Oh my oh my

Please tell me I am not the only person who remembers this commercial:




I remember being young and DESPERATELY wanting blue eye shadow like this. You know, on a STICK. A stick that looked like a lipstick but for your eyes. So I could color the WHOLE EYE LID BLUE! YES! Sadly I was never given My Sweet Sixteen make-up, and you know, I don't think I had a Sweet Sixteen birthday bash either. I feel cheated people. Where's my play make-up and huge birthday bash?? My parents have some serious explaining to do!

On a side note I like that the commerical makes a point to say that the make-up is "safe" and "washable". You know, as opposed to all that other make-up that is NOT safe and remains on your face until the DAY YOU DIE! Better choose wisely little girls or you'll be rocking the blue eyeshadow and pale frosted pink lipstick until the end of days!!!!

Slow to warm up little boy

Nathan is not big on change. He does not like new things as a rule. He is cautious. He likes to check things out first. And maybe see them for a few times before really ENGAGING with whatever that item is. He is also not big on waking up (much like me!). When he gets up from a nap I make sure to take him AND his blankie to the sofa where we watch "Blues Clues". Sometimes I give him a snack like cheerios or goldfish that he kind of munches on while we snuggle. By the time the show is over he's awake and, usually, in a good mood.

Back to the change thing. Nathan got a really cute battery operated kitty cat from his Grammy and Grampy the other day and he wanted absolutely NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. The fact that this little kitty walked across the floor making cheeping noises made him cry. I wasn't worried though. I know that with a little more time he'll be playing with kitty, and I was right.

Check out my sweet boy and his kitty cat!

Full confesion: he did THROW the kitty a few times, but hey.. he touched it and didn't cry, so that's progress!

Desire to help the world

With their resumes. And cover letters. My God people.... what are you DOING???? The resumes and cover letters I have seen just blow my mind. Each time I see a bad one I think "really? REALLY?? THIS is what you chose to send out to a potential employer"? Do these people not know that the job market is BAD right now? Like bad, bad, bad, bad? And even if it was an AWESOME job market - I still cannot for the life of me understand why ANYONE would response to a job listing with a short email saying how they want the job, and they won't "embarrass the company" if they are are hired. And not leave a phone number. Or address. Just a few sentences about how they want the job and THAT IS IT. This is NOT ACCEPTABLE PEOPLE! Now, I'm no genius, and I'm not a resume professional, but I've seen what's out there and I am afraid. YOU should be afraid. There are TONS of websites out there, books, seminars, all SORTS OF PLACES FOR YOU TO LEARN ABOUT RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS. People... UTILIZE THESE RESOURCES!!! Help the professionals help you.

You're not listening, are you people of the world? I KNOW you are not listening because if you WERE listening and paying attention you wouldn't do any of the following:

1. Use a template to create your resume (not a bad thing) and NOT TAKE OUT THE PARTS IN THE TEMPLATE THAT SAY THINGS LIKE "Insert work experience here" and "Insert key experience here". Do NOT leave those on your resume. They do NOT belong there.
2. Attach a resume. Or copy and paste it. But SEND YOUR RESUME. Do NOT just send an email asking when you can come in for an interview.
3. When writing your cover letter or introduction email - REFERENCE THE JOB AND COMPANY. Do NOT just send an obviously generic message that you appear to be sending to EVERY JOB OUT THERE IN THE WORLD. Make it personal. Let the hiring manager know you are interesting in THAT position, and why. This is your chance to make an impression. Yes, there is a chance that hiring manager will only skim your cover letter, or not read it at all - but resist the temptation to just send the generic note. Personalization is key. Even if you have just a regular template and you change only a few things here and there in it to make it work for the position you are inquiring about, that's fine. And if the listing tells you to contact a certain person - PUT DOWN THAT PERSONS' NAME! Make it look like you read the ad!
4. I feel like I shouldn't have to even SAY this, but please use proper grammar and spelling. Punctuation is also nice. No run on sentences, no random commas, and no random capitalization's in your note. Proofread it. Write it and wait an hour. Come back and look it over again before sending. You want it to be PERFECT.

This isn't rocket science people. There's tons of articles out there on the web that will tell you more specifics. You can even PAY someone to write your resume for you. God knows I will even re-write your resume your email for you. I LIKE doing that, and I'll even do it at a bargain rate! I can even give you a nice cover letter outline. You have to promise though to read what I've written above and take it to heart.

Oh, and one little tip I got a long time ago in a magazine and I have employed from time to time. Send that resume and cover letter Fed Ex or Priority Mail. If you REALLY want the job and want to distinguish yourself from everyone else - it's the priority mail thing. Addressed to the HR Manager or Hiring Manager personally. The reason? The regular envelopes tend to be opened by people like myself, and we sort them and THEN they go to the HR Manager. If you want it to bypass people like me - do the priority mail. That sometimes goes directly to the person in question, and it stands out. A little trick from me to you because I WANT you to succeed. I really, really do!

The Best Worst Movie Ever

It's another wild and crazy weekend here at Chez Weiner. And what did Jeff and I come up with to do together?

Troll 2. Jeff and I rented "Troll 2" on the recommendation of a co-worker of his. Words do not do this film justice so I'll just put in the trailer:




It's bad. Like real bad. Like so bad that you cannot NOT watch the whole movie because you seriously cannot believe just HOW BAD this movie is. Laughably bad. Makes no sense bad. Bad, bad, bad. And next we watched a documentary made by the young boy who starred in this movie. Trailer here:


The documentary is actually excellent. He goes back and talks to his fellow cast mates, finds out what they're doing now, and also talks about how "Troll 2" has become a cult classic. It's really entertaining but I am still not 100% sure that I could recommend "Troll 2". It's not a long movie, but it's a BAD movie. Real bad. So bad that there are NO TROLLS IN THE MOVIE THAT IS TITLED "Troll 2". In FACT, "Troll 2" has NOTHING TO DO WITH "Troll 1". AT ALL. I guess all I'm saying is that you should pay to watch the documentary, but make sure you don't pay to see the movie!

Long, long stretches of time

when I have to feed Nathan.

Oh my, feeding Nathan. I would rather change a dirty diaper than feed Nathan. I would rather do laundry, clean the bathroom, and pick up a million toys than feed Nathan. Feeding Nathan takes FOREVER. It's endless stretches of time I will never get back. It's boring. So very, very boring.

Now - I know we've already established how I would cheerfully lay down on railroad tracks for my precious angel, but feeding him? Ugh. Each mealtime takes approximately 45 minutes (and this does not include the time I spend cooking and preparing the meal for him). Nathan is learning to use a fork and spoon, and he is very enthusiastic about these utensils. But he is not GOOD with them yet. Sometimes he picks up the fork in one hand, the bite of food in the other, and then PLACES the food on the fork before attempting to maneuver it into his mouth. It's funny, but it's a long process. This is when I will sit and scroll through Facebook. Anything to pass the time. I can't leave Nathan in his highchair and walk around - what if he CHOKES?? And Nathan still needs things. Like more milk. And I will get him this milk NOW, thank you very much! Or he will want to feed me. And laugh. And feed me. Throw some food on the floor. Or show me his hands and say "yucky" because he's got sauce and cheese smeared all over them and I wipe his hands off and he IMMEDIATELY PUTS THEM BACK IN THE SAUCE AND SMEARS IT ALL OVER THE PLACE. Where is the sense in that??

Jeff and I are always trying to pass the job of feeding Nathan off on the other person. We're ALWAYS asking "You're feeding Nathan, right"? And that "right" is always tinged with just a hint of desperation. Just a tick! At the very least though we do NOT have to go through the elaborate dinner theatre routines we used to do, so there's definitely progress. But oh my, I cannot wait for this to get better. Wait - WILL it get better?????

Holiday Highs and Lows

The High:
We had a great time over the holidays. We had family up, we had lovely gifts, and lots of wonderful food. Ahhh the food. It was delicious. But we had such a nice time. Nathan didn't really understand the whole thing, but he DID understand presents. And holy crap did Nathan make out. Now, we only got Nathan a few presents because - hey, he doesn't understand Christmas so why go crazy? AND because we knew he'd make out like a bandit from the relatives. My mother brought a ton of beautiful books for Nathan and he got a few other fabulous gifts from his cousins and Aunt and Uncle. It was Nathan's Nana, however, that REALLY spoiled him. He had four big, and I mean BIG bags, of toys. He got clothes and a push toy lawnmower, a rider, a stand up table and a bunch fo other things. My goodness. I have so many toys that the other day I filled two rubbermaid storage containers and one huge bag with baby toys and brought them to the attic. Even still there is barely room in his playroom because there are SO MANY TOYS. I will say this, I NEVER got that many toys in my life. I feel cheated people, CHEATED!!!

The Low:
Right now though, it's been clean-up time. Two bags of trash went out, I cleaned out the fridge and put in a load of laundry for Nathan and ran the dishes. I am EXHAUSTED. You would think that would be enough. Oh no. Oh no, no, no. My dog, the erstwhile Monty has been really nervous lately with relatives visiting and the such. Well the night before we had locked Monty in our room for the night - we didn't want him bothering Jeff's Mom and her boyfriend Joel in the middle of the night. Well Monty whined NON-STOP. Around 2am Jeff lost his mind and locked Nathan in the bedroom across the hall. Shame on us people, shame on us. Monty was whining FOR A REASON. He had to go out. And he had to go out NOW. We were greeted by dog poop... all over the floor. All over our beige CARPETED floor. Color me pleased. But I also felt bad. The poor dog had TRIED TELLING US he needed to go out, and we were so tired we didn't get the memo. But still... I spent HOURS in there cleaning up and there is STILL a brown stain on the rug. Do I need to add that at the same time we had been hit by a big time blizzard so Jeff and my father were outside shoveling. I don't know who had it worse, me or Jeff and my father. Personally I think it was me and my nightmare of rug cleaner, sponges and vacuum cleaner. Never mind that it is STILL not clean. So the room is shut off. What I really want to do is rip up the carpet because I am so grossed out by the idea of dog poop on the carpet, but let's face it - we're broke. It's not happening.

So that was our holiday! Some ups and downs, mostly ups, and we were all happy and warm and well-fed. Win win all around!

Oh, and I'm leaving you all with my first attempt at a gingerbread house. Be kind:

Santa

One thing I've realized after becoming a mother, and now a stay-at-home mother, is there is a LOT competition between moms. How you raise your child, the choices you make - it's all up for controversy and someone out there is more than willing to make you feel bad about those choices. It's kind of sad really because you would think as women we would stand together and support one another with the decisions that we make as parents. God knows some days it's hard being a woman AND a mother no matter what you decide, so you would hope we would support each other.

Apparently Santa is one such hot button topic, and you can read what I mean in this blurb here:

http://www.babble.com/kid/kids-learning/no-santa-claus-for-our-kids/index.aspx#fbConnectSection

Now, I don't care that this mother isn't going to do the Santa thing or the Elf on a Shelf thing with her child, but it's the TONE in the article that bothers me. The self righteous tone that SHE is doing the best thing. That HER children are being raised the RIGHT way, the CORRECT way. I dislike this, mainly because I hate being told what to do - it's a leftover rebellion thing, what can I say!

Now in THIS household we have a child who will celebrate both Hanukkah AND Christmas. Right now it looks like Christmas exploded all over our living room, and we probably have to work on the whole incorporating Hanukkah thing. We also will most certainly be talking about Santa. In FACT, I already BOUGHT the Elf on a Shelf and since Nathan is still too young to care about things like that, it will be brought out next year. Also, next year - Santa. I also plan on doing super cheesy stuff like having Nathan leave milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. There are also KITS sold to make your kid believe. One is called "Santa Clues" and the description is as follows:

Oh, the wonder of Santa! With this whimsical kit, you—Santa's helper—will capture the timeless magic of Santa's visit to your home. Create a lifetime of memories when your little one wakes to spy a snowy hoof print...and Santa's coat button by the fireplace...imagine their surprise when Santa's glove is found draped by the cookies and milk. Kit includes seven clues and tips for getting the most out of them, year after wondrous year. For ages 4 and up.

Oh I am TOTALLY doing this. I don't care if people think I am "lying" to my child, I do NOT believe that Nathan will become a psycho because I told him about Santa. Me personally? I kind of figured out there was no Santa because the handwriting on the labels was so similar to my own parents. I do, however, distinctly remember that my parents had someone dressed as Santa come to the house and gave my sister and I a candy cane. I don't remember much else but it was FUN and I never forgot it. So it's all Santa in this house and a big fat neener neener to those that disagree with me!

Preserving my sanity

Nathan is allowed one hour of television of day. Some days it's less. Some days it's more. Some days it's exactly one hour. Now, I KNOW that there is a lot of controversy about television and children, but some days it's the only thing that gets me through the late-afternoon/early evening cranky transformation that Nathan undergoes daily. Nathan and I watch the following:
The Wonder Pets
Miss Spider's Sunny Patch
The Fresh Beat Band

Ah the Fresh Beat Band. This is them here:



The names? There is Marina, Kiki, Twist, and Shout. As you can tell, they are VERY upbeat and happy. They sing, they have adventures, and the only thing that gets me through one of their shows (with the exception of the Freeze Dance song which I love for some reason), is imagining just which character is having a torrid affair with the other. I don't know WHY this amuses me, but it does. I mix them up, I swap them up, and I ponder the possibilities. I mean, they're all reasonably attractive people and they are thrown together ALL THE TIME, not to mention bonding over the silly things they do in the pursuit of acting and a paycheck. So, are they DATING?? Maybe this means I am a seriously disturbed person, but I recently found out a mommy friend of mind does this as well so I can't be THAT crazy. And hey, if you had to listen to "Go Bananas" more than once a day, I think you'd be entitled to a little fantasy as well!

Growing Up

I'm kind of a grown up now. It still freaks me out when I think about it. Like an ADULT. I pay bills, I work to help support my family financially (ha ha ha - okay, I work to help keep my car running and my son provided with exciting things like strawberries and yogurt), and I am COOKING. Now, the cooking part is kind of exciting and sad. Previously, I took a sort of PRIDE in my lack of cooking skills. The fact that my oven had never been turned on, I was okay with it. More than okay. I remember I once made lobster ravioli with alfredo sauce for a guy I was dating. This was a BIG DEAL. If I attempted to cook something, something from SCRATCH, well, I was making a HUGE EFFORT. His response? To tell me it was "a little too cheesy" and he "didn't like it". Unbelievable. In that minute I decided, in my head, I would never cook for him again. And I didn't. And the relationship didn't last either. When I met Jeff I also attempted to cook for him. I made him baked ziti that was so bad that it was cold in the middle and burned on the outside. Do I even need to remind everyone that he ate it? Yup, he ate my completely horrible baked ziti. Definitely a keeper. So in the cooking battle I've been making some progress. I cook things that aren't bad. That we can EAT. I'm still working on the whole planning ahead of time and preparing ahead of time thing, but I'm making progress. And you know what? Part of it's a little bittersweet. A little sad. I have left my single days behind me. Left behind a little bit of myself. Stubbornly part of me wants to hang on to my no-cooking motto. But I know it's gone. On the plus side, I did get this great husband and baby boy out of the trade, so I guess it's not all bad!

Winter

I love winter. Okay, I love the BEGINNING of winter. When snow seems magical and beautiful and it's all white and pretty. When you are able to layer your clothes and wear your thick sweaters and socks. I love slippers that are downy and thick and warm and snuggly and flannel pajamas and flannel sheets. I remember once reading in "Watership Down" (one of the best books in the world) that humans like winter because they enjoy being insulated from it. And that's true. I love being chilly outside so I can come INSIDE and warm up under down blankets and make hot cups of chocolate. I love burrowing under my blankets at bedtime and feeling warm and safe and happy. It's definitely a love of feeling PROTECTED during the winter. I am aware of the fact that I have a home, heat, food and family/friends means that winter for me is a good time. It means Hanukkah and Christmas and presents and lots of delicious food and it means starting traditions for my child. Right now I'm walking around in yoga pants and a fleece jacket because I love how snuggly it makes me feel. I have thick socks on my feet and I am happy. I'm happy because I worked out on the treadmill this morning even though I have a cold and it's made me feel tired and blah. I'm happy because Nathan FINALLY went to sleep and I've got a little break to play around on the Internet. I'm happy because there are presents wrapped under the tree and I've brought down my Christmas decorations. I'm happy because Jeff and I got to see some of his family to celebrate Hanukkah even though Nathan was a horrible bear - we still managed to have a good time. I'm happy because Jeff and I have been through the wringer as a couple and I feel like we've finally regained our footing as parents AND a couple. A tricky balancing act to be sure. And I'm happy that Monty is SLEEPING and not WHINING like he does most days. So yes, I do love winter!

Thankful List

It was a crazy few days here at Chez Weiner. We had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday with family, lots of food and relatives. I had the bright idea of making a brine for the turkey but it didn't really work out. Jeff took over and seriously it was probably the best turkey he's made since I met him. I'm only bummed we didn't have as much leftover as I would have liked. I am a little late in my list but I thought it might be nice to share just how thankful I am this year.

1. I am thankful for my husband. Marriage is not easy, AT ALL, and nobody tells you this for some reason. But Jeff and I have managed to not only get over some pretty nasty fights, but also change our behavior in regards to how we treat each other. Considering I am about as a stubborn as they come, that's pretty huge for me. Compound that with the fact that my favorite form of fighting is to go full out passive aggressive and say "fine" when what I REALLY mean is I am "NOT FINE". Hey, we both have our faults, and that we're actively trying to get better in our relationship is a huge reason to be thankful.

2. Do I even need to write Nathan?? I think we all know how crazy I am for my son, so I won't bore you with more details!

3. Family. My family is probably dysfunctional with a capital D. I don't have the best relationship with my mother, but this weekend she took me out for lunch and shopping. And we didn't fight. That is HUGE! I still have vivid memories of shopping with my mother when I was younger that were so disastrous that at one point a salesperson actually asked us to leave the dressing room. It could get ugly. But this time we had yummy lunch, and she got Nathan some beautiful clothes from Gymboree (really, EVERYTHING is cute there!), and she would have gotten me some clothes but I was feeling overwhelmed by the post Black Friday crowds and didn't really have the time to try everything on, so instead she got my a beautiful new handbag. LOVE!!

4. Our house. My goodness I love our house. It's easy and cosy and lovely and PERFECTION. I am so in love with our house, and the fact that my father is downstairs and can run upstairs and "watch Nathan" when I need an extra pair of hands is just an added bonus.

5. My bed and watching QVC. Well documented is my love for QVC. Since Nathan is now in his OWN ROOM AND CRIB (Can I get a Hallelujah?) I have been able to resume my torrid love affair with all things Q. I get into bed, my super comfortable bed with thick blankets and comforter (that I love and Jeff loathes) and watch QVC until I drift into sleep.

There are so many other things I am thankful for:

Christmas decorations

Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

Martinis

Date nights with my husband

Dolph Lundgren in "The Expendables" because he is freakin' hot STILL and I will always love him

Moisturizer

Shopping trips and/or playdates with friends

Harry Potter

Pedicures

The smell of fall weather

Hot apple cider

I could go on and on about all the things I love and am thankful for, but you guys get the idea! Hope everyone had as wonderful a holiday as I did!

And here's my little gift to you:

See, now you're thankful as well! ;-)

Lunch

Chicken Salad. Doesn't sound so bad right? Well I had chicken salad and scooped it up with potato chips much like you would with dip. I was just feeling too lazy to get a roll out. It was actually really tasty with some lovely apple cider to wash it all down. I know, it's kind of gross but it tasted good and since Nathan is napping - nobody can watch me in my shame.

BUT, it IS a better lunch than the bowl of oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough that I ALMOST made solely so I could eat it raw. Raw eggs and salmonella be damned!!

Thankfulness

It's been a productive day here at the Weiner household. Got up and got Nathan dressed (his diaper rash is SOOOO much better - I know you were all dying to know that!) and we headed out. First things first we dropped off the Christmas Shoebox I had compiled at a local church in Melrose. Next up was a quick stop at the Christmas Tree Shop were I got a roasting pan and a super adorable present for Nathan for Christmas. Yes, I realize he was with me when I bought it, but at the same time, he's 16 months old and doesn't know I'm buying him a gift. I also saw a FABULOUS BLOW UP SANTA CLAUSE SNOW GLOBE - and I was sorely tempted to buy it but since I didn't have the cash, I sadly passed it by. Next up, I dropped off a box of Nathan's clothes to the Salvation Army. It feels good at this time of year to give back. Granted, I did so on a small scale, but it made me feel good. My family has been blessed and we have a whole lot to be thankful for, so giving back even just a little makes me feel kind of "christmasy".

What are you guys thankful for this holiday season?

2 Different Thoughts Today

1. Nathan has the world's worst diaper rash. It's AWFUL and it's pretty much my fault. He's had some, ahem, tummy issues and when I took him on a play date he needed a new diaper. Now, normally I use Pampers Sensitive wipes on him. He's got my super-sensitive vampire skin, and those wipes work best. Well in my diaper bag I had Pampers Extra Thick wipes. They had "scent". I didn't think much of it and changed his diaper and he happily went on his way. Until that night. HORRIBLE diaper rash. So bad that I could barely change his diaper without him screaming. I wound up taking him to his pediatrician's the next day because it looked so bad and I was using Desitin, but what if he had something else and the Desitin was making it worse? Turns out it's just diaper rash and I just need to slather the stuff on like no tomorrow. And no more wipes. Instead I pre-cut some paper towels and put them in a wipes box and when he needs changing I get warm water and use paper towels and water. To top it all off?? Tummy issues. So he needs diaper changes almost hourly. Oh it's fun times here people, fun times. Can't just be one or the other, oh no. Gotta be both at once. And can I just say how much I love Desitin? I had stocked up on it before Nathan was even born and I'd used it maybe three times since then. But now, oh baby. I am SMEARING that stuff on Nathan's tush. I love it.

2. Second thought is, when will I learn? And by that I mean, when will I learn not to shop at expensive boutiques? Okay, not really boutiques, but more expensive stores for necessities. What am I talking about? Well I wanted one of those over-the-door shoe holders for my shoes. (I had one years ago - an EXPENSIVE one that actually coordinated with my bedding and then one day I moved and THREW IT OUT - GAH! I could just smack my twenty-something year old self). Well I was looking online at Christmas decorations and was kind of adding things to my online shopping cart so I wouldn't forget what I had found/wanted. I do that all the time. I must have ten Internet shopping carts filled with random items - it's a sickness. Anyway, I found a lovely over-the-door shoe holder for $22.95. Looked just fine. I didn't buy it because there were a few more items I wanted from this particular company and I didn't have the cash yet to get them. Fast forward to this morning. I can't take Nathan anywhere with other children because I didn't want him to spread the sickness, so I decided to head to Wal-Mart. I usually shop Target, but today I headed out to Wal-Mart with a list of items I needed. Once there I was walking the aisles and trying to keep Nathan entertained while also looking for items on my list (CHAMPION multi-tasker if I do say so myself) and I saw an over-the-door shoe thingy. I looked at the price. Ten dollars. TEN DOLLARS!!!! Okay, it wasn't as nice as the one I saw online. That one looked like it was better quality, but that was more than half off the other price. SCORE! I bought it and brought it home and it's working just fine thank you very much. I'm just annoyed that I even THOUGHT of getting such a basic item and paying so much money for it and even MORE annoyed that I HAD ONE years ago and in my twenty-something ignorance decided I didn't need it anymore and threw it out. Sigh. At least I'm KIND OF learning from past mistakes. That should count for something, right?

Visit to the Library

I have a library card again. I haven't been to a library in years - since college really. I kind of just stopped going. But the Wakefield library is just lovely. I've got Nathan signed up in classes that meet once a week and I've been able to read some of the most interesting books. Now I don't have a lot of time to browse at the library. Nathan does NOT sit patiently and wait for me to peruse the shelves looking for specific authors or topics. So if the book is not out on a shelf for me to grab - well I'm not going to get it. I HAVE read some wonderful books though/

Hay Fever by Angela Miller - it's all about a woman who works as a publisher during the week in New York and has a goat farm where she makes cheese on weekends. That's a dull summary - but it's actually really, really interesting. I learned more about cheese, goats, running a business than I ever wanted to know but it was all interesting. Loved it.

American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half It's Food (And What We Can Do About It) by Jonathan Bloom - This book was interesting but not as much fun to read. I definitely think Jeff and I should be more conscious of how much we waste. On trash day we have at LEAST 6 garbage bags out at the curb for pick up while my father has one. ONE!!! Our next door neighbor is an adorable elderly woman and she usually has two bags of trash at the most. Clearly Jeff and I are much more wasteful.

Curse of the Kissing Cousins by Toni Kelner - really cute mystery. Very modern and with a cute little twist at the end. Easy read and definitely engaging.

There's more - but I'm really enjoying picking up random books - books where I like cover and just pick it up. Books where I read that say, Alice Cooper enjoyed it, and then check it out to read myself. And I don't feel like I've wasted money because - it's a LIBRARY BOOK! I didn't have to pay anything. They are FREE!!! I did, however, stop checking out books for Nathan since he's still so little and I'm scared to death he'll RIP the library book. He's got plenty of books at home to rip to shreds thank you very much! We'll just wait till he's a tiny bit older before taking out library books for his enjoyment! Head to the library my friends - it's definitely the happening place to be.

Christmas Spirit

Yup, Halloween is over and I'm in the Christmas spirit. Now I realize that it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I've already started my shopping. And decorating. I'll take some pictures of our living room because I've got some small decorations out. I don't know where we're putting the tree this year, and I feel wrong putting it up before Thanksgiving, so right now it's just a small selection of decorations to kind of tide me over. And in the spirit of the season I've been looking at different charitable organizations to see where I want to give. I just discovered this one:
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/

but it looks like such a great idea. You take a little shoebox and select the age group of the child and fill the box with presents. I love it and am a little bummed that I just came across this site because shoeboxes are due by the 22nd. Makes sense, but also means I can't be quite as creative as I like. I've already filled a box with toothbrushes and some soap, now I just need to be on the lookout for some other fun goodies.

My other charity is this one:
http://friends-n-neighbors.org/

They were featured on Dateline and I have a few things I want to get them. They're looking for blankets, coats, first aide supplies - and while I can't send a lot, I can send a few things. So I'm starting a box for them as well.

Mainly I'm just feeling very blessed lately. I am working at two great part-time jobs and am able to make my car payment AND help contribute to other home expenses. I'm really getting the hang of this whole "home with Nathan" thing, and I'm feeling a lot more confident in my mommy ability. I'm also really lucky that I have my father living underneath us. I was nervous that it might not work having him so close (let's face it, it could be BAD with a capital B) but so far it's been great. I know Nathan loves having his Grandpa so close, and I enjoy being able to pop downstairs to say hi and chat and just catch up. Never mind the fact that if I need to do something for say, 5-10 minutes, my father has been willing to come upstairs and look after Nathan. Another big plus? Jeff and I have had TWO date nights. TWO! I KNOW.. crazy. We went out to two lovely dinners and chatted and ate yummy food and enjoyed each others' company. It's been a long, long time since we were able to do that and it's thanks to my father that we could. So 2010 has been a good year for us - now if we can only find someone to buy our old house - well life would be golden!

Car

I need to organize my car. Currently there are all sorts of things in it, things that I probably don't need. Like cheerios. My God the number of Cheerios on the floor of my car. I have enough to feed Nathan for the next week! I also have a bag of dry cleaning. A bag of dry cleaning, I hate to admit, that has been sitting on the floor of my car for like, oh, 6 months? Maybe more? But dry cleaning, things that I most likely won't wear anytime soon? I have other things to spend my money on. So the bag sits in my car. I SHOULD admit defeat and just bring the bag in, but I'm lazy, I mean STUBBORN, yes, I'm stubborn and the bag stays. I also have a shopping cart cover (yes, a little cover that goes OVER the shopping cart where Nathan sits. It's to protect him from all the gross germs on the cart and YES I thought it was stupid too until I had a baby and of course had to rush out and buy it because I am a sucker for marketing), I have a fleece blanket since it's winter and I want to make sure Nathan is warm while the car heats up, and I have a million board books that Nathan looks through when I'm driving. It's such a "mom car". What I really NEED, is the following:
An extra pair of gloves
A shovel
A gallon of water
A bottle of windshield defroster
A roll of paper towels
A bag of salt

You know, because it's winter and I should probably be prepared. Meanwhile, when did it get so blasted cold?? My God.. it's COLD out. I had the heat blasting last night and I still burrowed under the covers like some sort of mole person. Which brings me to my next issue. Jeff and I go through this ALL THE TIME. The "Is Nathan too cold or too hot" question. It's on-going. It's endless. It's season less. Since I am cold, beyond cold, at night, I am CONVINCED that Nathan is cold. He's in his fleece jammies every night now, fleece jammies WITH FEET I might add, and he also has a sherpa like blanket that he kicks off or squirms out of. So like a crazy person I run in in the middle of the night and cover him back up. Doesn't matter, he squirms out of it over the next hour. This makes me insane on a level I can't even describe. How do I know if Nathan is cold?? He doesn't understand how to stay UNDER his blanket... and his little hands are so cold in the morning, I just feel awful. How do I keep my precious angel warm???

November

It's National Novel Writing Month and I've written 529 words since yesterday. According to http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node I am a wee bit behind, but it's hard to write and entertain a baby all day long. I also work tonight and am working Thursday so writing time has been difficult. I am DETERMINED though to do this. I CAN do this. I will write my novel in one month! If you want to see what I'm talking about, check out the link above - I've never done it before but I'm thinking this is something I might like to do every year. If possible, that is! Hope everyone else is having a wonderful November!

Lameness

I am such a big baby when Jeff goes out at night that I don't sleep. Jeff says it's negative thinking, and that I set myself up for failure, but I call it "realistic". Jeff goes out = no sleep for Katharine. I am also so incredibly lame that I have my father come upstairs and watch as I let Monty out for his final bathroom trip. You know, in case someone tries to run up the stairs of our deck and break in during the 5 minutes Monty circles the yard before rushing back inside like the lumbering beast he is. To make matters worse, my father is so nice he actually said he would sit in my living room WHILE I SLEPT because I was TOO SCARED TO SLEEP ALONE. Now, that is more than a little sweet of my father because - hey? Who else but a PARENT would indulge the insanity of their child in this way? Never mind that I am 36 years old and my DADDY IS TRYING TO HELP ME SLEEP!! I believe I have reached a new low. Instead I like to lie awake and torture myself with horrible, horrible thoughts. But not until now did I realize I had NOT tortured myself with one horrible, terrible, awful thought. That a demon might be waiting around to take possession of my child. And for this nightmare I would like to give a big THANK YOU to "Paranormal Activity 2"




I have not seen the first movie after hearing "you won't sleep" anytime a friend told me about the storyline. After seeing this preview for the second one, I don't think I'll be breaking down any doors to watch it anytime in the near future. Meaning, never in this lifetime. Now when Nathan screams in the middle of the night I'm not thinking "Oh he dropped his pacifier" or "Oh, his diaper leaked and he has wet jammies", instead I am thinking "Holy crap a demon is trying to possess my child - must run to him NOW". It's not like I don't have an active enough imagination as it is.. now I have to worry about demons?? My only real consolation, and I'm a little embarassed to admit this - I can convince my crazy inner self that demons aren't going to harm my child because if they were.... are you ready? Jay and Grant from "Ghost Hunters" would have already found proof of it somewhere. And since I record each episode of "Ghost Hunters", I know that they have never found proof of a possesion. THAT helps me sleep eventually. Jay and Grant from "Ghost Hunters". Oh, and my Daddy!

Disappointment with cooking

This past Saturday Jeff and I had friends over for dinner. Newlywed friends back from a lovely-sounding honeymoon. (Hi Sage and Don!!). In honor of this momentous occasion I busted out some recipes and attempted to make different dishes for then meal. First up was baked sweet potato and homemade cinnamon butter. Well the cinnamon butter was yummy, but I've never baked sweet potatoes in an oven before and they looked - unappetizing. They didn't taste bad, but I think I made the pieces too small because they were really dried out looking when I finally removed them from the oven. However they WERE edible when smothered in cinnamon butter. My second attempt did NOT go as well. I attempted to make the following cake:

Almost Heaven Cake
Ingredients:1 box yellow cake mix20 ounces can crushed pineapple2 cups cold milk1 (4oz.) box instant vanilla pudding mix8 ounces cream cheese, softened12 ounces Cool Whip
Directions:
Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for 9 x 13 dish. When done, pierce cake with fork. Pour pineapple with juice over cake. Combine milk and pudding mix in bowl. After beating well, blend in cream cheese. Spread over pineapple. Top with Cool Whip. Can garnish with chopped pecans or coconut.

Sounds yummy, right? Well I started the cake late... and as I put the ingredients together for the final steps I missed the key ingredient. Instant vanilla pudding. Instant. I used regular vanilla pudding mix and I think that was an important distinction. Too much pineapple juice, too much milk, nothing solidified. It was one big yellow cake and pineapple mess. Our guests gamely tried a small bite, but trust me. The cake was bad. It looked like it had already been eaten. YUCK! I wound up throwing it out and I was very annoyed with myself. I had picked this particular recipe solely because I had the majority of the ingredients on hand. I was sooo proud of myself for being budget conscious AND creative! Sigh. It was not to be. Better luck next time I suppose!