Like most people (I assume), I have my fair share of indulgences. Possibly I have more. I admit that. You know, the joy of a nice long hot soak in a bubble bath. Or a really big gooey sundae and the time to just breathe it in, bit by bit.
Right now, my favorite indulgence is bed. Just the sheer pleasure of lying down in bed, stretching out, and being alone with your thoughts. And I admit, we have a very comfortable bed.
There's the toasty warm heating pad that makes the bed all comfy and welcoming. The soft flannel sheets that hold the warmth in and feel all cosy against your skin. The light warm blanket and the cotton comforter above that, providing that sense of weight and the tucked in feeling that instantly takes a couple of decades off your age. The pillow top mattress that provides just the right balance of firmness and yield. And, of course, my beloved pillow that is absolutely heavenly - your head sinks right in like you're lying on a cloud, but then is held firmly at a comfortable depth.
(In addition, there are the cuddly teddy bears - literal and figurative - but we won't go into those!)
Altogether, the epitome of indulgent luxuriousness. Is it naptime yet?
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Happy birthday!
Another year has rolled around, and Matthew would have been 7 today. Hard to fathom, having a 7-year-old. I wonder what he would have been like, what his interests would have been, what books he would have been reading.
I still miss him every day, and that isn't likely to change. Nor do I want it to.
I still miss him every day, and that isn't likely to change. Nor do I want it to.
Monday, February 25, 2008
it never rains ...
But it sure snows! Seems like the last few weeks have been a constant stream of repairs. One car hits some rocks; into the shop. The other car? Filled up with bad gas at a station which had suffered an accident to its tank and had sewer water running into the gas. So a week in the shop for that car.
The outdoors is a yo-yo - it snows, it melts, it snows, it melts, it snows some more. Leaving the basement with seepage down the walls and up through the floor (around the base of a lally column). So you try and keep the perishable items out of the way of the water and keep an eye on the water level.
But then your hot water heater starts to leak. And the guy who comes out to fix it is in such a hurry to get in and out without having to stop too long (because it's Friday? Or because it's snowing? Take your pick.) he "tightens" the leaky valve and cracks it. So now you have a real water leak problem, as he runs out the door, calling over his shoulder "Sure hope you have enough hot water to last you through the weekend!"
Minor stuff, one thing at a time, but altogether seems a bit overwhelming. One car's back, one coming back on Wednesday. (Hopefully competent) servicemen are at work on the water heater.
But there's more snow on the way later in the week.
The outdoors is a yo-yo - it snows, it melts, it snows, it melts, it snows some more. Leaving the basement with seepage down the walls and up through the floor (around the base of a lally column). So you try and keep the perishable items out of the way of the water and keep an eye on the water level.
But then your hot water heater starts to leak. And the guy who comes out to fix it is in such a hurry to get in and out without having to stop too long (because it's Friday? Or because it's snowing? Take your pick.) he "tightens" the leaky valve and cracks it. So now you have a real water leak problem, as he runs out the door, calling over his shoulder "Sure hope you have enough hot water to last you through the weekend!"
Minor stuff, one thing at a time, but altogether seems a bit overwhelming. One car's back, one coming back on Wednesday. (Hopefully competent) servicemen are at work on the water heater.
But there's more snow on the way later in the week.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
my least favorite chore
Hmmm. How to choose? Is it dishes? Dishes are always there, always need to be done, and the chore never ends. But at least you can do them on your own time and your own schedule.
Cleaning the toilet? Yucky, yes. But it doesn't take very long and there are lots of different products out there that help make it less yucky.
Changing diapers? Cleaning up vomit? Both of those are pretty gross, I'll grant you. But they can't hold a candle to the absolute worst chore ever:
Grocery shopping.
First, there's the parking lot. With all the people sitting in the middle of the lane with their blinkers on, waiting for an empty car to pull out. And all the people walking - again, down the middle of the lane, so you can't pass them. And then they glare at you for hovering behind you when, really, what choice do you have? Can't pass them, can't park because all the spaces are filled with other people's abandoned carts.
Then you get inside. And people drive their carts way worse than they drive their cars. So there are all the aisles blocked by carts, turning is a nightmare because no one knows who's supposed to yield so no one does, and you're lucky if you can get through the store without hitting someone/-thing or forgetting half your list. (This is much worse in stores with a lot of middle-of-the-aisle specials racks, which make the congestion much worse and you can't convince me really make the stores that much more money.)
At the register, you stand in line, do your best to unload your cart as speedily and efficiently as possible, while being glared at by the person behind you because you aren't moving fast enough, and having to wait while the person in front of you disputes a 50 cent price difference on a jar of pasta sauce.
Unless you've gone at a (very rare) quiet time, the store is too busy to allow you to bag your own groceries in peace, so you let the bagger handle it. Since no one ever asks "paper or plastic?" anymore, and usually the bagging has started by the time you get your cart unloaded and get to the register, you live with the annoying useless ubiquitous plastic bags. But then the bagger puts all your canned goods in one bursting bag, and throws a single loaf of bread into the next bag. The third bag has your dishwashing detergent and a couple of boxes of cookies (and you can just imagine what it will taste like when one leaks all over the other), and your eggs are buried somewhere in the bottom of the cart because the bagger didn't realize that all the food was yours and just tossed the last few bags on top.
Once you've finally made your way out of the store, wanting nothing more than a hot cup of tea and a long relaxing bath all by yourself, you have to navigate your cart through the parking lot, hoping that there's a cart return somewhere within five lanes of where you parked. You unload the cart, put it away, narrowly dodging cars on your way back, then you drive home, manage to get all the bags in (hopefully without dropping anything or having any of the bags burst on you) - and then you still have to put it all away! (Generally while the rest of your family either watches, criticizing your purchases, or asks you to stop to get them snacks every other minute, while the frozen food melts on the counter.)
Finally you're finished, and you vow that you'll never do it again. Until the next time.
Cleaning the toilet? Yucky, yes. But it doesn't take very long and there are lots of different products out there that help make it less yucky.
Changing diapers? Cleaning up vomit? Both of those are pretty gross, I'll grant you. But they can't hold a candle to the absolute worst chore ever:
Grocery shopping.
First, there's the parking lot. With all the people sitting in the middle of the lane with their blinkers on, waiting for an empty car to pull out. And all the people walking - again, down the middle of the lane, so you can't pass them. And then they glare at you for hovering behind you when, really, what choice do you have? Can't pass them, can't park because all the spaces are filled with other people's abandoned carts.
Then you get inside. And people drive their carts way worse than they drive their cars. So there are all the aisles blocked by carts, turning is a nightmare because no one knows who's supposed to yield so no one does, and you're lucky if you can get through the store without hitting someone/-thing or forgetting half your list. (This is much worse in stores with a lot of middle-of-the-aisle specials racks, which make the congestion much worse and you can't convince me really make the stores that much more money.)
At the register, you stand in line, do your best to unload your cart as speedily and efficiently as possible, while being glared at by the person behind you because you aren't moving fast enough, and having to wait while the person in front of you disputes a 50 cent price difference on a jar of pasta sauce.
Unless you've gone at a (very rare) quiet time, the store is too busy to allow you to bag your own groceries in peace, so you let the bagger handle it. Since no one ever asks "paper or plastic?" anymore, and usually the bagging has started by the time you get your cart unloaded and get to the register, you live with the annoying useless ubiquitous plastic bags. But then the bagger puts all your canned goods in one bursting bag, and throws a single loaf of bread into the next bag. The third bag has your dishwashing detergent and a couple of boxes of cookies (and you can just imagine what it will taste like when one leaks all over the other), and your eggs are buried somewhere in the bottom of the cart because the bagger didn't realize that all the food was yours and just tossed the last few bags on top.
Once you've finally made your way out of the store, wanting nothing more than a hot cup of tea and a long relaxing bath all by yourself, you have to navigate your cart through the parking lot, hoping that there's a cart return somewhere within five lanes of where you parked. You unload the cart, put it away, narrowly dodging cars on your way back, then you drive home, manage to get all the bags in (hopefully without dropping anything or having any of the bags burst on you) - and then you still have to put it all away! (Generally while the rest of your family either watches, criticizing your purchases, or asks you to stop to get them snacks every other minute, while the frozen food melts on the counter.)
Finally you're finished, and you vow that you'll never do it again. Until the next time.
Friday, February 22, 2008
homebodies
What a lovely, relaxing week! With the kids on school vacation, the car in the shop, and my cold/flu/whatever it is lingering on, we've spent the whole week at home. And not one of the kids complained or asked to go anywhere! Being a homebody myself, I appreciate having kids who also love to be at home and can stay here for days on end without getting bored or antsy. I wonder, is that luck, genetics, or training? I've always felt that there was a fair amount of training in it - my friends who can't stand to stay home have kids who can't stand to stay home, and I who love to be home have kids who also love to be home. But that could be a genetic thing, as well - is there a level of claustrophobia in not being able to spend an entire day in the house?
Of course, we're luckier in the new house - it's a lot easier and more fun for the boys to go out, even if Veronica can't. (Her boots and coat overbalance her very easily, so tramping around in the snow isn't really for her yet.) So it's not necessarily 'in the house' all the time. But even so, a week off from the hustle and bustle, drive here, drive there, child 1 to x place, child 2 to y place is a wonderful vacation for a mommy. Next week, good health, a return to school, and the car back in the garage where it belongs means Mommy needs to get hopping on classes, playdates, and finding places to go in the new area ... but that's a worry for next week. Right now, it's snowing beautifully with nowhere to go and nothing to do, and naptime is upon us!
Of course, we're luckier in the new house - it's a lot easier and more fun for the boys to go out, even if Veronica can't. (Her boots and coat overbalance her very easily, so tramping around in the snow isn't really for her yet.) So it's not necessarily 'in the house' all the time. But even so, a week off from the hustle and bustle, drive here, drive there, child 1 to x place, child 2 to y place is a wonderful vacation for a mommy. Next week, good health, a return to school, and the car back in the garage where it belongs means Mommy needs to get hopping on classes, playdates, and finding places to go in the new area ... but that's a worry for next week. Right now, it's snowing beautifully with nowhere to go and nothing to do, and naptime is upon us!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
birds and squirrels
It's no secret that birds aren't my thing. I think they're kind of dirty (in the "spread the plague" sense) and their claws and beaks are scary and sharp. Of course, most of my experiences with birds have been seagulls and pigeons - the rats of the avian world. So it came as something of a surprise to me that I enjoyed having a bird feeder outside the window, watching the different birds come to eat and trying to see which ones we could identify. I even liked watching the squirrels and their acrobatic efforts to get to the feeders.
Over the last couple of gloomy, dismal weeks, we've let the levels of seed in the feeder drop without filling it back up, and either because of that or because of the lateness of the season the birds and squirrels have disappeared. It's kind of sad, not having them to look at, especially since the blanket of snow covering the back yard isn't disappearing, so the landscape has a daily sameness.
So I wouldn't say I've exactly become a "bird person", but I have learned to appreciate the value of living and letting live where birds are concerned.
Over the last couple of gloomy, dismal weeks, we've let the levels of seed in the feeder drop without filling it back up, and either because of that or because of the lateness of the season the birds and squirrels have disappeared. It's kind of sad, not having them to look at, especially since the blanket of snow covering the back yard isn't disappearing, so the landscape has a daily sameness.
So I wouldn't say I've exactly become a "bird person", but I have learned to appreciate the value of living and letting live where birds are concerned.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
February
I mourn the loss of February. Growing up, it used to be a holiday month for me, practically - with my birthday at the end, it was like waiting for Christmas.
Nowadays, with birthdays being less festive (not so much a complaint, but you know - no parties, no mountains of presents - still a nice celebration but not as over-the-top), it's a fun day to anticipate but not as much like Christmas.
What I'm really complaining about, though, is how February in recent years has become the month when all the viruses I've escaped in the preceding year pile on me and I proceed to be sick for most of the month. I usually lose my voice at least once, and it's almost guaranteed that whatever I have will linger for at least two weeks. (It used to be Christmas when all this stuff landed on me, and for years I was sick at Christmas every year, so I suppose I should be glad that it all moved back two months ... but I'm really not.) For my birthday next year, I just want to escape the annual laryngitis/viral attack. Is that asking so much?
Nowadays, with birthdays being less festive (not so much a complaint, but you know - no parties, no mountains of presents - still a nice celebration but not as over-the-top), it's a fun day to anticipate but not as much like Christmas.
What I'm really complaining about, though, is how February in recent years has become the month when all the viruses I've escaped in the preceding year pile on me and I proceed to be sick for most of the month. I usually lose my voice at least once, and it's almost guaranteed that whatever I have will linger for at least two weeks. (It used to be Christmas when all this stuff landed on me, and for years I was sick at Christmas every year, so I suppose I should be glad that it all moved back two months ... but I'm really not.) For my birthday next year, I just want to escape the annual laryngitis/viral attack. Is that asking so much?
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic
Just an update, really. I haven't been posting book reviews because I haven't finished a lot of books. I'm working my way, chapter by chapter, through nine different books, but I'm basically in the middle of all of them. (Right now, Charles Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle, which is responsible for a lot of the slowdown. Dense book. But ultimately worthwhile, I think.) I dropped A.N. Wilson's The Victorians two chapters in - it jumped around too much, and assumed more detailed knowledge of the period than the average reader possesses. I've also been steadily working my way through Jan Karon's Mitford series (I'm up through Volume 6), and am enjoying those, but I think the reviews of all would be substantively the same.
Writing-wise, I'm thinking hard about it, but I honestly can't decide which of the many started projects I have to work on seriously. I'm not really inspired to work on any particular one ... but then, if I wait to be inspired all the time, nothing will ever get done! So I think I need to pick one and really start digging into it. Once I return my last journal this week I should have about six weeks of no work to do. I'm hoping to develop a habit of spending 15 minutes writing at naptime every day, with no "fun" allowed until I've done that.
And the 'rithmetic? 3 children. 2 school schedules to work around. Attempting to run 1.5 miles a day. 6 journals that have been in and out in the last 4 weeks. Turning 33 in a few weeks. Matthew's 7th birthday. 30+ line items a day on my to-do list. 1 husband. 5-6 loads of laundry every other day (at least). Levels 52, 36, 27, 21, 19, and 9 in World of Warcraft. 9 books to read. Over 200 on my to-be-read shelves.
Boy, that all sounds like a lot!
Writing-wise, I'm thinking hard about it, but I honestly can't decide which of the many started projects I have to work on seriously. I'm not really inspired to work on any particular one ... but then, if I wait to be inspired all the time, nothing will ever get done! So I think I need to pick one and really start digging into it. Once I return my last journal this week I should have about six weeks of no work to do. I'm hoping to develop a habit of spending 15 minutes writing at naptime every day, with no "fun" allowed until I've done that.
And the 'rithmetic? 3 children. 2 school schedules to work around. Attempting to run 1.5 miles a day. 6 journals that have been in and out in the last 4 weeks. Turning 33 in a few weeks. Matthew's 7th birthday. 30+ line items a day on my to-do list. 1 husband. 5-6 loads of laundry every other day (at least). Levels 52, 36, 27, 21, 19, and 9 in World of Warcraft. 9 books to read. Over 200 on my to-be-read shelves.
Boy, that all sounds like a lot!
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