How-To

Operating instructions. That's what they should give you at the hospital when they're forcing you out the door with a baby and a bag of diapers. A how-to manual, if you will. Something with sections like "Getting Started" or "Main Features" heck, even "Equipment" would be helpful. My DVD manual? Never even cracked open the cover, but the kid manual I would sure like to open it up once is awhile. Especially this weekend when I'm pretty sure I micromanaged Kyle into never wanting to eat a push-pop again. You know the kind - the ice cream on a stick thing that you push up through a cardboard tube? Now personally, I think the ice cream ends up tasting just like the cardboard tube thing, but Kyle's been asking for them for months. He had already eaten one with no trauma while David and I raked a few leaves and just generally enjoyed the outdoors for awhile. At some point he went in for another one - a bold move on his part because I would rarely let him have two of any kind of treat. But the weather must have gotten to me because I said he could have it. Then I proceeded to analyze the way he was eating and actually tried to assist him! What??? I mean it's not like we were inside on some white, zillion dollar sofa - he was outside on the deck! It's ice cream - it washes off. Sigh.

On a lighter note, I get to go to Charleston in the morning for work. Three days and two nights at a fancy hotel paid for by one of our clients! The days will be long, but at the end of the day I get to lounge aimlessly on what I imagine will be a perfectly wonderful bed and read a book or watch whatever I want to watch on television. Ooooh...and what if there's a spa tub? Color me relaxed!

I can see clearly now

Well, to be honest I can't really see clearly right now, but after February 7 my eyes will be kicking ass! That's the day I'm having laser eye surgery! Of course at the moment I'm still dealing with having my eyes dilated at like 9:30 this morning. Apparently I'm crazy-sensitive to the drops because my pupils are still giant! I have no idea why I even went to work after the appointment, I was worthless. I couldn't see the computer screen worth a darn and my main job today was supposed to be summarizing medical records - which on a good day can be nearly impossible to decipher, let alone when I'm half blind!

I've been wearing glasses since I was 10 or 11 and could never do contacts, so this is going to be a welcome change. I think the thing I'm most excited about is waking up in the middle of the night and being able to see the clock without that crazy half-squint. The thing I'm least excited about? The fact that I have to stop wearing eye make-up for the two days prior to the surgery AND not wear any eye make-up for the next TWO WEEKS! Seriously, two weeks! Me without eyeliner is sort of like looking at a bald monkey - not pretty! A co-worker laughed when I said that was what I was least excited about...apparently I should be more worried about the chance of blindness. LOL.

Snow, snow, snow!

Kyle was two the last time he got to play in the snow, BUT when we were in Arkansas it snowed enough for us to have some fun!

Happy New Year!!!

2008 - the year that will go down in history as the year I decided to try my hand at..knitting. Yep, knitting. Me. The same me that has bad depth perception, a complete lack of patience, and zero hand-eye coordination. This should go well, don't you think? I wear a scarf that was my friend Angela's first (and so far only) knitting project and I adore it - I feel comforted wearing it because it was made by her - with love. It's like wearing a hug. I used to know how to crochet, if you call an endless chain actual crocheting so I at least know my hands can move in tandem at something! Don't worry - I'll keep you posted!

Other 2008 projects? Finish the half-bath - in fact that's a January project now that I have my bonus. I had planned to lay the tile myself, but since I can't seem to get that done I'll just get our handyman to do it. He's done a couple other projects for us so what the heck. Also in 2008 I plan to get the hall bath finished as well...by March. Why March you may ask? I have a guest coming then and she probably might like to take a shower! I'm also going to get new sheets and window coverings for the guest bedroom...and a nightstand. Hmmm...it sounds like 2008 is going to be costly!

So far, I haven't really come up with any resolutions for the new year other than to start working on the 15-minute approach to cleaning and straightening my house. Just pick some area of my house to work on for 15 minutes each night during the week. I'm also going to do my best to be in the moment with my family - to realize that we don't have to be doing some fun, fantastic thing outside the house to grow closer.

I hope your new year is off to a great start! Oh, and I'm working on pictures and a post from our trip to Arkansas to share with you - we had a great time and Kyle even got to have a snowball fight!

On the road

We're leaving tomorrow morning to start our journey to Arkansas to spend Christmas with David's parents. Kyle, of course, is thrilled at the idea of staying in a hotel tomorrow night and I think that, for now, has overshadowed the excitement of Christmas. He's been down with a fever/virus thing since Thursday so I'll probably try and get him into the weekend clinic at his doctor's office just to make sure he doesn't have a sinus or ear infection before we leave. I have a sneaking suspicion that it may be just a wee bit crowded today with other parents doing the same thing!

Last night David and I watched "Christmas Vacation" then put out all of Kyle's presents and decided what to wrap and what would be from...well, you know who. I think Kyle is getting a nice variety of presents this year and will have some money from my parents to spend how he wants after the holidays. Tony is getting money (big surprise for a teenage boy) a new Nike hoodie, and Kyle bought him a funny driving calendar. Tony will be flying into Arkansas on December 26 so keep your fingers crossed the Nebraska weather cooperates and his flights are all on time!

Merry Christmas and thanks for reading! For your viewing pleasure - another installment of the Dancing with Kyle series!

Christmas Spirit

Ho! Ho! Ho! Tonight was my Sunday school class Christmas party - it's women only and a lot of fun. The group had been looking for someone to help this holiday season and I suggested someone I know and the love just flowed...I collected $200 plus a grocery store gift card!!!! My friend is going to be so shocked and I know the money and gift card will go a L O N G way in helping her and her two kids this holiday season. It's amazing how a little bit from a lot of people adds up to so much! What a wonderful time of year.

I'm also excited because tomorrow morning when Kyle wakes up he'll be surprised to find 25+ new books in his room. One of the girls in my class gave me two big bags of so-close-to-new books that are just perfect for Kyle right now! Her son has outgrown them and she knew we would love them. I thought about wrapping them up as a Christmas present, but I just don't think I can wait to start reading them with him.

Yippee!

Hmmm....

On Christmas day my half-bath remodeling project will be three months old. The room has been gutted, the flooring removed, the walls smoothed and painted...and now, nothing. A new floor is what comes next, but then we had to buy a new hot water heater ($900 including a water pressure valve because apparently our water pressure coming into the house was really high) now it's Christmas time which comes with its own money expenditures. Oh and we probably need a new dryer - there seems to be some sort of fire hazard with our current one. Sigh. So that leads me to tell you that we are currently schlepping our wet laundry to the laundromat down the street. It's not a terrible ordeal - just kind of bothersome. I mean as far as places to go the laundromat is warm, smells good and is generally pretty clean. Especially now that there's no smoking allowed - I always thought it was weird that these people would spend all this time cleaning their clothes only to smoke them up! Of course despite the buttons on the dryer there really only seems to be one temperature and that's HOT...really, really hot! Which does not necessarily mean that the clothes will even actually get dry...just shrunken! Of course I should admit that since our dryer quit, I've only been to the laundromat once, David has gone at least three times. I really did marry well!