Blissfully Unaware of the Chaos the Surrounds Me

Variety is the Spice of Life . . .

so here's a little variety for you!

From Yahoo News, regarding companies that are thriving in the current economy, check out #4 . . . Condom Makers

Whether for at-home entertainment or to try to stave off the cost of a baby in trying times, condom sales rose 6 percent in January from the year before. "If people don't have the money to go out to a fancy dinner or are looking to cut back, Trojan gives them some real affordable ways to stay in and make some great memories together," Jim Daniels, Trojan's vice president of marketing, told USA Today.

I'm sorry, but the quote made me LOL . . . thanks Trojan for those affordable ways to stay in and make some great memories together!

And then this Etsy shop, which I am now officially in love with . . . Hair Sprinkles.  Here's Halle-boo sporting a new hair clip from them:  

And before you ask, yes, I fully have the ability to make Halle's hair clips.  And I have the supplies.  And I do make some of them.  But for the most part?  These things are way too cute for me to even go there!

I also got a couple of tiny little infant clips for my Cousin Jenny who is currently laying down, trying to keep her 28 week pregnancy going for several more weeks.  Baby girl apparently wants to come out and play.  Maybe she knows I'm buying her cute hair clips?  So think good thoughts for my cousin and her little girl peanut to keep growing, inside of her mama!  As much as we want to meet her, we'd like to wait a few several weeks, thank you very much!

Moving onto Crate & Barrel.  I have a $20 gift card burning a hole in my pocket.  I'm heading down to Roseville with my Mom and Aunt in a couple of weeks and I'm pre-browsing (in my spare time).  I have a hankering for any number of fun things like the Tiffin Box or the Chill Salad Bowl or the Cuisinart Ice Cream Machine (which would likely never get used and is clearly more than my $20 gift card).  We'll see what my little $20 gift card will buy in a couple of weeks!

As for a weekend update, I give to you a summary, provided by Wordle:

And with that, I'm off to tackle Monday!  Have a good one!

A Break in my Day . . .

that I really don't have time for, but whatever!  I'm at that point in my workload that I am too overwhelmed to be trusted with the proposed budget.  I'm 98% of the way through it, and of course, the 2% that's left is the killer.  You know, the part where your expenses exceed your income?  Yeah, that's where I'm at! 

This week is my "agenda prep" week, which means that all of my materials for our regular meeting are due in the mail.  Theoretically today.  But it's also one of two annual budget hearings, which really jams up the process.  Believe it or not?  My little Agribusiness degree only helps me a tiny little bit in this scenario.  I am not a CPA.  Nor do I play one one TV!  So I have forwarded all but two items to my staff for copying.  The budget is outstanding, as is the one other agenda item that I'm stuck on.  I always save the good stuff for last!

And I do have to get it done.  I'm heading to San Jose tomorrow for a workshop on some lovely legislation, SB 375, which makes findings and declarations concerning the need to make significant changes in land use and transportation policy in order to meet the greenhouse gas reduction goals established by AB 32.  Aren't you excited for me?  Jealous even? 

So I need to get my procrastinating butt off the computer and get 'er done.  Because I still need to clean up the house for RLG tonight, pick up kids and even do some laundry!  And be ready to leave at 5:00 am in the morning.   Whoooohooooooo!

First, however, some recent pictures of my cutie-patootie kiddos.  (Don't tell Dylan that I called him that.  He will be even more embarrassed of me than he already is!)

   

Teary and Bleary . . .

Blame it on hormones, but also the recent seemingly string of tragedies around us. 

The recent diagnosis of colon cancer in a young and healthy friend of ours.  He's a (great) father to three.  A husband.  A pastor in our church.  A friend to so many.  And it hit me really hard.  He seems too young and healthy.  Too vibrant.  Too similar and too familiar.  I truly believe, in my heart of hearts, that Jim will beat this diagnosis.  He starts his long run of chemotherapy today, in fact.  But it still causes my heart to clench up when I think about it.  Especially what his wife is going through.  I think about the fight between faith and fear.  Between protecting your children and grieving the diagnosis.  The constant battle of the daily stuff . . . school, homework, bills, groceries, carpool, etc. . . . and the desire to curl up with your beloved and hide.

Then the news yesterday of this plane crash.  Knowing - even when national and local news said otherwise - that it involved someone locally, but the uncertainly as to who it was.  The terrible Internet rumors of it being someone else . . . and the relief at it not being him and his family . . .  but the immediate grief for another family who lost their son and his wife, their two grand-babies and another on the way. I don't know any of them personally, but our circles overlap quite a bit.  And I cannot fathom the pain of losing an entire part of your family like that.  Or the fear as they crashed.  That bone-crushing fear and desire to protect your family, even when you cannot.

Young, vibrant people.  It makes me sad.  And it makes me want to cling to those everyday moments that we sometimes take for granted.  So I'm not taking them for granted today.  Instead, I'll work away on my budget for an upcoming hearing.  With my sick little guy curled up on the chair in my office.  And instead of sighing when he asks for more Sprite or another popsicle or whatever; I'll kiss his sweaty little forehead as I walk by to get it.  And when I go an pick up the little missy from daycare, I'll enjoy her reign of terror on our home and appreciate that she's just trying on her personality to see what fits.  And I'll miss my hubby while he works tonight, but I'll be glad when he accidentally wakes me up at 1:30 am as he makes his way to bed.  Because at the end of the day?  They are my every moment.  At least the ones that count.

A Bump on the Head . . .

and one freaked out Mama!  Halle flung herself backwards on the couch and slammed her head into the windowsill this morning.  She immediately dissolved into those scary high-pitched screams as I scooped her up.  John was (of course) working at the ER.  My Dad was here when it happened and he confirmed that it was a big 'ole lump at the base of her skull.

But, as of right now, she seems to be OK.  I had to call John and get all emotional about it, but I really think she's fine.  I finally put her down for her nap (about 2 hours late), because I was being such a paranoid freak.  She was starting to walk crooked and run into things, but I'm sure that it had more to do with exhaustion than anything else.

So I am obsessively checking the video monitor while she sleeps.  (Again, love that thing!  Best $180 I have ever spent on baby stuff, for sure!)

And if the Natasha Richardson tragedy wasn't so on the forefront of my mind?  I'd probably feel a lot less anxious!

Anyway . . .

Yesterday was one of the most beautiful days I remember in a long time.  It was in the mid-70s and wonderfully sunny.  I had taken Thursday off to catch up around the house so I was really able to enjoy my Friday.  Halle-boo and I watched Sesame Street, fed the ducks and went to the playground.  After her nap and after I picked up Dylan from school (early days on Friday), we met a friends for lunch at the Graduate.  Dylan headed off with them for even more fun, while John and I took the little miss home.  My Dad bought her a fantastic water and sand table that John got set up, so we spent most of the afternoon outside, playing with that or blowing giant bubbles. 

Our neighbors tend to congregate in front of our houses in the early evenings, so we all headed out with glasses of wine or a beer and hung out while the kids took to the street on skateboards and bikes and with remote-control cars.  I threw in a frozen pizza and cut up apples - called it dinner - and we were good!  Our fantastic day ended with a run downtown for Jon & Bon's.  Well, actually, it ended with a much-needed bath for Halle.  It was getting late and John questioned if she really needed a bath.  Um, yeah.  The girl was covered in layers of sand, sunscreen, pizza sauce and frozen yogurt.  Definitely a bath night!

Today, the weather has turned and we find ourselves hibernating once again.  I am really, really hopeful that we get an actual spring this year.  Nice, lovely weather before we hit the 100s this summer.

One last thought?  Although I am kind of sad that Dylan isn't doing baseball this year?  I am so, so, so glad to not be out at Opening Day, freezing my tail off right now!

Staying in . . .

for the weekend.  A multitude of reasons came up and the ultimate decision was to stay in town this weekend.  I'm kind of sad, but the reality is?  Tahoe is a long trip with an 18 month old.  For just two nights.  So we'll hunker down at home.  I'm crossing my fingers that there will still be some snow up there in a few weeks during spring break. 

And for right now?  My little peanut is still napping and it is gorgeous outside, so I am sneaking out to the porch for a few minutes of reading. 

You know she'll wake up as soon as I sit down, right?

Ahhhhh . . .

Auction overload '09 is over!  I didn't even have an official job title for this year's auction, but it still was a heck of a lot of work.  And that's my fabulous excuse for not keeping up with my blog.  Ha!  Between recovering from sick Halle, sick self, sick John; and then catching up on work/home and all that jazz; AND working on the auction, I'm really not sure what happened to the last two weeks.  Really.

As for Saturday night, I have a vague recollection!  My first mistake was starting off tired.  I got up at 5:00 to work on signs for different auction items.  And well, if you know me, I can't just make a sign.  No.  I have to use pictures and pretty things.  And worry about fonts.  To make silly little signs like this:

Which had little or no bearing on if it sold or not.  But still, I have my standards!  (Note to self, next year, require live auction items to come in with a flyer/sign and/or start doing it much earlier!) 

My second mistake was quite simply, not eating and being hydrated prior to the drinking beginning.  Ahhh, I just ever seem to learn!

We spent more than we meant to.  I was going to buy Dylan's teacher date - which is "teacher for a day" - and call it good.  But several glasses of champagne later (it is my happy drink, after all!), we have two limited edition CCDS fleeces, part of a catered dinner for ten, a wine tasting and my "whoops, I only meant to bid it up" cameo role in our faculty follies.  For which I will not even be in town!  I'm actually going to try and sell that one!

But we had a dandy 'ole time, for sure.  And it looks like we made close to what we did last year, which in this economy?  Is amazing!  Just goes to show what a fantastic parent community we have.

As for today, I am trying to play catch up on work.  And be prepared to help Dylan (hopefully) finish his science fair project (groan) and get it turned in tomorrow.  It can also be turned in on Wednesday as well, so that's my fallback, just in case the end goes badly! 

I am also fighting a lovely infection in the skin around my eye.  There's a fancy name for it, but I can't remember what it is.  Regardless, it's still a fancy name for an infection in the skin around my eyes.  Gross!  It's traveled from my left to right eye and from the bottom lids to the top.  Joy of all joys!  Me and my skin.  It's always something!

We are planning a trip to Tahoe this weekend, but the weather may keep us home.  I would like to call it, one way or the other, but we'll probably have to wait it out for a few more days.

And with that, it is time to go pick up my two kiddos.  Man, time flies when you're multi-tasking!

You knew it was coming . . .

there was just NO WAY I could have snuggled up to the germiest (but cutest) baby girl for an entire week and not get sick.  There must be some law of physics or something, but the easy explanation?  When you have a super-sick little girl who is happiest when her germy, snotty face is buried into your neck and hairline for seven days straight?  You're gonna get it.  And it's a doozy.

Unfortunately, I am the only adult around this weekend.  {Dang military.}  So good drugs and sleep are not viable options.

So instead?  I skated.  I know, weird response.  But I was stuck at Cal Skate for "All School Skate" and the clock was dragging ever so slowly.  So I finally decided to at least get some exercise and try and make the time go faster.  It worked.  And Halle loved zooming around the rink as I pushed her from my ever-so-retro quad fitted feet.  Those new age in-line skaters just don't know what they are missing!

But now, I am ready to curl up and die a long and tragic viral death. 

I guess, however, since someone has to stick around to watch the children, I'll be content with going to bed.  Even if it's just for a few hours until the still-coughing princess wakes up.  Because the mantra for the weekend is "take what you can get."  A couple of hours of sleep.  A few minutes to read.  A few moments in the warm and steamy shower when I can breathe.  A yummy Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich.  Because it's all about the little things.

Peace out.

A Reason for Another Baby . . .

Carrie Sandoval and Carrie Sandoval's blog

But I'm fairly certain that we shouldn't have another baby just because I saw the work of this amazing newborn photographer in San Diego. 

But it's tempting.

(Probably a good thing that John won't find that to be a compelling reason.)

Sick Baby Update . . .

We took Halle in for another strep test and I am assuming that it came back negative since they haven't called.  The pediatrician gave her some Orapred to use for the next three days to try and relieve the croupy cough she has.  We also got some cough syrup - the good stuff, with codeine!  She was able to nap for 3 hours today after a dose of cough syrup, so I'm hoping it helps her tonight too.  Last night was night #2 of no sleep between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am, so we're all a little sleep-deprived.  To say the least.

So here's to hoping!  Rest and health, please, oh, please!