Single Mama

Andy has been on a business trip in New Jersey since Sunday afternoon.  It's only Tuesday afternoon but I feel like I've been hit by a truck.  How do single parents do it?!  Are there such things as caffeine IVs??  I've gone back to chugging 3 Dews a day just to function!

Andy was supposed to get back to IL tomorrow at 5pm, but since New Jersey is expecting a HUGE snowstorm (8-14 inches) his flight has already been cancelled!  He was put on a Thursday afternoon flight...but depending on how bad the storm is...he may not get out until this weekend.  That thought alone puts me directly in the fetal position.  My dad is also out of town; he's in Louisiana until Thursday.  He said we could go stay at their house when he gets back if I need help with Isla.  Part of me wants to be like, YES PLEASE!  But the other part of me knows I really don't neeeeeeeeed any help.  I am just dying for a good nap. 

I love my alone time with Isla...but it's hard not getting much of a break.  Having to cook, clean, tutor, plan lessons, and care for/play with Isla...my head is spinning!  Usually Andy takes over in the evening and gives Isla a bath and puts her to bed.  Typically, my "mom duties" end around 5:30pm and Andy let's me relax.  It is lovely.  And now I realize how much I have taken him for granted. 

Well as much as I'd love to crawl into bed for a quick nap while Isla sleeps, I've gotta get back to planning my tutoring lessons.  Thankfully, I've already negotiated a "day off" from EVERYTHING on Sunday (provided Andy gets back by then).  I can sleep all day if I want.  And I seriously just might. 

What I've been up to..

Goodness!  I am such a bad blogger lately.  I have so much to write about, although nothing I really feel like writing about.  So here's a small recap of the last few weeks...

-Isla, Andy and I were spoiled by my family once again this Christmas.  I find it silly to still be receiving gifts at 29 years old...and I kept telling my dad not to get Andy and I anything.  But I still ended up with many gift cards for massages, pedicures, various food places, Shoe Carnival...etc.  I also got a lovely pair of Uggs that I wasn't expecting at all, plus several other fabulous gifts. Isla got an insane amount of presents.  Lots of Fisher Price Little People stuff, a Cozy Coupe Little Tikes car, clothes, Lots of Weebles stuff, play food, stuffed animals...our apartment is PACKED to the brim with toys.  As fun as gifts are, I feel like my family has forgotten about the true meaning of Christmas.  We haven't been to church in years and every Christmas Eve revolves around gift opening and playing games for money/gift card prizes.  I need to come up with a new GP for next Christmas.

-New Years Eve was spent at home, watching movies and eating Chinese food.  We were staying at my dad's house for a few days while he was out of town with my step mom.  We were supposed to be "babysitting" my 15 year old sister, but she was home for a total of 6 hours the entire time we were there!  She pretty much lives at her friend's houses.  Kids these days...too much freedom! 

-Still no word on the house yet!  Although my dad received a call asking about Andy's employment.  And they have contacted our current apartment to get info about our payment history...so things seem to be moving in the right direction.  We have to be out of our apartment in 28 days, and Andy will be out of town a lot this month on business...so we have a small window of time to find a house,  pack, and move!!  Yikes.  I'm trying not to stress about it yet...

-On top of moving, and Andy traveling, we also have family visiting us this month too!  Andy has family coming in this afternoon, and my mom and step dad will be visiting for 4 days toward the end of January.  Plus I'm tutoring a new student starting Tuesday...so things will be BUSY for me in January.

So yeah.  That's pretty much what's been going on.  My cute little buddy just woke up from a 3 hour nap, so it's time to play and watch Barney.  Then probably go for a swim :)

Happy 2011!

Fingers Crossed!

We have been waiting patiently for the last 2 weeks, hoping that the house we LOVE will be ours.  Well, temporarily ours.  Good rentals are very hard to find in the suburb we currently live in.  There are pretty much 2 choices:  rent an enormous house that can't sell because its listing price is well over a million dollars (for $4000-ish per month), or rent the crappiest, dirtiest, tackiest, house you can imagine (for $1700-ish per month).  It's rare to find a decent, clean, house that allows pets (DAMN YOU, TORII!) for a reasonable price. 

So, the day my favorite beautiful house was listed, I forced Andy to call our real estate agent and get us in there ASAP.  We were the first couple in the house, and we immediately filled out the application and the credit/background check followed a few days later.  We are still waiting.  We have great credit, we make more than enough to cover the reasonable rent, and we are awesome people...what more do they want?!

Please send some good thoughts our way.  This house is 2200 square feet, it has a HUGE fenced in yard, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, an office, enormous laundry room, and a finished basement.  Oh, and more closets than I've ever dreamed of.  Really, it's so lovely.  It's in a neighboring city and only 13 minutes from my dad's house.  It also has steep staircases and a slightly ugly kitchen...but whatevs.  I'm in love.  I need this house. 

If this doesn't work out for us, we have very few options.  I'm guessing people aren't going to be putting their houses up for rent right after the holidays...which leads us back to the nasty house with the wooden paneling and the salmon colored bathroom.  Ick.  I think I'd rather live with my dad until we could find something decent.

I'm done with apartment living.  I need a house.  I need my own space.  I want my own closest. Torii and Isla need a yard.  My fingers are crossed we hear back about this house soon...

Meant to be.

On Monday afternoon my home phone rang right as Isla and I were about to walk out the door for a play date.  I normally avoid answering the phone (no one has the number...it's just used to buzz people in, and sales people occasionally call) but for some reason I felt compelled to answer. 

When I picked up the phone I was surprised to hear it wasn't a salesperson, it was an old woman named Claire.  She asked me how I was doing and then proceeded to tell me that she is 82 years old, lives in the neighboring city, and doesn't get out much.  At this point I'm very confused as to where this call is heading. Anyway, she then told me she wanted to do her best to help people from her home, and that she wanted to share words of wisdom with people.  She said she knew some people were worried about the world ending soon, and wanted to give comfort to people.  She told me to look up Psalms 37 verse 29:

The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

She then went on to say that God gave us this earth, and he won't take it from us.  She said she wanted people to be okay, and not worry so much. 

To some people, this woman might seem crazy.  To me, someone who has been struggling with the fear of the world eventually ending, this was a sign.  It was meant to be.  I swear it was God working through someone else, trying to let me know that things were going to be okay.  That I should stop worrying.  What are the odds that I would get this call...let alone even pick up my phone?!

I thanked the woman for her call, and hung up, feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.  

Holiday Happiness!

Our December has been packed with lots of Christmasy fun, and I couldn't be more pleased with how festive I've felt this holiday season.  Last December we had an impending, out of state move on our minds....which left little room for holiday fun.

This year, we are all about CHRISTMAS!  We've seen Santa twice, taken a rainy sleigh ride, watched Christmas movies, played in the snow, and we still have some upcoming events!  Plus, the first 3 Sundays in December have been reserved for my family's Christmas EXTRAVAGANZA.  Sounds awesome?!  Yep...it is.  It is an event created by me, and so far, we've had a wonderful time.  My family usually gets together every Sunday...but we tend to do the same old thing.  So I figured I could add some festive fun to our get-togethers by adding things like:  Wii bowling competition (with a $101 prize!), Wii Just Dance competition, board games with Christmasy prizes, Christmas related games, an ornament exchange, and different yummy meals each week.  So fun!  Oh, and I'm sure you are dying to know who won the do-rag, right?!  My brother's girlfriend, Angela, won the awesome prize...but Tom was incredibly excited to share with her. 

He has no gang affiliations and that Starter jacket is from the early 90's.  Our basement is seriously a time capsule. 

On top of all that festive fun, I had a lovely dinner last Saturday with my wonderful girlfriends.  We exchanged ornaments, ate yummy food, and stayed well past the bill was paid (per usual!). 

It was nice to be able to celebrate the holidays with my friends, especially since I'll be missing the annual Girl's Christmas this year with my MN girlfriends. And don't even get me started on how depressing that is! I have been to every Christmas gathering since our very first one in 1999. 



1999



January 2010

No Nap Friday!

It is 4:21pm and Isla has yet to take a nap.  I'm amazed that she hasn't just fallen over from exhaustion yet.  When I put Isla in her crib around 10 and she showed no signs of sleepiness, we headed to the gym.  Isla has fun playing at "school" and I got a good workout in.  Then we had several errands to run...and the whole time I kept hoping that Isla's pleasant mood wood continue.  By the time we got home and ate lunch it was after 1:30 and Isla was as energetic as ever...so I figured I'd lay her down when she got sleepy.  Let me tell you, the day gets looooong in our tiny apartment.  Isla colored for a record 40 minutes, we played with some of her toys, and then I set up a cozy area for her to watch Yo Gabba Gabba.

She sat in that box for a good 25 minutes and then I started noticing her head bobbing.  When I went to take her out of the box to put her in her crib, she instantly woke up and was smiling and laughing so I decided to just keep her up.  A 3:30 nap isn't ideal anyway.  I'm hoping she'll be asleep by 7 tonight.  Abb and I have a big night of Scrabble, wine, and Christmas movies planned!  And not that I don't love my little Bubbers, but she is not very good at Scrabble...

"Hey Everybody it's Animal Cracker Time!!"

I don't remember exactly when changing diapers became my living nightmare, but it slowly turned into a dreaded chore.  I had started dreading diaper changes because I knew it would entail me holding down a squirmy, screaming child while I attempted to change her diaper 1 handed.  Not fun.  I started giving Isla things to distract her, ie:  a thermometer, nail clipper, the tube of Butt Paste...weird stuff she never gets to touch otherwise.  That worked for a while, then she got bored.  Then I read an awesome suggestion in The Happiest Toddler on the Block...animal crackers.  Genius!

The book suggested giving kids an animal cracker when they laid down to get their diapers changed (I actually think they suggested half during the change, and half after...I stuck with giving her the whole cookie).  Holy miracle!  It has worked wonders.  When I tell Isla it's time for a diaper change, she no longer runs away from me, she actually holds my hand and we walk to her changing pad together!  The funny thing is, Isla doesn't eat the animal crackers!   She may nibble off a leg, but typically she carries it around like it's the greatest treasure she's ever received...then eventually she feeds it to Torii.  I no longer dread diaper changes, Isla gets a cookie, and Torii gets to eat it.  This my friends, is a win-win-win situation!