Weekend Update

Monday Eve. Sigh. Here's the thing about Sunday night: it sucks if you had a great weekend and it sucks if you had a bad weekend. Either you don't want it to end or you want a do-over. Luckily for me, it was a good one (and oh-so-tiring... I need an extra day to sleep).

Friday right after work my mom came in from Modesto. Sawyer hadn't seen her since July and I was worried he might be confused since his other Grandma has been watching him for a few hours every Monday while I teach a late class. The fact that this other lady we also called "Grandma" showed up at his door didn't phase him at all- he probably just thinks all ladies over fifty that let him boss them around can be called "grandma" now. We grabbed some pizza for dinner and then went to the homecoming game at the high school where I work for a few hours.

["Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can't lose."]

I think it's really important for teachers to stop by activities like this once in awhile with their families- it humanizes us and shows that we are willing to spend some of our personal time supporting our school and students. Sawyer had a fabulous time watching the the game, the band, the students, and the class floats at half time. We were up by almost thirty points when we left at half-time, so that was a nice note to leave on.

Saturday morning the three of us, plus my husband, made the forty-five minute drive to Peltzer Farm in Temecula for their pumpkins and fall activities. We were going to go apple picking, but it's a little late in the season for a drought-ridden California, so this ended up being perfect. This farm wasn't huge, but it also was much bigger than the smaller places near our house. Sawyer was able to ride a pony, spend a ton of time in a petting zoo that had baby goats, see some tractors, watch pig races (M.C. HAMmer was a winner), and pick out pumpkins They also had an ice cream truck, which was much appreciated because it was nearly 90 degrees by the time we left at 11. My younger brother and his girlfriend met us there as well, so it was a mini-family get together, minus my two sisters. 

Today was so much fun, too. My mom, Sawyer, and I met my friend who I have been friends with for like 25 years down at Back Bay Loop in Newport Beach to walk six miles (well, I pushed Sawyer in his chariot while he ate trail mix). It was definitely a good work out and I am so very, very happy to report that my toes cooperated the ENTIRE time. This gives me so much hope for the future... Anyway, after we walked we had lunch and then grabbed some cupcakes from Sprinkles. We came home and I realized that after 2.5 busy days after a crazy week and several nights of meh sleep that I was on the verge of collapse. So I did what any other person would do- I chugged Diet Coke and coffee, said good bye to my mom, and cried in the laundry room (for like ten seconds, and then I pulled my big-girl pants out of the dryer and cleaned the house, played with my kid, did laundry, watched the debate, made dinner, and did school work. BAM! YAWN! PASS OUT!)

Hope everyone is ready for Monday. 

Labor Day Weekend

 Oh, what a difference a ten-fifteen temperature drop makes, as well as an extra day off. This weekend has seriously been the best. Like, nearing perfection, so obviously I need to commemorate the greatness. 

There have been friends- Sawyer and I met up with a good friend for breakfast and park time in Claremont, which is just the cutest little city. I also got to visit with another friend later that day and made some plans to meet up with people soon. Sometimes I'm envious of people who are content being hermits, but I like to maintain my friendships and be out and about at least most weekends every month.

There has been family time- the three of us walked around the duck pond, went to the park, ran some errands, and have just generally hung out. Sawyer is learning how to play hide-and-go-seek, which is hilarious, and his sticker obsession is still going strong. Scott and I finally finished the last episode of the last season of Mad Men, too. 

There has been so much outside time- Three different parks, the duck pond, two dog walks, three Sawyer walks, and some time in the backyard. This weather makes me so very happy.

There has been food- I am on an acai bowl kick right now and had two just this weekend. They're just so good! I also finally got the bagel I've been craving for days (I can't keep them in the house, or I'll eat one a day...), baked some chocolate-chip caramel bars for us and my sister-in-law's family with Sawyer, and have consumed gallons of coffee. There also might have been a milkshake for dinner Friday night... Plus some chicken parm and these delicious flat-bread sandwiches I've concocted. Oh, and possibly a tiny bit of wine at some point... Do you see why I work out so much now? 

There has been exercise- The walks I mentioned, plus a forty minute treadmill jog/incline walk/sprinting interval workout, and yoga. And my "do planks every day" goal is going strong. The more I work out the happier I am. 

There has been time to myself- Reading during Sawyer's nap, work outs, and even a pedicure. I was able to get through almost two-hundred pages of the Donna Tartt book I'm reading, and started I Am Malala, too, since I need something I can read in smaller bursts when things are hectic. And, the crowning glory of it all, I even went to Target alone. Sawyer is great in stores, but it's good to not have to deal with the car seat sometimes. 

There has been domestic and work productivity- Blah blah blah.

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! How many days until the next holiday? 

Weekend Update

Oh man, the Sunday night blues are legit. The weekend was good and the work week seems long. In reality, soon it will be Thursday night and I'll be wondering where the time went and why I didn't get enough done. 

Yesterday my friend and I went to Downtown LA and spent so much money at Bottega Louie that I'm not sure whether or not to be amused or embarrassed. We had to wait for a table for lunch and just started buying boxes of macaroons, tarts, and beignets from the counter. Then we had cocktails, food, and dessert. When the bill for our meal came we just laughed. The place is just so cute and we don't together nearly often enough, so we figured it all averaged out. After we walked back to Grand Park to check out this little book festival, which was right across the street from the Walt Disney Music Hall. We also went by the new art museum The Broad, which had a line down the street for same day tickets- I plan to go back this summer and will definitely reserve in advance. We hadn't seen each other since February, so it was so great to catch up without having to corral kids while doing so.

Today, Mother's Day, has been pretty low key. Sawyer and I went to get coffee and grocery shop, and this afternoon we played some soccer (I use that term very loosely) at the park and then to walk around the duck pond near by. My not-so-secret hope is that he is exhausted and sleeps until I wake him in the morning, which hasn't been happening as often as I'd prefer lately. The last few weeks I've been dragging big time. 

On a side note, we've finally stared the last season of Mad Man and I hate the clothes so much. The seventies were ugly. I've also been reading The Regional Office is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales and while it's way out of my normal reading ballpark, it's been a fun, quick read that will probably be on my beach reads list here in the next few weeks (note to self: write this post). 

Have a good week, folks! 

A Tardy Weekend Update (Sawyer Turns Two!)

Sawyer turned two yesterday and instead of a party we took him to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. I had never been and while I thought it was neat, I won't be in a huge rush to go back. He enjoyed it, though! We went through the place in maybe ninety minutes, which doesn't really justify the hour drive frequently. But I'm glad we went once! 

We of course did the whole cake and present thing. Now I need to to the whole clean out the old toys thing.

Sunday the kid and I drove down to Carlsbad to see the Flower Fields. I have never been in the middle of the afternoon and it was horrible to find parking (like to the point where I almost turned right around and drove the ninety minutes home). Once we were able to get a spot we took a tractor ride around the property, which Sawyer was convinced was the only purpose of going to the place in the first place. Once he accepted that it was in fact not, and mommy wanted to walk around and buy flowers, he had a blast. 

[ranunculus for days]

I met an older couple on the infamous tractor ride that for once agreed with my sentiments about kids getting older. They were going on and on about how much fun it is to watch your child grow up, instead of lamenting past stages. I find each age more fun than the one before, and while I did love my squishy little ball of baby Sawyer chub, along with his gummy smile, I much prefer having a toddler. I'm excited for him to grow up and do cool things with me that I haven't been able to make anyone else do, like go to the Smithsonian, hike around Yellowstone, visit the Grand Canyon, and whatever else I'm able to persuade him into doing. Plus it'll be exciting to see where his interests lie and to have actual two-sided conversations with him.

Not that having a toddler is always a walk in the park. He can be a picky eater, an inconsistent sleeper (still! He was doing really well for the past few weeks, but birthday weekend has apparently disrupted his schedule), and feisty as hell. But nothing that working with teenagers hasn't prepared me for! 

Happy birthday, kid. You're the best. 

Weekend Update

I'm not necessarily vowing to make these a regular thing, but it is admittedly kind of a nice way to end the weekend and determine how the hell I actually spent my time. I swear, every Sunday night I'm baffled by how, well, how it's already Sunday night. So, here we are.

Yesterday I was up at 4:55, thanks to a certain little somebody who is trying to make me as miserable as humanly possible, and then the rest of the day was spent at work holding a practice exam, and then keeping Sawyer entertained with the sprinklers and park.

Today was pretty much constant activity, between meeting a friend for four miles this morning, braving Costco/Trader Joe's/Target with the church crowd, and walking the dogs. I did sneak away for an hour by the pool though, which makes me that much more impatient for summer. 

The only thing making Monday tolerable is the 17,000 calorie Costco muffins I bought for the first time ever. And rumor has it that most of the senior class will be calling in sick tomorrow... tis the season. I don't even remember my senior ditch day! If I wasn't so overworked I'd reenact it tomorrow since I'll be down to only two classes. If only.

Weekend Update: This is What Boring Looks Like

... and I may never make plans again.

Who am I kidding? This is definitely not true. I am notoriously overextended when it comes to weekends, but most of the time this makes me the happiest. I have to have things to look forward to, opportunities to see friends, and the chance to get out of my house, or even zip code. Let's just say I become a huge pain in the ass for myself and others if I don't. 

That being said, this weekend I canceled our plans on the basis of possible inclement weather and the gut feeling that I should just lay low. And so we did, and it was perfect. I was able to feel productive in most areas of my life which is a rarity these days. My husband got up with our little early bird on Saturday which meant I slept in until 8:30, which was a Christmas miracle. I graded papers, read blogs and commented on them (for once), played with Sawyer, walked the dogs, cleaned the house, ran errands, watched Room with Scott (I cried during half of it; having a kid now makes the whole story so much harder for me, plus maybe my beverage of choice made me sappier? Who knows... I'm a movie crier no matter what), did some yoga, and read about a third of Claire Messud's The Woman Upstairs (loving it). 

These are admittedly super boring, mundane, typical tasks for most people, I know. But the idea of not having to rush out the door was really nice. I was also able to spend over half the time in sweatpants with my hair piled on my head, which is an obvious win. 

And while I think getting Sawyer out in the world and experiencing things is incredibly important, so is the feeling of being cooped up and even bored at home sometimes. It's a rite of passage to have to wander around your house and figure out how to entertain yourself! We colored, read many stories, lined up his cars seven million times, went out on three or four walks when it wasn't raining, and busted out the bathtub markers (why did I not have these when I was a kid?). 

I decided I wanted to pick up a few Don DeLillo books from Barnes and Noble, so we made quick stop. I made the poor kid go to the bookstore, Ulta, Anthropologie, Bath and Body Works, Starbucks, and the bakery in a 90 minute window. He took it like a champ, so he may have gotten his first Thomas train ever, which he insisted on holding for the rest of the night. By the way, do parents just sell their kidneys for the tables and all the trains that you need for it? Jesus (prediction: I will eat my words in the next year or so... hello dialysis). 

[I promise, he doesn't have three noses, I just keep his face off the blog]

I finished up today with my first attempt at a lemon meringue pie, and while I was worried about the meringue setting up right it ended up being the custard I wasn't thrilled with, which was irritating because I've made custard many times before. I blame Alton Brown and his crappy recipe (he's kind of douchey, in general, right? A smart guy, but still, I got an ass-hat vibe from his podcast).

So, yes, my weekend was incredibly boring, but knowing that I'm back to status quo starting next week made me so appreciative. 

Have a good week, guys!  

Weekend Update

This weekend was was one of those weekends where you finally sit down on Sunday night and completely baffled by where the past forty-eight hours have gone. It was very... full. 

There was a tax appointment and a vet appointment. A husband that had to go into work for an extra seven hours on a Saturday. Laundry to wash and fold. Dresses to be hand washed (stop buying those ones, Christine!). A house to be cleaned. A toddler that slept through the night... but a poor teacher-mom that was up late grading papers and didn't reap the benefits. And the papers? Hundreds were graded and hundreds remain. The dent is negligible. There were meals planned, groceries bought, alarm batteries changed out. Prescriptions picked up, mail mailed, and food cooked. Cliffs Notes version: adulting aplenty. 

And coffee? There was coffee consumed. In excess.

But, there was fun to be had. Sidewalk chalk used of the first time ever. The park visited, walks walked, block towers constructed. There was a solid cardio-interval work out and there were sun salutations. Friends were consulted about up-coming weekend plans,  a donut run was made, and the bookstore was visited. There was a two-hour stretch of time where father and son were out of the house (so quiet!) and a favorite pair of running shoes found on sale. Cliff's Notes version: I am fortunate. 

Have a good week, all. 

Weekend Update/My Blogging Game is Weak

I am on the verge of getting it together- I can feel it. Soon, really soon, all my papers will be graded. My NaNoWriMo project will be rolling. More books will be read. I'll feel like I'm not half-assing this blog. I'll be able to once again be able to pop up into a tripod headstand and run 13.1 miles straight. 

The truth of the matter is that this is probably not true, although I won't let the dream die. This is just my current reality- I work full time, I have a toddler, my husband works late, and I have interests that aren't necessarily conducive to my present life. But, we're happy, we're healthy, and we're getting by. It'll all happen eventually. 

So, instead of coming up with great blog posts this weekend and reading entire novels, I got my hair done. I spent time at the playground, the duck pond, and walking around the same fountain seventeen million times. I drank iced coffee outside in the "fall" weather by myself for four minutes before someone woke up from his nap. I cleaned and did laundry. I snuck away for a few hours for lunch with my husband for our anniversary. I read a book that I just can't seem to get through quickly for a student's project that I'm advising. I wrote a test and graded papers. I talked to my mom. I texted friends. I spent too much money at Ulta. I listened to the new  Adele song that I so adamantly despised approximately sixty-seven times. 

But soon. Soon I'm gonna get it together.

(Possibly) Poor Choices I (Sort of) Made Over the Weekend

[unrelated: is it fall? or the drought? fun California game]

I signed up for NaNoWriMo, which is ridiculous because I have no free time at all, yet am attempting to commit to write 50,000 words in thirty days. I've been feeling the need for a project outside of work and the house, though, so timing-wise this worked out. I'm not going to write a novel and plan to go about things differently from last time, which I'll post about later. I'm skeptical about whether or not I'll finish, but I'm hoping that I end up focusing on the fun instead of just being competitive.

I got too carried away in the negativity department by dwelling on a few things that appear to basically be resolved at this point (knock on wood, if you believe in that sort of things). At the time it didn't seem like a choice, but in retrospect I need to learn to better recognize when this is happening and shake it off sooner. On the other hand, we are all entitled to occasional bad moods, but this one ended up being a total waste of time and energy. I'm pretty confident it was catalyzed at least partially by exhaustion, since on Sunday I was able to take a very, very rare ninety minute nap right after drinking a huge coffee. And I still woke up tired!  While not fun at the time, it does serve as a lesson to take better care of myself, I guess. 

This one is most absurd, considering my foot pain and lack of desire to train: I signed up for the Surf City Half Marathon in February. In my defense, I had signed up last year but deferred because life was super hard and I didn't want to complicate matters with dealing with childcare, breastfeeding logistics, motivation, etc... Part of the reason I went for it was because my husband was nice enough to tell me that he was cool with me spending the night before the race at the beach. Alone. In a hotel. By MYSELF. I don't really intend on training, and since the time limit only requires 3 mph I could saunter the whole time listening to podcasts or audiobooks and still make it time for a medal and bagel. 

Weekend Update

[they said this was the tallest ferris wheel in the state; LIE]

If every weekend were three days my quality of life would go up exponentially. It's a fact. Our Labor Day weekend wasn't anything terribly impressive, but it was downright enjoyable. Here's what we/I did:

Played

We went to the Norco Fair to check out all the animals (Sawyer belly laughed at a goat that jumped up to bleat in his face. This went on for several minutes. If I could relive that moment, somehow, I'd pay some solid cash to do so). We built with LEGOs, played with his new Little People Pirate Ship, and tormented the dogs. I even tried to watch Twenty-Two Jump Street with Scott but fell asleep an hour in. Oops. 

Walked and Walked

Saturday we went to a shopping center nearby that has a large man-made lake that is perfect for early-morning walks. There are lots of ducks and a cool bamboo bridge that we spent a lot of time on. We also spent some time cruising the neighborhood Sunday morning and did some laps up and down the street on Monday. Sawyer is walking more and more now, which is both a sigh of relief and a nightmare.

[what you don't see: lots of ugly stores and restaurants]

[save your correspondence for later, Sawyer]

Did Boring Adult Things

I cleaned a lot and did about ten loads of laundry. I got really, really angry while trying to order birth and marriage certificates online for a stupid insurance audit they gave us little warning for. We shopped for, and bought, a refrigerator. 

[sorry for all the Sawyer fingerprints on your stainless steel, Best Buy]

Spent Time Alone.. and Away

I met up with a friend her her baby for coffee on Saturday morning (I even got to feed him, which was weird, since he just laid there quietly and sucked on his bottle, as opposed to what I have now). I finished Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, read a bit of Macbeth for work, and started San Miguel by TC Boyle Saturday night while my husband was out late at his draft. I floated around the pool by myself on Monday. I went to Starbucks and Target solo.

[No, I did not go to Starbucks three days in a row. Never.]

[view from the pool]

Shopped

I spent way too much time online deciding what kind of Top Siders and tennis shoes to buy (why do I want Top Siders? Why? I don't own a boat). I rediscovered some great things at Trader Joe's like those stupid hollow apple sticks, and their garlic olive oil and Pasadena Salad. I replaced a fake pearl necklace that Sawyer broke at Charming Charlie's (there's too much stuff in that store to wade through, I've decided). I also picked up Star Wars stuff for the whole family.  Target got me again. 

Baked

If you call Rice Krispy Treats with peanut butter and chocolate chips baking. Pretty easy stuff.

Worried About Uncontrollable Things

Just keeping it real. I've always had an issue with this and this weekend required some serious self-monitoring so I didn't lose it. Unfortunately, my lack of sleep exacerbates the situation, and the fact that I haven't gotten more than 6.5 hours of (broken) sleep in weeks isn't helping. Sawer just will not stop teething. One day at a time!

This week should be quick... right?

This Sunday

I sort of hate Sundays. They always feel rushed, and the anticipation of my early (five AM!) Monday morning alarm is downright depressing. My lengthy to-do list is always weighing on me, meaning there's cleaning, laundry, work-related tasks, and everything else that I opted to not do on Saturday. The later it gets, the sadder the situation.

But this Sunday is different. I have the next eight days off, my mom is in town, there's lemon cookie dough chilling in the fridge, a kitchen stocked with groceries, and a sleeping baby is breathing heavily next to me (for the last ninety minutes). I'm well-caffeinated after the coffee shop screwed up my order and gave me a large iced mocha, and I've hit my step goal for the last seven days. I got eight hours of slightly-broken sleep last night and my house is fairly clean. There's BBQ chicken in the crock pot and a big loaf of fresh French bread on the counter.

I've been reading, too. I just spent some time with the The New York Times, namely this article on the Harper Lee news and some archived Bookends columns. I really don't know what to think about Go Set a Watchman- part of me is excited but part of me is very suspicious. The idea of taking advantage of the elderly is infuriating and I swear that if something shady is proven I'm canceling my preorder.

I've also spent some time reading up on Adnan Syed's appeal news and am hoping and praying Sarah does an updated Serial podcast. I must confess that whenever I see that I've got a new podcast on my phone I check immediately, just in case she's there waiting for me.

I've also just started Ian McEwan's The Children Act, and I'm not quite sure if I like it yet. Perhaps because I'm only twenty pages in and possibly because I've been reading in very small snippets. Time will tell. 

I've also been studying up on some of the measles outbreak stats, since California is getting hit hard, compared to other states, that is. Sawyer can't receive his MMR for another three months, so technically, he is "at risk." I'm not really that worried, though. I refuse to put him in a bubble, but I am keeping myself informed as to the locations of outbreaks (there are a few cases in our county) and symptoms. I think on rational level it's important to remember that there are 38 million people living here and barely 100 cases of measles. Knock on wood, rub rabbit foot, find four-leaf clover, etc...

I'm looking at my calendar at the upcoming week, noting as always, that I've over-extended myself, although that carries a completely different meaning now that I have a baby. There will be plenty of friends, appointments, walks, park-visits, cups of iced coffee, naps (for him), chores, and papers to grade this week. It'll go by fast, as always.

And the weather. Oh, the weather. The highs this week range from 75-84. I love it, I do, since I have this strong need to live in a house with open windows. But I also love my sweaters, cozy blankets, and not feeling, well, hot. But there is a sort of optimism that sunshine brings, so I'll take it.

Have a wonderful Sunday, friends.

Weekend Update

This weekend has been the perfect mix of relaxing and productivity. Yesterday I got up early and cleaned my house, walked my dogs, and exercised. Super exciting. We then saw the Veronica Mars movie with my sister and brother-in-law, which I thought was great. If you didn't watch the show I probably wouldn't bother going, but for those of who did it's perfect. The best, and most awkward part, was when Veronica sarcastically asks Dick (a total idiot), who is on his phone, "Playing Words with Friends?" and he responds "Some people just call it texting." My husband and I silently keeled over in laughter, since absolutely no one else in the theater made a peep.

My sister-in-law gave us a cute Where the Wild Things Are bib and onesie. My husband has gotten into working on his mural and it's looking great. The time he's putting into it is insane- it took him a day to draw the scene (it's one big mural on one wall and a few small canvases on another), and he's probably put in 15-20 outlining in black... so far. I hope the baby likes it, because he's stuck with it for the rest of his entire life. I'm not allowed to put pictures up until it's done, so to be continued...

Last night my little brother and his girlfriend came over for dinner. He's leaving on deployment (he's in the Navy) on Thursday for six or so months, so I made him one last home-cooked meal. The highlight of the evening may have been when he was giving his girlfriend a hard time for listening to Paramore occasionally and I revealed that he used to have a poster of the lead singer in his room when he was younger. And if I recall, that's how the family pet got her name... Sibling love.

[Bon voyage!]

 I also made these brownies for dessert, which were amazing.

[photo source and recipe: Averie Cooks]

He brought me my Little House on the Prairie books, which I've been harassing my mom to bring down for at least a year. There's been a sort of discrepancy about who they actually belong to- supposedly they're my sister's too. But, then again so was the stereo I relinquished to her when I went to college. I read them and loved them and so they're mine (my dad bought them used when I was in kindergarten of first grade). Possession is nine-tenths of the law, right?

[Used + elementary reading = tore up from the floor up]

Today I got up went grocery shopping, did a prenatal work out video, and walked through an episode of Grey's Anatomy- my weekend mornings obviously start off incredibly interesting. Since it was nearly 90 degrees out (seriously) I let the dogs swim and scared the neighbors by laying out in my two piece. I'll spare you the pictures.

Another highlight: this Lucky Charms shake. I feel like the hour and twenty minutes worth of exercise balanced things out.

[magically fattening delicious]

I also finished the copy of The House on the End of Hope Street by Menna Van Praag that Penguin sent. Review to come. Spoiler: meh.

[the cover is great, though]

God forbid a weekend go by without working, so I put in some time with Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, both reading it and creating some lessons. I'm appreciating it so  much more as an adult, but I can understand why my students are struggling. It's tough. I also graded papers, finishing the weekend with a bang. Boom.

Weekend Update

Visiting... UCLA. My husband I went back for a visit and then dinner in Santa Monica yesterday. It was pretty great (and tiring- between the dog walk I went on before and then all the walking we did in LA I logged over 7 miles!).

Baking... peanut butter balls and fudge for tomorrow's yearbook potluck (fingers crossed for tamales!)

Reading... the end of The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri and the beginning of Blindess by Jose Saramago. So different, so fantastic. 

Dreading... how much work I have to get accomplished this week before grades are due and the semester is done. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but holy crap is there a lot to get done between now and then.

[source]

Hoping... the baby cooperates at the 20-week ultrasound so we can finally have the sex confirmed this week! Time to see if this little parasite is a boy or a girl.