Virtual Coffee

Hello, friends!!! It's Virtual Coffee day!

If we were really having coffee today...I'd have to make a new pot since I've already drank through 2 cups and there's not enough for you. Sorry, but I needed it this morning.

I would pour you some coffee and then yap your ear off about yoga today. You see, I've committed to going to yoga for the month of January. It's all apart of my "goals" for 2011. My lovely friend Melissa has a blog that is documenting her 4 workouts in 4 months. She's getting married in September (I'm the matron of honor!) and she's trying to lose weight before the wedding. After reading her original post, I was inspired. I decided that I would try to keep going to some classes as well, but ones that have always intimidated me. Yoga was definitely number one on that list. The first week of January I went to the class all nervous and late (of course) and whatnot. Oh my goodness, I was so sore the next day. I had no idea how many muscles yoga expected you to use. But, I liked it. I hadn't done it all the way those flexible waif girls in the front row had done it, but I was feeling pretty good with my first yoga trip. This week was the third week and...I love it. I really do. I'm excited to go and I like how long and stretchy I feel when I'm done. I can also go almost the whole hour without stopping because my arms are shaking from holding myself up.

I'd probably drag you over to show you my crocheting project I'm working on. One of my other new goals for 2011 is to learn to read a crocheting pattern. Yes, I have been crocheting for 22 years (since the ripe age of 7) and I have no idea how to read a pattern. I took one class at the library in Dekalb, IL about 5 years ago and I made a sweater, but I didn't read the pattern, I just listened to the teacher. So, this year, I'm teaching myself to read patterns. The one I'm working on right now is super simple, but I'm kind of proud of it.

So, what's new with you? Reading anything good lately? Any new projects you're working on?

Oh, I have to tell you about the Slate article I read about double spacing after sentences. It went on and on about how double spacing after sentences is not the correct way to type and that it is so offensive to typographers to look at when they read things. Guys--I totally do that!!!!!! I remember learning to touch type in grade school and the class I took in high school and the program had you double spacing between sentences. My fingers do it automatically and now I'm all sorts of self conscious about it!!! I know that this whole post is double spaced because I accidentally did a single space after a sentence and went to enter space again when I remembered the article. Do you all double space?! Am I offending any of you?!?!

I think it's time to end the coffee date when I start rambling about spaces after sentences when typing. I have laundry to do anyway. Sigh.

I hope you come back next week. I promise not to talk about sentence spacing or anything else that is just as captivating.

Oh, January...you're such a boring month.

I haven't been taking very many pictures lately. Isn't that so weird for me?!?!

It's because it's January. I'm not kidding. If you look at all my pictures on my computer you'll see that January and February of every year are the folders with the least amount of pictures. (I am a super duper dorky organizational freak when it comes to my pictures. One of the only things I'm super OCD about.) I think it's because January and February are such slow, ridiculously cold months that we don't do anything and I don't document the nothing we are doing.

I guess maybe that's why I haven't been blogging much either.

I will tell you that we're still working on Elisabeth and giving her as many cleaning tools as we can. When Kyle was here, she helped Elisabeth clean her room and put up some hooks to help get things off of Elisabeth's floor. She then sent me an email with a bunch of brainstorming ideas to help Ebeth feel less overwhelmed with her room. It was nice to have someone from the outside see the problem and give advice. It's hard when you're the parent staring at your child's disastrous room and trying to think of how to help them without shaking the child till her head comes off.

The first thing we did was to move the furniture around. Elisabeth was so freaking excited that she did a lot of the cleaning to make room to move things. We took out a piece of furniture that wasn't really being used and simplified what actually goes into her room. She is so proud of her room now!

We've also set some small goals for Ebeth that we're hoping turn into habits. For January, we are working on keeping the floor clean (including the closet floor) and her dresser clutter free. If she can do that, then she'll have earned the bean bag chair she's been asking for so she can have a reading corner in her room. So far, she's been doing a fantastic job!!! She's even been making her bed daily. There is hope for her yet!

So, when my parents visited in September, my dad bought Ebeth some Barbie toys. You know how the toys always have those codes inside to use online to win a grand prize? Well, Elisabeth stinking LOVES those kind of sweepstakes and is always asking to type in the codes. She had 3 of them for the Barbie thing and she won a Princess Prize Pack. Not the grand prize (which was a trip to LA and to have a Barbie made to look like you) but she was still excited. It didn't say what the prize pack was, but I figured it was probably a doll, a book, some stickers, etc. etc.

Well, a giant box came to our house last week addressed to Elisabeth. As soon as I saw the pink filler paper sticking out, I new it was her prize pack. Here is what she won:
Yep. That's a house. A Barbie house. She also got a doll, a movie and a gift card. Dude, I had no idea she'd be winning a house. She was pretty excited. Julia might have been even more excited. She super likes the elevator.
That's about all that's been going on around here. A lot of playing and reading and crocheting and movie watching. Trips to the Y and having friends over for dinner. A little bit of de-cluttering and organizing. Still trying to keep in mind some of my goals for this year.
I will try to take more pictures with my real camera (instead of these lovely pictures from my phone). Maybe that can be my "goal" for January and February--take pictures of the every day. I think that's a great idea, don't you?
I'll be back tomorrow for Virtual Coffee, though. So, be ready!

Today he is four.

Today my Ethan is 4. Four. Four years old.

Sigh.

Of course, I shan't share a picture of him as a 4 year old, because I'm in denial that my first red-headed true love is 4 and wears a size 12 shoe (I have a second red-headed love who is 7 months old and the size of a butterball turkey). I will show you this picture, taken when he was 18months old:

(do not even get me started on how little my own children are...I can't take it today)

For those of you who may not know Ethan, he is my nephew. I love him. He is destructive and sweet and smart and charming and will be taller than me when he's 9. You can see all about his recent visit here and here. Then if you need more Ethan adventures you can see last year's visit here and here.

Happy birthday, Ethan!

Virtual Coffee

Hello, my coffee loving friends.

I am feeling light as a feather this morning. Let me tell you why--someone came to my house today and cleaned it for me.

I know!!!! You know me, I hate cleaning. Hate. Hate hate. I complain about it to you all constantly. It's just something that I don't enjoy doing. I enjoy the outcome, but I loathe the actual task. So, I generally pout and mope and procrastinate when it's time to actually clean (which is every day for me since I am the stay at home parent and it's part of the job).

But, just a few weeks ago, one of my dearest friends said she was thinking of cleaning houses again to make some extra money. She used to clean houses before she had kids and, get this, she actually LIKES to clean. Maybe not love, but she doesn't mind it. It's a concept I just don't understand.

Anyway, I asked Evan what he thought about us hiring our friend to clean our house maybe twice a month and take care of the chores that I just can not stand doing and, I kid you not, there was a sparkle in his eye. I was sooooooo excited.

She came over today and cleaned like nobody's business. I yacked her ear off the whole time (we hadn't seen each other in almost a week! I had lots to say) and my house smells so nice. And my bathrooms are so sparkly. And I think I might totally be in love this whole idea.

Evan made some of the best chili he has ever made last night. I have big plans on making it my lunch for today, tomorrow and the rest of the week. I almost ate it for breakfast, but thought that maybe having it for 2 meals in one day would not settle well with my belly.

Today, Julia has an upset tummy, so instead of heading to the Y for some exercise and my yoga class, I am going to take advantage of my Netflix on demand and do some yoga at home. I always just skip exercising if we can't make it to the Y for whatever reason (laziness, other plans, illness), but I've decided that that's silly. I have plenty of ways to exercise in my own home and I should take advantage of them. So, when we are done with our coffee date, I shall be doing some yoga in my living room with my 2.5 year old. Please pray that she does not knock me over while I'm in the standing dog pose and I fall into a sharp corner and get a concussion. (It's Julia...you all totally know that's a possibility.)
You know what's funny? Now that my house smells so fresh and so clean, I feel inspired to clean and organize more. Isn't that weird? It's like someone jump started the process for me and now I don't feel so overwhelmed by the whole process.

I have serious cleaning issues. I should seek professional cleaning therapy. I don't know why you all hang around me so much. It might be contagious.

Please check out some of the other virtual coffees going on at Amy's Lucky Number 13. It's always so much fun to have coffee with that crowd!

January 10 on 10

It is the first 10 on 10 of 2011!!!

It was also a snow day in our house.

Lots of laziness. Lots of pajamas. Lots of reading. Lots of Julia shenanigans.

Remembering.

When we first moved to Colorado from DeKalb, Illinois (with a brief pitstop in Pekin for 4.5 months while Evan was at training), I decided to start a scrapbook of our life in DeKalb. We'd just left our friends, our apartment, our routines behind and I wanted something that the girls (Elisabeth especially) to be able to hold and flip through to remember what a fabulous life we had in DeKalb.

Then I decided that scrapbooking our lives would be a great thing to do the entire time we're in the Air Force. So, as soon as I'm done with the DeKalb scrapbook, I'll be starting one for Colorado Springs. It'll be another physical reminder of what a fabulous life we've had here in Colorado.

Of course, if you know me even a little, you know I'm a picture-aholic. My camera is always with me and I'm always taking pictures every where we go. Documenting our lives has been enormously fun and rewarding. It also is a way to remember the girls at different stages in their childhoods that Evan and I have already kind of forgotten about.

I wanted to share with you just the smallest smidge of what is in the DeKalb scrap book. I'm hoping to finish it this month and start on the Colorado one soon.

We live in DeKalb from August 2005-December 2008.

In 2005, Evan was a 1L at NIU Law School.

Elisabeth was 2.5 when we moved to DeKalb. Just a small bundle of talking, spinning, curly hair sweetness.
Elisabeth started dance classes.
She used to LOVE playing school in the bath tub. Every bath time, she'd line up all her little animals and sing and talk for over half an hour in the tub. I miss that.
She was so short, she could dance and see her reflection in the dishwasher.
In 2006, Elisabeth had her first dance recital. Baby, Take a Bow!
We spent every day at Hopkins Pool in the summer.
She turned 3.5.
And dressed up daily.
In 2007, she got her first big girl bike.
Sycamore's Cinco de Mayo festival.
We had no yard, so we'd cross the street to the Ellwood House and play in the grass.
We'd also walk to the park by Evan's school as often as possible in winter...
and summer.
In 2008, we spent every day at Hopkins Pool for the 3rd summer.
Julia joined us.
Which we were all very thankful for.
Elisabeth got her ears pierced.
And we moved.
Elisabeth likes to sit by me when I'm working on the scrapbook and talk about all the pictures and what she remembers about the different pages I'm making. It's fun and I think that the girls will appreciate them later when they're telling others about all the places they've lived while their dad was in the Air Force.

I'll probably need another bookshelf to put them on, though...

Now it's a Marshmallow World!!

I scampered out in my jammers a week or so ago and took a whole bunch of pictures of this frozen snow. I'm sure my neighbors were all so thankful for my classy pajama attire and my prancing around in their yards with my camera taking pictures of their trees.

I'm a fabulous neighbor. You should all wish to live near me.

This morning, before Evan left for work, he made coffee. He made enough for me as well. I almost chased down his car to shower him with kisses. I'm thinking about asking him to make it every morning for me. I was much more cheerful and chipper to be parenting my children when there was no wait for the coffee. I then drank that coffee like it was the elixir of life and I may have to make more.
I have made a decision not to buy any more books until after we've moved. I know, I know, that seems like such a drastic move on my part. How will I survive? Quite easily since I still have a few borrowed books I need to finish and return to their owners and enough recent bargain book purchases to last me a while in Texas while I sit at whatever new home we have and cry and sob that I have no friends and only my little sister to entertain me and how can she entertain me now when she did such a poor job of it when we were kids but she's all I have so I'll have to stalk her until she doesn't want to hang out with me anymore and then I'll really just have my books to keep me company.

Sob.
As I've mentioned, I've been frantically cleaning out closets and cabinets and trying to organize our things before the move. I've been really focusing on Elisabeth's room because the girl was born with no cleaning skills WHAT SO EVER and I'm trying to help the kid out. So, we've been getting rid of unneeded things and garbage and clothes that are too small. (4 garbage bags full so far of all those things. Four.) Anyway, I was tackling the girls' bathroom and linen closet upstairs and Julia was up there too (since I am not allowed out of her line of sight EVER) when I noticed that Julia was no longer trying to make the cat sleep in her baby doll bed. So, I venture into Elisabeth's room to find Julia has squeezed an entire travel sized container of lotion into one of Elisabeth's play hats and is smearing it on the tall mirror, the carpet, her clothing, the wall.

I about lost my sh*t.
Julia also smeared her yogurt all over her arms and the kitchen table at lunch while I used the bathroom and then was smearing salad dressing on her cup at dinner. I hightailed it to book club last night to pretend that I am not really a mommy and vowed to bring out the finger paints today.
Swim lessons start this Saturday. Elisabeth is super excited since it's been about a year since she was last in them. I haven't told Julia yet because she doesn't know her days of the week yet and she'll just ask me every half hour if it's time to swim yet. The lovely thing is that since it's on Saturdays, Evan can participate in the parent/child class with Julia too.
This week begins Girl Scout Cookie selling week. Elisabeth would like to go door to door. I'm not so excited about that idea because that means I have to go with her and stand in the cold. But, while talking to others about how she'll be selling cookies this year, lots of people have said that they used to have Girl Scouts come to their door and they haven't in a few years and they wish that they'd come back. So, maybe I'll let her walk up and down our street to the neighbors we know by name or at least by face. Evan's already given his order. Thin mints and Shortbread. Me? I like those Samoas. Mmmm...
Yep. Definitely going to have to make more coffee.
I haven't tackled Evan and my's closet yet. First off, it's kind of a giant mess because Julia feels that when it's clean, she needs to trash it and I got tired of picking it up after her. I also tend to change my mind about my clothing and just leave the discarded clothes all over the floor. (Hey! I'm not denying that Elisabeth's lack of cleaning skills weren't inherited.) When I do finally decide to start going through it, I should probably go through my clothes and get rid of the ones I haven't worn in over a year. But, the frustrating thing about that is that some of those clothes are ones that don't fit that used to fit that I'd like to fit again. I'd like to think that some day I will get myself into gear and be able to actually wear some of those fantastic shirts and pants and skirts again...but do I need to keep all those old clothes? Maybe just a few pieces? It's all quite depressing. I'll leave that closet for last. Yeah, I'll organize that closet in May.

I just gave Julia a candy cane. Candy canes at 9:15AM are cool, right? Right? It's not like it was chocolate or a cookie. I think maybe I should go do something productive to counteract the giving of candy to my 2.5 year old as a breakfast snack.