedule pre-roadtrip tune-ups (oil changes) for both cars.
9) Arrange dogcare for wedding weekend.
10) Purchase seasonally appropriate maternity dress for wedding.
11) Reserve dogcare for 4th of July weekend.
12) Register Jillson for school. (Must show proof of residency; no can do yet.)
13) Research preschool options for Madelyn.
14) Paint dining room and entryway, sun porch, master bedroom, and kids' rooms in new house.
15) Schedule delivery of household goods.
16) Unpack.
17) Have fence installed. (Waiting for stupid HOA approval.)
18) Install gas line & purchase gas range (insert angelic choral singing here).
19) Unpack some more.
20) Have baby.
21) Breathe.
22) Drink wine.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Birthday Fun
After a long, routine, regular Wednesday (ending with ballet), we went out to our favorite Italian restaurant to celebrate somebody's 35th birthday. Chicken piccata, greek salad, tiramisu, and the best damn bread this side of Europe. Three adorable companions. Only thing that would've made it better would've been a glass of red wine. I suffered through with iced tea.
There was no suffering at all for each of the girls, who enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs.
Beautiful tulips from the Gutsy Dad.
A few trinkets from my favorite store from the aforementioned man as well as the aforementioned girls. Smart shoppers!
A sassy summer handbag from my godmother who really seems to know me quite well after all these years and continues to spoil me! This darling item is significantly more awesome in person than it appears in this photo.
Love,
The GM
PS: I would like to note with a certain amount of pride that I can now, officially and by most reasonable standards, be noted as having "advanced maternal age" on my OB chart. I just would like to say that those mean docs who wrote that on my chart FIVE YEARS AGO when I was preggers with Jillson were crazy wrong.
Monday, April 4, 2011
February LOAD in Review
Well, here it is, somehow April. I let the entire month of March go by without sharing my results from the February LOAD (Layout A Day) challenge. I know you all have been waiting with baited breath.
To see all 28 of my layouts, click here for the Flickr gallery. I finished up my "encyclopedia" project, so you'll see many of those in the gallery. It looks like I was drawn to a lot of turquoise, yellow, and red in February. And I did three digital layouts. (An act of sheer desperation borne of my nausea-induced inability to get my butt off the couch and go downstairs to my studio.) I'm much better now.
Anyway, above and below are a few of my faves. (Click on any image to see it larger.)
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