I made a decision a couple of days ago to try to unplug...a little. There's a lot of chatter on the Mommy blogs right now about the role technology plays in our lives, how much energy we give it, how much does it take us away from the things that matter most, i.e. those little souls we are here to nurture.
I sat at my desk and considered deactivating my facebook account all together. Ultimately I decided against it, I do after all maintain a page for my company so regardless of my personal use I would still be there for professional use. Of course my company page has nothing to do with my bejeweled obsession (by the way, over 540K points in ONE MINUTE, oh yeah baby...I'm obsessed!)
Since I couldn't take the full plunge and purge facebook from my daily life I took a baby step, I deleted the app from my smart phone. I must say, it felt....liberating! And also odd as I looked at the empty space where the desktop icon used to be.
The other baby step I took, I shut off my laptop. I have a laptop in my kitchen and it is traditionally on...all....the.....time. But not anymore. I powered it down. And shut the lid!
I haven't noticed any extra free time coming my way but I have reduced my Mommy guilt-a little.
So, where's the balance between me time and me overtime? I'm not sure. I do feel though that I was spending too much time online. The thing is, it's not like I sat down as soon as I got home and never moved until bedtime, but it's 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there, the next thing I know I've lost close to a full hour of time. Time that could be spent reading a book, doing a crossword puzzle, baking some bread and, most importantly, playing with my son. Time that could be spent soaking in a hot bath. Time that could be spent sleeping! Life gets so busy sometimes that all I want to do is hide, to stick my head into the laptop and ignore it all. The bad thing though is that the stressors are still there when I come up for air and sometimes, sometimes they are worse!
All this technology is a double edged sword if you ask me. Yes it frees up time on one end-thank you for not making me hand wash my cloths! But it's also a huge time sucker, a vortex if you will, into which all our downtime disappears. A vacuum of free time, of leisure time, of time to connect with real life, flesh and blood people. I've often told Dimitri that human beings were not designed to life in a cyber world, we were not made to only chat on line or via text, we are pack animals by nature and we need face to face contact. To get that contact sometimes, we have to take a couple baby steps and unplug.
Showing posts with label busy days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label busy days. Show all posts
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Sweet slumber and other random thoughts
Never underestimate the power of sleep. I've been a good, good girl this week. I've been in bed with lights out by 10:30 so that I can get up and function at 5:30 and be ready for Paulo to get up at 6:00 to get ready for school. Last night I had an auction meeting, a wrap up to our awesome auction that raise over 25K for our awesome school! I didn't get home until close to 10 which meant after puttering around with lunches and stuff I wasn't in bed until close to 11 which meant I was not ready to get up today at 5:30. I got up, I dragged my unwilling body out of bed, but I really, really did not want to! And now, now I just feel off. That's the best way to describe it, I feel off, out of sync, off kilter, out of balance, I'm tired. I wish a slight delay in slumber didn't throw me so far out of whack! Rene functions on less sleep than I do-I won't say he always functions well mind you, but he seems to require less sleep than I do. Sometimes I envy that. I would love to get closer to 8 hours but that would require I go to bed by 9:30 and frankly that's just not going to happen. So today I shall struggle through with slightly sleepy eyes and hope to reach the end of my day without biting anyones head off *keep your fingers crossed*!
I've been pondering a lot lately, I tend to do that, I'm a ponderer...is that a word? eh who cares!...I've been pondering my monkey. No, not the cute furry kind, the proverbial one. My monkey is two fold, I think the biggest baddest monkey I schlep around on my back though is sugar. Oh how I love sugar, I am constantly tempted by the sweet...white....processed...crap. I know it's crap, I know I don't need it, but man do I want it. Most of the time I can control that monkey, I can resist the doughnuts brought into my office because I remember that the last time I had one I had a migraine within 30 minutes, and felt like I needed to throw up. I can resist the candy bowl that resides five feet from my desk by reminding myself that I, like Pringles junkies everywhere, cannot eat just one. If I start and put one single piece of individually wrapped sugar into my mouth I will end the day with at least a dozen wrappers guiltily hidden in my garbage can. But the 2nd monkey makes the 1st monkey grow to King Kong size and I find myself standing in my pantry at night after my son is in bed stuffing marshmallows into my mouth-the big ones by the way, not the minis-then chasing those down with dried pineapple (at least I can somewhat placate my guilt on that one with the knowledge that it is indeed fruit and does not have any HFCS added, but still, dried fruit after marshmallows, who does that?!). I stopped myself from devouring the girl scout cookies because I was too embarrassed to be the one that opened the sleeve of thin mints. As long as they stay sealed shut they stay safe(ish). The 2nd monkey to which I refer is alcohol. I've made no secret of my struggles with that particular beast, I come from a long line of alcoholics and I can recognize my own addiction tendencies but sometimes, sometimes, I just do not care. One drink turns to two turns to three turns to a marshmallow and dried pineapple binge. Nice way to cap off the weekend, eh? Oh to be able to wave a magic wand and rid myself of my monkeys, my flaws, my weaknesses-that's what they feel like to me, weaknesses. I feel like I should be able to enjoy wine and sweets in moderation but man do I struggle with that word, moderation. I'm still so all or nothing, my inner pendulum swings wildly from one to the other. I seriously think this will be my challenge until the day I die. Trying to find balance, moderation, the middle ground-it is really hard for me in a lot of aspects of my life.
On other news, I decided to actually do the race I blogged about in January but opted to sign up for the 10K instead of the 5K! I've never done any race at all of any length and I jumped into the 10K. I'm nervous, it's about three weeks away, but I'm also excited. I've enjoyed the process of training and of feeling my body become stronger. A year ago I could barely manage two miles on the treadmill and last weekend I ran almost four, on the road. Crazy! This weekend I need to up that to at least 4.5 to start inching my way towards the 6.2 miles I will fun on April 3rd. It's for a great cause, Albertina Kerr, and I'm really looking forward to experiencing the energy and vibe that my dear triathlete friend SM talks about. I always wanted to be a runner but I never thought I could be, I guess I was wrong-not a bad thing to be wrong about!
I've been pondering a lot lately, I tend to do that, I'm a ponderer...is that a word? eh who cares!...I've been pondering my monkey. No, not the cute furry kind, the proverbial one. My monkey is two fold, I think the biggest baddest monkey I schlep around on my back though is sugar. Oh how I love sugar, I am constantly tempted by the sweet...white....processed...crap. I know it's crap, I know I don't need it, but man do I want it. Most of the time I can control that monkey, I can resist the doughnuts brought into my office because I remember that the last time I had one I had a migraine within 30 minutes, and felt like I needed to throw up. I can resist the candy bowl that resides five feet from my desk by reminding myself that I, like Pringles junkies everywhere, cannot eat just one. If I start and put one single piece of individually wrapped sugar into my mouth I will end the day with at least a dozen wrappers guiltily hidden in my garbage can. But the 2nd monkey makes the 1st monkey grow to King Kong size and I find myself standing in my pantry at night after my son is in bed stuffing marshmallows into my mouth-the big ones by the way, not the minis-then chasing those down with dried pineapple (at least I can somewhat placate my guilt on that one with the knowledge that it is indeed fruit and does not have any HFCS added, but still, dried fruit after marshmallows, who does that?!). I stopped myself from devouring the girl scout cookies because I was too embarrassed to be the one that opened the sleeve of thin mints. As long as they stay sealed shut they stay safe(ish). The 2nd monkey to which I refer is alcohol. I've made no secret of my struggles with that particular beast, I come from a long line of alcoholics and I can recognize my own addiction tendencies but sometimes, sometimes, I just do not care. One drink turns to two turns to three turns to a marshmallow and dried pineapple binge. Nice way to cap off the weekend, eh? Oh to be able to wave a magic wand and rid myself of my monkeys, my flaws, my weaknesses-that's what they feel like to me, weaknesses. I feel like I should be able to enjoy wine and sweets in moderation but man do I struggle with that word, moderation. I'm still so all or nothing, my inner pendulum swings wildly from one to the other. I seriously think this will be my challenge until the day I die. Trying to find balance, moderation, the middle ground-it is really hard for me in a lot of aspects of my life.
On other news, I decided to actually do the race I blogged about in January but opted to sign up for the 10K instead of the 5K! I've never done any race at all of any length and I jumped into the 10K. I'm nervous, it's about three weeks away, but I'm also excited. I've enjoyed the process of training and of feeling my body become stronger. A year ago I could barely manage two miles on the treadmill and last weekend I ran almost four, on the road. Crazy! This weekend I need to up that to at least 4.5 to start inching my way towards the 6.2 miles I will fun on April 3rd. It's for a great cause, Albertina Kerr, and I'm really looking forward to experiencing the energy and vibe that my dear triathlete friend SM talks about. I always wanted to be a runner but I never thought I could be, I guess I was wrong-not a bad thing to be wrong about!
Friday, February 25, 2011
When it rains....
This week has really put me through the ringer.
Paulo's school auction is tomorrow, so we've had a lot of last minute meetings and tons of work still to be done. I'm trying to print the bid sheets for the silent auction. My equipment is not cooperating. First my laser printer toner is running low. I KNOW I bought another cartridge a few months ago and it has disappeared. But darn it I know I bought it!! Naturally the possibilities exists that I did not in fact purchase said cartridge, that I only meant to, that I already used it and that I'm losing my mind. So, I moved on to my other ink printer, and 1/2 way through a sheet, the black ink ran out....seriously, the Gods are against me!
On Tuesday Paulo woke up sick, fever, sore throat, garden variety symptoms. He hasn't been able to shake the fever since. Last night I went to my Mother in law's to pick him up after work and found him sobbing, curled up in the fetal position holding his right side-his fever was up near 103. I kick into Mommy panic mode, scoop him up, put him in the car and drive straight to the ER. My fear being appendicitis. A couple doses of zofran for the stomach and tylenol for the fever and four hours of observation later we're sent home. I'm reminded of why I refuse to get ill or injured, I really don't like hospitals. The doctor didn't want to scan him needlessly-which I appreciate-and decided that it was viral. She told me that there is a virus going around in our neck of the woods with those symptoms, high fever and severe abdominal pain. We got home close to 10:00 and had a late, light, dinner and crashed.
So, add the stress of the auction, the stress of end of the month business wrapping up/expenses and my Momma fears with a sick baby and what do you get? A woman that is one step away from crouching in the corner, rocking back and forth and crying...sometimes loudly....seriously I'm one more snafu away from a full blown melt down-which I do not have time for. I just need to get through the next 36 hours or so, I need the auction to go smoothly, I need people to come and have fun and buy the wonderful things we've worked so hard to get donated and I need my son to get well, I just need to get to Sunday in one piece physically and emotionally. Light a candle, say a prayer, burn some incense, whatever it is that you do, do it for me so I can survive the next 36 hours.
Paulo's school auction is tomorrow, so we've had a lot of last minute meetings and tons of work still to be done. I'm trying to print the bid sheets for the silent auction. My equipment is not cooperating. First my laser printer toner is running low. I KNOW I bought another cartridge a few months ago and it has disappeared. But darn it I know I bought it!! Naturally the possibilities exists that I did not in fact purchase said cartridge, that I only meant to, that I already used it and that I'm losing my mind. So, I moved on to my other ink printer, and 1/2 way through a sheet, the black ink ran out....seriously, the Gods are against me!
On Tuesday Paulo woke up sick, fever, sore throat, garden variety symptoms. He hasn't been able to shake the fever since. Last night I went to my Mother in law's to pick him up after work and found him sobbing, curled up in the fetal position holding his right side-his fever was up near 103. I kick into Mommy panic mode, scoop him up, put him in the car and drive straight to the ER. My fear being appendicitis. A couple doses of zofran for the stomach and tylenol for the fever and four hours of observation later we're sent home. I'm reminded of why I refuse to get ill or injured, I really don't like hospitals. The doctor didn't want to scan him needlessly-which I appreciate-and decided that it was viral. She told me that there is a virus going around in our neck of the woods with those symptoms, high fever and severe abdominal pain. We got home close to 10:00 and had a late, light, dinner and crashed.
So, add the stress of the auction, the stress of end of the month business wrapping up/expenses and my Momma fears with a sick baby and what do you get? A woman that is one step away from crouching in the corner, rocking back and forth and crying...sometimes loudly....seriously I'm one more snafu away from a full blown melt down-which I do not have time for. I just need to get through the next 36 hours or so, I need the auction to go smoothly, I need people to come and have fun and buy the wonderful things we've worked so hard to get donated and I need my son to get well, I just need to get to Sunday in one piece physically and emotionally. Light a candle, say a prayer, burn some incense, whatever it is that you do, do it for me so I can survive the next 36 hours.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
The rule of 80/20
Years ago, when Paulo was in preschool I took over the reign of our Co-Op Board. I'd served as the VP for 1/2 the school year and the current President's child was moving on to Kindergarten.
When I took over the outgoing President gave me some advice that at the time I thought wasn't all that accurate. She told me about the rule of 80/20. 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. I scoffed a little inside...then I spent the next year doing 80% of the work of running a cooperative Preschool. I've always remembered that statistic, I'm not sure there's any science behind the numbers but it sure feels accurate when you're part of the 20%. And, yes I have always been and will always be part of the 20%.
I was reminded again of that sage wisdom last weekend. Paulo's school is moving. We start classes in our new location next Tuesday and the building is....not....ready. So Paulo and I spent a chunk of the day there Saturday and I went back for a few hours Sunday. I stopped by Monday to deliver a book shelf and rugs to his teacher and I was struck by the sea of familiar faces. You see, it was the same dozen or so people that I'd seen all weekend long! 80/20....a vivid example of the rule of 80/20.
I love my son's school, which is why I do not mind being part of that 20%. I love his teachers, I love the staff, they are truly wonderful people who work for next to nothing and if I can make their lives easier by hauling boxes and moving furniture you can bet I will be there to do it. I love being part of a community of kindred spirits that are working so hard to nurture my son, to help him grow up and develop both academically and emotionally. They are such amazing people. Without a doubt I love being part of the 20%. I love being involved with his school and truth be told I love that people know who I am. I am Paulo's Mom, I am part of the 20.
When I took over the outgoing President gave me some advice that at the time I thought wasn't all that accurate. She told me about the rule of 80/20. 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. I scoffed a little inside...then I spent the next year doing 80% of the work of running a cooperative Preschool. I've always remembered that statistic, I'm not sure there's any science behind the numbers but it sure feels accurate when you're part of the 20%. And, yes I have always been and will always be part of the 20%.
I was reminded again of that sage wisdom last weekend. Paulo's school is moving. We start classes in our new location next Tuesday and the building is....not....ready. So Paulo and I spent a chunk of the day there Saturday and I went back for a few hours Sunday. I stopped by Monday to deliver a book shelf and rugs to his teacher and I was struck by the sea of familiar faces. You see, it was the same dozen or so people that I'd seen all weekend long! 80/20....a vivid example of the rule of 80/20.
I love my son's school, which is why I do not mind being part of that 20%. I love his teachers, I love the staff, they are truly wonderful people who work for next to nothing and if I can make their lives easier by hauling boxes and moving furniture you can bet I will be there to do it. I love being part of a community of kindred spirits that are working so hard to nurture my son, to help him grow up and develop both academically and emotionally. They are such amazing people. Without a doubt I love being part of the 20%. I love being involved with his school and truth be told I love that people know who I am. I am Paulo's Mom, I am part of the 20.
Monday, January 24, 2011
A whoopin'
This month is kicking my butt!
Between work, kids and Paulo's school auction I am sitting here stunned that next Monday is January 31st. The first month of 2011 is 7 days away from ending?! WTH?! Seriously, I'm freaking out.
So much for my stop and smell the roses start to the year! I stopped to sniff and got trampled by life!
So what's keeping me so tied up? First and foremost is Paulo's school auction. Paulo goes to an awesome school, SW Charter, and our annual auction is a month away. We've been busy little procuring bees but I'm running into roadblocks at the major hotels downtown, a lot of no, sorry, it's the economy when I ask if they could give us a night's stay. Frustrating, understandable, but frustrating. Once the auction passes I think I will breathe a HUGE sigh of relief. I only hope we can meet our auction goals.
Work has been extremely busy-which I'm grateful for.
And then there's just the little details of life, the cooking, cleaning and grocery carting. The homework. The bath time and stories and noses to wipe. And the trying to squeeze in a trip to the gym every now and then. All good things but still busy, busy things.
Oh, and to increase my load I'm considering signing up for a 5K. There, I said it, I put it out there in cyber space for all the world (or those few that read my blog) to see. I've always wanted to but haven't taken the plunge and have been inspired recently by a couple of lovely ladies I know. So now I'm thinking about that and trying to figure out how and when to train for that. Yikes! I ran today on a track for the first time in ages, it's different than running on a treadmill...a lot different.
So there we go, that's what is going down in the house and mind of Krista. It's been a very busy month and I'm ready for that slow down I promised myself, sadly I don't see it coming anytime soon. In the meantime, I need to remind myself to be grateful that no one is sick. That sound you hear? That's the sound of me knocking...on wood.
Between work, kids and Paulo's school auction I am sitting here stunned that next Monday is January 31st. The first month of 2011 is 7 days away from ending?! WTH?! Seriously, I'm freaking out.
So much for my stop and smell the roses start to the year! I stopped to sniff and got trampled by life!
So what's keeping me so tied up? First and foremost is Paulo's school auction. Paulo goes to an awesome school, SW Charter, and our annual auction is a month away. We've been busy little procuring bees but I'm running into roadblocks at the major hotels downtown, a lot of no, sorry, it's the economy when I ask if they could give us a night's stay. Frustrating, understandable, but frustrating. Once the auction passes I think I will breathe a HUGE sigh of relief. I only hope we can meet our auction goals.
Work has been extremely busy-which I'm grateful for.
And then there's just the little details of life, the cooking, cleaning and grocery carting. The homework. The bath time and stories and noses to wipe. And the trying to squeeze in a trip to the gym every now and then. All good things but still busy, busy things.
Oh, and to increase my load I'm considering signing up for a 5K. There, I said it, I put it out there in cyber space for all the world (or those few that read my blog) to see. I've always wanted to but haven't taken the plunge and have been inspired recently by a couple of lovely ladies I know. So now I'm thinking about that and trying to figure out how and when to train for that. Yikes! I ran today on a track for the first time in ages, it's different than running on a treadmill...a lot different.
So there we go, that's what is going down in the house and mind of Krista. It's been a very busy month and I'm ready for that slow down I promised myself, sadly I don't see it coming anytime soon. In the meantime, I need to remind myself to be grateful that no one is sick. That sound you hear? That's the sound of me knocking...on wood.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Holidays and husbands
My conversation this morning with Rene....
"uh, I don't mean to be tacky but Paulo typically likes to pick out my present himself. Have you taken him anywhere??"
"uh..........no...........guess we will do that tomorrow"
Are all men like that?!
"uh, I don't mean to be tacky but Paulo typically likes to pick out my present himself. Have you taken him anywhere??"
"uh..........no...........guess we will do that tomorrow"
Are all men like that?!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
My my where does the time go?
December 8th...really? How did that happen! So much has happened since I last posted.
My sweet boy won the grand prize for his efforts with our school's first ever Run for the Arts. He was given his award in our school's first ever assembly. Thankfully I was tipped off by the Mom that organized the whole deal to come to the assembly and even more thankfully I work two minutes away so I was able to come and watch him accept his award with typical Paulo enthusiasm. We are seeing The Christmas Story at Portland Center Stage later this month as part of his award package. And we will have tickets to a Portland Youth Philharmonic concert coming up in March. The prizes were outstanding, but even better was watching his complete and utter joy. That boy knows how to accept an award!
It's blurry but you get the idea! He was so happy and I was so grateful to witness it.
We celebrated Thanksgiving last month with dinner for 16-this is a decrease from last year by about a full table! It was still lovely, even with a few less faces. I have my toe dipped into being a vegetarian though so there was some personal conflict leading up to the big day. Ultimately though I ended up eating some of my bird. I have not eaten much meat at all since the end of September. October was Vegetarian Awareness month and I answered the challenge to forgo meat for the whole month. It was easier than I thought it would be and I found my body runs better without the meat clogging the pipes. Plus since Paulo is not eating dairy there have been more days than not that I have actually been vegan. I am still not 100% committed to being a vegetarian and honestly some of my hold ups have to do with my family. I married a serious carnivore and he comes from good, hearty, meat eating stock. Food is such a big part of our lives too, all of our celebrations revolve around food and frankly most of them center on meat. I'm not sure where I am though in it, I'm still a work in progress.
We entered December and were hit with Paulo's first major illness. He had developed a cold in mid November which settled into a lingering cough. On the 1st of December he woke me up around 4:30 and as soon as I reached out and touched his hands I knew he had a fever. He missed three days of school and ultimately ended up with a trip to the pedi and a round of antibiotics. She suspected a sinus infection. I really didn't want to give him the drugs but ended up starting them last Saturday after the 4th day of fever. By Sunday he was fever free so I suppose it was for the best. Through it all though I did take comfort in the fact that his ears were CLEAR!!! Ear infections plagued us last year, it was terrible. Holding your sobbing child while he waits for the pain meds to kick in...it's no fun. I was so happy he was not in pain last week. It does give me some encouragement to keep up on his wheat/dairy/egg free diet. He's able to tolerate eggs to a certain degree but definitely no wheat and dairy right now. The other thing that comforted me was how well he'd been sleeping prior to the fever. In the past every cold meant days of disrupted sleep. But he's been a much better sleeper this Fall despite a little case of the sniffles here or there.
Paulo got to experience his first ever professional Blazer game with his Dad. Ooooh boy, was that a huge hit! He was able to yell and cheer and scream and no one told him to Shh!
We're gearing up for Christmas now and all the events that go with it. We went tree hunting last Saturday, despite Paulo not feeling 100%. He was a trooper though, it helped that we were in and out of the farm inside of 20 minutes. It was by far the fastest tree hunt ever for the Rodriguez Family.
We have our company holiday party coming up soon and then a week later, wham! It's Christmas Day! I am amazed at how fast this year has flown by. It is almost 2011! One of my boys will be 7 in April and then the oldest turns 16 next August....16?! I don't know quite what to think of that.
I know I need to remember to slow down and enjoy these moments as they come. Seeing the years fly by reminds me of that. But to be honest I have a hard time putting it into practice. I know I should slow down....I know I should enjoy the moment....but how when there's a pile of dishes to be washed and lunches to be made? I think perhaps that will be my New Year's Resolution, to sloooooow down. Wow, time to start thinking about goals for a whole new year. I do make resolutions. Often they are about food or health related, one year it was to remove HFCS, another year to purge food dyes, that sort of thing. This year though perhaps I need to refocus inward and see what sort of growth I want to see in myself. What about you? What has the coming end of the year brought to mind for you? What do you see for yourself in 2011? Amazing...2011. But before I get ahead of myself, I need to enjoy the end of 2010.
My sweet boy won the grand prize for his efforts with our school's first ever Run for the Arts. He was given his award in our school's first ever assembly. Thankfully I was tipped off by the Mom that organized the whole deal to come to the assembly and even more thankfully I work two minutes away so I was able to come and watch him accept his award with typical Paulo enthusiasm. We are seeing The Christmas Story at Portland Center Stage later this month as part of his award package. And we will have tickets to a Portland Youth Philharmonic concert coming up in March. The prizes were outstanding, but even better was watching his complete and utter joy. That boy knows how to accept an award!
It's blurry but you get the idea! He was so happy and I was so grateful to witness it.
We celebrated Thanksgiving last month with dinner for 16-this is a decrease from last year by about a full table! It was still lovely, even with a few less faces. I have my toe dipped into being a vegetarian though so there was some personal conflict leading up to the big day. Ultimately though I ended up eating some of my bird. I have not eaten much meat at all since the end of September. October was Vegetarian Awareness month and I answered the challenge to forgo meat for the whole month. It was easier than I thought it would be and I found my body runs better without the meat clogging the pipes. Plus since Paulo is not eating dairy there have been more days than not that I have actually been vegan. I am still not 100% committed to being a vegetarian and honestly some of my hold ups have to do with my family. I married a serious carnivore and he comes from good, hearty, meat eating stock. Food is such a big part of our lives too, all of our celebrations revolve around food and frankly most of them center on meat. I'm not sure where I am though in it, I'm still a work in progress.
We entered December and were hit with Paulo's first major illness. He had developed a cold in mid November which settled into a lingering cough. On the 1st of December he woke me up around 4:30 and as soon as I reached out and touched his hands I knew he had a fever. He missed three days of school and ultimately ended up with a trip to the pedi and a round of antibiotics. She suspected a sinus infection. I really didn't want to give him the drugs but ended up starting them last Saturday after the 4th day of fever. By Sunday he was fever free so I suppose it was for the best. Through it all though I did take comfort in the fact that his ears were CLEAR!!! Ear infections plagued us last year, it was terrible. Holding your sobbing child while he waits for the pain meds to kick in...it's no fun. I was so happy he was not in pain last week. It does give me some encouragement to keep up on his wheat/dairy/egg free diet. He's able to tolerate eggs to a certain degree but definitely no wheat and dairy right now. The other thing that comforted me was how well he'd been sleeping prior to the fever. In the past every cold meant days of disrupted sleep. But he's been a much better sleeper this Fall despite a little case of the sniffles here or there.
Paulo got to experience his first ever professional Blazer game with his Dad. Ooooh boy, was that a huge hit! He was able to yell and cheer and scream and no one told him to Shh!
We're gearing up for Christmas now and all the events that go with it. We went tree hunting last Saturday, despite Paulo not feeling 100%. He was a trooper though, it helped that we were in and out of the farm inside of 20 minutes. It was by far the fastest tree hunt ever for the Rodriguez Family.
We have our company holiday party coming up soon and then a week later, wham! It's Christmas Day! I am amazed at how fast this year has flown by. It is almost 2011! One of my boys will be 7 in April and then the oldest turns 16 next August....16?! I don't know quite what to think of that.
I know I need to remember to slow down and enjoy these moments as they come. Seeing the years fly by reminds me of that. But to be honest I have a hard time putting it into practice. I know I should slow down....I know I should enjoy the moment....but how when there's a pile of dishes to be washed and lunches to be made? I think perhaps that will be my New Year's Resolution, to sloooooow down. Wow, time to start thinking about goals for a whole new year. I do make resolutions. Often they are about food or health related, one year it was to remove HFCS, another year to purge food dyes, that sort of thing. This year though perhaps I need to refocus inward and see what sort of growth I want to see in myself. What about you? What has the coming end of the year brought to mind for you? What do you see for yourself in 2011? Amazing...2011. But before I get ahead of myself, I need to enjoy the end of 2010.
Monday, October 11, 2010
I so do not have time for this!
It's been hectic the last couple of weeks. The first thing that lands on the chopping block when life gets hairy is my gym time. I decided to adjust my schedule a little this week to work out in the morning because our evenings are full of birthdays, anniversaries and soccer practice. Then I woke up today...with a familiar twinge of pain in my lower right back. That twinge progressed while I made breakfast to the all too familiar spasm. The 800 MG of Ibuprofen is keeping it down to a dull ache. I'm just frustrated, I try to switch my schedule around so I can still work out and my back says nope! No go lady! I shouldn't be surprised though, life's been hectic, I had my husband's birthday party on Saturday and all the cleaning/prep/clean up that go along with that I'm sure added to the strain. I think this is my body's way of telling me to slow down, but really, can't you just send a card or something? Write me an email, send a carrier pigeon, something, anything except the back going out!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Self discipline
In order for our weekly schedule to work I have to be disciplined. It sucks. I want to just lounge and chill out. I want to stay up until 11 watching all those new shows that look interesting. I want to have a glass, or two, of wine. I can't do any of that. Because I know if I do then the morning will derail.
I sincerely hope I can continue to look at that big picture and not indulge my inner child. I need to remember how peaceful I feel when I walk into my kitchen at 6 am and see the counters clear of dishes that would normally sit and air dry at night. I need to remember how rested I feel at 5:45 am when my alarm goes off when I've been a good girl and hit the sack, lights out and off to sleepy land by 10:30 (frankly the 10:00 that I did last night worked even better!) I need to remember how clear headed I feel when I abstain from alcohol. I keep reminding myself that Friday is coming, I can have a glass on Friday if I want, but during the week? Nope. It really affects the quality of my sleep and my mood and I cannot sacrifice either of those.
I just need to take it one day at a time and remember what is most important, a smooth and peaceful morning for my boys before school. I can remember plenty of mornings when I ran around like a crazed harpie. It rarely was their fault I was angry, I was angry because I was tired. Because I hadn't slept well or long enough, because things hadn't gotten done the night before. I was angry at myself. I do not want to be angry at myself anymore.
I sincerely hope I can continue to look at that big picture and not indulge my inner child. I need to remember how peaceful I feel when I walk into my kitchen at 6 am and see the counters clear of dishes that would normally sit and air dry at night. I need to remember how rested I feel at 5:45 am when my alarm goes off when I've been a good girl and hit the sack, lights out and off to sleepy land by 10:30 (frankly the 10:00 that I did last night worked even better!) I need to remember how clear headed I feel when I abstain from alcohol. I keep reminding myself that Friday is coming, I can have a glass on Friday if I want, but during the week? Nope. It really affects the quality of my sleep and my mood and I cannot sacrifice either of those.
I just need to take it one day at a time and remember what is most important, a smooth and peaceful morning for my boys before school. I can remember plenty of mornings when I ran around like a crazed harpie. It rarely was their fault I was angry, I was angry because I was tired. Because I hadn't slept well or long enough, because things hadn't gotten done the night before. I was angry at myself. I do not want to be angry at myself anymore.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Back in the saddle again....
The start of Paulo's school year was delayed by two weeks due to a snafu in our new building-namely the renovation was not done! The administration has been scrambling for the past month, once it became clear to the new building owner that he would not be prepared for us, to find a new facility. We finally found one last week that would house all of our K-8 classes and was "E occupancy" which basically translates to the school won't collapse and crush our babies in the event of an earthquake. The extended summer vacation has been both a blessing and a curse, it was hard for me to get back into the Fall swing of things when only one of my kids was going to school. I think it was hard on Paulo as well, he enjoys school and missed his friends.
Finally, today was my baby's first day of 1st grade! Hallelujah!! I laughed as we walked in at the grins on all the faces of the parents. This two week delay has been really tough on some families, fortunately I was able to take some time off and I have my mother in law as my back up, so it wasn't a strain on me. But for those traditional two income families, it's been tough. We were a giddy group of Moms and Dads today! The kids seemed happy (and nervous) but us parents? We were ecstatic!
I deposited Paulo to his classroom, a 1st/2nd grade blend taught by his favorite teacher, Mr. Mike, this morning. He quickly found his cubby to stuff his backpack into and got started on his first assignment, to write and/or draw about something you did during the summer. After a couple last pictures and a begrudgingly small kiss good bye I left the room...and stole a couple more pictures after that. I stood there for a moment though marveling at how he jumps right into new experiences, I hope he never loses that enviable personality trait.
Now I'm just sitting here.....waiting....wishing that time would speed up so I can pick him up at 2:45 and hear all about his first day of first grade!
Finally, today was my baby's first day of 1st grade! Hallelujah!! I laughed as we walked in at the grins on all the faces of the parents. This two week delay has been really tough on some families, fortunately I was able to take some time off and I have my mother in law as my back up, so it wasn't a strain on me. But for those traditional two income families, it's been tough. We were a giddy group of Moms and Dads today! The kids seemed happy (and nervous) but us parents? We were ecstatic!
I deposited Paulo to his classroom, a 1st/2nd grade blend taught by his favorite teacher, Mr. Mike, this morning. He quickly found his cubby to stuff his backpack into and got started on his first assignment, to write and/or draw about something you did during the summer. After a couple last pictures and a begrudgingly small kiss good bye I left the room...and stole a couple more pictures after that. I stood there for a moment though marveling at how he jumps right into new experiences, I hope he never loses that enviable personality trait.
Now I'm just sitting here.....waiting....wishing that time would speed up so I can pick him up at 2:45 and hear all about his first day of first grade!
Friday, September 3, 2010
As if grocery shopping weren't bad enough!
I did my bi-monthly pilgrimage today to the grocery store. I try to limit myself to two big trips a month, sometimes I need to run in on the off weeks for more veggies and fruits.
I was in the home stretch, Winco, my local discount grocery store. I loaded up my reusable bags first, but didn't have enough of them since this was my last stop of three stores. To finish bagging my groceries, yes at Winco you have to do that yourself, I grabbed a paper bag. I should have thought through what I put in which bag. I grabbed my bag and turned to put in my cart and heard RIP! The bag tore, my olives smashed to the ground and shattered, my cantaloupe followed-thankfully no shattering there and I'm left holding a torn bag in my hand, huge mess at my feet, mortified. Absolutely mortified.
A very nice man starts yelling behind me asking if I need help. Uh no, just a nice big hole to jump in would be lovely. An equally nice man, that worked there, swooped down on me with a broom, reassuring me that he'd seen worse, and sending another guy off to get replacements for my olives that shattered and my salsa bottle that was damaged in the process. I was surprised though that they didn't charge me for the replacements, I expected to pay again since it was no one's fault but my own that I was covered in olive juice.
Seriously though, as if grocery shopping was not bad enough! The only saving grace, I'm done with Winco for at least two weeks.
I was in the home stretch, Winco, my local discount grocery store. I loaded up my reusable bags first, but didn't have enough of them since this was my last stop of three stores. To finish bagging my groceries, yes at Winco you have to do that yourself, I grabbed a paper bag. I should have thought through what I put in which bag. I grabbed my bag and turned to put in my cart and heard RIP! The bag tore, my olives smashed to the ground and shattered, my cantaloupe followed-thankfully no shattering there and I'm left holding a torn bag in my hand, huge mess at my feet, mortified. Absolutely mortified.
A very nice man starts yelling behind me asking if I need help. Uh no, just a nice big hole to jump in would be lovely. An equally nice man, that worked there, swooped down on me with a broom, reassuring me that he'd seen worse, and sending another guy off to get replacements for my olives that shattered and my salsa bottle that was damaged in the process. I was surprised though that they didn't charge me for the replacements, I expected to pay again since it was no one's fault but my own that I was covered in olive juice.
Seriously though, as if grocery shopping was not bad enough! The only saving grace, I'm done with Winco for at least two weeks.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
The official start of Fall
SOCCER!! We're a soccer family, by "we" I mean my husband. He's the soccer player. Me? I'm along for the ride and to make sure my players have enough water.
Today was the start of Fall 2010 soccer for Paulo.
It got off to a great start, he scored a goal. And ran back to the other side of the field to his team mates screaming VICTORY!!! As you can see, he's a very shy and reserved child....snort.
He was really hot and really tired after the jamboree. We've had a lousy summer, weather wise, it's been downright cold! My poor tomato plant may never give me ripe, red, tomatoes. Today was over 100, fortunately the jamboree started at 9 am so it wasn't too bad but still, it was over 80, and he was running almost nonstop for over an hour. You know what that means? Oh yeah, he'll be sleeping good tonight!
Today was the start of Fall 2010 soccer for Paulo.
It got off to a great start, he scored a goal. And ran back to the other side of the field to his team mates screaming VICTORY!!! As you can see, he's a very shy and reserved child....snort.
I really love this picture! I have a very similar shot of his father from his high school glory days hanging in Dimitri's room. It was snapped mid stride of a track meet and you can see the focus and determination on his face, that and his really long hair flying behind him. I see that focus and determination here, in our son. I think that will take him far in life.
He was really hot and really tired after the jamboree. We've had a lousy summer, weather wise, it's been downright cold! My poor tomato plant may never give me ripe, red, tomatoes. Today was over 100, fortunately the jamboree started at 9 am so it wasn't too bad but still, it was over 80, and he was running almost nonstop for over an hour. You know what that means? Oh yeah, he'll be sleeping good tonight!Thursday, July 1, 2010
Emerging from the fog
June passed. I'm grateful.
It was an insanely busy month. Paulo and I took a trip to Canada for my friend's wedding. We had trips to OMSI, the end of the school year festivities, Father's Day trips to the movies, out of town guests and of course the big surprise party. And let's not forget the day to day of running a business and maintaining a home.
The month was a blur. I look back over it and it feels foggy. Like it happened to someone else. I am emerging from the fog though. I feel clearer, more capable, more focused. Which is good, because July really isn't any less busy than June was!
Need to remember to slow down the mind. That was a tough thing in June. The racing mind. The faster the mind went the less I got done though. Slow....it......down..... One day at a time, right? One crisis at a time, right? How about no crisis? That sounds good to me!
It was an insanely busy month. Paulo and I took a trip to Canada for my friend's wedding. We had trips to OMSI, the end of the school year festivities, Father's Day trips to the movies, out of town guests and of course the big surprise party. And let's not forget the day to day of running a business and maintaining a home.
The month was a blur. I look back over it and it feels foggy. Like it happened to someone else. I am emerging from the fog though. I feel clearer, more capable, more focused. Which is good, because July really isn't any less busy than June was!
Need to remember to slow down the mind. That was a tough thing in June. The racing mind. The faster the mind went the less I got done though. Slow....it......down..... One day at a time, right? One crisis at a time, right? How about no crisis? That sounds good to me!
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