Sunday, August 30, 2009

Over Already?

This weekend can't be over already. We just started. It's still Friday evening, right? No? It's Sunday. Snot. I don't wanna go to work tomorrow!!
Anyhow, this weekend has just flown past. Yesterday started out like normal. Gak went to work, Boo and I did laundry. Then we came home and he slept a little and I tried to get started on a few projects, but didn't make it. We did get to play a lot. And a lot of grilled cheese sandwich ended up on the floor. (I've probably thrown out 4 times more food than my son has eaten in the last few weeks... I'm getting tired of it, but know there's not much I can do about it.)
After Gak got off work we went up to BabiesRUs and the Warhammer store. I picked up two outfits on clearance for next summer for Boo, this really neat place mat thing (that apparently Boo hates *sigh*) and the main reason for the trip, a new umbrella stroller. Yes, it's too short for Gak to use comfortably, but we're going to modify it, with a little help from Kat. We're going to fashion some handle extenders to bolt on to the existing ones to give an extra 6 to 10 inches to the height of the stroller handles. This will make it much better for Gak. And we'll put them in parallel to the existing ones and make them removable, so I can remove them to use the stroller if I want. Having this lightweight stroller will make it so much easier for Gak walking Boo to daycare. It's a royal pain just getting the boy or the big stroller up and down the stairs, let alone both. Now he'll be able to carry one in each hand.
Anyhow, this morning we spent a good bit of time cleaning. I was catching up on the dishes and trying to clean the counters in the kitchen while Gak tried to clean up the bathroom after all the construction. Overall, we didn't do too bad. It could still use some major work, but everything is "clean enough" for every day use. I'm happy with the bathroom. Actually, the paint job could look like crap and the ceiling have gaps in it and I'd still be happy as long as it was "done".
Then we headed up to the Rod and Custom show where my friend Keith was working and Kat and Scott were. It was a bit rough on Gak. You see, cars were his dad's thing, especially the classics and NASCAR. So, this carried a lot of emotional weight for him. But, I think it was good for him too. It gave him an opportunity to tell his son alll about his Grampa Jim. I can't believe it's been almost 2 years since we lost him. I know I miss him, I can only imagine what Gak feels.
And no, I don't have any pictures. There were many, many beautiful and awesome cars and trucks, but I was too busy drooling and talking to friends to actually get the camera out of my bag. Oops. There are several I wish I'd been able to get pictures of. Oh well, next year maybe.
After the show we headed down to Kat's and dropped the boy off there. She was kind enough to watch him so Gak and I could go out for our anniversary dinner. We didn't do anything all that special. I kinda wish we'd gone somewhere nicer, but the budget just wouldn't let us (that and we're just not dress-up kind of people). We did, however, have a nice meal at Chilli's where we didn't have to try and get a fussy toddler to try and sit still or eat something. That was nice all on it's own.
Boo had a good time with Aunt Kat and Zoe when she got home.
And in Boo news, the boy is almost fully a "toddler" now. That's right, he's walking on his own. Not all the time and not for long distances, but he'll walk at least part way across the floor and without our prompting. In all honesty, I think it's because I got him new sneakers earlier in the week and he's been wearing them. For some kids you take them out of shoes and they take off, for him, you put him in the shoes and it gave him just enough confidence to do it all on his own. Not that he likes wearing shoes mind you, he is my son after all. But they've helped get him a little more independent.
No, I don't have photos or video of that yet either. Yes, I've been a bad momma and just not gotten the camera out this week. It stinks, but that's what it is. Hopefully this week will be better.
Boo turns 15 months old on Tuesday and Thursday he has a checkup. I can't believe he's this old already!

Well, I'm going to sign off here. I've got a few things I'd like to fiddle with before bed.

Peace to all and may your weekends last.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

4!!

Four...
That's how many years Gak and I have been married as of today.
I can't believe it's been this long, I can't believe it's only been 4 years. Where has the time gone? Where will the time go?
I really wanted to post a nice long post thanking my dear, wonderful husband for everything over the past four and more years and to look forward to the rest of our lives. I just don't have it in me today. It's not that I don't love Gak or have anything wonderful to say, it's just not writing itself today.
Today I'm still too caught up in the little details and day-to-day stresses. The good news being that the ceiling is ready for paint, and hopefully tomorrow the bathroom will be painted. The other good news is that we'll be getting the kitchen and dining room painted while we're away next month. And we get to choose a color too. (I'm looking at an almost yellow if you look hard enough for both rooms. It'll go with the blue that's already in the kitchen and the furniture we've got in the dining room and will be light and bright... think home made lemon ice with no food coloring.) There are plumbers in the apartment again to fix the pipe under the kitchen sink. (it was replaced a year or two ago now and at some point became dented... don't ask me, I barely put anything down there or even pay attention to the pipes.) That and they're replacing the rest of the pipes that weren't done a few weeks back. Thankfully everyone is at work/daycare all day.
I'm still extremely frustrated about work, but I have a meeting next week (my mid-year (ha!) review) with my boss... maybe I'll be able to hash something out then. I plan on having what I want outlined before I head into the meting. I'm still frustrated about money, or the lack there of. Having only one vehicle is beginning to wear on me a bit too. Especially since yesterday I had to wake Boo from a nap to go pick up Gak. That and it just makes it so hard for me to try and find something to do one evening a week out of the house. (Not that I can afford to do anything... but.... with two cars I'd probably be able to leave Boo with Gak at work for 15-20 minutes if I had to in order to go somewhere.) I'm frustrated with feeling like we've got to stay in this apartment because no matter where we move, it would probably require a second car and that would negate any savings of moving. I hate the fact that I don't even dare ask the price of the house on the corner of 8th and Broad both for fear it's way too high and way too low. I just can't bring myself to take out a mortgage when I have absolutely nothing to put down. That's just not sane. (And until I got my 401(k) statement recently, I'd thought a safer place for my money just might be a loan against it to put down on a house... but I actually made money this quarter!)

So, yes, as much as I want to dedicate this post to the wonderful man that is my husband, I just don't have the glowing outlook on life to do it right now. As much as I love everyone and everything I have in my life, there's too much little shit getting in the way right now and I don't know how to get out from under it.

I'd better get back to work before I get yelled at again. I'm very good at getting yelled at these days.

Peace to all and may you be able to see the forest for the trees. (And have the most wonderful people in your life.)

Monday, August 24, 2009

Busy, Busy Weekend

Well, this was one busy weekend.
Saturday started out like normal... laundry, home for a nap and lunch. Then after picking Poppa up from work, we headed up to BJ's. We first had an early dinner at Red Robbin because it's right next door. Or I should say, Gak and I had dinner, Boo had a couple of french fries and some apple bits. As usual, I was unable to escape BJ's for less than $200. But at least this time $50 was covered by the rebate card from my phone. And we needed a few "staples" that we won't have to buy for another several months. (Actually, when you figure it out since we only go once a month, it's about $50 a week in groceries and cleaning supplies and the like and most weeks I spend another 50-60 at most at the store, so our grocery bill still isn't too bad for a family of 3.)
Sunday was a play date with PopPop and Am-ma. Just Boo and I went down, because Gak didn't want to overshadow PopPop by being there and also wanted to attempt to get some cleaning done from the plumbing and ceiling fiasco. (I'm still not happy with the ceiling and don't think it's paint ready... but....)
We had a very good time. Boo wanted nothing to do with turkey for lunch. He did let Am-ma feed him some apple sauce. So, we let him on the floor to play while we ate our corned beef sandwiches. (My usual favorite.) As usual, he ignored the toys I brought and went straight for the cabinets. Which is fine because there isn't much damage he can do with what's in them. Well, he left it looking like a pots and pans war zone. Oh, and don't forget the Cheerios as well. He was just too much fun to watch. He did eat quite well though, several handfuls of the O's he spilled on the floor, an entire fruit and cereal bar and some more apple sauce. We went to the park for a little bit, but it was too hot to play much. So, instead we went to Rita's. Boo ate about a quarter to a half of his ice cream (he and PopPop shared) but became much more interested in my cherry ice. Oh well, it was cold and yummy. He promptly downed an entire cup of milk when we got back. Mom and I snuck upstairs to finish a shirt I'd started while he kept PopPop from watching the Sillies loose.
Then it was home again. Boo fell asleep by the time we got to the Turnpike and probably would have stayed that way as long as I kept driving. Gak and I ended up having pizza because the pork chops I'd taken out of the freezer were still a bit frozen and this way I can marinate them today and grill them off tonight.
I also got a bit of fun time in Norrath this weekend. I got to take both Whispe and Addey out for a spin. It was nice. Now, if only I could get around to fixing that fourth sleeve on the sweater I've been playing with for 2 years now. (Actually, the sweater only has 2 sleeves, but this is my 4th attempt at a sleeve, I've already got one finished, but messed this one up and will have to rip some out again...)
Well, I'd better get my butt in gear. GrammaSue wanted a day off today and so I'm taking Boo into day care when I leave for work. It was only $10 more to take him in for five full days than 4 full days. He's going full days this week because Gak is working full days.

Anyhow, peace to all and may your weekends be full of fun.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Stay Safe Steve!

Today begins one year of worry and unease lurking in the back of my mind at all times. My friend Steve is scheduled to head back to Iraq today. This is round number 3 for him this conflict, his fourth tour in total since he was there back the first time we went over there.
I hate that he's going. I hate that we have to send anyone over there. I accept that we do have to have people over there, at least for now. I just wish it didn't have to be Steve. Actually, in a way I'm glad it's Steve. No, not that I want to see Steve in harm's way or anything like that. He is my friend after all. No, I'm glad that it's Steve because if there is one person on this planet who will do what's right and what has to be done with all of his heart, it's Steve.
Good luck Steve and come home safe and sound. I do promise to write more this time, even if it's just about the fact that no, nothing's going on. We may not talk much or see each other much, but you have a place in my heart. Besides, you've got a nephew who will be chasing you around in circles next time you come home, you'd better be up for it!

And speaking of Boo, he's about a million times better. By the time I got home yesterday at lunch, his fever had pretty much broken. (And can I tell you exactly how nice it was to come home to lunch waiting for me?? That husband of mine is so very good to me.) Of course, since Boo was feeling better, he decided he didn't want a nap. He wanted to play. He was content to play on my bed for a little while, since the water bed is endlessly entertaining. Then he was content to play at my feet, trying to eat my phone or hide it... or crawling over to the bags of crochet projects I have at the head of the bed. (I was using my sewing table as my desk.) Of course he was getting into everything and making everything even more of a mess than it already was. He was babbling and "singing" up a storm. He must be related to my grandmother... she was always humming under her breath as long as I've known her. Both are truly happy souls.
Anyhow, I did manage to get him to nap around 4 and I did manage to get most of the word I needed to do done.
His fever was still gone this morning, so he's off to daycare today. Which, in a strange way makes me a happy mommy. Happy because my boy is healthy again. Now if only he'll eat dinner again... Oh well, that's another battle for another mealtime.

I'd better get back to work, I've got a few time sensitive things. I just wanted to note that today Steve was headed back to the sandbox and that my boy is feeling better.

Peace to all and may your loved ones be healthy, happy and safe.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Well, there is a bit of good and a bit of bad and a bit of ugly to report today. I'll start with the good though.
I finally got the pictures of Boo drawing downloaded off the camera and up onto Flickr. Go take a peek at all of them, it's too cute.
At this early stage of the game it looks like he may be preferring his left hand to his right. He'll draw with both, eat with both and play with things with both. Although, if you just put him in front of something, more often than not he'll start with the left hand. This may be due to the fact that when he's trying to figure something out he's got his right fingers shoved in his mouth, but maybe not. It really is way too early to tell.
The bad is the fact that we're going on day 2 of a fever. I'm not sure if I said this Monday, but over the weekend he'd had some "diaper issues". Not too bad, but not his normal. Monday morning he was a bit cranky, but Gak figured it was because of some diaper rash after the weekend. Monday he was happy boy at day care (GrammaSue had a dentist appointment). He was a bit cranky when we first got home, but that's because he'd had a messy diaper and needed a change. We read a book or two on the couch and he actually fell asleep in my lap for about a half hour. I can't remember the last time he did that.
By the time we went and picked up Gak (Ed couldn't make War again...) I decided that my boy was decidedly warm. I'd thought it was because he'd been sitting in my lap, but he was still warm by the time we got home from the store. Yep, he had a fever of about 102. I gave him some Tylenol, a little yogurt and off to bed. He slept through the night quite well.
Yesterday morning he was still feverish. Therefore, no day care for the boy. I went in for the morning and came home at lunch so Gak could go to work. His temp was back to normal by the time I got home, but went back up again after a 2-hour nap. More Tylenol and more sleep later his fever is back down to just barely warm.
Unfortunately, he woke up this morning with a 101 or 102 temp. Therefore, I'll be leaving work at lunch again today. If he's still this way tomorrow morning, I'm calling the doctor. He has no other symptoms other than being tired. But I expect that with a fever. I'm hoping it's just teeth. He's never had a fever with teeth before, but there's a first for everything.
The ugly right now is the ceiling in the bathroom. Yes, I actually do have a ceiling now! That's the good part. The ugly is the fact that they have to come back today and tomorrow to do the spackling and finish work. The other ugly is that even though I like the new drop ceiling in the stairway, it's a bit close for me now, let alone Gak. Oh, and we got new lights for both the bathroom and the entrance hall.

But, I'd better get back to work, I'm trying to debug a report, but I thought I'd better give an update too.

Peace to all and may the good outweigh the bad and the ugly.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Rhythm & Blues

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. That's not to say I haven't wanted to from time to time this last week. I've just been in a bit of a funk and trying (unsuccessfully if you ask Gak) to keep my funk to myself.
A good part of the funk is the whole plumbing thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have new pipes throughout the building. I just want my ceiling back and the place cleaned up and everything back to some form of normal. I think what bothers me so is that from where I'm standing, it looks like such an uphill climb to get everything back to approaching normal. I mean, I'm a lousy cleaner to begin with and this has just made everything so much worse. It's just frustrating and depressing.
The other part of the funk is work. Overall it goes well, but I'm feeling a bit unsettled. I'm a creature of habit, I'll not deny that. I like routines and procedures and process that I know and are followed. It provides some sort of comfort to my otherwise chaotic mind. If all else fails I've got the process to fall back on, to keep things in perspective, let me know where I stand. Right now, I don't have any of that really.
I have no idea what my real role is with the parts group. I can't see the pattern of the flow of the group for all the chaos that surrounds it. I know there's a rhythm here, I just can't hear it yet. I have no idea what role I really have with the support group any more. And the kicker is, I don't think anyone does. Nope, this is all just being done off the cuff. And, well, I may not be the most predictable of people when it comes to my thought processes or things like that, I like to know where I stand in the greater scheme of things.
So, between the unsettledness at work and the forced chaos at home, I've been in a bit of a funk and just unsettled in general. When I get like this the last thing I want to do is write.

I do have some fun news though. Boo is beginning to create. Or at least make his mark on the world. A few weeks back I bought Boo some Tadoodles crayons (8th item down). He picked them out. He seems to like them. The big problems is that he was trying to eat them and also to draw with the plastic bottom, not the crayon. Well, I decide to do a quick little search on Etsy, remembering that I'd seen some crayons in the past that were big round bulbs at one end an a point at the other. Well, I found a couple that I wanted to buy. I ordered two different ones. So far we've only received the ones from BrookeFRECKLES. I ordered the 3-pack of Star crayons. I can't begin to tell you how happy I am with the quality of these. And she's so friendly and checked in to make sure everything was right. Boo seems to enjoy them too. Within about 30 seconds of getting one in his hot little hands he was able to make marks on paper like a pro! And he's yet to try and eat these. I have pictures, but they're still on the camera.
I'm still waiting for this one to arrive. I haven't heard from the seller, but hopefully I'll get the crayon to arrive by the end of the week. I thought this looked like a great option for little hands.
I really like Etsy. I wish I could afford to buy more things off there.

Well, I've procrastinated long enough at work. I'd better get something real done.

Peace to all and may the rhythms of your life make sense.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Plumbing!


Well, hopefully our plumbing problems in this building should be over with. Of course, there is still a lot of cleanup to go yet. The building has all new plumbing... er... maybe I should plastic-ing, as there are no metal pipes in the building anymore.


This is the corner above and beside the bathtub. This is the major junction of where the piping to the third floor comes in. The big white pipe is the drain while the red and blue are the supply lines.


This is the ceiling in the bathroom. They had to pull down just about the entire ceiling in the bathroom in order to plumb the upstairs apartment. This should show you why I can hear the neighbors as well as I do, there's about 10 inches of dead air space and no insulation. Oh well, that's what you get in an old building.



This is what the pipes that were removed look like. It's a little hard to see, but you can probably tell that it is chock full of ick. This is why no water was moving and every few weeks we were getting a new leak, the water just had no where else to go other than out the pipe.

Well, I'm now running late for work. Hopefully in the next few days I'll have clean pictures to put up!

Peace to all and may your projects come together.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Plumbing and Picnics

Yesterday was a day of extremes.
The weather started out rainy and cycled between rainy and cloudy most of the day, eventually clearing up completely for a couple of hours at one point.
The two things we wanted to accomplish was going to Steve's picnic and do the grocery shopping. We got both things done, but well... it was an adventure.
Yesterday morning started out well. I made pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Everyone was happy and the boys both took long naps after breakfast.
We get our butts in gear and end up being the first ones over to the picnic. That was a good thing because it gave me a few minutes to catch up with Steve without having 17 million other people veing for his attention. If you haven't guessed... Steve is a very popular guy. There were some adventures with people getting lost, rain, charcoal, lighter fluid and oh... did I mention rain? Anyhow, it was a good time. I got to catch up with a few people I don't see very often any more myself (including my ex John and his wife Jenn, who I still enjoy talking with). Like I said, it was a good time if very crowded. I only know about 1/4 the people that were there, if I'm lucky. Around 3 or so Gak said he had a headache and he really wasn't looking too good. Boo was refusing to nap and well, it wasn't raining at the moment, but looked like it could start again.
It is a good thing we left when we did. As we got to the parking lot of the park our landlady called to see where we were because the ceiling was leaking... again.... And half an hour or so after we got home, Gak spent the better part of 10 minutes returning everything he had eaten up to that point. He spent a lot of the next few hours trying to bring up his toes... and finally getting some sleep. Boo was fussy for a bit through this but managed to take about an hour to 1.5 hour nap as well.
The plumber came while Gak was passed out. The building has very old plumbing. (Well, duh! it's an old building!) He more or less said he could just keep coming out every time a new leak springs or he could take care of all of it at once. As much as our landlady hates doing it, she's taking care of it all at once.
So, yeah, yesterday was an adventure.
And so is today. GrammaSue is watching Boo all day today because Gak is working open to close all week. (He was feeling much better by 8 pm last night and even more so by this morning.) The plumbers came by 8:00 and the water has been off to the building. Therefore, GrammaSue and Boo went over to the Broadway Cafe two doors down to use their bathroom and get some lunch. (Jay, the owner of the Cafe and that building is very nice and knows us.) It's a good thing that Mom's knees are feeling good today. Normally she doesn't even think about trying to go up and down the stairs to our apartment with Boo. When Mom and Boo went to go back home, she ran into our landlady and the entire entrance way ceiling is down. Therefore, they walked over to the park. I just suggested that they try the library if he gets tired of the grass and she doesn't want to go home quite yet. The library is right across the street from the park, so is nice and convenient.

Anyhow, work is um... interesting..... and that's where I'm going to leave it. Although, I'd better get back to it before I totally loose my thought for the day.

Peace to all and may all your plumbing work...

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Meds and Parties

Yes, I owe you a post... I have been quiet since Tuesday.
The thing is, I just don't have much to say..... well, maybe I do... I've just been too tired or lazy or something to post.
Anyhow, I mentioned a week or so ago that Gak had a doctor's appointment about his depression. Well, she gave him a new (to him) medicine to try. (He hadn't been on any in about 8 years....) She told him to take 1 in the morning for the first week and then one morning and evening for two weeks and then two in the morning and one at night after that. Well, we made it through the first week. He was becoming more spacy and twitchy and touchy. I couldn't say "could you get me a glass of water please" without him taking it personally that I was either being demanding or nagging. I was having a hard time not taking this personally, but did a very good job of keeping my trap shut.
Anyhow, last night was the first evening he was supposed to take a pill. He did... and wow what a disaster. As long as I've known him he's been twitchy. His one knee goes 50 miles an hour all the time. I'm mostly used to it, but it still gets to me from time to time.... like when he's shaking hard enough to make it hard to read my monitor. Well, with the new medicine it was getting worse, not better. And last night he had to log out of the game because he was shaking too hard to be able to target things. He actually slept on the couch he was so twitchy.
We talked a bit about it in the morning, about my concerns and about how he was feeling on the medicine (no, I don't remember which one and it's in the kitchen...). He decided not to take his pill this morning. By this afternoon when he got off work he said he was feeling the best he had all week. He's got a reminder in his phone to call the doctor Monday to tell her he went off it and to see if she's got any other bright ideas. We both agree that he could use at least a little medical help. While his depression doesn't seem (to me on the outside) quite as bad as it was a few weeks ago, it's still not playing nice and letting him live his life without his own shadow over everything.
Anyhow, that's the big news of the week. The parts job, so far, is full of boring and stupid things. There's got to be a better way. Of course, I still have no idea what I'll be doing in the long run or how everything will shake out between parts and customer support. I should be having my "mid-year" review sometime in the next month or so... as soon as I set it up. I fully plan on talking with my superviser about it. I plan to go in there with and idea of how I want things to go... and see what or even if he has any ideas.

This weekend is going to be packed. Today we had a small family picnic for Kat's mom. She turns 75 on Tuesday. It was a small gathering. It was really cool because we recently tracked down one of our friends from high school, Jen. She still lives in the area and was able to make it. It was great to see her again. We had wonderful weather and a good time.
Tomorrow we have another picnic to go to. (I told you it was a busy weekend.) This time it's one for Steve. My friend is heading back over to the sandbox for his 4th tour this war (5th overall, he was there the first time we decided to play in the sand over there...) and wanted to throw his "anual" picnic before heading out. I hate that he has to go. I'll worry about him until I get to see him again. But... unfortunately... I understand why he has to go. That doesn't mean I like it, but I understand. And if he didn't go, who would?

Well, I didn't really want to end this post on that, but... I think I'm out of things to say.
Peace to all, have fun and stay safe whatever your plans are.

Edit: I looked it up and the meds were Effexor (or however that's spelled.... no I didn't bring the bottle with me...)

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Phone Review

This week is interesting so far at work. I'm beginning to learn the parts department part of my job. I don't have much to say at the moment except... well... there's room for improvement....
I'm not going to talk about work tonight.
I don't think I'll talk about the boy (too much) tonight.
No, what I realized the other night is that I said back a month ago that I'd let you know how I like my new phone, the LG C360, after a while.
Well, it's been a while.
The short version, I like it... I really truly like it. There are still a few little quarks I'm getting used to, but mostly because it's just a little different than my old phone.
I'll start with the few down sides I've seen so far. The screen is pretty hard to see in bright daylight. The text entry method is pretty cool over all, especially if you have the word predictive feature turned on (this will actually predict the next word you want to type) in order to enter numbers it's a slightly annoying process, but not too bad.
And that's about the only bad things I have to say. I've only called someone from my pocket once. The slide is nice and solid and usually stays shut when you shove it into your pocket. The ring is nice and loud. Sound quality of conversations is good. The camera, while not as good as my point-n-shoot is good enough for what it is. I mean, come on, it's a camera phone, not a Nikon DSLR. I use it to capture the random cute moments of my son when I don't have my camera with me... or the spontaneous something I want to share, not take a real photograph of. The battery life is decent enough. I've been getting about 4 days per charge if I let it drain all the way. If I forget and get to the point where it beeps at you, it'll beep twice and then shut off instead of just keeping up it's annoying racket. The buttons are responsive and the menus make sense for the most part.
So, yeah, overall I like my new phone. And I think Gak is still in love with his iPhone. I think we got the phones right this time.

Anyhow, I've been poking at this for a while now... listening to my son sing in his crib. I also listened to a preview on G4 for my brother's current project: Saboteur. It sounds like G4 was pretty impressed with it and it's got some unique features. Looks like it could be fun. It's release date is slated for December 8th, just in time for holiday gifting. (Yes, I'm pumping up my brother's project. I want it to do well so he continues to do well. He likes the company he's with and it seems to be going in good directions.)
Oh, on other random news bits... my brother and Becca are finally moving in together. No, they didn't buy a place, they're renting. They're renting a townhouse in the community they eventually want to buy in. I think it'll be great. I hope their move goes smoothly and they can find a unit to actually own soon.

Well, I think I've rambled enough. I'm off. I picked up one of the "new" Puzzle Quest games for my DS. I say "new" because it actually came out in 2008, but I haven't really bought or played much since before Boo was born. Oh, side note, don't buy Myst for your DS. The graphics suck and without the graphics, the game isn't playable.

Peace to all and may your technology be good to you.

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Sunny Saturday

Well, good rainy morning to you all! (Ok, so it's a rainy morning here while I'm writing this, I don't know what time of day or the weather condition it is when and where you're reading this.... but... oh, never mind.)

Yesterday was actually a pretty good day. We had an almost fun, uneventful trip to the Laundromat. Boo took a nap and even ate some lunch! I believe that whatever growth spurt he's been on for the last month or two is past. We have now entered toddler eating habits. I'm sure he's getting enough nutrition into him, but it's only about half of what he was eating a week ago. Oh well. Back to lunch... I managed to get him to eat most of 2 chicken nuggets. (Give him one at a time and ignore him.) I think Cheerios are just about out for the moment. He'll look me right in the eye as he tosses them onto the floor, but will gobble up all kinds of other little crunchies. I also got some cheese stick things into him and some more milk. (I'd managed a small cereal bar and 5 oz of milk for breakfast and lots of freeze-dried apples, which continue to be a favorite. I just wish they were cheaper.)
Ok, enough about food for the moment. Boo didn't want his afternoon nap. He lay quietly for about 15 minutes and decided he was done. Ok. We'll try again later. Since the sun was shining, the weather was cooperating and the boy was in a happy mood and it was the 1st of the month, we went to the park and took Dragon with us. I got a couple of good pictures of Boo playing with the dragon. We then went onto the swings for a few minutes and I let him push his stroller around for a little bit. By then it was off to pick up Poppa!
We had a few adventures before coming home. We drooled at the appliances at Best Buy and wandered through the games. (I keep dreaming about redoing the kitchen or even just being able to have a washer and dryer in the apartment. All dreams at this point since a, we don't own the place, b, we don't have the money even if we could and c, there is no way to get a washer and dryer hookup built into this apartment. But.... it's nice to dream from time to time.) We then decide to head out to the Q-mart and then home, but as we pass the store, Gak realized he'd left the "Open" sign lit. Oops. We make a detour to turn that off and both realize we were hungry, so we ended up going to Taco Bell. Boo likes nacho chips and cinnamon twists, but wasn't into trying the cheese rollup (cheese rolled in a tortilla and melted). Oh well. We then wander around the Q-mart and home again. The boy decides he doesn't want a nap, but I did. I got a little bit of a snooze in while the boys played for a little bit.
I managed to get a container of yogurt and another chicken nugget into the boy for dinner. I miss the boy I could put a plate of food in front of and he'd gobble it down. I shouldn't complain, in only a few short years I probably won't be able to get enough food in front of him... ever!
Anyhow, we played quite happily for the evening, had a bath and crashed. At least I seem to have my happy boy back. I'll take a happy, not eating boy over a screaming child any day.

Of course, all this good day did have a shadow hanging over it. My friend Joan is going through some very rough times. Her mom really isn't doing well at all. She's been on a very long, very slow, very painful (for everyone) decline. And the sad part is, so much of it could have been prevented if she'd tried! And now Joan's grandfather isn't doing well and they're not sure he'll last the weekend. This is definitely one time I don't envy her. Joan's very good at getting the raw end of the deal, but this sucks even for her luck.

Well, I've got two sleeping boys. I think I'll try and get some yarn play in. I was going to take the boy to the park today, but it's raining. Oh well. Yesterday was nice.

Peace to all and may your weekends be good and your plates (and tummies!) full.