October, Revisited, Plus November

I'm a woman of my word (or at least I try to be), so when I posted some goals for October I said I'd publicly hold myself accountable. Honestly, this post is probably more for me than anyone else, but I already wrote the whole thing. So here we are:

1. Learn to turn the water main off- Nope! The weird noise went away and I stopped obsessing about my house flooding. I attempted to look at some pictures online for about three minutes, but I got bored.

2. Take Sawyer to do something autumn-ish- Yup! We went to a huge pumpkin patch with some friends, the Homecoming Carnival at my school, and then the fall festival at the place where he used to go to PT. 

3. Make plans to see friends at least once- Yup! I also had to reschedule some things from this month for next month, so I should be out and about quite a bit in November. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm one of those people that needs to interact with others. 

4. Do yoga or Piyo at least twice a week- Sorta! I've been pretty good about going to yoga on Saturdays and I've done Piyo like twice. Better than last month, but still lots of room for improvement, especially if I'm going to run again. 

5. Make a charitable contribution- Yup! A favorite colleague at work is doing a charity run, so I donated some money towards what he needs to raise. 

6. Leave at least 100 blog comments- Probably not! I started off really strong at the beginning of the month, but definitely tapered off as things got crazy. 

7. Make a new playlist- Yup!  I love seeing what other people are listening t, so, for your amusement/judgement:

8. Walk 80,000 steps a week- Yup! I was up around 90,000 once or twice, too. 

9. Hang you with my husband more- Sorta! I decided that every Thursday I'd play videogames (just the silly Lego ones) with him after Sawyer is in bed, but the past two weeks I was tied up. It's not like we don't see each other or anything, but actually putting down our phones/tablets and designating time to hang out is something to work on.

10. Do things to de-stress at work- It's complicated. But I love my students very much and I enjoy what I do. No job is perfect and accepting the things that are hard along with the things that are great will get you far... most days. 

I'd say that October was a much better month than September, although there have been some bad days and a moment or two where I thought someone had knocked me upside the head with a two-by-four out of basically nowhere. But anyway, I do have to say putting things down like this made me prioritize better and just work harder on certain things. And because I was able to do that I felt happier in general. Naturally this must be replicated.

So, things to work on for November:

1. Read five books- I haven't been reading quite as much as I'd like lately (do we ever, though?).

2. Eat at a new restaurant- We used to do this once a month. Then the child happened; there's no reason we can't still. 

3. Less Diet Coke, more water- Nooooooooooooooooooooooo. But yes. 

4. Make a new recipe a week- I'm in a cooking rut. I try to cook five nights a week, so this has made meal time a bit of a chore.

5. Start (lightly) training- While I'm not going to go balls-to-the-wall on half marathon training it's would be a joke to assume that I'd go in without some sort of base mileage. I want to be that person, who just goes for it, but I'm not.

5. Blog 17 times- I just pulled that number out of my ass, but ever since this school year started my posting has suffered a little bit.

6. Really try to finish NaNoWriMo- Who the hell knows what will happen.

7. Find some sort of not-lame Christmas craft to make- I don't have a ton of Christmas decorations, but I tend to think simple, homemade ones are the nicest. This will unfortunately mean a trip to Michael's, which will take a year or two off my life.

8. Reevaluate my fall/winter wardrobe- Last year I was trying to finish losing pregnancy weight and the year before that I was actually pregnant, so I'm frustrated with my closet. It won't exactly be freezing here, but I do need things and to get rid of those articles of clothing I won't wear anymore. 

9. Go out without Sawyer- We're long overdue for a night out without the little munchkin. My birthday is this month, Scott's is next, and our anniversary is next week, so maybe we can lump it all into a night out in the next few weeks. 

10. Throw out or store a bag of junk a week- I'm a minimalist and with the holidays approaching it's time to downsize. 

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

Hey. What's up? Link up, link back, say hello.

1. I just met with a solar panel company rep for the last hour and holy heck, SIGN ME UP! Fine, it's not quite the "you can run your air at 65 degree all day, every day" party that I thought it was going to be, but still, long term it's good. And after everything is said and done it's not going to cost us anything upfront... I'd rather be paying a smaller, more local solar panel company than the ginormous asshats at Southern California Edison.

2. Sometimes I wonder what the daycare lady and physical therapists think of my mothering capabilities...

3. An old student/friend bought me a twelve-pack Diet Coke last week, and a current kid brought me a terrarium filled with succulents a few days ago. They either like me or are terrified that I'm about to self-combust and are trying to bring me back to normal.

4. I'm currently reading The Language of Miracles by Rajia Hassib, a story about an Egyptian-American family that must deal with their place in the community after their son and neighbor die. It's good, but there's something lacking I can't quite put my finger on yet. I think it's slightly unnatural dialogue? I'm not sure. It's a puzzle.

5. Sawyer, at 4:55 this morning when I was trying to get him back to sleep so I could get ready in peace, he fell asleep and just started saying the only he word he can, "ball," over and over again. If it wasn't so early it would have been cuter, but now, fully caffeinated, it is. 

6. I need to make these asap. Nilla Wafers, peanut butter, and chocolate? Can it get any better?

7. I think, as a society, we have got to start thinking about HOW we address social issues, whether gun control, race, immigration, abortion or whatever. Who is our audience? What will push them away? What will confuse them? What will offend them? People, I think, are rebellious by nature, so if you try to attack them, even with the best intentions, it will cause them to do the opposite of what you want. I mean, not to compare apples and oranges, but the cashiers at Target tried to push the Red Card on my for years, but I resisted (despite it being great), because I found their tactics annoying. And, in case you need more evidence, I have a toddler. And I work with teenagers all day. 

8. So, if you've read by blog religiously over the past few months (because, you know, who hasn't?), you'll know that there's weird noise coming from the water main or water softener in our garage. It's been completely for a few weeks, but then it came back for a few a little while last night (and it's not the nightly softener recharge). It's like The Telltale Heart. It's driving me absolutely insane. I know it's not a leak, because our bill hasn't increased, but still. What is it? WHAT IS IT??????

9. I've started accepting the fact that I will probably never run a half marathon again. My foot is simply not getting any better, and never will, unless semi-drastic measures are taken. And now I have an aggravated toe issue on the opposite foot. I'm basically okay with this realization, but after running twelve, and the hobby being such a huge part of my life for a few years, it's a little unsettling. Luckily there are other ways I enjoy staying in shape. 

10. This article on reading to kids is a nice blend of reinforcement and science. 

What the Hell?

There have been several "what the hell?" moments in my life lately, and I just need to get them out there. I'm not a complainer but have done my fair-share of listening to people bitch and moan over the years, so I'm just returning the favor to the universe here for a hot-second. I understand that it could be much worse, as I am not dying of cancer, walking uphill for water to carry back on my head, or a recovering homeless drug addict, but here I am running my mouth. Indulge me. 

1. There is a weird water running sort of noise that comes up in our home every so often (maybe once or twice a year?). It makes me super paranoid, as I imagine something crazy happening in our pipes that will result in massive amounts of repairs being required. I spent several minutes going over our past water bills and saw no increases during the times that I remember matching up with this noise before. I don't want to call a repair man, but if it goes on for more than like a week I may have to. 

2. I've been going to Starbucks a little more often that I should this summer, but I refuse to give up my Sunday morning coffee-run. I go alone, before I grocery shop, and it's become a nice ritual that lets me sit, uninterrupted. When school is in session this is even more sacred, as I need the short break even more, not to mention the caffeine (their coffee always seems to have more than what I brew at home). Anyway, my local Starbucks is closed for renovations... for the second Sunday in a row. It makes me very angry.

3. We're sort of on the cusp of toddler-eating pickiness- I can feel it. Sawyer used to eat any sort of chicken, but lately it has to be of the nugget variety. Anyway, I thought I did a good job making sure he's consuming enough healthy calories and that he's not eating junk food. Recently, someone made me feel really insecure about what I feed him and now I'm second-guessing it at every meal and when I'm buying him things at the store. And I typically couldn't care less about what this person says, which makes the whole thing even more aggravating.

4. It has been super humid and rainy for the last twenty-four hours here in Southern California- I don't remember the last time we had this sort of weather in July. It's great, because of the drought, but puzzling. And all the talk about El Nino? 

5. I have a horrible fear of earthquakes- I can face steep heights, hairy spiders, or freakish clowns, but even thinking quakes makes my anxiety heighten considerably. The other day our  annual homeowner's policy came in the mail, and, like every other year, the information about adding a supplemental earthquake policy came with it. I reviewed it and decided that an $80,000 deductible and and extra $1,000 annual premium was probably a poor financial move. And then an article came out in the New Yorker about some plate or fault or something in the Pacific that will basically demolish the West Coast WHEN it decides to shift. We're all going to die. I guess #1 on my list shouldn't matter, since my house is going to be reduced to rubble. 

6. Gas prices are absurd. Ridiculous. Infuriating. I just paid $4.39/gallon the other day. Apparently Southern California is being punished for some local refinery issues. And I have some driving to do the next few weeks. Also, an interesting, broad, observation: the more liberal the state, the higher the price at the pump (not 100% true, I know). I guess it's the price I pay to live with my people. 

7. In case you can't tell, I'm fiscally conservative when it comes to personal finance. Somehow, though, I got swooped up in the Nordstrom's Semi-Annual sale and bought a really expensive pair of boots that I've been eyeing for a logn time but had decided to hold off on, considering several unexpected expenses this summer. They're so expensive I'm not sure how I'll react the first time they get scuffed or it rains when I wear them. Is it weird to cry over boots? Nonetheless, where did this irresponsible spending come from? I was on the treadmill.... Sawyer was happily playing... Scott was at work... I had my Cheerios and coffee for breakfast... and then BAM! Into the cart, out comes the credit card. Yes, they were nearly half-priced, but still, so much. This is not like me. I am not a woman that spends money on footwear.  

8. Sawyer really enjoyed playing with the Thomas the Train Engine Track at Barnes and Noble, so I was thinking about buying him just a little train. The stupid little things are like ten bucks. I think not.

9. I feel like I've gotten absolutely nothing accomplished during summer break so far, and I only have three weeks left. That's probably the hardest of all of these to swallow. My husband suggested that I lower my expectations. I flipped him off. It's time to break out the big guns, I guess. That's right. A revised to-do list. 

10. I'm still stuck on my dental issues. I take such damn good care of my teeth and every time I eat something or bite down these two mother-effing temporary crowns remind me of the thousand dollar bill I have with the dentist and punishment for frequent brushing, flossing, and mouth-wash swishing. 

I feel much better, now. No joke.

Make me feel better. Any "what the hell?" moments for you lately? 

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

Link up, link back. Also, how the hell is it already Wednesday, again? Why is summer break flying by? Why does it feel like I'm getting nothing accomplished? 

1. I got my phone upgraded last week and now have four times the space, so I had no excuse for not re-downloading the app I use for counting calories. I'd like to lose 5-10 lbs and counting calories has been the only way I've ever been able to successfully lose weight, unless you count pushing a human out of me (and we're not going there). I've mentioned before that I'm driven by numbers, so between my Fitbit and this, I really am disturbingly happy punching in stats into my phone periodically throughout the day. On the other hand, it's sort of sad wake-up call.

2. Last Friday my husband had the day off for the holiday weekend, so we dropped the kid off at daycare for a few hours and went to a movie and lunch. We saw Inside Out, the newest Pixar movie, and it was really good. I imagine it would be a really great opportunity to talk to your kids about some pretty deep, emotional stuff. And now I have a new way of rationalizing my crazy side.

3. I made these and they're delicious (I multiplied the dough part by 1.5 to get a thicker cookie base, though, and added a lot more of the topping):

4. I just started a review copy I received of Celeste Ng's Everything I Never Told You and while it's very good, it's a serious downer. Now that I am a parent I read things about losing children, no matter how old they are, differently. Prior to having Sawyer I was still sympathetic, but now when I read about parents dealing with horrible things happening to their kids I have to really work hard to not let my mind go to dark places, which is something I have trouble with sometimes anyway. Nonetheless, I'm thirty pages in and I can see why people were so complimentary.

5. I ate prosciutto the other night, which was kind of a big deal for me because I typically don't eat pork. But I wanted to make these cute little skewers and decided to just roll with it. After a bite or two I was over it and I've totally met my pork intake for the next year. I'm a sucker for appetizers for dinner: 

6. This came in the mail for me last week....

7. We have been racking up miles and miles this summer on walks. We go every single morning and sometimes I go again with the dogs after Sawyer is in bed. It's hard to stay inside when we're having such amazing weather... for now. Any day now our 80 degree highs are going to be swapped out with 105. 

8. I think I finished my little hallway gallery wall... or did I? When I started this a looooong time ago I envisioned shelves overflowing with black framed prints in a variety of sizes and colors. Maybe I'll take another year, or three, to decide. 

9. It's the little things: balsamic glaze at Trader Joes. I typically make my own reduction, which is fine, but if you aren't careful it can be easy to burn. Problem solved.

10. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: obligation ruins things for me. If you want to make me rebel or drag my feet just simply that I "have to" do something, or imply the same thing. Even if it's not a big deal, it's just how I am. 

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

Hello and happy Wednesday! Link up, link back, say hi!

1. I have had the worst luck lately. A few weeks ago I severely cracked the screen on my phone (I've had an iPhone since the first one came out and I've never done that before!), which was extremely painful since I'm up for renewal on July first. Then, a week and a half ago I was pulling out of the garage, which I've done thousands of times before, and I hit the passenger mirror, destroying the mirror and the mechanism inside that adjusts it from the driver's seat. Yesterday, right after paying a small fortune to have that replaced, I thought I dropped an eye shadow container from my Naked Palette down the sink. The plumber was just out and reenacted how this was physically impossible. I really hope I now stop doing stupid shit that I can't blame anyone else for.

2. I love having time off, but I remembered the other day why I tend to over-extend myself: so I have less time to think. I'm a pessimistic over-thinker and being home all day with a little one who has been rocking the naps lately leaves me time to ponder everything that can go wrong within my universe. I probably should stop being so cheap and stingy with my time and go to a therapist. Can you go for like a month and just be like, "Here is all my shit, tell me how to fix it, okay, bye!"? Is it like yoga? Can you just by a pass? Ha.

[source]

3. Yesterday Sawyer and I went to swim lessons and it wasn't quite the blast I hoped it would be, for him. He complained for the first twenty minutes when they did the activities and full on cried when the instructor tried to swim with him. He did love the last ten minutes when they just got to play and sing his favorite song, "The Wheels on the Bus." By the way, why was there so much singing? Why did almost every activity have a song? WHY?

4. I'm currently reading yet another restaurant-related book, Back of the House by Scott Haas, which is a slightly different take than most. Haas is looking at the staff and owner-chef in a more psychoanalytical way, which is really fascinating.

5. My nacho skills are on point, if I do say so myself:

6. Last night I stayed up until midnight, which is late considering my super early wake up call, finishing Sawyer's baby book. The company I used was offering 40% off, and then an additional 20%, which ended up taking my $300+ book down to right around $150 (by the way, 40% off plus 20% is not 60% off, which I knew, but I think is a common mistake). It ended up at just over 150 pages, which is slightly ridiculous, but I really don't care. 

7. Next time my husband and I are fighting I'm going to strategically throw in quotes from Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood," if I remember. "Oh, you're sorry? Well guess what? 'Bandaids don't fix bullet holes. You say sorry, just for show...'" He supposedly doesn't read this, so he shouldn't get it. The album version is so much better than the one for the video. 

8. An old friend from high school started a company called Get Outfitted, which allows people to rent ski gear, via mail, which is pretty smart, especially for kids. They just added a camping component, which I think is genius. We tent camped some when I was young, and I have really good memories of it. Now, as an adult I'm not particularly gung-ho about dealing with all that when I could just stay at a hotel(electricity! room service! hot water! valet!), but I do want to take Sawyer at least once. I was just looking at the site and saw I could rent a tent, sleeping bags, and sleeping mats for three days for less than $150. And no, they didn't ask me to post this, I just really love the idea! 

9. Props to Old Navy- I'm really loving their current line of workout wear. A lot of my stuff is stretched out from pregnancy, so I'm slowly trying to replace it. They had cute running shorts on sale for $9 and I think their yoga capris were somewhere around $20. I've slacked off a little the last few days and have only been walking with Sawyer, so I'm hoping this will help me get back on track (yoga tomorrow!).

10. Can't wait to dive into this: 

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Sixty Things to Do in Ten Minutes or Less

So last week, when I was feeling overwhelmed and tired and like everything was going to shit, I sat down and made a list of things I can do to feel productive in ten minutes. Ten minutes, most of the time, is pretty easy to come by on an afternoon or early evening (sometimes more than once). For me that might mean when Sawyer is happily playing alone, when he's content in his highchair stuffing his face with Cheerios, or when my husband is home and they're spending some time together. I realized that doing a few small tasks during the day like that made me feel a ton better, as opposed to just wasting that time. The list grew and grew and grew and I decided that I might as well stick it up here just in case someone else can benefit or add to it. Rest assured, this is not going to become a Lifestyle/DYI/Martha Stewart-esque sort of blog. Please.

(I apologize if the formatting is weird; I copy and pasted from a word doc)

 

Cleaning/Organizing

1.     Empty wastebaskets

2.     Toss five things from fridge, freezer, or pantry

3.     Fold a load of laundry

4.     Unload the dishwasher

5.     Unsubscribe from a few emails

6.     Use granite wipes on counters, stainless steel wipes on appliances

7.     Take an armload of things from downstairs and take upstairs (and put said things away)

8.     Scrub the three toilets

9.     Sort mail into file/toss bins

10.  Fold plastic bags (see link)

11.  Spot clean carpet in one room

12.  Clean out purse/work bag/diaper bag

13.  Delete pictures or unused apps from phone or tablet

14.  Drop off bag of junk at Goodwill

15.  Clean out one drawer of clothing

16.  Replace dead light bulbs

17.  Clean corners with duster (or whatever its called)

18.  Vacuum the stairs

19.  Hand wash a few items that need it

20.  Throw away expired medicines

21.  Straighten up a closet

22.  Throw away old makeup

23.  Wash baby bottles

Family

24.  Read a book or two to the baby

25.  Buy stamps to keep on hand

26.  Play fetch with the dogs out back

27.  Plan meals for the next week

28.  Brush dogs

29.  Play a round or two of Mario Kart with husband

30.  Prep healthy snacks (hard boil eggs, chop some fruit, etc…)

31.  Write a quick card to an older relative

32.  Sit down and play with baby, totally uninterrupted

33.  Pay a bill

34.  Order a gift for someone’s upcoming birthday

35.  Pick up/drop off dry cleaning

36.  Get gas (and clean out any trash laying around in car)

37.  Skim family budget and accounts to verify everything is where it should be

Self

38.  Accessorize (seriously- who doesn't feel better with some jewelry on?)

39.  Slap a coat of clean nail polish on pedicure

40.  Read and comment on a blog or two

41.  Schedule  an appointment that in the future, but not too far away

42.  Floss

43.  Planks

44.  Walk around the block

45.  Text an old friend hello to see how he/she is

46.  Make the next day’s lunch

47.  Drink a glass of water

48.  Skim news headlines and read an article of two

49.  Prep the next day’s clothes, items to take to work, etc…

50.  Sun salutations

51.  Make a $10 donation to a charity

52.  Read a few pages

53.  Make plans with a friend (or husband)

54.  Download a few podcasts or an audiobook for the commute

55.  Write in journal

56.  Back up phone or computer

Work (while at home)

57.  Grade three essays

58.  Reply to emails

59.  Review upcoming lesson plans

60.  Plan essay topics