I began the arduous process of sorting through J's clothes to weed out the 2T and bring out the 3T. I finished pulling out all her adorable 2T clothing that she will not wear again, folded them neatly and carefully placed them in a bag to pass on to my sister. I then opened the boxes labeled 3T girls, almost giddy with anticipation at what her new set of hand-me-down clothing will look like, only to discover that I had MISlabeled them oh so long ago - they were atually all 2T!!!
Any chance any of you have any 3T girl's clothing lying about, ready to be passed on?!!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Highlights at Home
Haven't really been updating much recently, and I know you faithful readers are just dying to know what's been going on. I've heard from a few of you that you've been trying to leave comments and blogger hasn't been cooperating. Could you please e-mail me if that has happened to you? I'm trying to figure out how widespread a problem this is. Thanks!
Anyway, just got back from the first storytime that I led. So much fun! The children's librarian at my local library had called me a few weeks ago to see if I would be willing to lead an infant/toddler storytime this summer for eight weeks. Uh, YEAH!!! I know I'm weird, but this is my idea of fun! And it was - I had a great time. Today is my day to myself (love having DH home for the summer) so I had a bunch of errands to run after the library. Only problem was that DH accidentally took BOTH sets of keys this morning when he left to take all three kids to the zoo. I know, how angry can I get at a man willing to take three children under the age of six to the zoo by himself? But still! Luckily the library is close enough that I could walk, and since I slept in later than I had wanted and missed taking my morning walk, it all worked out as it should. But that didn't stop me from thinking of multiple ways I can seek my revenge after I ransacked my house looking for the keys that I KNEW I had put in the basket where they belonged last night and was now hurridly walking to the library so I wouldn't be late to my first storytime ever when DH called to apologetically tell me that he had both sets of keys. Did you follow that sentence? I'm not sure I did, but I don't feel like going back to revise it. Moving on.
Had A's IEP meeting for kindergarten and was pleasantly surprised. They will provide him with a 1 on 1 aide (YES!) to help him with transitions and social cues and focusing, and lots of other stuff, plus OT, PT, social skills instruction will all be given during the school day so I won't have to drive him anywhere in the afternoon. Since I'm not concerned with his academics at this point, I have no problem with him being pulled for about 20% of the week for help with these other areas. It might be a problem later down the line, but I'm trying to focus on one thing at a time.
Camp starts Monday (YES!) and while we had some concern about a screw-up, A will have a full-time shadow while at camp. All three kids will be going and I think they're going to love it, though I have some concern about J since she was still having a problem in June with me dropping her off in the morning at school. She was fine within minutes, but that initial drop off was tough. Maybe it will be easier since the counselors pick up the kids from the car, and she'll be getting out with her brothers. There is a BBQ tonight at the camp so the kids can see what it looks like and meet their counselors and the other kids. Hopefully it goes smoothly since DH has to work and I'll be flying solo.
I have lots more that I could write about but have a lot I want to try to do at home since I have the house to myself for the time being. Loyal readers, I'll try to get back in the habit of writing every day. It's better for me, and for all of you living vicariously through me.
Anyway, just got back from the first storytime that I led. So much fun! The children's librarian at my local library had called me a few weeks ago to see if I would be willing to lead an infant/toddler storytime this summer for eight weeks. Uh, YEAH!!! I know I'm weird, but this is my idea of fun! And it was - I had a great time. Today is my day to myself (love having DH home for the summer) so I had a bunch of errands to run after the library. Only problem was that DH accidentally took BOTH sets of keys this morning when he left to take all three kids to the zoo. I know, how angry can I get at a man willing to take three children under the age of six to the zoo by himself? But still! Luckily the library is close enough that I could walk, and since I slept in later than I had wanted and missed taking my morning walk, it all worked out as it should. But that didn't stop me from thinking of multiple ways I can seek my revenge after I ransacked my house looking for the keys that I KNEW I had put in the basket where they belonged last night and was now hurridly walking to the library so I wouldn't be late to my first storytime ever when DH called to apologetically tell me that he had both sets of keys. Did you follow that sentence? I'm not sure I did, but I don't feel like going back to revise it. Moving on.
Had A's IEP meeting for kindergarten and was pleasantly surprised. They will provide him with a 1 on 1 aide (YES!) to help him with transitions and social cues and focusing, and lots of other stuff, plus OT, PT, social skills instruction will all be given during the school day so I won't have to drive him anywhere in the afternoon. Since I'm not concerned with his academics at this point, I have no problem with him being pulled for about 20% of the week for help with these other areas. It might be a problem later down the line, but I'm trying to focus on one thing at a time.
Camp starts Monday (YES!) and while we had some concern about a screw-up, A will have a full-time shadow while at camp. All three kids will be going and I think they're going to love it, though I have some concern about J since she was still having a problem in June with me dropping her off in the morning at school. She was fine within minutes, but that initial drop off was tough. Maybe it will be easier since the counselors pick up the kids from the car, and she'll be getting out with her brothers. There is a BBQ tonight at the camp so the kids can see what it looks like and meet their counselors and the other kids. Hopefully it goes smoothly since DH has to work and I'll be flying solo.
I have lots more that I could write about but have a lot I want to try to do at home since I have the house to myself for the time being. Loyal readers, I'll try to get back in the habit of writing every day. It's better for me, and for all of you living vicariously through me.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Kid song
Does anyone else remember learning this song in school? I'm looking for the second verse.
Batteries Not Included
I saw a talking dolly
On my tv screen
She danced around in her pretty clothes
Like you have never seen
I asked my mom to order one
What came was just absurd
She lay on her back in a bathing suit
And never said a doggone word
Batteries not included
Accessories sold separately
Somehow things don't look the same
As they show you on tv.
I think the next verse has to do with an army truck for the brother but I can't remember. Anyone know this song?
Batteries Not Included
I saw a talking dolly
On my tv screen
She danced around in her pretty clothes
Like you have never seen
I asked my mom to order one
What came was just absurd
She lay on her back in a bathing suit
And never said a doggone word
Batteries not included
Accessories sold separately
Somehow things don't look the same
As they show you on tv.
I think the next verse has to do with an army truck for the brother but I can't remember. Anyone know this song?
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Lots and lots of goals
After reading this post on The Domestic Goddess' blog I decided to create some goals for myself as well, beyond the goals I wrote about in my last post. So here goes:
Business Goals
1) Four parties and/or shows per month (preferably two parties on two Saturdays a month)
2) Pay back original investment from our checking account
3) Devote at least 30 minutes a day to business (during the kids' "quiet time")
4) Return all phone calls/e-mails within 24 hours (I hate using the phone, but I have to get over it - I've already lost some parties because of this!)
5) Confirm party details one week before each party/show (Parents just like to hear from me to make sure I'm still coming or they start to panic.)
6) Send thank you letters/referral info to the parents after each party
Household Goals
1) Establish routines and complete them EACH DAY
2) Do some of my WHB each day (10 minutes each)
3) Have clean up time with kids before quiet time and before bedtime. (They need to learn how to pick up after themselves and it would save the house from being trashed by the end of the day.)
1) Go upstairs by 9, in bed by 9:30, asleep by 10 (clearly I need this spelled out for me)
2) Get up by 7 (9 hours might seem like a lot, but I definitely need at least 8, so aiming for 9 seems like a good idea for me. I would love to see how I do with a good night's sleep all summer.) 3) Finish before bed routine while the kids are still awake. Once they're in bed, it's too easy or me to just crash on the couch. This way I can get them to help me (in theory).
4) Complete a basic skin care routine twice a day. (I'm getting older - I need to take care of my face!)
5) Exercise every day (All year I've complained that I would love to go walking in the morning before the kids are up but can't because DH leaves for work so early. His Mother's Day gift to me is that he will get up with the kids every single day during the summer - isn't he the best?!! - so I have no excuse not to do this.)
6) Use SparkPeople to keep track of food intake
Okay, so I'm starting these goals tomorrow. Anyone else up for setting some goals for themselves?
Business Goals
1) Four parties and/or shows per month (preferably two parties on two Saturdays a month)
2) Pay back original investment from our checking account
3) Devote at least 30 minutes a day to business (during the kids' "quiet time")
4) Return all phone calls/e-mails within 24 hours (I hate using the phone, but I have to get over it - I've already lost some parties because of this!)
5) Confirm party details one week before each party/show (Parents just like to hear from me to make sure I'm still coming or they start to panic.)
6) Send thank you letters/referral info to the parents after each party
Household Goals
1) Establish routines and complete them EACH DAY
2) Do some of my WHB each day (10 minutes each)
3) Have clean up time with kids before quiet time and before bedtime. (They need to learn how to pick up after themselves and it would save the house from being trashed by the end of the day.)
Volunteer Goals - I now am doing the newsletters for both of my mom's groups (MOMS Club and Mothers and More).
1) Create deadlines for both clubs and for myself so everyone submits info for both newsletters in a timely manner
2) Do a little bit each week on both newsletters
1) Go upstairs by 9, in bed by 9:30, asleep by 10 (clearly I need this spelled out for me)
2) Get up by 7 (9 hours might seem like a lot, but I definitely need at least 8, so aiming for 9 seems like a good idea for me. I would love to see how I do with a good night's sleep all summer.) 3) Finish before bed routine while the kids are still awake. Once they're in bed, it's too easy or me to just crash on the couch. This way I can get them to help me (in theory).
4) Complete a basic skin care routine twice a day. (I'm getting older - I need to take care of my face!)
5) Exercise every day (All year I've complained that I would love to go walking in the morning before the kids are up but can't because DH leaves for work so early. His Mother's Day gift to me is that he will get up with the kids every single day during the summer - isn't he the best?!! - so I have no excuse not to do this.)
6) Use SparkPeople to keep track of food intake
Okay, so I'm starting these goals tomorrow. Anyone else up for setting some goals for themselves?
Friday, June 08, 2007
Summer Goals
Today was the last day of preschool for the kids. The summer has officially begun. I have to admit that I was one of those corny moms who actually cried watching the Rabbi and Cantor bless all the Pre-K kids who are "graduating" while they stood on the bimah under the Chuppah (the special canopy) the names of everyone in the class on a new ribbon hanging from it. So sweet.
Anyway, now I'm thinking about summer and our plans. We are sending all three kids to a local JCC (Jewish Community Center) from 9-1 five mornings a week for the whole summer beginning June 25. DH will be home for the summer as well since he is a teacher. I will be teaching at a writing camp (PA Writing and Literature Writing Project Camp) for the afternoons in July, but DH and I will have lots of time every morning this summer to do lots of stuff together. I am SO looking forward to this time!!!
Now that I have my upcoming teaching job at the kids' preschool beginning in September, I'm trying to decide if I can continue the other teaching jobs as well (Religious School for Kindergarten on Sundays, Hebrew School, and our Preschool Shabbat Program for parents and kids). It sounds like a lot, but it really only comes to 25.5 hours a week. I'm trying to figure out if I can do it all (since I REALLY LOVE doing them all) and not get overwhelmed, plus continue marketing, planning, and doing my new business.
Here's my idea: if I can use some, even half of my time this summer planning out my school years, I can do it. It's the planning that gets me, the prep work, but not the teaching.
Now some of you reading this might be thinking why would I want to spend so much of my free time WITHOUT kids planning my school year. Before DH and I had kids, when we were both teaching full-time, we used to spend our Saturday mornings hanging out at Borders doing our school work. I know, we're dorks. But at least we got out of the house, spent time together, and got our work done. This summer, DH is in charge or rewriting his district's 12-3 English curriculum (for the seniors who are not on the college track, that are struggling). He has some exciting ideas, but will need a lot of time to plan it out and do all the reading of young adult literature he needs to do to prepare. I can picture the two of us hanging out at different coffee shops/book stores, doing our planning and hanging out. I'm getting excited just thinking about it!! And if I'm able to plan out all the units that I plan on teaching in preschool, Hebrew school, religious school, AND plan out all projects for the Shabbat program, I will feel so great and ahead of the game.
I'm hoping we can do some house projects this summer, some really fun ones like cleaning out the basement and the attic. But I'll think more about that later, after I get a chance to go over my ideas above with DH. For now, I have to watch my imaginative children act out their version of Fetch with Ruff Ruffman.
Anyway, now I'm thinking about summer and our plans. We are sending all three kids to a local JCC (Jewish Community Center) from 9-1 five mornings a week for the whole summer beginning June 25. DH will be home for the summer as well since he is a teacher. I will be teaching at a writing camp (PA Writing and Literature Writing Project Camp) for the afternoons in July, but DH and I will have lots of time every morning this summer to do lots of stuff together. I am SO looking forward to this time!!!
Now that I have my upcoming teaching job at the kids' preschool beginning in September, I'm trying to decide if I can continue the other teaching jobs as well (Religious School for Kindergarten on Sundays, Hebrew School, and our Preschool Shabbat Program for parents and kids). It sounds like a lot, but it really only comes to 25.5 hours a week. I'm trying to figure out if I can do it all (since I REALLY LOVE doing them all) and not get overwhelmed, plus continue marketing, planning, and doing my new business.
Here's my idea: if I can use some, even half of my time this summer planning out my school years, I can do it. It's the planning that gets me, the prep work, but not the teaching.
Now some of you reading this might be thinking why would I want to spend so much of my free time WITHOUT kids planning my school year. Before DH and I had kids, when we were both teaching full-time, we used to spend our Saturday mornings hanging out at Borders doing our school work. I know, we're dorks. But at least we got out of the house, spent time together, and got our work done. This summer, DH is in charge or rewriting his district's 12-3 English curriculum (for the seniors who are not on the college track, that are struggling). He has some exciting ideas, but will need a lot of time to plan it out and do all the reading of young adult literature he needs to do to prepare. I can picture the two of us hanging out at different coffee shops/book stores, doing our planning and hanging out. I'm getting excited just thinking about it!! And if I'm able to plan out all the units that I plan on teaching in preschool, Hebrew school, religious school, AND plan out all projects for the Shabbat program, I will feel so great and ahead of the game.
I'm hoping we can do some house projects this summer, some really fun ones like cleaning out the basement and the attic. But I'll think more about that later, after I get a chance to go over my ideas above with DH. For now, I have to watch my imaginative children act out their version of Fetch with Ruff Ruffman.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Kicking Depression in the Butt
I fought back yesterday and ultimately did fairly well.
My calorie goal each day is between 1200-1500; I stayed below 1300.
I took the kids out for a "scavenger hunt" around a few blocks. They ran to the next object (a sign with four letters, a baseketball hoop, etc.) and I jogged to keep up. Nice exercise!
J actually did a good job helping me tackle each room for ten minutes. Upstairs she picked up all clothes on the floor, downstairs she put away each toy I put on the coffee table. It kept me motivated and I was able to clean up a lot.
I set up my financial stuff on the laptop so I'll be able to balance the checkbook dowstairs with the kids, even outside if we want.
I'm about to do my Weekly Home Blessing; since I cleaned up the floors/trash yesterday with J, I should be able to stick to 10 minutes per task. And I just made plans to meet tonight with a friend from the community theater that I have worked at a lot to get Annie costumes for the party I'm doing this Saturday.
I was very productive yesterday, and for me productivity keeps the depression at bay. Gotta keep moving so I can be equally productive today.
My calorie goal each day is between 1200-1500; I stayed below 1300.
I took the kids out for a "scavenger hunt" around a few blocks. They ran to the next object (a sign with four letters, a baseketball hoop, etc.) and I jogged to keep up. Nice exercise!
J actually did a good job helping me tackle each room for ten minutes. Upstairs she picked up all clothes on the floor, downstairs she put away each toy I put on the coffee table. It kept me motivated and I was able to clean up a lot.
I set up my financial stuff on the laptop so I'll be able to balance the checkbook dowstairs with the kids, even outside if we want.
I got a call from my local library asking me to do the baby/toddler story time this summer, eight weeks, 30 minutes a session, paid, of course. Love that they thought of me!
I met with a friend from the MOMS Club to learn how to do the newsletter since I'll be taking that over in July (don't yell at me, Kathy!). We worked together to come up with deadlines for everyone involved so it won't come down to a last minute rush trying to pull everything together. Plus I have the two newsletters that I do on alternating weeks, so I won't ever have to pull them both together at the same time. I really enjoy creating the newsletters, and since I have everything on the laptop, I can work on it around the kids without a problem.I'm about to do my Weekly Home Blessing; since I cleaned up the floors/trash yesterday with J, I should be able to stick to 10 minutes per task. And I just made plans to meet tonight with a friend from the community theater that I have worked at a lot to get Annie costumes for the party I'm doing this Saturday.
I was very productive yesterday, and for me productivity keeps the depression at bay. Gotta keep moving so I can be equally productive today.
Monday, June 04, 2007
I Keep Fighting
Depression is just kicking my butt.
It's such a Catch-22: I don't do well with time on my hands. I find I typically don't get done what I had planned to get done, instead escaping in a book or sleeping. It's really hard to get the energy to fight through the veil that depression pulls me down with, even harder when I'm by myself. So I keep myself busy. And in doing that, I end up getting overwhelmed by the stuff around the house that I don't get to and all tha I have to do. I can't seem to find a happy medium.
And so. I have written a very detailed to do list for today (at my new favorite site: www.tadalists.com) and will keep the computer open to my list. I really need to push myself today because I once again did not go to bed when I should have and am extra tired today. I think if I allowed myself I could go back to bed and sleep all day. Real productive, right? The state of the house is driving me crazy, so I know I'll feel so much better if I tackle it.
I just want to get to the point where I'm NOT playing constant catch-up. How do I get ahead? I know my Flylady friends would say "babysteps" but I want instant results.
I checked out another website yesterday called Messies Anonymous and they suggested if the house was REALLY bad (which mine is not) you should buy six white cardboard storage boxes and go through each room picking up everything and putting it in one of the boxes (marked Papers, etc.). At least then everything would be out of sight. Then you can tackle one box at a time. I've tried variations of this, but don't usually end up getting to the box or basket for a long, long time so I end up with baskets of clutter just sitting around for weeks and weeks. But what if I could do this and actually tackle them in a timely manner? Heck, what if I could do this once and then not need to do it again?!
Alright enough complaining. Boy, you guys who do read my bog regularly must be so sick of hearing about it: I'm depressed, blah, blah, blah, I can't get my butt in gear, blah, blah, blah, I don't have my eating under control, blah, blah, blah, my house is a mess, blah, blah, blah. I'm sick of thinking it - you must be sick of reading it. It would be so much easier to just say forget about it all and just escape in some way (reading, sleeping, etc.) but clearly I can't do that.
So here we go, fighting through another day.
It's such a Catch-22: I don't do well with time on my hands. I find I typically don't get done what I had planned to get done, instead escaping in a book or sleeping. It's really hard to get the energy to fight through the veil that depression pulls me down with, even harder when I'm by myself. So I keep myself busy. And in doing that, I end up getting overwhelmed by the stuff around the house that I don't get to and all tha I have to do. I can't seem to find a happy medium.
And so. I have written a very detailed to do list for today (at my new favorite site: www.tadalists.com) and will keep the computer open to my list. I really need to push myself today because I once again did not go to bed when I should have and am extra tired today. I think if I allowed myself I could go back to bed and sleep all day. Real productive, right? The state of the house is driving me crazy, so I know I'll feel so much better if I tackle it.
I just want to get to the point where I'm NOT playing constant catch-up. How do I get ahead? I know my Flylady friends would say "babysteps" but I want instant results.
I checked out another website yesterday called Messies Anonymous and they suggested if the house was REALLY bad (which mine is not) you should buy six white cardboard storage boxes and go through each room picking up everything and putting it in one of the boxes (marked Papers, etc.). At least then everything would be out of sight. Then you can tackle one box at a time. I've tried variations of this, but don't usually end up getting to the box or basket for a long, long time so I end up with baskets of clutter just sitting around for weeks and weeks. But what if I could do this and actually tackle them in a timely manner? Heck, what if I could do this once and then not need to do it again?!
Alright enough complaining. Boy, you guys who do read my bog regularly must be so sick of hearing about it: I'm depressed, blah, blah, blah, I can't get my butt in gear, blah, blah, blah, I don't have my eating under control, blah, blah, blah, my house is a mess, blah, blah, blah. I'm sick of thinking it - you must be sick of reading it. It would be so much easier to just say forget about it all and just escape in some way (reading, sleeping, etc.) but clearly I can't do that.
So here we go, fighting through another day.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Uh-Oh
Words you don't want to hear after the toilet has been flushed three times quickly in succession:
"I put all the wipes in the potty. Sorry."
"I put all the wipes in the potty. Sorry."
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Live and Learn
Next time I write a contract for a party, I need to spell this out:
I will arrive at your house a few minutes before the party begins. I will be ready to begin at the contracted time and will engage the children for a full hour. If you need me to stay later due to late arrivals, wanting me to stay for pictures, or any other reason, there will be a charge of $25 for each additional fifteen minutes.
Today's party went great, but I agreed to wait an additional five minutes to begin past 3 (my first mistake). I then attempted to do all the activities I bought, even though the younger girls clearly wanted to linger on their tierras (they had already spent about 20+ minutes on it) and the older girls wanted to continue painting their fingernails. Even when 4 had come and gone, I was still pushing them to finish their make-up (the older girls) or selecting their dresses (the younger girls). I had promised they would get to do a fashion show, so I had to allow that to happen. When the party was over, the parents asked me if I would mind waiting for the cake so they could take a picture of all the "princesses" in their dresses with the cake. It didn't seem that time consuming, so even though it was already 4:30, I agreed. Well, the dad had to run to get the ice cream cake from the store across the street still!!! At 4:50 we were finally singing Happy Birthday (three whole verses!), then the girls took the dresses off and I could finally go home. ARGH!!!
Since I didn't have anything about staying past the contracted time in writing, I didn't think it was a good idea for me to push it. I really wanted this family to recommend me to their friends.
But I will definitely make sure I have something in writing for the next contract I write.
And as always, please keep me in mind for your child's birthday party (www.missrachel.net)!
I will arrive at your house a few minutes before the party begins. I will be ready to begin at the contracted time and will engage the children for a full hour. If you need me to stay later due to late arrivals, wanting me to stay for pictures, or any other reason, there will be a charge of $25 for each additional fifteen minutes.
Today's party went great, but I agreed to wait an additional five minutes to begin past 3 (my first mistake). I then attempted to do all the activities I bought, even though the younger girls clearly wanted to linger on their tierras (they had already spent about 20+ minutes on it) and the older girls wanted to continue painting their fingernails. Even when 4 had come and gone, I was still pushing them to finish their make-up (the older girls) or selecting their dresses (the younger girls). I had promised they would get to do a fashion show, so I had to allow that to happen. When the party was over, the parents asked me if I would mind waiting for the cake so they could take a picture of all the "princesses" in their dresses with the cake. It didn't seem that time consuming, so even though it was already 4:30, I agreed. Well, the dad had to run to get the ice cream cake from the store across the street still!!! At 4:50 we were finally singing Happy Birthday (three whole verses!), then the girls took the dresses off and I could finally go home. ARGH!!!
Since I didn't have anything about staying past the contracted time in writing, I didn't think it was a good idea for me to push it. I really wanted this family to recommend me to their friends.
But I will definitely make sure I have something in writing for the next contract I write.
And as always, please keep me in mind for your child's birthday party (www.missrachel.net)!
Friday, June 01, 2007
So very tired
My weight is going in the wrong direction. Have to stop this emotional eating. I start the day with the best of intentions and then stop keeping track as the day goes by. That stops today. It has to - I'm sick of this!
I'm just tired. All I want to do is sleep. I don't even want to interact with the kids. Just want to sleep. And I can't, of course.
It looks like J's allergies have progressed into a full blown cold. She keeps crying, "I can't breathe!" because her nose is all stuffy. And mine keeps running too so I don't feel like blowing her nose along with mine.
Well, I'm super negative today. I'm drinking my chai tea which will hopefully help me wake up. And I'm going to try to keep busy today, even though all I want to do is sleep.
I'm just tired. All I want to do is sleep. I don't even want to interact with the kids. Just want to sleep. And I can't, of course.
It looks like J's allergies have progressed into a full blown cold. She keeps crying, "I can't breathe!" because her nose is all stuffy. And mine keeps running too so I don't feel like blowing her nose along with mine.
Well, I'm super negative today. I'm drinking my chai tea which will hopefully help me wake up. And I'm going to try to keep busy today, even though all I want to do is sleep.
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