For the last few years my husband and I have gotten together with my brother and sister-in-law to watch American Idol. Mostly it's just a fun excuse to get together, but we've been known to vote now and again. Two years ago, Charla was born on the season finale, David Cook won that year. Of course my brother and sister-in-law came up to the hospital to watch it with me. The nurse even stuck around and watched Ryan Seacrest announce the winner!
So last night the new season began and of course Aunt RyRy and Uncle RyRy came over. Yes, they are both named Ryan and no they are not gay. Aunt RyRy is actually Ryan-Marie! Anyway, right before Idol came on Aunt RyRy starts playing her ringtone for Charla. It was Tik Tok by Ke$ha and Charla started dancing to it and saying "again, again". We must have listened to this ringtone a dozen times. Then there's this part that goes "woah-oh oh oh" and Charla starts singing that part!
It was the funniest thing I've seen in awhile! First of all, Charla dances like a peacock. She is a 100% white girl dancer, no rhythm. So she bounces around thrusting her head forward and back and singing "oh oh oh"! I really wish I had video of it! We were still laughing when Idol started. After watching a few of those rotten singers that you know just get air time because of how horrible they sing/dress/act I really think my little girl has a chance. Too bad this is Simon's last year. Oh well, perhaps she can perform for The X Factor when it comes out!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
My kitties!
We have 3 cats and each one has it's own personality. Jake is our youngest. He is all black with just a bit of white on his chest. He is your typical "scaredy-cat". If we have company, he's hiding either under the bed or in the closet. He is terrified of my husband for some reason but will allow me the luxury of petting him a few times per month!
Sophie is our middle "fur-child". She is a teeny little thing, weighing in at a whopping 7 pounds! We got her on a total whim. We were driving past a farm and noticed they had a sign for free kittens. So we stopped to see the kitties and ended up taking her home. She is a total sweetheart and is the only one of our 3 cats who will allow Charla to come within a foot of her. Here's Sophie curled up with 1mos old Charla!
Then there's Caleb. His nickname is "Fur Man". We rescued Caleb from the Humane Society when he was only a couple months old, he will be turning 8 next month! From the very beginning he was my cat or rather I am his human! He and I have had a strong bond from the very beginning. When I was pregnant with Charla he would be by my side whenever I was home. People would always ask me if my dog was more protective of me now that I was pregnant and I would always say, "No, but my cat is"!
The night I went into labor I stayed at my parents house because it was closer to the hospital. I remember trying to convince my husband and parents that I could go home when really all I wanted was to be near my cat on that night. It was a good thing I stayed though because my water broke at 1am! When I came home with Charla he acted a bit like a jealous sibling would. I thought I may have to give him away because he actually nipped Charla a few times. Now though they seem to have a distant but respectful relationship and Caleb uses nap time and bedtime as cuddle opportunities with his "mama"!
Sophie is our middle "fur-child". She is a teeny little thing, weighing in at a whopping 7 pounds! We got her on a total whim. We were driving past a farm and noticed they had a sign for free kittens. So we stopped to see the kitties and ended up taking her home. She is a total sweetheart and is the only one of our 3 cats who will allow Charla to come within a foot of her. Here's Sophie curled up with 1mos old Charla!
Then there's Caleb. His nickname is "Fur Man". We rescued Caleb from the Humane Society when he was only a couple months old, he will be turning 8 next month! From the very beginning he was my cat or rather I am his human! He and I have had a strong bond from the very beginning. When I was pregnant with Charla he would be by my side whenever I was home. People would always ask me if my dog was more protective of me now that I was pregnant and I would always say, "No, but my cat is"!
The night I went into labor I stayed at my parents house because it was closer to the hospital. I remember trying to convince my husband and parents that I could go home when really all I wanted was to be near my cat on that night. It was a good thing I stayed though because my water broke at 1am! When I came home with Charla he acted a bit like a jealous sibling would. I thought I may have to give him away because he actually nipped Charla a few times. Now though they seem to have a distant but respectful relationship and Caleb uses nap time and bedtime as cuddle opportunities with his "mama"!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Stress
I know these are tough times for everyone and many people have it much worse than I do. I just need to throw a bit of a pity party tonight!
My husband has only worked 4 months this year. He is a HVAC technician and there is VERY little construction going on in our area. He worked January to the beginning of March and then got laid off. He wasn't able to find a job all summer. Finally in September he was hired at a non-union company but got laid off in early November. Our health insurance ran out at the end of August, we have mounting debt and we just can't seem to get our heads above the water.
Right before Christmas one of my husband's molars starting hurting him really bad. He went to the dentist to see what was going on and the dentist said he needed a root canal. Our state insurance doesn't cover root canals, just pulling teeth. Apparently teeth just aren't that important. Dental plans are relatively cheap, however most make you wait 6 months to 1 year before getting any work done. He wasn't going to be able to make it that long.
We discovered that there's such a thing as a discount card. According to their website our out of pocket cost should have been about $400. Much better than the $1000+ it would be without the card, so we went ahead and bought it. On the day of his appointment they charged us $250 and said if they needed more they would send us a bill. Well, today we got a bill for another $650!!! The discount card saved us a whopping $80. My husband is calling tomorrow to say "What the hell!" but if that's what we owe, the dentist is going to be waiting awhile.
I am so over everyone wanting more and more money out of us.
My husband has only worked 4 months this year. He is a HVAC technician and there is VERY little construction going on in our area. He worked January to the beginning of March and then got laid off. He wasn't able to find a job all summer. Finally in September he was hired at a non-union company but got laid off in early November. Our health insurance ran out at the end of August, we have mounting debt and we just can't seem to get our heads above the water.
Right before Christmas one of my husband's molars starting hurting him really bad. He went to the dentist to see what was going on and the dentist said he needed a root canal. Our state insurance doesn't cover root canals, just pulling teeth. Apparently teeth just aren't that important. Dental plans are relatively cheap, however most make you wait 6 months to 1 year before getting any work done. He wasn't going to be able to make it that long.
We discovered that there's such a thing as a discount card. According to their website our out of pocket cost should have been about $400. Much better than the $1000+ it would be without the card, so we went ahead and bought it. On the day of his appointment they charged us $250 and said if they needed more they would send us a bill. Well, today we got a bill for another $650!!! The discount card saved us a whopping $80. My husband is calling tomorrow to say "What the hell!" but if that's what we owe, the dentist is going to be waiting awhile.
I am so over everyone wanting more and more money out of us.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Can't stand the whining!
There is nothing more annoying to me than a whiny toddler. Last week, when Charla was sick, she was whiny. I tried to stay as patient as possible because I knew she felt like total crap. This week, however, I'm back to my zero tolerance policy!
The weather here has been cold. I live in Wisconsin so the last 2 weeks or so has only seen highs in the low 20's, not fun and some days it hasn't even hit that. Needless to say that means most of my day is spent indoors trying to keep both myself and Charla entertained. Charla is getting bored. The toys from Christmas are already 2 weeks old and losing their appeal. We live in a condo but have a private basement so I take Charla downstairs every couple of days. This helps put a bit of spark back in our mundane existence.
Today was a balmy 21F outside so I decided to brave the elements and take Charla and our dog, poor soul, she's been staring out the window wistfully the last few days, on a walk. It started off well. Charla asked where her swing went (for the thousandth time) as we walked down the driveway. I asked her to hold my hand as we crossed the street and off we went. About 2 houses down we hit an icy patch. I pointed it out to Charla so she knew to walk slowly and held her hand. Then she slipped. I had her hand so her fall was more of a firm sit but it was still the end of the world. Nothing could get her to stop the whining. I tried talking to her about puppies, snow, how mommy really didn't want to carry her the entire walk, nothing stopped the "Mama, up!" that she kept repeating like a broken record. So we turned around and went home, the poor dog was extremely disappointed and I was about ready to pull my hair out from being stuck in the house.
The rest of the morning actually went fairly well. We read some books and then she asked to watch Elmo (she actually couldn't care less about Elmo she likes Dorothy the fish!). After that it was lunch time. Shortly after starting lunch however, she bit her tongue (I think?) and started the whining again!
"Blankie! Blankie! Done! Down!" So I cleaned her up and she got down to find blankie. After 2 min of that she was back. "Milk. Eat. Chair." So I tried to put her back in her highchair. "NO! Mama chair!" She wanted to sit on my lap and eat her lunch. Fine! After that she was good as gold and is now sleeping peacefully.
Thankfully she has quite a few words and at least she's using them while she's whining, but that tone just drives me nuts!
The weather here has been cold. I live in Wisconsin so the last 2 weeks or so has only seen highs in the low 20's, not fun and some days it hasn't even hit that. Needless to say that means most of my day is spent indoors trying to keep both myself and Charla entertained. Charla is getting bored. The toys from Christmas are already 2 weeks old and losing their appeal. We live in a condo but have a private basement so I take Charla downstairs every couple of days. This helps put a bit of spark back in our mundane existence.
Today was a balmy 21F outside so I decided to brave the elements and take Charla and our dog, poor soul, she's been staring out the window wistfully the last few days, on a walk. It started off well. Charla asked where her swing went (for the thousandth time) as we walked down the driveway. I asked her to hold my hand as we crossed the street and off we went. About 2 houses down we hit an icy patch. I pointed it out to Charla so she knew to walk slowly and held her hand. Then she slipped. I had her hand so her fall was more of a firm sit but it was still the end of the world. Nothing could get her to stop the whining. I tried talking to her about puppies, snow, how mommy really didn't want to carry her the entire walk, nothing stopped the "Mama, up!" that she kept repeating like a broken record. So we turned around and went home, the poor dog was extremely disappointed and I was about ready to pull my hair out from being stuck in the house.
The rest of the morning actually went fairly well. We read some books and then she asked to watch Elmo (she actually couldn't care less about Elmo she likes Dorothy the fish!). After that it was lunch time. Shortly after starting lunch however, she bit her tongue (I think?) and started the whining again!
"Blankie! Blankie! Done! Down!" So I cleaned her up and she got down to find blankie. After 2 min of that she was back. "Milk. Eat. Chair." So I tried to put her back in her highchair. "NO! Mama chair!" She wanted to sit on my lap and eat her lunch. Fine! After that she was good as gold and is now sleeping peacefully.
Thankfully she has quite a few words and at least she's using them while she's whining, but that tone just drives me nuts!
Monday, January 4, 2010
It's a zoo!
I have always loved animals. Luckily I met a guy who is also a fan of animals and together we have owned quite a menagerie.
Our first place together was an apartment. It allowed cats so we immediately went out and bought a cute orange kitten. After a few months we realized that he was probably lonely during the day so we got him a black kitten as a friend. A year later I absolutely fell in love with a gray and white kitten at the local humane society, so he came home with us too!
We didn't limit ourselves to cats, however. We owned quite a few mice and bred them for fun. We also owned a few guinea pigs and bred them as well. Let me tell you, guinea pig babies are THE cutest things on the face of this earth! Rabbits, ferrets, parakeets, a cockatiel, an iguana and some tropical fish were also inhabitants of our apartment.
When we moved to a condo we bought a dog and a few years later we rescued another dog from the humane society. Over the years our animal group has decreased in size. We still have 3 cats but we ended up putting one of our dogs down. The rest of our animals either passed or were given to new loving homes.
Instilling a love and respect for animals is a major goal for me as a mother to my child. So far Charla is still learning how to be gentle and she has this odd habit of screaming as loud as she can (for fun) whenever she sees a cat. Unfortunately this is quite frequently since we have 3 of them! As Charla gets older I believe the animals will teach her about love, empathy and responsibility. All good qualities I want for my daughter.
Our first place together was an apartment. It allowed cats so we immediately went out and bought a cute orange kitten. After a few months we realized that he was probably lonely during the day so we got him a black kitten as a friend. A year later I absolutely fell in love with a gray and white kitten at the local humane society, so he came home with us too!
We didn't limit ourselves to cats, however. We owned quite a few mice and bred them for fun. We also owned a few guinea pigs and bred them as well. Let me tell you, guinea pig babies are THE cutest things on the face of this earth! Rabbits, ferrets, parakeets, a cockatiel, an iguana and some tropical fish were also inhabitants of our apartment.
When we moved to a condo we bought a dog and a few years later we rescued another dog from the humane society. Over the years our animal group has decreased in size. We still have 3 cats but we ended up putting one of our dogs down. The rest of our animals either passed or were given to new loving homes.
Instilling a love and respect for animals is a major goal for me as a mother to my child. So far Charla is still learning how to be gentle and she has this odd habit of screaming as loud as she can (for fun) whenever she sees a cat. Unfortunately this is quite frequently since we have 3 of them! As Charla gets older I believe the animals will teach her about love, empathy and responsibility. All good qualities I want for my daughter.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
I visited the Black Hole and all I got was...
My bedroom is and always has been, the messiest area of my life. When I lived at home my mom was constantly on my case to clean my room. After moving out and getting married, nothing changed except the fact that I didn't have someone breathing down my neck to clean up my "crap". Over the last 2 years more things piled up since most of my free time was taken up with an infant.
Today however, I entered the Black Hole and did a bit of organizing. My sister-in-law was kind enough to come over and assist in some of the sorting. We were in there for about 2 hours! Mostly I just needed to dig through piles of clothes. I had a lot of pre-baby clothes that I was holding onto in hopes of fitting back into them. However, I've come to the realization that they will never fit quite the way they used to so off to Good Will they go!
I still have a bit of organizing to do in there. I have some pictures that need to be put in an album and some nic naks that need to be either given away or put somewhere, but a big dent was made today. I hope to be able to stay on top of my bedroom from now on but, with my track record, I'm not holding out too much hope!
Today however, I entered the Black Hole and did a bit of organizing. My sister-in-law was kind enough to come over and assist in some of the sorting. We were in there for about 2 hours! Mostly I just needed to dig through piles of clothes. I had a lot of pre-baby clothes that I was holding onto in hopes of fitting back into them. However, I've come to the realization that they will never fit quite the way they used to so off to Good Will they go!
I still have a bit of organizing to do in there. I have some pictures that need to be put in an album and some nic naks that need to be either given away or put somewhere, but a big dent was made today. I hope to be able to stay on top of my bedroom from now on but, with my track record, I'm not holding out too much hope!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Inadequate
Some days I feel like I can't keep up with anything. The housework, child care and even my own personal interests fall to the wayside. Starting in this new year I would like to be able to feel a little more on top of things. I know I can't be perfect and shouldn't expect perfection. However, I feel like I can do a bit better than what I've been doing.
Housework is a matter of organization. I'm not a highly organized person. If I want to save something it ends up in my bedroom or the hall closet. Normally it is then forgotten about for months or years until one day it turns up as I'm digging through in search of something else. I call my disorganization an organized mess because most of the time I do know where the important things are.
As for child care, Charla is cleaned, fed and cared for on a regular basis. What I feel like I fall behind on some days play. She must get tired of hearing the constant "no's" or "laters". I wish I felt like I had enough time in the day to get things done I need to get done but still sit down for 1 hour and give her my undivided attention. Lately I've been sitting on the floor to play with her while trying to watch a show I've wanted to see and this isn't fair to either of us.
I haven't been able to keep up with my own personal interests since Charla was born. Things I loved to do pre-baby were read, write, puzzles and watch movies/shows. I am still able to do all these things, just not as much as I used to, obviously. I am getting better at taking time for myself. I realized around the time Charla was 6mos that I did not in fact die. I am still alive and still need to take the time to make myself happy.
So those 3 things are what I'm working towards in this new year. If only there were more hours in the day, then I would have no problem with my time management!
Housework is a matter of organization. I'm not a highly organized person. If I want to save something it ends up in my bedroom or the hall closet. Normally it is then forgotten about for months or years until one day it turns up as I'm digging through in search of something else. I call my disorganization an organized mess because most of the time I do know where the important things are.
As for child care, Charla is cleaned, fed and cared for on a regular basis. What I feel like I fall behind on some days play. She must get tired of hearing the constant "no's" or "laters". I wish I felt like I had enough time in the day to get things done I need to get done but still sit down for 1 hour and give her my undivided attention. Lately I've been sitting on the floor to play with her while trying to watch a show I've wanted to see and this isn't fair to either of us.
I haven't been able to keep up with my own personal interests since Charla was born. Things I loved to do pre-baby were read, write, puzzles and watch movies/shows. I am still able to do all these things, just not as much as I used to, obviously. I am getting better at taking time for myself. I realized around the time Charla was 6mos that I did not in fact die. I am still alive and still need to take the time to make myself happy.
So those 3 things are what I'm working towards in this new year. If only there were more hours in the day, then I would have no problem with my time management!
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