OK, last post of the week. What did we do Friday? Toby had preschool and I took Norah for a run. She cried for the first 10 minutes, which is something new. I kept saying, "Five more minutes, Norah." She settled down until I had about 5 minutes left and then she turned to me and said, "Home? Daddy?" We compromised with home and Elmo's world. :o)
A sitter came over after the kids ate lunch and I went out for lunch with my neighbor and her friend. It was nice to get out and be social. When my neighbor's friend said (about her favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird), "We should all re-read it and watch the movie!" I almost hugged her. I've been looking for some people to start a book club with, and hopefully we can get something going in the new year....
We played outside in the afternoon. More of the same for dinner.
The kids went to bed without too much fuss and I ended my week with a glass of Merlot and a few new episodes of Scrubs.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
My Thursday
Thursday seems so far gone and I can't really remember what we did. Maybe laundry?
Actually, I do remember that I took the kids to the submarine museum in the afternoon. The museum closes at 4 in the winter so we squeezed it in from 3 to 4. I should have allowed more time. Toby ran through the whole thing (with his friend: another kid whose family happened to enter the museum the same time we did) saying, "This is awesome!" and "Wow! This is so cool!"
We went on the tour through the Nautilus, a decommissioned sub-turned-museum that is set up mostly underwater. They have mannequins propped in the various rooms of the sub: cooking in the galley or talking on the radio in the control room. Every time we turned a corner and saw a new one I could feel Norah jump a little in my arms. I think they kind of scared her. Toby ran through most of it, but I could tell he thought it was really cool. The challenge for me was trying to hold Norah while chasing Toby through the tunnels of the sub. Luckily we were the only two families on board so I wasn't too worried about losing him. The next time someone comes to visit we'll have to go there. It's free and really interesting.
Thursday night Toby tucked himself into bed, again, but this time it was right after dinner. He was asleep by 6:45. The last time he fell asleep at 6:45 was probably when he was 9 months old. I hope he's not coming down with something. Norah was in bed by 8:15, so I spent a quiet night home alone.
Actually, I do remember that I took the kids to the submarine museum in the afternoon. The museum closes at 4 in the winter so we squeezed it in from 3 to 4. I should have allowed more time. Toby ran through the whole thing (with his friend: another kid whose family happened to enter the museum the same time we did) saying, "This is awesome!" and "Wow! This is so cool!"
We went on the tour through the Nautilus, a decommissioned sub-turned-museum that is set up mostly underwater. They have mannequins propped in the various rooms of the sub: cooking in the galley or talking on the radio in the control room. Every time we turned a corner and saw a new one I could feel Norah jump a little in my arms. I think they kind of scared her. Toby ran through most of it, but I could tell he thought it was really cool. The challenge for me was trying to hold Norah while chasing Toby through the tunnels of the sub. Luckily we were the only two families on board so I wasn't too worried about losing him. The next time someone comes to visit we'll have to go there. It's free and really interesting.
Thursday night Toby tucked himself into bed, again, but this time it was right after dinner. He was asleep by 6:45. The last time he fell asleep at 6:45 was probably when he was 9 months old. I hope he's not coming down with something. Norah was in bed by 8:15, so I spent a quiet night home alone.
Friday, December 4, 2009
My Wednesday
I promise I won't be posting every day in the future. This is just an experiment for me to write down funny things the kids are doing this week since there's no one here to share it with. Besides, if I'm keeping up with my Scrubs-themed titles what would I post next Monday? "My Monday after last Monday"? No thank you.
On Wednesday I took Toby to preschool and Norah to the nursery so I could teach my little group of home schoolers. I haven't mentioned this little group very often, but it's a fun group that I teach once a week while their moms are in a women's Bible study. It's held at the church where Toby attends preschool. Norah loves being able to stay at the church while Toby's in school because the teacher in the nursery has bubbles. Without fail Norah will walk into the toddlers' playroom on Wednesday mornings and say, "Bubble?" to the teacher. Well, it's either that or "cracker?" which is what she gets for snack on Sunday mornings. I like how she associates time apart from me by what the child care workers give her. I can just imagine her thinking, "OK, I'll come in here and play with you, but what's in it for me? Bubbles? Yes, I like those. Crackers? Good, I was getting hungry." She's easy to please and for that I will be forever grateful.
Toby's preschool class will be putting on a Christmas program but we will miss it because we'll be in Colorado. I am bummed about this, but I can't quite tell if he understands that he'll be missing the program and whether or not he cares. He is going to be a shepherd. I am going to watch his class practice next Wednesday. Maybe we'll get all the cousins together in Colorado to put on a Christmas play for the grandparents.
In the evening on Wednesday a sitter came over to put the kids to bed so I could have some "sanity time," as one friend put it. I went out and did a little Christmas shopping. I had the sitter come for two hours: I went to two stores, spent what seemed like a really long time in each store, and I went to Starbucks for coffee. Here's the weird thing: I came home with 20 minutes to "spare." I didn't know what else to do, so I sat in the car for a while and then snuck into my own house while the sitter was reading Toby stories. How pathetic is that?
Here's a few pictures from the other day.
Norah wanted to draw on the chalkboard, so I put her up on the counter to draw while I did the dishes: this is further evidence that the sanest possible parenting happens when two parents are present. Looking back, I should have taken the chalkboard off the wall instead of putting Norah on the counter. Maybe my rationale was that she would be contained and therefore more manageable, but after looking at the picture I'm not sure what (or if) I was thinking.
On Wednesday I took Toby to preschool and Norah to the nursery so I could teach my little group of home schoolers. I haven't mentioned this little group very often, but it's a fun group that I teach once a week while their moms are in a women's Bible study. It's held at the church where Toby attends preschool. Norah loves being able to stay at the church while Toby's in school because the teacher in the nursery has bubbles. Without fail Norah will walk into the toddlers' playroom on Wednesday mornings and say, "Bubble?" to the teacher. Well, it's either that or "cracker?" which is what she gets for snack on Sunday mornings. I like how she associates time apart from me by what the child care workers give her. I can just imagine her thinking, "OK, I'll come in here and play with you, but what's in it for me? Bubbles? Yes, I like those. Crackers? Good, I was getting hungry." She's easy to please and for that I will be forever grateful.
Toby's preschool class will be putting on a Christmas program but we will miss it because we'll be in Colorado. I am bummed about this, but I can't quite tell if he understands that he'll be missing the program and whether or not he cares. He is going to be a shepherd. I am going to watch his class practice next Wednesday. Maybe we'll get all the cousins together in Colorado to put on a Christmas play for the grandparents.
In the evening on Wednesday a sitter came over to put the kids to bed so I could have some "sanity time," as one friend put it. I went out and did a little Christmas shopping. I had the sitter come for two hours: I went to two stores, spent what seemed like a really long time in each store, and I went to Starbucks for coffee. Here's the weird thing: I came home with 20 minutes to "spare." I didn't know what else to do, so I sat in the car for a while and then snuck into my own house while the sitter was reading Toby stories. How pathetic is that?
Here's a few pictures from the other day.
Norah wanted to draw on the chalkboard, so I put her up on the counter to draw while I did the dishes: this is further evidence that the sanest possible parenting happens when two parents are present. Looking back, I should have taken the chalkboard off the wall instead of putting Norah on the counter. Maybe my rationale was that she would be contained and therefore more manageable, but after looking at the picture I'm not sure what (or if) I was thinking.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
My Tuesday
By the end of this week you're really going to get some good insights into how mundane life can be around here without BJ to liven things up. My heart goes out to those deployed overseas and their family members waiting in the wings. This week's entries are merely a snapshot of what fills our days. I couldn't imagine what we'd do if his trip was a deployment of 6 or 9 or 12 months.
The sun was out today! It has been a challenge to find things to occupy Toby's energy when it's rainy. Luckily, much of his energy was spent raking leaves today. A tip gleaned from our neighbors: use a snow shovel. For leaves? Really? Yep--it worked great and was the perfect tool for Toby to wield. Norah spent time outside with us as well, but since she was holding her donkey the entire time she was only helpful in pointing out when people came by walking their dogs. Later this afternoon she busied herself slapping a long stick in our puddle (a lake, really) in the driveway and getting really wet. But she thought it was hilarious, especially when I had to chase her around the puddle to bring her inside.
Soup again for dinner (I know--I'm terrible! My personal chef is gone and all I know how to cook is spaghetti and soup!), ice cream for dessert, and a Bert and Ernie movie before bed. Toby and I read "The 12 days of Christmas" for our bedtime story.
My favorite word from the Sharon Creech novel: "mishmasheroni." :o) The narrator of the book is losing a few things in translation (the novel is set in Switzerland near Italy) and this was a perfect way to explain the flea-market display she was describing in the book. Can't you just picture something that is a "mishmasheroni?" I think of my attic. And my basement. Maybe we'll tackle one of those later this week....
The sun was out today! It has been a challenge to find things to occupy Toby's energy when it's rainy. Luckily, much of his energy was spent raking leaves today. A tip gleaned from our neighbors: use a snow shovel. For leaves? Really? Yep--it worked great and was the perfect tool for Toby to wield. Norah spent time outside with us as well, but since she was holding her donkey the entire time she was only helpful in pointing out when people came by walking their dogs. Later this afternoon she busied herself slapping a long stick in our puddle (a lake, really) in the driveway and getting really wet. But she thought it was hilarious, especially when I had to chase her around the puddle to bring her inside.
Soup again for dinner (I know--I'm terrible! My personal chef is gone and all I know how to cook is spaghetti and soup!), ice cream for dessert, and a Bert and Ernie movie before bed. Toby and I read "The 12 days of Christmas" for our bedtime story.
My favorite word from the Sharon Creech novel: "mishmasheroni." :o) The narrator of the book is losing a few things in translation (the novel is set in Switzerland near Italy) and this was a perfect way to explain the flea-market display she was describing in the book. Can't you just picture something that is a "mishmasheroni?" I think of my attic. And my basement. Maybe we'll tackle one of those later this week....
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