The Blue Angels

The Blue Angels are here! The Blue Angels are here!

Every year in late July/early August we Seattelites have an air show where we get to see the Blue Angels fly over our heads in death defying maneuvers for Seafair! It is a show that leaves you with your mouth agape and your head in a tail spin.

They arrive a few days early to practice so there is an exciting buzz in the office when they first show up. Well, they just flew overhead twice in the past 5 minutes.

Suddenly everyone is getting up from their office chairs where an impression of their butts remains due to so much sitting in front of their computers and they are peering out of the windows on the exterior portions of the building trying to catch a glimpse of the fighter pilot jets as they zoom past at incredible speeds.

Can't wait until the show this weekend!!

Meese

One of these days whilst I am not otherwise engaged with something else, I shall sit down and ponder.

Not entirely certain exactly what I shall ponder, but it will be something magnificently grandiose. Something along the lines of" "Why not "meese" or even "mooses?"

Until that time I shant spend one more moment thinking of what I might ponder.

When I am not scrambling for another spare moment to lessen the stack of paperwork on my constantly cluttered desk, the commencement of my ponderings shall begin!

This is my plan henceforth!

And now on to that stack of paperwork...

Early Childhood Education and Mothering

I have a daughter (Elektra) who is going to be 15 months old tomorrow. I know someone who has a daughter 6 days older than Elektra.

I made a list of all the words Elektra can say today and she says 16 separate words (I think, I might be missing one or two). The other little girl can say over 75 separate words including naming and pointing to colors, shapes, facial features (nose, mouth) and even counting.

I was astounded to learn this. Not because I think my daughter is behind or even that the other little girl is advanced...just purely because I realized I don't work with Elektra on language as much as I did with my older children.

Why not? Honestly, I don't know. What will I be doing tonight? Sitting with her in her play yard working on the names of colors.

I talk to her constantly when I am doing things with her but I also have two other children at home that take some of my attention.

Tay is 13 and still talking to me (so far). She loves to be within 12 inches of me most of the time and will even still snuggle with me on the couch. I am trying to enjoy that while I can, but also teach her about respecting other people's space while at the same time trying not to hurt her feelings and make her think I don't want to be close to her. I hear that between 13 and 16 children begin to tune out their parents. She is doing that with my husband but not yet with me. *knocks on wood*
Tay didn't talk really early. She wasn't a late talker either; just "on time" I guess. She was a shy one when she was younger, but seems to have come out of her shell a bit. She is much more outgoing and very well liked by her peers.

Tristan is 7 and a very high maintenance child. He loves to be the center of attention and will do all kinds of things to keep your focus on him. He can be very sweet, very loving and very mild. But for the most part, he is jumping, loud and exuberant. My husband has him playing piano. He's amazing and plays beautifully. If we can keep him focused on the music, he will one day be a fantastic pianist.
Tristan did talk early. He also walked early at 7 months. And is a high achiever in school. Many of the kids like him but if he gets to be the center of attention too often, arguments ensue.

It can be very difficult to be a mother and every mother has challenges specific to her family. My challenges seem to stem from my kids being so far apart. Another mother might say her challenges stem from her kids being so close together.

It all depends on our personal experiences.

May all the mothers out there have at least a few minutes each day where you are proud of your mothering.

Blessings and Peace to all Mothers!

Colored Paper Clips

Why is it that everyone who has ever worked in an office has their favorite office supply product?

I have my coveted Swingline High Capacity Desk Stapler in silver that has my name written on it with Sharpie Permanent Marker in black on two sides.

I also have my gathered supply of colored paper clips. They are all different colors and coated in some type of rubbery material. They make me smile. :o) They also grip paper very nicely.

One coworker has her letter opener and another coworker his pencil sharpener. They are both electric (the products, not the people).

Another coworker has a three-hole punch. Apparently it is really good. Don't ask. I don't.

Not only do people get really excited about their office products when they first order them, but they show everyone else when they get them, and then they are very territorial about them.

"Check out my new Liquid Paper Dry Line Grip! Isn't it awesome? I'm so excited! I love this stuff!"
*notices that the other person looks interested*
"Oh, and yes, I will be locking my desk drawer so don't even try to get into it to look at it while I'm on my break. You want some, you'll have to order it for your own desk."

Did you ever see the movie Office Space (1999)? Remember the guy with the stapler? If you've never seen the movie, rent it, you'll laugh. If you have seen it, watch it again. Or alternatively, just go to an office and hang out for an hour inconspicuously watching the cubiclites.

Looking for a rental

So...
I have been looking for a rental in Seattle for approximately 5 months now. I have owned a home for a few years now and I did not realize that the rental market has gone so crazy!

And the fact that the price of gas has increased as much as it has is putting a huge damper on what I can afford.

I need to sell my car and start taking the bus. I'd love to, but I owe more on my car than it is worth. *yeah, yeah, I hear your violin*

I just emailed the bank to see if I could sell the car for what I can get out of it and then refinance the remainder of my loan. Might work, might not. Always good to keep an eye out for options though.

Now, if I could sell my car, take the bus or use zipcar when I really need an actual car, I could afford quite a bit more!

If you've never heard of zipcar, you should totally check them out. They have a website at zipcar.com. And no, I don't get paid for mentioning them. I've never even used one of their cars yet...but I know this guy who has a friend who knows someone that did! I swear fo real! LMAO

Wake up!

I haven't put a cup of coffee to my lips in almost 8 years. Well, that's not entirely true, I did try a cup once when my son was in the hospital, but that's another story.

This story is about how I am so, so incredibly tired!

Wait, this sounds familiar doesn't it? Didn't I just post about this earlier this week? Let me go back and check...yep, I did.

Oh, well, I'm doing it again. Guess this is just one of those weeks where I will not get the chance to wake up fully.

Ever get so tired that your eyeballs feel like they were just pressure washed with fine particles of (microscopic, actually) sand? I am so there.

Just give me a shake. Or maybe pinch me. And if I fall asleep at my desk, you are even welcome to pour some coffee into my probably open and drooling mouth.

The bitterness alone would probably startle me back to consciousness!

My new toy

First, get your mind out of the gutter. I wouldn't dare post details about that kind of toy on the internet! Now on to the details about my new toy...

It's a new phone. A cell phone to be exact. And for even more precision: an LG-VX8550A (aka the LG Chocolate) in Blue Ice. It's pretty and it slides open instead of flips open like my old LG phone does.

I haven't made my first call from it yet, but I will be calling my good friend Jeri with it in less than two hours. Jeri, you better pick up the phone! LOL!

I also got a new bluetooth head set since I love to chat on the phone while I am on my way to pick up my daughter and those cords from the ear buds always get in the way. So, I opted to go wireless since it was on sale! I got a Jabra. I hope it works since I haven't had a chance to try it out yet. (digs in box to retrieve it and see if it's easy to set up).

Oh cool, that took all of 60 seconds! I'm set and ready to call. LMAO! Hmm, I'm on a break...I think I'll call Jeri right now.
One ring...
Two rings...
Three rings...
Four rings...
Five rings...
Damn, voice mail!
Left her a message. She's going to think I'm a complete nut. But that's not news to her, so it's cool.

Okay, that's my update for today!

Babies, Kids and Mom

I co-sleep with my 14 month old daughter. She is a great snuggler when she is first falling asleep. But once she is out, she rolls over and proceeds to take up as much room as possible in the same position one would use to make a snow angel.

So, I scoot over to my edge of the bed as she sprawls out in the middle and kicks any form of sheet or blanket off her and me. I wrestle with staying covered as she wrestles with staying uncovered.

She is still nursing, so three to four times every night, I hear her fuss and I roll over to nurse her.

There is a form of sleeping that once you become a mother, you can accomplish. It consists of closing your eyes and looking and sounding like you are sleeping, but still being able to feed a hungry baby, rub the hurting belly of your sick child or even get up and get a drink of water and take a potty break. All the while, still getting something akin to sleep...cause we all know mom's don't really sleep. ;)

Mom's are special people. But children are even more so. My baby daughter is so special, that I happen to know it's her nap time at daycare when I can barely keep my eyes open while sitting in front of my computer at work.

As I talk with people at my work, my teenage daughter comes up in conversation easily with people who I had no idea had children 18 seconds before I met them.

I have begun listening to the music my teen son and daughter listen to so I could have an idea of what today's teens are listening to, and I find myself liking it.

My 7 year old pops into my thoughts at least 14 times every day. Sometimes it's 14 times every hour. Any ideas on how to get a child to eat a meal when he thinks eating is something you do with food sitting in your cheek?

Whoa there, I just got sidetracked. You see, this post was supposed to be about how my co-sleeping daughter is causing massive sleep deprivation which is affecting my ability to focus or even stay awake during daylight hours for that matter; therefore, I am considering moving her to her crib which is in a room on the other side of the house.

I can't tell if that is a bad idea or not because I need to repair about 15 years of sleep deprivation.

I need to edit that last sentence, but I'm so tired, I can't tell what needs fixing.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz