Status

So...are you done with your holiday shopping? Or are you one of the many still racing around trying to get that last-minute gift?

I still have loads of wrapping to do, but, as I reported earlier, things are calmly coming together here. I am pretty proud of myself - holiday cards were out on time, shopping has been done for a couple of weeks now, and my stress level is comfortably low.

Of course, part of that is because we really are keeping it pretty low-key this year. In past years, I have gone nuts, buying gifts and spending more than I should, simply because I love to give. This year, I really had to be disciplined about it, because we just can't afford to be otherwise. So, as much as I would have liked to have been one of those parents snapping up iPods, Wii and xbox 360 systems and butterscotch the pony 'pets', I wasn't. Each child is getting (from us) three gifts that I hope they will enjoy. Others that we give to are getting thought out, yet not terribly extravagant gifts. And, if they don't like them, then I say 'bah humbug' to them.

iPod Batteries.

Evan noticed recently that my iPod sounds kind of crappy. It isn't noticeable when you're just listening to it with the earbuds, but when it is hooked into our stereo system, it can't quite handle the base output too well. My brother in law thinks that possibly the battery is going. I've only had the thing for a year, but I have no idea how long the battery life is. Anyone? Anyone? Also, are there different 'levels' as far as quality that I should be considering when I buy a new one? Are some better (read: longer-lasting) than others? Can you use rechargeable batteries? And, aside from Apple, does anyone know the best place to buy them? All recommendations and suggestions for finding excellent ipod batteries wanted...!

five more days...

and then I'm off of work until January 2nd. I can't wait! I need a change of scenery. In general, this is a very non-stressful job, but come the end of the semester and things get a little crazy. I found myself logging in and answering questions over the weekend because it was easier than waiting until Monday and dealing with panicked faculty members. For that matter, I actually had someone call me at home on Saturday! Oy. I really can't complain about my job, and it is certainly the most laid-back one I've ever really had, but I'll be glad to get a couple of weeks of a break from explaining the intricacies of the popup blocker and ftp protocols and other such thrilling topics to thoroughly confused people.

So far, I don't have too much planned for the break, but I'm sure that will change. Sadie and I are meeting friends for lunch and 'Enchanted' (our second time seeing it!) one day, I'm taking Sadie for her eye exam one day, and I'm going to get my mom to watch Sadie one day so Eden and I can have a little one-on-one time, as well. And, of course, our brunch looms near! So far, almost everyone has said they're coming.

It will definitely be nice to not have to rush around to get out of the house each morning, and to have time to catch up with some of my SAHM friends that I don't get to see except for in the summer.

there are basically three reasons

that make me feel blessed, every single day, to have moved back to Jersey.

The first, obviously, is proximity to family. Every time my mom stops by in the afternoon just to see the girls, or one of our parents helps us out with watching the kids, or any time we can effortlessly get together with our families for major and minor gatherings and celebrations, I am thankful that we live here.

The second, as I have blogged probably more than I should have about a singular topic, is the proximity to the beach. Having the beach practically at our doorstep is a gift we enjoy year-round. Having a daily destination in the summers is priceless.

So, the third reason? Check out this photo from yesterday's 'weather event' in Boston (I should note that we got rain here):



The second photo is of the Fenway on-ramp to Storrow Drive...the most arduous part of my daily commute home from Simmons even on the best of days. The Globe account is talking about 3-4 hour commutes, and traffic at an absolute stand-still everywhere from the Pike to city streets.

What do you think this says about me?

my holiday wish list consists almost entirely of appliances.

I need a new dustbuster, I suppose I should ask for an iron, being that we seemed to have left ours in Massachusetts (and what does it say about me and my domestic skills that we've gone two years without one?), and I'm dying for one of those household-grade espresso machines.

Clothes? Perfume? Jewelry? Fancy cosmetics? Nah...I buy enough of that stuff for myself all year long. Nope, this year, if it doesn't come with a powercord and an on switch, I'll be disappointed.

Can't believe I haven't blogged about this yet!!!

Considering it has been on my mind all week...

Evan and I have a milestone anniversary coming up in June...our tenth!!! First of all, I have a hard time believing we've been married for that long, but that's a topic for another post. The big news is that we're actually going to do something special to commemorate it . Brace yourself...

We're going away.


Without the kids.


For four whole days.

I know most people do something more monumental for these types of anniversaries...upgrade their diamond rings for bigger, flashier models, or take two week jaunts to exciting places in Europe, but hey...for us, this is big.

We haven't ironed out all of the details yet, but we are definitely going to the Dominican Republic with Evan's sister and brother-in-law. We are definitely going to sit our butts on the beach and drink umbrella drinks and just relax for a few days. I really can't wait.

This and That

• The big snow storm we were supposed to get seems to have fizzled into a big rainstorm. I'm perfectly ok with that, but I know the girls will be disappointed. They were hoping to get to play in it this afternoon. Oh well, I'm sure they'll be consoled by a cup of hot coco (a rare afternoon treat for them).
• We are supposed to get snow over the weekend - Saturday night into Sunday afternoon. I hope it doesn't interfere with the birthday party Sadie has scheduled for Sunday. She is so looking forward to going and seeing her CPS friends.
• Eden seems to have fallen into another weird sleep patter over the last few days. She is continuing the weeks-long trend of not falling asleep until at least 9pm every night, but she has stopped crying/complaining/calling us back to her room countless times. Now, she just talks and sings and, I guess, "winds down" for a very long time. This would be ok except that falling asleep so late now means that she doesn't want to wake up when I need her to get up in the morning. So, we've had some cranky mornings and lots of undirected temper tantrums each morning. Not so much fun.
• I made it to the gym yesterday for the first time in almost 10 days. With having to get Sadie at lunchtime most days, it has just been very difficult to find the time to squeeze it in. I'm going to try to be more diligent about getting there at least three times a week. I feel so much better when I go...sometimes it is just getting there that is the issue.
• Tomorrow is the holiday party here at work. Evan and the girls are coming (they have a whole kids' program of events). It should be a good time.
  

Trying to keep a positive outlook.

it could be worse. much, much worse. the washing machine or dryer could be the appliance that kicked. or the refrigerator. or, my god, the toilet! I know that in the scheme of things, having to live without a dishwasher for a little bit (speaking of which, that part is due in today. it better be on time!) is really not one of life's hardships. But, man! I really don't like washing dishes. It is just so...tedious. and wet. and, at least in our house, where someone is always snacking or drinking...neverending. I have to admit that knowing that the dishes can't just be secreted away into the the confines of the dishwasher -- out of sight, out of mind until the thing gets run in the evening has definitely influenced my food prep decisions! One-dish meals, served on paper towels (gotta love the sandwich) loom high up on my list of current favorites.

Anyway, it is only temporary, and obviously, it could be so much worse, but I will be so glad when the thing is fixed.

Sadie's new favorite outfit

I can't decide if she looks like JonBenet Ramsey, or just a run of the mill streetwalker...what do you think? Actually, since this picture was taken, she has found more creative ways to, as she says 'asexorize' her look. This involves silk scarves, gold chains, and stickers. That child is 100% girly girl - I have no idea where that facet to her personality came from!

I should have listened to my mother.

When we were shopping around for dishwashers, she told me not to get one with a computerized control panel. She claimed that they always broke, that it was better to get one with a manual dial and buttons.

So, did I listen to her? Of course not. Am I regretting that decision? You bet I am. Our new (under two years old) dishwasher is on the fritz...a little search on the Web (can you believe there is actually a blog and forum devoted to maytag dishwasher repairs?) has led us to conclude that the control panel is shot and needs to be replaced. Apparently, this is a very common problem -who knew? Ok, ok, I know...my mom knew, and had I paid attention, I would have known, too. Anyway, so we ordered the part and Evan is going to replace it, but what a pain. I'm only grateful that this happened now, instead of right before our party next month. That would have been a disaster.

As it is, washing dishes by hand is a pain - I had forgotten how much I dislike it.

Two Quick Updates

First - I am done with all my holiday shopping. I even have all the wrapping supplies purchased. **bowing**. I am a domestic goddess. That is all.

Second, we got the official word that Sadie was deemed ineligible for speech therapy services. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. Happy, on the one hand, that her issues are considered developmental and within the norm at this point. But, also, a little disappointed, because in preparing a case for her to get help, her teacher noted that the other children in the class are becoming aware of Sadie's speech difficulties. So, that makes me feel like I want to do everything possible to 'fix' them asap. Anyway, that's where we stand on that topic, for now.

Holy Crap

I just mailed out invitations for the New Year's Brunch I was thinking about throwing. Including kids, I invited 44 people. Other than tossing around the idea of doing it, and browsing recipes, I haven't really done any planning. Where the heck am I going to fit all those people in our small house?!? Sometimes I think I need someone to talk me down from my big ideas before I get myself into these kinds of things...

Wherein I brag about Evan again...

When people ask me what Evan does for a living, I say 'he makes furniture.' Then, the responses usually fall into one of three categories.

There's the 'oh, my grandpa/dad/old boyfriend/former neighbor makes furniture for fun, too', which usually implies some sort of hobbying that involves plywood, lots of glue and a nail gun. I never know how to reply to that response without coming across as rude, so I usually just say something along the lines of 'that's great!' and leave it at that.

There's the 'wow! could he make me a sectional couch?' or the 'could he make me a dining room set? I can pay as much as $300 for it' responses. Those usually require me to find a polite way of telling them that a) if they really want a wooden couch, I'm sure he could make them one ;) and b) sometimes the paltry amount of money they want to spend wouldn't even cover the material.

But, every now and then, someone just gets it. They get what he does, and they appreciate the time and skill it requires. We are very lucky to have a neighbor--who runs an art gallery in town--who appreciate what he does. He has talked about possibly showing some of Evan's pieces in an exhibit, which would be very cool.

It really seems like things are coming together on so many fronts for him these days. I couldn't be happier for him, or prouder of him.

So you can share my awe ;), I leave you with a photo of one of the bathroom vanities he has made. Isn't he talented?!?!

Lydia's Shower

Lydia's baby shower was on Saturday. Normally, I'm not much of a baby shower type person. I usually find them sort of boring and cloying. This one, though, was a lot of fun. First of all, the restaurant was phenomenal. The food was so good and the atmosphere was great. I love, love, love the town where she lives (we had seriously considered relocating to that area before the opportunity to move here came up), and the downtown was all done up for the holidays, so everything had a very festive air.

It was great to see Lyd in all her enormously pregnant glory, and also to see some of my friends from college. I love that we have stayed close, even though we all live aways away from eachother, and are all kind of in the midst of our simultaneous "we have small kids and so our lives are very hectic and insular at the moment" phases of life. Even though we don't see eachother too often (though, with Kristin's bachelorette party, wedding, Lyd's pregnancy, and a spontaneous get together this summer, I would say this year has been a bumper year!), when we do, it is like we just pick up right where we left off. So, it was a good time. And, really nice to have pretty much a whole Saturday to myself.