Spring Cleaning. 6-4-14

It’s still officially spring. I have a couple of weeks left. I’m trying to get caught up from all of the months of office work. My house is showing the wear. The winter was rough. I thought a metal roof would be such a good investment, but it sure has done a number to my gutters. So, I need to figure out what to do.

Boop likes to help me clean. That’s great in spirit. However, as you would expect with a toddler, she has a way of creating new jobs for me to do. For example, she had the spray bottle of vinegar to clean the stainless steel fridge. She actually did a decent job for the one or two areas for the first few squirts, but I would look away and look back to find huge streaks and the fridge and paper towels dripping with vinegar. The kitchen reeked of it for a few days. Could be worse. But honestly, the best thing about the activity is that it keeps Boop occupied. Could be worse. Much, much worse. I’ve gotten distracted by doing something so many times when suddenly my Mommy Alarm goes off, and I look around to see what she’s gotten into. Apparently, a toddler daddy in South Korea was not so lucky. He presented his passport to leave a foreign country, only to find that his child had drawn in ink all over the passport photo page, making it useless. I’d say Boop hiding my credit cards (she LOVES credit cards) and keys rank pretty high up there. I just pulled out the couch to find a treasure trove—Winnie had hid our socks there, and Boop had hid credit cards, business cards, award cards—all those little cards just perfect for toddler-sized hands.

I am always watching those hoarding shows for inspiration, hoping that Boop and I don’t end up that way. And in my cleaning, I came across this. But I’m hearing that Neil is not going to tour for a long, long time. So, these will be few and far between, unfortunately. 

Budding Artist. 9-3-13‏

Groan. Painting the decks has been a big job for me, especially trying to manage Boop at the same time. I had helpers come to work the weekend before last, but they didn't get things finished as quickly as I had hoped. Part of the challenge is painting the railing and spindles in white and the base in gray, requiring a lot of cutting in. Another challenge is that people don't take me as seriously as they probably should. Sometimes I know what I'm talking about ;)
I've been trying to do a little this past week as time permitted. Of course, I've had my trusty sidekick along as I worked on the railing. She was determined to help. Have a look at some of her artistry. 

It was supposed to rain last weekend, and when I realized the weather would be fine for painting, I couldn't reach my helpers. So, Mom watched Boop as I painted. I got a fair bit accomplished--one deck is almost finished. I'm hoping that the guys will be able to come by one night this week to help me finish up. The boards are in such bad shape, that if I don't get it finished soon, I may not have a deck to bother about. 

Taking Stock at Boop’s Week 43. 11-15-12

Here’s what’s happening at Boop’s week 43:

• Well, Winnie made it through surgery. So glad it’s over, now I just need to try to keep her straight. She does not want to be still. She couldn’t sleep or rest; so I took her cone off her head. I’m trying to keep her from picking at her stitches. And she’s wanting to jump up on everything in spite of her surgery. It’s hard to keep her still.
• Boop is almost 10 months old! I can’t believe it. She is rambunctious, but thankfully, she isn’t falling quite as much. She gets where she wants to go for the most part, but that doesn’t keep her from wanting me to carry her everywhere. She is just chock full of separation anxiety, or maybe she’s a bit spoiled, or maybe it’s a little of both.
• I couldn’t find a babysitter for the concert I wanted to see. It was pretty low key (and low decibel). So, I decided to go ahead and take her with me. She loves to hear me sing; so I figured it was worth a shot. For the most part, she did great. She conked out during the second show. Admittedly, I was more tuned into Boop than to the concert, but it was good. 

Taking Stock at Boop’s Week 32. 8-29-12

Here’s what’s happening at Boop’s week 32:

• The big news of the week is the ailment that landed Boop in the hospital. We still don’t know what it is. We’re waiting for peds to make their rounds to let us go. I may go ahead and order lunch, just to save time when we leave here.
• Poor Winnie! I know our rush out the door on Friday was scary. She has been staying with my helper. I saw Winnie for a couple of minutes on Sunday. She seemed to be doing well, but I’m betting she’s moping by now.
• Thank heavens for the people who have helped. G has been here almost every day. U and M did babysitting duty so I could take care of important things and get me out of here for a few minutes. My helper, B, has been on call to fill in the gaps.
• I can’t wait to get home, have a real shower, give Boop a real bath, use a better toothbrush, and sleep in a real bed. We had planned to go back to see family this weekend, but I don’t feel comfortable traveling, yet.

‘This too… 7-22-12

…shall pass’. A friend of mine from high school, M, writes the blog: “I’m Living the Good Life,” and her friend and her have decided to write about sayings that ring true to them on Sundays, ‘Sunday Sayings.’ While I won’t duplicate their efforts, the saying in the title of this blog post rings very true to me. Yesterday was a hard day. Boop was upset and screaming a fair bit. I was working with my helper on the house, and Boop missed her nap.

All sorts of craziness crossed my mind. ‘What was I thinking about trying to be a single mom?’ ‘I need to find a job back home now. I can’t manage her by myself.’ ‘Mom can’t manage her either. Maybe someone else can manage her.’ She had been screaming non-stop for I don’t know how long by the point of the last conclusion. Then, I thought, ‘Hm, if I can’t handle her like this, they may not be able to either. I don’t want anyone to hurt her.’ And I talked to Mom in the afternoon, “I don’t know what you’re going to do with her. It just doesn’t seem right. She shouldn’t cry like that. There must be something wrong with her. She seems like she’s hurting.” We couldn’t think of any babies that could be as unhappy as Boop when she gets started.

Undone. 6-25-12

Boop's 4th of July artwork displayed at school

I had such good intentions this weekend. Mom came in; so I figured I could get something done. Fortunately, she made zucchini bread for Boop's teachers, or else that wouldn't have gotten done. I figured I'd do some weeding if my helper came. We could have gotten the job wiped out pretty quickly. Or, since she couldn't come, I was going to work on trim in my living room.


By the time we finished errands on Saturday, I was beat. It was a late work-related dinner on Friday, and then little sleep, and then we got Boop out for photos <which were adorable, by the way>. We had Mexican for lunch, and the shared margarita also left me feeling sleepy. So, nothing done on Saturday. 

I got up and got out on Sunday morning. I figured new hedge clippers would inspire me. Unfortunately, the set I bought were quite dull, and I had to rely on my old loppers. I also bought some more trim and a new miter box. The new trim was over $12 per piece; so I was anxious to reuse some of the old. Then, I was having trouble with the miter box. I managed enough to get it in the house. 

Maybe it will happen at Mom's next visit...

Get Crackin’. 4-21-12

I need to get goin’. I’m behind on blog posts. Mom is here again after just leaving last weekend. She just can’t resist the urge to spend her spare time with little Boop. It works out well for me: I could use the help with Boop. She’s been coming around to the whole breastfeeding thing, being a little more patient when I try to give her as much breast milk as possible. Don’t get me wrong, Mom and I still find things to disagree about, but we have one very sweet little girl to direct our attention toward.

When she came in on Friday, we made an attempt to get Boop’s picture made, but it didn’t work out with timing. I love these 2 little dresses I got for her. She had on the little navy blue one, which I thought looked pretty with her eyes.  She was also in a fairly good mood. It would have been nice but maybe next time—if the outfit still fits. 

Monday, Monday. 3-20-12

So, with my sitter out for Monday, I needed a new game plan. There was a meeting I needed to attend; so I was trying to figure out how to manage. I emailed G to get her opinion, and she said 1 option would be to bring her in. My helper had class. I decided to go for it, Boop’s screams and all.

My assistant in deep concentration

We got to the parking lot at the bottom of the hill. When I pulled into the parking space, Boop started to wail. Wet diaper. So I changed her in my lap in the front seat. I was finished, but she kept crying. At that point, I looked in my bag. I had washed it before I left. And there it was. The pacifier. I felt like I had failed somehow, but I knew it would be better to be with me with a pacifier than without the pacifier and be in a less than ideal situation. She took it. We got upstairs. I talked to U, and we figured we’d try Boop at the seminar. On our way, we ran into M, G’s assistant, and she offered to take her. Relief. And so M kept her for the 2 hours, during which time, M gave her the nickname ‘Diva.’ I smiled and said that my mom called her the Princess. Same difference.

We managed. U took Boop while I helped the students do a video. It was nice that so many were willing to help. I don’t want to try to rely on that too much (Boop is a wee bit disruptive with her shrieks), but I appreciate that folks helped me to get some work done. 

Cold. 2-3-12

Last night felt like a longer night. Not sure if Boop was more agitated or if I just had less energy. Admittedly, I’m running a little low on sleep. If I’m up puttering around the house, Winnie and Boop sleep or entertain themselves, but if I’m resting, they need my attention. They must be in cahoots to keep me awake.

I suspect I caught my cold from Boop. When I put her up to my shoulder, she’s started sucking on my cheek. While I’d like to believe she’s giving kisses, I know she’s really looking for food. She was sneezing a lot at the hospital before we left. They said the sneezing was to help to clear out amniotic fluid from the lungs, but after 2 weeks, I doubt that is still the case. I started developing a sore throat a couple of days ago, but now I have a cough, sneezing, and runny nose. I bet Boop is miserable if she has the same.

Boop Mid-Sneeze

I rarely look for the cavalry, but today, I could use someone to sweep in and let me get a little sleep. Mom is coming tonight; so that will be a big help. Hopefully, I’ll even be able to get a haircut tomorrow, which should make me feel better. If it’s a bit shorter, maybe it won’t be a Boop formula magnet.

Still Moving. 1-15-12

I needed to get out after spending the day cooped up on Friday. I had planned to ask my helper to make a stop at the grocery on her way over, but my grocery list seemed to keep growing. And I had been wanting pizza for a while. Fortunately, the roads were clear, most of the snow had blown off my car, and the sun was out. So I ventured out to get stocked up on food before the baby. This seems like a common theme. I hurry up to wait. I have no idea what to expect when Boop gets here, except to be tired and to be totally focused on her.

When my helper came, I kicked into high gear, about as high a gear as I get these days. I was thinking that all the activity would stimulate labor. Obviously, I’m writing this; so that didn’t happen. I got all of the decorations off of the tree, and my helper took the tree to the road and cleaned up all of the pine needles. She got the sheds straightened up a bit, and after I got the Christmas boxes packed, she took them out to the shed. We put together the diaper changing table; so hopefully, I can get more things rearranged in the nursery. I still need to figure out what to do about the cloth diapers, as I don’t want Winnie to get into them.

So, I had a fair number of pretty strong contractions last night. When I finally settled down, they went away. Boop has been moving around and kicking a fair bit. She may be having hiccups at the moment, as I can feel that rhythmic pulse of my abdomen. She’s hanging tough in spite of me trying to encourage her to come on out. Countdown to ultrasound delivery date: 4 days. However, I bet the midwives won’t consider anything until my original due date of January 23^rd. 

Taking Care of Business. 7-31-11

It's been a hectic week. At least I have more energy in my second trimester. Much running for my car. After making one attempt to get my registration in a different town, I had to go downtown and pay my car taxes. Then, I had to go back to the DMV in a different town for my registration. Yep, definitely more convoluted than other places I've lived, and I'm not finished, yet. Then, car maintenance at the dealership. I also took Winnie to the vet, a little behind. She was due in May. She still acts like a puppy. The vet said her insides were like a puppy, too :) She did have a loose knee cap, but he said not to worry too much. What would I do without my Winnie?  

I've also had helpers here this week. The first person was a bit of a bust. The second person got all of my drywall out of my way, and we got furniture moved into the kitchen. Yay! I have another helper today. Hopefully, I'll be able to get kitchen stuff out of the living room. Yep, I still have can goods in my living room. I have a lot of trim work in the kitchen, too.

I'm having a hard time finding maternity clothes. I bought a couple pair of cropped pants at Target this week. I went to the Goodwill to try to find some more pants. I didn't have much luck, slim pickin's, especially for summer stuff in my size. I found a few long sleeved tops, but that doesn't help me for now. I wanted to get a belly band, but the ones at Target were nude colored, and you could see my pants underneath it...kinda defeats the purpose. Being that I have no idea how things fit on me--I don't even know my size--I have trouble buying stuff online. Maybe I'll find some when I go back to visit family this coming weekend.

Recovering. 7-28-11

I'm trying to find some new helpers since my previous ones will be gone for a while. Alas, I miss my helper B already. The person today got a somewhat good reference, but I'm thinking I should have read between the lines a bit more. The helper today was nice and well-meaning, but she was having a hard time. I don't know if she had done much house cleaning before, and I don't think she knew anything about pregnancy.

Some of the interesting approaches to cleaning included vacuuming while sitting down, using a can of aerosol rug cleaner on a 5x7 rug indoors (after I explained that I couldn't be around chemicals while pregnant), using a 1/5 bottle of concentrated dishwashing liquid for a half a pail of water, and that's only the beginning. Did I mention that she brought the vacuum back into the house so that she could empty it out? She was here less than 2 hours, and I haven't done as much work in my entire pregnancy!