Last week, I briefly considered going internet-less to see how much more I can accomplish in a day. Unfortunately, remembering to GO internet-less was not one of the things I was able to accomplish. To put it plainly, I forgot.
So, tomorrow? I'm not sure how much this desire is born out of a real need to cut back and how much is born of feeling like I should at least be able to deny myself something like that. Like "millions of other moms don't have an outlet like the internet for taking a break from being mom/housekeeper, why should I?" Self-imposed guilt.
Currently watching Lily shovel huge mouthfuls of peas and carrots into her mouth. She looks so happy and focused when she has food to enjoy. She's even using her little piece of sourdough bread to push the food onto her fork. That's how serious my little 20 month old is about her food.
Today's accomplishments, so far:
baking the sourdough that I started yesterday morning
washing the dog-towels
mopping
taking out the trash
putting away a thousand toys
I'm attempting a spending diet this year. I've tried this in the past, with no real plan, of course. And it didn't work. Of course. How can one succeed at something if one doesn't know how one intends to go about it? So this year, I have to have a plan. As soon as Lily is clean and able to run off to entertain herself, I'm making a list of needs/wants and hopefully posting that in a conspicuous place will do the trick. I need the daily reminders or I derail rather quickly.
In fact, I think this speaks to my one HUGE flaw. I do not follow through well. I am easily distracted and easily convinced of failure. As an example, I believe the only reason my children are here is because follow through was inevitable. Everything else I've done has slowly skidded to some kind of ignominious halt.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Who needs money anyway?
Time to cut spending to a bare minimum. I am going to admit that I'm a bit mystified about how to do this. When I had no money, it was easy. I looked in my wallet and didn't have anything so I didn't spend it. Since getting married, though, I've always used a credit card and Chad deals with all the financial stuff. I have gotten to the point where I'm starting to forget what money means. I still shoot for low totals and sales and whatnot but it's been a long time since I've had to choose what to buy based on 'can I afford this?'
So this is a new challenge for me. I am sure it can be done because I have a friend who somehow manages to get by with spending $40 a week at grocery stores. I am not sure I can do that but it's worth a try. I think it's going to mean NOT going to Target/Wal-Mart for groceries any more. It's too easy to decide Izzy needs another pair of pants or socks or a movie. Lily is still getting by just fine with hand-me-downs so it's been a while since she's gotten something substantial and new.
This week's goal is to use up pantry/freezer items. I anticipate some difficulty, both in finding new ways to serve things up and finding the time to plan those new ways.
Next week will be harder, I think. I'm scouring weekly ads for grocery stores and it's disheartening because the things on sale are not things I use and the coupons or card priced items are only meeting the price of items I buy as generics. So... I just have to buy less. Argh.
So this is a new challenge for me. I am sure it can be done because I have a friend who somehow manages to get by with spending $40 a week at grocery stores. I am not sure I can do that but it's worth a try. I think it's going to mean NOT going to Target/Wal-Mart for groceries any more. It's too easy to decide Izzy needs another pair of pants or socks or a movie. Lily is still getting by just fine with hand-me-downs so it's been a while since she's gotten something substantial and new.
This week's goal is to use up pantry/freezer items. I anticipate some difficulty, both in finding new ways to serve things up and finding the time to plan those new ways.
Next week will be harder, I think. I'm scouring weekly ads for grocery stores and it's disheartening because the things on sale are not things I use and the coupons or card priced items are only meeting the price of items I buy as generics. So... I just have to buy less. Argh.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Counting down now.
Currently, we have 4 months till Lily's 2nd birthday. This brings a few things up for me.
Any day now, the language and concept-comprehension explosion will begin. We were amazed daily at the things that Izzy suddenly understood. The fact that she could tell us that the dog was outside or that daddy was 'wuk' caught us by surprise. We'd just gotten used to thinking of her as a person, for Pete's sake.
Soon, we'll be ready to start potty training. I think I started at 20 months with Izzy and it didn't click for her till she was 2+. So I'm not rushing anything this time. I'd like her to at least be able to tell me she needs to poop before we tackle that beast.
2 months at the max till I need to start actively planning her party. I don't really have a theme in mind yet, because she doesn't seem to care about anything beyond her babies and 'ye-haw' (Woody). Maybe it'll be a Toy Story theme? She's seen at least parts of all three movies and seems to enjoy them.
3 months or so till we should be able to convert the crib into a toddler bed. We put Izzy in her twin bed a couple of weeks before Lily was born, I think. This seems crazy to me now because Lily seems like such a baby still and surely she's not ready for a BED bed. But I know for a fact we got the bed before Lily was born and moved Izzy into it so we wouldn't be putting her in a new bed AND bringing home a baby at the same time. So... yeah. I have a premonition that if we convert Lily's crib into a toddler bed, we will be finding her in Izzy's bed in the middle of the night. Maybe we should just assume that's the way it's gonna go and have them share?
Argh. The thought of Lily in a big bed is so sad. Soon we'll be getting ride of the crib. :( I am NOT ready to do that. I need baby things in the house or it will feel so foreign!
I'm not counting down to Izzy's birthday yet. It's 6 months away and it'll mean she's 4 and closer to school age and more independent and these things scare me.
Any day now, the language and concept-comprehension explosion will begin. We were amazed daily at the things that Izzy suddenly understood. The fact that she could tell us that the dog was outside or that daddy was 'wuk' caught us by surprise. We'd just gotten used to thinking of her as a person, for Pete's sake.
Soon, we'll be ready to start potty training. I think I started at 20 months with Izzy and it didn't click for her till she was 2+. So I'm not rushing anything this time. I'd like her to at least be able to tell me she needs to poop before we tackle that beast.
2 months at the max till I need to start actively planning her party. I don't really have a theme in mind yet, because she doesn't seem to care about anything beyond her babies and 'ye-haw' (Woody). Maybe it'll be a Toy Story theme? She's seen at least parts of all three movies and seems to enjoy them.
3 months or so till we should be able to convert the crib into a toddler bed. We put Izzy in her twin bed a couple of weeks before Lily was born, I think. This seems crazy to me now because Lily seems like such a baby still and surely she's not ready for a BED bed. But I know for a fact we got the bed before Lily was born and moved Izzy into it so we wouldn't be putting her in a new bed AND bringing home a baby at the same time. So... yeah. I have a premonition that if we convert Lily's crib into a toddler bed, we will be finding her in Izzy's bed in the middle of the night. Maybe we should just assume that's the way it's gonna go and have them share?
Argh. The thought of Lily in a big bed is so sad. Soon we'll be getting ride of the crib. :( I am NOT ready to do that. I need baby things in the house or it will feel so foreign!
I'm not counting down to Izzy's birthday yet. It's 6 months away and it'll mean she's 4 and closer to school age and more independent and these things scare me.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
What's up, Texas??
Since when did snowfall in winter become a normal Texas occurrence? Izzy still talks about last year's snowman so she's already anticipating the same this time. "After my nap, I can put on my real gloves, not my kitchen gloves, and build a snow man!" I love how she differentiates between pretend items and real world items.
Lily has discovered calling people 'honey'. I always wonder how those things click... when and how do toddlers comprehend that a word you're saying actually MEANS something and WHAT it means. About a week ago, she surprised us by crawling into her Daddy's lap and saying 'hi! hi, honey!' Sometimes she calls her babies honey or even 'Nuny', I guess because that's what she hears from us all the time. She's suddenly developed a love of baby dolls and carries them around all the time, talking to them or singing to them. When she puts things on her head or tries to wear something of mine, she breaks into song, always starting off with 'ah-aaaah-ah-aaah'. As if she's mimicking opera. :)
For the last month or so, Izzy has been talking about her next birthday. She's decided she wants a Snow White birthday party this time around. I figured she'd change her mind multiple times, depending on what we watched or did between now and then but she's pretty stuck on this idea. Should probably just be glad to have this much advance warning of what she wants so I can properly plan this time.
Posing for Hanukkah pictures. :)
Poking around in Mommy's kitchen.
Practicing round braids. :)
Lily has discovered calling people 'honey'. I always wonder how those things click... when and how do toddlers comprehend that a word you're saying actually MEANS something and WHAT it means. About a week ago, she surprised us by crawling into her Daddy's lap and saying 'hi! hi, honey!' Sometimes she calls her babies honey or even 'Nuny', I guess because that's what she hears from us all the time. She's suddenly developed a love of baby dolls and carries them around all the time, talking to them or singing to them. When she puts things on her head or tries to wear something of mine, she breaks into song, always starting off with 'ah-aaaah-ah-aaah'. As if she's mimicking opera. :)
For the last month or so, Izzy has been talking about her next birthday. She's decided she wants a Snow White birthday party this time around. I figured she'd change her mind multiple times, depending on what we watched or did between now and then but she's pretty stuck on this idea. Should probably just be glad to have this much advance warning of what she wants so I can properly plan this time.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Where did the year go??
It's already 2011 and I don't think I ever got used to it being 2010.
This year, Izzy turns 4 (FOUR!) and Lily will be 2. I am NOT ready for being baby-free. :( I can't even think about it much longer than it will take to finish this sentence because it WILL make me cry. I am not ready for my girls to grow up.
Yesterday, Lily crawled into Chad's lap and started to snuggle into his chest saying 'hi! hi! Honey! Honey!' This was such a sweet moment I started to tear up. I love that she's hit the age of knowing what an endearment means and using it toward her daddy. She absolutely adores him. :)
The time is coming for Izzy to start a class of some sort. She loves dancing and singing and I think she'd benefit from being around other kids in an environment like that. I don't think she's ready to be around a bunch of kids full time, like school or daycare, but she certainly loves being with a group her own age. And maybe a dance class would be limited enough in exposure that she wouldn't learn too many habits? I dunno. She's not a dream child... it's not like she does everything right and never acts out so I'm not deluded into thinking that she's perfect and everyone else's kid is the Bad Seed. But still... as long as she's only around us, I feel like we have a better handle on the moods and crazies.
Winter is HERE. I do not like this for several reasons. My skin gets super dry. My nose hurts all the time. My fingers crack. I have to wear knee highs/leggings all the time or my legs will ache from my pants rubbing on stubble. This is probably the worst part of winter for me. So very sad.
Classes at temple are going well. I think we have a few weeks left and then we get to find out what the next step in the conversion process is. I'm anxious for this. It's becoming more imperative to have a religious identity.
This year, Izzy turns 4 (FOUR!) and Lily will be 2. I am NOT ready for being baby-free. :( I can't even think about it much longer than it will take to finish this sentence because it WILL make me cry. I am not ready for my girls to grow up.
Yesterday, Lily crawled into Chad's lap and started to snuggle into his chest saying 'hi! hi! Honey! Honey!' This was such a sweet moment I started to tear up. I love that she's hit the age of knowing what an endearment means and using it toward her daddy. She absolutely adores him. :)
The time is coming for Izzy to start a class of some sort. She loves dancing and singing and I think she'd benefit from being around other kids in an environment like that. I don't think she's ready to be around a bunch of kids full time, like school or daycare, but she certainly loves being with a group her own age. And maybe a dance class would be limited enough in exposure that she wouldn't learn too many habits? I dunno. She's not a dream child... it's not like she does everything right and never acts out so I'm not deluded into thinking that she's perfect and everyone else's kid is the Bad Seed. But still... as long as she's only around us, I feel like we have a better handle on the moods and crazies.
Winter is HERE. I do not like this for several reasons. My skin gets super dry. My nose hurts all the time. My fingers crack. I have to wear knee highs/leggings all the time or my legs will ache from my pants rubbing on stubble. This is probably the worst part of winter for me. So very sad.
Classes at temple are going well. I think we have a few weeks left and then we get to find out what the next step in the conversion process is. I'm anxious for this. It's becoming more imperative to have a religious identity.
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