Friday, August 31, 2012

Honestly, 1st ed.

If you are my friend on Facebook, you already know that I put the good stuff in the coffee maker this morning.  I usually try to drink decaf (Honestly!), but since I nearly took Prilosec instead of Claritin this morning, I decided that I needed the caff after all.

 And the reason for the Claritin?  Some kind of allergy or cold going on - not sure which - but the Claritin is proving some relief.  Some.  Which is why I brought along a box of tissues with me today.  And honestly, you should know that having a dinged-up box of tissues is just annoying to me.  Do you see that little crease on the edge of the box.  Can't stand it.  Bent-up cereal boxes annoy me, too. 


And this is honestly what the passenger seat of the car looks like right now.  It's a library!  Clockwise from top right - book study, reading to M, "auditioning" a book for J, and potential Girl Scout books which I'm now pretty sure I'm not going to use.  There are more books in the bag on the floor.  And then, later on, I actually went to the library!



And this, for a small portion of the morning, was my office.  (Please don't interpret this as a political statement, I just like chicken and free wifi.)  I needed a change of scenery and some breakfast.  And it was convenient to one of my late-morning stops. 



And that gets you through about 11am today!  Afterwards, I was busy at church, school, and then the library until it was time to pick the kids up from school.  Even though it's the first week that both kids have been in school, I can honestly say that it's going well.  So proud of my kiddos for that!

One last thing.  I honestly think Grass Stains is letting one of her kids play me in Hanging with Friends.  I rarely win (she's great at these games!), and never without almost losing first.  (Go ahead, fess up!)



Now, tell me how your day/week has been - honestly.

(Hmmm... Maybe I'll turn this into a little series - the honest truth about me, or how my day is going, or parenting, or any other thing I need to be honest about.)

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Overheard #42 and #43

My 8.5 year old son: "Mom, Michaelangelo is one of the Ninja Turtles' names!"

Me: "I know - the Ninja Turtles have been around since I was a kid!"

My dear, sweet, 8.5 year old son: "But in black and white, right?

Heh.  Maybe I am that old ;)

And other good one for you - it's one that he doesn't like for me to mention but that I find utterly adorable. 

Last school year, Mister J's class had studied a bit of history that really stood out to him.  That day, he came home explaining that he had learned about some things that happened, "...way back in the Nineteens."  Big J and I now use this phrase when we talk about things that happened a while back - like graduating from high school, getting married, buying our first house.  We find it so sweet, and just a little funny - and it just gives us a happy feeling to remember our boy saying it. 

So, even though I wonder some days if I am "old," I keep reminding myself of what I've always believed - age is a state of mind.  Apparently, I'm not alone.  Hop on over and read this great post by Tsh over at Simple Mom.  I, too, agree that the 30s are my favorite decade so far.  And I think the 40s are gonna totally rock!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Out of My Comfort Zone

Oh, y'all, I just have to admit it. Meeting new people makes me nervous.  If you know the job I used to have before I became a full-time mama, you will probably find this pretty darn amusing.  But it's the truth. 

I stepped a bit outside of my comfort zone on Wednesday, though.  As Miss M and I were walking back to the car from after-school pick-up, I saw another mom walking toward us.  I had seen her at Back-to-School Night, knew I recognized her, but couldn't pinpoint where - so I said nothing.  Totally easy for me to do since the classroom was crowded.

As an aside, Miss M started 1st grade at a new school this year.  Haven't addressed it here yet - and still may or may not - but I'm thinking I will share first-day-of-school pics after Mister J starts back to school next week.  An-y-way.... I'm a newbie at this new school.  So that's why I couldn't immediately place the other mom from Back-to-School Night.

Moving right along - I eventually figured out that I recognized the other mom from the dance class that Miss M took two years ago.  When I saw her again a couple of days ago, I just said hello, remarked that I recognized her from the dance class that our daughters had taken together, and that now they were in the same 1st grade class.  We chatted for just a bit - she reminded me of her daughter's name and then, this is the part that I could not believe, THANKED ME for stopping to say hello.  I don't think that has ever happened to me before. It sure helped me feel not-so-nervous - so I'll take that any day!

I just might have to introduce myself to some of the other moms and try this thing out a bit more. 

Does meeting new people make you nervous? How do you deal with being a "newbie"?

Friday, August 17, 2012

There's more than one way to load a dishwasher

My bloggy friend over at Grass Stains posted several days ago about the proper way to load a dishwasher. She was aghast to hear that not everyone uses the spindles on the top rack to keep cups and glasses in place. So, especially for Katherine, I'm taking you on a little tour of my dishwasher. Because apparently, jangling her nerves once was not enough.

Looking down on the bottom rack. These bowls do not nest well using the spindles, and actually take up more room that way. 
























 


Glasses not on spindles. They don't move. But Katherine, I hear you on alternating glass-plastic-glass when possible.



























It's not necessary to keep the spoons in a separate compartment. Each utensil can have its own slot - see? No nesting (spooning?) going on here!


Katherine, these are just to unjangle your nerves. (But when I originally posted from my iPhone, "unjangle" autocorrected to "unhinge" so I must not be doing a very good job here.)



























Other things about my dishwasher that may "unhinge" you:
  • The little spinner in the tip top of the dishwasher that's supposed to spray water more effectively?  That little 3-inch wide whirly thing?  It broke at the beginning of summer. The top rack actually rinses better now than before. 
  • The detergent door doesn't stay closed anymore. Hasn't been a problem. But eventually I will probably need a new dishwasher and I will have to start all over figuring out how to load it.
You might also like to know that, as particular as I am about how my dishwasher is loaded,  this is also my least favorite chore around the house.  And while you're pondering that little tidbit, I probably need to send Katherine some chocolate and a diet coke.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Am I old yet?

No, this isn't a post for my "Overheard" series.  It's actually a comment I left on a blog post I read earlier today.   I've actually been thinking about this a good bit lately, since it's a milestone year of sorts....

My 20th high school reunion is happening right now, and as far away as I am from being a teenager (an age to which I don't wish to go back), I still don't feel like an adult.  I still feel very different inside from how I think that person in the mirror should feel.  And yet, 40 is coming soon.  I have a rising 3rd grader and 1st grader.  The college students that I used to work with now have jobs and spouses and graduate degrees and families of their own.  My husband and I have two paid-off vehicles, wills, and a comfortable home.  My family looks to me for homework help and dinner each evening.  I'm a reading partner and prayer partner at bedtime - my husband is the pro at tucking in the kids. 

Where did all of those years go?  And with so much that has happened in those in-between years - shouldn't I feel older?  But perhaps it is a blessing that I do still feel so young inside - I've got a lot left to do!