Seen and Heard

Seen: toothbrushes scattered throughout the house (and a couple in the garden). Max loves little objects to hold onto and put in his mouth.

Heard: Just after waking up one morning, Maggie looking out the doors to the backyard: "Ugh, the sea turtle was out all night." A few seconds later: "It's ok, she wasn't scared. I hope an owl didn't peck her or something." Goes outside with Max: "Mom, it's nice out here!" To Max: "That's my sea turtle, be nice!"

Heard: I walked out to find Maggie after waking up another morning playing quietly in the living room. Me holding her in my arms: "How long have you been up?" Maggie: "Um, 44 hours. No, 3 hours."

Heard: Outside waiting for her cousin to arrive. Maggie: "I love Eden because she has pretty eyebrows and pretty hair. And, she has a beautiful voice."

Heard: Maggie asking me: "Did you lose your keys?" I said no and asked her if she lost her keys: "No, I'm a kid."

Heard: Maggie running down the hallway before bed: "A girl with messy hair is not crazy!"

I’m Currently…

Watching…Downton Abbey. It's addicting and quite the English drama. I wasn't sure at first, now I'm hooked. It definitely transports you to another time and place, something that is nice after a long day but the episodes are long and keep me up too late :-)

Eating…breakfast for lunch today? It's another 3 am wake-up morning so looking ahead...

Planning…spring cleaning and wrapping up the new bathroom now that Maggie and Max's party is complete! 


Reading…The Female Brain. Really good book. Found it at a kid's thrift store of all places and I would recommend it to every woman (and man for that matter but not sure that's gonna happen). It's the stuff you wonder about when no one really comes out and tells you specific things about what it's like to be a female during different stages of your life. The author includes fun scenarios to explain her points with scientific evidence to back it all up.

Inspired by…my husband's ability to turn something ugly into something very pleasing in a relatively short amount of time.

Excited about…spring arriving and our new bathroom!

Focused but scattered

You can tell someone has a lot on their mind when:

-they start feeling a little sick
-they loose/misplace things like camera, TV remote, etc.
-they forgot to bring important things to work like pump parts!
-things stop cooperating like cell phone, garage door, etc.
-things fall out of your car and shatter because your car is too full of groceries

Thank the lord that our bathroom is almost finished but I think we have a couple more weeks of touch ups. The timing coincided with taxes and Maggie and Max's birthday bash. I say a little prayer that their party will be a sunny celebration for our friends and family and of course Miss Maggie and our soon-to-be 1 year old (ok, how did that happen so fast now that it's here?) and another prayer that my little camera turns up because I really miss it.

Peace out.

Q&A: Maggie (3 yrs, 7 months)

Asked during dinner this week~

What day is tomorrow? Um, Halloween...tomorrow is Joy's house.

Do you like to be called Maggie or Magdalena? Magdalena

Do you know how to spell Magdalena? M-e-c-d-e-f-g...(and continued saying the alphabet by song)

Where is your favorite place to go? Trick-or-treating...I love to go to Eden's house.

Do you still love grains? Yeah (and continued to say what else she loves like chicken and star soup and dad yells out chinese food!). She then starts singing about chicken and stars, then Jingle Bells. Max was looking on excitedly from his high chair at his crazy big sister.

What book is your favorite? (Runs to the playroom and brings back) "There are no ordinary cats" (a small picture book with sayings that Michael bought me for our anniversary before she was born). It was an odd pick, she rarely chooses that one.

What is your favorite craft? Paint

Do you like to help clean up? Yeah. I love Kellen, Kelsey, Livvy, Lexy, Joy...(she kept naming everyone at her daycare/school where I think "cleaning up" is emphasized)

How old are you? "F"ree

What color is your hair? White...blond and white skin. Then she exclaims "Fashion show" and starts dancing her river dance :-)

Yesterday and tomorrow

It was a good idea to bring out the red leather handbag last weekend when I had a night off from my kids. It was silly to keep using it once the week began. Yesterday, holding that purse along with Max on one hip and getting the kids in and out of the car was not a good idea. Thank goodness I used the chance to wash and dry my "kid" purse during that time though because it was ready for me after getting home yesterday with what became the lunky annoying red purse. It's funny what is important some days, then not others. This is applied to years of my life also.

Which brings me to the fact that our wedding anniversary is coming up this weekend and despite having no time for eachother the past 6 months, somehow we've carved out time for eachother this weekend and I hope it goes off!

My birthday comes up after that. I can't believe the age I will be. It makes sense with where I am in life, I might even seem a little young in that respect to some people, but seriously, how did I get here so fast? My bones feel creaky, but I actually feel somewhat light in spirit if that makes any sense. I don't know how I'll feel that day, but things are good now despite things not being perfect.

Happy day

All the reasons today is happy day:

Drive to work in the rain
Earl grey tea and lemon yogurt
New {happy} tree
Max popping top teeth and nicknamed "Scooter"
Scored cute dress for upcoming wedding that is nursing-compatible
Revlon lip butter rocks - see here (I got Peach Parfait and am going back for more)
Gift giving and good friends
Wearing my Mara
Recalling weekend memories of white roses, shopping with my kiddos and lots of fun finds and deals, salted caramel mocha, yummy dinner and great service with sister-in-law (shout out to the waiter for memorizing 10 orders. I had swordfish over butternut risotto, it was super tasty. We finished dinner with a stop at Gunther's for super creamy scoops. I love spur of the moment and I love lemon custard)

Today

listening: Gwen Stefani album - Sweet Escape. Especially enjoying "4 in the morning".
eating: healthy-ish foods: sandwiches, salads including a yummy fish/green apple thai salad with a co-worker.
drinking: lots of water, mother's milk tea, milk...yearning for more reasons to have a glass of chardonnay.
wearing: new to me clothes from a local consignment shop - stretchy dark wash jeans but not maternity :-) and flowy tops
feeling: very alive. at moments pure exhaustion, lots of love, happiness.
weather: hot but welcoming fall and the changing of colors.
wanting: more time to myself even though when I get it I miss my kids, a Macy's shopping trip.
needing: listening ears, lots of kisses, good sleep, day trips.
thinking: about my family because they make me smile.
enjoying: laughing at the little things.
wondering: how to plan my next weekend and how my kids are doing.

Time

Maternity leave is a wonderful thing. Who doesn't like being paid to be home catching up on things, relaxing, knitting, and being with your family? This week I found a lilac for our front yard, which completes an area we planted last year, I got a snowcone on a warm afternoon with vanilla ice cream inside, hubby got me two more containers of rice pudding before they went off sale :-), I took my first epsom salt bath after a long day on my feet which gave me such soft skin and not so sore feet anymore, and I FINALLY ordered prints for our walls that was long overdue (including the bath photo idea Pat-you rock!).

Something about Maggie turning 3 last week and seeing a flyer for the Lorax at the library got me thinking that Maggie was probably ready to see a movie in the theater like a big girl. The result was a certified girl's night out with my sister and cousin Eden. Maggie went complete with new purse and lip gloss. We ate good thai food and enjoyed $5 movie night. The movie was a bit ridiculous and a little odd the way it was made (I'm not the biggest fan of new animation) but the message to not cut down all the trees in the land and be nice to animals seemed to cancel out the couple "scary" parts that were a little much for both girls. I had to hold down Maggie's seat the entire show so that it didn't fold her up like a taco.

I'm feeling creative and peaceful right now. Almost done knitting this hat for the baby and Maggie has requested this pig.

Be Green

Happy St. Patti's Day! No corned beef for us this year. Hubby not the biggest fan and eating leftovers isn't that yummy. This year we've planned an impromptu double date with friends and no kids at a nice restaurant out of town that we've always wanted to try. My friend texted me though yesterday saying to make sure and keep this baby in. Getting tired of the morning Braxton Hicks which now sometimes go in and out through the day (like today). I know it's preparation for the real thing but grrr, it wears on you.

It's been so rainy here all week and I'm glad because we needed it. Last night it really came down. Maggie played outside and rode her trike around with snails in the back.

All I ever do these days is fall asleep with Maggie at night and wake up really early before the rest of the family. Have I said yet how good this rice pudding is when you are 9 months pregnant? My belly is all out front and the past couple days I've noticed while eating that crumbs end up residing on top of my belly.

Maggie is officially 3! She scored on presents...lipgloss, purse, Olivia DVD and book, rocking cradle for her babies, and lots of clothes. When she really liked something, it was fun to see her reaction and excitement! She bounced her way through the night and had a clean bill of heath at the doctor that day.

As with last time around, I was going through this book the other night looking up names as we hadn't decided on a full name yet. We have a good idea now and he'd argue, but hubby won't really give me the go until we see this baby boy. The book has a bunch of "fun lists" and on the Comfy Names list, both Maggie and our boy nickname were listed together. One of our likely boy names is on the Names for Smart Kids. Better than being on some of the other lists titled Old Maids and Grumpy Old Men, Wimpy Names, Future Workaholics, Macho Men, Soap Opera Names, Bad to the Bone/Death Row Names, and the fun lists go on...

The baby room is put together and things for the most part organized (including new paint) in the room, wood chips were delivered, cat got a haircut, carpets cleaned today, lots of laundry done, and homebirth supplies ready.

Things to still do are fun things now - put in the vegetable garden and re-do the front yard area with new plants, touch up the baby room paint trim, have hubby do the belly cast, and have more fun reading and trying to get a hat made for the baby (and a knit rabbit for miss mags).

A good laugh

I'm finding this blog hilarious and right down my humor alley. All woman and especially pregnant ladies should take some time to puruse this, we all need a good laugh at the end of the day!

Chilly

The past month has been sort of a blur. Things of note (and no pictures to share at this point but coming soon!):

-early belly jabs not the baby, it was organs moving around. Ick!
-feeling real baby kicks low and fluttery, fun! Can't feel on the outside yet.
-Maggie is really coming into her own. Such assertivness, opinions, new phrases like "I've got an idea dad". First morning today where I told her if she didn't get dressed (she only wants to wear pink or purple dresses which we don't have a infinite supply of OR shorts in 40 degree weather - mom says no!), I was taking her to daycare naked.
-threw up wonderful 5th anniversary dinner, boo...
-I dressed up for Halloween as a mouse but because of Charlotte's Web and Maggie's like for Tempelton, Maggie declared me a rat. Maggie was a cute giraffe.
-turning one year older next week, eek!
-1st ultrasound next week and gender will be revealed. Not sure whether I will be finding out, I've come up with some fun scenarios. Keep hearing about the new thing -gender reveal parties.
-so thankful for my family and friends. It really makes my life joyous, especially when you might lose your mind. The good things: kids at home, grandparents helping out, friends helping out in a pinch, friends lending me their pregnancy goods, being invited to wonderful places, and all the love shared!
-another thing I really love: organization and keeping things rolling. It really drives me.

Got to spend some time last weekend in Oakland on an annual girl's day, which before kids, was a trip to the east coast to knit our hearts out. We attended a talk by Clara Parkes here, a women well-known in the knitting world and someone we met a few years ago on those trips. Clara's talk was a delight, I really enjoyed it. She shared her own personal history and how life has led her to knitting. She was really funny, somewhat quirky, and fun to listen to. Even though I'm not knitting as much as I used to, it was a great day with good friends surrounded by beautiful colors of fiber. I also enjoyed a wonderful drink - ginger citrus spritzer, all fresh and yummy.

Another good story...we carved pumpkins for Halloween (first time with Maggie) and the same week visited Apple Hill-just sisters and cousins. Eden at the end of the day asked Maggie if she could have the pumpkins and Maggie gladly gave them up (to her mom's despair!). Light at the end of the tunnel-Eden is in LOVE with our pumpkins and has been filling them with all sorts of things found in nature. They weren't meant to stick around our place for more than a few days and I'm glad Eden is enjoying them so much. Love these girls.

Snapdragon

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

This is What Kind Of Flower You Are: Snapdragon

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

Take the quiz

Caught on Camera

Parents In Rocklin Boycott Park Playground Over Potential Dangers

This was a goofy interview that happened a few weeks ago. My mom came to visit me at work with Maggie and we suddenly had the local news in our face as we entered the new playground down the street. What I said to the newscaster was kind of skewed in the story. I barely got a chance to check out the new playground before being asked what I thought of it and I think they capitalized on the fact that I was normal looking and had a 2-year old by my side.

How do I see it? Every parent should try their best to watch their kid at all times, no matter where you are, even if you think you are in a safe atmosphere. This park was built really tall and a local daycare had complained that it was too big/dangerous for little kids. I get it, because it was, and parents want a safe place for their kids to play and have fun, but the bigger kids were having a blast on the play structure. Just goes to show that you can't please everyone. Especially with the bad economy in California and very little funds for cities, towns, and counties to improve areas like this for the public, I think we need to be thankful for what they are able to do. A lot goes into making these things happen, much more than most people think (finding funds for parks, getting bids for a quality playground, permits, etc.) I see it behind the scenes at work - there is a lot involved.

I probably won't take Maggie back to this playground for awhile (not in my neighborhood and yes, it's scary high for a 2-year old). As the story suggests (minus the drama!), if the city is able to, hopefully they can add a few other areas for little ones in the future. Folsom did it and it seems to be working out well.

Breather

One minute I'm in a winter wonderland surrounded by so many feet of snow and fresh powder and the next minute I'm surrounded by green rolling hills and blooming wildflowers. Our days have been very full and I've been taking it one day at a time, not sure how else to do it. It's working for the most part.

I have been enjoying reading people's blog and facebook posts more than doing any posting on my end. In the past few weeks, I've skiied and spent a weekend away with hubby, rode enough miles in the Party Pardee ride with our bike team to feel exhausted/great at the end of the day, played softball games, and mountain biked with girls from the team. Good times, except bike on roof rack + overfilled brain = crunched roof rack and some scratches. Crap. Work got a little stressful this past week and my head was in the clouds no matter how much hubby reminded me NOT to drive in the garage that night. I needed a stop sign or some kind of blockade in the garage to stop me.

Saw this on a blog post last week and it made me daydream. I've never wanted a permanent tatoo (instead, I went the tongue ring route in college) but I saw this and it got me thinking about tattoos that are cool. With all the tatoo talk in our house (the wash-off kind), you'd think we were covered in ink.

Maggie is two, but she says she is "sixyearsold" as one long word (inspired by a little girl at the park last weekend who said she's 6). She's still a shrimp but growing taller and I'm happy to be phasing out some winter clothes in preparation for summer. She is lucky to have a TON of hand-me-downs, I mostly go shopping in Maggie's closet. She's really chatty and some of the funny phrases she's been saying are "oh man" and "yeah, sure". When I came home from mountain biking and had dirt on my legs, she says "momma dirty" and then looks up at me with a concerned face and says "fall?". I love this little girl, she makes me laugh a lot. When we drive through a tunnel near our house, she asks us to honk and then laughs. Everything is "me do it" and then "help momma" if she can't figure it out. 

We got lettuce and some other spring vegetables in the garden, we'll see if this spring weather lasts long enough for them to produce. Excited for tomato season to be here soon!

2 Things

I got solicitation mail this week that really made me laugh on three levels. It was addressed to me, with the spelling of my name correct, yet it was a Just for Men hair coloring coupon/postcard in Spanish. Repeat: not for Michael...for me. So, from what I can figure based on my unique first name, married last name, and whatever else "they" have on file, I'm apparently a middle-aged greying Latino man to the outside world. Nice. Brings back memories of recieving mail at summer camp addressed to Marvin Lemieux.

I started playing softball this spring after taking a few years off. Last week I subbed on a team, which was my rough introduction back on the field. My dad pointed out that last week's game probably motivated me more to shine at this week's game, a new team I've joined. After eating an alternative St. Patti's Day meal (I cooked this festive green soup and this shepherd's pie - both vegetarian and very tasty with a few mods), I ran off nervously but excited to play the 1st game of the season under bright lights in the one day window we had this week without rain. Not only are my team members nice, but they don't suck, the field wasn't swampy, I scored a bright orange team shirt with a team name I won't admit to here, I got two good hits in the outfield, and I played a new position to me (catcher) where I got lots of action. So excited to be back out there and getting some exercise.

10

Haven't sat down in awhile to post, but I've had a lot on my mind...

1) I've been spending some really good quality time with my family and trying to keep my schedule in check. Sleeping as much as I can since Maggie waking up at 4 am the past few weeks has made me a little more tired than usual.

2) I'm starting a few knitting projects and am looking forward to getting together with friends this weekend to re-create a retreat that we all once attended pre-kids :-) Now, mind-boggingly, between the 3 of us we have 5 kids in the matter of 3 years.

3) Cooking lots, trying new recipes. Will post about my new favorite cookie recipe soon.

4) Won a blog contest from one of my favorite bloggers! She is an inspiration to me and scrapbooks a lot (among so many other things). I've done a little scrapbooking, around the time of my wedding, but hopefully this will inspire me to do more or use the materials in a creative way.

5) Wanting to enter more contests/giveaways. Entered one a few weeks ago and have one ready to enter. I have a thing for these (and game shows where I can watch people win). Winning always helps motivate me!

6) Wanting to plan my 2011 vacation (or weekend getaway) to start, but not sure where that will be yet.

7) Entering a busy birthday season. 6 family members within weeks of eachother, all local, and friends to boot. Gonna be busy and in the middle of it I'm throwing Maggie a birthday party.

8) Tasted really good vegan Indian food. Didn't know it existed until last night. I'm always inspired by my sister, taking so many fun things away from the times I spend with her. What always suprises me is that she doesn't see how awesome she is!

9) Need to get out in my garden and do some tidying up and prepping for spring.

10) 3 craft goals that I want to accomplish this year: finish painting and hang my belly cast for Maggie; take a quilting class, and try embroidery.

Solo

-Solo this weekend, almost over. Sleeping in bed alone and having the days/house to myself is nice and peaceful, but we miss DH!

-Mags was grumpy and cranky this weekend, boo. I'm getting tired of screaming fits. Are terrible twos starting early?

-3 hour naps rock.

-Piece of yesterday: I bought a bridal shower gift at Macys and was headed down the escalator with a stroller, purse, kid in my arms, and big shopping bag that was too small for what was inside. On the way down the escalator the bag crashed and burned. I watched in resignation and horror as the white bath towels were thrown out of the bag and scrunched up at the end of the escalator in all the black grease that keeps the escalator running smoothly. I wasn't really suprised this happened and couldn't do anything about it as it was happening, but jeez. Deep breath...then back up to the 3rd floor. It all ended well - the saleswoman helping me was grandma-age and very sweet with Maggie. She never gave me the look and I've gotten the look before due to cranky child. She exchanged the greasy towel, wiped off  grease on another package, told me where to find the elevator (duh!), and gave me a bigger bag so that I could actually carry it all out.  

-Ready for my own weekend away.

-Scored good finds yesterday. Library book sale and garage sales near my house. Maggie was excited to see this in her backyard (not the bucket :-). Someone also gave me a Trader Joe's reusable shopping bag, TJ's insulated cooler, and J Crew crochet granny square purse for free.

-I really hate flies buzzing around the house.

-Maggie was a champ today at the bridal shower. It was just what I needed. Thank you little one!

Like

*After trying multiple mascaras over the past month to see if my obsession with Aveda could be swayed, I found that it could not. I recommend this mascara to every girl out there. It does not come off during the day and it is not waterproof, so when you do want it to come off, it does really easily. That, and it's environmentally-friendly.

*I've read some really good books lately, see my sidebar. Best one yet? I'm going to have to say The Mermaid Chair by the same author who wrote The Secret Life of Bees. This is saying a lot because How to Make an American Quilt was really good but it lacked depth when I wanted more.

*After cancelling netflix earlier this year and resorting to the occasional Redbox, I realized I could start checking out DVDs from the library too (like older ones I can't get through Redbox). They don't have everything, but they have a lot. I'm also checking out CD's now. Very cool.

*Consignment stores of any kind. My two local favorites are Kids Trading Post and Marla Sue's.

*Coupons. Who doesn't like to save money?

Tomato humor

2 jokes for today:

Why did the tomato go out with the prune?

Because he couldn't find a date!


How do you fix a broken pizza?

With tomato paste!

Random thoughts

I wish I could slash a line, like I would on one of my incessant lists, through a couple of the books I started and then stopped reading this year. Neither of these I ended up caring for: Circling My Mother and A Year in the World (both picked up from Friends of the Library for a $1 or so, no loss there). They are going back into goodwill circulation soon. I gave Circling My Mother a chance because it looked interesting but it was quite boring. A Year in the World is one of Frances Mayes newer books (remember Under the Tuscan Sun?) so I thought it would be good but it was hard to stick with. I found her to be a little full of herself. Maybe due to her fame as an author now? It's too bad because the places she goes are interesting in themselves but I had a hard time joining her on her journey. The cover of the book is attractive though.

I'm thankful for state furloughs again. I know many state workers would love a full paycheck, but I also know many of them got used to Fridays off and like having more free time. It just means Maggie gets to be with daddy again and it gives me more peace inside.

Some days I feel left behind, in the "I'm a parent now and have to put my family first" v.s. "I used to be able to get up and go whenever I wanted and it was a breeze" way of thinking. None of the getaways I had imagined for this summer are panning out. It's fine of course because there is always fun stuff to do (and relaxing at home is one of those fun things) but life has taken a different path and I'm adjusting.

I want to make white gazpacho this weekend, which will use up my cucumbers. I'm a gazpacho fan since growing up and enjoying my Aunt Kris's recipe (which she wrote down from her college years in Spain). It's the tomato version though, so this will be interesting...blanched almonds, green grapes... Hubby is not a fan of cold soups. I hope he eats his share of bruschetta and crusty bread this weekend. We have a load of tomatoes in our kitchen. I was so pleased to pick four beautiful heirloom tomatoes about a week ago, I've never had good luck with those. We have more on the way among all of the other tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and herbs.

Iced lattes are the perfect "keep it together" drink in summer with a kid in tow. One of my favorite stops is a coffee hut near our house. I drove up this week, on my way to lunch with a friend, ordered my drink and asked for a mini drink for Maggie. Just ice water, but I could tell when it was handed to her through the window that she felt special. There has been a lot of grunting when she wants a sip of momma's drink and sometimes it results in tears when she can't have the sip. Once she catches on, she might just need a steamer or some chocolate milk.