OK--so we had great plans to make the Saturn costume with Simon, but high levels of exhaustion from trying to find a darn balloon or ball large enough, to the fact that Halloween is FRIDAY led us to talk Simon into just being a power ranger (especially since he already bought the costume a month ago). This reminds me of last year when all 4 of us were going to be Star Wars characters, but lack of funding resulted in only Simon and Gwen having costumes...ah, someday I will buy a sewing machine and start making things--one of these days.
I wish I could get a good routine or rhythm going this semester. I feel like I am trying too hard to do too much all the time, hence, I completely crash on Sundays...to the point where I am so exhausted I feel like I have the flu and could sleep 24 hours straight until work starts again on Monday.
Hawksbill's and my schedule doesn't help. I work from about 7:30 am - 3:30 pm, come home and he walks out the door to return anywhere from 8-10:30 pm. Somewhere in there one or both of us works with Simon with his studies (well, mostly we just tell him he has to do one of his lessons and he does it himself and shows us when he is finished) but still...or I feel obligated to take the kids somewhere to make sure we are getting out of the house before the snow comes. We might just drive to the mall, drive around to look at the leaves, or all the way up to my parents' house, but just SOMETHING so we are not watching tv while I am half-passed out from exhaustion on the couch.
Take tonight...I really wanted to go out to buy things for our Halloween potluck at work tomorrow, but instead I am sitting here typing a blog entry trying to think of the least expensive place I can pick up something pre-made so I don't have to think about it anymore. So much for cooking from scratch!!! Ha!
My found money project seems to taken a huge backseat lately....I am hardly trying to find money...I think I still pick up a penny or two a day, but my penny walks are over since I can't find a way to leave my office to take a break for 15 minutes.
We have been having fun collecting free things, lately. I would not normally call myself a packrat, but I can't seem to turn down free stuff lately, no matter how weird or useless if might seem. I am not too proud to drive through the neighborhood on garbage day (hey-admit it, you have seen good *trash* and picked it up, too) like when someone throws out a perfectly good Step-2 slide or toy that just needs a good washing rather than paying $50 at the store for it--it also helps that my neighbors seem to have good trash :) I have been rummaging through my dad's garage, too, taking whatever we can just because...my dad said a few more trips to his house we'll have cleaned him out. But he is the ultimate Sears shopper--always buying everything off the clearance racks or shelves, so I found a battery powered radio, camping stove with propane canisters, decent pencil sharpener, used binders, and the list goes on and on. He also has this weird habit of buying lots of toothpaste he will never use "because it only cost a penny after all the coupons" so I don't think I have actually purchased a tube of toothpaste in over a year now. Why not? It never hurts to have extra things on hand for an emergency and if it is free--even better :)
This weekend I babysat my sister's three children along with Simon and Gwen at her house overnight. The funny part of the night was when her next door neighbor was looking at my minivan asking if it had a DVD system. I told him we didn't have one, and our CD player broke over a year ago when Gwen stuck a dime in it. Well, wouldn't you know, my sister's neighbor is an electrical engineer who installs DVD and radio systems for my make of car, and he just happens to have a replacement radio in his garage that he swapped out for my broken player for free--how nice is that?
I don't really know what the point of this blog entry is right now except to say, as exhausted as we all are right now, I am happy to report we are happy and getting by each day. I love my family and I am thankful for my husband, children, friends, family and everything. I feel very fortunate that we are all healthy, are still working, and are meeting new and interesting people every day. I am happy about the choices we have made, and am looking forward to the years to come, even if things are still tight, might get tighter, might be different, but I am, indeed, very happy right now. :)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
49 + Butterflies = I Love You
The above is the equation Gwen came up with the other night while Simon and I were working on his math. I am not sure that it is mathematically correct anywhere except Gwen-dimensional space, however, Hawksbill thought it would make a good blog entry title.
I haven't felt much like blogging lately. I am completely shocked that it is the middle of October already. Again, I am still stuck in August waiting for school to start for Hawksbill. This whole lack of going to college for one of us is very strange and confusing to me. Sure, I am at the university all the time, but not taking or teaching any classes. It feels like something is missing. However, right now I wouldn't be caught dead taking a class for a grade. No thanks.
I am afraid Hawksbill and I seem to see each other even less now that he is finished with his schooling. Now I work days and he works late afternoons/early evenings and some Saturdays...so we usually see each other on Sunday at least. Plus trying to coordinate working with Simon and Gwen with their studies or what not, not to mention seeing family or friends. I have been trying to drive up to my parents' house about once a week while we prepare for their 50th anniversary this year.
Simon is still plugging away with his math homework. He really likes multiplication. He wasn't so thrilled with subtracting two 3-digit numbers where you had to borrow something in order to do the problem. He seems to understand it except he gets very frustrated subtracting when the top numbers had zeros in them. All in good time.
Simon also decided on his own he wanted to learn cursive. We had no plans to even bring this up except Simon loves to string his letters together so we told him there was a special way of writing where you automatically connect the letters and he was hooked. Of course, I couldn't remember how to write all the capital cursive letters (seriously-I have always hated that capital Q that looks like a weird 2) so we found the letters online and he has been teaching himself how to write this way.
Today was arts and crafts day when I got home. I thought it would be fun to decorate the front window for Halloween so we drew and cut out pumpkins, bats, ghosts, witches, spiders and one black cat. The window is pretty well covered now and the kids had fun.
Two weeks until Halloween, my favorite holiday!! Hopefully this weekend we can start putting together the Saturn Costume for Simon. My artist sister gave me some ideas for putting one together, so if our large balloon with paper mache doesn't work, we'll give some other ideas a try.
Until next time....
I haven't felt much like blogging lately. I am completely shocked that it is the middle of October already. Again, I am still stuck in August waiting for school to start for Hawksbill. This whole lack of going to college for one of us is very strange and confusing to me. Sure, I am at the university all the time, but not taking or teaching any classes. It feels like something is missing. However, right now I wouldn't be caught dead taking a class for a grade. No thanks.
I am afraid Hawksbill and I seem to see each other even less now that he is finished with his schooling. Now I work days and he works late afternoons/early evenings and some Saturdays...so we usually see each other on Sunday at least. Plus trying to coordinate working with Simon and Gwen with their studies or what not, not to mention seeing family or friends. I have been trying to drive up to my parents' house about once a week while we prepare for their 50th anniversary this year.
Simon is still plugging away with his math homework. He really likes multiplication. He wasn't so thrilled with subtracting two 3-digit numbers where you had to borrow something in order to do the problem. He seems to understand it except he gets very frustrated subtracting when the top numbers had zeros in them. All in good time.
Simon also decided on his own he wanted to learn cursive. We had no plans to even bring this up except Simon loves to string his letters together so we told him there was a special way of writing where you automatically connect the letters and he was hooked. Of course, I couldn't remember how to write all the capital cursive letters (seriously-I have always hated that capital Q that looks like a weird 2) so we found the letters online and he has been teaching himself how to write this way.
Today was arts and crafts day when I got home. I thought it would be fun to decorate the front window for Halloween so we drew and cut out pumpkins, bats, ghosts, witches, spiders and one black cat. The window is pretty well covered now and the kids had fun.
Two weeks until Halloween, my favorite holiday!! Hopefully this weekend we can start putting together the Saturn Costume for Simon. My artist sister gave me some ideas for putting one together, so if our large balloon with paper mache doesn't work, we'll give some other ideas a try.
Until next time....
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Thank You Note
This weekend Barb and I are cleaning out the basement for the first time in years. It was a complete and total Hellhole down there and we've set aside a TON of trash to go out on garbage day. But, we've also found all the old mementos we'd thought we'd lost or had forgotten about long ago. Take, for example, this thank you note we designed ourselves and sent out to folks after our wedding back in 1995. It was easy to fill out and took almost no time at all. As easy as 1,2,3 and all our post-wedding social obligations were fulfilled!
Dear _______________________
Barb and I would like to thank you for:
___ Your generous gift of ______________________.
___ The very beautiful ________________________.
___ The unique and useful ______________________.
___ Making the beautiful / delicious _______________.
___ Paying for the wedding.
We hope to:
___ Purchase the rest of our china with it.
___ Display it proudly:
........___ in our living room. It matches the decor perfectly.
........___ on our bedroom wall. It matches the decor perfectly.
........___ on our bed. It matches the decor perfectly.
........___ in our kitchen. It matches the decor perfectly.
___ Cook many fine meals with it.
___ Read it before next summer.
___ Play with it on road trips.
___ Use it often.
___ We are very happy you made it to the wedding.
___ We are disappointed you were unable to attend.
___ We really appreciate you standing up in the wedding. It meant a lot to us.
___ We really appreciate you reading the:
.....___ First reading. You did a wonderful job.
.....___ Second reading. You did a wonderful job.
.....___ Prayers of the faithful. You did a wonderful job.
___ We hope you had a nice time. It was great to see you again.
___ We missed you and hope to see you soon.
___ We should get together sometime and have lunch.
___ We hope to be able to visit you soon in ___________________.
___ If you ever come to Detroit, we would love it if you would stay with us.
___ We are praying for your quick parole.
___ Love and affection,
___ With deep gratitude,
___ Sincerely,
-Barbnocity and Hawksbill
Dear _______________________
Barb and I would like to thank you for:
___ Your generous gift of ______________________.
___ The very beautiful ________________________.
___ The unique and useful ______________________.
___ Making the beautiful / delicious _______________.
___ Paying for the wedding.
We hope to:
___ Purchase the rest of our china with it.
___ Display it proudly:
........___ in our living room. It matches the decor perfectly.
........___ on our bedroom wall. It matches the decor perfectly.
........___ on our bed. It matches the decor perfectly.
........___ in our kitchen. It matches the decor perfectly.
___ Cook many fine meals with it.
___ Read it before next summer.
___ Play with it on road trips.
___ Use it often.
___ We are very happy you made it to the wedding.
___ We are disappointed you were unable to attend.
___ We really appreciate you standing up in the wedding. It meant a lot to us.
___ We really appreciate you reading the:
.....___ First reading. You did a wonderful job.
.....___ Second reading. You did a wonderful job.
.....___ Prayers of the faithful. You did a wonderful job.
___ We hope you had a nice time. It was great to see you again.
___ We missed you and hope to see you soon.
___ We should get together sometime and have lunch.
___ We hope to be able to visit you soon in ___________________.
___ If you ever come to Detroit, we would love it if you would stay with us.
___ We are praying for your quick parole.
___ Love and affection,
___ With deep gratitude,
___ Sincerely,
-Barbnocity and Hawksbill
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