Thursday, March 31
terri
Nothing to say that hasn't already been said better by others. I'm sad for sweet Terri and her poor family. I'm sad for her former husband, who'll be dealing with some strange, awful (guilt?) issues, I bet, sometime in his life... even if it's only at the very end of his life. I'm sad for the hospice workers who probably feel empty, tired, even emotionally wrecked, and are no doubt being hounded by every journalist in every media organization in America. I'm sad for everyone who has to struggle with the decision to keep or remove a feeding tube/ventilator/other life-sustaining device. I'm sad for anyone who currently HAS a feeding tube -- including a personal friend -- because this probably hits home for them, especially. But I'm also relieved. And Terri, bless her dear soul, is whole again. I imagine she is being warmly welcomed and indeed, comforted in Heaven today.
Wednesday, March 30
Hmm. Ar-wristing development:
My wrist hurts. Feels sorta carpel-tunnel-y. I am bad about resting my wrists on the desk and the squishy wrist-rest below my keyboard. I do it when I mouse, too. (Is that a verb?) Must stop doing that. Must! type! using! proper! posture! Two feet on the ground and wrists gently hovering over the keys. But that hurts even more, actually, as I sit here doing it.
Hmm.
Hmm.
whole lotta nothing
Argh. I've been wanting to write a new blog entry all morning but Blogger has been malfunctioning. AND I've been in a meeting. Not that I have anything profound to say. But that is the beauty of it - I can say whatever the heck I want to say, even if it's nothing. I do feel like having a blog is bringing me back to my old self, when I used to have time to keep a diary. Anytime something happened, I wanted to write about it. The crazy thing is, and I think you other bloggers understand this, you almost start thinking "what will I title this entry?" before something happens. It's a sickness, really.
So, the latest event in my little brain is that I want to get back on the health and fitness wagon. I told you before not to let me create a diet diary here -- although, let me digress and say how funny it was in Bridget Jones, how she started every entry with "125 lbs, 6 cigarettes." Loved that! Loved her! -- but I must report that starting yesterday I'm counting calories again. I am not a huge fan of counting calories -- especially because this time, the calculator says I only get to consume about 1200 per day in order to lose 1lb/week! I've never been that low! It's going to be a challenge. How am I sp'osed to enjoy my Easter candy?!
But the main thing is to up the fitness portion of the equation (thus adding more cals that I can EAT). I have been so slack on fitness since returning to work in October. I think I went for a walk, with actual athletic shoes, twice. Other than that I've done nothing. What really blows is that I was almost considering myself "a runner" before getting pregnant. I had started a little "learn to run" program -- having always abhorred it in the past -- and was doing pretty well. Now I'll have to start all over again. Sigh.
I suppose instead of just sitting there when I'm playing on the floor with AJ, I should do Pilates and yoga and push-ups. And I'm now dying to buy an exercise ball and some resistance bands, after reading this article yesterday. I'm not joining a gym. I just don't do gyms. DH has also been saying that when it gets warmer, he wants us to take a walk, every day, as a family. With the dog and everything. It's a lofty goal, as he is even worse than me with exercise motivation. But maybe I'll remind him of it, since it's going to be 80 degrees today and plenty warm!
We will see where this leads us. Of course, even being all motivated and excited to start back up again, I still had that banana-strawberry-and, oh yeah, ICE CREAM milkshake last night. But at least it was skim milk.
So, the latest event in my little brain is that I want to get back on the health and fitness wagon. I told you before not to let me create a diet diary here -- although, let me digress and say how funny it was in Bridget Jones, how she started every entry with "125 lbs, 6 cigarettes." Loved that! Loved her! -- but I must report that starting yesterday I'm counting calories again. I am not a huge fan of counting calories -- especially because this time, the calculator says I only get to consume about 1200 per day in order to lose 1lb/week! I've never been that low! It's going to be a challenge. How am I sp'osed to enjoy my Easter candy?!
But the main thing is to up the fitness portion of the equation (thus adding more cals that I can EAT). I have been so slack on fitness since returning to work in October. I think I went for a walk, with actual athletic shoes, twice. Other than that I've done nothing. What really blows is that I was almost considering myself "a runner" before getting pregnant. I had started a little "learn to run" program -- having always abhorred it in the past -- and was doing pretty well. Now I'll have to start all over again. Sigh.
I suppose instead of just sitting there when I'm playing on the floor with AJ, I should do Pilates and yoga and push-ups. And I'm now dying to buy an exercise ball and some resistance bands, after reading this article yesterday. I'm not joining a gym. I just don't do gyms. DH has also been saying that when it gets warmer, he wants us to take a walk, every day, as a family. With the dog and everything. It's a lofty goal, as he is even worse than me with exercise motivation. But maybe I'll remind him of it, since it's going to be 80 degrees today and plenty warm!
We will see where this leads us. Of course, even being all motivated and excited to start back up again, I still had that banana-strawberry-and, oh yeah, ICE CREAM milkshake last night. But at least it was skim milk.
Tuesday, March 29
Lighten up
Let's do something to lighten the mood. Lots of people have been doing these, and some of them are so funny. List ten things you've done that you think your friends have never done.
(This is going to be quite hard as I'm really pretty boring. See what you think.)
1. I have driven a combine. What's a combine, you ask? It's a large, tractor-like vehicle -- farm machinery. And I drove one when I was 6 or 7 years old! (With help, of course.)
2. I have shown up at work wearing one brown shoe and one black shoe. I bet you've never done that!!
3. Ooh, I know! I have gone fishing on a river in Alaska. . . and caught nothing!
4. But on the same fishing trip, I saw a real live bald eagle.
5. I was reading "Frankenstein," the part where he's hiding in the mountains near Geneva, WHILE visiting Geneva and its surrounding mountains. How cool is that?
6. I celebrated my 20th birthday in Paris, all independent on the first night of my summer study-abroad trip in college. My host family had a cake and everything!
7. Speaking of travel, I have been to Eastern Europe (Poland, Czeck Republic). . . and visited the site of one of the Nazi concentration camps. (Downer. Sorry. But I bet you've never done it.)
8. Happier: Once when drunk, I actually fell out of a tree.
9. In 1984 (or thereabouts), I visited the set of the Oil Barons' Ball on the TV drama "Dallas," and met Victoria Principal and Christopher Atkins, briefly. Woo Hoo! At the time they were big stars, and bright ones in my little TV viewer-hood, since my Mom, a Dallas native, watched the show religiously. Actually this may not count, because my sister and cousins were there, too.
10. I sang Britney Spears, with the microphone, on the dance floor at my own wedding reception. Oh, yes. I did.
What about you? Got ten things?
And hey, here's a feeding update: AJ is doing much better with the table foods! Pears and peaches didn't go over too well, but he's tried crepes, toast, and plain macaroni with success. Only thing is, he won't pick them up himself, I have to feed the pieces to him. (It figures, everything I want him to put in his mouth, he won't, and everything I don't want in there (the dog's dirty tennis ball), goes directly in.) It is ever so cute to watch him figure out having these different shapes in his mouth, and that he's supposed to chew them. As with everything he does, he's very studious about it. You can tell he's thinking about what he's doing. His little eyebrows crinkle up, and last night he even talked himself through each bite. A-d-o-r-a-b-l-e.
(This is going to be quite hard as I'm really pretty boring. See what you think.)
1. I have driven a combine. What's a combine, you ask? It's a large, tractor-like vehicle -- farm machinery. And I drove one when I was 6 or 7 years old! (With help, of course.)
2. I have shown up at work wearing one brown shoe and one black shoe. I bet you've never done that!!
3. Ooh, I know! I have gone fishing on a river in Alaska. . . and caught nothing!
4. But on the same fishing trip, I saw a real live bald eagle.
5. I was reading "Frankenstein," the part where he's hiding in the mountains near Geneva, WHILE visiting Geneva and its surrounding mountains. How cool is that?
6. I celebrated my 20th birthday in Paris, all independent on the first night of my summer study-abroad trip in college. My host family had a cake and everything!
7. Speaking of travel, I have been to Eastern Europe (Poland, Czeck Republic). . . and visited the site of one of the Nazi concentration camps. (Downer. Sorry. But I bet you've never done it.)
8. Happier: Once when drunk, I actually fell out of a tree.
9. In 1984 (or thereabouts), I visited the set of the Oil Barons' Ball on the TV drama "Dallas," and met Victoria Principal and Christopher Atkins, briefly. Woo Hoo! At the time they were big stars, and bright ones in my little TV viewer-hood, since my Mom, a Dallas native, watched the show religiously. Actually this may not count, because my sister and cousins were there, too.
10. I sang Britney Spears, with the microphone, on the dance floor at my own wedding reception. Oh, yes. I did.
What about you? Got ten things?
And hey, here's a feeding update: AJ is doing much better with the table foods! Pears and peaches didn't go over too well, but he's tried crepes, toast, and plain macaroni with success. Only thing is, he won't pick them up himself, I have to feed the pieces to him. (It figures, everything I want him to put in his mouth, he won't, and everything I don't want in there (the dog's dirty tennis ball), goes directly in.) It is ever so cute to watch him figure out having these different shapes in his mouth, and that he's supposed to chew them. As with everything he does, he's very studious about it. You can tell he's thinking about what he's doing. His little eyebrows crinkle up, and last night he even talked himself through each bite. A-d-o-r-a-b-l-e.
Need to clarify:
I need to clarify one thing about my last post: it would really, really be awesome if Terri were to beat the odds here. I would jump for joy along with everyone if she survived this starvation and lived to regain her health and the use of her limbs, voice, and everything through the therapy she's been denied for so long. So. Just so you know, I'm still praying for a huge ol' miracle, too. Can you imagine? How cool would that be. :)
Monday, March 28
Easter 2005... and deep thoughts
Happy Easter Monday! Hope you all had very pleasant holidays. Ours was good, if a bit rushed on Easter Day, and a bit FULL OF CHOIR COMMITTMENTS during the week! I am still pooped. Could barely open my eyes this morning. I sang on Wednesday night (rehearsal), Good Friday, the Saturday (3.5-hour) Vigil, and Sunday morning. But on Sunday, our choir had that magnificent sound that you want to hear on Easter morning, complete with full chords of "Alleluia!" ringing in the sanctuary -- it was perfect. I was quite proud of us. :)
So many of the services made me think of poor Terri Schiavo. On Friday, when they read the Passion, the priest who was reading the part of Jesus (and is very dramatic, anyway) added extra emphasis on "I Thirst!" You could hear Jesus himself crying out that way. I thought of Terri -- that's probably what she'd say, if only she could. And, hoping to not sound over the top here, but I thought, we're the crowd: basically crucifying this woman in the very same way, though she's completely innocent of any crime. Another one of the songs we did was "On Eagle's Wings," (a Michael Joncas classic). Normally it isn't my favorite, but one of the verses says, "The snare of the fowler will never capture you, and famine will bring you no fear... so I was a bit comforted by that. (Also comforted to read in the news this morning that they are, in fact, giving her morpheine for her pain.) I think it's an absolute travesty, and a sick reflection of our society that we value the "letter of the law" and the American court system more than we value an actual LIFE. I wish that the judges could just take all the paperwork out of it, and make a decision based on humanity. I don't know how to say what I feel about it: It's not a legislative issue. It's a humanity issue. She's a person, not an "agenda item." Yanno? I read somewhere that her brain activity is like that of a young cerebral palsy sufferer. We let them live, hello! However, as their years-long trial seems to be coming to a close here, I'm also of the opinion that the family really needs all of this to end. The legal quagmire, the media coverage, the political ping-pong, and the hatred of and fighting with Michael Schiavo are just too much for them to handle while they grieve the last few days that their daughter/sister has to live. I am praying that the rest just goes quickly. Let her go in peace, to be healed. To be beautiful again. I'm not saying they should stop fighting -- I'm saying that when the inevitable comes, it will begin a new chapter for them, and hopefully it will be a much more peaceful one, knowing as they will, that Terri finally rests in comfort.
As for us! Easter morning was fun, at least for me. I love being the Easter bunny! Maybe even more than being Santa (although I wasn't much of a Santa this year since we weren't at our own house). I made bunny footprints using Carpet Fresh and a slotted spoon, after being inspired in someone's blog when they did the same with leprechaun feet on St. Patty's day. So cute! DH loved that. AJ got all excited about his new football and red rubber Spiderman ball, and we had Easter dinner with my cousin and her family. It was a very long day, going from church to home to cooking crepes for brunch to her house for dinner, and we didn't get home 'til about 9:30, when DH commenced another load of laundry (wonderful husband).... but it was a celebration all the same. As the old commercial used to say, Thanks Easter bunny! Bock, bock!
So many of the services made me think of poor Terri Schiavo. On Friday, when they read the Passion, the priest who was reading the part of Jesus (and is very dramatic, anyway) added extra emphasis on "I Thirst!" You could hear Jesus himself crying out that way. I thought of Terri -- that's probably what she'd say, if only she could. And, hoping to not sound over the top here, but I thought, we're the crowd: basically crucifying this woman in the very same way, though she's completely innocent of any crime. Another one of the songs we did was "On Eagle's Wings," (a Michael Joncas classic). Normally it isn't my favorite, but one of the verses says, "The snare of the fowler will never capture you, and famine will bring you no fear... so I was a bit comforted by that. (Also comforted to read in the news this morning that they are, in fact, giving her morpheine for her pain.) I think it's an absolute travesty, and a sick reflection of our society that we value the "letter of the law" and the American court system more than we value an actual LIFE. I wish that the judges could just take all the paperwork out of it, and make a decision based on humanity. I don't know how to say what I feel about it: It's not a legislative issue. It's a humanity issue. She's a person, not an "agenda item." Yanno? I read somewhere that her brain activity is like that of a young cerebral palsy sufferer. We let them live, hello! However, as their years-long trial seems to be coming to a close here, I'm also of the opinion that the family really needs all of this to end. The legal quagmire, the media coverage, the political ping-pong, and the hatred of and fighting with Michael Schiavo are just too much for them to handle while they grieve the last few days that their daughter/sister has to live. I am praying that the rest just goes quickly. Let her go in peace, to be healed. To be beautiful again. I'm not saying they should stop fighting -- I'm saying that when the inevitable comes, it will begin a new chapter for them, and hopefully it will be a much more peaceful one, knowing as they will, that Terri finally rests in comfort.
As for us! Easter morning was fun, at least for me. I love being the Easter bunny! Maybe even more than being Santa (although I wasn't much of a Santa this year since we weren't at our own house). I made bunny footprints using Carpet Fresh and a slotted spoon, after being inspired in someone's blog when they did the same with leprechaun feet on St. Patty's day. So cute! DH loved that. AJ got all excited about his new football and red rubber Spiderman ball, and we had Easter dinner with my cousin and her family. It was a very long day, going from church to home to cooking crepes for brunch to her house for dinner, and we didn't get home 'til about 9:30, when DH commenced another load of laundry (wonderful husband).... but it was a celebration all the same. As the old commercial used to say, Thanks Easter bunny! Bock, bock!
Thursday, March 24
we've been sick
I suppose I could attempt to actually write an entry, rather than trolling the blogosphere for other people's albeit worthwhile content. But you saw the Explosions entry, right? I wasn't kidding. It was poop city around here from Sunday 'til yesterday. Poor little kid was infected with a tummy bug that apparently is ravaging the northwest corner of our county. Both my pediatrician and the daycare report many, many cases of the same thing... wait, I was going to describe it, but you don't wanna know. If I didn't have a good supply of Huggies and an equally good supply of burb cloths on-hand, we would have been in Big Trouble. (Detailed enough for ya? Thought so.)
We have reached the turning point, though, finally on this Thursday. Two liters of Pedialyte later. Was a little bit scary last night. You know how when you're sick, you just don't want anything to do with food? You just can't be bothered. Well, surprise, babies feel the same way. Meanwhile, the doctors sing their mantra, you must hydrate your child. And I know that's true, but yesterday AJ just wasn't having it. As a result, at bedtime he was rather... listless. In the right light, you might have said, "lifeless," although of course he was breathing. DH was freaked out about it, understandably. When I got home from choir practice he had fallen asleep with the baby monitor in his hand, close to his ear. (Awww.) AJ woke up a couple of times during the night, though, and took a bottle of liquid each time, so I felt better this morning. And so did he. He's been playing and talking today per usual, and I can see the end of the tunnel.
I've been home since AJ was sent home on Tuesday and except for a brief shopping trip yesterday, am starting to have just a touch of cabin fever, myself. Luckily, it's gorgeous outside, so in an hour or so, I'm going to take him, his blanket and his bag of toys (and my phone! help me remember the phone!), and go sit under a tree somewhere in the backyard. It's just too pretty to be inside all day. I also NEED to go to Babies R Us and finish up the Easter basket procurements. Eek. Cutting it down to the wire there. I could ramble on and on about the other To-Dos I still haven't accompllished, but I won't. Slowly but surely, they'll all get done. I may not have an Easter dinner worth writing home about, but darnit, my chores will be finished.
We have reached the turning point, though, finally on this Thursday. Two liters of Pedialyte later. Was a little bit scary last night. You know how when you're sick, you just don't want anything to do with food? You just can't be bothered. Well, surprise, babies feel the same way. Meanwhile, the doctors sing their mantra, you must hydrate your child. And I know that's true, but yesterday AJ just wasn't having it. As a result, at bedtime he was rather... listless. In the right light, you might have said, "lifeless," although of course he was breathing. DH was freaked out about it, understandably. When I got home from choir practice he had fallen asleep with the baby monitor in his hand, close to his ear. (Awww.) AJ woke up a couple of times during the night, though, and took a bottle of liquid each time, so I felt better this morning. And so did he. He's been playing and talking today per usual, and I can see the end of the tunnel.
I've been home since AJ was sent home on Tuesday and except for a brief shopping trip yesterday, am starting to have just a touch of cabin fever, myself. Luckily, it's gorgeous outside, so in an hour or so, I'm going to take him, his blanket and his bag of toys (and my phone! help me remember the phone!), and go sit under a tree somewhere in the backyard. It's just too pretty to be inside all day. I also NEED to go to Babies R Us and finish up the Easter basket procurements. Eek. Cutting it down to the wire there. I could ramble on and on about the other To-Dos I still haven't accompllished, but I won't. Slowly but surely, they'll all get done. I may not have an Easter dinner worth writing home about, but darnit, my chores will be finished.
Current events, y'all
You have to read this, stolen directly from the Summa Mamas. It's crude and foul-mouthed, but the writer's intentions are right on target.
Check it out.
Check it out.
Tuesday, March 22
Explosions in the distance
This is hilarious....if you need a good laugh, please check this out from the clever blogger at Ideashak.
(Scroll up.)
See what the past two days were like at our house. :)
(Scroll up.)
See what the past two days were like at our house. :)
Monday, March 21
they're Upper Nosebleed section, Rows Far and Farther...
... but they'll do just fine. They're also just about the most only prouductive thing that we did all weekend, even though the weather was lovely and I'm sure every other household in the metro area was busy making their yards beautiful for Easter next weekend. Supposed to rain all week, too, so it would have been perfect to get some flowers into the ground. Sigh. We just couldn't motivate. The U2 tickets were the extent of my weekend initiative. And, what an event it was just to get the tickets. I'm sure you've done this before -- you show up at your local Ticketmaster (in our town, they're inside Publix grocery stores) at 7am, only to find out the tickets go on sale at "8:30 am sharp." Luckily Publix is only 1.5 minutes from our house. Anyway, they do a lottery and then line you up, and their computer has to compete with all the other Ticketmaster computers in town, so it's a toss-up whether you'll even get tickets or not. You start innocently talking to the other (crazy die-hard) fans in line, and next thing you know, you're saying, "maybe we'll see you at the concert!" and you feel all "connected" to them because you've been through this harrowing lottery-ticket ordeal together. One guy behind me was going to try to buy 8 tickets. All together. Ha ha ha ha. I'm sure he did not succeed. But I did. Two, please. I was 2nd in line. It worked out pretty darn well and I was proud of myself. We definitely need to see U2 ("the biggest band in the world," one radio ad says) before they get past their prime. And I have a feeling this tour might be Prime.
We did get AJ an Easter outfit -- accomplishment #2. It's adorable: madras pants in green and orange, and a little white v-neck sweater vest to go on top. So. Cute. I had received a very late baby gift (Gift card) from some friends in Indiana, which worked out perfectly. I paid $8 of my own money for a 58-dollar outfit. Yes, you read that right, fifty-eight. Ya gotta love Baby Gap, right? Look up the definition of Highway Robbery - it will clearly read (n): Baby Gap.
On to the work-week. I have a list This Long of "to-dos" that are not work-related. Will try to fit them all in and make up for our really lazy weekend. (Really, other than those two things, we were completely worthless. Sat around on the couch. Did not cook one single thing. Didn't even make our weekly family phone calls.)
Feeding update. Tried diced peaches with AJ. Nicht so gut. He gagged and wasn't too intrigued. Am going to rewind and start over with bananas. Since they're his favorite, anyway.
We did get AJ an Easter outfit -- accomplishment #2. It's adorable: madras pants in green and orange, and a little white v-neck sweater vest to go on top. So. Cute. I had received a very late baby gift (Gift card) from some friends in Indiana, which worked out perfectly. I paid $8 of my own money for a 58-dollar outfit. Yes, you read that right, fifty-eight. Ya gotta love Baby Gap, right? Look up the definition of Highway Robbery - it will clearly read (n): Baby Gap.
On to the work-week. I have a list This Long of "to-dos" that are not work-related. Will try to fit them all in and make up for our really lazy weekend. (Really, other than those two things, we were completely worthless. Sat around on the couch. Did not cook one single thing. Didn't even make our weekly family phone calls.)
Feeding update. Tried diced peaches with AJ. Nicht so gut. He gagged and wasn't too intrigued. Am going to rewind and start over with bananas. Since they're his favorite, anyway.
Saturday, March 19
Friday, March 18
thank you, my friends
(...and Mom!)
One of the best things about having a baby later in life than many of my friends/cousins is that I get to borrow advice from all of them who've done it first. Yay for that. After having a mini panic-attack this morning about how I am feeding the little man, I got scads of advice today and am reformulating the plan. (Second- and third-time moms, please keep the snickering quiet. I can hear you. And I'm a first-timer, cut me some slack, here!)
I have been a slave to Gerber, thinking that those little jars of puree were the only thing I could feed him. But stand back: we're going to start trying to add some table foods to the lineup. I think AJ's ready to chew. He kind-of chews his oatmeal cereal already. Table-food suggestions from my very wise friends include: La Creme yogurt, plain macaroni, the oft-praised Cheerios, toast, pancakes, diced peaches, pears, bananas, potatoes both white and sweet, and this brilliant suggestion: homestyle chicken-noodle soup, drained. Brilliant, I tell you!
St. Blaise (protector of throats), pray for us. (Mommy's overly, almost neurotically nervous about AJ choking.)
Wish us luck!
One of the best things about having a baby later in life than many of my friends/cousins is that I get to borrow advice from all of them who've done it first. Yay for that. After having a mini panic-attack this morning about how I am feeding the little man, I got scads of advice today and am reformulating the plan. (Second- and third-time moms, please keep the snickering quiet. I can hear you. And I'm a first-timer, cut me some slack, here!)
I have been a slave to Gerber, thinking that those little jars of puree were the only thing I could feed him. But stand back: we're going to start trying to add some table foods to the lineup. I think AJ's ready to chew. He kind-of chews his oatmeal cereal already. Table-food suggestions from my very wise friends include: La Creme yogurt, plain macaroni, the oft-praised Cheerios, toast, pancakes, diced peaches, pears, bananas, potatoes both white and sweet, and this brilliant suggestion: homestyle chicken-noodle soup, drained. Brilliant, I tell you!
St. Blaise (protector of throats), pray for us. (Mommy's overly, almost neurotically nervous about AJ choking.)
Wish us luck!
Friday Five
I am grateful that:
1. A lunch date I had scheduled for Saturday got postponed; this is good. With luck, I can accomplish lots more of the errands I'd hoped to do this weekend. (spring planting, getting an estimate or two for new carpet, etc.)
2. The weather's scheduled to be lovely this weekend, including Sunday at or near 60 degrees and sunny!
3. I'm either going shopping or to lunch with coworkers in about 45 minutes.
4. I found something to wear this morning: a black long-sleeved T, gray pants, and black/gray scarf. (And I'm having a decent hair day for once.)
5. Hubby, AJ, and I all woke up happy and well-rested this morning.
1. A lunch date I had scheduled for Saturday got postponed; this is good. With luck, I can accomplish lots more of the errands I'd hoped to do this weekend. (spring planting, getting an estimate or two for new carpet, etc.)
2. The weather's scheduled to be lovely this weekend, including Sunday at or near 60 degrees and sunny!
3. I'm either going shopping or to lunch with coworkers in about 45 minutes.
4. I found something to wear this morning: a black long-sleeved T, gray pants, and black/gray scarf. (And I'm having a decent hair day for once.)
5. Hubby, AJ, and I all woke up happy and well-rested this morning.
Thursday, March 17
on Gregorian chant
There is nothing like Holy Week music to bring out the Catholic in me. I really should have been born before Vat II, when good music still reigned and the solemn things were done right: in Latin. Last night's choir practice was spent frantically preparing for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday... and, well, if we hadn't spent so much time chit-chatting and eating birthday cake, we might have gotten to Easter vigil and Easter Sunday. I'd forgotten the marathon that Holy Week requires of choristers. I'm already tired.
Sadly, I can't make the Holy Thursday service, where we sing the Pange Lingua. You just can't beat a good, 6-verse chant. Saint Gregory the Great was right on with his collection of songs and plainchants. (Don't you love the picture of him with the little choir boys?) Can I get a Woo-Hoo for Gregorian Chant! Woo-Hoo! I hate to miss singing that particular one, because the melody is beautiful. Of course, it's always a challenge to keep the pitch* and fit all those words in, when you have to sing while processing outside the church and around to the chapel. I remember when I sang at another parish, we'd have to run to catch up with the director (named Gregory, incidentally, who taught me most of what I know of the great traditional chant). Running and singing -- fantastic idea. I don't think St. Greg would have really imagined it that way.
It always makes me wish my parish were ornate and tall and "old-school," so that the sound could rise like it's supposed to, into the rafters, and bounce back off the stone ceilings. But not many parishes are built that way any more. It also makes me really regret not studying Latin in high school. Mom should have insisted. (It's okay, Mom!) Truly, though, I think the best way to learn it is to sing it, and I am fairly certain that Mr. Red Herring, venerable Latin teacher of [Hometown] Catholic High, wasn't doing any singing in his classroom. Too bad.
Anyway, I am rambling (and could continue) but you may not be as die-hard a fan of ancient church music as I am. Your loss, I say.
*And may I add a Catty Choir Comment (CCC) about pitch?? Ours last night was ABYSSMAL. I thank God that I sing in another (auditioned) choir where pitch actually IS a concern. Sheesh, people! Let's not SIT ON the notes, please?? *Shakes head in despair.* < / diva >
Sadly, I can't make the Holy Thursday service, where we sing the Pange Lingua. You just can't beat a good, 6-verse chant. Saint Gregory the Great was right on with his collection of songs and plainchants. (Don't you love the picture of him with the little choir boys?) Can I get a Woo-Hoo for Gregorian Chant! Woo-Hoo! I hate to miss singing that particular one, because the melody is beautiful. Of course, it's always a challenge to keep the pitch* and fit all those words in, when you have to sing while processing outside the church and around to the chapel. I remember when I sang at another parish, we'd have to run to catch up with the director (named Gregory, incidentally, who taught me most of what I know of the great traditional chant). Running and singing -- fantastic idea. I don't think St. Greg would have really imagined it that way.
It always makes me wish my parish were ornate and tall and "old-school," so that the sound could rise like it's supposed to, into the rafters, and bounce back off the stone ceilings. But not many parishes are built that way any more. It also makes me really regret not studying Latin in high school. Mom should have insisted. (It's okay, Mom!) Truly, though, I think the best way to learn it is to sing it, and I am fairly certain that Mr. Red Herring, venerable Latin teacher of [Hometown] Catholic High, wasn't doing any singing in his classroom. Too bad.
Anyway, I am rambling (and could continue) but you may not be as die-hard a fan of ancient church music as I am. Your loss, I say.
*And may I add a Catty Choir Comment (CCC) about pitch?? Ours last night was ABYSSMAL. I thank God that I sing in another (auditioned) choir where pitch actually IS a concern. Sheesh, people! Let's not SIT ON the notes, please?? *Shakes head in despair.* < / diva >
Wednesday, March 16
my bracket. ha, ha.
I caved this year and entered the office NCAA "tournament challenge." I'm a basketball idiot, so I picked at random. Picked OSU to win it all since my dad went there. After I turned it in, someone showed me how all the teams were ranked/seeded on the sheet. Oops. I think I picked #16 Fairleigh Dickinson to beat #1 Illinois. (But I know I ignored heard that ESPN guy talking about FDU the other day on SportsCenter. I'm sure they'll pull off the upset. They're good, I heard.)
Basketball. Idiot.
Basketball. Idiot.
Tuesday, March 15
round and round we go
Today promises to be a delightful day at the office. Client arrives at noon, and we start with lunch. That part will be nice, I do admit. After that, we'll spend close to 4 hours in a small conference room (thankfully, there is a large window), staring at the (cars zooming by out the window and the) computer screen, listening to the dear Boss blather on and on and on and on. And. On. The man is a never-ending carousel of talk. And lately he has taken to saying some really uninteresting things, not the least of which are off-color remarks regarding women. For instance, while I was vacuuming my office this morning -- no, the supposed cleaning people don't -- he peeked his head in and shouted over the noise, "Your horomones are showing," or some such nonsense. The guy's not a creep, I'm not worried about that. But the comments are quite unnecessary. Mostly he yammers about our products, and he doesn't really do that well anymore. He's getting close to retirement age. And I'm sorry, but it shows. I think he scares clients away with all his talk, and his scenarios, and his round and round dialogue with himself.
Needless to say (and so I'll say it), I'm thrilled to be spending my day this way.
But I'm thankful for free lunch.
Needless to say (and so I'll say it), I'm thrilled to be spending my day this way.
But I'm thankful for free lunch.
Monday, March 14
addendum
Here is something else I hope I can find in the stores, for AJ's Easter basket. You must see Disney's site and play some of these little videos. Oh, how I love TMBG!
Friday, March 11
planning
Things I Plan to Put in AJ's Easter Basket:
1. Purple paper "grass"
2. "Magic Bubbles" - you know, the kind with the plastic wand
3. Empty plastic eggs for him to play with
4. Some new socks (this kid goes through 'em!)
5. Some new toys - because I'm tired of the ones he has!
Things I do Not Plan to Put in AJ's Easter Basket:
1. Candy [Aside: Why do the Gerber feeding schedules want you to see if your child can use the "pincer grasp" (thumb and forefinger) to pick up small foods like cheerios? Aren't you supposed to NOT give your child small things he can choke on?]
2. Stuffed Animals
3. Books about Bunnies (all the board books we have are about bunnies - Goodnight Moon, Runaway Bunny, Pat the Bunny, Peter Rabbit, Guess How Much I Love You... why is this?)
1. Purple paper "grass"
2. "Magic Bubbles" - you know, the kind with the plastic wand
3. Empty plastic eggs for him to play with
4. Some new socks (this kid goes through 'em!)
5. Some new toys - because I'm tired of the ones he has!
Things I do Not Plan to Put in AJ's Easter Basket:
1. Candy [Aside: Why do the Gerber feeding schedules want you to see if your child can use the "pincer grasp" (thumb and forefinger) to pick up small foods like cheerios? Aren't you supposed to NOT give your child small things he can choke on?]
2. Stuffed Animals
3. Books about Bunnies (all the board books we have are about bunnies - Goodnight Moon, Runaway Bunny, Pat the Bunny, Peter Rabbit, Guess How Much I Love You... why is this?)
Quiz Time!
It's Friday, let's do something fun. I promise not to start hawking these on a regular basis. This was too funny to pass up, though:
What toy from the '80s are you?
You're My Little Pony!! Sweet and innocent and
happy, you make people want to spew burrito
chunks. Even a Care Bear could kick your ass.
What childhood toy from the 80s are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
hahahaha. People who know me know I'm not that sweet. And I never even HAD any My Little Ponies. I was a Strawberry Shortcake girl, myself. (Oh-so-different.)
Grateful for anything today?
1. Warm blankets.
2. Yummy, filling dinners. (Potatoes help.)
3. Dictionaries.
4. Purell antibacterial gel.
5. Weekends.
What toy from the '80s are you?
You're My Little Pony!! Sweet and innocent and
happy, you make people want to spew burrito
chunks. Even a Care Bear could kick your ass.
What childhood toy from the 80s are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
hahahaha. People who know me know I'm not that sweet. And I never even HAD any My Little Ponies. I was a Strawberry Shortcake girl, myself. (Oh-so-different.)
Grateful for anything today?
1. Warm blankets.
2. Yummy, filling dinners. (Potatoes help.)
3. Dictionaries.
4. Purell antibacterial gel.
5. Weekends.
Thursday, March 10
work(s) for us
I've been reading a lot about motherhood in the blogosphere -- stay-at-home vs. work-outside-the-home, mostly. We talked about it In Real Life, too, at my Book Club recently (since 3 of the 5 of us had babies in 2004, and one is expecting now). Perhaps the Universe wants me to be thinking about it. I suppose it's a debate that goes on and on ad infinitum, but I feel like I want to throw my 2 cents' in, just because I feel confused by all the conversations and want to sort out my feelings.
When DH and I first got married, we talked about having kids, and I expressed the deep desire to be able to stay at home with our kids. I couldn't imagine any other way, since my mother stayed at home with us 'til we went to school (and even then was a teacher with kid-friendly hours), and since all of my cousins and relatives were staying at home with their kids. And because I think that fundamentally, it's important for kids to have their mommies. It scared my husband a bit, because he had to admit he was not making as much as he would have liked at the time, and might not be when the time came for us to jump on the baby-train. It worried him that he couldn't "provide" for me like I wanted to be provided for. But when you're married, you have to work together on all things, and I started facing the reality that perhaps I wouldn't be able to stay at home full-time. I was surprised that this was my reality. But I certainly did not want to put my husband in a position where he was over-stressed, or overworked, or required to take a 2nd job. I didn't feel (and still don't) that would be fair. Plus, as I look at it now, it allows the the (overworked) father to be the "bread-winner" and get away with leaving ALL the baby duties to the mother. Not fair. (Not that my own DH would do that, or yours, either, but the opportunity exists.) Parenting is a team effort. And I don't mean 'team' as in, "you do your part, I'll do mine." I mean, "hold my hand, we are in this -- all of it, every minute -- together."
As I thought about it, I counted up all the moms I knew who worked outside the home. The ones I could think of were excellent mothers. Their kids were well behaved, loved, and not any different from any SAHM kids I could think of. So, I thought, Self, we can do this. It might not be the ideal, but this is what God has planned for us at the moment.
Is it a cost issue entirely? Maybe. (Although I do like my job and get some satisfaction/enjoyment from still being part of the workforce. Call me selfish.) Am I to blame because I never did write out all our expenses and find all the ways we could pare down -- giving up cable, dry cleaning, dinners out, etc. Probably. We like the way we live. It isn't extravagant, but yeah, we like wearing nice clothes (I buy lots of mine at Target, and Talbot's when I have a gift card). We like cable. I know people who've done the budgeting thing, though, and guess what, they didn't find a magic formula either. The Mom in that family still works at her publishing job. (So there.)
So far, this is working okay for us. Don't misunderstand: I pray every day (well, almost), that the promotion DH is waiting for comes through, and that I can actually stay at home. (Don't tell my boss.) Part of me definitely worries what the added responsibility will do to him. Emotional and physical strain come to mind. He's such a good husband -- he's willing to take all that on.
Please understand that I KNOW full-time mommyhood is a full-time job. Believe me. Maternity leave proved that to me. SAHMs talk about it being their "vocation." I agree. My thought is that, whether or not you work outside the home, motherhood is a vocation. Vocare -- to call. I was called to motherhood. My husband was called to fatherhood. God chose us -- called us -- to bring up this little person, to love him and care for him and provide for him. He chose for us to do it this way, for now. He might lead us in a different direction in the future. And it's all the way it's meant to be. Some people are called to one career at one time, and called to change careers later. At the moment, I'm called to 2 jobs at once. What a gift. God trusts me with all this.
When DH and I first got married, we talked about having kids, and I expressed the deep desire to be able to stay at home with our kids. I couldn't imagine any other way, since my mother stayed at home with us 'til we went to school (and even then was a teacher with kid-friendly hours), and since all of my cousins and relatives were staying at home with their kids. And because I think that fundamentally, it's important for kids to have their mommies. It scared my husband a bit, because he had to admit he was not making as much as he would have liked at the time, and might not be when the time came for us to jump on the baby-train. It worried him that he couldn't "provide" for me like I wanted to be provided for. But when you're married, you have to work together on all things, and I started facing the reality that perhaps I wouldn't be able to stay at home full-time. I was surprised that this was my reality. But I certainly did not want to put my husband in a position where he was over-stressed, or overworked, or required to take a 2nd job. I didn't feel (and still don't) that would be fair. Plus, as I look at it now, it allows the the (overworked) father to be the "bread-winner" and get away with leaving ALL the baby duties to the mother. Not fair. (Not that my own DH would do that, or yours, either, but the opportunity exists.) Parenting is a team effort. And I don't mean 'team' as in, "you do your part, I'll do mine." I mean, "hold my hand, we are in this -- all of it, every minute -- together."
As I thought about it, I counted up all the moms I knew who worked outside the home. The ones I could think of were excellent mothers. Their kids were well behaved, loved, and not any different from any SAHM kids I could think of. So, I thought, Self, we can do this. It might not be the ideal, but this is what God has planned for us at the moment.
Is it a cost issue entirely? Maybe. (Although I do like my job and get some satisfaction/enjoyment from still being part of the workforce. Call me selfish.) Am I to blame because I never did write out all our expenses and find all the ways we could pare down -- giving up cable, dry cleaning, dinners out, etc. Probably. We like the way we live. It isn't extravagant, but yeah, we like wearing nice clothes (I buy lots of mine at Target, and Talbot's when I have a gift card). We like cable. I know people who've done the budgeting thing, though, and guess what, they didn't find a magic formula either. The Mom in that family still works at her publishing job. (So there.)
So far, this is working okay for us. Don't misunderstand: I pray every day (well, almost), that the promotion DH is waiting for comes through, and that I can actually stay at home. (Don't tell my boss.) Part of me definitely worries what the added responsibility will do to him. Emotional and physical strain come to mind. He's such a good husband -- he's willing to take all that on.
Please understand that I KNOW full-time mommyhood is a full-time job. Believe me. Maternity leave proved that to me. SAHMs talk about it being their "vocation." I agree. My thought is that, whether or not you work outside the home, motherhood is a vocation. Vocare -- to call. I was called to motherhood. My husband was called to fatherhood. God chose us -- called us -- to bring up this little person, to love him and care for him and provide for him. He chose for us to do it this way, for now. He might lead us in a different direction in the future. And it's all the way it's meant to be. Some people are called to one career at one time, and called to change careers later. At the moment, I'm called to 2 jobs at once. What a gift. God trusts me with all this.
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