For Christmas, Mike and I received a gift card to Hooters from one of Mike's brothers. I'm against everything Hooters stands for, so I was scratching my head over this. We even considered re-gifting the card to a friend, but instead we used it yesterday. I know that using the card the day after we got it makes it sound like we just couldn't wait to go there, but really, we needed to go out to Target anyway and since it was Sunday, Mike's mom was able to babysit Leilani for us. Because there was no way we were taking Leilani there.
As it turns out, it wasn't that bad. I was surprised that I really enjoyed the food. In fact, I'd go back just for the food. It was pretty yummy. And I was also surprised to see a lot of families with children there. In fact, it was mostly families.
The server on the other hand was exactly what I expected...
This first part is hard to explain, but I'm gonna try... As we were being seated, the server took us to a booth and stood right in front of the end of one of the seats. So Mike sat down on one side, and I just stood there because the server was in the way of me being able to sit down. She proceeded to look at me like I was stupid. I eventually had to tell her that I couldn't sit down until she moved out of the way. Strange.
Then, every time the server came by our table, she would only acknowledge Mike. I'm sure they're programmed to flirt with every man that walks in the building, but c'mon! Know your customer. Do that crap at a table of six guys chugging beer and eating wings, not at our table.
On the other hand, she was quick with our food, drink refills, and check. Everything in that regard was pretty good.
I guess the experience as a whole wasn't too bad. It could have been that we just got a randomly annoying server. After all, bad service can happen anywhere. I wouldn't be opposed to going back. Like I said, the food was surprisingly tasty. And maybe the whoriness of the server will be toned down next time. Who knows.
And one question: What's up with their socks?!?
Monday, December 27, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Christmas Eve
Today was a great Christmas Eve. Leilani strangely slept in until 11 am, which meant I got a little extra sleep too! I made snickerdoodle cookies in the afternoon to add to the gingerbread and peanut butter cookies I made yesterday. Afterwards, both of Mike's brothers came over and we enjoyed a bunch of deliciously unhealthy appetizers. Leilani woke up from her nap in a terrible mood and we spent the afternoon entertaining her and she ended up being showered with love and attention from everyone. We even gave her one of her Christmas presents early-- a big slide for the backyard (when it gets a bit warmer). But we set it up in the living room for now and she had a blast playing on it. I guess it'll have to stay in the living room until Spring.
I realized this evening that I need to take more pictures. I didn't even get my camera out all day, even though there were a ton of things I wanted to capture. I made the same mistake on Thanksgiving. Tomorrow I plan to take a bunch of photos to make up for it.
I realized this evening that I need to take more pictures. I didn't even get my camera out all day, even though there were a ton of things I wanted to capture. I made the same mistake on Thanksgiving. Tomorrow I plan to take a bunch of photos to make up for it.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
2011
I have a lot of hope for 2011. Both Mike and I will be starting new careers and we'll be moving. These are two huge things for us and I can't wait for them to finally happen. I haven't felt this optimistic about our future in a very long time.
In 2011, I also hope to change myself too. I want to lose some weight. Hopefully 20 to 30 pounds. I know it sounds strange, but I really expect to lose weight once we move. I think that once we're in our own place, I'll want to spend more time in the kitchen preparing healthier meals. Right now, I cook food that's quick. Mostly unhealthy frozen meals that can be cooked quickly so that I can just get the heck out of the kitchen. Being in our own place will allow me to exercise more often too because I'll have the privacy I need to do so.
Another big change for me on the horizon is my attitude. I know that in the last couple of years I've become someone that I don't want to be. I'm angry a lot, I'm very cynical, and I just don't think I'm a pleasure to be around. Sometimes I wonder how Mike can stand me. I know exactly what's causing it... living where we do. It's a very stressful environment for me to live in and that stress is manifesting itself into anger. Right now, even the thought of moving makes me feel a little lighter.
I used to have some quote taped to my desk at work about letting stuff go. It was just something I copied from one of those inspirational posters that was in our conference room. But whenever I read it, it calmed me down and made my stress go away. I wish I could remember what it said.
Just typing this out has made me realize how much of the negativity I have is tied to living here. I attribute my attitude and even my weight to it. But it's true that it's taking it's toll. I look forward to next year when we can finally move and start fresh. My goal for moving is July 1st. It's going to be the big event in our lives in 2011!
In 2011, I also hope to change myself too. I want to lose some weight. Hopefully 20 to 30 pounds. I know it sounds strange, but I really expect to lose weight once we move. I think that once we're in our own place, I'll want to spend more time in the kitchen preparing healthier meals. Right now, I cook food that's quick. Mostly unhealthy frozen meals that can be cooked quickly so that I can just get the heck out of the kitchen. Being in our own place will allow me to exercise more often too because I'll have the privacy I need to do so.
Another big change for me on the horizon is my attitude. I know that in the last couple of years I've become someone that I don't want to be. I'm angry a lot, I'm very cynical, and I just don't think I'm a pleasure to be around. Sometimes I wonder how Mike can stand me. I know exactly what's causing it... living where we do. It's a very stressful environment for me to live in and that stress is manifesting itself into anger. Right now, even the thought of moving makes me feel a little lighter.
I used to have some quote taped to my desk at work about letting stuff go. It was just something I copied from one of those inspirational posters that was in our conference room. But whenever I read it, it calmed me down and made my stress go away. I wish I could remember what it said.
Just typing this out has made me realize how much of the negativity I have is tied to living here. I attribute my attitude and even my weight to it. But it's true that it's taking it's toll. I look forward to next year when we can finally move and start fresh. My goal for moving is July 1st. It's going to be the big event in our lives in 2011!
Monday, December 20, 2010
What The Heck?!?
Today a box came in the mail from the Disney Store addressed to Leilani. We thought, "Great, a Christmas present!" But we didn't know who it came from. We figured it was Mike's mom who was behind it so Mike called her and her reply was, "It wasn't me, but I know who sent it." Okay, so it must be from Brian, Mike's brother. So we opened it (because curiosity got the better of us) and low and behold... it's from Tisha, Keawe, and Wailana.
I'm sorry to sound ungrateful, but what the hell?!?
There are so many things wrong with this, that I don't even know where to begin.
First, if this was something that was thought up by Keawe and Wailana that's great. But if they want to get something for their cousin, they should go through dad, not their mom. Leilani is their cousin on their dad's side, not their mom's side. Their mom has nothing to do with Leilani. I've made that clear. If this was the brainchild of Tisha, then again, what the hell?!? Like I said, I've made it clear she has nothing to do with Leilani.
Second, I don't need to hear how Mike's mom and Tisha are in cahoots. That is just irritating beyond belief.
I hate Tisha so much. I hate this situation so much. How can Mike's mom, Brian, or Tisha think that I want to be some big fucking happy family with Tisha?
Let me make this ultra-clear: Tisha committed infidelity. She started a romantic relationship with Mike's brother while still married to my brother. Can no one understand that?!? Mike's Mom and Brian seem to think that I should just be happy about the whole thing. That is NOT going to happen. NEVER.
I'm sorry to sound ungrateful, but what the hell?!?
There are so many things wrong with this, that I don't even know where to begin.
First, if this was something that was thought up by Keawe and Wailana that's great. But if they want to get something for their cousin, they should go through dad, not their mom. Leilani is their cousin on their dad's side, not their mom's side. Their mom has nothing to do with Leilani. I've made that clear. If this was the brainchild of Tisha, then again, what the hell?!? Like I said, I've made it clear she has nothing to do with Leilani.
Second, I don't need to hear how Mike's mom and Tisha are in cahoots. That is just irritating beyond belief.
I hate Tisha so much. I hate this situation so much. How can Mike's mom, Brian, or Tisha think that I want to be some big fucking happy family with Tisha?
Let me make this ultra-clear: Tisha committed infidelity. She started a romantic relationship with Mike's brother while still married to my brother. Can no one understand that?!? Mike's Mom and Brian seem to think that I should just be happy about the whole thing. That is NOT going to happen. NEVER.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Today
I'm just so excited, I had to post something! Leilani has her appointment today at Children's Hospital for speech therapy. I can't wait to hear what a professional has to say about her speech and hopefully we can make some real progress soon. I know it's just an evaluation, but it's an important first step. The appointment is two hours long, and I don't know exactly what to expect, but I relish the idea of Leilani learning to talk soon.
I remember a post I made when she was only 11 months old in which I was frustrated that she wasn't saying anything yet. Here we are, 5 1/2 months later, and we're FINALLY getting somewhere. It's a Christmas miracle!
I remember a post I made when she was only 11 months old in which I was frustrated that she wasn't saying anything yet. Here we are, 5 1/2 months later, and we're FINALLY getting somewhere. It's a Christmas miracle!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Visiting the North Pole
Well really not the North Pole. More like the Ikea in Shaumburg, Illinois, but I told Leilani I was going to the North Pole to visit Santa. I spent the whole day on my own, out and about doing some Christmas shopping. People think I'm crazy that I drive 2 hours down to Shaumburg just to go to one store. But I love Ikea. I wish we had one here.
I got a wooden train set and ring-stacker for Leilani. And a plush basket of fruit and vegetables for the shopping cart that her Grandma is getting her for Christmas. Ooh... and a duvet and shams for me. (It can't ALL be about her, right?)
Oy, visiting Illinois is always an experience. On my way down, I missed my freeway exit because I was thinking about food. Yep. That's right. Something's wrong with me. I ended up having to go about 20 minutes out of my way just to turn around and go back because the on and off ramps are so spread out. Not to mention I had to pay 2 extra tolls. Grr.
On my way back up, my car started to over heat. And like I said before, Illinois is sparse with its off ramps, so the next chance to get off the freeway was almost two miles away. So this meant I had to pull over onto the shoulder to add coolant. This is something that I normally would not fear in Wisconsin, but Illinois drivers are INSANE so I was terrified. And that's no joke about the drivers, they're ranked among the worst in the country. As soon as you cross the state line, it becomes a derby. Example: It's 55 mph on the freeways down there. I was going 65 mph and cars were flying past me. They must have been going at least 80. At the very least. And not just one or two, but the vast majority of cars. That's insane. I saw a cop car going about that speed and cars behind it were keeping up with it like it was the normal thing to do. I guess the theory is that they have to pay tolls to use the freeways there so they can drive however they want. Flippin' insane. But back to the point... I was pulled over on the shoulder and just finishing putting coolant in my car when a really nice man pulled over and offered me assistance. I was just closing my hood when he got out of his car and started walking over, so he quickly realized that I was done. I thanked him and said I was just adding coolant. What a nice guy.
Once I got back into Wisconsin it started snowing like crazy so the freeway backed up like a parking lot so I had to weave my way back home on surface streets. It took at least an extra hour to get home. My poor little car's driver-side windshield wiper isn't working right so I had to look out through a 5 inch strip of clean window the whole way. Yikes.
What a day.
I got a wooden train set and ring-stacker for Leilani. And a plush basket of fruit and vegetables for the shopping cart that her Grandma is getting her for Christmas. Ooh... and a duvet and shams for me. (It can't ALL be about her, right?)
Oy, visiting Illinois is always an experience. On my way down, I missed my freeway exit because I was thinking about food. Yep. That's right. Something's wrong with me. I ended up having to go about 20 minutes out of my way just to turn around and go back because the on and off ramps are so spread out. Not to mention I had to pay 2 extra tolls. Grr.
On my way back up, my car started to over heat. And like I said before, Illinois is sparse with its off ramps, so the next chance to get off the freeway was almost two miles away. So this meant I had to pull over onto the shoulder to add coolant. This is something that I normally would not fear in Wisconsin, but Illinois drivers are INSANE so I was terrified. And that's no joke about the drivers, they're ranked among the worst in the country. As soon as you cross the state line, it becomes a derby. Example: It's 55 mph on the freeways down there. I was going 65 mph and cars were flying past me. They must have been going at least 80. At the very least. And not just one or two, but the vast majority of cars. That's insane. I saw a cop car going about that speed and cars behind it were keeping up with it like it was the normal thing to do. I guess the theory is that they have to pay tolls to use the freeways there so they can drive however they want. Flippin' insane. But back to the point... I was pulled over on the shoulder and just finishing putting coolant in my car when a really nice man pulled over and offered me assistance. I was just closing my hood when he got out of his car and started walking over, so he quickly realized that I was done. I thanked him and said I was just adding coolant. What a nice guy.
Once I got back into Wisconsin it started snowing like crazy so the freeway backed up like a parking lot so I had to weave my way back home on surface streets. It took at least an extra hour to get home. My poor little car's driver-side windshield wiper isn't working right so I had to look out through a 5 inch strip of clean window the whole way. Yikes.
What a day.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Naughty
Leilani has been extra naughty lately. She uses everything that she can find as step stool and gets into everything. She throws tantrums everyday. It can only be summed up as "naughty." I thought these were the things that happened during the so-called terrible twos. Not at 16 months. It drives me crazy. I lose my cool on a daily basis. Her naps have been all over the board too. She used to nap like clockwork but now she naps an hour here and an hour there. And she's not sleeping well at night either. The last few weeks have been horrible. I'm so frustrated and tired.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Stickin' Fools Part II
Yesterday was another blood draw day for me. All things went well for me when it was my turn to draw. I was able to get blood again so now I'm 4 for 5 with that. I think I might actually have the best average in the class. When it was my turn to get drawn, everything went fine until the girl who did it accidentally pulled the entire unit out of my arm near the end of the procedure. Unfortunately, she still hadn't removed the tourniquet yet so I bled on my arm. Why do these things always happen to me? I don't think anyone else in class has had as many mistakes preformed on them.
Also, when I was driving down the freeway to class, I was behind a car when its hood literally FLEW OFF!!! I'm not kidding. It was about 3 or 4 car-lengths in front of me (it's always hard to tell on the freeway) and in the lane next to me. The hood flew about 30 feet up in the air, spinning top-over-bottom the whole way and finally hit the front right side of the car next to me. It seemed like it barely did any damage, though. I feel bad for saying this, but it was pretty awesome. Actually, BAD-ASS would be a better way of describing it. I just felt like it was worth mentioning.
Also, when I was driving down the freeway to class, I was behind a car when its hood literally FLEW OFF!!! I'm not kidding. It was about 3 or 4 car-lengths in front of me (it's always hard to tell on the freeway) and in the lane next to me. The hood flew about 30 feet up in the air, spinning top-over-bottom the whole way and finally hit the front right side of the car next to me. It seemed like it barely did any damage, though. I feel bad for saying this, but it was pretty awesome. Actually, BAD-ASS would be a better way of describing it. I just felt like it was worth mentioning.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Stickin' Fools
Two Mondays ago, I finally got to do a couple of real blood draws on people. I was worried because I knew our normally rigid instructor was going to be watching us throughout the procedure, but it turned out he understood how nerve racking it can be, so he was very easy going and relaxed as we worked. Out of the two blood draws I did that day, I was able to get blood both times which I was pretty proud of.
Getting drawn was another story. At first, no one wanted to draw me because my veins are very small and invisible from the surface. So I thought I'd get away with not being drawn at all. But at the eleventh hour, I was picked for a draw. Tony, the person who drew me, was really nervous but did really well. It always hurts when I go to have blood drawn in real life so I was really nervous going to class that day, but it turned out there was nothing to fear. I honestly couldn't even feel it.
So the next Monday, I was super excited to do more draws. Those went fine, but being drawn didn't. It felt like the first girl who drew me was simply out to hurt people. It hurt so bad! The second girl did better in the pain department but screwed up and I ended up having a needle STICKING OUT OF MY ARM. The instructor had to jump in to remove it. She was really apologetic and I felt bad for her. But holy cow was that freaky.
Getting drawn was another story. At first, no one wanted to draw me because my veins are very small and invisible from the surface. So I thought I'd get away with not being drawn at all. But at the eleventh hour, I was picked for a draw. Tony, the person who drew me, was really nervous but did really well. It always hurts when I go to have blood drawn in real life so I was really nervous going to class that day, but it turned out there was nothing to fear. I honestly couldn't even feel it.
So the next Monday, I was super excited to do more draws. Those went fine, but being drawn didn't. It felt like the first girl who drew me was simply out to hurt people. It hurt so bad! The second girl did better in the pain department but screwed up and I ended up having a needle STICKING OUT OF MY ARM. The instructor had to jump in to remove it. She was really apologetic and I felt bad for her. But holy cow was that freaky.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Pacifiers
Leilani has been missing two pacifiers for about a week now. So last night I searched her room high and low to try and find them. I emptied out her toy bins, I looked under and behind furniture, and I tore apart her crib... all to no avail. No matter what I did or where I looked I couldn't find them.
Earlier this evening I put Leilani in her room to play for about half an hour so I could get some stuff done. When I walked in her room to get her, guess what! There she was sucking on a pacifier. Where was it all this time? Where the HECK is she hiding them?!?
Earlier this evening I put Leilani in her room to play for about half an hour so I could get some stuff done. When I walked in her room to get her, guess what! There she was sucking on a pacifier. Where was it all this time? Where the HECK is she hiding them?!?
Friday, November 12, 2010
Walgreens
Yesterday I went to Walgreens to pick up a few things for Leilani... Lotramin, Pedialite, etc. I had just walked in and was searching for the Lotramin when an older woman, maybe in her 50's or early 60's walked up to me with a note.
She asked if I had put it on her car.
I said no.
She then went on to say she wasn't accusing me of anything but if I did put it on her car I should just be honest.
I replied with a very stern "I didn't put anything on your car."
She started saying something more to me, but before I could register any of it mentally, a flash of white-hot fury came over my extremely sleep deprived and slightly sick being, and I unleashed a verbal assault of rage and stupidity. I can't remember exactly what I yelled but it was along the lines of, "I didn't leave anything on your f***ing car! I just walked in here! Can't you leave me alone? My daughter is sick and all I want to do is shop for her without being bothered!" I then stormed off.
I went and told some random employee that some lady was harassing me, which in hindsight was dumb because 1) it wasn't really THAT bad and 2) it only drew more attention. The manager offered to walk me to my car after I was done shopping but I declined since it was just an old ornery lady who had already left the store by this point. One of the employees came up to me and the manager as we were speaking and told us that the lady had showed her the note earlier and it said, "Don't park in a handicapped spot if you're not handicapped." Which is just childish and petty, and whoever wrote it probably left it on the lady's car on their way OUT of the Walgreens. Obviously.
And even though the whole thing really wasn't that bad, because I was completely out of my mind from being up all night with Leilani and being sick myself, I started crying in the car on the way home.
She asked if I had put it on her car.
I said no.
She then went on to say she wasn't accusing me of anything but if I did put it on her car I should just be honest.
I replied with a very stern "I didn't put anything on your car."
She started saying something more to me, but before I could register any of it mentally, a flash of white-hot fury came over my extremely sleep deprived and slightly sick being, and I unleashed a verbal assault of rage and stupidity. I can't remember exactly what I yelled but it was along the lines of, "I didn't leave anything on your f***ing car! I just walked in here! Can't you leave me alone? My daughter is sick and all I want to do is shop for her without being bothered!" I then stormed off.
I went and told some random employee that some lady was harassing me, which in hindsight was dumb because 1) it wasn't really THAT bad and 2) it only drew more attention. The manager offered to walk me to my car after I was done shopping but I declined since it was just an old ornery lady who had already left the store by this point. One of the employees came up to me and the manager as we were speaking and told us that the lady had showed her the note earlier and it said, "Don't park in a handicapped spot if you're not handicapped." Which is just childish and petty, and whoever wrote it probably left it on the lady's car on their way OUT of the Walgreens. Obviously.
And even though the whole thing really wasn't that bad, because I was completely out of my mind from being up all night with Leilani and being sick myself, I started crying in the car on the way home.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Thoughts.
This is an experiment. I'm really bored and slightly sick and I'm just going to type my actual thoughts out as I have them. This is real.
I want my house to be filled with special treasures and handmade things. But I still want it to look like it belongs in a magazine.
I'm addicted to eating. Or maybe food. I can't tell the difference.
I really hate small talk. That takes all the fun out of massages and haircuts.
I never want to live without a dishwasher again.
Mike's alarm clock is still an hour ahead. I need to fix that.
There's a basket of Halloween candy in front of me. In other words, I know what I'm having for dinner.
Mike's sleeping and is really sick. I'm thinking about doing his homework for him. He might really appreciate that. I dunno.
Sometimes I like to hit the "Next Blog" button over and over and just see what's out there.
God, I'm bored.
We still haven't received that info packet from CHW about speech therapy. I hope it comes tomorrow.
I want my house to be filled with special treasures and handmade things. But I still want it to look like it belongs in a magazine.
I'm addicted to eating. Or maybe food. I can't tell the difference.
I really hate small talk. That takes all the fun out of massages and haircuts.
I never want to live without a dishwasher again.
Mike's alarm clock is still an hour ahead. I need to fix that.
There's a basket of Halloween candy in front of me. In other words, I know what I'm having for dinner.
Mike's sleeping and is really sick. I'm thinking about doing his homework for him. He might really appreciate that. I dunno.
Sometimes I like to hit the "Next Blog" button over and over and just see what's out there.
God, I'm bored.
We still haven't received that info packet from CHW about speech therapy. I hope it comes tomorrow.
Ugh...
On Monday I woke up with a stomach flu. Or maybe it was something I ate. (For the record, my diet the day before consisted of 8 taquitos, 7 mini candy bars, and a pickle... I am a poster child for healthy living.) Anyway, I had typical stomach flu symptoms which are way too gross to explain. I also had two classes: a computer class at 1pm and phlebotomy 7:30pm. I wasn't in the mood for either. Needless to say I was miserable. I had to leave twice during the first class to RUN to the restroom. I ended up leaving an hour early. I came all the way back home to take an hour nap before my night class. I ended running to the restroom a few times in that class too.
Ugh.
It's Wednesday now and I'm still weak but I'm persevering. Mike and Leilani are another story. They caught my bug and are both miserable. Mike has only gotten out of bed to take baths and lay on the couch. Leilani has had more than a dozen poopy diapers today. And severe diaper rash. So that's been a treat.
Ugh.
My wish is to go to sleep, wake up tomorrow, and have everyone feeling better.
What a wretched day.
Ugh.
Ugh.
It's Wednesday now and I'm still weak but I'm persevering. Mike and Leilani are another story. They caught my bug and are both miserable. Mike has only gotten out of bed to take baths and lay on the couch. Leilani has had more than a dozen poopy diapers today. And severe diaper rash. So that's been a treat.
Ugh.
My wish is to go to sleep, wake up tomorrow, and have everyone feeling better.
What a wretched day.
Ugh.
Friday, November 5, 2010
A Few Gems
Sometimes Mike says the craziest stuff. At least when you take it completely out of context. Here's a few of the best Mike quotes of all time:
"At the least, it's gotta be an eagle fighting a mongoose. At the VERY least!"
"We've had our differences in the past, chair. But now... I need you."
"So now what do I do? Go on Facebook and fart in a bucket?!?"
"You'll spend like $30, come back a say you pooped your pants. And we'll have nothing to show for it!"
"I'm going to call it 'Jacket Ham'."
"Awww... bologna squirts!"
"Scorpions get in your house and kill your children and eat all your cottage cheese!"
"Go get me some Wendy's, Bitch!"
"At the least, it's gotta be an eagle fighting a mongoose. At the VERY least!"
"We've had our differences in the past, chair. But now... I need you."
"So now what do I do? Go on Facebook and fart in a bucket?!?"
"You'll spend like $30, come back a say you pooped your pants. And we'll have nothing to show for it!"
"I'm going to call it 'Jacket Ham'."
"Awww... bologna squirts!"
"Scorpions get in your house and kill your children and eat all your cottage cheese!"
"Go get me some Wendy's, Bitch!"
Thursday, November 4, 2010
15 Month Appointment
We took Leilani to her 15 month wellness check up and learned she's still a lot smaller than we thought. She's 31 inches tall (70%) and 19.75 pounds (7%). She's so very tiny. Looking at her, she doesn't look like one of those super skinny babies that looks like it's underfed. To me at least, Leilani looks just like all the babies I see in clothing advertisements and on TV. She looks normal to me. But the fact that she's in the 7th percentile proves otherwise.
We did get a little scolded by our doctor about how much milk she drinks during the day. She can easily drink 4 10 ounce bottles a day. And that's probably why she has no appetite for solid food. So we've cut back on the milk and try only to give it to her in sippy cups, and push solids more often. We'll see how this goes.
We also spoke to our pediatrician about speech therapy. She suggested we take her to see a specialist at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin so I called to talk to them. We'll be getting a questionnaire packet in the mail next Wednesday and then we'll set an appointment after that. I'm really excited about getting some help with this.
We did get a little scolded by our doctor about how much milk she drinks during the day. She can easily drink 4 10 ounce bottles a day. And that's probably why she has no appetite for solid food. So we've cut back on the milk and try only to give it to her in sippy cups, and push solids more often. We'll see how this goes.
We also spoke to our pediatrician about speech therapy. She suggested we take her to see a specialist at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin so I called to talk to them. We'll be getting a questionnaire packet in the mail next Wednesday and then we'll set an appointment after that. I'm really excited about getting some help with this.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Satirical Election Perspective
"I've learned to keep things in perspective. The important thing for every American to remember, whether you are happy or depressed by last night's results is... this is how it will be FOREVER. The 2010 election is the election to end all elections. It will be the last time anyone has the chance to affect the composition of our government. You see, this conservative wave is just like a wave on the ocean. In that, once it has crested, foamed, and reached land, there will never be another wave. The ocean will remain now glassy and lifeless as Nancy Pelosi's eyes. So if you're sad, you will remain sad. If you're happy, you'll be happy forever. Maybe there will be more elections someday in the distant future, I don't know, I'm not a psychic. Maybe one day I'll be a psychic, I don't know that either, as I said, I'm not a psychic. But I do know that a party has been swept into power on a platform of change, and that has never bitten anyone in the ass." -Stephen Colbert
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Boo At The Zoo
Yesterday we took Leilani to the zoo for some trick-or-treating. They do it every year... hand out candy, have 100's of carved pumpkins all over the place, and have other activities for the little ones. So we took her dressed as Yoda, and got a lot of reactions from people. Everyone thought she was so cute and even picked up on the fact that she is just the right size to be Yoda. It was a lot of fun. Just as we were about to leave the zoo, we encountered an adult in a Darth Vader costume. I thought it was going to be a epic fight to the death, but it was way past Leilani's nap time, so she put the eternal battle of good and evil on hold.
Later we saw Darth Vader getting into his Chevy in the parking lot. I had no idea he drove American. And what happened to his Imperial TIE fighter?
Anyway, I woke up this morning with the worst back ache I've ever had. I think it's due to picking up and putting down Leilani about 1000 times yesterday. Not to mention all the walking and carrying stuff. It's times like this I'm glad we have one of our computers hooked up to our living room TV. I can get on the internet and watch regular TV without moving from the couch. So I've been laying on the couch with a heating pad since I got up this morning. Which has actually been nice because I've shamelessly used it as an excuse to watch all 2 hours of the Restore Sanity Rally without being bothered. *Small victory!*
I have pictures of Leilani and her Halloween haul to come...
Later we saw Darth Vader getting into his Chevy in the parking lot. I had no idea he drove American. And what happened to his Imperial TIE fighter?
Anyway, I woke up this morning with the worst back ache I've ever had. I think it's due to picking up and putting down Leilani about 1000 times yesterday. Not to mention all the walking and carrying stuff. It's times like this I'm glad we have one of our computers hooked up to our living room TV. I can get on the internet and watch regular TV without moving from the couch. So I've been laying on the couch with a heating pad since I got up this morning. Which has actually been nice because I've shamelessly used it as an excuse to watch all 2 hours of the Restore Sanity Rally without being bothered. *Small victory!*
I have pictures of Leilani and her Halloween haul to come...
Friday, October 29, 2010
Suck It, Winter!
The average day for the first trace of snow in Milwaukee is October 28th. Today is October 29th.
It's projected to be in the low 50's for the next ten days.
This feels like a small victory for Winter-haters everywhere.
It's projected to be in the low 50's for the next ten days.
This feels like a small victory for Winter-haters everywhere.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Gymboree Today
As I've mentioned before, Gymboree classes are age specific. However, teachers will sometimes let older or younger siblings come to class too and play by themselves on the other side of the gym, as long as they don't get in the way or interrupt the class. Well today there was a woman there with a toddler boy (who's in Leilani's class) and a newborn baby boy. As usual, at the beginning of class we all sat in a circle and sang the "welcome song." During this time, the kids normally get up and run all over the circle and can get pretty wild.
So maybe that woman shouldn't have had her newborn baby laying on the floor next to her, while she held her toddler on her lap.
So maybe that woman shouldn't have had her newborn baby laying on the floor next to her, while she held her toddler on her lap.
As you can guess, there was an accident. Unfortunately, it just HAD to involve Leilani. This is what happened: Leilani, being the rambunctious 15 month old that she is, got up from my lap and took off at full speed toward her favorite slide on one side of the room. Before anyone could react, she tripped over the newborn and landed flat on top of him. I literally screamed, "Oh my God!" The baby started wailing and I ran over and retrieved Leilani and apologized. I was MORTIFIED and I felt terrible for the newborn. I was so embarrassed that I avoided the woman for the rest of the class.
Later, the more I thought about it, I realized that I'm not the one who should be embarrassed. The woman should be. She should have NEVER laid her newborn baby on the floor of a gym during a class that has a dozen toddlers running wild. Sure I felt bad for the newborn, but I'm pissed at the mom. And I shouldn't have to feel embarrassed. She's the one that exhibited reckless parenting. Not me. Leilani (and all the other toddlers) go to Gymboree to take part in physical play. It's NO PLACE FOR A NEWBORN!!! And if you do bring a baby that small, DON'T SET IT DOWN ON THE FLOOR!!! Common sense, people!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Car Seats, Wind, and Cancer
I am so very happy that we got Leilani a new car seat today!
We've been lugging her around in the original carrier that we got before she was born. The old seat had a height limit of 30 inches and a weight limit of 22 pounds. Leilani has her 15 month appointment a week from today and I'm sure we'll find out that she's taller and heavier than that. I'm guessing 33 inches and 23 pounds. So you could say we've been pushing the old car seat's limits a bit.
So as an early Christmas gift, Grandma Sue bought her a brand new "Big Girl" seat. I'm totally stoked.
Also, the Midwest is being POUNDED by a geographically huge windstorm. It's so large that it actually started yesterday and won't pass until early Friday. It's blowing roofs off houses and knocking down trees. So far, the worst damage we've encountered has been some rogue shingles blowing off the roof.
Finally, I found out yesterday that my brother Donovan has been diagnosed with skin cancer. They found a malignant melanoma on his arm. From what my mom said, the doctor indicated that they caught it early enough to be able to remove it successfully and without the need for Chemo. The doctor also said that Donovan has a 90-95% chance that it hasn't and won't spread. I'm so glad my mom pushed him to go to the doctor in the first place. I spoke to Donovan yesterday and he's sounded very upbeat. Because of that, I'm upbeat too.
We've been lugging her around in the original carrier that we got before she was born. The old seat had a height limit of 30 inches and a weight limit of 22 pounds. Leilani has her 15 month appointment a week from today and I'm sure we'll find out that she's taller and heavier than that. I'm guessing 33 inches and 23 pounds. So you could say we've been pushing the old car seat's limits a bit.
So as an early Christmas gift, Grandma Sue bought her a brand new "Big Girl" seat. I'm totally stoked.
Also, the Midwest is being POUNDED by a geographically huge windstorm. It's so large that it actually started yesterday and won't pass until early Friday. It's blowing roofs off houses and knocking down trees. So far, the worst damage we've encountered has been some rogue shingles blowing off the roof.
Finally, I found out yesterday that my brother Donovan has been diagnosed with skin cancer. They found a malignant melanoma on his arm. From what my mom said, the doctor indicated that they caught it early enough to be able to remove it successfully and without the need for Chemo. The doctor also said that Donovan has a 90-95% chance that it hasn't and won't spread. I'm so glad my mom pushed him to go to the doctor in the first place. I spoke to Donovan yesterday and he's sounded very upbeat. Because of that, I'm upbeat too.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Who Does That?!?
I really dislike writing negative things here but I really have to release my frustration after what happened yesterday.
Apparently, my ex-sister-in-law who is now dating Mike's brother (classy, I know) called my parents yesterday morning claiming she had a dream that two people she knows (but she didn't know who) were pregnant. So she asked my parents if I was. My parents said no. But really, they wouldn't know for certain so they promptly called me to ask me if I was pregnant.
This all sounds really innocent on the surface, but with ex-sister-in-law, there's always an ulterior motive.
This is what I'm guessing happened:
I had the good fortune to lose all the baby weight within 6 weeks of giving birth to Leilani. However, since I stopped breastfeeding, which was right around the 12 week post-natal mark, I have slowly gained a bunch of weight back. In fact, I weigh about as much as I did when I was 8 months pregnant. This is something I am very upset about. Anyway, I think someone here in Wisconsin thinks I look pregnant. This is what I call 'being an asshat.' So whomever it is (and I have some suspects) thought the best means of finding out would be to employ my ex-sister-in-law to ask my parents. I think this because the person or people I suspect that this all stems from never ask anyone anything directly, they always snoop around to get answers. And since my ex-sister-in-law is known for having these 'psychic' dreams, she came up with an excuse to ask them by saying she had a dream that someone was pregnant. Seem far-fetched? Keep in mind that she divorced my brother to be with Mike's brother. She isn't exactly an honest person.
What really bothers me when I think about this whole situation is that if I were actually pregnant, I think I should have the right to announce it to my parents, and anyone else, on my own terms and when I choose. Imagine for a second that I was actually pregnant. I wouldn't want to have to tell my parents because they asked me. I'd want to do it in a fun and meaningful way. Not because they got a call from someone like my ex-sister-in-law.
Apparently, my ex-sister-in-law who is now dating Mike's brother (classy, I know) called my parents yesterday morning claiming she had a dream that two people she knows (but she didn't know who) were pregnant. So she asked my parents if I was. My parents said no. But really, they wouldn't know for certain so they promptly called me to ask me if I was pregnant.
This all sounds really innocent on the surface, but with ex-sister-in-law, there's always an ulterior motive.
This is what I'm guessing happened:
I had the good fortune to lose all the baby weight within 6 weeks of giving birth to Leilani. However, since I stopped breastfeeding, which was right around the 12 week post-natal mark, I have slowly gained a bunch of weight back. In fact, I weigh about as much as I did when I was 8 months pregnant. This is something I am very upset about. Anyway, I think someone here in Wisconsin thinks I look pregnant. This is what I call 'being an asshat.' So whomever it is (and I have some suspects) thought the best means of finding out would be to employ my ex-sister-in-law to ask my parents. I think this because the person or people I suspect that this all stems from never ask anyone anything directly, they always snoop around to get answers. And since my ex-sister-in-law is known for having these 'psychic' dreams, she came up with an excuse to ask them by saying she had a dream that someone was pregnant. Seem far-fetched? Keep in mind that she divorced my brother to be with Mike's brother. She isn't exactly an honest person.
What really bothers me when I think about this whole situation is that if I were actually pregnant, I think I should have the right to announce it to my parents, and anyone else, on my own terms and when I choose. Imagine for a second that I was actually pregnant. I wouldn't want to have to tell my parents because they asked me. I'd want to do it in a fun and meaningful way. Not because they got a call from someone like my ex-sister-in-law.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
October
Leilani's been fickle about going on walks lately. She used to love them but now all she wants to do is run behind the house to the backyard so she can play in the yard. But we still try to get her to go for a walk everyday because we know it's going to get really cold really soon, and we want to take advantage of the warm weather while we still can. (Last year it started snowing at the end of October!)
October is a big month for us. Our anniversary is next week. My birthday is at the beginning of November, but we usually celebrate it this month, and we usually go on vacation somewhere for it. And the Admirals' hockey season starts in October, and we have season tickets. So it gets kinda hectic. Add to that the fact that we're both in school now and things get crazy. Just thinking about it makes me anxious!
We have Leilani scheduled to be baby-sat by our good friend Derek next week so we can go out for dinner to celebrate our anniversary. This will be the first time Leilani has been baby-sat by anyone other than her Grandma. I'm actually excited about it. I think it's good for Leilani to be around other people.
I also just got Leilani's Halloween costume last week. Here's a hint: She'll be a character who is less than 3 feet tall, is 900 years old, and is a Jedi Master.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Feeling Appreciated
I do a lot of stuff around here. I do the laundry, dishes, vacuuming, dusting, toilet scrubbing, you name it and I'm the one that does it. I am also the one that gets up early almost every morning to take care of Leilani when she gets up. Mike does it about once a week on average. So you can understand why I get frustrated and upset sometimes when I do all of this and don't get a thank you or any other acknowledgment. Or any help.
Today when I woke up to take care of Leilani like I usually do, I logged onto Facebook before going into her room. I saw that Mike was commenting back and forth with an old ex-girlfriend of his. (This isn't a big deal, I know her and there's absolutely nothing to worry about) But what did surprise me was that in their back-and-forth, he mentioned that "Lacey does 90% of the work."
The fact that he realizes that and even admitted it to someone strangely made me happy. I guess all I really needed was to know that he was aware of how much I do around here for us. Now, I don't really feel upset when he's sitting on the couch playing video games while I'm doing the laundry or when I get up to take care of Leilani and he sleeps in til 10am. I should be upset, in principle, but I'm not. I'm happy to do all this stuff as long as he recognizes that I'm doing it.
Today when I woke up to take care of Leilani like I usually do, I logged onto Facebook before going into her room. I saw that Mike was commenting back and forth with an old ex-girlfriend of his. (This isn't a big deal, I know her and there's absolutely nothing to worry about) But what did surprise me was that in their back-and-forth, he mentioned that "Lacey does 90% of the work."
The fact that he realizes that and even admitted it to someone strangely made me happy. I guess all I really needed was to know that he was aware of how much I do around here for us. Now, I don't really feel upset when he's sitting on the couch playing video games while I'm doing the laundry or when I get up to take care of Leilani and he sleeps in til 10am. I should be upset, in principle, but I'm not. I'm happy to do all this stuff as long as he recognizes that I'm doing it.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Speak
Please start talking Leilani. Can't I get just one word out of you? Momma? Dadda? Ball? Anything? C'mon! Ugh. I know you're smart. You can figure stuff out really fast. You learn everything so quickly. You can out climb/walk/run all the kids in your class. And they're all 18 months old! Grrr. I know that once you figure out what one single word means, you'll start repeating everything you hear. C'mon...
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Storage
We have a large storage unit about 5 minutes away from where we live. We have a ton of stuff we're not using right now... keep in mind that we used to have a large 2 bedroom townhouse and now we're living in the equivalent of a studio apartment. Anyway, I was there today organizing all of Leilani's outgrown clothes and other stuff. It was overwhelming. I'm keeping all this stuff in hopes that we'll use it again, I guess. I don't want to get rid of it, but I have no use for it. I don't know. I'm rambling.
Level 4
Today was Leilani's first time in a level 4 class at Gymboree. The class is meant for toddlers between 16 and 22 months, but it was suggested that we move Leilani up early because she has all the physical stuff down and it would be good for her to be around kids that are a little older.
So today we tried it out. It was crazy. They do a lot more 'directed' activities. They follow what the teacher tells them to do and are all so aware of what's going on around them. Leilani isn't even 14 months old yet, and doesn't understand verbal commands, she just kinda does whatever she wants to. So we had a little bit of a hard time in the beginning. It was weird for us that Leilani was the kid in class that was behind everyone else as far as ability. She had always been the over-achiever in level 3.
I think this will be good for her. This class will really give her the opportunity to learn new things. I kinda like the fact that she's behind the other kids and needs to really 'try.' Level 3 was just too easy for her and she wasn't getting anything out of it anymore. I also hope that because she's around older kids who are vocal, she'll start to catch on to talking.
So today we tried it out. It was crazy. They do a lot more 'directed' activities. They follow what the teacher tells them to do and are all so aware of what's going on around them. Leilani isn't even 14 months old yet, and doesn't understand verbal commands, she just kinda does whatever she wants to. So we had a little bit of a hard time in the beginning. It was weird for us that Leilani was the kid in class that was behind everyone else as far as ability. She had always been the over-achiever in level 3.
I think this will be good for her. This class will really give her the opportunity to learn new things. I kinda like the fact that she's behind the other kids and needs to really 'try.' Level 3 was just too easy for her and she wasn't getting anything out of it anymore. I also hope that because she's around older kids who are vocal, she'll start to catch on to talking.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
I Need Sleep
Tonight is the second night in a row that Leilani has decided sleeping is optional. She woke up (both nights) around 1am and just sat up and started screaming. And nothing seems to calm her down. Both nights took at least 1-2 hours to get her back to sleep.
I was fine with it the first night because it is SO rare that she doesn't sleep straight through the night, and I figured it was because she seemed to have a little cold and it was no big deal. I'm willing to nurse her through a rough night when she's sick. Tonight was different. We accidentally trapped Cole in her room when we put Leilani to bed and he was meowing to get out which woke her up. Admittedly this happens on occasion (sneaky little cat) but she normally sleeps right through Cole's noise. Tonight she woke up and would NOT go back to sleep. Ugh.
So here I am, still awake because it takes me forever to fall back to sleep after being woken up. I'm exhausted and typing in the dark.
I was fine with it the first night because it is SO rare that she doesn't sleep straight through the night, and I figured it was because she seemed to have a little cold and it was no big deal. I'm willing to nurse her through a rough night when she's sick. Tonight was different. We accidentally trapped Cole in her room when we put Leilani to bed and he was meowing to get out which woke her up. Admittedly this happens on occasion (sneaky little cat) but she normally sleeps right through Cole's noise. Tonight she woke up and would NOT go back to sleep. Ugh.
So here I am, still awake because it takes me forever to fall back to sleep after being woken up. I'm exhausted and typing in the dark.
Friday, September 17, 2010
More School Headaches
First, I don't feel like typing a novel right now so I'll make this short and sweet.
English- The class is divided up in two groups for peer essay reviews. In my group there are eight people. The other has eleven. The point of the groups is to 1) submit your essay so the rest of the class can access it online, 2) review one other person's essay, 3) comment on what people have said about your essay. I submitted my essay over two weeks ago. The actual due date is tomorrow. Guess how many other people in my group have submitted their essays. ZERO!!! Guess how many people have reviewed my essay. ZERO!!! So what this means is I have to sit on my hands until someone submits their essay so that I can review one AND I also have to wait for someone to review mine so that I can comment on their review. I hate hate hate having to rely on other people for things like this. I know everyone will leave this until the eleventh hour and I'll be up late tomorrow night doing school work. Grrr.
Psychology- It's three weeks into this course and the instructor has only released three weeks of work. I know that sounds like he's right on schedule, but in reality it's far from that. He should have ALL of the semester's work available by now. I could be getting ahead in that class right now, but noooo. We'll see what happens this week... I may go to the Dean of his department about this.
Lab Skills- The instructor had a list available to all of his students about what to bring to class last Monday. (The first assignment, the syllabus receipt, etc.) I made sure to bring everything. Did everyone else? Noooo. But it didn't matter, he went over everything anyway. What's the point of telling us to bring stuff if you're not going to care? Also, he made it very clear online that we need to show up to the classroom on time. Out of 12 people, 3 came late. The last one walking in 1.5 hours late. Did he care? Nope. He basically just started the whole class over again each time someone would walk in late. My time is valuable. This pissed me off hardcore.
Okay, so it was a novel.
English- The class is divided up in two groups for peer essay reviews. In my group there are eight people. The other has eleven. The point of the groups is to 1) submit your essay so the rest of the class can access it online, 2) review one other person's essay, 3) comment on what people have said about your essay. I submitted my essay over two weeks ago. The actual due date is tomorrow. Guess how many other people in my group have submitted their essays. ZERO!!! Guess how many people have reviewed my essay. ZERO!!! So what this means is I have to sit on my hands until someone submits their essay so that I can review one AND I also have to wait for someone to review mine so that I can comment on their review. I hate hate hate having to rely on other people for things like this. I know everyone will leave this until the eleventh hour and I'll be up late tomorrow night doing school work. Grrr.
Psychology- It's three weeks into this course and the instructor has only released three weeks of work. I know that sounds like he's right on schedule, but in reality it's far from that. He should have ALL of the semester's work available by now. I could be getting ahead in that class right now, but noooo. We'll see what happens this week... I may go to the Dean of his department about this.
Lab Skills- The instructor had a list available to all of his students about what to bring to class last Monday. (The first assignment, the syllabus receipt, etc.) I made sure to bring everything. Did everyone else? Noooo. But it didn't matter, he went over everything anyway. What's the point of telling us to bring stuff if you're not going to care? Also, he made it very clear online that we need to show up to the classroom on time. Out of 12 people, 3 came late. The last one walking in 1.5 hours late. Did he care? Nope. He basically just started the whole class over again each time someone would walk in late. My time is valuable. This pissed me off hardcore.
Okay, so it was a novel.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Thoughts on Inés Sainz/Jets Locker Room Controversy
In my opinion, Ines Sainz should never have been in the Jets locker room in the first place. No woman should be. Sound sexist? Maybe. Were the Jets players acting out-of-line? Maybe. But here's the rub: How would a woman's professional sports team feel about a male sports reporter in their locker room while they are showering and changing their clothes? I don't think they'd be thrilled.
The point of a locker room, and the reason locker rooms are not co-ed, is privacy. And if you are willing to breach someone else's privacy, expect unfavorable consequences.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Toes: Full Disclosure On Mommy & Daughter
If you know me really well (and I mean REALLY well) then you've known my shameful little secret about my baby toes. I've only let a handful of people know the secret. Now it's time to tell the world.
The buffer of non-personal communication on the internet allows me to say to the world: My baby toes are weird. There, I said it. "Hello my name is Lacey and I have weird toes." They're extra fat and each have two nails. Yeah, that's right... TWO. Good Lord, why am I typing this?!?
I have always assumed they were some sideshow birth defect I received from my birth mom who probably smoked and drank while pregnant with me. That was the only cause I could think of to explain why they are this way. I thought I was part circus freak like Jimbo the crab clawed midget or the elephant man.
As it turns out, that's not the case. Well, they aren't "normal" by any means, but they aren't due to any birth defect... that's for sure. And it only took 28 years and having a baby to learn this!
Here's the story:
Seconds after giving birth, as all the NICU doctors were examining Leilani on the table next to me in the delivery room, I started hearing mumblings that something wasn't right. Holy cow... I was frightened. (You don't know fear until you experience something like that!) Then one of the six doctors huddled over my newborn baby turns to me and Mike and says, "There's something wrong here, do either of you have a weird baby toe?" For the first time in my life, I was so happy to blurt out, "YES! I do!"
Turns out, the toe thing is actually hereditary. I had no clue. Neither did my parents, Mike, anyone else I've talked to about this.
The really amazing thing (aside from always being able to easily identify my newborn) is that I'm adopted and have no information about my parents or any real family. At times, I feel very alone in the world. So Leilani is the only real family I have. She's the only blood relative I have. And in addition to that very special bond, we also have this. Our own little special connection that's completely ours.
The buffer of non-personal communication on the internet allows me to say to the world: My baby toes are weird. There, I said it. "Hello my name is Lacey and I have weird toes." They're extra fat and each have two nails. Yeah, that's right... TWO. Good Lord, why am I typing this?!?
I have always assumed they were some sideshow birth defect I received from my birth mom who probably smoked and drank while pregnant with me. That was the only cause I could think of to explain why they are this way. I thought I was part circus freak like Jimbo the crab clawed midget or the elephant man.
As it turns out, that's not the case. Well, they aren't "normal" by any means, but they aren't due to any birth defect... that's for sure. And it only took 28 years and having a baby to learn this!
Here's the story:
Seconds after giving birth, as all the NICU doctors were examining Leilani on the table next to me in the delivery room, I started hearing mumblings that something wasn't right. Holy cow... I was frightened. (You don't know fear until you experience something like that!) Then one of the six doctors huddled over my newborn baby turns to me and Mike and says, "There's something wrong here, do either of you have a weird baby toe?" For the first time in my life, I was so happy to blurt out, "YES! I do!"
Turns out, the toe thing is actually hereditary. I had no clue. Neither did my parents, Mike, anyone else I've talked to about this.
The really amazing thing (aside from always being able to easily identify my newborn) is that I'm adopted and have no information about my parents or any real family. At times, I feel very alone in the world. So Leilani is the only real family I have. She's the only blood relative I have. And in addition to that very special bond, we also have this. Our own little special connection that's completely ours.
I love that little toe.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Blog Idea
I need a partner for a new blog that I want to create.
Here's the gist of it:
What I'm looking for is a friend that doesn't live in the area or even in the same state or area of the country who knows their way around a camera, camera software or PhotoShop, and Blogger. Weekly, we would agree on a new photo theme (love, up, down, dog, etc.) that we would each take a single photo of. We would then post each of our pictures to the blog. Really, it's as simple as that.
Here's an example:
Let's say we agreed that the theme this week was "Autumn." I would go outside and probably take a picture of yellow leaves on a tree or whatever. The other person (who let's say, lives in Hawaii for fun) would end up taking a completely different picture because they have a completely different climate and culture. They may take a picture of kids on returning to school on a bus. Without discussing the pictures themselves, we would post these pictures to the blog, side-by-side. The next week we agree on a different theme, and so forth.
The idea is to show the difference of location, personal perspective, etc. I think this would be a really neat thing to do. I know it sounds simple and may not make any sense, but once we started, I think it could really be fun and interesting. The great thing about this is that it would be super simple, would not be time consuming, and would showcase creativity and individuality. And if an old friend and I did this, I think it would be a nice bonding thing.
And if it turns out to be super lame, then we'll stop.
I know of two friends that do this in Europe, one in Finland and one in Scotland. They have over 800 followers. I'm not trying to copy them totally, but I think this would be interesting from our point of view... from a completely different country and side of the planet. The images would be unique to us.
Here's a very simple example:
"High"
These photos aren't quality shots, they're just some old vacation photos that I found on my computer, but they work for the theme. They're both examples of "high" from two very different perspectives and locations.
I haven't made the blog yet, this is just the idea stage. So one of us would have to create the blog, and we'd both need the password and login. We'd also have to come up with the blog title and design. If my partner wants to take care of that, then that's fine, otherwise I can do it. Either way is no problem. If you're interested, let me know, if you think this is stupid, let me know.
Here's the gist of it:
What I'm looking for is a friend that doesn't live in the area or even in the same state or area of the country who knows their way around a camera, camera software or PhotoShop, and Blogger. Weekly, we would agree on a new photo theme (love, up, down, dog, etc.) that we would each take a single photo of. We would then post each of our pictures to the blog. Really, it's as simple as that.
Here's an example:
Let's say we agreed that the theme this week was "Autumn." I would go outside and probably take a picture of yellow leaves on a tree or whatever. The other person (who let's say, lives in Hawaii for fun) would end up taking a completely different picture because they have a completely different climate and culture. They may take a picture of kids on returning to school on a bus. Without discussing the pictures themselves, we would post these pictures to the blog, side-by-side. The next week we agree on a different theme, and so forth.
The idea is to show the difference of location, personal perspective, etc. I think this would be a really neat thing to do. I know it sounds simple and may not make any sense, but once we started, I think it could really be fun and interesting. The great thing about this is that it would be super simple, would not be time consuming, and would showcase creativity and individuality. And if an old friend and I did this, I think it would be a nice bonding thing.
And if it turns out to be super lame, then we'll stop.
I know of two friends that do this in Europe, one in Finland and one in Scotland. They have over 800 followers. I'm not trying to copy them totally, but I think this would be interesting from our point of view... from a completely different country and side of the planet. The images would be unique to us.
Here's a very simple example:
"High"
These photos aren't quality shots, they're just some old vacation photos that I found on my computer, but they work for the theme. They're both examples of "high" from two very different perspectives and locations.
I haven't made the blog yet, this is just the idea stage. So one of us would have to create the blog, and we'd both need the password and login. We'd also have to come up with the blog title and design. If my partner wants to take care of that, then that's fine, otherwise I can do it. Either way is no problem. If you're interested, let me know, if you think this is stupid, let me know.
School Frustration
I feel like I take school more seriously than my teachers do, and I HATE that. The two online classes that I'm taking right now are each taught by instructors that don't seem to give a crap.
In English, the instructor has such convoluted instructions that it's hard to understand what he wants from us. He also hasn't released the entire semester's assignments yet, so at this point, I've done all that I can do in the class and now it feels like I'm in Limbo.
In Psychology, the instructor really seems to either a) not have a freakin' clue what he's doing or b) just doesn't give a crap. He didn't actually get the class up on the internet until 9 days after the class was supposed to have started and now that the class is available, he has only released 3 weeks of work and has no link to our grades. Oh, and he also wants all assignments sent to him via email instead of through the actual Blackboard site. I'm guessing he doesn't know how to use Blackboard and that's probably why the class started out so half-assed.
In English, the instructor has such convoluted instructions that it's hard to understand what he wants from us. He also hasn't released the entire semester's assignments yet, so at this point, I've done all that I can do in the class and now it feels like I'm in Limbo.
In Psychology, the instructor really seems to either a) not have a freakin' clue what he's doing or b) just doesn't give a crap. He didn't actually get the class up on the internet until 9 days after the class was supposed to have started and now that the class is available, he has only released 3 weeks of work and has no link to our grades. Oh, and he also wants all assignments sent to him via email instead of through the actual Blackboard site. I'm guessing he doesn't know how to use Blackboard and that's probably why the class started out so half-assed.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Leilani "Tornado" Reich
Every time we leave Leilani in her room to play on her own for a little bit, this is the sort of scene that greets us when we go and get her...
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Original Pancake House
I've been wanting to go to the Original Pancake House in Brookfield for a loong time now. We always drive by it, and I love breakfast food. So after Gymboree today, Mike and I finally went.
We had to wait 30 minutes for a table. That's not good, but I understand that it was Saturday morning, so I was prepared for a long wait.
I ordered a Diet Coke with my meal. This is what I got: one of those tiny 8 oz. glass Diet Coke bottles and a glass to pour it into. And no refills. Are you kidding me?!? Think about it: a CAN of soda is 12 oz.!!!
They gave Leilani a complementary plate of banana slices and whipped cream. That was nice of them.
The food itself was alright. Nothing special. I ordered scrambled eggs, sausage links, and pancakes. It was comparable to any Denny's or Perkins. I kinda wish I would have ordered their special apple covered pancakes. Mainly because I don't think we'll go back and I wish I would have ordered something that I couldn't get elsewhere. Oh well.
We had to wait 30 minutes for a table. That's not good, but I understand that it was Saturday morning, so I was prepared for a long wait.
I ordered a Diet Coke with my meal. This is what I got: one of those tiny 8 oz. glass Diet Coke bottles and a glass to pour it into. And no refills. Are you kidding me?!? Think about it: a CAN of soda is 12 oz.!!!
They gave Leilani a complementary plate of banana slices and whipped cream. That was nice of them.
The food itself was alright. Nothing special. I ordered scrambled eggs, sausage links, and pancakes. It was comparable to any Denny's or Perkins. I kinda wish I would have ordered their special apple covered pancakes. Mainly because I don't think we'll go back and I wish I would have ordered something that I couldn't get elsewhere. Oh well.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Really? REALLY?!?
So I was willing to give my psychology teacher the benefit of the doubt that maybe he had a boat load of classes to teach this semester and that might be one of the reasons that he's been behind on getting his online course up and running. It's not a good excuse, but I figured he was human and we all get behind now and then.
NOPE!!!
I looked him up in the school registry and guess what: this online course is the ONLY class he's teaching this semester. HIS ONLY CLASS!!! Why oh why has he yet to get this class going?!? He obviously didn't start putting this class together until the start date of the course.
I am definitely worried about this. For so many reasons.
If I come to find out that we have to cram a full semester's work into a shortened time span because of this, I'm gonna be really upset. What I mean is since the class is supposed to be 15 weeks long and now we've lost a week, we better be assigned only 14 weeks of work, and not expected do make up this first week of work. That's the least this teacher could do for us.
I'm so mad right now.
NOPE!!!
I looked him up in the school registry and guess what: this online course is the ONLY class he's teaching this semester. HIS ONLY CLASS!!! Why oh why has he yet to get this class going?!? He obviously didn't start putting this class together until the start date of the course.
I am definitely worried about this. For so many reasons.
If I come to find out that we have to cram a full semester's work into a shortened time span because of this, I'm gonna be really upset. What I mean is since the class is supposed to be 15 weeks long and now we've lost a week, we better be assigned only 14 weeks of work, and not expected do make up this first week of work. That's the least this teacher could do for us.
I'm so mad right now.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
When Did We Become More Reliable Than Our Teachers?
For anyone who doesn't already know, I'm taking classes at the local community college so I can switch careers and get into a more stable profession. I love doing interior design, but I have been laid off from two separate employers within a 2 year span. I just can't handle worrying about getting laid off from a third. So I'm getting a degree in Phlebotomy, which is a pretty in-demand profession right now and it's in the medical field, which we all know is about as stable as professions come.
Anyway, I'm taking five classes this semester. Two online and three on campus. After this it's just my short six(ish) week internship, and hopefully I'll get a nice full time position at some clinic in the area.
If it were only THAT easy...
So far this semester, two of my classes have already started: English and Psychology. And they're both online courses. My English class has been troublesome. I usually have no idea what the instructor is trying to convey in his assignment descriptions. And it's not just me. Mike has no clue either. And I know that other students aren't understanding the instructor either. I've already gotten an email from another student asking if I knew what was expected in one of the assignments. Did I mention this is actually a communications class? How can you successfully teach communications if you can't clearly communicate with your students?!? The instructor seems like an okay guy (from what our little correspondence has shown) but I think it takes a very articulate kind of person to teach an online course... you have to be able to clearly explain what you want your students to do (in writing), without confusion. The instructor did post in his welcome letter that he is constantly working on improving the clarity of the instructions. So I get the feeling that, over the years, he has become too involved in it. He needs to step back and look at the instructions for assignments from an objective point of view. As if he is a student and is looking at the instructions for the first time.
On the other hand, my psychology class that was supposed to have started on Sunday has yet to begin. Most online instructors make the course content available to students a few weeks in advance of the actual start date of the class. This give students the ability to get a jump start on the assignments. But after checking in everyday for two weeks, there was nothing. So on the start date, I emailed the instructor to ask him if maybe I was doing something wrong. (Even though I know it wasn't me.) I got a response saying that he was having technical difficulties and that he hoped to have the course available sometime this week. I get the impression he didn't start putting the course together until the eleventh hour. I mean seriously, he had weeks, if not months, to make sure his course would be working online. Why did it take until the night of the start date for him to realize it wasn't working? Instructors at any school, elementary, high school, or college always emphasize the importance of keeping up with the work and not procrastinating. So why do we as students need to just roll over and take it from the teachers when they don't heed their own advice? The only thing keeping me from going to the dean about this is the fear of getting on one of my teachers' bad sides. However, if the class isn't loaded in full by this Sunday (one week after the start date) I'm taking it up with someone.
Anyway, I'm taking five classes this semester. Two online and three on campus. After this it's just my short six(ish) week internship, and hopefully I'll get a nice full time position at some clinic in the area.
If it were only THAT easy...
So far this semester, two of my classes have already started: English and Psychology. And they're both online courses. My English class has been troublesome. I usually have no idea what the instructor is trying to convey in his assignment descriptions. And it's not just me. Mike has no clue either. And I know that other students aren't understanding the instructor either. I've already gotten an email from another student asking if I knew what was expected in one of the assignments. Did I mention this is actually a communications class? How can you successfully teach communications if you can't clearly communicate with your students?!? The instructor seems like an okay guy (from what our little correspondence has shown) but I think it takes a very articulate kind of person to teach an online course... you have to be able to clearly explain what you want your students to do (in writing), without confusion. The instructor did post in his welcome letter that he is constantly working on improving the clarity of the instructions. So I get the feeling that, over the years, he has become too involved in it. He needs to step back and look at the instructions for assignments from an objective point of view. As if he is a student and is looking at the instructions for the first time.
On the other hand, my psychology class that was supposed to have started on Sunday has yet to begin. Most online instructors make the course content available to students a few weeks in advance of the actual start date of the class. This give students the ability to get a jump start on the assignments. But after checking in everyday for two weeks, there was nothing. So on the start date, I emailed the instructor to ask him if maybe I was doing something wrong. (Even though I know it wasn't me.) I got a response saying that he was having technical difficulties and that he hoped to have the course available sometime this week. I get the impression he didn't start putting the course together until the eleventh hour. I mean seriously, he had weeks, if not months, to make sure his course would be working online. Why did it take until the night of the start date for him to realize it wasn't working? Instructors at any school, elementary, high school, or college always emphasize the importance of keeping up with the work and not procrastinating. So why do we as students need to just roll over and take it from the teachers when they don't heed their own advice? The only thing keeping me from going to the dean about this is the fear of getting on one of my teachers' bad sides. However, if the class isn't loaded in full by this Sunday (one week after the start date) I'm taking it up with someone.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
July 1st, 2011
I'm putting us on a 300 day plan. 300 days to move out of this house and into our own place... whether that be an apartment or rental house. July 1st, 2011 is actually 302 days away, but that's the day that I'm aiming for. It means that we will be celebrating Leilani's 2nd birthday in our own place, as it should be. To be able to make this happen we will need to:
1) Both have graduated from school.
2) Both have full time jobs.
3) Have very little debt.
I think this is manageable. I'm going to start my internship in January (hopefully) and Mike should start his in May or June. Mike's timing regarding his internship may be the biggest potential setback but I'm hopeful that he can get in and started and get hired on full time.
This has been a long time coming. When we moved in here, we originally said it would be for 2-3 years max. It's been about 3 1/2 years now. We have just had bad luck and setback after setback. It's been really hard for me especially, going from a beautiful 2 bedroom townhouse that I loved into, basically, a small studio. And I have always hated having roommates (with one exception), and this experience has been like having a roommate that is always around. But knowing that I can put a time line on living here makes it easier.
So 300 days... let's start the countdown.
1) Both have graduated from school.
2) Both have full time jobs.
3) Have very little debt.
I think this is manageable. I'm going to start my internship in January (hopefully) and Mike should start his in May or June. Mike's timing regarding his internship may be the biggest potential setback but I'm hopeful that he can get in and started and get hired on full time.
This has been a long time coming. When we moved in here, we originally said it would be for 2-3 years max. It's been about 3 1/2 years now. We have just had bad luck and setback after setback. It's been really hard for me especially, going from a beautiful 2 bedroom townhouse that I loved into, basically, a small studio. And I have always hated having roommates (with one exception), and this experience has been like having a roommate that is always around. But knowing that I can put a time line on living here makes it easier.
So 300 days... let's start the countdown.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Awesomeness That Is Mike
For the last month, I've been trying to change the background picture on this blog. I liked the picture itself, but it came off as pretty depressing as a background for a blog about our family. After lots of frustration and slamming my keyboard, Mike comes over to the computer and within 5 minutes has the problem fixed. (In my defense, it wasn't as simple as it's supposed to be-- the HTML wasn't where it should have been in the first place!)
And now he won't shut up about it. Wonderful.
He asked me to write a blog entry about his "amazing computer feat." He also asked me to create a pie chart of how long I spent working to fix the problem, and how long he did... and then put in on here.
I'm going to skip the pie chart, but hopefully this entry is enough to pacify his need to be recognized as a computer genius.
The "Einstein of HTML":
And now he won't shut up about it. Wonderful.
He asked me to write a blog entry about his "amazing computer feat." He also asked me to create a pie chart of how long I spent working to fix the problem, and how long he did... and then put in on here.
I'm going to skip the pie chart, but hopefully this entry is enough to pacify his need to be recognized as a computer genius.
The "Einstein of HTML":
Friday, August 27, 2010
In My Daughter's Eyes
In my daughter's eyes, I am a hero.
I am strong and wise,
And I know no fear.
But the truth is plain to see:
She was sent to rescue me,
I see who I want to be, in my daughter's eyes.
She was sent to rescue me,
I see who I want to be, in my daughter's eyes.
In my daughter's eyes, everyone is equal,
Darkness turns to light,
And the world is at peace.
This miracle God gave to me,
Gives me strength when I am weak.
I find reason to believe, in my daughter's eyes.
Darkness turns to light,
And the world is at peace.
This miracle God gave to me,
Gives me strength when I am weak.
I find reason to believe, in my daughter's eyes.
And when she wraps her hand around my finger,
Oh, it puts a smile in my heart.
Everything becomes a little clearer.
I realize what life is all about.
It's hanging on when your heart has had enough;
It's giving more when you feel like giving up.
I've seen the light: it's in my daughter's eyes.
Oh, it puts a smile in my heart.
Everything becomes a little clearer.
I realize what life is all about.
It's hanging on when your heart has had enough;
It's giving more when you feel like giving up.
I've seen the light: it's in my daughter's eyes.
In my daughter's eyes, I can see the future.
A reflection of who I am,
And what will be.
And though she'll grow and some day leave:
Maybe raise a family,
When I'm gone, I hope she'll see,
How happy she made me,
For I'll be there, in my daughter's eyes.
A reflection of who I am,
And what will be.
And though she'll grow and some day leave:
Maybe raise a family,
When I'm gone, I hope she'll see,
How happy she made me,
For I'll be there, in my daughter's eyes.
Busy Busy Busy...
I haven't had time to sit down and update this blog in the last week because I am currently inundated with homework. Which wouldn't be so bad if the instructions you get from the teacher weren't written in Greek. What really bothers me, aside from the incoherent direction from the instructor, is the fact that this is an English class. Actually, a COMMUNICATIONS class to be exact. It really baffles me that the directions we get from a communications teacher aren't communicated well. I mean, come on, that's what you do for a living!
Normally I enjoy school, but this has made it very difficult to get major progress on assignments done. I'm constantly trying to figure out what he means and wants us to do. So this adds extra time to every assignment. At this point, and keep in mind that class doesn't even officially begin until Sunday, I'm just trying to get things done and turn them in without a lot of thought as to the quality of the work. Is this the smartest thing to do? Probably not, but I'm not going to allow myself to get bogged down by a communications class. That's not what I'm going to school for so I'm going to concentrate my focus and time on the classes that really matter to my degree. Not this crap.
Normally I enjoy school, but this has made it very difficult to get major progress on assignments done. I'm constantly trying to figure out what he means and wants us to do. So this adds extra time to every assignment. At this point, and keep in mind that class doesn't even officially begin until Sunday, I'm just trying to get things done and turn them in without a lot of thought as to the quality of the work. Is this the smartest thing to do? Probably not, but I'm not going to allow myself to get bogged down by a communications class. That's not what I'm going to school for so I'm going to concentrate my focus and time on the classes that really matter to my degree. Not this crap.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Strange Day
Today has been a pretty weird day. It started off with me taking a nap at 11 am this morning. I NEVER do that. When I woke up, Mike had already eaten lunch and put Leilani down for a nap. It was really strange.
Later, we took Leilani to the fountains at Bayshore for some water fun. Unfortunately, that only resulted in one of the worst fights Mike and I have ever had. Not good.
Then, while Mike was fishing with his brother, I entered a contest for free Jarritos... and won! I should be getting an email from Jarritos sometime today to instruct me how to claim my prize. I'm keeping my eyes peeled.
Strange.
Later, we took Leilani to the fountains at Bayshore for some water fun. Unfortunately, that only resulted in one of the worst fights Mike and I have ever had. Not good.
Then, while Mike was fishing with his brother, I entered a contest for free Jarritos... and won! I should be getting an email from Jarritos sometime today to instruct me how to claim my prize. I'm keeping my eyes peeled.
Strange.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Lead Test
I received the results of Leilani's blood-lead test that was done during her last visit to the pediatrician. She got a 4. After a bit of searching online, I learned that a score between 0-4 means there is very little lead in a child. However, the letter from the doctor said that we should schedule a follow-up appointment and have her retested. Ugh. That's just what I want to do... take Leilani to have more blood drawn because that's always a treat for everyone involved.
What I'm curious about is how she was ever exposed to ANY lead. Her bedroom is almost 100% brand new. By that I mean the drywall, paint and all the furniture is new. I installed it all myself... drywall included. The house itself was built in the mid 70's, so it could run a risk of having had lead paint at one time, but all of the walls have been repainted in the last 10 years, so any lead paint that would be on the walls is safely sealed in by newer paint. And she doesn't exactly go around scraping the walls with her teeth, so what gives?!?
There are two suspected sources in my mind:
1) She chews on the sides of her crib. We bought her crib brand new from Target just before she was born, so the finish on it should not contain dangerous amounts of lead. But who knows.
2) Some of her toys. Specifically this really cute shark squeezy toy that I bought in the little $1 section of, you guessed it, Target. I thought it would be a great toy while we were on vacation in California because she could play with it at the water park. It wasn't until later that I discovered it was actually a DOG TOY. I'm pretty sure the powers-that-be don't regulate lead levels in dog toys like they do in children's toys. So that makes me wonder about it.
Either way, I'm going to go out after Gymboree today to see if I can find some of those plastic covers that go around the edges of a crib and I'm going to get rid of the shark squeezy toy.
I'm determined to lower Leilani's exposure to lead and get a better result when we retest her. Just because the CDC says that a lead test with a result 4 is acceptable, doesn't mean I have to accept it.
What I'm curious about is how she was ever exposed to ANY lead. Her bedroom is almost 100% brand new. By that I mean the drywall, paint and all the furniture is new. I installed it all myself... drywall included. The house itself was built in the mid 70's, so it could run a risk of having had lead paint at one time, but all of the walls have been repainted in the last 10 years, so any lead paint that would be on the walls is safely sealed in by newer paint. And she doesn't exactly go around scraping the walls with her teeth, so what gives?!?
There are two suspected sources in my mind:
1) She chews on the sides of her crib. We bought her crib brand new from Target just before she was born, so the finish on it should not contain dangerous amounts of lead. But who knows.
2) Some of her toys. Specifically this really cute shark squeezy toy that I bought in the little $1 section of, you guessed it, Target. I thought it would be a great toy while we were on vacation in California because she could play with it at the water park. It wasn't until later that I discovered it was actually a DOG TOY. I'm pretty sure the powers-that-be don't regulate lead levels in dog toys like they do in children's toys. So that makes me wonder about it.
Either way, I'm going to go out after Gymboree today to see if I can find some of those plastic covers that go around the edges of a crib and I'm going to get rid of the shark squeezy toy.
I'm determined to lower Leilani's exposure to lead and get a better result when we retest her. Just because the CDC says that a lead test with a result 4 is acceptable, doesn't mean I have to accept it.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sweet Little Girl
Mike and I took Leilani outside to snap some photos of her while she still has her cast on. I haven't wanted a lot of photos of it for obvious reasons, but I realized today that this is one of those crazy circumstances that rarely happens-- a 1 year old in a full leg cast. I thought it'd be a good idea to capture it for memories sake. When she's older, she can look through her baby book and see these photos. The best part about explaining it to her when she's older will be telling her how it never slowed her down. She never got frustrated or mad. She mastered walking *perfectly* in it after just two days. And I think that's a pretty cool story that we will want to remember.
GPA
I've never had a 4.0 GPA before. Not in high school or when I was getting my Bachelors degree. So even though I only took 3 classes in the Spring, which made for a really easy semester, I still love logging into my grades online and starring at my 4.0 GPA. It wasn't hard to earn, thanks to that light class load, but I am still very proud.
I love seeing those perfect grades next to my name.
The Fall semester starts in less than 3 weeks, and I am totally pumped! I feel like I've been idling all Summer and I am happy that classes are finally going to start this month.
My goal is to keep getting A's. It's definitely going to be harder due to the fact that I'm taking 5 courses in the Fall, but 3 of those are online, so that should help. And I LOVE online courses. I love being able to work at my own pace, which is usually ahead of schedule. Last semester I finished all 3 classes at least 3 weeks before the end of the semester. It was great and so convenient. I cannot wait to get started again. Everyday I check online for the instructors to load the curriculum onto the web page. No such luck yet, but I'm sure it'll be any day now.
I love seeing those perfect grades next to my name.
The Fall semester starts in less than 3 weeks, and I am totally pumped! I feel like I've been idling all Summer and I am happy that classes are finally going to start this month.
My goal is to keep getting A's. It's definitely going to be harder due to the fact that I'm taking 5 courses in the Fall, but 3 of those are online, so that should help. And I LOVE online courses. I love being able to work at my own pace, which is usually ahead of schedule. Last semester I finished all 3 classes at least 3 weeks before the end of the semester. It was great and so convenient. I cannot wait to get started again. Everyday I check online for the instructors to load the curriculum onto the web page. No such luck yet, but I'm sure it'll be any day now.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Inspiration a la Pepperidge Farm
Today I read a quote on the back of a bag of Goldfish Crackers:
"Challenge yourself to find something good in every situation."
Such insightful little fish.
"Challenge yourself to find something good in every situation."
Such insightful little fish.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Lil' Leilani's Luau
Sunday was Leilani's 1st birthday, so in a quasi-Hawaiian move, we had a backyard luau. We invited a bunch of friends over and enjoyed the warm weather and ate a lot of food. It was the perfect 1st birthday party.
Leilani got a ton of really cool presents (thanks everyone!), including a little play kitchen, bath toys, a little riding scooter, books, and tons more.
All the little kids got to play in her new little cottage play house in the backyard, while we adults got to sit around, relax, and enjoy each others company.
We had a lot of great food-- Barbecue pulled pork, grilled brats, Derek's Homemade Taco Dip, and the cupcakes that I have been stressing over for a month.
All the little ones in Leilani's new cottage
~Cutie♥Cakes~ and Leilani's V.I.P. cake
Leilani getting her first taste of cupcake
Time for PRESENTS!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Anniversaries
Today marks two weeks since Leilani has been in a full leg cast... that's half way to the end of this madness. And although she's been a trooper and has barely been slowed down by having the cast, I still hope the next two weeks go by very quickly! I want to get her back to Gymboree and to our daily walks around the neighborhood.
Today is also the one year anniversary of the day Leilani was supposed to be born on. And by that I don't mean her due date, rather the day that my prenatal doctor scheduled her to be born on (through induction). I changed the date because my parents were flying into town the very next day, and I wanted to wait until they were here. So I rescheduled the induction so that she'd be born on August 1st instead. To this day, I still feel a little weird about 'playing God' like that, but in reality, it's the same thing my doctor was doing by scheduling me for an induction in the first place. Looking back, I kinda wish I would have been able to experience that cliched moment of my water breaking and heading to the hospital in a mad dash. Oh well, the induction went very smoothly, was convenient for everyone involved, and who knows... maybe I'll get that experience the next time around!
Today is also the one year anniversary of the day Leilani was supposed to be born on. And by that I don't mean her due date, rather the day that my prenatal doctor scheduled her to be born on (through induction). I changed the date because my parents were flying into town the very next day, and I wanted to wait until they were here. So I rescheduled the induction so that she'd be born on August 1st instead. To this day, I still feel a little weird about 'playing God' like that, but in reality, it's the same thing my doctor was doing by scheduling me for an induction in the first place. Looking back, I kinda wish I would have been able to experience that cliched moment of my water breaking and heading to the hospital in a mad dash. Oh well, the induction went very smoothly, was convenient for everyone involved, and who knows... maybe I'll get that experience the next time around!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Deluge
Last Thursday, we had what seemed to be a heavier-than-normal thunderstorm. Although strong, nothing about it really seemed that bad.
Then the lights went out.
Then the cul-de-sac turned into a lake.
Then the creek overflowed.
All in all, we were lucky. There are eight houses on our street. Six of them had flooded basements. We were one of the lucky ones. Today, there are huge piles of wet carpet, artificial Christmas trees, and other random stuff you'd typically find in a basement in front of all our neighbors' homes, waiting for garbage pickup.
I read in the newspaper that there have been at least 6,000 homes flooded. And that's just what's been reported. I'm sure there's really a lot more. I am so grateful that we stayed dry.
Then the lights went out.
Then the cul-de-sac turned into a lake.
Then the creek overflowed.
All in all, we were lucky. There are eight houses on our street. Six of them had flooded basements. We were one of the lucky ones. Today, there are huge piles of wet carpet, artificial Christmas trees, and other random stuff you'd typically find in a basement in front of all our neighbors' homes, waiting for garbage pickup.
I read in the newspaper that there have been at least 6,000 homes flooded. And that's just what's been reported. I'm sure there's really a lot more. I am so grateful that we stayed dry.
Friday, July 16, 2010
The "Accident"
Sunday evening, in Mike's mom's kitchen, Leilani pulled a freestanding wooden cabinet (one of those kitchen trashcan cabinets) down on top of herself. She was being watched by her Grandma who turned her back for just a few seconds when it happened.
When it happened, Leilani was trapped underneath the cabinet and pinned against the side of another piece of furniture. She wasn't trapped like that for long; it took only seconds for me and Grandma Sue to get to her. As well as Mike, who saw everything happen through the sliding glass door.
After all this, she was of course crying. Relentlessly. We took her outside thinking that might calm her down. It didn't. We gave her a bottle, but that only helped until she finished it. She just would not stop crying.
It took us about 10 minutes to realize that something wasn't right. She normally relaxes and stops crying after a knee scrape or tumble very shortly after they happen. This was obviously different. Mike also noticed that she wasn't putting weight on her right leg.
We called our after-hours pediatrician who said we should take her to the ER. So we quickly packed her bag and ran out the door.
After several hours at the hospital, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to be exact, we were finally told what they knew.... nothing. They poked and prodded her up and down. They took four different x-rays. And still, they couldn't figure out anything that we didn't already know. And we knew nothing.
All they could do was put her right leg in a splint since there seemed to be something wrong with it. They couldn't figure out what... a sprain, a small fracture, who knew?
We made an appointment with an Orthopedic Specialist for three days later.
At the Orthopedic Specialists' office (also at CHW), the doctor was able to pull up the same x-rays that were taken at the ER, on her computer. Within seconds she noticed a fracture. They took a second set of x-rays to double check, but they had found the problem. They immediately cast her leg.
So here we are now, Leilani in a full leg cast for the next four weeks. The saddest part of the whole ordeal is that Leilani loves walking. She absolutely LOVES it. We go for daily walks around the neighborhood, we go to the zoo, we walk around the mall, and anywhere else she can walk on her own. So when we were told that she'd have to be in a cast for four weeks, I was devastated.
As it turns out, Leilani is full of surprises. It took two days in the full-leg cast, but she has mastered the art of walking in a cast. She's surprisingly mobile. Sure she can't go for long walks outside, but she can get around fairly easily at home. Who knew?!?
So that's where we stand, 3 days in a cast down, 25 more to go.
When it happened, Leilani was trapped underneath the cabinet and pinned against the side of another piece of furniture. She wasn't trapped like that for long; it took only seconds for me and Grandma Sue to get to her. As well as Mike, who saw everything happen through the sliding glass door.
After all this, she was of course crying. Relentlessly. We took her outside thinking that might calm her down. It didn't. We gave her a bottle, but that only helped until she finished it. She just would not stop crying.
It took us about 10 minutes to realize that something wasn't right. She normally relaxes and stops crying after a knee scrape or tumble very shortly after they happen. This was obviously different. Mike also noticed that she wasn't putting weight on her right leg.
We called our after-hours pediatrician who said we should take her to the ER. So we quickly packed her bag and ran out the door.
After several hours at the hospital, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to be exact, we were finally told what they knew.... nothing. They poked and prodded her up and down. They took four different x-rays. And still, they couldn't figure out anything that we didn't already know. And we knew nothing.
All they could do was put her right leg in a splint since there seemed to be something wrong with it. They couldn't figure out what... a sprain, a small fracture, who knew?
We made an appointment with an Orthopedic Specialist for three days later.
At the Orthopedic Specialists' office (also at CHW), the doctor was able to pull up the same x-rays that were taken at the ER, on her computer. Within seconds she noticed a fracture. They took a second set of x-rays to double check, but they had found the problem. They immediately cast her leg.
So here we are now, Leilani in a full leg cast for the next four weeks. The saddest part of the whole ordeal is that Leilani loves walking. She absolutely LOVES it. We go for daily walks around the neighborhood, we go to the zoo, we walk around the mall, and anywhere else she can walk on her own. So when we were told that she'd have to be in a cast for four weeks, I was devastated.
As it turns out, Leilani is full of surprises. It took two days in the full-leg cast, but she has mastered the art of walking in a cast. She's surprisingly mobile. Sure she can't go for long walks outside, but she can get around fairly easily at home. Who knew?!?
So that's where we stand, 3 days in a cast down, 25 more to go.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Mortified
For the first time in her little existence, Leilani embarrassed the heck out of me.
As Mike was checking out at Target in Menomonee Falls, I was letting Leilani walk around the children's clothing area near the registers. She was loving it. When I noticed Mike was done paying, I picked Leilani up to leave. At which point she started screaming. And not just any scream. A top-of-your-lungs, high pitched, bloody murder scream. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, in the general area around the registers starred at me as I took the walk of shame out of the store, screaming baby in hand. All the while, hearing a couple of comments from people under their breath.
It was mortifying.
As Mike was checking out at Target in Menomonee Falls, I was letting Leilani walk around the children's clothing area near the registers. She was loving it. When I noticed Mike was done paying, I picked Leilani up to leave. At which point she started screaming. And not just any scream. A top-of-your-lungs, high pitched, bloody murder scream. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, in the general area around the registers starred at me as I took the walk of shame out of the store, screaming baby in hand. All the while, hearing a couple of comments from people under their breath.
It was mortifying.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Summer
We've had such a fun few days.
Yesterday Mike, Leilani, and I spent some time in the backyard together as a family. Leilani played in her kiddie pool with some toys while Mike and I played Ladder Golf next to her. After three games, we heard the ice cream truck's familiar tune. Mike grabbed Leilani out of her pool (still dripping wet!) and ran down the street after it. We enjoyed a couple of Astro Pops while going for a walk together. We then ran into a neighbor of ours and stopped to chat.
What a classic Summer afternoon. I kinda felt like I was in a Country Time Lemonade commercial.
Today was a lot of the same. I took Leilani for a walk in the morning and we all spent some time together in the backyard in the afternoon while Leilani played in her pool. Much to our surprise, Leilani figured out how to climb out of her pool today and went running naked around the yard! It was adorable! To top the day off, we built a fire in the fire pit in the evening.
All in all, it's been a nice couple of days.
I do find myself reminiscing about last Summer and all the fun Mike and I had while I was pregnant. It makes me a little sad looking back... I consider last Summer to be one of the best times of my life. The reasons for that are simple... we had the house to ourselves. For the first time in 3 years, Mike and lived alone together and for the first time, I felt comfortable in this house. Things are back to being the way they were before, but with the addition of our little Leilani, this Summer looks to be great also!
Yesterday Mike, Leilani, and I spent some time in the backyard together as a family. Leilani played in her kiddie pool with some toys while Mike and I played Ladder Golf next to her. After three games, we heard the ice cream truck's familiar tune. Mike grabbed Leilani out of her pool (still dripping wet!) and ran down the street after it. We enjoyed a couple of Astro Pops while going for a walk together. We then ran into a neighbor of ours and stopped to chat.
What a classic Summer afternoon. I kinda felt like I was in a Country Time Lemonade commercial.
Today was a lot of the same. I took Leilani for a walk in the morning and we all spent some time together in the backyard in the afternoon while Leilani played in her pool. Much to our surprise, Leilani figured out how to climb out of her pool today and went running naked around the yard! It was adorable! To top the day off, we built a fire in the fire pit in the evening.
All in all, it's been a nice couple of days.
I do find myself reminiscing about last Summer and all the fun Mike and I had while I was pregnant. It makes me a little sad looking back... I consider last Summer to be one of the best times of my life. The reasons for that are simple... we had the house to ourselves. For the first time in 3 years, Mike and lived alone together and for the first time, I felt comfortable in this house. Things are back to being the way they were before, but with the addition of our little Leilani, this Summer looks to be great also!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Frustrated
Leilani will be 11 months old on Thursday, and she still hasn't said a word. Not mama or dada or baba. Nothing. Only random vowel and consonant combinations. I know all babies are different and develop at their own pace. I fully understand that. I also fully understand that she is developing at a completely normal rate, both mentally and physically. But that gives no solace in the fact that she's not talking and I WANT TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY DAUGHTER.
I'm so frustrated.
I'm so frustrated.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
~Cutie♥Cakes~
In preparation for Leilani's first birthday party, I've been trying out different cupcake recipes in search of one that I really really like and that I think everyone else will like too. But in this crazy preparation, I've discovered that I love baking and decorating cupcakes.
So I've decided to start my own little faux-business called ~Cutie♥Cakes~.
What does that mean? To be 100% honest, it means that I want to bake cupcakes and then take pictures of them and post them on the internet for my own amusement. Then EAT them. That's about it.
However, I will bake cupcakes for any occasion for anyone who asks me to.
The cupcakes that are shown here are just the beginning. They're pretty shabby compared to professional cupcakes. I'm just starting out and just learning the best techniques for decorating. As I progress, things will start looking a little more professional. I hope. At least I'll try to match the decoration and frosting color a little more closely to the flavor!
So I've decided to start my own little faux-business called ~Cutie♥Cakes~.
What does that mean? To be 100% honest, it means that I want to bake cupcakes and then take pictures of them and post them on the internet for my own amusement. Then EAT them. That's about it.
However, I will bake cupcakes for any occasion for anyone who asks me to.
The cupcakes that are shown here are just the beginning. They're pretty shabby compared to professional cupcakes. I'm just starting out and just learning the best techniques for decorating. As I progress, things will start looking a little more professional. I hope. At least I'll try to match the decoration and frosting color a little more closely to the flavor!
~Banana♥Cheesecake~
~Vanilla♥Vanilla~
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Fat Kids... And Their Happy Meals.
McDonald's started selling Happy Meals in the 1970's as a packaged or "bundled" meal marketed towards children. Back then, there were no healthy options like apple wedges or low-fat milk to replace fries or soda, respectively. What you got was either a hamburger or cheeseburger, a small fries, and a small soda... and a toy.
Today, the Happy Meal has options. You can choose between the above mentioned burgers, or chicken nuggets. You can get either fries or apples. You can choose soda, juice, or low-fat milk.
Are all the possible combinations of these new options a healthier alternative to the meal we all got when we were kids? No. The calorie count on most combinations still exceed 400 calories, or 1/3 of a child's daily caloric needs. For a kid eating 3 meals a day, this definitely covers one of them.
Then there's the toy. When I was a young kid, the toy was everything. You bought the Happy Meal to get the toy. This was no secret. I can remember rushing through my Happy Meal to play with the toy. My favorite were the transformers than transformed into different McDonald's products. How lame. Not to mention shameless on McDonald's part. But I still have the toys, if anyone wants to come over and play.
In today's litigious society, a consumer group is giving McDonald's 30 days to "drop a tactic it says undermines the efforts of parents to encourage a healthy diet" or it will sue.
Really?!?
Let me ask you this: If a man drinks a six-pack of Miller Lite, gets into his car and smashes into a tree, do you think he stands a chance of suing Miller-Coors for damages? The answer is NO.
We as a society have to understand that our actions, whether getting fat off of fast food, drunk driving, or anything similar, are OUR responsibility. No one forced that food down our throats or put that bottle to our lips. We chose to do it. It was our CHOICE. Just like it's our choice to never step foot into a McDonald's.
Those who oppose my opinion may say that McDonald's is an evil corporation who specifically markets unhealthy food to children. I don't disagree. They do. There wouldn't be a Happy Meal if they didn't. But you have to ask yourself: Who has a bigger influence on my kids? Me or McDonald's? Anyone who answers with "McDonald's" is an idiot and shouldn't be raising children. Anyone who answers with "Me" has no right to sue McDonald's because you just proved the lawsuit invalid.
And here's some fast food for thought: The consumer group is claiming that the toy in the Happy Meal is duping kids into ordering them. Is that to say kids wouldn't choose to order a Happy Meal if they didn't come with a toy? That's a load of horse shit. Think about the logic: If McDonald's is forced to stop including a toy in their Happy Meals on the grounds that it influences kids to choose to eat a Happy Meal, what's the alternative? What I mean is if kids won't order a Happy Meal because it no longer comes with a toy, what will they order instead? Most likely, a value meal. Those have 2 or 3 times as many calories as a Happy Meal. Congratulations consumer group, Happy Meals aren't making kids fat anymore!
The moral of this ridiculous story is: If you take responsibility and teach your kids healthy eating habits and limit the amount of fast food they consume, you will have smarter, healthier kids. If you allow fast food to be a staple in your kids diet, you will have fat, lethargic kids. It's your choice. Just like walking into a McDonald's is your choice.
Today, the Happy Meal has options. You can choose between the above mentioned burgers, or chicken nuggets. You can get either fries or apples. You can choose soda, juice, or low-fat milk.
Are all the possible combinations of these new options a healthier alternative to the meal we all got when we were kids? No. The calorie count on most combinations still exceed 400 calories, or 1/3 of a child's daily caloric needs. For a kid eating 3 meals a day, this definitely covers one of them.
Then there's the toy. When I was a young kid, the toy was everything. You bought the Happy Meal to get the toy. This was no secret. I can remember rushing through my Happy Meal to play with the toy. My favorite were the transformers than transformed into different McDonald's products. How lame. Not to mention shameless on McDonald's part. But I still have the toys, if anyone wants to come over and play.
In today's litigious society, a consumer group is giving McDonald's 30 days to "drop a tactic it says undermines the efforts of parents to encourage a healthy diet" or it will sue.
Really?!?
Let me ask you this: If a man drinks a six-pack of Miller Lite, gets into his car and smashes into a tree, do you think he stands a chance of suing Miller-Coors for damages? The answer is NO.
Those who oppose my opinion may say that McDonald's is an evil corporation who specifically markets unhealthy food to children. I don't disagree. They do. There wouldn't be a Happy Meal if they didn't. But you have to ask yourself: Who has a bigger influence on my kids? Me or McDonald's? Anyone who answers with "McDonald's" is an idiot and shouldn't be raising children. Anyone who answers with "Me" has no right to sue McDonald's because you just proved the lawsuit invalid.
And here's some fast food for thought: The consumer group is claiming that the toy in the Happy Meal is duping kids into ordering them. Is that to say kids wouldn't choose to order a Happy Meal if they didn't come with a toy? That's a load of horse shit. Think about the logic: If McDonald's is forced to stop including a toy in their Happy Meals on the grounds that it influences kids to choose to eat a Happy Meal, what's the alternative? What I mean is if kids won't order a Happy Meal because it no longer comes with a toy, what will they order instead? Most likely, a value meal. Those have 2 or 3 times as many calories as a Happy Meal. Congratulations consumer group, Happy Meals aren't making kids fat anymore!
The moral of this ridiculous story is: If you take responsibility and teach your kids healthy eating habits and limit the amount of fast food they consume, you will have smarter, healthier kids. If you allow fast food to be a staple in your kids diet, you will have fat, lethargic kids. It's your choice. Just like walking into a McDonald's is your choice.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Mike's Birthday
Yesterday we celebrated Mike's 28th birthday. Leilani and I woke him up in the morning with his favorite McDonald's breakfast and a handmade birthday card from Leilani. He then got to do exactly what he wanted: play his video game for a few hours. Then, while Leilani napped, I picked up KFC for lunch. (I know, lots of fast food in one day!) Then I filled up the brand new pool I bought Leilani in hopes that we could all sit outside as a family and enjoy the warm (and dry) weather while she and I played in the water. No such luck. The clouds rolled in and didn't allow the sun to warm the pool water. It was freezing!
For dinner, we went out to Famous Dave's in Brookfield with Mike's mom. The barbecue was great. (But it's hard not to compare it to the barbecue we get down South. which is awesome.) Then we stopped for shakes on the way home.
All in all, it was a nice, yet low key birthday. But that's okay. My gift to Mike is a weekend getaway and tickets to see Aziz Ansari in Minneapolis. So that'll be his "real" birthday celebration. Did I mention that Mike's mom will be watching Leilani while we're gone? Two whole nights without her. Part of me is going to be heartbroken without her. The other part, the much much smaller part, will enjoy the weekend of tranquility. To top of the weekend, Sunday is Father's Day, so we'll have to plan a little something when we get back to Milwaukee.
What a busy and fun few days... all circulating around Mike. Who I love beyond words!
For dinner, we went out to Famous Dave's in Brookfield with Mike's mom. The barbecue was great. (But it's hard not to compare it to the barbecue we get down South. which is awesome.) Then we stopped for shakes on the way home.
All in all, it was a nice, yet low key birthday. But that's okay. My gift to Mike is a weekend getaway and tickets to see Aziz Ansari in Minneapolis. So that'll be his "real" birthday celebration. Did I mention that Mike's mom will be watching Leilani while we're gone? Two whole nights without her. Part of me is going to be heartbroken without her. The other part, the much much smaller part, will enjoy the weekend of tranquility. To top of the weekend, Sunday is Father's Day, so we'll have to plan a little something when we get back to Milwaukee.
What a busy and fun few days... all circulating around Mike. Who I love beyond words!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Cupcakes!
I'm a crazy perfectionist when it comes to certain things. Mostly, I over-plan everything. That includes get-togethers.
For Leilani's first birthday, I'm planning on having a luau. Partly because I'm from Hawaii and it's the traditional thing to do for a first birthday. Partly because her name is Leilani and it seemed fitting. And partly because it's a super easy theme to pull off.
In my psychotic planning of this luau, I've already begun to test flavors of cupcakes to serve. That's right, just like you taste test wedding cake, I'm doing the same thing for the cupcakes I'm going to serve at Leilani's luau.
Today I tried Pineapple cupcakes with vanilla frosting.
They weren't great, so I'll cross that combo off my list. I'll try a new flavor on Monday.
For Leilani's first birthday, I'm planning on having a luau. Partly because I'm from Hawaii and it's the traditional thing to do for a first birthday. Partly because her name is Leilani and it seemed fitting. And partly because it's a super easy theme to pull off.
In my psychotic planning of this luau, I've already begun to test flavors of cupcakes to serve. That's right, just like you taste test wedding cake, I'm doing the same thing for the cupcakes I'm going to serve at Leilani's luau.
Today I tried Pineapple cupcakes with vanilla frosting.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Kind Of A Lull
Since we got back from California, we really haven't been doing much. Mike's back to playing his PS3 all the time, and I spend time finding little crafty things to do. Not every day has to be an adventure, I guess.
Wednesday is Mike's birthday. And tomorrow is Cole's. (Yeah, I acknowledge it.) I'm looking forward to going out to dinner. (For Mike's birthday, not Cole's!) Then this weekend, we are driving up to Minneapolis for a couple of nights, sans baby. It'll be the first time she's been baby-sat overnight. And not just for one night, Grandma's watching her for two nights! It'll be nice to relax and sleep in, and eat out without having to scarf down our food in shifts. But I know we'll both miss her like crazy. And when we get back on Sunday, we'll just go crazy smothering her!
Wednesday is Mike's birthday. And tomorrow is Cole's. (Yeah, I acknowledge it.) I'm looking forward to going out to dinner. (For Mike's birthday, not Cole's!) Then this weekend, we are driving up to Minneapolis for a couple of nights, sans baby. It'll be the first time she's been baby-sat overnight. And not just for one night, Grandma's watching her for two nights! It'll be nice to relax and sleep in, and eat out without having to scarf down our food in shifts. But I know we'll both miss her like crazy. And when we get back on Sunday, we'll just go crazy smothering her!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Facts Of The Situation
Here's the story:
Wife is married to Husband for 12 years. Husband works 2 or 3 jobs to support Wife, who stays home with their 2 kids. Wife admittedly hates housework and does very little. Wife instead spends lots of time on the Internet. Wife befriends Man on the Internet from a far away state. Man is the Brother of Husband's Sister's Boyfriend. Wife asks for divorce from Husband, saying he is mean to her. Husband reluctantly divorces Wife. Three weeks later, Man goes to visit Wife for a week and stays at her house. Wife and Man continue to claim they are just friends. Three more weeks pass by, Wife and Man announce they are in a romantic relationship.
The entire story above is entirely FACT. At no point did I inject any of my personal opinions.
Does this sound sleazy to you too?
This is the story of my ex-sister-in-law. Or the possible future sister-in-law of my boyfriend, Mike!
Apparently, we live in Appalachia.
Wife is married to Husband for 12 years. Husband works 2 or 3 jobs to support Wife, who stays home with their 2 kids. Wife admittedly hates housework and does very little. Wife instead spends lots of time on the Internet. Wife befriends Man on the Internet from a far away state. Man is the Brother of Husband's Sister's Boyfriend. Wife asks for divorce from Husband, saying he is mean to her. Husband reluctantly divorces Wife. Three weeks later, Man goes to visit Wife for a week and stays at her house. Wife and Man continue to claim they are just friends. Three more weeks pass by, Wife and Man announce they are in a romantic relationship.
The entire story above is entirely FACT. At no point did I inject any of my personal opinions.
Does this sound sleazy to you too?
This is the story of my ex-sister-in-law. Or the possible future sister-in-law of my boyfriend, Mike!
Apparently, we live in Appalachia.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Art Project Finished!
Well here it is:
It didn't turn out too bad, I say. I will probably try to redo the whole thing over again with some tweaking, but I'm happy with how this turned out. The picture shown here doesn't really do it justice. There are a lot of details that aren't visible and the coloring is a little off. But in person, I think it looks great. It measures 8.5" x 30".
It didn't turn out too bad, I say. I will probably try to redo the whole thing over again with some tweaking, but I'm happy with how this turned out. The picture shown here doesn't really do it justice. There are a lot of details that aren't visible and the coloring is a little off. But in person, I think it looks great. It measures 8.5" x 30".
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Art Project
I'm creating a little piece of art for Leilani's bedroom. It's her name spelled out in Disney Princesses. I know that doesn't sound like it makes any sense, but if you look at the pictures, you'll understand. It's nothing big, but I think it'll be really cute if I can execute it right.
Obviously, these are just rough drafts. I made them so I could get an idea of how it may look in the end. It may be hard to see now, but they spell "L E I L A N I". When I'm done, they may look nothing like what they do now... but it's a start. I'm happy so far.
Obviously, these are just rough drafts. I made them so I could get an idea of how it may look in the end. It may be hard to see now, but they spell "L E I L A N I". When I'm done, they may look nothing like what they do now... but it's a start. I'm happy so far.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Vacation
I seem to remember saying that we were going on vacation. Did that actually happen? I wonder because I recall a week of nonstop fussiness, being sick, a ton of walking, and a great deal of going, going, going, but no real relaxation. And I thought that was what a vacation was all about.
I am happy to be home. Well at least I was for the first few days. Now the reality of home has sunk in and I'm back to hating it here. There I said it. I hate it here. I don't want to live in Wisconsin anymore and I certainly don't want to live in this house anymore. I want to live somewhere that has better weather. And somewhere that I can call a 'home'. I don't care if that someplace is an apartment or house. I just want a place of our own. I want to be able to live in a clean home. I want to have a kitchen that is organized. I want to have all my belongings in one place, not in a storage facility. I want privacy. I want the exterior of my home to look classy and well-kept. I want to be able to leave to go to the store or where ever without worrying about other people's car in the driveway. I want to be able to put stuff in the garage without someone else, who doesn't even live here, moving it around and damaging it.
That vacation is sounding good again.
I am happy to be home. Well at least I was for the first few days. Now the reality of home has sunk in and I'm back to hating it here. There I said it. I hate it here. I don't want to live in Wisconsin anymore and I certainly don't want to live in this house anymore. I want to live somewhere that has better weather. And somewhere that I can call a 'home'. I don't care if that someplace is an apartment or house. I just want a place of our own. I want to be able to live in a clean home. I want to have a kitchen that is organized. I want to have all my belongings in one place, not in a storage facility. I want privacy. I want the exterior of my home to look classy and well-kept. I want to be able to leave to go to the store or where ever without worrying about other people's car in the driveway. I want to be able to put stuff in the garage without someone else, who doesn't even live here, moving it around and damaging it.
That vacation is sounding good again.
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