Muddy Monday

The morning started out fine, then it started raining. It pretty much rained all day after that and the roads were pretty muddy, which made driving a bit challenging. I’m back with my first love, the Element, until the minivan gets a new bumper. They estimated 2 days. Ha! The last time I had my sensor fixed by the dealer, it took at least a week for it to arrive and a day to install it. Plus, I had to bring it back because they needed another part. A year ago, the poor car was at the shop for at least 3 months. Ugh! Well, there was a lot more damage and more parts were needed since the airbags went off. Of course, they also found more damage. Hopefully, this time it will be straightforward. No, my husband’s right. We can’t make this a Thanksgiving tradition. Interestingly, he said that there were 3 other guys whose wives also got into accidents and were dropping off cars in the morning. Guess it happens to the best of us.

Sunday couldn’t come soon enough

Sunday couldn’t come soon enough because I’m a bad traveler. I always worry about whether or not I turned the stove off, closed the refrigerator door tightly, locked the doors, unplugged the iron, etc. Also, I do like the comfort of my home, as messy as it is. Mads, on the other hand, loves staying in hotels. We finally found out why…she likes the complimentary “color cereal” that’s served at Best Western. I used to like that particular hotel for the waffle iron, but I have one of my own now, so there’s no need to stay there anymore. Well, since we stayed at a different hotel this time, she kept asking every morning where we were going to have breakfast. There was always a look of disappointment when we said, Dunkin Donuts or Grammy’s house because fruity pebbles were not in tow. I promised her I would get some if that’s why she keeps asking to stay at a hotel. Kids sure are funny, aren’t they? And the things they remember…

By the way, the house was fine while we were away. Of course, it was, I’m just crazy.

Sad Saturday

We learned about an uncle’s passing in his sleep today. He was my husband’s ex-uncle (divorced his aunt many years ago), but we would see him at family gatherings for his grandchildren’s birthdays and other celebrations. The few times I had conversations with him, I enjoyed chatting with him, especially since he used to be in pharmaceuticals. He was actually someone very important before he retired. I remember feeling badly one time when he said, “what a waste” after I mentioned that I was staying home with the kids for now. But I also remember how I admired his interactions with each of his eight grandchildren. The last time we saw him in August of this year, we learned that he was really getting into the use of technology. That was uplifting to hear for someone to be so interested at age 63. My parents stopped at opening an email account. He took classes at the Apple store and learned to make movies and organize thousands of pictures. He also recently purchased his dream car. From what I gathered, he lived a full life. That is certainly something to strive for – living a full life, so I am grateful for what I have. I will also not sweat the small stuff. Life is too unpredictable, so take it one day at a time.

Uncle M was someone’s husband, father, grandfather, brother…may he rest in peace.

Funny Friday

“Doorbusters” at 4 am? I think not. 30% off before noon? Ok. I don’t shop well under pressure, but we found great deals for the kids at Gymboree and Children’s Place. I found corduroys for Mads – no complaints about the button bothering her belly or potential bum cracks. Kudos to my sister-in-law, who is done with her shopping and still took advantage of the deals. One of these days I’m going to have to shop for myself sans the kids and/or the husband. The rest of the afternoon was spent doing nothing as it was raining and cold.

Other crazy terms:

• Shopportunities
• Cyber Monday

Thankful Thursday

We arrived in Hingham an hour later than planned, but fortunately WZR slept the whole way through. Appetizers were complete with shrimp cocktail, crackers, cheese, pate, antipasta, mini hot dogs, and more! Then we had a bountiful traditional dinner with turkey, stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and other yummy food. Dessert included pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, ginger cookies, chocolate chip cookies…

Today, I’m thankful that I have family to spend the holidays with and that the kids enjoy themselves when we’re around them. Also thankful for the new friends we’ve made this year.

Woozy Wednesday

My husband drove us into the city today. We had plans to meet my family at Imichiu on E32nd St. to celebrate Thanksgiving and then go to the Upper West Side to a pre-Macy’s Thanksgiving parade party. The original plan was to park uptown and take the train downtown. I started getting woozy as a passenger when my husband squeezed between cars, trucks, buses, and weaved in and out of lanes. If you’ve been to NYC then you’d know how crazy aggressive cab drivers can be. To top it off, the garages were tightly packed and full. They were also already charging “event parking” prices of $40+ at noon. Down by the West Side Highway, the attendant sized us up and asked for $58!!! We ended up going down to midtown, parked in a larger garage, and paid with a coupon. Final price? $19. Only in New York!

Mommy Brain – Will I ever be the same?

It doesn’t help that I was absent-minded to begin with. I noticed “mommy brain” kicking in during my first pregnancy when it took longer to complete sentences in my second trimester. I seemed to always be grasping for the simplest of words. Then the memory started giving me a hard time. I had even more trouble finding keys. After delivering Mads, the most forgetful thing I did was leave a load of laundry in the washer for at least 3 weeks. I didn’t realize it until my husband asked me where one of his shirts was. I actually blamed it on the laundromat that we occasionally used. Of course, it wasn’t there. Then it hit me that I was missing my own clothes. So I asked the porter, who didn’t really speak or understand much English, with the help of a neighbor (she actually remembered the load), and a bag of clothes magically appeared. Crazy, huh? I think that had to do with sleep deprivation, too.

Well, I don’t think I noticed “mommy brain” as much with the second pregnancy, or maybe I just adjusted better by plunging full force into work. I was on a lot more committees and even chaired one. I took on extra work for extra money. I was even a course coordinator during the last half of the pregnancy. In fact, I entered course grades until 8:00 pm the night before a 6:30 appointment for a C-section. I felt that good. Then I stopped working altogether and there was minimal intellectual brain stimulation. When I started blogging again, got on facebook, and started tweeting, it was a challenge to me. I got to wear different hats and write in different voices. The best was twitter since I had to express my thoughts in 140 characters. A few of my fb friends complained that I was on fb too much. My blogging took away time from housework sometimes, but through writing, I started to find my old brain again. I started feeling more comfortable multi-tasking (wow, shuffling the kids back and forth to various activities and parties is not easy) and more things are getting done. I was told I need to manage my time better, but I don’t really think that’s the problem. I think I’m burnt out from having to do as many things that I have to do singlehandedly. I know one day I’ll get all of my brain power back. And if I pass the exam that I took today (even by 1 point), then that will be the greatest confidence booster.

Dirty Sock Puppet

No, we’re not talking about the band we saw this summer. This is really a dirty sock made into a puppet that my daughter brought home from school today. I kept asking Mads whose sock it was and she denies any knowledge. Hmm, if they needed orphan socks, I’ve got plenty without dirt stains! Even different sizes and colors!

Recipe: Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes (Muffins)

Ok, so my cupcakes never really become cupcakes, but at least they were good pumpkin muffins that were moister than the ones I had at a recent family fun fair. The recipe I used was from a blog called MomGrind at http://momgrind.com/2009/10/12/pumpkin-cupcakes/ The only thing I did differently was add a bit of nutmeg and I didn’t make the frosting. Otherwise, I followed the recipe. I think I will be buying cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday party at her preschool.

 

Sweet Saturday

We had the best chocolate chip pancakes ever this morning at the Sherwood Diner in Westport. Mine are good, but these were GOOD! And BIG! So I asked my husband what my pancakes are missing and he said, “buttah.” Ok, I exaggerated a little, but it makes sense. I don’t grease up the griddle with a ton of butter. Good to know, though!