10.29.2014

currently - link up


The deal: Use our themes or use your own - just let us know what is 'currently' going on with you. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the other bloggers linking up - especially to my amazing co-host Randalin of Harvesting Kale.

This week's themes: 
committing, loving, organizing, watching, shopping

Happy Halloween you guys. This week, we are Committing to finishing the kids' costumes because GULP. It really bothers me how fast time flies. For these costumes, I'm relying super heavily on my organizational skills/creative vision being executed by Rob who has all of the actual artistic ability in the house. Otto's Ghostbuster costume is down to me sewing some badges that Rob made onto Ot's khakis and Rob putting the finishing touches on the baddest ass Proton Pack you've ever seen. I can't wait to share pics. Also, Loretta will be the cutest tutu cowboy you've ever seen. Your eyes will be dazzled by cuteness and badassness the likes of which will blind you. Also I just sincerely hope our cowboy doesn't decide to poop her pants on purpose while we're out trick-or-treating. This is not me being funny; this is a real concern.

Otto is love love Loving Harry Potter. We are just a few chapters away from the end and then I'm going to have to put off book 2 for a while. Too scary, right? Anyways, the other morning Otto woke up and told me he had dreamed he was flying and playing quidditch and Ron and Hermione were there. Snape was there and that made him a little nervous but Dumbledore was there so he knew he'd be ok. But Harry Potter wasn't there because he was Harry Potter! He said this like you'd talk about the thrill of your life. Have I successfully book wormed my child? Is my work here done? Yeehaw!

I need to start Organizing my time better. I'm just like swimming in to-dos and obligations and feeling blah about all of it. And like this vague business idea I keep getting excited about and hinting at on here is the first thing to put off, every day, because I feel so overwhelmed by these other obligations that I don't really care that much about. Dumb.

We've all been Watching Loretta deal with the horrible frustrations of being 2 1/2. She deals by venting. I love her to the bottoms of her toes but she is a straight up nutcase and it's hard on the whole family. All of the angst is really starting to bring me to my wits' ends. Just ohm. Ohm ohm. So much ohm and beer.

Shopping is something we haven't done much of around here lately. Well, except Costco. Costco has this giant sized bag of organic Ruffles that has basically ruined my existence. Have you ever eaten 28 servings of anything in 3 days? Oh, then you lose and I win the Disgusting and I Won't Stop challenge.

Next week's theme's:
reading, running, sending, liking, valuing 

10.23.2014

currently - link up


The deal: Use our themes or use your own - just let us know what is 'currently' going on with you. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the other bloggers linking up - especially to my amazing co-host Randalin of Harvesting Kale.

This week's themes: 
anticipating, contributing, discussing, listening, deciding

I am Anticipating a jam-packed weekend. Halloween is just a week away and Otto's Ghostbuster costume currently is a wildly unimpressive khaki shirt tucked into khaki pants... We need to get a-craftin! ps. I am also Anticipating the full week following Halloween of my kids being sugar fueled freaks. Our method is let them burn through the candy as fast as they want so it's out of the house. Also to sneak it out when they don't notice. Rob also sneak eats their candy and I am like, "Steal away! It makes them jerk robots!"

I am excited to be Contributing to the Eugene Special Olympics polar plunge without jumping into an icy river because I AM NOT CRAZY. The kids' school has generously donated their rec room and an upcoming weekend so that I can organize a huge rummage sale. Now for the part where I make myself crazy taking on a huge project I don't have time for. I am maybe a little bit crazy.

There is a community growing of amazing women in this town and I was stoked to be invited to join a new Lean In Circle recently. Today we are having our first meet-up and there are like 20 women involved! We will be Discussing the unique challenges we face and supporting each other and inspiring each other. I AM NOT EXCITED AT ALL.

Yesterday when I picked Otto up at school the kids were all Listening to the "Freeze" song and having a huge dress-up dance party. Loretta ran over, joined in, and just froze. She wouldn't unfreeze. She froze for the full 2 minutes even during the dance parts and when I tried to get her to dance her eyes were like, "Do NOT fuck this up for me, Mom." She wins everything.

We are planning a tiny little Thanksgiving (just us) this year and we are each Deciding one meal category. Rob gets to pick breakfast, I'm on dinner. And Otto is on dessert. So far he's landed on popsicles so this may be one of those Charlie Brown style Thanksgivings with popcorn and jelly beans and toast.

Next week's theme's:
committing, loving, organizing, watching, shopping 

10.16.2014

currently - Otto & Stitch - link up


The deal: Use our themes or use your own - just let us know what is 'currently' going on with you! Be sure to stop by and say hello to the other bloggers linking up - especially to my amazing co-host at Harvesting Kale.

This week's themes: appreciating, feeling, looking, regretting, playing

I have been Appreciating my children's strengths and weaknesses. Loretta is so resilient and such a force of nature. She face planted into rocks (of course she did) at school last week and got the worst nose scrape and lip cut combo I've ever seen, plus gauged her forehead so badly she needed a stitch. My heart hasn't stood so still since she spent her initial days on this planet in NICU (scariest days of my life). One of our parent friends from school posted this on my FB:

H- has told me (more than once I might add) that "Etta fell down on the sidewalk and landed on her face and she didn't even cry and she is a really tough girl even though she's a little kid."

Meanwhile fail to give this girl a pee pee treat after using the toilet and she falls to pieces.

Otto has been Feeling very cool lately, round-the-clock wearing nerd glasses his Nana and Papa brought him. You guys, I can't. Where did Otto come from? He's like bio-engineered or something. He asked us what a "nerd" was and we were like, "someone who's really smart and so into being smart that it makes them cool." I love that nerd chic is a thing and my five year old is its poster child.

I have been Looking at the calendar and being like what in the what? How is it freaking mid-October already? Is nuts.

I am stumped on Regretting this week. I'm a little bit regretting that I didn't spend all summer visiting the gym and working on my skincare routine. Not regretting those things enough to wash my face before bed most nights or do sit-ups, mind you.

Image via Busted Tees. So! This past weekend we started Playing Settlers of Catan with Otto. On Sunday, we actually taught Otto, my mom, and my dad how to play and Otto hung in there as a team with Rob. Hurray Settlers! Otto rolls so many sevens! I'm tardy to the Settlers party, it's been a favorite of Rob's for years and years. But dudes, this game! I should say that it's still pretty involved for Ot. It's recommended for ages 10+. But playing on Rob's team he did super awesome and I'm such a board game geek it's like actually thrilling to me that this is something we do now. Settlers, Yes We Catan!

We have an open "CALL FOR THEMES" going on so please submit theme suggestions.
Next week's themes were submitted by the wonderful Caz who blogs over at Water Under It:
anticipating, contributing, discussing, listening, deciding 

10.09.2014

currently - link up


The deal: Use our themes or use your own - just let us know what is 'currently' going on with you! Be sure to stop by and say hello to the other bloggers linking up - especially to my amazing co-host at Harvesting Kale.

This week's themes: reading, thinking, feeling, eating, dreaming

At bedtime, I have been Reading the first Harry Potter book with Otto. It's some dark business: terrible adopted family, parents murdered by an evil wizard... that's about the harshest plot Otto's ever heard of but his imagination is just totally and completely captured by the magic of it all. He's over the moon. Where he usually dozes off about a chapter into our nightly books, now he's fighting sleep to listen for pages and pages and pages. Not sure what we'll do when the book ends. I feel like by book three this series gets a little off its rocker with the scary stuff.

I have been Thinking a lot lately about where I put my energy. I tend to do this thing where I take on way too much, freak out, kill myself making sure everything goes great, take about a second to feel good about jobs well done, and then take zero time to enjoy peace/relax before re-taking on way too much. I have this plan to not break this cycle (because I is who I is) but to change the usual course a little. I need to get pickier about just what I'm taking on exactly.

Loretta has been Feeling all the feelings like whoa. I think the top of her emotion pyramid is filled almost completely with independence and yelling. Yes, yelling is a feeling. So, OK... One time when Otto was about three he ran away from me at Target when it was time to check out and I was like, "Terrible twos? Terrible threes!" and then Loretta came along and it's like, "omg I had no concept."

Our Eating has been pretty lackluster around here lately. I did make a kick-ass chik'un (well Quorn) noodle soup last weekend that felt all fall-y and comfort-y. Rob's got some kind of stress ulcer going on so he's off coffee, beer, hot sauce. Basically we have nothing in common at this point.

I am Dreaming of a quiet night with the couch to myself, a hot cup of coffee, a pile of Hershey's candy cane kisses, and Love Actually on the tv. Oh I might as well go all crazy and add "in a new pair of sweatpants" to the dream. There, indulgence fantasy! We all have dream sweatpants, don't we?

That was this week and here are next week's themes:
TBD. Do you have any theme ideas? Suggestions welcome! 

10.08.2014

House Rules

We are not the kind of house that operates under the structure of rules. I'll start with that. We remind each other to be polite and encourage the kids to pick up their messes. But there are no general regulations. Not usually. Routines, yes. Rules, not so much.

But last night Loretta inspired a set of house rules. Within the course of an hour. All the while smiling that head-tilted, cheeky little smile of hers that says to us, "Ain't I a stinker?" A smile Rob and I literally turn and run from because smiling back can only encourage her. Right?

She's a thrill chaser in a family of peaceful easies. Sometimes that's a delight. Sometimes it's like, "Why?! Are?! You?! Crazy?!" Anyways...

Rule 1. Be nice to each other. That's all. Let's all do this always. Politeness rules.

Rule 2. No pooping in your pants on purpose.

Rule 3. No bath tub sploshing of water onto the old, cracked-linoleum floor of our 101 year old rental. Sploshing is strictly forbidden and your washcloth and bath cups will be confiscated. No amount of histrionic crying, screaming, and arm waving into the eyes of your delighted-to-be-having-a-fit reflection on the wall mirror will change our minds. We are onto you.

Rule 4. No ruining. Books, games, flash cards, and other toys ruined on purpose will be immediately ejected from the premises. In fact, actually, ruin away. Tossing junk out of our chaos pile is super therapeutic for Mama.

I suppose to be proper I should couch these rules  in terms of, "Instead of..." And ps. who am I even kidding? There are no rules. This girl just tests my everything. She is the brightest little ball of sunshine and the biggest pain in the ass. And dudes, with the pooping. THAT IS A PHASE I WAS NOT EXPECTING.

10.02.2014

currently - link up


The deal: Use our themes or use your own - just let us know what is 'currently' going on with you! Be sure to stop by and say hello to the other bloggers linking up - especially to my amazing co-host at Harvesting Kale.

This week's themes: throwing, drinking, looking, loving, sharing

I have been Throwing the dinner plan out the window. Thank goodness for frozen sweet potato fries from Costco. (I'm going to needlepoint that on a pillow.) Between Otto's martial arts classes, Rob's semester kicking off this week, Loretta just omg where do I start, and my being a pathetic pile of tired crap everyday by the time I get home it's like, "What can I heat up in ten minutes while the sweet potato fries cook?"

This weekend we were Drinking in the last warmth and sunshine of post-summer niceness. A little daytrip to the coast on Sunday was about the most perfect day I could imagine.

Loretta doesn't know it but she is Looking forward to her ballet classes starting up again. There isn't a whole lot going on in Eugene for 2-year old ballerinas but the place where we took a summer class is having another session this month and I can't wait to get her back in her leotard. She's just into it and it makes me super happy to see, plus it's so stinking cute.

I have been Loving peacefulness and football. We are entering the time of the year where quiet days and crisp walks and Ducks football and baking bread and watching the pumpkins in our yard start to turn orange are all the things. Summer is great but it's hectic. Fall is peaceful and cuddly.

Otto has been Sharing all of his ideas for Halloween costumes. Nothing as inspired as last year's Kung Fu Werewolf but we are waiting for him to have another moment of inspiration. Our plan is to let him brainstorm and when he hits on gold, to ask him to "lock it in." We are devious parents. So far the winning idea has been Human Torch but he keeps changing his mind to Mario. Breath held! Oh and Loretta wants to be a cowboy. She will scowl you under the table if you say cowgirl. Cowboy! You got it, sweetheart.

That was this week and here are next week's themes:
reading, thinking, feeling, eating, dreaming