Bracketology

Breakfast (last Thursday) ...

 ... and lunch.

Still kicking

I'm just posting to prove I still remember how.  Things have been c-r-a-z-y since we moved, but in a good way. I don't like the heavy lifting of moving, but none of that was my responsibility (and it was done in one long day anyway). The past three weeks have been full of unpacking and organizing and decorating and that part I love. The downstairs was pretty straight within a few days but the upstairs is another story. There aren't enough hours in the day!

I'll be back to blogging soon. The stack of boxes is waning, and so is my enthusiasm for dealing with them. This weekend everything that's still boxed goes in the attic -- if we've gone this long without it, it can't be that important. Right?

In which I sound like an old lady

A few weeks ago I finally became apparently one of the last people in America to get a smartphone. My old cell phone was only two years old and the woman who helped me set up the new one at Best Buy literally laughed at me for still using it. Seriously?

I was fine with the old one, but the amazing camera and video on these new ones is what convinced me to go ahead and upgrade, since I was eligible. The day after I did it our babysitter's Facebook status informed the world that her 75-year-old grandmother had just gotten an iPhone. I always roll my eyes at Matt when he calls us old, but sometimes I'm forced to wonder.

Here's another example: I still primarily use the first email address I ever had, the Hotmail one I've had since I was a freshman in college -- so since 1997. (So does Matt.) If you're shrugging your shoulders, you're old too.

I don't get it. Hotmail works fine, that email address is my login for numerous websites, everyone I know already has this address, etc. Why would I switch to Gmail just because all the cool kids are doing it? But I keep getting comments along the lines of "Feel free to join the 21st century."

Kara: "Also, let me say that it is very retro of you to still be sporting the Hotmail account."
Me: "WHY is everyone hating on my Hotmail lately?"
Kara: "Haha...it is kind of like virtually showing up to a party with a boom box on your shoulder."

When I mentioned this to Matt he told me he'd just read an article that claimed if you still use Hotmail you're more or less presenting yourself to the world as a dirty old man.

As a concession I did get a Gmail account along with the smartphone (so did Matt), but I'm not thrilled about switching to it because of the aforementioned inconveniences. This week I'm consumed with the details of moving, but I probably will cave and shift to Gmail once things slow down. If anyone feels led to encourage or discourage this, please state your case.

How to put off packing

I have started about a dozen posts in my head in the past two weeks but I never seem to make time to sit down and actually write them. Things have been crazy, mainly just with finishing up the house -- we're supposed to move on Saturday -- and I should definitely be packing right now, but procrastination's kind of my thing, so here we are.

The hoopla over Valentine's Day never ceases to annoy me (who in the world do those Kay's commercials work on?) but, as usual, ours was lovely. We have celebrated 16 or 17 of them together now and Matt well knows that overpriced flowers are NOT my thing. Even though I honestly have no expectations for the day, he always seems to do a little something to make it special. This year we grilled steaks and ate them with homemade potato chips. On his way home from work Matt also swung by the grocery store for chocolate-mousse ingredients and some other goodies.

Matt: "I was wondering if I'd get some looks from cashiers, buying flowers, champagne and whipped cream."
Me: "Haha! So did you?"
Matt: "I did self-checkout."

Unrelated: The new house is looking so fantastic. I don't usually get attached to houses, for obvious reasons, but this one is something special. I keep taking pictures but none of them have made it to the blog because by the time I get them off my camera they're already outdated. I will most definitely get some good ones in the next couple of weeks and post them here. Here are some pictures of the two vintage chandeliers I painted:

Office: Before

After

Breakfast nook: Before



After

 I LOVE how they turned out. My only regret is that the green chandelier, now that it's hanging in the house, really seems to bring out the green in the walls, and it's a little too much. So it's probably going to get a third life as yellow or blue, eventually. But that is waaaay down my list of priorities. Overall I'm thrilled with how much color we have in this house. We may have to tone it down some when we sell it, but right now there's no beige anywhere, and that's the way I want it.

More from Claire

On my salad: "What kind of leaves are in your bowl?"

While watching people work out through a glass wall at the gym: "Is that real or is it a picture?" I really liked this one because it reminded me of one of my earliest memories: watching "Sesame Street" and wondering if I'd be able to touch Big Bird if I could somehow break through the screen. Fortunately, I didn't try.

On Evan crying upon waking up from a nap: "Evan doesn't know how to climb out of his crib?"

When I referred to an acquaintance as "Heather": "No, her name is 'Isaac's mom.'"

While driving past the Pinehurst water tower: "I wish I could climb Pinehurst." "'Climb Pinehurst'? You mean the water tower?" "Yep."

"Please can I have a brownie? I love you so much."

"What shall we have for snack?" (Probably thanks to the song we all have stuck in our heads, "There's a Hole in My Bucket." The third verse begins, "With what shall I fix it ...")

Cat carrier = vet box

Tongs = snatcher

Peeling an apple = unwrapping an apple

Parking spot = car hole

Photo catch-up

 

 

A day in the life

This post was inspired by Amanda, who documented her day yesterday. Like her, I'm always curious how other moms spend their days. And like her, I often get to the end of a day and wonder, Where did the time go?'

Yesterday was a pretty typical Monday for us. We don't always have lunch with Matt, and we don't always go to the gym. Sometimes we spice things up with trip to the grocery store or the library, and when we get May weather in January, as we did recently, we've been known to throw all our plans out the window and spend two hours at the park. In the evenings, I'm much more likely to read than to spray paint a chandelier.

I'd love to hear about a day in your life too -- leave me a comment if you blog about it!

Early morning, 6:45ish. Claire wakes up, calling for Matt. Score. I stay in bed until Evan wakes up about 30 minutes later. He and I join Claire and Matt downstairs. Bagels and coffee for breakfast. Matt takes a shower and I clean up from breakfast.

8:30ish: Matt goes to work. I get the kids dressed. I put on music and pile up couch cushions and throw pillows on the living room floor and the kids have a dance/jumping party while I knock out some laundry. We all go upstairs while I take a shower. Claire washes her hands at the sink the entire time. Evan rifles through the cabinets and tries to throw anything he finds into the shower the entire time. I get dressed. Matt stops by to pick up light fixtures and take them to the new house for installation. The kids play in the garage while he and I load his car.

10ish: The kids and I go back upstairs. They entertain themselves with a jar of buttons, a spinning desk chair, a flashlight, a fire truck and a calculator while I put up Evan's clean laundry, stuff inserts into a stack of clean cloth diapers, make our bed, sweep our bedroom and, because they're so happily occupied, even dust -- a rare occurence for the upstairs.

Late morning: Everyone's antsy. We all eat some string cheese. It's cold and a little wet outside. The kids don't care, so I bundle them up and let them loose in the back yard. I reply to a few emails and vacuum the downstairs rugs. The kids come back in. I call Matt to see if he wants to meet us for lunch. He does.

Noonish: The kids and I get to Chick-fil-A a few minutes early so they can play. Another mom and I referee a bunch of older kids that don't belong to us. Matt arrives and we eat.

1ish: Matt's back at work and the kids and I are back home. They play outside for a few minutes while I unload and then reload the dishwasher.

1:15ish: I put Evan down for a nap. I paint Claire's toenails and fingernails with three slightly different shades of hot pink, all topped with sparkly clear polish. We read two books while it dries and then she goes down for a nap too.

1:45ish: I sit down at the computer and send a flurry of emails. I edit one story. An email comes in saying my March Madness story has been moved to the cover and asking if I can double its length by Friday. I confirm that I can do this and start working on it.

3:15ish: Claire wakes up, and a few minutes later so does Evan. We sit on the kitchen floor and have graham crackers and juice. Then we pack up and go to the gym early so we can play on the greenway trail for a little while before our gym appointment.

4:30: I drop the kids off in the gym nursery and run on the greenway.

5:30: I pick the kids up and we stop by Mom and Dad's house to get the ham Granny saved us from Sunday lunch. When we get home, Matt's home. We all hang out for a while, then the kids eat leftover mac and cheese and Matt's should-be-famous chicken salad for dinner. If we hadn't had leftovers, this is the point at which I would have started thinking about what to cook for dinner. Meal planning is a major weakness of mine.

7ish: I put Evan to bed. Matt puts Claire to bed about 30 minutes later, then he and I eat dinner -- also chicken salad sandwiches. We clean up the kitchen and the dining room. Again.

8ish: I decide it's high time I spray painted one of the antique chandeliers for the new house. I open windows and spread out sheets and cardboard in the breakfast nook. I do three coats of green, joining Matt on the couch to work on March Madness between coats.

10ish: I realize I never took a shower after running, so I do that. Then I go back downstairs to hang out with Matt.

11ish: Bedtime.