Monday, December 31, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Fantasy Football
My brother sent me this article and it's a must read if you/your husband has ever been involved with fantasy football. It's from espn.com and the Sports Guy (aka Bill Simmons) is one of their regular writers. This week's column was written by his wife, the Sports Gal. My favorite is that she calls her husband's fantasy football league the "League of Dorks" (you will understand this hostility if your husband has spent hours at a fantasy draft or on the phone with his friends frantically discussing their teams), and then she proceeds to explain her system for picking games each week (i.e., picking which animal mascot would win in a fight, picking the city that she would rather live in.)
My dream is to someday hang out with the Sports Guy and the Sports Gal. The Sports Gal is my hero.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/071228
My dream is to someday hang out with the Sports Guy and the Sports Gal. The Sports Gal is my hero.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/071228
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
hate it when it's over...
Kindermusik is done now, and Dylan and I are pretty sad about it. We had a really great experience and it was nice to have some one-on-one time "scheduled" with him each week. There are definitely days when we have Mommy/toddler wars, but Kindermusik was always a therapeutic time for us...lots of interaction, a little cuddling, and always fun. That's my Kindermusik plug...oh, and our instructor, Lynette, was fabulous!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Transistions
I'm starting to learn as a mom that life is full of transistions. Just when you think you have a phase figured out, it passes and then you're onto something else.
Nap time has always been sacred in our house. Since Dylan was tiny, he has taken an afternoon nap, no questions asked. He's always been a good sleeper, so this nap is usually about three hours long...always has been, usually still is. When Ella came along, I got her right in on this routine and she takes a pretty good nap every afternoon too. I use this chunk of time to work (usually 1 1/2-2 hours every afternoon), clean up the house, and relax if I can find a spare minute.
My problem now is that while Dylan still happily takes an afternoon nap (and seems to need it--he's really tired by about 1:00), he doesn't go to sleep at night very well. In the past, he has usually been pretty good about bedtime. It's never been a long drawn out process for us, partly because I don't have the energy for a 12-step bedtime routine each night. Bedtime for him is around 9pm (because of Matt's work schedule, we stay up later at night and sleep longer in the morning...nothing much happens around here before 8am). However, the past few weeks, Dylan isn't actually asleep until 10:30/11:00, and then it's not unusual for him to wake up at least once at night and then wake up earlier than we would like in the morning.
Needless to say this is exhausting for everyone. I have tried skipping naps a few days a week with him which cuts into my afternoon alone time and sometimes this helps with bedtime but sometimes it doesn't. I've thought about waking him up early from his nap, but he is absolute disaster if he doesn't wake up on his own...he's been known to cry for hours after someone wakes him up and that just isn't worth it.
Most of his sleep problems started after we moved, so I blamed it on that for a while but it's been over two months. He also just turned three and I know a lot of kids drop their naps right around that time.
So...my question is for all those with toddlers out there...any suggestions? What was your experience? I am familiar with the quiet time idea and we've done a little of that, but it's hard to get a toddler to play quietly by himself for more than 15 minutes. Do I just need to try something and stick with it for a couple of weeks? Eventually he will go to preschool, but that's still a year and a half away. Help!
Nap time has always been sacred in our house. Since Dylan was tiny, he has taken an afternoon nap, no questions asked. He's always been a good sleeper, so this nap is usually about three hours long...always has been, usually still is. When Ella came along, I got her right in on this routine and she takes a pretty good nap every afternoon too. I use this chunk of time to work (usually 1 1/2-2 hours every afternoon), clean up the house, and relax if I can find a spare minute.
My problem now is that while Dylan still happily takes an afternoon nap (and seems to need it--he's really tired by about 1:00), he doesn't go to sleep at night very well. In the past, he has usually been pretty good about bedtime. It's never been a long drawn out process for us, partly because I don't have the energy for a 12-step bedtime routine each night. Bedtime for him is around 9pm (because of Matt's work schedule, we stay up later at night and sleep longer in the morning...nothing much happens around here before 8am). However, the past few weeks, Dylan isn't actually asleep until 10:30/11:00, and then it's not unusual for him to wake up at least once at night and then wake up earlier than we would like in the morning.
Needless to say this is exhausting for everyone. I have tried skipping naps a few days a week with him which cuts into my afternoon alone time and sometimes this helps with bedtime but sometimes it doesn't. I've thought about waking him up early from his nap, but he is absolute disaster if he doesn't wake up on his own...he's been known to cry for hours after someone wakes him up and that just isn't worth it.
Most of his sleep problems started after we moved, so I blamed it on that for a while but it's been over two months. He also just turned three and I know a lot of kids drop their naps right around that time.
So...my question is for all those with toddlers out there...any suggestions? What was your experience? I am familiar with the quiet time idea and we've done a little of that, but it's hard to get a toddler to play quietly by himself for more than 15 minutes. Do I just need to try something and stick with it for a couple of weeks? Eventually he will go to preschool, but that's still a year and a half away. Help!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
fun with craigslist
We just sold our fourth item on craigslist last night (we also sold a mirror and our old fridge and stove a few weeks ago). This really nice young couple came last night to look at our old TV (Matt just upgraded to a plasma) and they decided they wanted it. The problem is that this TV weighs about 300 lbs. - that might a be slight exageration but not by much - and Matt wasn't home so it was up to me and this nice couple to get it into the back of their Envoy.
So we've got an insanely heavy TV, two small children underfoot, only one grown man, and about 20 feet to move this TV. We got it out of the dining room and around the corner and then realized the back of their car wasn't open yet. She went to open it and out LEAPED two huge dogs. Like leaped the way you see dogs leap in movies. They came flying over the back seat and into our house which, incidentally, is very good for running around in circles because all of the rooms connect, so run in circles they did.
So now we have an insanely heavy TV partially resting on a bench and partially resting on the grown man, two huge dogs running in circles around my house followed by the girl chasing them, plus now my children are crying because they're somewhat frightened by large dogs, especially the kind that leap into your house with no warning.
Eventually, we got the dogs in the car, the TV in the car, and only did minor damage to our walls, which Matt fixed up after work with a little spackle and touch up paint. We were all laughing hysterically pretty much the entire time too because it was all just that ridiculous and funny. They really were a nice couple though, and I feel like we could be friends if we met under different circumstances...maybe I'll email them back and see how the new TV's working out for them and invite them (minus the dogs) over for dinner :).
The End.
So we've got an insanely heavy TV, two small children underfoot, only one grown man, and about 20 feet to move this TV. We got it out of the dining room and around the corner and then realized the back of their car wasn't open yet. She went to open it and out LEAPED two huge dogs. Like leaped the way you see dogs leap in movies. They came flying over the back seat and into our house which, incidentally, is very good for running around in circles because all of the rooms connect, so run in circles they did.
So now we have an insanely heavy TV partially resting on a bench and partially resting on the grown man, two huge dogs running in circles around my house followed by the girl chasing them, plus now my children are crying because they're somewhat frightened by large dogs, especially the kind that leap into your house with no warning.
Eventually, we got the dogs in the car, the TV in the car, and only did minor damage to our walls, which Matt fixed up after work with a little spackle and touch up paint. We were all laughing hysterically pretty much the entire time too because it was all just that ridiculous and funny. They really were a nice couple though, and I feel like we could be friends if we met under different circumstances...maybe I'll email them back and see how the new TV's working out for them and invite them (minus the dogs) over for dinner :).
The End.
Friday, December 7, 2007
brother update
brother #3...
Chad has just been hired on at Grand Buick Pontiac (where Matt works) in new car sales (yay!), so Matt will be taking him under his wing and teaching him everything he knows :) Grand is a great place to work and we are excited for Chad to start this new phase in his life.
brother #4...
Brett will be home on Monday for three weeks (until New Year's). It's fun that we have gotten to see him so much the past couple of months after missing him for seven months while he was deployed in Iraq. He's currently stationed in San Diego, CA and will probably be deployed again late next year.
Chad has just been hired on at Grand Buick Pontiac (where Matt works) in new car sales (yay!), so Matt will be taking him under his wing and teaching him everything he knows :) Grand is a great place to work and we are excited for Chad to start this new phase in his life.
brother #4...
Brett will be home on Monday for three weeks (until New Year's). It's fun that we have gotten to see him so much the past couple of months after missing him for seven months while he was deployed in Iraq. He's currently stationed in San Diego, CA and will probably be deployed again late next year.
chicken fingers
On Thanksgiving I showed Dylan how you can trace your hand and then make a picture of turkey out of it. He didn't seem terribly interested at the time (I, however, drew a wonderful turkey picture of MY hand). Anyway, tonight he came up to me with a pen, a piece of paper, and his hand stretched out, saying, "Help me make a chicken fingers." HA!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Lists
Things I am sad about...
I have been enjoying HGTV (we have Charter now instead of Comcast) for about two months and now I'm starting to see repeats...I hate that.
My 3 year old wants NOTHING to do with potty training. As in doesn't want to even talk about it.
My house is perpetually messy. Toys everywhere make me CRAZY.
Things I am happy about...
A good friend just announced a pregnancy...I'll wait until I'm sure she's 100% done telling people before I tell you who!
My cousin Kristin and her family just announced they are moving back to Michigan (and super close to me...about 5 minutes away!)
Hobby Lobby's sales...I love 50% off sticker week.
Our house looks good with snow on it. So far, I like fall and winter here. Hopefully spring and summer will be good too :).
The way kids can sense when they've got it good...Dylan is at my mom's today and Ella is very happily and quietly playing with all of his Cars cars...something that is usually off limits when he's home!
I will be in the sunny Bahamas in exactly one month!
I have been enjoying HGTV (we have Charter now instead of Comcast) for about two months and now I'm starting to see repeats...I hate that.
My 3 year old wants NOTHING to do with potty training. As in doesn't want to even talk about it.
My house is perpetually messy. Toys everywhere make me CRAZY.
Things I am happy about...
A good friend just announced a pregnancy...I'll wait until I'm sure she's 100% done telling people before I tell you who!
My cousin Kristin and her family just announced they are moving back to Michigan (and super close to me...about 5 minutes away!)
Hobby Lobby's sales...I love 50% off sticker week.
Our house looks good with snow on it. So far, I like fall and winter here. Hopefully spring and summer will be good too :).
The way kids can sense when they've got it good...Dylan is at my mom's today and Ella is very happily and quietly playing with all of his Cars cars...something that is usually off limits when he's home!
I will be in the sunny Bahamas in exactly one month!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
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