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?