Saturday, August 8, 2009

Potty Training take 2

I hate potty training. It has got to be one of the most annoying tasks ever. Bob was completely unmotivated and we pushed him and bribed him because I knew he could do it but he just didn't want to. That was months of frustration and just not worth it. So, I swore with Kiera that I didn't care if she wore a diaper until 6. When she was ready, she could do it. Well, a month or so ago, she was interested. So, we had her sit on the potty. She liked it! She could do it! In 2 weeks time, she was wearing underwear all day, no accidents, telling us when she had to go, sometimes she even went all by herself! Then a few weeks later, she decided she didn't want to anymore. She started peeing in her pants all the time, she won't sit on the potty, she doesn't tell us when she has to go. At first I was mad, but then I realized, she'll do it when she wants to, so back to diapers. Sigh. Guess it was too good to be true.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

It is so freakin hot

OK, Seattle is usually a nice cool place even in the summer. But this week is crazy hot. It is 95 degrees on the second floor. After 9 years here, Jeff and I lowered ourselves to air conditioning. That's right, we're destroying the planet so that we can all sleep tonight. Unfortunately, Jeff did not appreciate me picking up the a/c unit from my parents, instead he was in ultra asshole mode. Admittedly he had a bad day. He was late getting home so he didn't get to put in the car seats, he had to take Bob to his swim lesson, he was putting in the carseats while Bob was swimming and Kiera locked herself in the car, Jeff called 911 but then he finally got Kiera to roll down the windows so he could get in. Then it was really hot in the house and he couldn't put the kids to bed until I got home at 9:30 with the a/c. But really, I think there are a) several points where Jeff could have headed off this disaster and b) no reason to blame me and be a total jerk. This is why marriage sometimes sucks ass. But I'm sure we'll all feel better in the morning after a good night's sleep in a nice cool room. And this is why marriage sometimes rocks.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

who do I love more?

So, my friend told me that I talk about my son more than my daughter. I'm not sure this is necessarily true, but it got me wondering if it is. I know that my daughter is a lot like me. In fact, sometimes it is scary how much I relate to her. Maybe I feel strange bragging about my daughter because what I really want to say is "she is so amazingly smart, like in a scary way." Basically we treat her like she is the same age as Bob. She can talk as well as him, she understands things that I think she shouldn't, she sings songs, counts, does imaginary play, etc. Maybe these are normal, I know people say girls develop faster in some ways, but Bob wasn't close to doing any of that at 2.

Bob is awesome in lots of ways too. He is very creative and can play for hours very intricate games. He is very empathetic. I love how he loves me so much. Kiera and I have a much more complex relationship. At least, that is the way it feel. It feels like there is more tension. Bob always just seems like he worships the ground I walk on. I never really feel like we're at odds. And I feel like Kiera and I are in a power struggle. Maybe it is all in my head.

Anyway, I know I love them both so much it hurts sometimes. I could never pick one over the other. I don't even like comparing them because I think they are both so amazing in their own way.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Twilight fans are crazy

So, I went to Forks, WA this weekend which is apparently vampire central since the release of the book Twilight. And that in the middle of nowhere town is now all Twilight-ed out. It is Twilight this, Bella that, Edward over here. And I don't even know who these people are. What is more how did a teeny-bopper vampire love story become so popular that thousands of people (yes, that is right, THOUSANDS) are heading out to Forks for vacation in order to take the Twilight tour. WTF?

And as an aside, I don't even get the whole vampire love thing. What is hot about that? Oooh, you want to sink your big scary fangs into my neck and suck my blood out? That turns me on baby! Ooooh, your pastey white skin is so sexy. Mmmmm. Whatever, vampires are fuckin scary as hell. I'm probably scarred for life from being allowed to watch Salam's Lot when I was like 8. I wouldn't look at a window at night for years after that.

Friday, May 22, 2009

This is why dieting is wrong

Ok, so generally speaking I don't diet. Generally speaking, I don't like to be one of those girls that sits around talking about her weight and what she ate today. But that was back in the day when I could drop 5 lbs by going for a run a couple times a week for a few weeks. Now, I've got all this "baby weight" stuck to my middle like glue and no amount of exercise seems to shake it. My personal trainer recommended that I eat about 1400 calories a day. 1400! I said to her "that doesn't sound like enough food to sustain life" and she said "you'll be fine." But here's the thing. I'm not fine! I'm freakin HUNGRY! Ok, most of the time I am fine. It is actually really good because I'm eating WAY more fruits and veggies than before (mostly because they tend to be almost calorie free and did I mention that I'm hungry?) and just in general making better choices about my diet. But I really hate being hungry at 8pm and really wanting something like say cheese and crackers and feeling like I can't eat it. Last night, I broke down and ate some cookies. I don't consider dessert off the menu entirely, in fact, the Skinny Cow ice cream novelties are pretty tastey. But I am trying to limit it to a couple times a week, instead of daily, multiple times daily, etc. And lest you think I should have just cut out the dessert and kept eating everything else, I already tried that! Ok, back to not eating.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Bears in my neighborhood??!

That's right folks. Apparently the other night a black bear was running loose and was spotted only 2 blocks from where we live! Holy crap!

Here's more info, if you are interested.
Seattle Times article
A map tracking the bear!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Damn you, Top Pot!!!

OK, so I took Bob to Top Pot this weekend thinking "oh wouldn't it be fun to have some donuts this morning." Which it was! The donuts there are oh so yummy and even though I swore I'd only eat a half of one, I ended up eating 1.25. Oh well, right? WRONG! I just looked up the calorie count in the donut that I ate. 620 calories people! In ONE STUPID DONUT! Was it worth it? Probably. But I'm sure this is why I can't lose weight. I think something has maybe 400 but it really has 250 more than that. I hate to sound like an obsessive dieter when I am really not. But Kiera is 2 years old now. And I've only lost about 14 lbs since my 6 week pp check-up. I feel like I workout a ton and I'm denying myself most of the yummy things I like. I'm even giving up my chai lattes. Sigh. I just want my old body back. I guess the good news is at this rate, I'll be back to my pre-Bob weight in 2 more years.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

My trip to NYC

I just go back from NYC. I went all by myself, no husband, no kids, no nothin. I stayed with a good friend at her place in Brooklyn. Here are the highlights.

  • Shopping. A lot of shopping. Mostly in Soho, a little on 5th AVE.
  • Dim Sum in Chinatown
  • Lots of yummy food including incredible hummus, great bread and cheese, and wine
  • Went to very strange bar in Tribeca
  • Had a snack at a diner at 1am in Tribeca
  • Rode the subway a lot
  • Stayed up late every night (what is up with not eating dinner until 9pm in NY?)
  • Had an awesome massage
  • Helped my friend pick some paint colors that are "fresh"
  • sat outside the Plaza making phone calls
  • Walked right past John Kerry on the sidewalk

Things I wanted to do but didn't

  • try the super yummy looking jerk chicken at the corner place by my friends house
  • buy a bunch of food from the Meat Palace and eat it along with some of the weird cheeses at the Mexican grocery
  • Try more restaurants including an indian place, an austrian place, and a chocolate bar
  • wander around in central park
  • eat a soft pretzel and hot dog from a vendor
  • go to one of the many museums

Oh well. Next time.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Ode to Myself

Oh, I am so Margaret-y
No matter how I try
I can only be me
Even when it makes me cry

I know I do not tolerate
those who cannot speak their mind
and while we wait and wait and wait
still they seem so blind

I endeaver to be sweeter
but my tongue is too tart
the words I cannot meter
for they come straight from the heart

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Remodeling Sucks!

Ok, so after all this time waiting to do the remodel, now I hate it. I want it over and done with. I almost wish we'd never done it, except for the fact that it is going to be awesome when it is done. The house is so dirty, dusty and disgusting. Bleck. What is it with the contractors that they can't seem to keep things moving without regular phone calls reminding them that "hey! you should be at my house putting it back together!" fuckers.

Anyway, if Jeff and I don't get divorced or kill each other by the time the next 2 weeks is over, we should be good for the rest of time.

And random aside for the day. Some dude in the elevator commented on my purse. I figure he is either
a. Gay
b. Hitting on me
c. a Freak
I'd like to think b since he was kinda cute in a dorky sort of way but I suspect a or c due to my luck with men over time.

Also, it's my baby's birthday and if you want to hear her birth story I'm happy to tell it again for the 500th time!!! I never get tired of thinking about it. :)

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Bah

I don't know what to blog about lately. There is just too much crap going on. You might think to yourself, how can that be a problem, then you should just blog more! But no, in my mind it presents the problem of figuring out what the most interesting/important thing is and then putting that up but since I can't even concentrate long enough to hold onto a thought, I just can't figure it out. So here is stream of conciousness.

Things suck right now because Jeff has been a cranky bitch lately and I'm tired of being around him, the house is a disgusting, dirty, ripped up mess due to construction, I can't cook because the kitchen is always a mess, I can barely stand to be at home and it isn't even relaxing to be there, work is super stressful, it is cold and rainy outside when i just want some freakin sun, i'm obsessing about things in the past which I'm sure has something to do with stuff going on now but I haven't been to therapy in a couple weeks so I haven't had a chance to get this off my mind, I'm not sleeping well due to all sort of reasons including being repeatedly woken up by the kids, the in-laws come next week which will probably make jeff even more cranky and I'm just not sure i can handle that right now. Sheesh.

On the bright side, we went to Palm Springs and it was fun. Running is going ok, my knees are hanging in there but still a bit twingy. And the space we are opening up in the house looks like it will be awesome when it is done. AND I get to go to NY in a couple weeks ALL BY MYSELF!

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Batshit crazy

This is my new favorite phrase. I don't actually use it out loud that much since it isn't very appropriate at work or in front of the kids. How embarrassed would I be if they started running around saying things were BSC? I mean, yeah, its funny, but then I look like the asshole mom. Anyway, I don't actually say it much, but I think it a lot. Like "this economy is BSC" or "I'm going BSC" or "dude, that is a BSC idea." Also, it has turned up in songs and stuff like that recently, so I feel one with it. I tried to look up the etymology of the saying but the best I could do was illness brought on by bat guano, which I really doubt is correct.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

April Fools

Today is the 10th anniversary of my first date with Jeff. Jeff is being all sentimenal about it, which is very weird since I'm the one who usually wants to mark birthdays, anniversarys, etc and Jeff always gives me a hard time (this could be another blog post but lets just say that I like presents and I never get any!). I still remember our date pretty clearly. My big plan was to use him up and spit him back out. That didn't work out so well. I had a long history of dating the wrong sort of guy and Jeff wasn't any different. He had a semi-girlfriend 10 years ago but that didn't stop either one of us. Somehow we ended up getting serious, moving to Seattle, getting married and having kids. I thought getting married was going to solve all my problems. But turns out marriage is pretty freakin hard if you don't have your emotional houses in order. But today, we've been hanging out together for 10 years. He's still my best friend, so I figure we must be doing something right.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Facebook dilemma

Ok, so over my time using FB, I have made some bad friending decisions, many of them initiated by me. You know, you see someone you used to know, think, gee it would be fun to see what they are up to, exchange a few wall posts, etc. But then, you become friended and realize that they have no desire to catch up at all. The only reason they accept the friend request is so that they aren't considered rude. So, now you are "friends" with someone that you no longer want to be friends with. But wouldn't it be the height of rudeness to de-friend someone who you requested friendship from? They need another category. Something like "Slightly Friendly" "Just Curious" "Ok, but I don't really like you". You can see their profile for one week to satisfy your curiosity and then they go back to no mans land. Facebook sucks, it has created all sorts of issues that I never had before. If only I weren't addicted to it.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Refinancing, Running and Seether

Ok, so we finally refinanced. Can't remembered if I mentioned I was spending entirely too much time filling out paperwork, collecting paystubs, w-2s, etc and watching the mortgage rates bounce all over the place hoping they'd return to the lowest of the low. We finally decided to lock last week and snag a 4.75 rate. Woo-hoo! If we don't pay this off early, we end up paying about the same amount in interest we would have but now it is spread over 5 more years. But we'll probably pay it off early, hopefully, maybe, well we'll see how much remodeling, college, etc costs.

Anyway, I also just signed up to run the Seattle Rock n Roll Half Marathon. Yes, that's right. I can run, just really slow. I'll be happy to finish with the same time as the last half I did, which was about 2.5 hours. Don't laugh - remember where I said I was SLOW? I'm still hoping a running partner will magically appear. But if not, it should still be fun. Training starts April 5 and I expect to complain a lot.

Also, I heard a remake of Wham's Careless Whisper the other day by Sleether! Now, I had personally never heard of this band (which probably shows how out of touch I am), but Wham! holds a warm fuzzy place in my heart. And now so does Sleether. Hey, check it out, you might like it too.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Mystified by a 3 year old

This last weekend mostly sucked. There were a few bright moments:
- swimming with the kids
- having my BFF from college over for dinner
- getting to eat the rest of the cake while the kids were napping

Otherwise, it was lame. Jeff was cranky all weekend long. He was even cranky during family night when we watched Toy Story 2. How can you be cranky during TS2? Bob is going through some kind of strange toddler phase. He turns into a mess for no apparent reason and then won't snap out of it. I'm going to have to hone my patience because so far, I haven't been doing well with the emotional breakdowns several times a day. After swimming, I turned into the mommy I never wanted to be. Bob had an accident in the bathroom while we were trying to get to the potty. So, I was cleaning it up and then putting a fresh pair of pants on him and I told him to pull them up and he started screaming and was just standing in the bathroom stall with his pants around his legs crying. I think he was experiencing low blood sugar because I know I just wanted to go home and get lunch. But I was so frustrated and we ended up sitting on the floor of the dressing room while he cried and I kept saying "I don't know what the problem is. Can you tell me what is wrong?" as tens of people walked by staring at me. Luckily, Kiera seemed happy to stand next to us and people watch. But sometimes, I wonder if she is learning the wrong message from all these interactions. She keeps saying things like, "I don't cry, Mommy" and I keep telling her it is ok to cry. Sigh.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Earthquake!

Everyone under your desk!

I wonder if that is still what they tell school children. We used to have earthquake drills in elementary school where they would yell "Earthquake, earthquake" over the loudspeaker and you had to get under your desk, face away from the windows and cover your head with their hand.

This morning I woke up to the bed shaking. I thought, maybe it's an earthquake but figured it was most likely my imagination or something strange about coming out of a dream. But no! It was a real earthquake. I used to really want to experience a "big one" but now that I have kids, I have to say I really would just prefer boring, normal life.

In other news, I decided against Lasik and went for contacts. I'm not super big on sticking my finger in my eye, but otherwise it is going ok so far. My optomitrist said we'll probably have to play with the prescription some to find one that will sit on my eye correctly. I have an astigmatism so its tricky, I guess.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

I wish I had a baby mind reading device

So, even though both of the kids talk, quite a bit actually and sometimes to the point of being annoying, they rarely tell me anything useful. If you ask them directly about something, they will almost always instead tell you about one of their toys. You can ask yes or no questions, but you can easily get them to tell you that aliens pushed them down the stairs and made them cry. It goes something like this.

Mom: Why are you sad?
Child: Crying
Mom: Did you get hurt?
Child: Shakes head affirmatively
Mom: How did you get hurt?
Child: Crying
Mom: Did you fall on the stairs (lets assume here that you heard loud thumping coming from the stairs)
Child: Shakes head affirmatively
Mom: How did you fall? Did you trip?
Child: Shakes head no
Mom: Did someone push you (already suspecting the sibling)
Child: Yes, they did.
Mom: Who
Child: The bad people
Mom: What bad people?
Child: The ones like Buzz Lightyear
Mom: What do you mean? Like toys?
Child: No. They fly.
Mom: Spacemen?
Child: Yes, flying spacemen pushed me and it hurt. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Anyway, Kiera is still screaming when being put to bed (not every night mind you) and waking up at night. I was up for an hour with her last night. I have no idea why. Is she going through some kind of new phase of separation anxiety? Is she just really tired? Did I cave incorrectly one night and now she knows my weakness? Is she in pain? Is she scared? If only she could actually tell me what the actual problem is. Of course, maybe she is, maybe all she really wants is for me to rub her back all night long. Sigh. Yet another point of contention for Jeff and I. He thinks we should let her scream indefinitely, I am not so cool with that. We let her cry for 30 min tonight, he went in and rubbed her back, she cried for another 5 min and went to sleep. Let's hope she stays asleep tonight. Jeff and I are going to kill each other if we can't get a decent night's sleep.

On the bright side, I had the kids to myself on Fri night so we rented a movie and made popcorn. It was fun for me and them. But really how can you go wrong with hot, buttered popcorn?

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

that girl has a set of lungs

Last night I accidentally woke up Kiera when I was checking on her before going to bed myself. This resulted in her refusing to go to bed for almost FOUR HOURS! Ok, I probably should have let her scream for a while sooner but here is my defense:

a. She has only very rarely cried herself to sleep and only when it is wimpy cries
b. I was really tired myself and not thinking clearly
c. She was screaming at the top of her lungs. I am not exaggerating. We're talking full lung power, hysterical, you are torturing me and you are the worst mommy in the world screaming. Not to mention rattling her cage when left unattended.
d. I didn't want her to wake up Bob. I don't know why I ever worry about this since he could probably sleep through the end of the world.
e. It is really hard to listen to anyone, especially your sweet, little baby scream like a banshee.

Anyway, eventually I put her down and she screamed for about 20 min at which point I went in, rubbed her back and she fell asleep. And yes, I'd tried that several times earlier. Jeff got super pissed at me which I can understand since I was pissed at myself. But we kept arguing about what to do with her and every time the other would get fed up and decide to let her cry, the other would go in and pick her up. Well, at least I can look forward to sleeping tonight. We are definitely entering 2 year old territory and I think she's going to be a lot harder because she has very strong opinions. But I like that about her so I'll try to be cool and roll with it.