Friday, February 29, 2008

Running

It's been AGES since I laced on my Asics and hit the roads, and I'm WILDLY out of shape. It was a good run, though. I went around the neighborhood and up and down some pretty good hills. I was out for a little over a half hour. My pace was pretty slow - over 13min/mi, but, like I said, it's been a long time since I got out there. I'm sure if I can get back into it I'll be able to work back up to a quicker pace.


Wednesday, January 23, 2008

WFMW - The metoo Seat

This week's Works For Me Wednesday is a tribute to the Phil and Ted's metoo. I looked around for a good, simple, chair that I could use for C-Rex. We have a very small apartment, and floor space, especially in the kitchen is at a premium. There was just no way I could fit a high chair in there. Unfortunately, most everything I found was huge, bulky and impractical.

Until I discovered the metoo. It is lightweight (weighs only two pounds!) and collapses to just one inch thick. It's nylon, so it wipes clean with just a washcloth, although one time in the summer I took the garden hose to it after an outdoor cookout. No need to wrangle off the washable cover or any such nonsense. I've found that it attaches to most tables, although I have had problems with foldable picnic tables. Phil and Ted's is a great company with an impeccable reputation, so you can buy with impunity.

Check it out, but don't blame me if you're tempted to chuck your bulky highchair.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

WFMW - Be A DIVA!

My humble submission for this week's Works for Me Wednesday, hosted over at Rocks in My Dryer is the Diva Cup, hands down the most life-altering product I've ever used. In high school - as I dashed from class to the crowded girls' bathroom during my five minute pass period in a vain attempt to deal with my leaking tampon without being tardy for 3rd period English - I used to dream about a product I could put in place at the beginning of the day and not worry about until bedtime. Back then I thought my dream was hopeless, but then I discovered the Diva. The Diva Cup is a soft silicone cup that is worn inside the body like a tampon, but instead of absorbing blood, it simply catches and holds it until you are ready to deal with it. The only catch is that you have to be comfortable dealing with your own body fluids. You will get blood on your fingers, but - as I tell my six-year-old when she begins to freak out over dirty hands - they will wash. It is a small price to pay for TRUE freedom during your period.

I wish I had had this product as a teen, and I fully intend to induct my daughter into the Diva club when she comes of age. It Works For Me!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Stomach Flu Bites - WARNING: This Post is NOT for the Faint of Heart!

My entire family came down with a nasty bug this week. It started on Monday night when C-Rex vomited all over me at 4:30 AM. Things went downhill from there. He developed diarrhea, but then - bizarrely - he seemed to be better on Wednesday, and we went to school without incident. After his nap that afternoon, though, he started vomiting again landing a spectacular shot right down the front of my shirt. Picture me attempting to calm a crying baby while trying NOT to toss my own cookies due to the fact that I've got a lake of vomit formed inside my bra.

It was nasty.

That night was Coio's birthday. We had cake, and she got the Barbie Mariposa (she's got wings, so she gets a green light in our no-Barbie home). She was thrilled. That night Tilo slept in the living room so his sleep wouldn't be interrupted by a sick and fussy baby (gosh, how would it be?). Coio took advantage of his absence by climbing into bed with me at some point in the middle of the night. Then at 3:30, SHE vomited all over me and the bed and everything.

Amazingly, C-Rex slept through the whole episode - the crying, "I vomited! My pants are wet! The cleaning up of the mess. The vomiting AGAIN - repeated three times.
It took up much of the wee morning hours. In the meantime, Tilo told me HE was sick, and my frantic dash to the bathroom told me that I had not dodged this bullet either. We got up at 6:30.

We were all in a bad way. Coio impressed me by jumping up off the couch and darting to the bathroom twice to vomit in the toilet - making it both times. She never had diarrhea and recovered much more quickly than anyone else in the house.

Tilo and I stumbled through the day as best we could. C-Rex, who by then hadn't vomited in almost 24 hours, continued (and continues to this moment) to have unpleasantly pungent and watery diapers, but he has been remarkably cheery throughout the whole ordeal.

Everyone else is back to normal. Five by five.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Hair Help!

This week's Works For Me Wednesday works in reverse. That means I get to post a question for y'all to answer, and, boy, I've got a doozy.

My life is full of hair drama. Coio - who turns six TODAY (wow!) has long, fine hair. It can be quite pretty, but most of the time it's a tangly, snarly mess. We do braided ponytails most days because I can't handle the trauma of combing out hair that has been through the day of an energetic little girl.

But yesterday, out of the blue, she announced that she wants to cut her hair. I'm astounded, as every time I've even mentioned it she has responded with adamant protestations that she *loves* her hair and wants to keep it LONG.

I'm happy to turn over the task of hair care, but I want to make sure I don't leave her with a task that is too much. So my question to you is this: how much hair can a six-year-old manage, and what can I do to help her take responsibility for her own head?

Thanks!

And Here Comes the Diarrhea

Oh. Joy.

Rude Awakening

There's nothing like being jolted awake at 4:30 AM by projectile vomit.

C-Rex had a rough night. He couldn't get to sleep and was twitchy all night. Finally he was still and quiet, and I thought we'd be good till morning.

We almost made it.

I awoke to the sound of impending vomit. I heard it coming, and there was nothing I could do but sit up and try not to get too much of it on me. He coughed and puked and then laid (lay?) back down and went back to sleep without much fuss. We tried to clean up around him as best we could - don't worry, he wasn't in it - thinking it was just something from dinner that had bothered his tummy.

No dice. Just a few short minutes later I heard it again, and this time it got everywhere. So I got up and got him cleaned up - even putting him in the bath to wash his hair.

Since then we've been through the cycle of nurse/vomit a dozen times. I'm not looking forward to the rest of this day.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Field Trip EXTRAVAGANZA!

We have a field trip planned for every day this week. Today we went to the bank. We took the kids over in two groups, and each group had about thirty minutes inside the bank. The bank manager talked to them about setting up an account, interest rates, and (their favorite part) how the security cameras work. Then they were taken behind the teller desk into the area where the drive-up tellers sit. They thought the vacuum system for transporting the canisters was cool, but they all gasped, "COOL!" when the teller opened the pneumatic drawer for the nearest lane. They're so nine-years-old.

Finally the bank manager took us into THE VAULT. My mind fills with images of stacks of money and gold bars behind a huge door (probably round) with a massive steering wheel-like locking mechanism. I'm sorely disappointed when we're taken behind a Plexiglas door into a tiny room filled with safe deposit boxes. THIS is the VAULT? We're told that the bank, while it has about 25 million in deposits only maintains a paltry $90,000 on hand at any given day, and it's secured in cashier drawers. That's it.

The kids loved it, though, and they all got suckers when we left. The most exciting part of the adventure, though, was pushing a student in his wheelchair over the icy sidewalks to and from the bank. Maybe next time we ought to bring our own ice pick.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

It's all over

C-Rex has accomplished the inevitable. Yesterday he succeeded in climbing up onto one of the kitchen chairs.

Nothing is safe anymore. It's only a matter of time before I find him in the middle of the kitchen table, on the counter-top or even attempting to scale the fridge.

The countdown to his first trip to the ER starts right . . .

NOW!

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

OH! It's Wednesday!

Gosh, how did that happen?

OK - Works for Me Wednesday, round two: Peaceful bedtime.

Coio is a typical five-year old (for another week, anyway). Up until recently bedtime has been bath-jams-teeth-prayer-story-nightnight music . . . followed by an hour of trips to the bathroom (for obvious reasons) or the kitchen (I need a drink!!) or living room (I just have to tell you something . . . ).

But that has all stopped.

A few weeks ago I told her she could come out of her room three times - not counting bathroom trips - and that after that her bedroom door would be closed. Now, her door is usually left cracked, but she does have a nice night-light, so it wouldn't be totally dark. Since she wants her door open, she took to the routine very quickly. Now she carefully keeps track of the times she comes out of her room, and after two times out she stays in bed.

AAAHHHHH, peace.

It works for me!

Monday, December 31, 2007

Moving Angst

We had really hoped to move into the new building over the holiday break. It was *finally* happening, and we were going to be into our new beautiful home.

If only.

The city has denied us the occupancy permit for reasons that I missed, but the result is that we get to start school again on the 7th in the old upper-school building. The WHOLE school in the upper-school building. We're going to be running half-days for at least one week, and possibly two, with the lower elementary meeting in the morning from 8:30 to 12:30 and the upper elementary/junior high meeting from 12:00 to 4:00. The high school will meet next door in the city youth center.

It will be far less than ideal, and it is CERTAIN to freak Coio out. The consolation I get is that my class - while on the boarder between lower and upper elementary - will meet with the lower elementary, so I'll be on the premises at the same time as she will be.

Someday we will get to use the new building. Until then, we will make do.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Ho ho ho!

For Christmas this year I got just what I wanted: teething. Well, OK, I got a Microsoft Zune, but the teeth are what I was really looking forward to. And not just any teeth; no sissy incisors that slice their way easily through the gums. No, I'm talking MOLARS.

You know what I'm talking about. The inconsolable fussiness. The resistance of anything with more consistency than an overripe banana. The nights that go on and on forever. Being awake at 2AM.

Good times.


Wednesday, December 19, 2007

WFMW - Pretty Presents

It's been ages since I blogged, but I'm thinking I'm going to try again. I'm going to start slowly by posting just once a week as part of Works For Me Wednesday over at Rocks In My Dryer.

So here it is, my debut WFMW post: Pretty Presents. I've gotten several compliments on the stack of presents underneath my (tiny) Christmas tree this year (yeah, we just put up the little tree and have the whole display fenced off from seƱor destructo-boy, AKA C-Rex.) What, you ask, is my secret?

Drum roll please: Let's hear it for cheap-o brown kraft paper! Three bucks will get you a roll of forty feet that can get you through this year's mountain of packages and well into next year's too.

But brown paper is pretty boring, you say. Well, you have a point. Now it's time to make with the pretty, and I direct you to fancy fabric ribbon. It's sort of pricy, so right after Christmas, hit up your favorite craft store and raid the Christmas ribbon display. It ought to be between 75% and 90% off, so you can splurge and get ten or fifteen (or twenty) rolls. Put it away until next year, and you'll be ready to put together a beautiful pile of presents.

Don't despair if you don't have any fabric ribbon on hand, or if you run out of ribbon before you run out of boxes to wrap. I ran out this year, and I was able to pick up more at 50% off at JoAnne's in early December. Not quite the steal it will be after the holidays are over, but still not bad.

So that's it. Plain brown paper and pretty fabric ribbon. It Works For Me!

Monday, October 15, 2007

I'm Convinced

Being a stay-at-home-mom is not for me. I enjoyed being home with Coio when she was a baby - but I started working from home when she was one and a half and have worked ever since. Today was my first day home with the kids, by myself, since C-Rex was a newborn. My parents are out of town, so it was just us three, and I darn near drove myself mad. Being alone with two little people and my thoughts is NOT my idea of a good time. So, no, I don't want to be a SAHM. I'm seriously looking for work.

Today I called on a CNA job posting from the classifieds, and it's just not going to work. The available hours won't work for me, and I don't really want to change sheets. So I don't know about nursing school. I'd really like to do it, but I don't know if I can. Maybe I'll try to get a job at a bank. Part time if possible for now with the idea that when C-Rex is a bit bigger I could go back to work full time.

What would be really cool would be for Suzanne to be able to work her magic and get me hired on as a virtual whatever for her university. She's doing what she can, but it's anyone's guess how long it could be before I'd have a bead on whether or not it will work out.

I'm feeling desperate today, but it's probably largely due to the fact that I didn't have anything to do today but obsess about work and money. I'm hopeful that tomorrow - when things go back to semi-normal - I'll be able to relax a bit.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Catching up

Things have been a bit crazy in the past few weeks. We started school, and I ended up quitting the kindergarten and the junior high Spanish teaching gigs. Mornings were too much for C-Rex, and teaching junior high is just beyond my capabilities - I'm a preschool teacher, and my methodology doesn't translate well to junior high.

So I'm only doing Spanish for the elementary classes now. It's not much, and we really need more money. I've got to find something else.

I've been thinking hard about going back to school next fall - nursing school. I've always been interested in medicine, and since medical school is more school (and money) than I'm interested in, nursing school seems like a good idea. I'm looking into getting my CNA so I can have the experience nursing schools want upon application.

My friend Suzanne is also trying to get me hired with her university as a virtual something or other, which would rock, since - hello? University? I could go back to school in their dime. It would be awesome, and I've got everything possible crossed.

We've been enjoying a few days off here, so I'll crawl back into my stupor and try to check back in sometime within the next month.

Friday, September 7, 2007

Employment Outlook

I don't know if I'm going to keep up assisting in the kindergarten in the mornings. It's exhausting. I've got to drag C-Rex (formerly known as Taco) out of bed super early and sacrifice his morning nap so that Coio can follow me around at school going, "Mommy?"

I'm thinking I'm going to send out the fliers I made for Spanish classes. I'm going to go through the phone book and send a flier to every preschool listed. If I can get just four clients (at $50 per 30-minute session) a week, I'll be doing great.

Add to this befuddlement of mind and spirit the fact that my former employer has been telling people she's going to take me to court because I'm in violation of the non-compete agreement I signed with her. Forget the fact that I'm NOT COMPETING with her, but if she really wants to go there I'm sure I can convince her otherwise. Do you think she
really wants her skeletons out of the closet? I'm inclined to Get Gephart.

Monday, September 3, 2007

School Starts TOMORROW!

Yes, it's finally here - the moment of truth. Coio is pretty excited, and I'm feeling anxious, so I guess everything is as it should be. I made sure she had a bath tonight (that's noteworthy in our home), and we picked out her outfit for the morning so we don't have to worry about that during the morning rush. We have to leave here NO LATER THAN 7:45AM, although for tomorrow I'm hoping to shoot for 7:30AM. Wow, that's early.

I'm still not positive that everything is going to work out for me. There's less time between assisting in the kindergarten and teaching Spanish in the afternoons that I had thought. Somehow I got it in my head that I'd have an hour and a half between the two, but it turns out I've only got one hour. It'll probably work so long as we're at the Freedom building in East Bay, but it definitely won't once we've moved up to the new building.

I'm really thinking it's not going to work, but I want to make a go of it. If it doesn't work, I'll probably take him with me in the afternoons, or maybe I'll try to do the contract Spanish classes in preschools like I was thinking of doing. If I can get a few clients at $50 for 30 minutes a week, then I could bring in maybe an extra couple hundred a month.

I can dream, anyway.

Wish us luck, ok?

Monday, August 27, 2007

Oh CRAP!

Literally.

Taco was enjoying his diaper-free time this morning, which is something we do frequently. We're EC-ers, so we've been pottying since he was born. He's in the middle of a long-running potty strike right now, though. Anyway, this morning, during his diaper-free time, he pooped on the kitchen floor and then spread it all over the place. Yuck.

At least it was on the vinyl floor and not the carpet, but I don't think we'll be having diaper-free time anymore. That's not a mess I want to clean up on a regular basis.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Ooooh baby baby!

Is it even possible to trademark a phrase twenty years after the fact? One would think that if the phrase, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" were trademarked, that Lionsgate Entertainment would have done something about it before now. This part:

It also seeks a court order requiring the defendants to pay restitution as well unspecified statutory and actual damages, treble damages and punitive damages.

seems a little bit like grasping at straws.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Tick, tick, tick . . .

I'm procrastinating.

School starts in a little under two weeks, and I'm totally not prepared. Part of me is in denial, and the other part doesn't know where to start.



I've got to get on this.