Our Little Geekling

So now that it’s 2013 but I don’t start school for two more weeks, I’m a little bored. So here are some Pinteresty things that I’d like to make.

Picture from Montessori by Hand.

Cork Initial.

Picture from Little Miss Mel.

Dancing Fairy Rings.

Picture from Etsy.

Remake my morse code bracelet (cause I broke it!); it had Eriana’s name on gray silk.

Image from Coatt Online. (I couldn’t find the picture I took of the one I made.)

Year in review! Questions originally from Sundry.
2011, 2010

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
-Went to New Orleans
-Whole30
-Voted Democrat for President
-Started a second graduate degree
Is that it? Oh, that’s kind of sad.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My resolutions were:
-Get fit: Nope.
-Travel: I went to Mexico, New Orleans, Nashville, Dallas (a few times), and Little Rock (a couple of times), not necessarily in that order. Does that count?
-Read 25 books: At last count I am at 74? I think I’m okay.
-Be a great mom and wife: Meh. I wasn’t great, but I did the best I could.
-Do well in school: With the exception of this most recent semester, I did well, enjoyed my classes, and learned a lot. Let’s just leave it at me being happy this past semester is over.
-Spend wisely: Nope. I did okay, but I definitely didn’t pay off the debts I wanted to.
-Stick to a schedule: Eh. We do have set things we do specific days of the week. But we still wing it most of the time. Eriana is the rare “spirited” child that is good on a schedule, and she really benefits from school. She does nap at a mostly consistent time every day, and she does have a bedtime, and she does have things to do five out of seven days a week. So I guess we just keep trying?

Yes, I will make more. I have a draft of 2013 goals already going.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No? I don’t remember? Crap. I should know this. Some of my imaginary friends had babies, but no one close to me in distance, and no one whose baby I get to regularly squeeze. 2013 is a boomer year with my friends, though. I’m super excited about the babies I get to squeeze then!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
The fetus we lost in the spring.

5. What countries did you visit?
Mexico. And Texas, I guess. (HA. Whatever, I’m funny.)

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
Money.

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The day I turned (gasp!) 30!
November 6, the Presidential election.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Um. I was pretty proud that I passed (nay, did well in) the three classes I took in one semester in the spring.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Lack of losing weight. Look, I know it isn’t the number on the scale that matters, it’s how you feel, but I don’t feel well.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope. I mean, just my miscarriage.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My iPhone? Two cars? I don’t know.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Jim’s. He’s such a trouper. Seriously. What in the world would I do without him?

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and/or depressed?
Oh, Lord, what a loaded question. Politicians. Some of Jim’s coworkers. People from both sides at the election. Some family members, at times. People that inflicted pain and hardship on others strictly for his or her own gain or fame.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills, bills, bills.

15. What did you get really excited about?
Jim. Eriana. The two together. School.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
No idea. I don’t really listen to music that often, and when I do it’s seasonal (holiday) or older (classic rock) music. *LAME-O*

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
– happier or sadder? Happier.
– thinner or fatter? About the same, I think.
– richer or poorer? Richer, I guess.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Run. I love to run, and I forget that until I’m doing it.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Fret. I’m a worrier. Major.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
-We were at my dad’s on Christmas Eve, as per usual, for Maiden Name Family Christmas.
-Christmas Day we were at home, just the three (seven, including pets) of us, and it was wonderful.
-The 28th was my mom’s side of the family at my grandfather’s house, and the 29th was my siblings (but for the one brother on the Maiden Name side) and step-siblings and mom and stepdad and grandfather at my grandfather’s house.
-The 29th was my stepdad’s kids and the grandkids on that side of the family. My grandfather was kind enough to open his home for us again, so we headed back up there for a pizza potluck. Eriana had a blast.

21. What was your favorite TV program?
Parks and Rec? Sons of Anarchy? Parenthood? The West Wing (old, but we watched it start to finish)? Eureka (same)? I don’t know.

22. What were your favorite books of the year?
(Books list.)
-The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
-Run by Ann Patchett
-The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
-11/22/63 by Stephen King
-Paper Towns by John Green
-Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
-This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
-The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
-Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
-The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
-When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
-The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint
-Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn

23. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Um. See above, number 14.

24. What were your favorite films of the year?
I don’t know. I didn’t see a lot of movies. Was Hunger Games this year? The last Harry Potter? I don’t remember.

25. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was in Mexico. I turned 30. THIRTY.

26. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not turning 30? Kidding. Kind of. Paying off more debts. Being healthier overall.

27. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Mommish. Nerdy.

28. What kept you sane?
Jim. Zoloft. Mother’s Day Out. Schoolwork. Books. Wine.

29. What political issue stirred you the most?
Same-sex marriage. Equal rights, basically.

30. Who did you miss?
It really makes me sad, on at least a weekly basis, that all of my best friends and imaginary friends don’t live in my neighborhood. We don’t know our neighbors, and I wish all of the people I liked very best lived here instead of them.

31. Who was the best new person you met?
Oh, goodness. This is too hard. There are a lot of people with whom I forged new or better friendships this year, especially online, and I don’t know where I’d be without them.

32. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
I already knew this, but it’s nice to see it in print:
“Belief and knowledge have little, if anything, in common.” - James Potter and the Hall of Elders’ Crossing by G. Charles Lippert

Because I’m nothing if not a follower, I am going to talk about the division of labor in my marriage, just like Kara and Laura did.

(As an aside, Liz recently discussed the 1.5 marriage, and I agree with her assessment. It’s interesting; please go read!)

A General Week Looks Like This:
-Eriana wakes up around 7-7:30 every morning and I get up with her every day but Saturday. Jim gets up around 7:30 and leaves for work about 8:15. (No matter what time he gets to work he winds up staying until at least 5:30, so he doesn’t go in early anymore.) He gets home about 6:30. I try to have dinner ready by 6:30 every evening. Eriana starts winding down about 7:10-15, and we put her down by 7:30 every night.
-Mondays we get up and she goes to my mom’s house for the day, usually around 9:30-10 a.m., and I go workout and then go home to deep clean the house. I meal plan and grocery shop and then pick her up around 4:30-5. During the spring and summer after I drop Eriana I go home to do yard work.
-Tuesdays we get up and she goes to day school from 9-2. I usually go workout on those days, then go home and get around, then do homework until it’s time to go pick up the monster. Sometimes we play at the park at her school (our church) or go to Target if I forgot something on Monday or didn’t get to go.
-Wednesdays Eriana has gymnastics at 10, and then we head home for lunch and then naptime.
-Thursdays are the same as Tuesdays.
-Fridays we get to be lazy. Sometimes we make plans, but more often than not we head to the library or the park or Target or the mall or somewhere.
-Saturdays Jim gets up with Eriana and I sleep in. Then we hang out and are usually really lazy or run errands together. Sometimes I go to the library or sequester myself in the bedroom with my laptop to do homework.
-Sundays Eriana and I get up and go to church and Jim sleeps in. After church we get Qdoba and come home to eat and Eriana naps. Then we hang out and do very little for the rest of the day.

Division of Labor:
Me
-I make dinner at least six nights a week. (Eriana usually eats around 5, and then snacks about 6:30 when we eat. She doesn’t often eat when we do, but it doesn’t usually involve cooking two meals.)
-I clean the house completely on Mondays, and then wipe down the bathrooms again near the end of the week (sometimes in between, too, depending on the animal hair situation).
-I vacuum again on Thursdays (usually).
-I clean out the cat box on Mondays and again during the week if I need to.
-I feed the dogs in the mornings, Jim feeds them and the cats in the evenings.
-I usually do all the laundry, but Jim will sometimes start a load, especially if we’re out of diapers. I fold and put things away because I care where they go.
Jim
-Jim usually puts away leftovers after dinner when Eriana and I are reading. Sometimes I put it away before then. It doesn’t usually matter to me.
-Jim organizes his desk in the office, and I… don’t organize mine. It’s a mess. I need to. It’s a Christmas break project.
-Jim will often clean the kitchen top to bottom on weekends. Not sure why, he just does. Also if he’s upset about something he’ll often clean/pick up. So that’s good.
-Jim always volunteers to do the yard work, but I do it so he has more time to hang out and spend time with us on weekends and evenings.
Both
-We both pick up the living room after bedtime. I organize the playroom because I care where everything goes.
-We take out the trash when it needs to be done, but I empty all of the trash cans on Mondays.
-We both do the dishes whenever it needs to be done. Usually we run the dishwasher every night and I will unload/reload it during the day. Jim usually does them on the weekends or on Wednesday nights when I’m at church.

I’m not sure where that leaves us. Did I forget anything? I take on most of the housework because I have time. There’s a good chance Eriana will be in school three days a week beginning in January, so I can finish up my degree and so she can get the scheduling she craves. (One of the few characteristics of a “spirited” child Eriana lacks is that she thrives on a schedule. When we figured out that she was like this it revolutionized our family life.)

Today at the park. On a big swing. Asking to go higher. Who is this big kid?

Quick takes…

-I am really excited about our trip this week. Jim has had some stress at work and is ready to get away, and I’m looking forward to not HAVING to go somewhere or HAVING to do something for a few days.

-Things have been good, really. I was super stressed last Friday, but otherwise have been okay, good even. I have had time to do things I need to and time to do things I want to. It’s been raining a lot here, which I love. Eriana didn’t throw up at all last week. She’s been in a great mood for the most part, and has been amazingly obedient and helpful and snuggly. My busy girl hardly ever snuggles, so I love it.

-Last Monday afternoon I got out of the car at my mom and stepdad’s house and Eriana ran across the driveway to me. It was very surreal. This driveway where I played my whole childhood at this house where I lived for the first 18 years of my life, and here’s MY child running to me around the front of my childhood home, living her childhood right in front of me.

Eriana in front of the yard of my childhood home.

-Eriana has several baby dolls that she loves to snuggle and talk to. One has a tiny high chair with tray and bib and a little potty, and one the same size has a bathtub, and it’s amazing to me what Eriana understands. She’ll try to take off the baby’s pants to put her on the potty (even though she’s only showing minor interest in using one herself), and put the baby in her high chair and feed her with a bowl and spoon. She washes the baby in the bathtub and wraps her up in a washcloth. She has another, big baby that she’ll hold up to the window and talk to, and point outside, telling her baby some story about the back or front yard. She snuggles them, hugs them and pats their backs, gives them kisses, and takes very good care of them.

-I’ve started wearing my Angel necklace again everyday, since Eriana is old enough that I can ask her not to pull on it. She says “Angel” and kisses it and lifts it to my mouth to kiss. And when we’re home she points to the curio cabinet that holds photos of our Angel and her urn, and says “Angel!” and then “shhh” because the baby in the picture looks like she’s sleeping. Someday we’ll have to tell her what happened and that she’s supposed to have a big sister, and it hurts so much.

I am planning to write a paper about Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and its role in information organization in education. And I’m really excited about it.

*Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) in Saving Private Ryan

(Stealing this layout from K because I can think of lots of love/hate things right now. Well, and because K is awesome and I want to be just like her. But that’s a given.)

Love: Eriana holds her harmonica up to her mouth and hums because she can’t make it work.
Hate: It is so freaking hot outside that I don’t want to go anywhere ever, which really puts a damper on entertaining a toddler.

Love: We got Eriana signed up for gymnastics (finally) and she starts on August 29th.
Hate: I was motivated to do so when she stood ON THE ARM OF THE COUCH yesterday. No fear, that kid.

Love: I am going out to dinner with some friends tonight and I’m pretty excited, even though I don’t know many of the women well.
Hate: My social anxiety about dinner is starting to build.

Love: My sweet girl slept in until 7 today.
Hate: It was already too hot to run this morning at 6, so I didn’t go.

Love: Jim has been getting off early most of this week, and it’s really nice to have him home around 5-5:30 instead of 6:30.
Hate: There are wildfires all over Oklahoma today.

Love:  My online friendships are really growing these days.
Hate: My IRL friendships are sort of stagnant because people are busy/too hot/broke. I feel pretty lonely a lot.

Love: My dad gave us his old bed frame/armoire and we get to bring it home tomorrow.
Hate: We will probably have to sell our antique Japanese dressers because they won’t fit with the new furniture.

Love: I’m really enjoying the books I’ve been and am currently reading.
Hate: I chose a book I bought over a library book and all of my lends are expiring soon.

Love: Sweet tea (sweetened with honey!).
Hate: That I have to pee a lot when I drink a pitcher a day.

Love: That Eriana had such a great day for the last two days (Wednesday was DIFFICULT).
Hate: That she’s in the throes of toddlerdom that include a lot of tantrums, unrealistic desires for independence, and a lot of bipolar baby.

She’s got her purse and she’s ready to go!

What are you loving and hating right now?

Thank you all for your kind comments on my last post. I really appreciate your thoughts, prayers, and insight.

Some quick takes for your Friday evening:

-I read a lot of books in February and March, but I haven’t updated my books list. I should do that, huh? (Apropos of nothing, I’m reading Kris Jenner’s autobiography right now, and even if you dislike the Kardashians as an empire, she has a lot to say about the O.J. Simpson trial since Nicole Brown Simpson was her best friend. Interesting stuff!)

-Eriana had her 15-month well check today and she is a healthy, growing girl. She weighed 22 lbs, 3 oz (35th percentile), measured 31.25 inches (75th percentile), and her head was in the 50th percentile. Her doctor did mention that her weight is low, but not alarmingly so, and her percentages are (apparently) better than last time. She had two shots, and she did great, with minimal hysterics, but she was super sore and whiny this evening.

-Our vacuum died a horrible death yesterday (officially; she’s been sick for awhile), and I had to buy a new one today. We’re partial to the Dyson brand, so we got another. But we’re on a more limited budget than last time we bought one, so I opted for the space-saver one, for a savings of $200. It seems to work just fine, I’ll just have to empty the canister more often.

(The handle pulls up for regular use, but Eriana will be able to use it with the handle down in no time!)

-I bought Eriana some clothes at a garage sale today, and all that was left for shorts/skirts for summer were size 2T. I’m hoping her cloth diaper will take up the extra space in her pants area and she’ll be able to wear them this summer. (I really should have thought ahead before the consignment sale a few weeks ago!)

-Yesterday we had dinner at the home of some friends, and they don’t have any pets. Their house was really clean; our house is really dirty in comparison. I guess that’s the price you pay for having a zoo?

-In one week we will be in Mexico.

-I might get to go to Africa with my church this summer.

-I like this. A LOT.

(via Pinterest, via amandatolleson)

-I bought new glasses, and they should be in next week. I’m excited. (It’s possible they’re in already, but when the optometrist’s office called today my phone died and they probably think I hung up on them. And Eriana was in the bath then I forgot to call them back.)

-I wish my hair looked like Marina’s from Fresh Beat Band (the old Marina… we only have one season on Netflix).

-Here’s what I’m making for dinner(s) this week: TexMex CrockPot Carnitas, Italian Meatballs, Deconstructed Gyro Salad, Cottage-Flower Pie, and Chicken Salad a la Queen.

What’s going on with you?

Aside from my List, and alongside my favorite actors/celebrities, there are people I’d really like to meet. Here’s my list of them:

1. Barack Obama. Okay, whatever, a lot of my readers are family and are super conservative and strongly dislike the President. But I do not dislike him. Despite not voting for him (almost) four years ago, I support him and the things he’s accomplished in his presidency, and I plan to vote for him this November.

2. Ellen Degeneres. Oh, I just adore her. She’s funny, strong-willed, intelligent, and politically and socially aware. She’d be so fun to have dinner with!

3. Bill Gates. Really, I would love to sit down with the Gateses to talk about their charity, but if I had dinner with them, I’d have to bring Jim and he’d just talk to Bill about computer stuff the whole time.

4. Bob Harper. I’d really like to workout with him! I don’t think I belong on The Biggest Loser, but especially since he has been integrating CrossFit into his group workouts, I think Bob and I would get along great!

5. Neil Patrick Harris. He’s not on my List because he’s gay, and that would be fruitless (ha, as if the others on my List would be fruitful), but I think he looks like lots of fun! Plus, his twins are just a couple of months older than Eriana, so we could hang out as families. He and David seem like a fun couple!

6. Tom Hanks. He’s my favorite actor. He seems very real for a celebrity.

7. Rachel Maddow. She’s just great. So politically and socially aware. Jim and I would have a blast with her!

8. Khloé Odom. Whatever; she’s my favorite Kardashian. Shut up. She and I could have a great time together!

9. Michelle Obama. I know the president is listed above, but if Mrs. Obama can’t make it to the meet-and-greet with her husband, I’d like to meet her, too. How awesome is she? Also, I could teach her how to do a proper push-up. Because apparently her trainers don’t want to tell her.

Who do YOU want to meet?

And because every post needs some Eriana, here’s my favorite girl concentrating really hard at dinner tonight, using Jim’s pen to write on her menu. Looks like she’s a lefty for now!

(After a full day of me putting her headband back on her and saying, “No; if Mama puts something on your head you leave it there”, she has been leaving on her headbands. Still not crazy about barrettes, but we’ll get there. Gotta tame the mullet/mohawk/rat-tail combination somehow!)

Oklahoma drivers suck. Here are some things I find myself saying (or yelling) a lot while driving:

1. Go! Please, please, just GO!
2. Oh, I see, you wanted to drive slow when I was behind you, but now you’re a speed racer.
3. Get out of the way, Jackass*.
4. AAARRRGGGHHH!
5. Why? Why would you do that?
6. Please don’t get in my blind spot! Plea- DANG IT!
7. If you had put on your blinker I would have let you over!
8. Gah! Jerk!
9. No! It says yield! Don’t stop! Don’t- DANG IT!
10. Nice turn signal, Jackass*.
11. Go! You’re getting on the interstate! GGGGOOOO!!!!!!!!
12. YOU yield to ME!
13. It was MY turn!
14. It’s YOUR turn, Stupid! GO!
15. Make up your mind!
16. Go go go go go go go go go go go GO!
17. Do you not know there are people behind you? You are not the only driver in this town!
18. Driving a Mercedes (or BMW or Jaguar or…) does NOT give you the right-of-way!
19. Holy crap, GO!
20. No! I don’t WANT the right-of-way! It’s yours! Just take it!

I would like one of these for our car, please.

*I say jackass a lot in the car. It’s probably not good, but besides that and sometimes on Twitter, that’s the extent of my swearing. So it’s probably not that bad. Unless it’s Eriana’s next word.

Oh, you guys. The last few days have been ridiculous. Some things I can’t talk about here, and my thoughts will have to be in bullet form because I can’t really form sentences very well. Actually, I’m going to do a Love/Hate list a la K, because I have a mixture of good and bad things in my head.

Love:
-Yesterday I kept running into a Japanese family at Target, and I had to make actual effort to speak English when I said things like, excuse me, I’m sorry, you’re okay, thank you, etc. Apparently it’s easy to remember things you’ve learned when you’re immersed. (I didn’t want to speak Japanese because I didn’t want them to think I was nuts.)
Hate:
-My last two workouts have been crap. I cried today, for the first time during a CrossFit workout, because I was so disappointed and so frustrated.

Love:
-All of our Christmas stuff is back in boxes, and our house is back to normal.
Hate:
-It’s all in boxes in our living room because I can’t put it into the attic by myself, and I don’t know when Jim and I will be able to put it away together.

Love:
-Eriana had a great day at Mother’s Day Out today at her new day school. No crying, and she napped.
Hate:
-Eriana will not nap for me now, even though she’s exhausted.

Love:
-Eriana’s one-year well-check is Thursday, and she’s big and I’m excited to see HOW big.
Hate:
-I really, really don’t like her pediatrician, and also she has a raging diaper rash that won’t go away and I’m probably going to get lectured about it.

Love:
-My CrossFit gym is starting a Whole30 Challenge on Monday, and I’m really excited to start it. I’M GONNA WIN! Well, I’m going to give it my best effort.
Hate:
-I have to take pictures of myself in very little clothing to submit for the challenge, AND have my body fat measured.

Love:
-I am super excited about the new cookbook I bought for the challenge.
Hate:
-I just found out that I can only have coffee for this month if I drink it black, which… no. Crap.

Love:
-I got to have lunch with my lovely little sister today.
Hate:
-Our families have a lot of drama, and that was our primary topic of conversation.

Love:
-My family has one more Christmas celebration, this weekend.
Hate:
-Somehow I got put in charge of contacting everyone to organize food bringing/buying, and I hate that so much.

Love:
-I ate some delicious, delicious chocolates yesterday.
Hate:
-I only got the delicious chocolates because I had to open a crappy day present.

This makes me smile through the frustration:

How are YOU this week?

It’s National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) and I’m participating!

Today’s topic: thankfulness

-Jim. He is just amazing. I’m so thankful that he loves me for me, despite all of my flaws, sometimes because of them. He thinks I’m beautiful, appreciates all I do for our family, is my biggest fan, and doesn’t just share his life with me because he made a commitment, or because of Eriana, but because he WANTS to.

-Eriana. What can I say about my little girl? Last year at this time I was still pregnant, and terrified that I was going to lose another child during her birth. Yet here she is, thriving, growing, wonderful, and smart. I am so thankful for her health, for the breaths she takes, the foods she eats that help her grow, her development, her smiles, her giggle, her curiosity, and so much more.

-Angel. I will always be thankful that I got to carry that little girl for 39 weeks and that she is watching over us now.

-My parents. I have good parents. They support me in so many ways. We didn’t always have the strongest relationships when I was growing up, and I am super excited that I have good relationships with them in my adulthood.

-My siblings. They’re all so different. They’re all so great.

-My extended family. Though we’re quite a crazy crew, I have a lot of people on my side, and for them I’m very thankful.

-A home. We have a beautiful home, but more than that, it’s functioning. We have water, gas, electricity, a working roof, bricks to hold up the house, and so much more. So thankful.

-An income. I know this is a sore spot for so many families, and though things are NOT easy, coming off of a year without solid salaries, I am so thankful that Jim makes a reasonably good income, that I am able to stay home with Eriana, and that we have been able to have everything we need.

There are so many other things for which I’m thankful: the ability to cook, the Internet, computers, my cell phone, books, my Kindle, red wine, our car, and so much more. But those things don’t really need to be expanded upon.

What are YOU thankful for today?

_____________________________

I didn’t get any pictures of Eriana at our Thanksgiving gathering at my great aunt’s house, and I didn’t get any pictures of Eriana before she wet through her pretty dress. So here’s our silly girl playing with Daddy’s wallet and keys today. I guess she’s gearing up for Black Friday shopping tomorrow?