Category: Misc

This time of year is so busy! And I really have a love/hate relationship with it. Tons of graduations, birthdays, other holidays, end-of-school things, plus the start of summer which means YARD WORK. Guess which part I hate?

This weekend was a shorter one since I did “make up” hours on Friday. I usually work four 10s which means that when I take an 8-hour vacation day, there are 2 to make up. So after taking the kids to their 1 and 3 year checkups, we dropped them off at the sitters and I settled into working at home. I did get to go out to lunch with my best guy, though, so that was pretty nice.

Saturday, my awesome cousin, Ryan, watched the kids so we could do YARD WORK. And that is exactly what we did. We cleaned up the backyard, pruning, etc. All we have to do back there before we plant (hopefully next weekend) is to lay down mulch, rock and some more top soil and fix the sprinkler system where Loki (or one of his friends) mangled it a bit. Grrr. Same deal in the front yard, though we didn't quite finish up there – we have an entire flower bed left and thanks to the leaves we didn't rake last fall and the encroaching grass, those beds take FOREVER to prep for planting. Anyway, hopefully we can finish that stuff up and plant next weekend.

Sunday was a really nice day. We had our gym time, followed by errand-running and lunch. Ben was in a super good mood after being super cranky the previous day from his shots and while Matt and Tabby napped, I cut up strawberries, listened to my book on CD and played with Ben who was cavorting around the kitchen doing his funny drunken walk and smiling and cooing at me and bringing me blocks. It was very nice to hang out with just my little guy.

It was a very nice weekend.

So it's been the usual brand of chaos around here, except a bit more so because 1. The kids have been a bit sick, 2. We're training for that half marathon thingy, 3. We're getting ready to leave for a trip and 4. I have a new freelance project.

Saturday was a good day. We ran 10 miles. Seriously. I was as surprised as could be when Sporty Pal gave me the verdict. But it was doable … and not even too bad, although I could have eaten a side of beef when we were done. And I am not much for the meat-eating. It was a loooong trek with some nasty hills and while I did take short walking breathers, I ran 95% of it or more. It felt pretty damn good.

Saturday night we got together with a bunch of people: our best friends and their boys, my mom, sister and grandma. Three generations of noisy, messy chaos that was extra enjoyable. I even drank wine!

This week I've been churning out mock-ups, doing endless laundry and phoning in the cleaning/cooking thing. I got to try an excellent restaurant for the first time, Tomayo. Better believe I'll be going back there with Matt next date night.

We're heading out tomorrow. Posts will be spotty over the next week or so. And you nefarious sorts stay away … I've got my gun-toting neighbor and his pitt bulls watching the place, fo real.

Well I'm still recovering from the past weekend (things broken, kid sick, busy busy), which means the cute photos of Ben & Tabby in their Easter finery are still trapped on the camera. I did at least get in an hour on the treadmill last night. There's hope for us all.

Spring keeps peeking its head around the corner here. We have gorgeous (and cheap!) berries in our grocery stores. The grass is getting greener. I am excited for summer. Of course I woke up to an inch of snow this morning. Boo. On the other hand, it is gone again. Yay.

As usual, the anticipation of spring/summer makes me want to … clean. Why is that? I always feel the itch, though. Maybe it starts with clearing out the kids clothing … it's amazing what they outgrow over the course of a few months … no wait, I had this urge long before I had kids. Now I'm noticing that our plastic-ware storage cabinet is a huge mess that needs to be tamed and the drawers in my bathroom have way to much k-r-a-p in them. Not to mention my clothing drawers. At least all the maternity stuff is gone. And did I mention my office needs spiffed up? Someday.

Soon, though, we've got to get our yard cleaned up and ready for planting. Soon after we get back from Nashville is Mother's day, which means we're officially frost-free and ready for planting. But not on Mother's day. On Mother's day, I'm planning to run the Title 9K and make Matt take me out to brunch since my own Mamacita will be out of town.

What are your plans for spring?

It's been a kinda weird few days. A lot of good things, and some really bad/annoying ones too.

The Bad
• Ben has been under the weather. Feverish, cranky, tired. Matt is taking him BACK to the doctor this morning to see if it's some sort of infection or something more serious than a little cold (which has no other symptoms than this fever).
• I have had about 10 hours of sleep in the past 4 days (see above).
• My laptop is dead/dying. Its videocard is on the fritz and it randomly buzzes into technicolor acid trip and crashes to the ground (taking my work with it).
• My freelance work is on hold until my laptop situation can get sorted out.
• I have not had an actual workout since Wednesday last week.
• I have a $1500 laptop on pre-order, but no idea if/when I will get it (hopefully I will find out today!).

The Good
• Matt is back home from his trip.
• Easter was very nice.
• Had an excellent time grabbing Indian food with the kids, my sis and our cousin, Ryan.
• The stiffness in my leg that was making me walk oddly is pretty much gone.
• My new Tivo that streams video from Amazon and Netflix is … AWESOME.
• It's library night.

You may not even have noticed, because I don't think too many people read this anymore, but I've been a bit absent. My excuses in no particular order:

• Chasing my darling, sweet and sometimes infinitely challenging offspring.
• Training for that darned half-marathon.
• Perfecting the feathered flip (ala Farrah Fawcett).
• Not taking photographs.
• Watching Chuck (more about that tomorrow … ish).
• My freelance gig.
• Designing a new website (for me!) – have spent approximately 30 minutes on this.
• Playing sudoku.
• Wiping down the counters, paying the bills, picking up the house (the maintenance part of housekeeping).
• Keeping up with laundry. Seriously, I was reminiscing with Matt the other day about how BC (before children) – we'd only do like 2 loads of laundry per week. Now? At least 5.
• Planning, shopping for and preparing nutritious, delicious meals for the family.
• My day job and commuting to/from my day job.
• Daydreaming about summer whilst looking out the window and admiring our gorgeous weather.
• Not sleeping very much.
• Dodging calls from the super-pushy T*mobile sales lady.
• Neglecting our poor dog (he needs a bath and a walk, stat!).
• Contemplating planning Ben's b'day party.
• Taking Tabby and Ben to get “fish sticks” at GB Fish & Chips.
• Adding to my 4 page to-do list.
• Thinking “I should really blog!”