Five Good Things

1.) I went on vacation. It was glorious.

2.) I might be back from the vacay, but hey – makes for a four-day week.

3.) My rowing team gets back on the water soon. This is way better than indoor training.

4.) Spring has pretty much sprung. I replaced my mukluks with my galoshes.

5.) After a lot of debate within myself, I managed to put together a really fair proposal for some extra stuff work wants from me. I feel like I am being fair to both of us and will be comfortable with whether or not they accept my proposal

Currently Reading…

One of the great things about my job is that it allows me a fair amount of “my choice” reading time – on the clock.  Because I’m a huge dork, I’m currently reading (yet another) book about Tudor England: The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir.  Yesterday, I got sidetracked and did not put my book away before getting the peanut up from her nap.  (Aside: Really glad I’m a huge dork.)

Ever aware, Peanut spotted it and asked me what was on her coffee table.  I make it a point to be as honest as possible with the kids, but also know my audience, so simplified my answer.  “That is the book I am reading.  It is about those two girls, who are princesses, and their brother, who is a prince.  The other girl is their cousin.”

one prince, two princesses, and their cousin

Peanut nodded and moved on to her own books…which just so happen to also about princes and princesses.   D’oh.  Whatever.  My prince, princesses, and their cousin are cooler.

Aside #2: I am aware that Jane Grey was the grandniece, not child, of Henry VIII and her inclusion on the cover bothers me.

Cold Weather Survival Tip: Kids and Cold

Single-digit weather is not the perkiest extended forecast.  I get chronic cabin fever and my usual winter fun activities are less fun – and at a certain point unsafe – when the temperatures plummet.  Most children share that afflication with me, but there’s a point at which I suspect staying inside with the kids becomes more dangerous than streaking in -80F temps would be.  Thankfully, my extended forecast isn’t that miserable, but the next few days are more than cold enough.  Thankfully #2, I’m not working this weekend, so only have one day of ubercold to strategize.  Here are ten tips to beat the cold and the crazies from/with the kids

Product Recall!

I monitor product recalls because it is my job and because I am Major General Safety.  I am going to win the war against stupid; safety is no accident. 

I get the recall notices for pretty much everything (I’m on the general list) and the recalls pertaining to children’s products twice (I’m on that list too).  Today I got a recall for pajamas, by which I mean I got it twice.  Here’s the defective product:

Five Good Things

1.) I got a new job.  I highly suspect it will be a fantastic job.

2.) I hosted a potluck over the weekend, which was both delicious and fun.  I did end up with a stomach ache, but I expected that and bought Tums ahead of time.

3.) At said potluck, there were no recycling-trash errors and it took less than an hour to clean up.  GOOD WORK FRIENDS!

4.) One of my favorite dogs turned one year old on Sunday.  Because he is a dog and I am a person, I got to eat delicious cake.  Pupples got to eat puppy cake.

5.) My computer got a horrible, nasty virus over the holidays (hence the silence) but it is fixed (thanks friend!) and pretty much back to normal.  Like.

Five Good Things

1.) My college friends and I had our tenth anniversary Christmas celebration.  While I wish I got to see them more often, but I’m glad we have a standing, annual reunion.  (And we’re totally going to submit a picture to our alum magazine.  We’re aging well.)

2.) I get to see my old nanny kids today!  They are wonderful and amazing, probably because those same adjectives apply to their parents.  It’s on the way to my family’s Christmas location, so I’m spending a couple of days with them first.

3.) I get to see some of my family for Christmas!  While we are going to have to call those that cannot make it, the group of us that will be together should have a blast.

4.) Family Christmas is being held in a much, much warmer state than the tundra.  Like, I-packed-a-different-jacket warmer.

5.) While I rarely check suitcases, the length and climates of this trip (along   with the packed gifts) required me to do so.  My suitcase?  It weighs 49lbs.  (There’s an additional charge for exceeding 50lbs.)

Five Good Things

1.) I have a Diet Coke habit.  I like the DC in the afternoon, usually while the kidlets nap.  To support my habit, I bring a DC with me to work pretty much every day.  My current employers noticed and started stocking DC for me.   I recently switched to bike commuting and while a can of soda is neither large nor heavy, it’s really nice to have one less thing to pack and carry in the mornings.

2.) I leave for Thanksgiving vacation tomorrow!  It is going to be fantastic.

3.) A little over a week ago, I started selling things I don’t want ebay.  Today I broke $100 in sales!

4.) I found – and bought – a fantastic Christmas gift for my stepmom.  This  is my third BIG WIN Christmas gift purchase of the season.  I often end up with safety gifts for my stepmom, so it’s especially nice that I found something unique for her this year.

5.) I don’t have to work at all this week!  (Hence why I get to leave for vacation Tuesday morning, ha.)

Five Good Things

1.) I love to sleep in; I’m naturally a night person.  (Ask me how that works with rowing.)  Falling back over the weekend was fantastic and I am still enjoying that extra hour of sleep.  As a special bonus, the kiddos received the memo about the time change and made the shift flawlessly.

2.) My dinner tonight consisted of mulled wine, cheese, and ice cream.   This is okay because I am a grown-up adult and can do whatever I want.  Whatever, my bloodwork is fantastic.  I’m more likely to die because I did a bad job crossing the street (the drivers of the tundra are le horrid) than due to severe scurvy.  (How bad does scurvy have to get to be fatal?)

3.) Not only did my tuberculosis clear up, but it’s nice enough to go outside and enjoy my recovered lung capacity!   It’s pretty much our third Indian Summer and I am not complaining.

4.) Later this week, some of my friends and I are going to improv.  The concept?  Personal ads and missed connections from craigslist.  Can’t wait. 

5.) Scrabble is on sale at Toys R Us and there is a rebate on it from Hasbro.  I’m totally hosting a Scrabble Tournament this winter (with bracket) so took advantage of this one.

Presents!

I bought a birthday present for one of my favorite little people.  I’m feeling a bit guilty about it as it is one of those gifts that can be kind of annoying for the adults involved.  Honestly, a lot of presents for kids are annoying in some capacity; even Legos lose their allure when stepped on with a bare foot.   Regardless of what the parents think, I think I got the little guy a pretty kickass birthday gift.  In addition to catering to his interests, it also hits on a developmental area in which he has “potential for further growth and development.”   At least I didn’t get him a drum set; he would not like that anyway.

Rumors Around the Bottle Warmer…

At work, we sometimes hang around the traditional water cooler, but more often we cluster around the bottle warmer. The word around the warming milk (and the train tracks…and the board books…and the half-eaten crayons…) is that EVERYONE HAS A BELLY BUTTON. Breaking news, I know.

Since the discovery of navels is new and novel, there is some concern that they might not be a permanent. Ergo, the munchkins have appointed themselves Keeper of the Belly Buttons, performing frequent spot checks to insure that no navel absconds. In practical terms, this means that at any place and at any time, a little person might lift my shirt and poke for my belly button. In addition to finding my belly button, there’s also a fair amount of belly (no button) that I hide under my shirt.