Lunchtime Reads

I've read at least six other titles by this author, so I feel fairly confident when it comes to starting a new book of his. That said, I generally prefer his non-fiction, plus the subject matter in this novel is of little interest to me. Rich power players in Hollywood? Gag. But the story has moved across the ocean to France, so hopefully that helps with the ugh-factor and eye-rolling.

Weekends

This was yet another weekend of SICK. Fever, vomiting, more fever, no appetite, etc. all make for a sad little guy (and sad mommy).

The temperatures were unseasonably mild though, so I bundled my guy up and dragged him outside for some fresh air. He didn't want to walk or play much, but at least we got outside for a little while. I managed to inhale deeply a few times under the hemlocks. I sure do love the smell of rotting leaves, wet soil, and all the other wonders of the WOODS. It's been too long.

Ice spine made for some trickier than expected walking on the boardwalk.

A Day in the Life

4:45-5:15* AM // Wake up to sounds from my son's bedroom indicating he is awake. Roll over, determined to get a few more minutes of sleep (or at least, rest). The likelihood of him going back to sleep is very slim.

5:25-5:35* AM // Give up and get up. Bathroom, then downstairs to turn on lights. Back upstairs to get my son out of bed. Nurse, read/play, dress.

6:15-6:30* AM // Head downstairs, Make tea, toast & eat an English muffin (shared with son, maybe 3/4 for me 1/4 for him).

6:45-7:00* AM // TV on to watch a few minutes of the local news and Today show.

7:10 AM // Upstairs to brush teeth, comb hair, and change into work clothes.

7:26 AM // Downstairs to put on coats, hats, shoes and load up.

7:34 AM // Pull out of garage and drive to daycare.

7:57 AM // Kiss son goodbye for the 87th time and drag myself through the classroom door. Linger excessively long while watching him on video monitor in hallway. Finally tear myself away and dash to car.

8:20-8:25* AM // Catch shuttle bus from parking lot to campus. Walk across campus, arriving a few minutes late, but still well before anyone else in the office. Arriving on time is not a source of stress in this office, thankfully.

9:00 AM // Make second cup of tea.

10:00 AM // Morning snack. Or sometimes second breakfast.

12:30 PM // Lunch hour. Read at desk. Nuke some sort of frozen/shelf stable prepared food that tastes like cardboard.

3:00 PM // Afternoon snack.

4:55 PM // Walk to shuttle bus.

5:35-5:45* PM // Arrive home, assuming no delays (like snow, construction, accidents, etc.). Ex delivers son in this same time frame, so big hugs for my little man.

5:50 PM // Dinner prep. Usually involves nuking frozen meals or reheating pasta cooked on the weekend.

6:00 PM // Dinner.

6:30 PM // Change poopy diaper, turn on heat in son's bedroom.

6:35 PM // Play, watch Elmo videos and/or Wheel of Fortune.

7:30 PM // Jeopardy!

7:40 PM // Upstairs to brush teeth and get ready for bed (jammies, books, nursing).

8:05-8:15* PM // Son in bed.

8:15-8:20* PM // Get in shower.

8:45 PM // Insert electric blanket into bed and turn on. Ninja into son's room to check temperature.

8:50 PM // Laundry, dishes, lunch prep, pick up toys, etc.

9:05-9:25* PM // Sit down on couch, play bejeweled blitz on laptop.

9:30-9:40* PM // Head upstairs to get ready for bed. Ninja into son's room to check temperature one last time.

9:40-9:50* PM // Climb into bed, vowing to get to bed earlier tomorrow. Fall asleep 30 seconds later.

*Range of time during which said activity may take place.

Lunchtime Reads

I usually only read one book at a time, but I left the bottom book at the office over the weekend because I only read during lunch breaks. But I had a three day weekend and on Monday I missed my normal reading routine so I started the second book at home. Now they both are living at the office, although I've been sticking with the first one, not yo-yoing between them.

My initial impressions of Carry On, Warrior were not great. People are pretty fanatical in support of her, but at first I was turned off by the excessive mention of god (not my thing) and found the book to be somewhat irrelevant to my life. It has gotten better and some of it even has me nodding along as I read. She is funny and not afraid to show her ugly, crazy bits.

I didn't read enough of Goodnight June to really get into the book. What I read was unoriginal, but having read another of Sarah Jio's books I suspect the story will pick up as I read more.

Both books were Christmas presents. Yay! Books!

2017 Word of the Year

I started thinking of words in mid-December. Jotting them down. Crossing them out. I had a general feeling about the direction I wanted to go with my word of the year. But I had trouble actually identifying ONE word that encompassed what I was feeling.

But I have finally decided: OPEN.

I think the word itself is pretty clear, as is how it might relate to my life. Open to moving on. Open to new possibilities. New adventures. New experiences. New people.

I don't have anything specific in mind with regards to implementing my word of the year; I'll just try to be open to opportunities as they present themselves.

Weekends

After the hustle and bustle of the last several holiday weekends, we needed a commitment free weekend to just chill. Although I would've preferred the temperatures weren't so chilly, or frankly, so painfully cold. Extreme cold always does a number on my motivation.

On Saturday I subjected my son to an instant oil change. I hate going to those places because they're so over-priced, but I guess you have to pay for the convenience of not having to spend an hour or more trying to entertain your toddler in some gross, stinky waiting room with talk shows blaring out of the TV at you. I also dislike driving over the giant hole. It terrifies me. But we survived.

From there we went to Starbucks to get a green tea latte. Gift cards to Starbucks always make me happy. Most people would probably be surprised to hear that from a non-coffee drinker. There is an older lady barista at my Starbucks who routinely makes derogatory comments about my orders. I am torn between being entertained and being annoyed. Perhaps she finds my sunny personality and adorable son irritating too.

I bundled us up Saturday afternoon to play outside for a few minutes. I couldn't get my son's thumbs to stay in the thumb spot (uh, what's that called anyway?) in his super-duper warm mittens, which meant he couldn't pick things up. He was getting super frustrated so I switched him to his thin cotton mittens, which made him happy and me paranoid. He was still happily playing (well, ringing the doorbell repeatedly) when I decided it was time to go inside. Naturally he disagreed, but my fingers were frozen inside my big wind-proof snowmobiling mittens, so...

It was even colder on Sunday, so aside from our grocery store / bank run we hunkered down inside. I kept cranking the thermostat up, but it had almost no impact on the actual temperature inside the house. 62 just isn't warm enough for me. I couldn't convince myself to get out from underneath the blanket during naptime until I had about 10 minutes left. Then I brilliantly decided to start moving furniture around towards my goal of getting rid of several pieces (a matching set of two end tables and a coffee table). So now the house is trapped in the 'gets worse before it gets better' phase until next weekend when hopefully I feel super motivated during naptime. Ha.

Discovering the doorbell. Good times.

Joining Karen at Pumpkin Sunrise.

My 2017 To-Do List

1. Rearrange/clean the family room to make it a usable space 
1. Move books down there to make it a library/family room?
2. Get rid of items we don't use and/or don't like
1. clothes
2. furniture
3. kitchenware
3. Read at least 24 books
4. Develop a system to ensure bills get paid in a timely fashion
5. Hang wall art
6. Hang some sort of window treatment (curtains? blinds?) in family room
7. Blog at least once a week
8. Purchase new bras
9. Purchase new underwear
10. Go on a date
11. Go swimming, preferably in a natural body of water
12. Take my son camping in a tent in the woods for at least one night
13. Frame a picture of my son for my desk at work
14. Go to the Adirondacks
15. Take my son to the zoo
16. Install anti-tip straps on the TV
17. Open a 529 account for my son
18. Visit Second Home Nature Center at least once a month

This was all I could come up with for now, but because it's MY list I may take the liberty of adding more to it later. Ta-da!