* Made real strawberry popsicles the other day. Not enough sugar or food processing. Kinda sour, not that great. Remade them today with more sugar, a bit of strawberry yogurt and lots of blending and they were SO good. Next time I eat one, I'll take a pic and blog. Not much of a recipe though. I mixed them up unti they tasted good.
*It's a summer christmas around here. At least it seems like it. Between Father's Day, two nephew's birthdays, Avalon and Jeff's birthday, the 4th of July and our anniversary, it gets a little spendy around here. But I love buying gifts for people.
* Bought software in order to make a will and all that other important things that should be done. Here's to being an adult!
* Down a total of 48 lbs this week. Since this last 4 came off rather quickly, I'd say the next few will probably not come as quickly.
*Got my hair done this week. And it looks awesome! And I don't mind saying.
*I'm on Season 8 of 24. I'm not enjoying this season at all but kind of feel like I should finish since I have so much time invested in it. But then I'll need another new series to start. I like to stream Netflix at the Y while I exercise. So if you have any good suggestions that you'd reccommend, I appreciate it.
*So far my summer exercise schedule has allowed me the time to workout. That alone leaves me a lot less stressed. Not that I'm feeling too stressed lately. Things have been going swimmingly.
*This summer seems to be flying by. I kind of wanted to take advantage of summer and no set schedules but so far it seems we've kept busy and it's almost July. This weather does make things seem off. I'm not complaining. I kinda like the cooler weather.
*Trying to schedule a trip to Yellowstone. Penciled in the 20th of August or so. Trying to pencil in a family trip to Seeley Lake and maybe another for just Avalon and I.
* Jeff's thinking about going to Sturgis. We've been debating a Vegas trip but don't think that'll be possible. Jeff's running out of vacation since we took a trip to Oregon.
*Since our little issue with Avalon's behavior that I detailed in an earlier blog, things have been going great with her. She always says to me when I get after her, "I sorry. Let's be a team." Warms my heart. And after witnessing the neighbor kid, Avalon is a saint!
* My dog has been eating entirely too much birdseed from beneath the bird feeders. It finally caught up with him today and has been sick multiple times. I go from pity to fury. I feel sorry for him because I know he feels horrible. But with every mess that has to be cleaned up, I get a little bit more mad that the idiot is such a glutton.
* Today at Albertson's I used a check out lady that I'm pretty familiar with as I'm there about once a week of more. She mentioned today about how big Avalon is getting. And when I mentioned that she would be four in a couple weeks, she was shocked saying, "I remember you bringing her in as a baby." Aww, me too. I can't believe she is getting so big. I do love that so many of the places she and I go are familiar with us and know our names. In fact, she calls the people at Target Pharmacy, "My friends."
* The other day someone helped us at the Target pharamcy that we didn't recognize. Since it was a man, she was unsure of whether or not to take a sucker from him. So I said, "Either you make a new friend and get a sucker or don't and not a have a sucker." She decided to make nice. Then the next time we went it, this particular guy wasn't there and she asked the other pharmacist and the tech we know, "Where's my new friend?" Too stinkin' cute!
*Alright enough gushing. I just hope that you are enjoying life as much as I am!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
So about that bread...
So on one of my last posts, I mentioned the best bread ever. really. ever. I've been thinking about this bread since I threw the last 3 slices away because I couldn't not stop eating it. (And at this point, i don't dig in the garbage so it was the safest place for me to put it)
Then I promised a loaf to Jeff's cousin Jacquie.(People sometimes don't think I'm serious when they ask for food. But you ask, I will bake and even send. Just ask everybody who got a edible christmas card this year.) Jeff took a loaf to work and it was gone in 45 minutes(record time). Jeff even loved this bread and we all know he's not crazy about sweets or baked goods. It's just that good.
But last week when I made this bread, I used up all my sugar, flour and oil making this. (I know can you beleive I ran out?) But I'm ready now to bake this bread again. And it's a good thing too. Why, you ask? Because when I went to download the pictures I took in order to right a post and share the recipe. They weren't there. I had a few issues with my camera this week trying to get it to charge and am guessing that whatever troubles I was having also included saving my pics.
So i have no picturs of this incredible bread. Now I'm not opposed to posting without pics but this bread is AWESOME and since I'm making it again. I might as well wait.
Just imagine, almond poppyseed bread/poundcake and then drench it with orange syrup(sugar and OJ boiled till thick and sweet.) So good, I need to find another owner of the second loaf since it makes two. Takers? Anyone?
Then I promised a loaf to Jeff's cousin Jacquie.(People sometimes don't think I'm serious when they ask for food. But you ask, I will bake and even send. Just ask everybody who got a edible christmas card this year.) Jeff took a loaf to work and it was gone in 45 minutes(record time). Jeff even loved this bread and we all know he's not crazy about sweets or baked goods. It's just that good.
But last week when I made this bread, I used up all my sugar, flour and oil making this. (I know can you beleive I ran out?) But I'm ready now to bake this bread again. And it's a good thing too. Why, you ask? Because when I went to download the pictures I took in order to right a post and share the recipe. They weren't there. I had a few issues with my camera this week trying to get it to charge and am guessing that whatever troubles I was having also included saving my pics.
So i have no picturs of this incredible bread. Now I'm not opposed to posting without pics but this bread is AWESOME and since I'm making it again. I might as well wait.
Just imagine, almond poppyseed bread/poundcake and then drench it with orange syrup(sugar and OJ boiled till thick and sweet.) So good, I need to find another owner of the second loaf since it makes two. Takers? Anyone?
Freaking A
It's been a long week. A long long week. I have learned a few things.
I only have patience for my own child and even that was in short supply today. Our neighbor had his hip replaced. So in preparation, he and his wife's daughter came over from the Tri-cities with her son and daughter. Last Sunday night, she arrived and her 5 year old son Nathan saw Avalon playing on her swingset in the back yard where Jeff and I also were and asked to come over. He did, but all of us were there, his mom and us. They played for a while. Monday afternoon he came over after having spent the morning at the hospital. I layed the ground rules for what they could and couldn't do and they played almost two hours with no problems. Tuesday he came over and played about an hour with no problems. They played barely 30 minutes Wednesday and had to remind him a couple times of my rules. Thursday they played about an hour and a half and I had to constantly remind him to not play near the motorcyles, to leave the gates alone, and to share Avalon's toys with her.
Yesterday morning, he asked to play and I said they could for a while since we would be home all morning and as I was cleaning the house, I thought it would keep Avalon busy and out of my way. But I was wrong. First I saw him constantly riding in the garage. I said they could play with any of the toys but not in the garage. SInce we have a long drive way there was plenty of room to play. I went out there several times and asked them to not play in the garage. The third time, I stressed it was not safe because if he ran into the motorcyles, they could tip over on him and I really didn't want them to scratch my car.
He then tried to back talk to me and explain that he was safe and so it was okay. Avalon rarely back talks to me because i won't put up with it. She mostly does what I ask of her especially if I stress her safety being involved(its nice to not have a daredevil for a child).
Then i caught him crawling under our deck. I had never said it was off limits because its something that is never done. So I asked him not too as it wasn't safe. (One side of the deckhas siding and we have a plow tractor and firewood, planters etc under it) But then I caught him again and again and he backtalked to me yet again about how he was safe enough. Finally he quit.
I shut the gate that blocks our driveway so I couold have the yard gate open so I didn't have to constantly let them in and out and so Murph couldn't get out and so they too were contained to the driveway our backyard. He asked me a couple of times to open the driveway gate and said no stressing that I didn't want our dog to get out. He opened the gate and his grandpa ended up calling me to tell me our dog was down the street because he had gotten out.
Then I heard Avalon asking to drive her Power Wheels and he told her he couldn't because he couldn't fit in her other car. I hesitated a couple times to interrupt them and let Avalon work it out on her own and solve her own problem but after an hour of keeping an eye on them, I saw her ask him several times for a certain toy he had commandeered and told her she couldn't have. Finally I went out and said that they all needed to have a turn. He back talked again and said he didn't fit or the other toys were too small for him. I finally sent him home so Avalon and I could go get groceries. When we got back, he immediately came over and asked to play. I wanted so much to say "no" but Avalon wanted to play too. So I said they could while I put the groceries and Avalon had to go down for quiet time.
In the 45 minutes they played, I again had to keep him out of the garage. I had to tell him not to climb our wooden fence from the garage to the yard.(Its not too strong and its pretty high and not safe.) He again said he was good at being safe and it was okay. Again, I told him it was not okay. I had to get him off the chang link fence as well. Finally he left.
Then right as quiet time was ending, Jeff got home early and was working in the garage on his motorcycle. And Avalon went out to play in the garage/driveway with her dad as she and he often do. (She won't get near a motorcyle with a 10 ft pole) Not five minutes later, he was back. During the 45 minutes he was there, we had to tell him not to ride the scooter/bike/car in the garage by the motorcyles, quit climbing the fence, and don't let Murph out of the gate. The last straw was when he was trying to convince Avalon to jump down the wall from the driveway to the basement door about 4 feet or so that would've invariably left them seriously injured.
Neither Jeff or I were hungry for dinner but I made dinner anyway so I could send him home and call Avalon in to eat and not look like a schmuck for wanting him to go. He asked to come over after dinner and we told him we were going shopping after dinner. "Again?"he asked, "You just went shopping at Walmart." I should not have to justify myself to a 5 year old. "Well maybe when you guys get back I can come over." We stayed gone until past bedtime.
I told Jeff last night that we had to stay gone today soo i didn't have to watch him today. After several days at our house, he lost his manners and got comfortable. It shouldn't be my responsibility to parent him but was forced to because his mother didn't once come over to see how thing were doing the whole week.
So this morning, Jeff and I made our plan to get out of Dodge so I didn't have to babysit all day. Jeff got up early and left for some errands and came home so I could go run a few before we all left together. I thought as long as I wasn't home, we were safe, because no one had approached Jeff about watching anybody.
But when I came home Jeff had quite the story to tell. He and Avalon were in the house. She in her pajamas playing with her doll house and Jeff was just hanging out. Shortly after I left, Jeff heard this boys Mom outside asking her son, "Don't you think it's about time to go play with Avalon?" Jeff said she was obviously annoyed with him and trying to pawn him off on us. He ran over to the back door(which the screen was open), And told Jeff, "I'm ready to play with Avalon now."
Jeff told him that Avalon was still in her pj's and not ready to play and that when we got ready we had some things to go do. "
Then after I came home and was helping Avalon dress and do her hair, he showed up at our back door again. "Can Avalon play now?"
"Well she's not dressed "
"Well can she play just for a few minutes?"
"No, because when she does get dressed we're headed to lunch and do some shopping."
"Shopping again? You just went shopping." he replied.
"Yes, Avalon's Daddy is off today so we like to spend the day together and do our running around together. We'll see you later."
"Well, maybe when you get back we can play."
"We'll see."
All during our running around, Avalon kept asking if he could come over. I know it is fun for her to play with kids but he'd been at our house so much and I was tired of refereeing, not being able to get much done because I had to keep such an eye out for him. So i agreed that they could play while I did some yard work but that if he didn't use his listeners(ears) or share he coudn't play and when Jeff left to go on a motorcyle ride, we were leaving also in order to do some shopping and get a few things for our Father's day lunch we're having.
As soon as we pulled in the drive, he was over. I layed that ground rules and told him he needed to listen he if wanted to play at our house.
Immediately he was in the garage riding by the motorcyles. "Nathan, you can't ride by them. If you knocked them over and they fell on you, you could get really hurt."
"Oh no I won't. I'm safe."
"Nathan, safe or not, you can't ride by them."
"Don 't worry yesterday I hit the tire of that one and it didn't tip over. See! I'm safe."
"I don't care how safe you think you are. Stay away from them. Its non-negotiable!"
Then he told Avalon they should go inside and play after I said that they would play outside since I was doing yardwork. (Also they had played inside a couple time the past week, and he made a huge mess, getting in closets that we don't allow Avalon to get in, getting out toys that I put away so that I can trade them in and out). He went to go in the kitchen and I asked what he needed. "We're going in to play."
"No, we're playing outside today." At that Avalon went back down the deck stairs to play.
"Why?"
"Because I'm out here today and I just cleaned my house and don't want to get it dirty and have to clean it again."
"Well, I'll take my shoes off and it won't get it dirty."
"No Nathan, we are outside today."
I didn't have all the gates closed today because I only intended on being out for about an hour. And since I was outside with them I could open the yard gate if they needed in. Soon enough, I caught him using a chair to climb the unstable wooden fence. After that I caught him trying to climb the chainlink fence and was pulling and pushing it. "Nathan, you need to get down and stop so you don't get hurt and don't break the fence."
"I'm safe don't worry. And the fence is metal, it won't break."
Exasperated at his back talk after something I'd reminded him of before, I tersely replied, "I don't care, get down!"
Then as I was spraying weeds, he told Avalon that she couldn't have her car(which he'd played with the majority of the time this week.) Then he kept the gate open and Murph was trying to get out.
Completely frustrated, I said, "Nathan, if you can't follow my rules, you can't play here. Either do what I ask of you or go."
For the rest of the time, he did as he was told. But as we were shopping, I was dreading coming home. And as soon as we walked up the steps, he asked to come play. I turned him down as it was time for Avalon's quiet time. "well maybe I can come over after her quiet time." he suggested.
"We'll see."
Low and behold he did come over after quiet time and was for the most part well behaved. However it was thundering a bit and Avalon was not interested. We went out to dinner and the mall and came home past bedtime as to avoid him.
Jeri, our neighbor, his grandmother, who we absolutely adore, said earlier this week that she thought they might leave on Sunday, tomorrow. I can only hope.
One of my biggest questions is what kind of mother brings her kids somewhere for a week and doesn't bring any toys or things for them to do. Jeri has very little for kids to do as they almost never visit. And how do you expect a five year old to entertain themselves for over a week.
By the end of the week it was as if she expected me to watch him. Never once did she reciprocate to take the kids or even just make them lunch. And I felt weird being in a position of needing to discipline him but also feeling it wasn't my place. I don't know how I feel about other parents disciplining Avalon. The whole thing has me irked and exhausted and trying to avoid being home so I don't have to babysit the back talking rule breaking child.
On the flip side, at this point, I have a child who follows my rules and doesn't back talk me. Of course, you mention being safe or clean and the kid is all for it.
I only have patience for my own child and even that was in short supply today. Our neighbor had his hip replaced. So in preparation, he and his wife's daughter came over from the Tri-cities with her son and daughter. Last Sunday night, she arrived and her 5 year old son Nathan saw Avalon playing on her swingset in the back yard where Jeff and I also were and asked to come over. He did, but all of us were there, his mom and us. They played for a while. Monday afternoon he came over after having spent the morning at the hospital. I layed the ground rules for what they could and couldn't do and they played almost two hours with no problems. Tuesday he came over and played about an hour with no problems. They played barely 30 minutes Wednesday and had to remind him a couple times of my rules. Thursday they played about an hour and a half and I had to constantly remind him to not play near the motorcyles, to leave the gates alone, and to share Avalon's toys with her.
Yesterday morning, he asked to play and I said they could for a while since we would be home all morning and as I was cleaning the house, I thought it would keep Avalon busy and out of my way. But I was wrong. First I saw him constantly riding in the garage. I said they could play with any of the toys but not in the garage. SInce we have a long drive way there was plenty of room to play. I went out there several times and asked them to not play in the garage. The third time, I stressed it was not safe because if he ran into the motorcyles, they could tip over on him and I really didn't want them to scratch my car.
He then tried to back talk to me and explain that he was safe and so it was okay. Avalon rarely back talks to me because i won't put up with it. She mostly does what I ask of her especially if I stress her safety being involved(its nice to not have a daredevil for a child).
Then i caught him crawling under our deck. I had never said it was off limits because its something that is never done. So I asked him not too as it wasn't safe. (One side of the deckhas siding and we have a plow tractor and firewood, planters etc under it) But then I caught him again and again and he backtalked to me yet again about how he was safe enough. Finally he quit.
I shut the gate that blocks our driveway so I couold have the yard gate open so I didn't have to constantly let them in and out and so Murph couldn't get out and so they too were contained to the driveway our backyard. He asked me a couple of times to open the driveway gate and said no stressing that I didn't want our dog to get out. He opened the gate and his grandpa ended up calling me to tell me our dog was down the street because he had gotten out.
Then I heard Avalon asking to drive her Power Wheels and he told her he couldn't because he couldn't fit in her other car. I hesitated a couple times to interrupt them and let Avalon work it out on her own and solve her own problem but after an hour of keeping an eye on them, I saw her ask him several times for a certain toy he had commandeered and told her she couldn't have. Finally I went out and said that they all needed to have a turn. He back talked again and said he didn't fit or the other toys were too small for him. I finally sent him home so Avalon and I could go get groceries. When we got back, he immediately came over and asked to play. I wanted so much to say "no" but Avalon wanted to play too. So I said they could while I put the groceries and Avalon had to go down for quiet time.
In the 45 minutes they played, I again had to keep him out of the garage. I had to tell him not to climb our wooden fence from the garage to the yard.(Its not too strong and its pretty high and not safe.) He again said he was good at being safe and it was okay. Again, I told him it was not okay. I had to get him off the chang link fence as well. Finally he left.
Then right as quiet time was ending, Jeff got home early and was working in the garage on his motorcycle. And Avalon went out to play in the garage/driveway with her dad as she and he often do. (She won't get near a motorcyle with a 10 ft pole) Not five minutes later, he was back. During the 45 minutes he was there, we had to tell him not to ride the scooter/bike/car in the garage by the motorcyles, quit climbing the fence, and don't let Murph out of the gate. The last straw was when he was trying to convince Avalon to jump down the wall from the driveway to the basement door about 4 feet or so that would've invariably left them seriously injured.
Neither Jeff or I were hungry for dinner but I made dinner anyway so I could send him home and call Avalon in to eat and not look like a schmuck for wanting him to go. He asked to come over after dinner and we told him we were going shopping after dinner. "Again?"he asked, "You just went shopping at Walmart." I should not have to justify myself to a 5 year old. "Well maybe when you guys get back I can come over." We stayed gone until past bedtime.
I told Jeff last night that we had to stay gone today soo i didn't have to watch him today. After several days at our house, he lost his manners and got comfortable. It shouldn't be my responsibility to parent him but was forced to because his mother didn't once come over to see how thing were doing the whole week.
So this morning, Jeff and I made our plan to get out of Dodge so I didn't have to babysit all day. Jeff got up early and left for some errands and came home so I could go run a few before we all left together. I thought as long as I wasn't home, we were safe, because no one had approached Jeff about watching anybody.
But when I came home Jeff had quite the story to tell. He and Avalon were in the house. She in her pajamas playing with her doll house and Jeff was just hanging out. Shortly after I left, Jeff heard this boys Mom outside asking her son, "Don't you think it's about time to go play with Avalon?" Jeff said she was obviously annoyed with him and trying to pawn him off on us. He ran over to the back door(which the screen was open), And told Jeff, "I'm ready to play with Avalon now."
Jeff told him that Avalon was still in her pj's and not ready to play and that when we got ready we had some things to go do. "
Then after I came home and was helping Avalon dress and do her hair, he showed up at our back door again. "Can Avalon play now?"
"Well she's not dressed "
"Well can she play just for a few minutes?"
"No, because when she does get dressed we're headed to lunch and do some shopping."
"Shopping again? You just went shopping." he replied.
"Yes, Avalon's Daddy is off today so we like to spend the day together and do our running around together. We'll see you later."
"Well, maybe when you get back we can play."
"We'll see."
All during our running around, Avalon kept asking if he could come over. I know it is fun for her to play with kids but he'd been at our house so much and I was tired of refereeing, not being able to get much done because I had to keep such an eye out for him. So i agreed that they could play while I did some yard work but that if he didn't use his listeners(ears) or share he coudn't play and when Jeff left to go on a motorcyle ride, we were leaving also in order to do some shopping and get a few things for our Father's day lunch we're having.
As soon as we pulled in the drive, he was over. I layed that ground rules and told him he needed to listen he if wanted to play at our house.
Immediately he was in the garage riding by the motorcyles. "Nathan, you can't ride by them. If you knocked them over and they fell on you, you could get really hurt."
"Oh no I won't. I'm safe."
"Nathan, safe or not, you can't ride by them."
"Don 't worry yesterday I hit the tire of that one and it didn't tip over. See! I'm safe."
"I don't care how safe you think you are. Stay away from them. Its non-negotiable!"
Then he told Avalon they should go inside and play after I said that they would play outside since I was doing yardwork. (Also they had played inside a couple time the past week, and he made a huge mess, getting in closets that we don't allow Avalon to get in, getting out toys that I put away so that I can trade them in and out). He went to go in the kitchen and I asked what he needed. "We're going in to play."
"No, we're playing outside today." At that Avalon went back down the deck stairs to play.
"Why?"
"Because I'm out here today and I just cleaned my house and don't want to get it dirty and have to clean it again."
"Well, I'll take my shoes off and it won't get it dirty."
"No Nathan, we are outside today."
I didn't have all the gates closed today because I only intended on being out for about an hour. And since I was outside with them I could open the yard gate if they needed in. Soon enough, I caught him using a chair to climb the unstable wooden fence. After that I caught him trying to climb the chainlink fence and was pulling and pushing it. "Nathan, you need to get down and stop so you don't get hurt and don't break the fence."
"I'm safe don't worry. And the fence is metal, it won't break."
Exasperated at his back talk after something I'd reminded him of before, I tersely replied, "I don't care, get down!"
Then as I was spraying weeds, he told Avalon that she couldn't have her car(which he'd played with the majority of the time this week.) Then he kept the gate open and Murph was trying to get out.
Completely frustrated, I said, "Nathan, if you can't follow my rules, you can't play here. Either do what I ask of you or go."
For the rest of the time, he did as he was told. But as we were shopping, I was dreading coming home. And as soon as we walked up the steps, he asked to come play. I turned him down as it was time for Avalon's quiet time. "well maybe I can come over after her quiet time." he suggested.
"We'll see."
Low and behold he did come over after quiet time and was for the most part well behaved. However it was thundering a bit and Avalon was not interested. We went out to dinner and the mall and came home past bedtime as to avoid him.
Jeri, our neighbor, his grandmother, who we absolutely adore, said earlier this week that she thought they might leave on Sunday, tomorrow. I can only hope.
One of my biggest questions is what kind of mother brings her kids somewhere for a week and doesn't bring any toys or things for them to do. Jeri has very little for kids to do as they almost never visit. And how do you expect a five year old to entertain themselves for over a week.
By the end of the week it was as if she expected me to watch him. Never once did she reciprocate to take the kids or even just make them lunch. And I felt weird being in a position of needing to discipline him but also feeling it wasn't my place. I don't know how I feel about other parents disciplining Avalon. The whole thing has me irked and exhausted and trying to avoid being home so I don't have to babysit the back talking rule breaking child.
On the flip side, at this point, I have a child who follows my rules and doesn't back talk me. Of course, you mention being safe or clean and the kid is all for it.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Parting is such sweet sorrow.
In the last year and a half, I have ceased to be as sentimental as I was previously. I would never categorize myself as a hoarder but I did keep the strangest things. For example, when I left home as a senior in high school, I managed to escape with some strange things that I hadn't meant to leave with and for years couldn't get rid of them. One such thing was a barrette that had been my little sisters and had her name Hilary on it. It was more than a barrette to me and was a link to a sister that I haven't spoken to in 10 years. Sure it was simply taking space but for an important reason. But as time has passed, I've created my own family and have come to realize what is truly important, I have rid myself of these strange things. I got rid of clothes(that I obviously didn't wear) but had memories for me. But then, it spread to everywhere else.
Last year, in preparation for a garage sale, I cleaned out anything that hadn't been used in 6 months or more. Loads of clothes, books, furniture, toys, made their way to the sale or the Goodwill. Since, I've purged about nearly every season. I've also stopped buying things just because they are on sale or because I might use them sometime in the future. I've even limited my kitchen purchases if you can beleive it!
I just can't handle a mess or clutter anymore and love living a more streamlined life. Less stuff=less to clean. However, I screwed up. I threw out the phone books and any that are consequently delivered. Who needs a phone book when there is internet? I'll tell you who needs a phone book. This girl! who can't seem to have decent internet to save her life.
Our service had been inconsistent at best but we became increasingly annoyed when it took 15 minutes to stream 3 minutes of video on our blu-ray player. Forget about playing a you-tube video. After numerous calls to Bresnan, they said they showed no problems on their end. And sent Jeff this list of instructions to follow, email them with the results and they'd get back to us. Jeff did so, and we didn't hear from them. Finally Sunday morning, it completely crapped out. We called Bresnan and showed that our modem had reset it self 17 times that day and we could make an appointment for a service m an t come out Friday evening? Six days for someone to come out? You've got to be freaking kidding me! Instead, we could wait around for 24 hours till someone could come out(keep in mind I waited around three days back in february for multiple visits becaue the service men couldn't get it right the first time)
So while I use most of my internet browsing for enjoyment, there are things that we do that necesitate having internet. I pay most of my bills and do all my banking online. I've been in the process of get preapproval for a home loan with a new bank and was using email as our communication source. I didn't have a phone book to call her and couldn't use the internet to look up a number. I had guests in town who wanted to use the computer to make sure their way home wasn't flooded. Over the course of the weekend, I found the need to call businesses but because I didn't have internt and threw out the phone books in my purge, I was SOL.
So my friends, purge away but remember, there can be too much of a good thing. And frankly I am quite tired of paying $130 a month for craptacular service. This came a week after similar cellphone bliss.
Jeff and I bit the bullet and entered the 21st century a while back, upgraded our cell plans, and got fancy phones and everything. (I know, we're about the last ones to arrive to the party) But after about a week I was tired of having to make all my calls on the deck outside and then when we were trying to communicate with Bresnan while being in the basement where the modem is and couldn't I was done. I called Cell one and demanded new phones, but because I had thrown out the boxes(the first time I ever threw the boxes away but in the last 10 years I had never ended up needing them and was done storing garbage) he wouldn't.
Finally, after going to the regional manager, we were able to trade our phones in for the same exact model. I didn't have much hope that it would work but was worth a try. Alas, I get two bars in my house and have ceased making phone calls on the deck.
But let me tell you parting(with certain things) is such sweet sorrow. Its so hard to be in a such a tecnological time and have it fail (for us) so much. I just may hold on to that next phone book that gets delivered. And on the bright side, I finally have some reliable internet service, but I'm not holding my breath
Last year, in preparation for a garage sale, I cleaned out anything that hadn't been used in 6 months or more. Loads of clothes, books, furniture, toys, made their way to the sale or the Goodwill. Since, I've purged about nearly every season. I've also stopped buying things just because they are on sale or because I might use them sometime in the future. I've even limited my kitchen purchases if you can beleive it!
I just can't handle a mess or clutter anymore and love living a more streamlined life. Less stuff=less to clean. However, I screwed up. I threw out the phone books and any that are consequently delivered. Who needs a phone book when there is internet? I'll tell you who needs a phone book. This girl! who can't seem to have decent internet to save her life.
Our service had been inconsistent at best but we became increasingly annoyed when it took 15 minutes to stream 3 minutes of video on our blu-ray player. Forget about playing a you-tube video. After numerous calls to Bresnan, they said they showed no problems on their end. And sent Jeff this list of instructions to follow, email them with the results and they'd get back to us. Jeff did so, and we didn't hear from them. Finally Sunday morning, it completely crapped out. We called Bresnan and showed that our modem had reset it self 17 times that day and we could make an appointment for a service m an t come out Friday evening? Six days for someone to come out? You've got to be freaking kidding me! Instead, we could wait around for 24 hours till someone could come out(keep in mind I waited around three days back in february for multiple visits becaue the service men couldn't get it right the first time)
So while I use most of my internet browsing for enjoyment, there are things that we do that necesitate having internet. I pay most of my bills and do all my banking online. I've been in the process of get preapproval for a home loan with a new bank and was using email as our communication source. I didn't have a phone book to call her and couldn't use the internet to look up a number. I had guests in town who wanted to use the computer to make sure their way home wasn't flooded. Over the course of the weekend, I found the need to call businesses but because I didn't have internt and threw out the phone books in my purge, I was SOL.
So my friends, purge away but remember, there can be too much of a good thing. And frankly I am quite tired of paying $130 a month for craptacular service. This came a week after similar cellphone bliss.
Jeff and I bit the bullet and entered the 21st century a while back, upgraded our cell plans, and got fancy phones and everything. (I know, we're about the last ones to arrive to the party) But after about a week I was tired of having to make all my calls on the deck outside and then when we were trying to communicate with Bresnan while being in the basement where the modem is and couldn't I was done. I called Cell one and demanded new phones, but because I had thrown out the boxes(the first time I ever threw the boxes away but in the last 10 years I had never ended up needing them and was done storing garbage) he wouldn't.
Finally, after going to the regional manager, we were able to trade our phones in for the same exact model. I didn't have much hope that it would work but was worth a try. Alas, I get two bars in my house and have ceased making phone calls on the deck.
But let me tell you parting(with certain things) is such sweet sorrow. Its so hard to be in a such a tecnological time and have it fail (for us) so much. I just may hold on to that next phone book that gets delivered. And on the bright side, I finally have some reliable internet service, but I'm not holding my breath
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Energy and parenting
For the first time in ages, and by ages, I mean and years and by years I mean since before Avalon was born, I have boundless energy. I have naturally always been a tired person. I think in my late teens and early 20's it was a combination of an unchecked thyroid, lots of college credits and 20-30 hours of work on top of it. Thats enough to wear anyone out.
But even after I graduated, I was always completely capable of needing and taking a nap. And sleeping past 11? A common weekend occurence..
Then Avalon was born and tired took on a whole new meaning. But early on I was such a nervous wreck that I couldn't sleep due to the anxiety, increasing my exhaustion even more. Yet as she grew and began to sleep better so did I but that did nothing to squash my need for rest. Up until a month or so ago, I took at least a small catnap (or more) during Avalon's quiet time.
But something in the last month/month and a half, has changed. I haven't taken one nap. Having even tried a couple times when Avalon asked me to lay down with her, I still couldn't even fall sleep. In fact I can't hardly fall asleep at night. To remedy the problem, I've been going to bed later, much much later. Like, 130 in the morning later. I'm still awaking with Avalon which has been around 8-9 in the morning and I feel completely rested.
It's truly amazing to have this much energy to get things done, play with Avalon, exercise etc.
And its a good thing I have all this energy because lately Avalon has been requiring more than usual. Avalon typically is a very well behaved polite little girl who with a little reason can usually be talked through any issues that arise. However in the last couple weeks, she as developed a few little behaviours that have been driving me crazy. And, as I spend all day with her, a little goes a long way.
She has begun to get very frustrated when she plays or does art projects. SHe gets mad if she can't do something the way she thinks it should be done and then starts growling, crying and/or throwing whatever she is doing.
She also has taken to rolling her eyes at me when she doesn't like my suggestions that are opposite to what she thinks. SHe also gets a sulky face on, stiffens her arms and marches away. She has even taken to hitting.
Oh the three year old drama! Maybe if she gets it out now, we can avoid it during the teenage years? Wishful thinking I know.
Disciplining is something I try to stay consistent with but I really watch myself because I was raised by parents who overdisciplined and the consequences almost never matched the infraction. Some battles are not worth picking.
So late last week and early this week, Avalon had several time outs which is fate worse than death for her. She starts crying hysterically but nows she can't get out of time out until she has completely stopped crying.
By Monday though it was obvious that time outs were not fixing the problem. So after a rough morning yesterday with yet another time out, I decided to switch methods.
After quiet time, when we always snuggle together, we had a little talk about what makes one another happy. It makes me happy when Avalon uses her manners, is polite, voices her frustrations and uses her listeners. It makes Avalon happy when I'm happy and not frustrated.
We discussed asking for help when she's frustrated, that it is not okay to ignore me. If she wants me to pay attention to her, she has to pay attention to me. It is polite to listen to one another and that we can be a team. The talk was finished with our signature fist bump and a hug.
Then I proceeded to kill her with kindness. I reinforced every behavior that was positive, even adding a sticker to her sticker chart that afternoon. Then today I continued and slowly less and less required me to constantly encourage her to do the right thing. She used her manners, did what I asked of her the first time and was a very pleasant child. This afternoon when we got out of the car after running errands, I told her how proud I was of her for doing so well and said I loved being a team with her as my teammate and she raised her little fist for our fist bump. And she even earned 2 more stickers today earning her a small prize.
The moral of the story folks? In my experience, you catch more flies with honey. That is not stay she won't get in trouble and I'll let things slide because a child needs to know what they can and cannot do and you have to be consistent. But rewarding and recognizing positive behavior is sure bet in getting more positive behavior. She hits again, instant time out. There is no tolerance for that(I always ask her if I can hit her, and she of course says no and then I reason with her that she can't hit me either and that makes sense to her) But in my experience as a parent, all negative consequences makes for a negative mood and attitude. Reinforce the positive!
And thankfully, I've got the energy to do it all. But it's two and even though I'm not really tired, I "know" that I should go to bed.
But by
But even after I graduated, I was always completely capable of needing and taking a nap. And sleeping past 11? A common weekend occurence..
Then Avalon was born and tired took on a whole new meaning. But early on I was such a nervous wreck that I couldn't sleep due to the anxiety, increasing my exhaustion even more. Yet as she grew and began to sleep better so did I but that did nothing to squash my need for rest. Up until a month or so ago, I took at least a small catnap (or more) during Avalon's quiet time.
But something in the last month/month and a half, has changed. I haven't taken one nap. Having even tried a couple times when Avalon asked me to lay down with her, I still couldn't even fall sleep. In fact I can't hardly fall asleep at night. To remedy the problem, I've been going to bed later, much much later. Like, 130 in the morning later. I'm still awaking with Avalon which has been around 8-9 in the morning and I feel completely rested.
It's truly amazing to have this much energy to get things done, play with Avalon, exercise etc.
And its a good thing I have all this energy because lately Avalon has been requiring more than usual. Avalon typically is a very well behaved polite little girl who with a little reason can usually be talked through any issues that arise. However in the last couple weeks, she as developed a few little behaviours that have been driving me crazy. And, as I spend all day with her, a little goes a long way.
She has begun to get very frustrated when she plays or does art projects. SHe gets mad if she can't do something the way she thinks it should be done and then starts growling, crying and/or throwing whatever she is doing.
She also has taken to rolling her eyes at me when she doesn't like my suggestions that are opposite to what she thinks. SHe also gets a sulky face on, stiffens her arms and marches away. She has even taken to hitting.
Oh the three year old drama! Maybe if she gets it out now, we can avoid it during the teenage years? Wishful thinking I know.
Disciplining is something I try to stay consistent with but I really watch myself because I was raised by parents who overdisciplined and the consequences almost never matched the infraction. Some battles are not worth picking.
So late last week and early this week, Avalon had several time outs which is fate worse than death for her. She starts crying hysterically but nows she can't get out of time out until she has completely stopped crying.
By Monday though it was obvious that time outs were not fixing the problem. So after a rough morning yesterday with yet another time out, I decided to switch methods.
After quiet time, when we always snuggle together, we had a little talk about what makes one another happy. It makes me happy when Avalon uses her manners, is polite, voices her frustrations and uses her listeners. It makes Avalon happy when I'm happy and not frustrated.
We discussed asking for help when she's frustrated, that it is not okay to ignore me. If she wants me to pay attention to her, she has to pay attention to me. It is polite to listen to one another and that we can be a team. The talk was finished with our signature fist bump and a hug.
Then I proceeded to kill her with kindness. I reinforced every behavior that was positive, even adding a sticker to her sticker chart that afternoon. Then today I continued and slowly less and less required me to constantly encourage her to do the right thing. She used her manners, did what I asked of her the first time and was a very pleasant child. This afternoon when we got out of the car after running errands, I told her how proud I was of her for doing so well and said I loved being a team with her as my teammate and she raised her little fist for our fist bump. And she even earned 2 more stickers today earning her a small prize.
The moral of the story folks? In my experience, you catch more flies with honey. That is not stay she won't get in trouble and I'll let things slide because a child needs to know what they can and cannot do and you have to be consistent. But rewarding and recognizing positive behavior is sure bet in getting more positive behavior. She hits again, instant time out. There is no tolerance for that(I always ask her if I can hit her, and she of course says no and then I reason with her that she can't hit me either and that makes sense to her) But in my experience as a parent, all negative consequences makes for a negative mood and attitude. Reinforce the positive!
And thankfully, I've got the energy to do it all. But it's two and even though I'm not really tired, I "know" that I should go to bed.
But by
Friday, June 3, 2011
Wondering why we haven't invented a self-cleaning house. Take two days of rain and a dog tracking in messy paws combined with two days of wind, open windows(because my house gets so hot) and my house is a mess. I've got about 5 loads of laundry in some stage of being laundered.
Avalon has the "suds" as she is calling her cold and I hope she's not giving it to me. I don't feel sick but i do have a scratchy throat but for all I know that could just be a result of the wind and all the cotton flying around.
But really life is pretty good. Down 43 pounds last I checked but I need to go weigh today so that may have changed. I haven't got to exercise at all this week as Avalon's not in preschool and hasn't started her summer activities at the Y and as she is sick, I don't really like to leave her anyway. It does make me feel a little paranoid but I'm trying to keep my calories/diet en pointe to make up for it. The worst side effect of no exercise, I cannot sleep. It's like I haven't expended enough energy so I haven't been going to bed until after midnight(1:20 last night) and then I toss and turn, wake up at 4, lay there for a while before I get back to sleep.
The weather is finally turning, just in time, most of the pots that I planted are about dead. Too much water is turning the leaves brown and we haven't had enought sun. The wind knocked over two pots so they are gone too. The pumpkins and zuchinni and parsley didn't sprout so I'm wondering if they were washed away with the deluge of rain.
Jeff was evacuated last week from work due to the rain and flooding. The day they had to leave only one road in to the mine had not been flooded and that was still a possibility. We've been relatively lucky though considering what Lodge Grass and Roundup have been going through not to mention some neighborhoods right here in Billings.
I am just so excited for summer. No real schedule, sun(finally) and just having fun. We've already fallen victim to the light evenings. We'll look and realize its way past Avalon's bedtime and we are still outside.
In a month and a week Avalon will be turning four. That just dawned on me yesterday and I can't believe four years have passed. I can't beleive how big she is. Sometimes, I underestimate her abilities and she totally shocks me with what she is capable of doing and knowing. We are just having so much fun with her and this age.
Well this house isn't cleaning itself so I better get back to it.
Avalon has the "suds" as she is calling her cold and I hope she's not giving it to me. I don't feel sick but i do have a scratchy throat but for all I know that could just be a result of the wind and all the cotton flying around.
But really life is pretty good. Down 43 pounds last I checked but I need to go weigh today so that may have changed. I haven't got to exercise at all this week as Avalon's not in preschool and hasn't started her summer activities at the Y and as she is sick, I don't really like to leave her anyway. It does make me feel a little paranoid but I'm trying to keep my calories/diet en pointe to make up for it. The worst side effect of no exercise, I cannot sleep. It's like I haven't expended enough energy so I haven't been going to bed until after midnight(1:20 last night) and then I toss and turn, wake up at 4, lay there for a while before I get back to sleep.
The weather is finally turning, just in time, most of the pots that I planted are about dead. Too much water is turning the leaves brown and we haven't had enought sun. The wind knocked over two pots so they are gone too. The pumpkins and zuchinni and parsley didn't sprout so I'm wondering if they were washed away with the deluge of rain.
Jeff was evacuated last week from work due to the rain and flooding. The day they had to leave only one road in to the mine had not been flooded and that was still a possibility. We've been relatively lucky though considering what Lodge Grass and Roundup have been going through not to mention some neighborhoods right here in Billings.
I am just so excited for summer. No real schedule, sun(finally) and just having fun. We've already fallen victim to the light evenings. We'll look and realize its way past Avalon's bedtime and we are still outside.
In a month and a week Avalon will be turning four. That just dawned on me yesterday and I can't believe four years have passed. I can't beleive how big she is. Sometimes, I underestimate her abilities and she totally shocks me with what she is capable of doing and knowing. We are just having so much fun with her and this age.
Well this house isn't cleaning itself so I better get back to it.
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