Why can't every day, can't every day . . .
Tonight I have that Chris Rice song going through my head, "One of Those Days." "Why can't every day / be like today?"
Three! nights! in! a! row! of more sleep. Wow. That is really starting to make a difference. Not enough sleep, still, but a lot more. The progress in the right direction does help to raise my spirits. And, I drank water today until I thought I would float away. The downside is that it means so many more trips to the bathroom, but I really am beginning to feel better.
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Moms' group was enjoyable this morning. We had a special speaker talking about food and cooking, and then we made a craft--a magentic mini bulletin board, and 4 little magnets to put on it. There were all kinds of fun craft supplies and embellishments to use--paper, beads, ribbon, magnets, stamps, etc. We even made our own magnets by gluing pictures onto the backs of flattened decorative marbles. The same project looked so different with the various phrases, papers and decorations each woman chose.
Halfway through, my perfectionist self was thinking mine was turning out terribly and I wasn't going to like it. I was especially bothered by a slightly blurred stamping job on one of the letters, and the fact that my paper was just a hair crooked and one corner wasn't folded perfectly. Worst of all, I got some glue on the front of the ribbon. If you're at all a perfectionist, you know the feeling.
But I'm really pleased with the finished product. I like it. A lot. It's something I'll enjoy using and looking at, and it has a good message too.
I brought 15-year-old MH home with me afterwards, and we had lunch and then went to work in the kitchen while the two younger girls napped AJ read books in her room. I worked on decluttering and organizing and did dishes and laundry while MH vaccumed and mopped the kitchen and bathroom floors, dusted silk plants, cleaned the bathroom, wiped down all the kitchen counters, shined the kitchen cabinets with lemon oil, and washed windows in the kitchen and family room. In three hours.
My kitchen is well on its way to looking fabulous. Next, I need to start on the insides of things--cuboards, drawers, pantry, the refrigerator (no, I still haven't really cleaned it out beyond throwing away some things that had gotten old--but my stovetop still looks pretty good).
Yes, the impossible happened: I actually found TWO teenage girls who are both great workers, good at household tasks and wonderful with kids. The sisters are probably going to take turns coming every couple of weeks to help me for a few hours. And, MH is a little older and will soon be taking the Red Cross babysitting course, learning CPR, and getting her driver's license.
Don't even ask me who she is--I'm not sharing! This babysitter and sister team is mine, all mine. Well, okay, I guess everyone else in our home group kind of has the same idea. I suspect we'll all keep the girls quite busy.
Today was day two of AJ and MM being back to their normal sweet, cooperative, almost-too-good-to-be-true selves. They had their whiny moments, but overall they were cheerful and a joy to be around. The combination of no dairy, less sugar, and earlier bedtimes must be helping--that and the fact that I'm not as tired and so am more patient and fun to be around. :)
Yesterday they were helping me get ready for home group. They were eagerly jostling for the next task, and running off joyfully to do the little jobs I gave them.
A typical moment that stood out was when MM came running to me and said, "I'm all done putting the boxes in the garage, Mommy. Please may I have another job to do? Oh, thank you!"
Today we all went to the local whole foods/natural marketplace after dropping MH off. The girls were a little upset that they didn't get to ride in the cart, but that soon passed.
Baby E is sitting up so well now that I just wiped the cart down with an antibacterial wipe, strapped her in with the little waist strap and away we went. She smiled at everyone and grabbed at the edges of the cart, kicking her little legs and captivating anyone who dared to look at her with her big, sparkly grin.
AJ chatted to us and to people in the store, read packages to us and asked questions, while MM enjoyed helping pick out and carry the groceries. I discussed each purchase with the girls and they helped me decide what to get.
We had to make a couple of stops in the bathroom. Since we couldn't take the cart in the restroom and I hadn't brought in any kind of baby carrier, I was a bit unsure what I was going to do with the baby. I can use the toilet while holding the baby if I have to, but there was no way I could lift MM onto the toilet and help her while holding a wiggling 20-lb Baby E. So AJ sat carefully on the floor in the corner and held E while I helped MM, and then MM did the same while I helped AJ. I was a little nervous about it, but they did great.
They are finally getting to the age where their help is actually helpful. I feel like I've entered an entire new season of life.
We picked out cereal, some vitamins and supplements, and a few other things. They even helped me pick out some natural semi-permanent hair dye that I hope will cover some of my plentiful grey hair without giving me hives like normal dyes do. I can hardly wait to try it out.
Suddenly, I realized it was dinner time and we were hungry. So we walked around looking at all the available options in the deli, and finally decided that the chicken noodle soup looked good. We got one big bowl of it and three spoons, and dug in. It was delicious. The companionable cheeriness of the meal, and the smiles and helpful friendliness of everyone from the gentleman at the deli counter to the lady with a 2-year-old boy at the next table, made the food taste even better. Baby E, of course, nursed, cooed and tried to grab everything on the table while we sat there.
We were still hungry after the soup (the girls ate most of it--they have suddenly started liking soup lately!). So I found some dairy- and soy-free bread and bought it to add to the meal.
The deli clerk made a berry/grape smoothie and asked if he could give the girls a sample. There was hardly anyone else in the deli area, and he didn't have much to do, so he gave us generous samples and enjoyed watching the girls get it all over their faces eating it. The little cups of smoothie were perfect to round out our meal.
As he was ringing up the bread, he asked me if I was a single mom. The question was so unexpected that I had to ask him to repeat himself.
"No," I said, fiddling with my wedding ring. "My husband, their Daddy, is at a music rehearsal tonight. So I'm sort of a single mom tonight, just until bedtime. We're having a girls' night out."
On the way home, I told the girls how much I enjoyed being with them and how pleasant it made the outing when they were helpful, obedient and cheerful. We all agreed that we had a wonderful time and it was a great girls' night out.
We had such a good time that I ended up getting them to bed far too late. Not smart at all. I hope the late bedtime doesn't delay the progress we've all been making toward better health, energy and moods the last few days.
Now Baby E is asleep and I'm going to bed too!
Three! nights! in! a! row! of more sleep. Wow. That is really starting to make a difference. Not enough sleep, still, but a lot more. The progress in the right direction does help to raise my spirits. And, I drank water today until I thought I would float away. The downside is that it means so many more trips to the bathroom, but I really am beginning to feel better.
############################
Moms' group was enjoyable this morning. We had a special speaker talking about food and cooking, and then we made a craft--a magentic mini bulletin board, and 4 little magnets to put on it. There were all kinds of fun craft supplies and embellishments to use--paper, beads, ribbon, magnets, stamps, etc. We even made our own magnets by gluing pictures onto the backs of flattened decorative marbles. The same project looked so different with the various phrases, papers and decorations each woman chose.
Halfway through, my perfectionist self was thinking mine was turning out terribly and I wasn't going to like it. I was especially bothered by a slightly blurred stamping job on one of the letters, and the fact that my paper was just a hair crooked and one corner wasn't folded perfectly. Worst of all, I got some glue on the front of the ribbon. If you're at all a perfectionist, you know the feeling.
But I'm really pleased with the finished product. I like it. A lot. It's something I'll enjoy using and looking at, and it has a good message too.
I brought 15-year-old MH home with me afterwards, and we had lunch and then went to work in the kitchen while the two younger girls napped AJ read books in her room. I worked on decluttering and organizing and did dishes and laundry while MH vaccumed and mopped the kitchen and bathroom floors, dusted silk plants, cleaned the bathroom, wiped down all the kitchen counters, shined the kitchen cabinets with lemon oil, and washed windows in the kitchen and family room. In three hours.
My kitchen is well on its way to looking fabulous. Next, I need to start on the insides of things--cuboards, drawers, pantry, the refrigerator (no, I still haven't really cleaned it out beyond throwing away some things that had gotten old--but my stovetop still looks pretty good).
Yes, the impossible happened: I actually found TWO teenage girls who are both great workers, good at household tasks and wonderful with kids. The sisters are probably going to take turns coming every couple of weeks to help me for a few hours. And, MH is a little older and will soon be taking the Red Cross babysitting course, learning CPR, and getting her driver's license.
Don't even ask me who she is--I'm not sharing! This babysitter and sister team is mine, all mine. Well, okay, I guess everyone else in our home group kind of has the same idea. I suspect we'll all keep the girls quite busy.
Today was day two of AJ and MM being back to their normal sweet, cooperative, almost-too-good-to-be-true selves. They had their whiny moments, but overall they were cheerful and a joy to be around. The combination of no dairy, less sugar, and earlier bedtimes must be helping--that and the fact that I'm not as tired and so am more patient and fun to be around. :)
Yesterday they were helping me get ready for home group. They were eagerly jostling for the next task, and running off joyfully to do the little jobs I gave them.
A typical moment that stood out was when MM came running to me and said, "I'm all done putting the boxes in the garage, Mommy. Please may I have another job to do? Oh, thank you!"
Today we all went to the local whole foods/natural marketplace after dropping MH off. The girls were a little upset that they didn't get to ride in the cart, but that soon passed.
Baby E is sitting up so well now that I just wiped the cart down with an antibacterial wipe, strapped her in with the little waist strap and away we went. She smiled at everyone and grabbed at the edges of the cart, kicking her little legs and captivating anyone who dared to look at her with her big, sparkly grin.
AJ chatted to us and to people in the store, read packages to us and asked questions, while MM enjoyed helping pick out and carry the groceries. I discussed each purchase with the girls and they helped me decide what to get.
We had to make a couple of stops in the bathroom. Since we couldn't take the cart in the restroom and I hadn't brought in any kind of baby carrier, I was a bit unsure what I was going to do with the baby. I can use the toilet while holding the baby if I have to, but there was no way I could lift MM onto the toilet and help her while holding a wiggling 20-lb Baby E. So AJ sat carefully on the floor in the corner and held E while I helped MM, and then MM did the same while I helped AJ. I was a little nervous about it, but they did great.
They are finally getting to the age where their help is actually helpful. I feel like I've entered an entire new season of life.
We picked out cereal, some vitamins and supplements, and a few other things. They even helped me pick out some natural semi-permanent hair dye that I hope will cover some of my plentiful grey hair without giving me hives like normal dyes do. I can hardly wait to try it out.
Suddenly, I realized it was dinner time and we were hungry. So we walked around looking at all the available options in the deli, and finally decided that the chicken noodle soup looked good. We got one big bowl of it and three spoons, and dug in. It was delicious. The companionable cheeriness of the meal, and the smiles and helpful friendliness of everyone from the gentleman at the deli counter to the lady with a 2-year-old boy at the next table, made the food taste even better. Baby E, of course, nursed, cooed and tried to grab everything on the table while we sat there.
We were still hungry after the soup (the girls ate most of it--they have suddenly started liking soup lately!). So I found some dairy- and soy-free bread and bought it to add to the meal.
The deli clerk made a berry/grape smoothie and asked if he could give the girls a sample. There was hardly anyone else in the deli area, and he didn't have much to do, so he gave us generous samples and enjoyed watching the girls get it all over their faces eating it. The little cups of smoothie were perfect to round out our meal.
As he was ringing up the bread, he asked me if I was a single mom. The question was so unexpected that I had to ask him to repeat himself.
"No," I said, fiddling with my wedding ring. "My husband, their Daddy, is at a music rehearsal tonight. So I'm sort of a single mom tonight, just until bedtime. We're having a girls' night out."
On the way home, I told the girls how much I enjoyed being with them and how pleasant it made the outing when they were helpful, obedient and cheerful. We all agreed that we had a wonderful time and it was a great girls' night out.
We had such a good time that I ended up getting them to bed far too late. Not smart at all. I hope the late bedtime doesn't delay the progress we've all been making toward better health, energy and moods the last few days.
Now Baby E is asleep and I'm going to bed too!
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Posted by purple_kangaroo at 10:19 PM[Permanent link]
3 Comments:
Huh, strange about the single mom question...
And YAY for Sleep and Help and Cool Crafts!!!!
WOOO HOOOO!
Sounds so fun! :-)
I have a keen interest in soup as well. Beautiful writing. Thanks for sharing your day. :)
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