DragonBlog

On the mend...

Well, things are looking up on the health front here. It looks as if Jareth is on the mend. Today still started with a load of laundry, but only because one diaper can only hold so much diarreah and pee all at once. Eww. Fortunately it was the pee that leaked, but most of the bedding needed washing as a result. It's not surprise he cried when he woke up - I would have too if I'd had that mess in my pants! The surprise was that he was all cheerful and smiling when I came into his room. Then again, it was probably relief. I can imagine him thinking "Oh thank goodness! She's come to get this disgusting crap off of me!"office xp sbe key gen

He still wanted lots of snuggling today, and I was still happy to oblige. He ate much better and played though. I kept him on some of the Advil, and he was a little warm at one point, but I think he's well past the worst of it all. We've got a meetup tomorrow morning to go to, but I'm still waiting to see how he seems when I wake him up in the morning. He'll be well off the Advil again at that point, so I'll know if he's still got a fever or not. I expect that to be the deciding factor. If the fever is gone, then there's no way he'd still be contagious and we can go. If there's any hint of fever though, I'll stay here instead. Most of the other kids at the meetups so far have been younger than he is and I don't want mine to be the one to pass the stomach flu on to them.office xp sbe key gen

Why is it that the pile of things to do keeps growing and growing? No matter how much closer to being organized I seem to get, I still feel miles and miles away from actually being organized. I get overwhelmed by it all so easily and then find myself coming up with ways to procrastinate my bigger projects. Like the filing. You know, the filing project I started almost a year ago? Yeah. Still workin' on it. I've made progress. Some. *sigh* If it isn't one thing around here, it's another. Maybe one day I'll catch up on it all.office xp sbe key gen

Then again... if I did manage to catch up with all these darn projects on my plate? Whatever would I do with my time? Bullshit - I've got plenty of things I'd like to do with that time. Heh. So I'll just keep whittling away at my list.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

Up and Down the Roller Coaster of Influenza...

Today began with laundry. We arrived in our son's bedroom to find that at some point he had vomited. Being the sweet and kind little boy that he is, he didn't fuss or cry about having that mess in his bed, despite the fact that he managed to get it all over his shirt, pants, socks and most of the bedding by the time we went in to get him up. The initial vomit had landed on a bit of padding we have in there where his head lies. The padding is designed to soak up drool and such, but vomit was a tad more than it could handle. Fortunately it wasn't a lot, but it still required that the bedding be stripped down, including the bumper pad and comforter. I stripped his clothes off while he was still in his crib and Brian took care of the mess while I changed his diaper, got him into dry clothes, and took him down to wash the crud off his face. The poor little guy was shaking like a leaf!office xp sbe key gen

He didn't want much breakfast, which wasn't a huge surprise. I had a hell of a time just getting some medicine into him. I whipped up a batch of fruit juice knox blocks with some apple juice I had handy and stuck it in the fridge for later. It's the first time he's thrown up, and also the first time I've made my kid knox blocks. I'm not sure if you're supposed to put that kind of thing in the baby book though. Is "first stomach flu" the kind of thing we look back on years from now and say "awww" about? I doubt it. But hey, it's recorded on this blog, so there's that. One day I'll have to print this sucker out and bind it or something for him. He's a large part of the reason I write this. I put a lot down about him in here. It is also tells the tale of what his mommy was like when he was little. I wish I had writings like this from my own mother to look back on. It would likely answer quite a few questions I'll never know the answers to.office xp sbe key gen

After breakfast, the snuggle-fest began. This kid hasn't slept in my lap in a long, long time, but today he must have taken a total of six or eight little naps snuggled up in my arms. I held him and rocked him and crooned away, trying to soothe him. Now and again he'd perk up for a little bit and want to get down on the floor to try and play. It didn't last long before he wanted to be back up in my arms again, however. It made writing Quick Shtick Writing a bit of a trick today, I'll tell ya. I wrote about two-thirds of it with him in my arms attempting to have me bump noses with his stuffed puppy. For some reason bumping noses (which we call "beeping noses" around here, as we say "beep" when we do it) was something he wanted to do a lot of today, and I tended to want to indulge him in anything he wanted today, if it helped make him feel any better.office xp sbe key gen

At lunchtime we got him to eat a little bit, although he absolutely refused to touch the apple juice jigglers. He did laugh at how they wiggled though, so that was something. I had been pushing for him to drink water, and that with the little bit of food seemed to perk him up for a while. He played in the living room for a while, although still wanted up on my lap frequently. Eventually we put him up in his crib for a nap. I wasn't sure if he'd take one, but he did.office xp sbe key gen

He woke up crying, however, and proceeded to cry for about two hours straight. I got so worried that we even put in another call to the doctor, who said we could add a little bit of Tylenol even though we were already giving him regular doses of the Advil. We did so, but he still cried and cried. I think it just took the remainder of that two hours before the Tylenol kicked in. Suddenly he perked up again and was a little bit hungry too. We let him have some crackers (toast hadn't gone over very well at breakfast, and he even refused the bottle of water with corn syrup that we tried a couple of times) and then let him play for a while. We let him stay up a little past his bedtime to give him his medicine on time. While waiting, he got to be pampered in my recliner for a while. I tucked him in with a blankie and rocked it gently back and forth while he munched on his last few crackers and played with toys. If he weren't sick, I'd say "it's good to be the kid", at least based on the picture I took:office xp sbe key gen

I'm expecting things to start looking better for him tomorrow. Although, if I have to go through another two hours of him crying and kicking and writhing around in obvious discomfort, I'm calling Brian home from work. He didn't want to be in my arms and it was killing me to let hiim just sit or lie on the floor screaming like that, even though I knew that there really wasn't anything more I could do for him. We noticed he's like me when he's in pain - he doesn't want to be touched. I tried to hold him in a variety of positions and even tried to see if he'd let me rub his tummy, but he didn't want anything to do with us for a while there. Yet the look on his face begged for me to make it better. It was just awful!office xp sbe key gen

At the same time, a little nagging part in the back of my brain is glad he is going through this, as it will build his immune system and hopefully make him more resistant to at least the stomach flu in the future. Hopefully. And hopefully he didn't pass it to me while we were sharing all that close-up snuggle time. Hopefully. I already warned Brian that he'll be staying home a day if I catch it, so that I can hide in bed and not pass it on to anyone or back to Jareth. I gave myself a bigger glass of juice than usual this morning in the hopes that boosting my vitamin C will actually have some effect in helping ward it off. Then again, maybe it's not one that adults are as likely to catch. Who knows. I just don't want Jareth having to go through this again for a long while. The poor little guy!office xp sbe key gen

At least there wasn't more vomit. I expected there to be more instances of vomit today, and we thought he might during those two hours of crying. Then again, I don't vomit easily myself. It takes quite a sledgehammer of something nasty to my stomach to make something actually come back up. Maybe Jareth has his mommy's tummy. Just so long as he didn't inherit the rest of my intestinal tract. *groan* I wouldn't wish my irritable, ornary colon on anyone!office xp sbe key gen

Anyway, I'd better get off to bed in case tomorrow is still rough. I may not be getting much done around here if he's still in need of constant snuggles. I'd never deny my sick kid snuggling!office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

A Spike in the "Mommy Meter"...

He looked sleepy. Really sleepy. Droopy-eyed, swaying-head sleepy. We weren't surprised - after all, it was more than two hours past his usual naptime at the point we finally got home and tucked him into his crib. We'd had a meetup and a couple of errands we ran after that. He had drank a lot of water while we were out too, but it didn't occur to me that it was out of the ordinary at all. My hands had been dry all morning, and I'd been thirsty too. He'd eaten lots of dry crackers as well. Of course he was thirsty...office xp sbe key gen

He woke up from his nap after only an hour or so of sleep. His usual naptime is anywhere from one to three hours, but frequently closer to the two-hour mark. He sleeps plenty at night, so the two hours seems to work for him as a nap. It was really more that he woke up crying.office xp sbe key gen

It was a different kind of crying. I could tell right off. Like he'd woken up from having a nightmare. One of those types of crying that makes my "mommy instincts" hum like a swarm of hungry bees. I zoomed up the stairs, only beating Brian to our son's room by a step or two.office xp sbe key gen

I scooped him up out of the crib and into my arms, where he hung onto me with heavy, unhappy tiredness. He wouldn't stop crying though, and he seemed awfully warm. Too warm. He was burning up!office xp sbe key gen

Brian ran for the thermometer and then we struggled to get him to hold still enough while the temperature readout kept rising. 101.7 101.8 101.9 102...office xp sbe key gen

It finally stopped at 102.7 degrees. But that was taken under the armpit of a wriggling little boy. That meant that it was possibly higher, closer to 103 at least. I thrust him into his daddy's arms and ran for the phone, my heart beating wildly. All my previous experience with my sister's illnesses when she was small seemed to be unavailable for consultation as I dialed the pediatrician. I felt like a true first-time mom indeed. The office was closed already, so I left a message for a callback from the doctor on call.office xp sbe key gen

Then I went and used the recliner for the main purpose I'd made sure I bought one that rocked/glided when not in recline mode. To rock my child. I held his poor little tired, hot body close in to mine and crooned softly in his ear as I rocked back and forth. Finally, he passed out in my arms with his little mouth gaping open and the occasional great heaving breath in between all the little normal ones. Now and again one eye would flutter open, as if to make sure I was still there even though my arms were tightly around him.office xp sbe key gen

Then the pizza arrived, ordered while Jareth had been napping. It proceeded to sit on the counter, patiently cooling until we had time to attend to it. Brian managed to waylay the delivery guy in the driveway before he had a chance to ring the bell and risk waking our son.office xp sbe key gen

Tired of waiting for the doctor, and wanting to offer our son some relief, we gave him a little of some baby medicine we had on hand for fevers. Shortly afterwards, the phone rang. Brian took the call, consulting with the doctor on symptoms and remedies. Then Brian ran out and got a more powerful version of the medicine we'd already given Jareth - the doctor had said what we'd given him wouldn't be nearly enough. When he returned, Brian gave him a full dosage.office xp sbe key gen

Fortunately, a very short while later, we saw the effects of the first, smaller dosage start to work. Slowly, our son went from a miserable, exhausted little boy on the verge of either sleep or tears, depending - to a tired-out version of the usual cheerful little boy we know and love so much. He wanted to get down on the floor and play again. We gave him some crackers, figuring the pizza might be too much if he was sick, but he still wanted to have some of ours. So we caved and gave him small bits of our pizza anyway, relieved to see him hungry.office xp sbe key gen

Jareth is a hearty little boy. He's been healthy (knock on wood) for almost the entire time since he was born. There's been some runny nose and sniffles a couple of times, and a couple of vaccination-related moments, but otherwise he hasn't suffered any real illnesses until now. The doctor seems to think he may have the flu.office xp sbe key gen

So, today I'll even do the plug and thank Advil for helping my son feel better. Thank you, thank you, thank you!office xp sbe key gen

*phew*office xp sbe key gen

I don't know which of us was clinging harder to whom - myself or Jareth. My little boy was feeling miserable and I couldn't just snap my fingers and make it all better in an instant by distracting him or changing his diapers or some other tactic. All I could do was give him medicine and hold him while we waited it out. Now I know why people always want their mommies when they feel sick. Because it was certainly my instinct to want to make him feel better. My poor little guy.office xp sbe key gen

And now... mommy needs a nap. Just in case he doesn't manage to sleep through the night. Technically, his next dosage of Advil ought to happen around 1:00 am. I'm wondering if he'll sleep through like he would on any normal night, or wake up feeling miserable when the medicine starts to wear off. So, just in case, I ought to get myself to bed.office xp sbe key gen

G'night.office xp sbe key gen

Pockets of Silence...

Things have been seeming a bit more hectic around here, now that I've signed on with meetup groups. I've also been getting more done overall - my energy level seems to be rising. It's also been starting to look like spring might be on its way, which is bringing my mood up more as well.office xp sbe key gen

But, mostly, it's been hectic. Zipping to and fro on the countless errands that seem to crop up. Today, after Kid Rock, we made no less than four stops. Two were for items that I didn't find at Wal-Mart on Wednesday so I went to other stores that I knew would have them instead. Another of my stops was to pick up some stuff at the grocery store. There's a stop every week, no matter how much I pack into the freezer. Today was just a short one though, for some of the fresh greens the iguana eats and a couple of other items we needed.office xp sbe key gen

I guess it's because of how much more dust we're kicking up as we zoom in and out of the house that I noticed the pockets of silence today:

• A moment where Jareth and I stood, off to one side of the class, and watched the kids at Kid Rock running around the room as the music played.
• Several moments when I scooped him up out of a shopping cart and just held and hugged him for a moment before putting him into his car seat.
• Driving down a road, music softly filling the car, and hearing his little voice mimicking the song
• Rolling our cart down the aisles at one store, where music played from loudspeakers somewhere overhead, and hearing him singing loudly along in his own "words" to a song in a language neither of us understood.
• looking over to find him watching me put away groceries as he took his huge-yet-tiny little bites out of his sandwich for lunch.

I know that most of these moments aren't "silent" in the way that most people might think of the word. But they were. It's not that the sound went away - in some of the moments the sound was part of what made them "silent" - it's that the world seemed to stop around us for that brief moment in time so that we could enjoy it.office xp sbe key gen

Whenever I don't have Jareth in the car with me I have some feeling of liberation. However, I also feel like a part of me is missing. The part of me that sits so quietly in that car seat and sings along to the music while he watches the world speed by the car window. He's like me. He sees the world. The birds sitting on the electric wires, the planes flying through the clouds overhead, the blades of grass that wave with the wind. He's already communing with it all.office xp sbe key gen

And then - there's Kid Rock. Where I try not to be disappointed when I watch him backpeddaling in the murky waters of social development. He won't play with the other kids - he'd rather sit in my lap or arms and watch them play together. He's a people-watcher. Maybe it's just a shy stage. Or maybe he's just like his parents. Only time will tell.office xp sbe key gen

Okay, enough blog for today...office xp sbe key gen

Later!office xp sbe key gen

Frugalities and Frustrations...

Well, despite my attempts to wind down last night, I didn't manage to get much sleep. I tossed and turned so many times that I started to wonder if maybe one of those decaf coffee refills at the diner last night wasn't decaf after all. I think I may try to cash in a little earlier tonight to make up for it. I don't want to be all cranky tomorrow morning with Jareth at Kid Rock.office xp sbe key gen

Today was fun, as RainMoon (who I referred to as "RM" last night - now you can tell why) took me out to a couple of the decent bargain stores in the nearby area. I have been living here for more than two and a half years and haven't really found all the good places to find the best deals on stuff yet. She's been living around her far longer and can give me the scoop. I'm lovin' it!office xp sbe key gen

So we did some shopping, and then later had a little time to just sit back and chat some more.office xp sbe key gen

It feels like it's been a while since I spoke so openly with anyone other than my husband. I find it a refreshing change of pace.office xp sbe key gen

In other news, I think I have to lobotomize have a "communication" with the UPS delivery person that comes to my house. The last four or so packages that they've brought me have been placed under the mat that is on the stoop outside my back door. On one hand, I'm sure they think they are doing me a favor by putting it under the heavy plastic mat to protect it from the rain. However...office xp sbe key gen

Under that mat is a muddy mess of leaves and crap that keeps getting brought into my house every time I retrieve a package from beneath it! Not to mention the fact that the packages are sometimes higher than the step up from the stoop into the door - meaning I can't get the screen door open to get them in the first place! They are often light enough for me to push them out with the door, but there was one instance where I had to go out my front door in order to get the package sitting in front of my side door! I mean, what the hell was that? Perhaps the person has no depth perception and can't tell that the package is going to prevent me from exiting the house by way of that door?office xp sbe key gen

I think I'll make a little sign and put it out there, telling them that they can just put my packages on the patio table from now on instead, since there's a roof over my patio.office xp sbe key gen

Mind you - all this wouldn't even matter if they'd just ring the damned BELL!office xp sbe key gen

I was home when they came today. RainMoon's car was in my driveway too. With two cars sitting in the drive, you'd think they'd have the common sense to let me know my package had arrived.office xp sbe key gen

*sigh*office xp sbe key gen

Okay. /rant off. Gotta go now too.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

A rare encounter...

So, it's not often that one spends four hours talking with a total stranger over coffee. In fact, it is such a rare thing rare thing indeed that I'm most certainly not going to let it pass by without comment here. Because it happened. Tonight.office xp sbe key gen

While I've met some very nice people at the meetup groups I've been going to so far, I've not connected with anyone until this evening. I've felt like the outsider, looking in, wondering if I really fit into their world or if I was trespassing somewhere I didn't really belong. I went to one this morning, and felt as if I finally had the occasional comment to add to the conversation, but still felt as if the other women there knew each other better and that I was still playing catch-up in the overall scheme of their social circle. It's not that I didn't have a good time talking with them - I did! But I feel as if I'm asking questions that have already been asked when they've gotten beyond the basics with one another already. It will take me time before I'll feel like I can really let my guard down within that group.office xp sbe key gen

Tonight, however, was another matter entirely.office xp sbe key gen

First of all, it was just the two of us. I mentioned this blog, but didn't get permission to mention her by name yet, (which I like to do before I start rambling on about people by name here) so I'll call her RM, for reasons that she'd know and that perhaps I'll explain at a later date. RM was the only other person who put herself down as planning to be at tonight's meetup - a mom's thing to be held at a Border's Books in their coffee shop. Since the two of us didn't actually live as close to the town it was planned to be held in, we changed the location of the meeting to be at a smaller coffee shop much closer to where we lived.office xp sbe key gen

I arrived to find it closed.office xp sbe key gen

After a brief conversation with the lady inside (who I think came out to make sure I wasn't loitering), I waited out front for RM to arrive. She'd given me her phone number and I'd talked to her not long before, so I knew she'd actually be there. When a woman walked right up to the door and found out it was closed, I knew it had to be her. Quick discussion led us to a nearby diner that was open much later.office xp sbe key gen

We basically proceeded to close the place. We sat down in a booth and started talking. We pretty quickly cut through the opening awkwardness and started talking about all manner of more candid stuff in the process of filling each other in on some of the details about ourselves. I felt comfortable - not all clammed up, wondering if I should say the things running through my mind - I was able to say all sorts of stuff I wouldn't normally have just tossed out onto the table with a total stranger. It felt good! I think she's "my kind of people" - someone I was hoping to find out of these meetups. We already seem to have quite a few things in common. We also seem to share some viewpoints, especially on parenting.office xp sbe key gen

By the end of the evening, she'd loaned me a book she had with her in the car, and we have plans to get together tomorrow.office xp sbe key gen

I am so psyched up by this evening, I may have trouble falling asleep!office xp sbe key gen

Speaking of which, I'd better finish this up and do some wind-down.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

And now,

Would you rather:
1. get a splinter in your finger OR stub your toe?
Stub my toe. That goes away, but sometimes you don't get all of a splinter out right off and it's nasty to have a teensy bit of one stuck in there for a while!
2. eat at denny's OR the international house of pancakes?
IHop. Easy. I waitressed at Denny's for far too long, and they've only gone downhill since then.
3. be a world renowned martial artist with multiple black belts OR a famous international negotiator?
Oooh. Martial artist. I'd definitely want the sword stuff too please (Kendo I believe). I'd be a kick-ass mommy then!
4. have to wear a flashing neon sign that reads "shut up fool!" for a week OR dress like flavor flav for a week?
I'd dress like that flavor flav guy I guess. I just wouldn't actually go anywhere!

And then, the other shoe...

I didn't blog last night. Did ya miss me?office xp sbe key gen

*listens to the crickets chirping*office xp sbe key gen

Ahh. O-kay.office xp sbe key gen

Yesterday I woke up with terrible shooting pains in my left shoulder, around the bottom and right edges of it. Mostly, though, it was like the pain was under the shoulderblade, which meant that Brian's efforts at massaging it away really didn't make any difference. Neither did the heating pad I had on it for most of the day, although I kept trying anyway. Aspirin didn't help, but Motrin finally made some difference when I tried that later on. I'm still taking it today though, as it's not entirely better yet. Less painful than yesterday, but not gone. I managed to still lift Jareth in and out of his crib as necessary, as well as to the changing table, high chair, and so on. I've spent most of today resting though.office xp sbe key gen

As for the blog... I didn't want to blog yesterday, I wanted to hit the bed early. So I did. I went to bed before my son even did, and it took me a while to find a comfortable enough position to sleep in too. Yesterday was not the best day I've ever had, and I didn't really want to dwell on it much anyway. Perhaps I'll bring up more about it in future blogs, or perhaps I'll just let it slide by without further comment.office xp sbe key gen

I may well hit the sack at an early hour today as well. We'll see. But I thought I'd better drop a line here tonight. I only miss a post maybe two or three times a year. I didn't want anyone to think that anything was seriously wrong!office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

Playing with power tools and other fun things to do on a Saturday...

Finally, the table is fixed. It's been on Brian's todo list for the last few Saturdays. But first, there was problems with his back, then other plans kept him too busy, then he was sick! So, today it finally got taken care of. I helped him quite a bit, since the power tools are pretty much mine anyway. I tend to be Mrs. Fixit on most occasions, although I refuse to get on the roof and there are a couple other tasks here and there that I specifically delegate to him instead.office xp sbe key gen

Jareth, however, is terrified of the sound of the drill. And we used it frequently to make pilot holes for the new screws. 34 times, to be exact. Well, 34 holes anyway. And it didn't help that the power screwdriver makes a similar noise while we were putting all the screws into their respective holes. So, basically, Jareth cried through most of our work. Poor little guy.office xp sbe key gen

But the table is fixed! Yay! Now I don't have to be worried that tomorrow, when there is food on it and the in-laws are over having dinner, the whole table will collapse inward. That would have been bad.office xp sbe key gen

Since I helped with the table, thus saving a bunch of time for Brian, I invoked my right to shower - as in a nice long, hot shower where I actually had time to use a pumice stone on my feet and let the conditioner sit in my hair for a minute. It was nice. I don't seem to get that very often. So the boys played for a bit while I got all clean, and then I helped tuck Jareth in for his nap. Since then, I've been kicked back at my desk, sorting through e-mail, web comics and rss feeds from blogs I read that have them. I love rss feeds. It makes it so much easier to follow them. Some of the blogs I follow don't have them and so I don't always get to them as often as I might like. But the rss thing shows up for me in a separate section that works like e-mail does, so I can look in one spot and see if there are new posts. The Atom feed from blogger doesn't work though, which I'm finding annoying.office xp sbe key gen

One thing I seriously need to make some time for is weeding out my blogroll. I've been adding some new links lately, but I've got a lot that I don't really read anymore. There's also some links over there that aren't blogs at all, but I wanted linked on my site. I need to pull those off the blogroll and set them up separate. It's getting long and messy over there and I can't find anything.office xp sbe key gen

But, not today. Today I'm getting other stuff either caught up or taken care of. And, I want to leave some time for fun. Fun is always a good thing on Saturdays. Between putting Jareth down for his nap and my sitting down at this desk, there was already a little "fun" in this house. I think the remainder of the fun today will be a little more... whole-family oriented. *grin* No guarantees though. Jareth does go to bed before we do!office xp sbe key gen

All the more reason to get my blogging in early today!office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

No blogging here...

I was going to tell the tale of the $13 washcloths.office xp sbe key gen

But, honestly, it's not really that interesting. They're nice, they're soft, and they were really damned expensive for something I will only use to get the makeup-removing soap off my poor, abused skin. I suppose the most interesting part about the story was when the cashier looked at me in surprise, doubting the price that rang up at the register. Most of the other washcloths in the store cost between $1.99 and $6.99. But they weren't as soft. I wanted the soft ones. My little expensive luxury.office xp sbe key gen

But I got wrapped up in other things tonight, so I didn't find time to tell the tale properly, with all the details that a story deserves.office xp sbe key gen

So, instead, this is all you get. Because I'm still busy. I'm about to start printing the stripped-down copy (changed HTML codes to actual formatting in MS Word and such) of Story #2 over on Quick Shtick Writing. I've been fixing it up for review and edit, and I think it's ready for the first printout so we can read it on paper and jot a bazillion notes down about stuff to fix/change/make better. At 1.5 line-spacing it comes out to 491 pages with the margins adjusted to save on some paper. Over 194,000 words (according to the MS Word's "word count" tool) of writing to pour over and adjust. I hope my toner cartridge holds out on my laser printer - I don't have a spare. I do, however, have an injet printer if I need backup. And it's not even quite one ream of paper, so I'm good there. I buy paper buy the case nowadays. Anything less is insufficient with two writers in the house.office xp sbe key gen

Anyway, gotta start printing and then wind down before bed.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

Where a Kid can be a Consumer...

So...office xp sbe key gen

Yesterday's meetup was at a place called Chuck E. Cheese's. Their motto is "where a Kid can be a Kid", but I have adjusted that in my mind to: "where a Kid can be a Consumer."office xp sbe key gen

Perhaps you already see where I am headed with this. Perhaps you've been to one of the 420+ locations of this restaurant chain. Perhaps you just sense the impending doom of another of my rants forthcoming...office xp sbe key gen

Basically, Chuck E. Cheese's is a pizza joint/arcade. It is the type of place where parents can go and for the price of a pizza and some tokens they can effectively ignore their children for an hour or two. Once a child is old enough, you can pay to pump their fists full of tokens that they can gleefully put into games one after another. The lights glow and flash, the games make loud pings and clangs, and every now and then an adult dressed as a giant rat mouse comes out to leer sing and dance with them. What more could kids want, right? (ohhh, maybe their parents to spend quality time with them instead?)office xp sbe key gen

Yah. So.office xp sbe key gen

And we wonder why so many kids have ADD? Because their parents are sticking them in front of television sets at home and going to restaurants like this one when they are out... There were only two things that I saw in the entire place that didn't either take tokens or propogate the "Chuckie" theme - one was a climbable aparatus with a slide and a couple of toddler-oriented things attached in the toddler area of the place. The other was the sky tubes thing - kids can climb up and crawl in these large plastic tubes that run in an area of the ceiling. I believe that also had a slide on it too. Everything else had a token slot in it. Or was the counter - where you could buy food, tokens, and Chuck E. Cheese merchandise. And toys - you could get tickets from some of the games and turn them in for stuff.office xp sbe key gen

Okay, I will admit to a couple of positives to the place, considering it is just another shrine to consumerism and all. First off, the games only needed one token to play. And they gave me one when we walked in the door, as well as a couple more when I bought food. I got three tokens just for eating there.office xp sbe key gen

There was also the pizza - I had this individual-size bbq chicken pizza, which was just enough for me to have a nice light lunch and still give a couple of the slices to Jareth too. It was a bit on the greasy side, but it was yummy.office xp sbe key gen

But then there's the rat mouse. Yeah, I know, it's the theme. Micky Mouse is one thing people, but I just can't buy into the Chuck E. Cheese "concept" here. Maybe it's just that my mother didn't let me watch Saturday morning cartoons as a kid (a ritual that Brian and I agreed will be allowed once Jareth is old enough, as Brian's dad did it with him and Brian has fond memories of those times). Maybe that somehow, somehow, a person with my imaginative capabilities is yet unable to fathom the concept of how a grownup walking around (silently, mind you - there's background tracks for the music stuff, but I never heard "Chuckie" speak. One of the wait staff did all the talking when the music was off, guiding the children to "dance" along with Chuckie. Silent Chuckie was eerie that way.) in a rat mouse suit is... what, exactly? Believeable? Exciting?office xp sbe key gen

Personally, with the way this country is, I'd be more like to worry that "Chuckie" would molest my kid when I wasn't looking. I mean, if priests are doing it, what's going to stop someone who's face I can't even see?office xp sbe key gen

*stops gritting teeth long enough to remind herself that not all people that are willing to work in giant rat mouse suits are potential child molesters*office xp sbe key gen

I suppose it's a better job for the grownup in there than standing on the side of a street as a waving Quizno's soda cup. I always feel sorry for the person stuck in there. Always. I can't possibly imagine enjoying doing that.office xp sbe key gen

So... decent enough food, but still another temple to the consumerism gods.office xp sbe key gen

*sigh*office xp sbe key gen

Will I go there again? Probably. But only because that's where some of the meetups will be. Jareth didn't like the ride I tried putting him on - he cried. What he wanted to do was run. It was a bunch of aisles for him to run down and new stuff to look at, as far as he was concerned. And - his mommy ran along with him, playing catch-the-kid as he stretched his legs and zoomed all over the place. He seemed to like the pizza too.office xp sbe key gen

But he didn't like the giant rat mouse. He clung to mommy pretty good when that critter tried to come near. Mommy didn't let it get too close. *shudder*office xp sbe key gen

As for the meetup group itself, it seems like I'm meeting some nice people in these groups I've been going to. I still feel like the newbie, and don't really know anyone well enough to make any judgement calls about them. Mostly, I feel a little out-classed on the financial level. I'm reminded a little of high school, when where you shopped for your clothes was a status-setter. Apparently now it's where you shop for your kid's clothes too. Mine is not a Gap baby, for example, no matter how cute their clothes might be. It would be pretty surprising to me if their clothes could match the prices I get at WalMart, even if they are on sale. I've got a few items from Old Navy, but most of them were gifts. I'm working with a budget here, and an uncertain time limit on how long my husband's temp job will really last. Not to mention the lack of health insurance. I can't be just spending oodles of money on kid's clothing. I do try to dress him to look smart, but I make do with what I can afford is all.office xp sbe key gen

So there is a bit of a separation there, I think, between myself and the other moms I've gotten to know anything about so far. Part of it is the types of topics that have arisen though. Other than our kids, the conversations that I've heard or been a part of have been about things like vacations and shopping. Honestly, I don't think I've gotten to know them well enough yet to decide if any of them are the type of women I'm likely to develop a decent friendship with.office xp sbe key gen

Most of them seem super-skinny though. I am jealous at that. I know I could use to lose a few pounds (and I'm working on it, actually), but I'm not obese. But I start feeling as if I am next to them. I really want to find out the secret - most of those kids are younger than mine, so how the hell did they get their figures back so darn quick?office xp sbe key gen

*grumble, grumble*office xp sbe key gen

What I really want to know about them though, is whether or not we share some of the same values and ideals about raising kids. Like the fact that I don't want my kid really watching television just yet. I'd rather he be developing his brain by doing things than just watching them. I can see already that he can have tons of patience and focus if he is interested. I don't want to mess that up with the fast pace of the changing images on television. I don't want him to have the usual five-second attention span that so many kids seem to have.office xp sbe key gen

I saw other kids at Chuck E. Cheese's yesterday that I don't want my child to be like either. Kids that shoved others out of their way so that they could go down the slide (not the kids in our group - they're too young for that yet). Kids that went from one machine to another and played it once before getting bored and moving on. Some of them looked excited. Others looked almost robotic. They took the tickets that the games spit out for them and dutifully went to the next machine for more tickets - greedy for the toys that they might eventually "earn" with all their tickets. Not even realizing that those toys were actually paid for already by their parents buying the tokens in the first place.office xp sbe key gen

I want for Jareth to have a balance. To be able to wait in line for his turn to come instead of resorting to pushing others out of his way. But also able to make sure he gets his turn instead of getting pushed out of the way by others. I don't yet know how to find that balance for him. I'm a pushee - if I don't nicely get out of the way first, I'll get shoved. If I can help it, however, I won't allow that to happen to him. Not my kid. The dragon in me comes out when you mess with my kid. Oh yeah. Hear me roar.office xp sbe key gen

If anything, maybe this week - after two outings where he was around other kids - he will be a little more social at Kid Rock tomorrow. Who knows. He didn't get to play with the other kids as much this week - most of them are much younger than he is - but he was at least in an atmosphere where there were other children with their mommies.office xp sbe key gen

Here's hoping anyway.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

Still brewing...

This is just a note to say I'm not really going to blog tonight. Another blog about blogging, so to speak. I've been thinking for a good chunk of today about what I want to say about today, and...office xp sbe key gen

I think I need to think some more.office xp sbe key gen

Yep. Not done yet.office xp sbe key gen

See, I'm not the type to just lay it all out all the time. Sometimes I want to word things just so. Today requires some of that. Today probably requires that some of my thoughts be left unspoken. We shall see if I manage to keep the lid over it all or not. What good is having a blog (read "daily journal") if I can't actually say what I'm thinking? But part of what I like about blogging is that if I put it down here, it makes it real. There's something about saying things on a public space that makes you have to own it. 'Cause if I say something and back down later someone could point a finger and make me have to re-evaluate what I said. This isn't an anonymous blog - family members know where it is. Some of them even read it now and again.office xp sbe key gen

Not that today was about family specifically. It was about the meetup group I went to. I actually have a whole helluv a lot to say on that subject, but I went and posted this web site's address on a couple of the intro messages. Which means that they could read it. And I don't want people to get the wrong idea about what I have to say. Not right when I'm trying like hell to be social and make new friends for once.office xp sbe key gen

So I'm going to think a bit more before I post about the parts I want to post about. And I'm going to leave a few things out in the process. And, hopefully, word things very wisely. Hopefully. Because if I'm going to own it - I want to be diplomatic about what I say in this particular instance.office xp sbe key gen

But not until at least tomorrow.office xp sbe key gen

So, for now - good night.office xp sbe key gen

If it's not one thing it's another...

Okay, fine. So I'm feeling better enough I guess. But Brian stayed home sick today instead. I guess while I was busy trying not to give it to Jareth, I managed to give it to my husband instead. Damn. He's just in the beginning stages of it today, so I'm expecting there will be a couple more days home this week. We'll see. Maybe he will weather it better than I did.office xp sbe key gen

Of course he gets to stay home and rest while I went off with Jareth to today's meetup group, and then got some more organizing done during Jareth's nap... He took the day off to be sick and got the day off. Yes - I'm jealous. Very, very, very jealous. I hinted and dreamed and wished that he would stay home one day last week while I was feeling the worst of it so that I could take just one day off and sleep to let my body heal itself. But I didn't outright ask him to - I would have given myself a terrible guilt trip over him not going to work for a day, and us not having that day's paycheck either. So I plodded on with the daily tasks and tried to minimize any extra tasks to as little as possible. *grumble, grumble, grumble*office xp sbe key gen

Okay, rant done with now. *sigh*office xp sbe key gen

Anyway, hopefully his bout with this won't be as bad as mine felt. It should help that he got a day of rest today. I just hope we don't pass this back and forth. That would be really crappy.office xp sbe key gen

More tomorrow.office xp sbe key gen

G'night.office xp sbe key gen

Valentines

Today was Valentine's Day. Honestly, I'd forgotten all about it until Brian showed up with a single long-stemmed red rose when he came home after work.office xp sbe key gen

We didn't really plan for much this year. With me being sick (although I'm feeling a bit better today - maybe I'm finally on the mend!) we didn't plan any reservations or anything like that. Instead, we technically did the same thing we often do on Mondays recently - rented a dvd. Brian told me to pick one though - since he figured it ought to be ladies choice on Valentine's Day and all. In the end I picked Wicker Park. It wasn't too "chick flick", at least there was a little guessing as to what exactly was going on. We had some issues with the way the film laid out - some things might have made more sense if we'd seen certain scenes earlier on, and there were a couple points that we nearly missed because not enough was said about them. It wasn't a bad movie though. Definitely a romance, which was what we were looking to watch. I guess I'd give it a "thumbs up", but maybe not an overly enthusiastic one. Some of the cinematography was interesting too.office xp sbe key gen

After resting over the weekend I jumped right into the week today, trying to get some stuff organized around here. I keep going through more stuff, purging out the crap I don't need. I've also got a lot of filing to get done, so I'm getting organized towards finishing that up. I've got some mommy meetup stuff this week too, so I'll be busy. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wore myself out today though, and I've been fighting off a little bit of a headache since about mid-afternoon. But I think I may be over the worst of it finally. Two days of rest and regular doses of Nyquil seems to have done some healing. I think I'll be brave enough to go to tomorrow's meetup although I've left myself at "maybe" just in case. If, for some reason, the coughing is bad again in the morning I'll bail. I don't want to pass this on to others - especially not their kids. I've had a hard enough time keeping my own kid healthy through this. He's had some extra sniffles, but seems to have weathered through without the cough. *knock on wood*office xp sbe key gen

In the meantime, however, I need to sync my pda (since I put in a bunch of meetup appointments today) and then a little wind-down before bed.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

Sick, sick, sick...

Still sick. So much so that Brian asked me if I was really even up to the whole "Sunday dinner" thing today. After running myself through the usual guilt gamut (oh, but we haven't seen them in two weeks and I bought all this food and it's not like I'm not an invalid or anything! I'm probably not actually contagious and I'd try not to cough all over the food while cooking and maybe I'd just cook and then go take a nap while everyone was eating. Besides, I haven't specifically had a fever, and my mom always said if I didn't have a high fever I wasn't too sick to do chores, so I should be able to handle a little cooking - right?...) I finally bailed ship and had Brian give them a call to cancel. So, instead of cooking and having people over I spent most of my day in bed. Today was a real rest day.office xp sbe key gen

And when I wasn't actually sleeping, it was booo-ringgggg.office xp sbe key gen

60 channels (+ I could have ordered a Pay-Per-View or something) and nothing I wanted to watch. It's all well and good to have the second television install for the satellite dish in our bedroom, but there actually has to be decent programming before it really matters. We also found out that we can't seem to program the new remote to handle the cd/tuner that we use for sound on that television (the audio is messed up so you can only hear it properly if we pipe the sound through the tuner instead), and it doesn't know the VCR clearly enough for the tv/video button to work. In all our programming we only managed to take four remotes down to three (the television itself now works off the satellite remote at least) since you need to press the tv/video button on the vcr to get it to send the signal through, and the cd/tuner remote for volume control. I guess that's what we get for buying some of the cheapest electronics just to make a crappy used television work. We probably would have been better off just buying a new tv/vcr combo unit for the bedroom instead of all the hassle. Being able to play cds in the bedroom is not a requirement on any scale - we have a small boom box that is capable of that if we want it.office xp sbe key gen

Bored. Bored. Bored. I was more entertained allowing my imagination to run off with me as I tried to doze off than I was watching the boob tube, that's for sure. But I felt physically better while lying down in bed than I do right now just sitting here typing. I may not be bored at the moment, but I'm counting down to when I can take the next installment of Nyquil. I think I remember now why it is I'm not as fond of cherry or grape flavored things. The DayQuil is orange, but fortunately more like orange kool-aid or jello than orange juice. It is rare that I find cherry-flavored things that don't automatically taste medicinal to me though. Yuck! Except those sweet cherries they put on top of sundaes. I like those. *grin* It probably has something to do with the whipped cream.office xp sbe key gen

I did get out of bed at one point to find my guys streaking around the house, post-bath. Jareth was so chilly his knees were knocking, but he wanted to stay standing in the bathroom, playing with the bathtime rubber duckies he has, instead of getting into some warm dry clothes! Thus, Brian was running around with a towel wrapped around his waist trying to catch our little streaker as he evaded capture. I can't wait for summer now! I'll have to get one of those kiddie pools and put it in the backyard and let him play. I wonder if the neighbors would have issue with it if I let him run naked back there when the grass is short enough? Perhaps we'll find out. *wicked grin* I'd like for him to have the chance to feel that kind of freedom. Just because *I* have issues with my own appearance that keep me from being entirely comfortable with my body, doesn't mean that *he* has to end up with issues like that.office xp sbe key gen

Well, that's enough for now. I've passed the 10:00pm mark, which means it's been six hours since my last Nyquil infusion. Time for more.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

Sick and Slacking...

Being sick certainly puts a dampener on my motivation. I've had no inclination to do productive things today. In fact, Brian pretty much got to ignore most productivity today too, as I pulled the "but I'm sick! Distract me from feeling icky?" card out of my proverbial hat. I'm feeling like a wuss after spending most of the week being sick and still having to keep up with day to day chores and errands for the most part. So slacked off some today to let myself get some rest in before I try and cook tomorrow when Brian's folks and sister come join us for dinner. It really figures that I'm all set up to make one of my mom's recipes - one that doesn't have perfect instructions. It means I can't just bail and let Brian do the cooking tomorrow.office xp sbe key gen

Nope, sick or no I'll be pulling out my usual "suzie homemaker spatula" and all. Yay me. I think there may be additional napping on Monday, even if I don't go to the doctor. We'll see. I can't tell if I'm improving or not. I seem to be coughing less, but that just might be because the stuff I'm taking has cough suppressant in it. Jareth has been coughing occasionally today, I've noticed. I'm hoping it's just me over-scrutinizing him for fear of my germs getting him too. Cross your fingers he stays healthy.office xp sbe key gen

Not much else to say today. Gonna try to get in bed at a reasonable hour tonight if I can manage it.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

So much for feeling better...

Well, I thought I was on the mend. Silly me, getting all optimistic like that. You'd think I'd know better by now. Nah.office xp sbe key gen

The sore throat that seemed to go away - didn't. It moved is all, and hid during the relocation process. It is now securely footholded deep within my throat, causing coughing that sounds like I never quit smoking and aged 50-some-odd years. I feel like an old, hooger-hacking granny about now, wheezing and coughing up phlem something fierce.office xp sbe key gen

I know - thanks for sharing, right? Heh. Tough. Share my pain! What else is a blog good for anyway, if I can't share now and again. *wicked grin*office xp sbe key gen

I miss doctors about now. Oh, for an antibiotic or some codeine-laced cough syrup. I keep expecting internal organs to come up with the next cough. Instead, I get the "sniffling, sneezing, stuffy head, so you can rest medicine", otherwise known as Nyquil. Or, rather, I get the cold/flu version that includes sore throat, coughing in its list of things it will try to remedy. I also grabbed a bushel three packets of generic cough drops while I was at the store today. I think I hear the words "upper respiratory infection" running through my head almost hourly. If things don't improve over the weekend, I'm gonna bust my ass to a clinic on Monday and just pay the bill to get some proper medicine in me. There's only so much "sick" a girl can take! At least I'm probably not contagious anymore - since these things are usually contagious only for the first day or so I believe. Regardless, I'm coughing into my shirt, just to try and mimimize the germs floating about this house. So far, so good - my son doesn't seem to be catching it. *knocks on wood*office xp sbe key gen

We did Kid Rock again today, and seemed to slide even further backwards on the "socialization scale" of toddlerhood. He didn't want to really get involved at all, and even insisted on being held for part of it. He wanted to watch, but not participate. He doesn't seem scared of the other kids, per se, but doesn't want to join in with them yet. He didn't even want to do the stuff with me much either.office xp sbe key gen

The kids exchanged valentines today, and thus created some measure of chaos at the end of class too. Several kids started crying when their moms wouldn't let their kids open up the candy that came with them. I busted open the cookie for Jareth right off. (never mind that the teacher had said we shouldn't bring candy, so I hadn't. At least I wasn't the only mom that actually listened) My main problem was separating the cookie and Jareth long enough to get his coat on to leave. He likes all the little cards and keeps sorting through them on the living room floor.office xp sbe key gen

That's all for now. I think I'm hitting the bed early tonight. Before I accidentally cough up a lung or blow my brain out through a nostril. Mmmm. Phlem.office xp sbe key gen

Sweet dreams folks!office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

Odds & Ends

Finally feeling better today. I've still got some headache and roughness in my throat, but it looks like I managed to get through it without giving it to my son and without having it hit me so hard that I couldn't keep up with the day-to-day stuff for the most part. I've taken it easy the last couple days, but still managed to get a couple of little things out of the way each day. I still took it easy today too, but took on slightly more complicated tasks. One wasn't too tough - I replaced the 18 handles on Jareth's desk, dresser, and under-bed drawers with new ones that match the overall theme of the room. The old ones were gold-colored and somewhat rusty. They are now a brushed silver look instead, which matches the hardware I have on the windows, as well as a couple of other spots in the room. I also put in a plastic disc to protect the back of his door where the doorstop hits it - it was trying to poke a hole into the door. Why are doors hollow nowadays, anyway? I like solid wood - they make a more satisfying "BANG" when you're angry and need to slam something. Hmm... Maybe that's why...office xp sbe key gen

Jareth was my little "helper" for the job - he inspected every item I used and every piece I took off the drawers in the process. He also handed me screwdrivers as I needed them. Okay, after some persuasion each time, but at least he was interested. He has a play tool box that he got for Christmas, and he knew what the screwdrivers were for. He even reached in with one and tried to "help" a couple of times - mimicking me unscrewing the old screws. It was super cute!office xp sbe key gen

Later today I also tried to see if I could switch the lightswitch/fan in the bathroom onto a different switch. We've got one that turns on a light, and another that turns on a different light and a fan at the same time. I got a three-switch one so that each item can be on its own, but found out that I need to find out where the fan and light are connecting. By the time they reach the junction box where the switch is, they are both already on one wire. It may have to wait until we do the remodel on the area, which will involve replacing the cheap plastic walls that were put up to separate the bathroom from the laundry area. It's a mess - like they did it in stages and put up plywood/plastic walls/and drywall haphazardly. I want to plot it out and make it into a nice area for both purposes. And the shower needs replacing entirely. I have ideas. I just have to wait until we have the money to start making them happen. And there's also the kitchen and other bedroom to consider too.office xp sbe key gen

Looks like we're on for Kid Rock again tomorrow. We're supposed to bring valentines, and I've got Jareth's all ready to go (did that two days ago). After that, I've got some shopping to do.office xp sbe key gen

That's all from me tonight.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

My kingdom for a nap...

I'm still sick today. I've been trying to get little stuff done anyway. Yesterday I managed to get a couple of things done, although I was frustrated as hell by the fact that the cable guy didn't show up to pick up the box. I waited four hours for this guy, put on some makeup even, and he never showed. I could have been napping damnit! Argh. I called them and rescheduled for the guy to come out Saturday. That way, if I'm still sick, at least Brian will be home to deal with waiting for the guy.office xp sbe key gen

Feeling slightly worse today than I did yesterday. The throat seems better, but the rest of me seems worse. All I want to do is nap. Brian won't be coming home at the usual time tonight though - he's got a meetup thing he's going to - so I'm on my own this evening with Jareth. No biggie except that I can't nap. And I have to somehow distract my kid from wanting to play with his sick mommy. I don't want him to catch this too.office xp sbe key gen

Speaking of Jareth, I took pics today so here's a brand-spanking new one:office xp sbe key gen

How can I resist those eyes? *sigh* He's such a sweetie.office xp sbe key gen

That's all for now.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

And now,

Sick today. Might not post later. Sore throat, ears feeling ucky, headache. I feel like I have a fever, but the thermometer says otherwise.office xp sbe key gen

This is the one part that really sucks to being a stay-at-home mommy. Unlike other jobs, you don't get to call in sick. You're on call 24-7, no matter how icky you might feel. Not only is there nobody to take care of you, but you are still expected to take care of someone else. And manage to not get them sick too in the process.office xp sbe key gen

*moan, grumble, complain*office xp sbe key gen

However, I forgot last week so I won't forget this week:office xp sbe key gen

Would you rather:
1. uncontrolably burp loudly while meeting the queen of england OR fart silently, but deadly, while meeting the pope?
That's easy. I'm not remotely catholic, so I'd choose the fart. I'd be appalled at burping in front of the Queen, however!
2. punch a stranger in the face OR kick your mother in the shin?
(I'm going to presume that this question is going on the assumption that my mother was alive - which she's not, but I'll answer as if she was) Punch a stranger in the face. The punishment for doing so would be far less harsh, I assure you.
3. have a reputation for sleeping around OR a reputation for being a hermit?
Hermit. I'm married, so I wouldn't sleep around. Hermit isn't too far-fetched some days though.
4. live where the temperature never goes below 80°F (26°C) OR where it never goes above 60°F (15°C)?
I'd pick the spot where it doesn't go above 60°F. I've always felt it's easier to get warm than cool off. You can take off all your clothes and still be sweating some days, but if you put enough layers on you'll eventually get warm in most cold temperatures.

Rayny day errands...

Well, we survived another day of errands. It actually wasn't too bad, although more costly than I would have liked, especially at the hardware store. It didn't seem like I had enough stuff to add up to $80, but it adds up quick when you're buying the items needed for three different projects. I've finally got handles for my son's dresser drawers. They ought to look much nicer than the older ones that were on there from when it was Brian's childhood furniture. I also picked up the stuff needed to turn the bathroom switches from two to three, so that we can have the bathroom fan on a separate switch too. At least that purchase wasn't as expensive as I'd feared it would be.office xp sbe key gen

We also have a problem where the legs under our dining room table are trying to split. They are these two t-shaped things but the bottom of the t is coming apart from it's top. So Brian has a plan to put it back together properly and I bought him the supplies for that, along with sliders so that it will move easier across our kitchen floor without putting so much tension on the assembly overall. We like the look of the table, and it will look great when we actually have a dining room to put it in (hopefully in the next house), but it wasn't designed very well structurally.office xp sbe key gen

At the three stores we went to today, Jareth cast his "cuteness spell" on no less than five people by the time we were ready to head home. He seems to attract attention easily, but I expect most kids do. I'd just never really noticed it so much until I had one of my own to bring along. It makes the grocery store, for example, an entirely different experience when you have a child with you. I think it's funner, (and yes, that's a word in my book - deal with it) anyway. He "helps" by holding my list (and dropping it onto the floor sometimes) and loves looking at everything. Sometimes he babbles away, and I tend to talk to him - letting him know what I need next off the list. I enjoy the company over the boring pre-child trips.office xp sbe key gen

I also got a request from Brian for pictures that can go in his wallet, since I take all the pictures on the digital lately. I depleted my supply of photo paper for the moment, printing out several different ones for him to choose from. I made three copies of each, so that I can pass them out to other people as well, since I've not handed out pictures in a bit. The best one I made nine of, as I know Brian wants that one and so do I, which means it will go out to the other people I give pictures to on a regular basis too, when I mail them. I need to order some regular pics online - I like to just get them from ofoto.com so that they have the look and feel of the pictures I would have normally gotten from regular film processing. I can get nice pictures off my printer, but they never seem to be quite like regular processing. And I always feel like I can see the pixels too clearly when I just use the Microsoft software for quick printing my pictures. I don't always feel like mucking around with getting photoshop to print stuff the way I want it. office xp sbe key gen

The winning picture that I made the extra wallets for is this one:office xp sbe key gen

Bask in his cutenesssss! Yessss! Well *I* do anyway. It's a crucial part of my daily routine!office xp sbe key gen

In other news, the phone arrived today! I came home to find its box hiding under the mat at the back door, to keep it out of the rain. I still need to figure out how it all works, but I've plugged it in and it has been charging for a few hours already. It feels like it will work well for what I wanted though. I can hold it with my shoulder if I need to and I won't hit the buttons at all. I think it will work out very nicely, assuming I can figure out all the functions and such. I've got a little manual to read.office xp sbe key gen

But now, I'm going to wind down a bit before bed. I'm staying in tomorrow, so the cable guy can come get their stupid box and remote. I figure I'll get a few things taken care of tomorrow while I'm home.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

Look! It makes stuff cold, but not frozen!

Oooh! Brian ordered a new thermostat for our demonic mini-fridge and now it actually seems to be working! The damned thing kept freezing everything in it if left on for too long, which wouldn't have been a problem if we hadn't been using it for the iguana food and soda pop. The soda kept exploding and it's hard to shred and dice frozen veggies, so Brian was having a hell of a time with the iguana food. We'd been in the habit of turning it off if we noticed it drop too low and turning it back on once it had thawed out again. A recent cleanup of exploded, frozen soda bits got him to finally look up the model number and order the part. The new thermostat showed up a couple days ago and he installed it this morning. The little fridge has actually held at one temperature for most of the day now! Yipee!office xp sbe key gen

Yes, sometimes it's the little things in life...office xp sbe key gen

Tomorrow - errands. Brace yourself for possible ranting. I've got three different stores to go to. Shoppers beware!office xp sbe key gen

At least at the pet store I get to show my son the animals and watch him marvel at the birds and point at the fishies and squint at the little furry critters. The grocery store, herbal store, and hardware store (which are where I go tomorrow) just don't have quite the same appeal.office xp sbe key gen

More tomorrow.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

Something old & something new...

Today was the "travel day" of our weekend. We got out to see Brian's grandmother, who hasn't had a chance to see us or Jareth in a while. I try to keep sending her pictures, but she's about an hour drive away and so we have to block out a good half-day at least if we want to go visit her. She hadn't seen him walking around yet, and seemed excited to watch him exploring her little apartment. She lives in a little retirement community building for older folks who are still able to get around and look after themselves, so she's got a cute little one-bedroom apartment there. She's lonely. I wish there were more days in the weekends so we could get over to see her more regularly. She has lots of stories to tell, about the different jobs she's worked in her life, the places she's been to, and the family she's raised. I fear many of those tales will slip away one day when she does. I know that so many stories that my own grandmother and grandfather had have been lost.office xp sbe key gen

She's one of the sweetest women I've met, and reminds me of the grandmother I wish I'd had growing up. She's very proper - the woman will send me a thank you card for my sending her a thank you card! - and always tries to be "hostess" to us even when we remind her that it's not necessary. She's 91 years old now - I think she's earned the right to sit back and relax while people visit with her. She did the grandma thing today, by continuing to feed Jareth cookie after cookie while we were there. I protested a little after the third one (when the only one left in the tin was HUGE in comparison to the little ones he'd been eating), but she pretty much let him have it anyway, AND a fortune cookie from a bag she practically bullied us into opening and sharing with her. She's always trying to offer us food when we're there, always being the perfect hostess.office xp sbe key gen

Another thing she does is tell me how wonderful it is to have me in her family. She's so sweet about things like that - making me feel welcome and wanted. I know that she has her moments where she'll complain about how she doesn't feel well, but then I don't know of an old person who doesn't. I can't think of her as anything other than a sweet grandmother, who reminds me of the little old lady next door, Grandma Parsons, and the other little old lady a couple doors down, Birdie (that was a nickname - her real name was Virginia Wright), who I knew when I was very small. They both always had cookies and hugs for me when I went to visit them. They were the grandmothers who spoiled me proper - with sweets and stories and love. My own granmother was more the type to try and spoil me with expensive pretty packages wrapped up in bows that often contained the much-loathed pink frilly dresses.office xp sbe key gen

The other thing we did today was go to Dave's Down to Earth Rock Shop. Brian's dad had gotten us a gift certificate for Christmas, and we spent some time browsing through their stuff - they have quite a bit. The store was a bit full of pushy people for my taste, and I felt a bit cramped, but their selection was neat to look at. We had stayed longer than we planned to at Grandma's though, so we didn't get a chance to check out the museum they have downstairs. Next time.office xp sbe key gen

I found a new ring, Brian got a neat rock thingy (it has a wolf print put into it and painted in) and a hand-made native american drum. We also got Jareth a stuffed dinosaur. We spent the gift certificate and then some in the process and had fun.office xp sbe key gen

Then we grabbed some dinner about halfway back on the long drive home. Hot dogs tonight. Portillo's has always had the best hot dogs as far as I'm concerned. I have tried making all sorts of hot dogs at home and can never seem to match the taste of one of theirs. I also think their fries are the best too - when they're freshly made and unsalted though. My mom and I used to get Portillo's hot dogs and the fries would all get eaten on the drive back home with the food. Yum!office xp sbe key gen

Anyway, that's all for today. Tomorrow there's some stuff to get done. Hopefully it can get finished quickly and we can kick back for the rest of the day.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

Hrm...

Well, Friday was "Kid Rock" day again. Today seemed like a step backwards instead of forwards for Jareth, however. Enough so that it made me wonder if he was feeling alright. He ate great today though, and he was playing this evening instead of acting unhappy. He was grumpy all morning and afternoon though. I'm not sure why.office xp sbe key gen

He mostly seemed to want to either wander the room that the class is held in, or stand back and watch what was going on instead of participate. There was one instance where all the children got onto this big round orange nylon fabric thing with handles around the edges and the parents scooted it around on the floor while the kids rode in it. I put Jareth in and the thing started moving and that was the end of his enjoyment of the class - he started crying and I scooped him back out. I ended up having to hold him for a good majority of the last five minutes - fortunately that particular activity happened near the end.office xp sbe key gen

He just seemed more overwhelmed than usual today I guess. Maybe he's starting to realize that the class happens at about the same time as when he'd normally get his morning bottle and that he doesn't get one on those days. We do lunch pretty quick after we get back from the class instead, but bottle time is also snuggle-with-mommy-and-play-at-her-desk-afterwards time. I miss it on Fridays, but stopped doing it after he refused the bottle the first time we tried doing it after class. Next Friday we'll have to try and see if we can't get it in somehow, in case that helps. It might not, but it's worth a try.office xp sbe key gen

Or, maybe he's not acclimating as well to group activities as I'd hoped. Or maybe today was just an off day. Or maybe I'm just a paranoid, first-time mommy who notices damn near every little oddity that occurs when it centers around my son... I try so hard to step back and make sure he has his own space to explore his world with, but some days I just want to scoop him up and keep him close. I love him so much that sometimes I think my heart will just burst from it all.office xp sbe key gen

In other news, my sunglasses arrived yesterday. Today I wore brand new, unbroken, unscratched sunglasses. It was nice. The phone hasn't arrived yet (I did find another merchant with one) but I do have a tracking number. It's shipping by UPS ground though, so I don't expect it to move overly fast. I'm just hoping it shows up prior to the curly cord on my current phone actually snapping apart in the chewed-up area. I already get reception problems if I wiggle the cord at all while on the phone. I can see the wires inside the white outer tubing in several small spots where kitten teeth have gnawed along it. *sigh*office xp sbe key gen

That's all for now, though. I've got to get some sleep - we've got plenty planned to do this weekend.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

Dishing it up...

Well, I got to call the cable company and tell them to turn off my cable TV today. I now have a satellite dish somewhere on my roof, although it was a little dark by the time Brian got home and we went to see precisely where it's mounted - so we didn't even see it up there! Which is good news, as it means that it won't be an eyesore from the front of the house at least.office xp sbe key gen

It seems to work well enough, but I've found that I have a small problem...office xp sbe key gen

Ever since my head injury a few years back, I've noticed that there are a few things I have trouble with. I can't multi-task quite the way I used to, for one - I find myself constantly having to ask people to repeat themselves if I get the least bit distracted by something else. Which can get rough when you have a small child and want to write fiction... heh. Mostly I try to time the more thought-intensive stuff to happen at points when I'll have the least distraction. Another thing is that I occasionally have to search for the word I really want to say a whole lot more than I ever used to. It used to be that I would have a word and not be sure if it meant what I thought it did, but nowadays I sometimes just plain can't come up with the word, even though I might know it.office xp sbe key gen

I've also noticed that I have trouble with certain types of devices now. I can pour through a complicated page of HTML or CSS and figure out what stuff means, but hand me a VCR remote and I'll give you a look of alarm! I need to learn stuff like VCRs slowly and methodically now, or I get flustered and baffled. This didn't used to happen to me, and I can only think that it happened because of the head injury - it seems to go back about that far anyway.office xp sbe key gen

I don't know how it is that I can handle one complicated task, and not the other though. I had no trouble figuring out the PDA that my sister-in-law's boyfriend gave me - I'm happily installing all manner of crap onto it and figuring out which stuff needs to be deleted back off. I've put in all the names and addresses I need. I just downloaded a program to put my kid's medical stuff into too. Not a problem.office xp sbe key gen

But the installation guy punched buttons on the remote and showed me how to get to the guide and the record functions... I might as well have been in another room! It didn't help that he'd tracked mud in on my floors, made me move furniture out of his way, acted all impatient with me, and seemed like he was in a hurry to leave while he was showing me how to work it all. I wanted to curl up in a little ball and cry! I felt utterly stupid and helpless. I sat for hours after he left, agonizing over the damned remote and manual, trying to figure out how to record a show!office xp sbe key gen

The same goes for our stereo. We used to have this nice, simple, little five-disc cd player in the stereo. My father-in-law happened upon a 100-disc player and bought it, but then decided he didn't even own 100 cds, so he didn't really need that much capacity. He found out that it was the same brand as the stereo equipment we buy, and offered to trade us for our five-disc. At the time, it seemed like a wonderful idea. The problem is, now I never play music on the stereo. I'm intimidated by it. I only know how the most basic functions work, and I get flustered easily by trying to figure any more out. I know there's supposed to be a way I could just slip one or two discs in there and listen to just them if I wanted, but I don't know how it's done. So I never listen to music up there anymore unless I want the radio or to listen to the discs I know are already in there. Brian keeps a bunch in there normally as background for when we're gaming. They are good cds, but I don't know how to make it play just the one I want. It's frustrating as hell. I want my five-disc back, but it's too late. At some point we'll have to buy the one we like and sell this one. Damn.office xp sbe key gen

I don't know what happened exactly. It seems so odd to me that one thing can be so easy for me to acclimate to - like most new computer programs I encounter - but something else can be so difficult, even if it is somewhat similar. It's like somebody put a blockage in my mental capacities - like a clogged artery that leads to my ability to properly digest information when a remote control is involved.office xp sbe key gen

Nonetheless, I've managed to program the damned thing to record the shows we watch on fridays. And I've made a favorite channels list for myself. All, like, six of them - plus a few I'd like to know I could find quickly, like CNN and Headline News. I should probably add the weather channel, but I actually loathe the weather channel. My mother used to watch that like we teenagers watched MTV in the 80's. Some Enya songs make me think of the weather pretty quick - that was often the background when they did the local weather at the time.office xp sbe key gen

And, I gleefully called the cable company and told them to turn it off immediately and come get their damned box! There was one "hidden charge" with the dish, but it still comes out to more than $20 savings each month than we were paying for the cable. And we'll review the bill to see what's what. It's $20 we're not paying anymore. $20 that can be used for food or most of a tank of gas or saved. Yay!office xp sbe key gen

And now - we can pause live television too! For $20 less I can not miss anything when I need to stop watching to attend to my son. For $20 less I can pee when I need to, instead of waiting for a commercial. Oooh - and we have a skip button that can make it easier to zoom over commercials if we're watching something recorded. I'm gonna like all that. Assuming I can get acclimated to all the damned buttons, that is.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

Coil and uncoil...

I have stories rattling around in my head, and yet the days seem fuller than usual right now as I schedule in activities for myself and my son. I'm also trying to get some stuff organized and accomplished off that massive list of things that need "doing" that I seem to always be adding to. By the time I have a moment to sit down and really write something - more time than I require for Quick Shtick Writing on any given day - I am flat out tired and not wanting to do more than "vegg" out for a little while and unwind my mind.office xp sbe key gen

Tomorrow we switch from cable to satellite television, although I haven't informed the cable company yet. We will be cutting our monthly bill for the few channels we watch almost in half, which will be a nice change. They raised our cable rates again recently, and now we're paying around $60 for something we only get so we can see the news and watch the occasional program. That's just too damned much for sci-fi and cnn. The dish will also come with a dvr receiver, so we'll be able to digitally record the stuff we want to watch instead of relying on our battered videotapes. That will be nice too. Hopefully they won't have to put the dish in some weird spot or anything.office xp sbe key gen

Tonight my sister stopped in and I made a stab at one of the recipes my mom used to cook that I haven't tried to cook in a long while. It turned out alright, although a little over-lemony. Almost like mom's, but not perfect. The trick is, I was working off of two recipes my mother had written - neither one of them, however, had the quantity listed for the ingredients! She wrote down which items and when to add them, but not how much. I think I did reasonably well considering I was guessing.office xp sbe key gen

Ahhh, well. That's all my rambling for tonight.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen

Meet the Moms...

I have been blogging all day long today. Sentences have been stringing together in my head and then erasing over themselves to form newer, better ones. Words have been rewritten and carefully molded to the ones they share their phrases with, in the hopes of better representing what I have felt and seen.office xp sbe key gen

Yet nothing has felt right. I find myself unsure, as I sit here, on what or how I want to write.office xp sbe key gen

You might ask what precipitated this day to have me journaling in my head. I felt as if I was both observing and participating in my day today. More so than other days. Today I stepped out into that world where other mommies exist - mommies that you can talk to face to face and smile at where they can see you. Mommies in the (*gasp*) "real world."office xp sbe key gen

Not that the mommies online aren't wonderful, mind you. I see pictures of their kids, smile at their amusing stories, and nod my head in sympathy or empathy at the troubles they encounter. But they aren't next door, down the street, or even a town away. The ones I generally encounter online are states away or sometimes not even in the same country. Mommies and blogging have made a clear connection these days.office xp sbe key gen

But, no matter how cool computers get there is still the need for the creature comforts of life. One of those is proximity to ones peers. Thus, I thrust myself out onto the road to dance in the traffic of minivans and family sedans with the other mommies. This time, this being a different meetup group than the other one I went to, there were actually people there too.office xp sbe key gen

My stomach was in knots on the way. I just don't do the social thing anymore. I had to breathe several times and tell myself to keep driving. The thought did cross my mind to bail out at the last minute and go directly to the grocery store instead, especially when I got a little lost and ended up getting there a little later than I had planned. But I got there, got in the restaurant it was being held at, and even met the other mommies and talked some.office xp sbe key gen

Note to self: next time, sit at an end. Don't sit in the middle of the long table. You always try to play conversation ping pong when you're in the middle, and you can't actually keep track of two conversations at once. Not really. Duh. Pick an end and plant your butt. Geez. Also, consider loooking into a booster seat for Jareth. He could probably handle them now in places that don't have high chairs.office xp sbe key gen

Jareth was a little angel. There were only so many high chairs, so I plopped him down on a regular chair instead. To my surprise, he didn't try to get off of it even once! He sat there like a big boy, and checked out everyone and everything around him. We were there for more than an hour and he was content with the crackers I'd brought him, his little mini magna-doodle thing that was one of the toys he got for Christmas from his grandparents, and my iced tea. By that, I mean that he pointed at it so much that I let him touch the cold glass and check it out some. Eventually he mimicked me by taking the straw and swishing it around in the glass to stir it, like he'd seen me do. He liked it best when I did it though, as I could really make the ice cubes in the glass spin good. He did spend most of the time quietly munching on his crackers and checking out his surroundings. He's getting better and better at being around groups of people already! He's still really quiet about it though - not one to chatter, but rather watching and tilting his head at everyone and everything, as if he's trying to figure it all out. I wish that I could hear the little thoughts that go through his head (translated into English though, please!).office xp sbe key gen

The other moms seemed nice enough, and I expect I'll keep going to some of their activities. Even though the web site said that this group was based around the Schaumburg area, they seem a little more north and east than that so far. The travel might prove to be a problem for some of the events. I don't want to be traipsing all over this corner of the state just to get some social stuff in. I've still got hope for the other mom group I signed up with, and I've gone ahead and started up one myself, that will be for stay-at-home moms in the area right around me. We'll see if I get enough interest. In the meantime, I'm looking up stuff that kids can do around here. Some days I feel like such a newbie at all this. I don't remember my mom taking me to many places when I was a kid. My sister either, for that matter. I think we pretty much stayed at home until preschool.office xp sbe key gen

I've also noticed something about my social skills. I can be very social and have an easy time with it if someone approaches me for one reason or another. But put me in a group of total strangers and expect me to just start a conversation and you might hear little more than crickets. I don't think I was always this way. I seem to recall I was one of those kids that had their hand up first to volunteer to read aloud or be on stage or what-not. But now? If the spotlight turns on me I think there's this person inside me panicking and running for cover!office xp sbe key gen

Then again, I think that the more I form solid opinions on what I want the world around me to be like for my son, the more I disagree with the people around me. And I also like to gain people's respect and approval. Which can be a conflict of interest. I can't explain to my own mother-in-law why I obey traffic laws and why I might choose to discipline my child for something without quickly backing down for fear that she might withdraw her approval of me - something my own mother did on a regular basis. How can I stand up for my own ideals among the other mommies, while letting them know that those are my choices and ideals - and that I might want to see others have those ideals, but am open-minded enough to know better than to expect everyone to share my opinions? And how do I keep from worrying that I am falling short in other areas of "mommyhood" that others seem to excel in?office xp sbe key gen

And, most of all, how do I keep myself from falling into the mommy "trap" of comparing my kid to all the others? Not only do moms compare, but some even start up verbal comparisons that end up feeling like they are trying to one-up everything your kid has done. I hate that. At least it was reassuring that I didn't feel like there was any of that going on today - there were comparisons made, but nothing competitive feeling. That was cool.office xp sbe key gen

Well, into the fray I have gone. Until the next session at the community college starts, this seems to be my new focus for a little while - finding other mommies to socialize with and kids for Jareth to socialize with. Maybe along the way I'll make a few good friends. Time will tell.office xp sbe key gen

G'night!office xp sbe key gen