"Good Job!"

Technology.  I do it because I have to, but I've never really liked it.  I easily get frustrated by fixing my laptop and quite often give it to my loving husband who has the patience for it.  I despise loading a DVD because I almost always screw it up.  Why on earth should something so easy take three remotes to play?  Tim takes care of all that, so when "Lion King" is requested when Tim isn't around, I get a little nervous.  I attempted last weekend and had to make a call.  To my credit, we did get a new receiver and recently a Blue-Ray player so all the buttons have changed.  Tim talked me through it over the phone we were soon listening to "The Circle of Life".

Just this morning, another request for the.same.damn movie.  Not that I really mind, actually, it's one of my favorites and just unbelievable on stage.  I get the remotes out, the dvd loaded, coffee in hand and get started with the sequence of buttons. In just a few seconds Cinderella's castle shows up and Abby exclaims, "Good job, momma!"  Oh how I love her!  Thanks, Abby.  She clearly either knows my pain or is mocking me.  I'm going with the former.

Swap Shop

Living in Cape Elizabeth, we don't have the luxury of someone picking up our trash.  Instead, we need to bring it to our transfer station.  Since our first tour of the station by one of its employees, Mary, I've always been impressed the operation.  At almost no cost we can dump anything we need to.  Brush, leaves, trash, ash, mattresses, big metal things, recyclables, and unwanted toys and other household items.  The latter always gets organized at the Swap Shop which is available to any Cape Resident.  We get to drop items off and pick up anything we'd like - all at no cost.  It's a great way to keep usable items out of the landfill and pass along to new homes.

The anticipation of going is high - it's kind of like going Yard Sale-ing without having to bring your wallet.  I've been blessed to find big ticket items like a four drawer filing cabinet, step stools, Step 2 slide, soccer nets, teacups and candles for Reuse Zone, dress up clothes, mason jars, books for me, books for Abby, and lots of great toys.  A Melissa and Doug art easel and more recently a Lakeshore doll house and ALL the furniture!  Being Green does save money! (Yes, I wipe things down with sanitizer before using :-) )

I love also being able to drop things off we don't need.  I keep a basket by the door to take with us on our next trip to the transfer station. They might be knick knacks or household goodies - our trash is someone else's treasure.  I'm sort of glad we don't have the convenience of curbside pick up. It's way more fun to "shop" at the Swap!

Pj's back on?

At a mere, 26 months Abby already understands the difference between a weekday and the weekend.  Our weekday morning routine is quite simple - up, pee on the potty, get dressed, breakfast, and out the door.  On the weekend, instead of getting dressed for the day we get our pj's back on.  Every morning she gets excited about the prospect of staying home by exclaiming, "Mumma, pj's back on?"  The question is filled with so much hope, some mornings I am ((thisclose)) to calling in and making up some excuse to stay home for the morning to play. But, alas, I can't really be teaching Abby to play hookey this early, right?  So, for now, we teach her to anticipate working the daily grind and and to enjoy the weekend to its fullest.

Sunday was a pj's back on kind of day.  We watched Lion King, drank some yummy coffee, and got ready for church.  Today....not so much....

Jeep Lovin' just like Mama

Many moons ago I owned a Jeep Wranger.  It had always been my "dream" car and actually really still is.  Not very practical for its size nor gas mileage, but oh so fun.  I reminisce each first warm day of spring when jeep owners have their tops off, wind blowing in their hair, and saluting the jeep wave to other jeep owners.  Abby received her own Jeep courtesy of Uncle Chris and Jen for Christmas.  At first she wanted someone to drive it for her, but eventually she got the hang of it on her own.

We practice safety and always wear our new helmet (thanks, Mimi!) when partaking in dangerous activities :-)

 

Snow Day!

Mother Nature was kind to our local ski resorts by dumping a bunch of snow on Maine last Thursday. It made for some slick driving conditions and fun snow days!  Tim was out of town in Vermont and I was working, so we didn't get the chance to play until Saturday.  Tim got Abby all bundled up and hit the snow covered back yard. 

The snow man might be small, but with the ice, it will have to do until the next fluffy snow.  Not a bad snow day, huh?  What I love about these shots is that Abby doesn't match in the least bit and hasn't a care in the world :-)

It Only Took 775 days

The Switch has been turned.  We've been blessed with Abby's presence for a mere 775 days and we enjoyed that time mostly tantrum free.  Earlier this week, Abby woke up, turned the "switch" and really threw us for a loop.  And when I say "us", I really mean Tim.  Of course, this would all happen when I transition to adding gym time to my day. I get to my office and Tim's text only partially explains.  It says, "Worst.Tantrum.Ever."  Oops... sorry, Daddy.

Apparently, Abby didn't want to put on her diaper, get dressed, or jacket.  When I checked in with him after the day care drop off, he clearly was in parental shock.  He dropped her off without a jacket or shoes.  We have never seen Abby grace our presence in such way. To be expected? Yes.  So swiftly? No.  I wish I could say it was just a one time occurrence, but it's been daily.  She's even added in a nightmarish bedtime routine.  For several nights in a row she has cried for nearly an hour or more.  We've checked to ensure her safety and she is surely just manipulating us.  While difficult, ignoring has been the mode of attack.

Dear Abby, please turn the Switch back.  We miss you!

New Year, Fresh Start

At some time in history, someone said January 1st is the start of a new year.  Giving everyone an opportunity to start fresh.  Throw away bad habits, start good ones.  Toss out bad relationships, start healthy ones.  Say goodbye to negative, and bring in positive.  I like it.  While our New Year's resolutions, as they say, are mostly abandoned by the end of the first month, I like to think my goals this year will turn into life long habits for the better.  And without further adieu, here they are!

1.  Do LOTS more, Screen Time Less: Oh how I love you email, facebook, blogging.  There are apps for everything fun.  Even Tim is sucked into fantasy this and fantasy that.  Just before the New Year, we replaced the battery in my lap top, but the charger wouldn't charge.  We had just ended our Amazon Prime (free two-day shipping!!), and had to wait several days for a new one.  In that time, we were a one laptop family and Tim monopolized it for most of the time.  With this said - I got so much more done.  I played with Abby more, read a book (gasp!), cleaned (double gasp!!), worked on sewing projects, organized and printed coupons...and that's just in a few days!  I realize I am using screen time now, but there are exceptions AND Abby is still sleeping :-) Quality screen time is what's important. 

2.  Move More, Sit Less: Isn't this everyone's goal?  I think I put this on my list each and every year.  But for real.  L.L.Bean has a fitness facility onsite for employees to use.  Albeit small, it has everything I need.  Elliptical, brand new weights, kettle balls, TV (hehe) and so much more.  I started this past Wednesday and plan on going a few days a week in the morning.  Tim is supportive and will drop off Abby on those days.  (have I mentioned I love him??!!)  In addition to the gym, I really want Abby to be active outside.  Adding more outdoor activities should do the trick!  Winter is tough for me, but I'll try!!


3. Be Present More, Multitasking Less:  Sometimes I find myself doing so many things at once, I lose sight of the most important task at hand - hanging out with Abby.  I easily get distracted by the dishes in the sink or laundry in the wash.  I do wish we had more hours in the day, but since we don't it's important to prioritize.

4.  Save More, Spend Less:  This one is self explanatory.  Being the CFO in our family and working on our 2012 budget, it's clear we have room for improvement.  A little less on entertainment or household expenses can help save for the new roof we need!  Couponing is helping in this area, too!  Just yesterday I picked up three large bottles of my conditioner for less than a $1.  Clearance prices coupled with coupons meant I saved well over $20.  These savings add up, right??

5.  Reuse/Reduce More, Use Less:  This one actually ties quite nicely into #4.  Looking at ways we can "reuse" more around the house can help with spending unnecessary money on things.  For example, using the bottom of cereal boxes for drawer organizers, shopping at thrift stores, reducing our electricity consumption, or comic paper for wrapping paper. I also would like to compost more in order to have less trash.  Did you know you can compost Q-tips?

6.  Snap More, Regret Less: Tim and I splurged on a new camera for Christmas and I would love to take photography classes to really learn how to use it.  I did a quick Google search and there are some inexpensive options around town.  I hate when you get somewhere and realize you forgot your camera.  Capturing those moments are priceless.  I don't know about you, but I can barely remember what I did yesterday let alone trying to hold on to the memories. 


So there they are....my goals for 2012. New Year, New Start!

Happy New Year!

2012 is off to a great start!  We rang in the New Year with our friends in Portland.  Miss Abby and Mr. James played fabulously while the Mommies and Daddies ate glorious homemade Chinese food, drank adult beverages, and enjoyed talking about our kiddos.  What else would we talk about?  Sleep cycles, potty training, tantrums....it's all the rage.

We really had a nice time and while we were home by 10pm, Tim and I still saw the ball drop. Minutes later, we were fast asleep.  I told you, 2012 is off to a great start!