I've Got Nothin

There's the bandwagon of blogging every day... here's me nearly falling off. Jeff is my cheerleader and just handed me his computer because I already have my boot off and I didn't want to hop across the house to retrieve my own. What a guy. My husband is pretty great, isn't he? Think carefully before you answer: he helped you waste your brain bytes on this.


Recently:
1. I took a bread class last night at the culinary center; it was good but I'm not sure it repaired the damaged  relationship I've developed with bread. I'll have to keep working on that. In the meantime, I need this baking book.

2. All of a sudden, Natalie is asking about the arrival of her big girl bed every day. I hope she likes it as much after it arrives!

3. I'm refinishing an antique dresser for Natalie's room and I can't wait for it to be finished. So far I've sanded, repaired and primed. Still need to clean a few brass hardware items on it, put on a couple coats of paint, a layer of sealer and then put on the pretty new knobs. She better love it. Also? How did people figure out the best way to do stuff like that before the internet?

4. Wyatt had a friend over for a little while this afternoon. I think it made his week.

5. We need to take the trampoline down before it freezes too many times, yet the kids keep going out there in the afternoons and bouncing themselves silly. I really don't know how they'll expend that same energy indoors.

6. Millie is currently sleeping like a baby on Jeff. Literally, she's on her side, head on his shoulder and completely sacked out. Rough life.

7. I learned today that Millie likes raw green beans. Who knew? Sometimes it pays to be a messy cook.

8. I got to hold a friend's new baby today, who weighed a few ounces more than Wyatt did at birth. It is unbelievable how tiny these little people are when they enter the world and how quickly I can forget exactly how little that feels in my arms. It was delightful.

9. Natalie decided today that I needed some big hugs. No joke, I think they were the best squeezy hugs my girl's ever given me.

10. Wyatt still holds the title around here for best hugger. That kid can really make you feel loved.

11. Wyatt is so sweet to Natalie much of the time. I did her hair a new way today (two braids, a la Pippi Longstocking) and when she came downstairs, Wyatt told her she looked beautiful and gave her a hug.

12. Natalie loves her brother so much that she gets mad if she's not accompanying the parent who retrieves him from school (Jeff's schedule is finally kind of awesome; he can actually pick up Wyatt sometimes).

13. After a ton of people recommending it, my book club picked The Hunger Games for December so I've finally decided to start reading it. Oh my goodness, I get it. I could totally neglect my family just to sit down and finish it. But I won't, don't worry. The blog though? It could become a casualty.

Briefly

No, I don't think I'm a big deal blogger. Yes, I keep adding widgets from BlogHer that may or may not - more likely the latter - result in me buying a cup of coffee without asking my husband for money. Not that he makes me ask for money, EVER, but you get the idea. To whoever among you has been clicking through, thank you. You've almost earned me a single drink at Starbucks.

Like a Certain Girl I Know

So, that other background was a little much. I liked it at first, like I liked Natalie's delighted squeals when they first surfaced, but then it started grating on me. It was a little too vibrant. Like Natalie's delighted squeals are to me now. I just wanted to shush it. Not that I'd want to do that to my little darling girl, or anything.

So we'll try this one. Feel free to voice your opinions about it, all two of you that confess to reading.

Thoughts?

The blog is not safe from my wanderlust or whatever it is that makes me feel bored with my surroundings. In my house, I rearrange furniture, accessories or go on a huge toy/clothes/whatever purge and organization rant. For the blog, a change of scenery. So, is it annoying? Hard to read? Too much to look at? You like it? I'm not quite sold, but it feels festive and summery so it's at least a move in the right direction. Or not. You tell me.

Breaking the Seal

I'm alive, we're all alive. I've gotten a couple emails (ahem, Lisa, Kristen) suggesting perhaps I'm neglecting the blog. I don't disagree. There's a blog clog of sorts. It actually resides in my time management (mis-management?) issues. Sorry about that. And actually, I also blame it on what I'm convinced is bad feng shui in our current housing situation.

Anyhoo, I have lots to tell you about nothing and also about my awesome kid, but right now I'm kind of neglecting his morning playtime so it'll have to wait. But to those of you that blog - keep at it! I'm reading and enjoying. To those of you that don't...how about if you start one? That'd be great.

And lastly, to those of you who received an email titled "Vote Me" which contained a link and some horrible grammar, obviously that wasn't written by me (thank you to A. Sharon, Roger and Steph who all figured that out and wrote to let me know they didn't think my writing had slipped that much, even with all the non-blogging). It's apparently a virus, which Norton has now killed (so he tells me) and I feel like the mom who brought a kid with chicken pox to a birthday party. Sorry for the potential infection. We'll try to run a cleaner shop around here in the new year.

Better posts very soon (especially since I just found a Sharpie in Wyatt's hands).

At Least It's Over

Well, Lisa summed it up pretty well over here, but I'll add my thoughts to the misery.

Things that were un-fun today:
1. Wyatt still has chronic-too-many-poopy-diapers-in-a-day. Let it be understood by all: I AM OVER POOPY DIAPERS! Really, really over them. As in, please make them stop. Not completely, of course, because then I'd have a different and equally vexing problem, but it's just....regularity is a good thing.

2. Diaper rash that accompanies said diapers is also decidedly bad. I don't like having to mix up home remedies (though it's working) and make my son scream as I'm "helping" him.

3. I had to go to the commissary. Again. That makes three trips in four days and one of those was made on Friday when people were freaking out about Typhoon Nari (which, by the way, was a poser typhoon that merely caused some sideways rain) and I got yelled at by other shoppers because I both qualified for and used the express line. Here's a hint: you don't need 6 cases of soda, 3 pounds of bacon, 8 bags of chips, 4 pounds of apples or 9 loaves of bread to get through a single typhoon. If you bought what you actually needed (like a carton of milk, applesauce and bananas because you have a kid that can't stop with the dirty diapers, for example), you, too, would qualify for the express line. So I'm really sorry that you've been waiting here since 8 am, but not sorry enough to let you in line in front of me.

4. Upon leaving the commissary, I somehow managed to rip my fingernail away from its home. It bled. And it still really, really hurts.

5. Wyatt mini-urped on his shirt this morning after we left the house, so that combined with 3 dirty diapers before 10:30 am made us miss our scheduled playdate off base at an indoor playground. I hear it was really cool which really just made it worse that we'd stayed home.

6. I hadn't checked the mail since Thursday, so was kind of hoping that I'd go there today and discover a magazine or at least some catalogs waiting for me. Instead, I was greeted with one financial statement and a mail-order catalog from which I could order parts for a Toyota. Woo. Real exciting.

7. Jeff - who worked for 5 hours on Saturday and 10 hours on Sunday - was supposed to be home at 6:30 tonight. Only he wasn't; it was after 7:00 and today was just one of those days that I really could've used a surprise early arrival and would have settled for on-time. Late was not good and was greeted as such, which then just keeps the bad mood rolling. Bad choice.

8. It's supposed to rain (probably sideways, since it's another typhoon) all day tomorrow so Jeff's DO called saying that no one needs to go in until 10:20 am tomorrow because they won't be flying in the morning. I took the message to pass along and was thinking, "cool. At least we'll get to hang out in the morning." As soon as I delivered the message to Jeff, though, he said, "you know I still need to go in early and get stuff done." Of course you do. Roll on, bad mood, roll on.

9. As Kristen put it so well yesterday, I think I'm just irritable. And all of these things pile up right along with the dirty diapers, the laundry and the dust in my house.

To be fair, there were some high(er) points. The fun things that happened here today:
1. I booked a Coco's pedicure for me and Lisa on Sunday morning. I mean, my first reaction to my crapola day was to pop the cork on a bottle of wine at about noon, but that's a slippery slope so I passed and figure a pedicure's the next best thing.

2. Wyatt's great, even if he is Mr. Poopy Pants. Between the whining, the crying and the clinging I am aware I have a great kid and am really fortunate. And, if you must keep pressing the point, yes. I realize I'm pretty lucky I get to stay home with him.

3. I really had to work at keeping a straight face tonight during dinner when Wyatt discovered that his finger just happens to fit perfectly into his nostril. And then he wouldn't remove it for the duration of the meal.

4. It's time for bed. That indicates that I've survived this day and will (hopefully) get to try again tomorrow.

I Am So Boring. Bored? Boring.

Where did all my blog inspiration go? I used to be such a good little blogger, always noticing slightly amusing things to write about. Maybe I used them all up.

It's a super-rainy, gloomy, cool day here and, despite having gotten out for a walk, some shopping and a friend's fini flight, I feel very housebound. Kind of like I want to curl up with a nice cup of hot tea and a good book. So it's particularly painful that I finished my mindless beach book last night before bed. What was I thinking? On the other hand, I feel very cooped up. Like I should break out of this concrete pseudo-jail. Which leaves me in the place that has become very familiar: paralyzed by indecision. Go figure.

Wyatt has officially decided Grandpa is cool stuff. They're buddies. And Grandma worked her charms while Grandpa and I were at the squadron, so I'd give it another 12-24 hours before I'm superfluous (p.s. I love that word! I just like the way it feels when you say it). It's very relaxing to have two extra sets of willing hands helping take care of the little man. For the first time in ages, I was able to look around 100Y at a leisurely pace and I actually got to eat my lunch while it was hot. How great is that?

And the one amusing thing I'll leave you with today is Wyatt's new toy from 100Y. It's a toy airplane cleverly named the "BOING 787". Boing! Boing, boing, boing! I bet that thing bounces like a superball. But they must have known I would think that, because the wings say it's a "Superplane High Performance" and the back says "How Safe!!" So there you have it.