After much debate, and a whole lot of procrastinating, I'm changing the look of my blog. I'm the picky sort, so this is going to take me a while but I hope you'll bare with me.
(I'm hoping this will motivate me to get back into blogging. Getting a new computer just didn't seem to do the trick.)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sunday, December 6, 2009
To Do
My 'To Do' list is always varied in length, but these days it seems to be growing and growing. It's through no fault but my own, I know. But I'm ever so spectacular at procrastinating. One of these days I'll get on the ball.
1. Get Christmas presents. - I really need to do this. I haven't purchased a single thing..for anybody. I'm way behind here.
2. Do Christmas cards - Again, I'm way behind the eight ball on this one. I need to pick out a picture and get a card made. Not to mention I then have to address all the envelopes and send them out.
3. Laundry - It's starting to pile up.
4. Send out some emails - Some of this I have already done. My list of people to email was getting rather large, but I put a pretty good dent into that list this evening.
5. Vacuum and clean bathrooms - Those things are always on the list for Monday. I suppose I thought I needed a little extra reminder this week.
6. Pay bills - Another thing that always seems to be on the list.
7. Get prepared for city council meeting - The first, but probably not last time I will have to get up in front of the council and make a presentation (I'll explain more later).
8. More research on community gardens - Again, another story for another time.
9. Exercise - See how far down on my list it is?
10. Try to relax and not think about trying to get pregnant. - Did I mention that Big Daddy and I were actively trying? No? Well..guess what?
Okay..so that's my top 10 things I need to do. I'm positive there are more and if there isn't, some will likely find their way on. Don't you just love Mondays?
1. Get Christmas presents. - I really need to do this. I haven't purchased a single thing..for anybody. I'm way behind here.
2. Do Christmas cards - Again, I'm way behind the eight ball on this one. I need to pick out a picture and get a card made. Not to mention I then have to address all the envelopes and send them out.
3. Laundry - It's starting to pile up.
4. Send out some emails - Some of this I have already done. My list of people to email was getting rather large, but I put a pretty good dent into that list this evening.
5. Vacuum and clean bathrooms - Those things are always on the list for Monday. I suppose I thought I needed a little extra reminder this week.
6. Pay bills - Another thing that always seems to be on the list.
7. Get prepared for city council meeting - The first, but probably not last time I will have to get up in front of the council and make a presentation (I'll explain more later).
8. More research on community gardens - Again, another story for another time.
9. Exercise - See how far down on my list it is?
10. Try to relax and not think about trying to get pregnant. - Did I mention that Big Daddy and I were actively trying? No? Well..guess what?
Okay..so that's my top 10 things I need to do. I'm positive there are more and if there isn't, some will likely find their way on. Don't you just love Mondays?
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The House That Jack Built
We loved our home when we first bought it and I guess for the most part, we still do, sort of. What's not to love? We have almost 3000 square feet of livable space. I have a front porch that, while lacking in real size and charm, we enjoy sitting out on. We have a decent enough sized back yard for O to play. We have a walk in pantry that has a ton of space. The rooms are all fairly large and we have lots of room to put up visitors. But that's where the love stops.
Have you ever seen the show 'Holmes on Homes'? If you haven't, it's worth taking a look at - especially if you own your own home. I wish I had a Mike Holmes.
Our house is a tract house. In case you don't know what that means..a tract house is one in a community of tract houses that were built from a few plans as quickly and cheaply as possible (read - very poorly made). I don't imagine all tract houses were made poorly, but ours certainly was. The first full winter we were in this house we noticed how cold our house felt and in particular, Bug's room. This house ooooozed cold air and our electric bills proved it. We spent close to $1500 during three of the peak winter months that first year! The windows are horrible (but look pretty from the outside). The insulation is questionable and there were gaps and holes around every door and window!
This only scratches the surface of my house woes but most of my woes pertain to the cosmetic aspects of the house and not the structure. Thankfully, we haven't been hit with anything major as of yet, but..I'm waiting. That's how confidently pessimistic I am on this one.
I get that builders are looking to make money. My town, during the big housing boom, was one of the fastest growing towns in Texas. You couldn't build houses fast enough at one point. But does that really negate building a home properly and with quality workmanship? I guess it did. Of course it's at no cost to them once the 1 year warranty expires. Even though our home had only been lived in a month prior to us purchasing it, there was no warranty and therefore the builder didn't have to fix any of the problems we found. Instead, we are the ones left fixing what they didn't or didn't care to do correctly in the first place.
How sad..
Have you ever seen the show 'Holmes on Homes'? If you haven't, it's worth taking a look at - especially if you own your own home. I wish I had a Mike Holmes.
Our house is a tract house. In case you don't know what that means..a tract house is one in a community of tract houses that were built from a few plans as quickly and cheaply as possible (read - very poorly made). I don't imagine all tract houses were made poorly, but ours certainly was. The first full winter we were in this house we noticed how cold our house felt and in particular, Bug's room. This house ooooozed cold air and our electric bills proved it. We spent close to $1500 during three of the peak winter months that first year! The windows are horrible (but look pretty from the outside). The insulation is questionable and there were gaps and holes around every door and window!
This only scratches the surface of my house woes but most of my woes pertain to the cosmetic aspects of the house and not the structure. Thankfully, we haven't been hit with anything major as of yet, but..I'm waiting. That's how confidently pessimistic I am on this one.
I get that builders are looking to make money. My town, during the big housing boom, was one of the fastest growing towns in Texas. You couldn't build houses fast enough at one point. But does that really negate building a home properly and with quality workmanship? I guess it did. Of course it's at no cost to them once the 1 year warranty expires. Even though our home had only been lived in a month prior to us purchasing it, there was no warranty and therefore the builder didn't have to fix any of the problems we found. Instead, we are the ones left fixing what they didn't or didn't care to do correctly in the first place.
How sad..
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Just a Little While Longer..
..until I can enjoy this (in peace and quiet)..
It's been cold and blowy here in the lonestar state and tomorrow there is even a chance of snow accumulating on the ground. I finally conned Big Daddy into making a fire for me tonight. Now I'm just waiting for my Bug to go to bed so I can enjoy my fire without having some kid show drowning out the crackle of the fire.
It's been cold and blowy here in the lonestar state and tomorrow there is even a chance of snow accumulating on the ground. I finally conned Big Daddy into making a fire for me tonight. Now I'm just waiting for my Bug to go to bed so I can enjoy my fire without having some kid show drowning out the crackle of the fire.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Inside the Mind of My (previously) 3 Year Old
Have any of you ever wondered what was going through the mind of your child at any given moment. I do and often. There are times when I look at my son, when he doesn't think that I'm watching him, and I catch him day dreaming with this secret smile gracing his lips. He's lost in his thoughts and whatever they are, they bring this joyous happy look to his face! It's amazing really.
One day this past March, I decided I would see if I could get some insight as to what goes on in that brain of his. I sat down with him and asked him some questions that I found on a friend's facebook. I thought that it would be interesting to see what his answers were even if I wasn't certain that he would completely understand what I was asking him. Here are our questions and answers:
1. What is something mom always says to you?
Get out of the way
2. What makes mom happy?
Cleaning up
3. What makes mom sad?
Dumping clothes out of the laundry basket
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
The poop game - pretend ocean creatures are pooping out other ocean creatures on his head in the bathtub.
5. What was your mom like as a child?
A girl
6. How old is your mom?
3 like I am
7. How tall is your mom?
You're big, 300 feet
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Clean up
9. What does your mom do when you are not home?
Work
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Work
11. What is your mom really good at?
Saying no to the dog
12. What is your mom not good at?
I don't know
13. What does your mom do for a job?
Movie Star
14. What is your mom's favorite food?
quesedillias or tacos
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
I don't know
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Chomper's Mama - from The Land Before Time
17. What do you and your mom do together?
Fish
18. How are you and your mom the same?
We're white
19. How are you and your mom different?
I'm a boy and you're a girl
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
You give me jelly beans
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
He's stinky
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Wal-mart and Ohio State
Six months have come and gone, but I still thought it would be interesting to see what his answers are to these same questions now and so stay tuned for the next installment.
One day this past March, I decided I would see if I could get some insight as to what goes on in that brain of his. I sat down with him and asked him some questions that I found on a friend's facebook. I thought that it would be interesting to see what his answers were even if I wasn't certain that he would completely understand what I was asking him. Here are our questions and answers:
1. What is something mom always says to you?
Get out of the way
2. What makes mom happy?
Cleaning up
3. What makes mom sad?
Dumping clothes out of the laundry basket
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
The poop game - pretend ocean creatures are pooping out other ocean creatures on his head in the bathtub.
5. What was your mom like as a child?
A girl
6. How old is your mom?
3 like I am
7. How tall is your mom?
You're big, 300 feet
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Clean up
9. What does your mom do when you are not home?
Work
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Work
11. What is your mom really good at?
Saying no to the dog
12. What is your mom not good at?
I don't know
13. What does your mom do for a job?
Movie Star
14. What is your mom's favorite food?
quesedillias or tacos
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
I don't know
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Chomper's Mama - from The Land Before Time
17. What do you and your mom do together?
Fish
18. How are you and your mom the same?
We're white
19. How are you and your mom different?
I'm a boy and you're a girl
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
You give me jelly beans
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
He's stinky
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Wal-mart and Ohio State
Six months have come and gone, but I still thought it would be interesting to see what his answers are to these same questions now and so stay tuned for the next installment.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Hello..is it Me You're Looking For..
So..many moons have passed since I blogged about..well..anything really. But, as you might have read in yesterday's post, I'm back from my hiatus. Things are at a dull roar here, my computer issue is beyond fixed and I've found my desire to write once more.
Much has gone on in the past months that I wanted to share with you kiddies. It's by no means anything to be over the moon about, just some things that I thought were worth sharing. For instance I had the opportunity to take a vacation with my sisters to New York City. No children. No husbands. It was utterly fantastic and just what I needed.
We also had to find a new home for that little bundle of cuteness that I wrote about back in February. While we loved our pup, we just weren't the right mix for each other. Even though O still cries over him every now and again, the pup has a wonderful home with other dogs and ponds to play in.
I started "working" again this year. I say I work, I mean I do get paid, but my kid does most of the work. To help supplement some of the money that Big Daddy loses each month, I decided to watch some children after school for a few hours each day. It doesn't pay much, but it covers the part of B.D.'s salary that was cut.
Our neighbours/ best friends moved 20 minutes away to another town. It doesn't seem like much, but when you are used to seeing each other every day, the distance becomes quite pronounced. While we still see them a few times a month, it's just not the same. I miss them! :(
Religion has always been a part of my life, whether I believed in it or not. But for Big Daddy it is something relatively new to him. A few years back he went to a church when we lived in another state. He was curious about God and religion and so he thought he should see what it was all about. Sadly, the experience left such a bad taste in his mouth that I didn't think I would ever see him step foot in another church again. I'm happy to say that this year has found him going to church every Sunday and was he even baptized at Easter time!
So that's the reader's digest version of what's been going on here. There is some more to tell you about, but those things I mentioned I believe to be the biggies. And frankly, I'm tired tonight and I should be getting myself to bed. I had O sleeping with me last night (B.D. is away working again - at least some things don't change, huh?) and it made for a slightly tiresome day.
So farewell and goodnight kiddies. I look forward to blogging to you more!
Much has gone on in the past months that I wanted to share with you kiddies. It's by no means anything to be over the moon about, just some things that I thought were worth sharing. For instance I had the opportunity to take a vacation with my sisters to New York City. No children. No husbands. It was utterly fantastic and just what I needed.
We also had to find a new home for that little bundle of cuteness that I wrote about back in February. While we loved our pup, we just weren't the right mix for each other. Even though O still cries over him every now and again, the pup has a wonderful home with other dogs and ponds to play in.
I started "working" again this year. I say I work, I mean I do get paid, but my kid does most of the work. To help supplement some of the money that Big Daddy loses each month, I decided to watch some children after school for a few hours each day. It doesn't pay much, but it covers the part of B.D.'s salary that was cut.
Our neighbours/ best friends moved 20 minutes away to another town. It doesn't seem like much, but when you are used to seeing each other every day, the distance becomes quite pronounced. While we still see them a few times a month, it's just not the same. I miss them! :(
Religion has always been a part of my life, whether I believed in it or not. But for Big Daddy it is something relatively new to him. A few years back he went to a church when we lived in another state. He was curious about God and religion and so he thought he should see what it was all about. Sadly, the experience left such a bad taste in his mouth that I didn't think I would ever see him step foot in another church again. I'm happy to say that this year has found him going to church every Sunday and was he even baptized at Easter time!
So that's the reader's digest version of what's been going on here. There is some more to tell you about, but those things I mentioned I believe to be the biggies. And frankly, I'm tired tonight and I should be getting myself to bed. I had O sleeping with me last night (B.D. is away working again - at least some things don't change, huh?) and it made for a slightly tiresome day.
So farewell and goodnight kiddies. I look forward to blogging to you more!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
I'm Back!!
After a long absence..I'm back! Computer issues resolved!! I have soooooooooo much to share with you kiddies though of course they are all passe. Oh well, you'll get over it!
Speak to you soon!!
Speak to you soon!!
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