Actually, the title here might be a little wee bit wrong, as I am NOT procrastinating! I am NOT late! (For once!) I still haven't called the AC guy about the wonky unit on the 2nd floor, and I am delaying asking my main client where my check is, but I've bought Christmas presents! Yes, indeedy, I have. Let me tell you the secret to force yourself not to procrastinate with this...
Quit your job. I am a consultant, and have no regular source of income. I never really know in advance what I will have in the bank at any given time, so I (this year) bought while I had dough. That's it! I was afraid if I waited, the money would have evaporated. There is no such thing as too soon, right? I have a lovely pile of presents in my (otherwise undecorated) dining room. No tree, no lights, and my husband just looking at me like I have a fever or have grown green warts on my ears. But there are presents, all ready to be shipped! YEA!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Passing on the legacy...
Today, I got home from a hectic day of work and kid stuff, and found that I'd left the milk sitting on the kitchen counter all day. On the good side, the gallon jug was almost empty. On the bad side, I was hoping that I'd retrained my brain a little better than that. My sibs and I (one in particular) joke about the gene that causes us to do things like that... walk out of the house with the stove still on, or put our shoes on the wrong feet.
I thought I'd overcome it. I am ruthlessly organized with the things that (probably) don't matter, to the point that I'm replacing ADD with OCD... every task has steps, that have to be taken in order. First, you get the Ovaltine and cereal out of the pantry, along with the lidded cup and straw. Then, you put them on the counter, get the spoon and bowl out, and pour the Ovaltine and cereal. You aren't allowed to get the milk out till you're ready to pour... straight in the bowl/cup and then back in the fridge. That way, you don't leave it out. The Ovaltine and cereal are on the counter every day at lunchtime, and I pick them up then, if I notice them. But the milk? No! It never hits the counter, so I can't leave it there, right? Nope. Wrong. 2 inches in a gallon spoiled today because my foolproof method isn't foolproof.
What concerns me isn't the spoiled milk. What worries me is that I think I may have passed this gene onto my kids. Big T is "spacy" and "distracted" in class, and struggles to complete his work. He can't see the forest or the trees as he walks through them, because the leaves make such a nice crunching sound, and wouldn't a picnic be nice, and the sky is blue, and blue is the color of Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee is a Camaro, but I like Mustangs better. What trees, Mom? Every time I go to my husband with my worry, he shuts me down (but he didn't grow up like this! he just doesn't understand!) with "ADD is overdiagnosed, and he's just five"... both of which are true, I guess. But oh boy I hope he outgrows it. I hope, I hope, I hope.
Little Missy, on the other hand, is almost careless or defiant with her memory, so I hope that it is just age and personality. She tosses food wrappers and orange peels on the floor, sheds shoes in the hall as she walks by, and usually has only one sock on. But she does it with that LOOK on her face, so I think it is either intentional or careless, but not clinical. I hope, I hope, I hope.
I thought I'd overcome it. I am ruthlessly organized with the things that (probably) don't matter, to the point that I'm replacing ADD with OCD... every task has steps, that have to be taken in order. First, you get the Ovaltine and cereal out of the pantry, along with the lidded cup and straw. Then, you put them on the counter, get the spoon and bowl out, and pour the Ovaltine and cereal. You aren't allowed to get the milk out till you're ready to pour... straight in the bowl/cup and then back in the fridge. That way, you don't leave it out. The Ovaltine and cereal are on the counter every day at lunchtime, and I pick them up then, if I notice them. But the milk? No! It never hits the counter, so I can't leave it there, right? Nope. Wrong. 2 inches in a gallon spoiled today because my foolproof method isn't foolproof.
What concerns me isn't the spoiled milk. What worries me is that I think I may have passed this gene onto my kids. Big T is "spacy" and "distracted" in class, and struggles to complete his work. He can't see the forest or the trees as he walks through them, because the leaves make such a nice crunching sound, and wouldn't a picnic be nice, and the sky is blue, and blue is the color of Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee is a Camaro, but I like Mustangs better. What trees, Mom? Every time I go to my husband with my worry, he shuts me down (but he didn't grow up like this! he just doesn't understand!) with "ADD is overdiagnosed, and he's just five"... both of which are true, I guess. But oh boy I hope he outgrows it. I hope, I hope, I hope.
Little Missy, on the other hand, is almost careless or defiant with her memory, so I hope that it is just age and personality. She tosses food wrappers and orange peels on the floor, sheds shoes in the hall as she walks by, and usually has only one sock on. But she does it with that LOOK on her face, so I think it is either intentional or careless, but not clinical. I hope, I hope, I hope.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Isolation
As I try to add content to my blog, I work to find blogs to follow. I've found some meant for family members, and some political blogs that are sharp and cutting though frequently poorly written and highly partisan. I've found quality writing that doesn't connect with me at all, and I've found poorly written accounts of life that could have flowed from my fingers.
After reading, and researching, I think to myself, "How unimportant your words are. No one will care", (they really probably don't, judging by the facts that no one has ever visited my blog but me). I justify the time (little though it is) given to crafting it by saying "It's a diary, just a place for your thoughts - only yours. No one else needs to read it to be important to you".
I find that at the end of my debate, if I tell myself this is only for me, I am a little sad, but willing to still write about trivia. And why am I sad? When I created this, I chose a title that implies that I'm writing of nothing different, or unusual, or worth reading. After all, I'm just another mom. I knew very well that this would be a private effort. I know that if I want someone to read my words, that I need to move on to writing about politics (I'm not decisive enough for that) or literature, or something important. But maybe this is just what I need. Maybe my children will read it someday, and it will be another place for them to learn of their childhood and their mother from the filter of a boring grownup.
After reading, and researching, I think to myself, "How unimportant your words are. No one will care", (they really probably don't, judging by the facts that no one has ever visited my blog but me). I justify the time (little though it is) given to crafting it by saying "It's a diary, just a place for your thoughts - only yours. No one else needs to read it to be important to you".
I find that at the end of my debate, if I tell myself this is only for me, I am a little sad, but willing to still write about trivia. And why am I sad? When I created this, I chose a title that implies that I'm writing of nothing different, or unusual, or worth reading. After all, I'm just another mom. I knew very well that this would be a private effort. I know that if I want someone to read my words, that I need to move on to writing about politics (I'm not decisive enough for that) or literature, or something important. But maybe this is just what I need. Maybe my children will read it someday, and it will be another place for them to learn of their childhood and their mother from the filter of a boring grownup.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Homework, yet again
Big T has started Kindergarten. I have (re)discovered how much I HATE handwriting homework. Why does it matter if he writes neatly? The only job that requires neat handwriting is an elementary schoolteacher or a scribe! I'd rather he type neatly.
So, in my perfect world, let's skip handwriting until fourth grade, and just put a wii-wheel into his hands. He'd pass with flying colors!
So, in my perfect world, let's skip handwriting until fourth grade, and just put a wii-wheel into his hands. He'd pass with flying colors!
Sharing the blog....
I just sent my blog address to a family member. GOSH, it's frightening to think that someone I know will read this!!! I'll never talk bad about you, Tia. I promise.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Suburban Mommyhood
The husband is pickup Little Missy and Big T today, so I had an afternoon of previously undiscovered joy... housewifing. Cleaning the bathroom without Little Missy "helping", and going to Big Box for my toilet paper and milk with NO KIDS in the cart asking for cheesy poofs... wow. It was an intense experience. I even got my duvet dropped off at the laundry! Now, whether or not I'll ever have a chance to pick it up again is a different story. If you visit the house in a few months and my bed looks naked, remind me to go to Big Louie's Laundry and pay the late fee. I never thought I'd enjoy domesticity so much!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Preparing for a alternate reality
Ever wonder what cake batter looks like? If you want to know the exact color, head on over to Lowe's, and look in the "Sally's Neutrals" department of the Valspar line.
I'm on the 3rd counter-offer for a new house in a new city (both suburbs of my beloved New Orleans, of course). The best thing I can say about the house is that there is a second den. That's HUGE! We gain a playroom for the kids, plus we can put the pool table in there, so we also get a net gain of a bedroom. Right now, our pool table is in the formal living room, and our office is in the fourth bedroom. Once we have the pool table in the playroom, we can use the formal living for an office, and we can have company spend the night in a real bedroom without having to displace Little Missy and Big T.
There are two really unfortunate things about the new house, though. One is that the yard is small. We're spoiled now... we have a huge open lot with enough room for Big T to practice baseball and not worry about the balls going over the fence. I'll miss that yard. The man of the house, in his best optimistic style, said he'll have less yard to mow, and that is true.
The other really unfortunate thing is the paint. On the good news front, paint is cheap and I have a vision. Think.... cake batter, deep ocean waters, blue spruce, and tranquility. Lots of color, but GOOD color, as opposed to mud brown and pepto bismol pink. I'll do some before and after shots and put them up... if we get the offer signed! Wish me luck.
I'm on the 3rd counter-offer for a new house in a new city (both suburbs of my beloved New Orleans, of course). The best thing I can say about the house is that there is a second den. That's HUGE! We gain a playroom for the kids, plus we can put the pool table in there, so we also get a net gain of a bedroom. Right now, our pool table is in the formal living room, and our office is in the fourth bedroom. Once we have the pool table in the playroom, we can use the formal living for an office, and we can have company spend the night in a real bedroom without having to displace Little Missy and Big T.
There are two really unfortunate things about the new house, though. One is that the yard is small. We're spoiled now... we have a huge open lot with enough room for Big T to practice baseball and not worry about the balls going over the fence. I'll miss that yard. The man of the house, in his best optimistic style, said he'll have less yard to mow, and that is true.
The other really unfortunate thing is the paint. On the good news front, paint is cheap and I have a vision. Think.... cake batter, deep ocean waters, blue spruce, and tranquility. Lots of color, but GOOD color, as opposed to mud brown and pepto bismol pink. I'll do some before and after shots and put them up... if we get the offer signed! Wish me luck.
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