Knitting

One of the things I said I wanted to do after I finished my Masters was learn to knit.  You'd think I'd learn to crochet since my Mom is the master of the hook.  Ha!  She tried teaching me a time or ten and we both decided that in order to preserve our mother-daughter relationship, we needed to give up.  I figure if I learn to knit, she won't be able to spot my mistakes as easily. 

Our FACS (fancy was of saying Home Ec) teacher Sharon knits and has a friend Millie (sorta like Maxine from the cards, only funnier) who was willing to come in to North Side to teach a few of us.  Our first meeting was a week and a half ago.  I learned to cast on like a champ and the simple knit stitch...  or so I thought.  If you know me well, you know I do most things backwards for some unknown reason.  I practiced my mad skills and at our next meeting, Sharon took one look at my masterpiece and asked me to show her what I was doing.  It turns out I was doing it exactly backwards and created a whole new stitch, which shall be referred to as the Stine.  She showed me how to do it the correct way, and wouldn't you know, there is a reason no one does it my way!  The right way is much easier.  I have no idea what I'm making, but I'm trying.  My goal is to make my Mom a pot holder for Mother's Day. 

I am not a bear

1. I woke up at 3:00 a.m. to put dogs out to potty and grumbled about the cold and snow.
2. Gav woke me up again at almost 8:00. He wanted to play with his train set. I got to be Molly. Why? Gav's response was "because she's a girl." He then went to find his dad, because I wasn't following his instructions to stay off the track. How are you supposed to play train if you can't be on the track? I crawled back into bed and zonked out completely.
3. I woke up for the third time at 10:30!
4. With David's help, I highlighted my hair. The boys said I looked like an alien with my sexy little bonnet on and hair sticking through the holes. I don't think that was a compliment.
5. Next, I swept, made the beds, did some laundry, and watched a cooking show. David took the boys sledding, and I was told to make the hot chocolate. I'm pretty sure I got the better end of the deal. Snow is cold and not fun.
6. At 1:00, the boys were STARVING, not just hungry. I made their lunch, and they both were in bed for a nap at 2:00.
7. I wandered up to our room intending to read a book with Alfie curled up at my side. The little persuasive guy he is, I was soon asleep - this time until 5:00!!!
8. We went to the in-laws for pizza and Wii and got home at 9:30. The boys were in bed 15 minutes later.
9. Since then, I've Facebooked, done some online price comparisons, read a little, done some laundry, and wished I hadn't taken a nap, because now I can't fall asleep.

Note to self: You are not a bear. Therefore, you do not need to hibernate or pack on excess weight in winter. You need to stop doing both before Monday.

Resolutions, err, objectives

David doesn't like making resolutions or setting goals, so we compromised and decided to call them objectives. I made all of his for him and he agreed to them, which goes well with his first objective.

1. Say yes more often: He is addicted to the word no. Me: David, do you want to go do something? David: No. So, his objective is to say yes at least once a day to me or the boys. Sounds easy enough, right? So far today, he said yes to going out to breakfast (but really only because the boys weren't ready to be picked up yet) and to going to a furniture store. Both are pretty big deals because he doesn't like spending money on food or shopping.
2. Be a nicer person: If you ask David if he likes people, he'll tell you he doesn't. He is going to attempt to be nicer to people around him that he actually knows. He can be a complete angel when it comes to interacting with strangers, but a pain in you know what when it comes to being around those he knows. He's sort of like a lovable prickly cactus.

My objectives are similar.

1. Say no more often: I have this bad habit of agreeing to things before fully thinking them through. Then I grumble because of the extra stress I took on, making me less than pleasant to be around.
2. Make more time for me: This really goes with the first objective, but deserves its own number. I'm making it my goal that each month I will do one thing just for me, whether it be working on scrapbooks, getting a pedicure, or trying a new recipe - just because I want to. I get so caught up in making sure the house is clean, the boys are occupied, and David is happy that I forget about me a lot of the time. I know I'm a better person when I have me time, so finding some is very important.
3. Document our family better: I'm going to attempt to update our blog more often and take at least one photo to capture each day. I'm really intrigued by the idea of making a scrapbook with 365 pictures.

These are our resolutions, err, objectives. Here's to making 2010 the best year yet!

Snow Fun

Not only was last Sunday Owen's 6th birthday, it was also a beautiful day to go sledding. We located all the boots, hats, mittens, snow pants, scarves, and coats, then loaded the boys up and headed to Grandma and Grandpa Stine's house. They have a nice hill in their backyard that is perfect for little boys on their sleds to go whooshing down. The giggles and laughter from the boys was unmistakable as they had many near misses with the tree at the bottom of the hill and as they took spill after spill into the snow. David's knee was the only casualty of the day; he sacrificed it so that the three of them wouldn't plow head first into said tree. He made the sled swerve, and in the process, clipped his knee. What's a little fun if no one gets hurt? Thankfully, there was plenty of the fluffy white stuff on hand if he needed to ice it.

You might want to call an ENT

Last Wednesday, one day after the puking incident, Gav had yet another doctor's appointment. His appointment was planned ahead of time to make sure the antibiotic for his sinus and ear infections was working; Owen's appointment was not. He woke up that morning what the icky green snot we thought the antibiotic he'd been on had taken care of. Wrong. Thankfully, the doctor could see them both at the same time. She thinks that the boys like to do a little bit too much together... both needed to be stepped up to yet another antibiotic and decongestant because their sinus infections looked worse than they did in the beginning of December! As she handed me their four (!?!) prescriptions, she said she'd recommend we consult an ENT and discuss our options as far as their adenoids and tonsils. We have an appointment for January 12, and it cannot come soon enough. I'm so tired of having to pour horrible tasting medicine after medicine down their throats and try to convince them it is helping.

This isn't what I had planned.

Gavin is on his second round of antibiotics for his sinus and ear infection. He detests the taste of it, so I had it flavored with the bubblegum flavoring thinking that would help. It did - for about a day. Since then, I've tried putting it in his OJ, mixing strawberry or chocolate syrup in it, and letting him drink it with a straw. I've even tried telling him that if he doesn't take his medicine, he could get everyone else sick. His response: I'll let you take my medicine then. Grrrrr. So not the response I was looking for! Arguing with him over taking his medicine is torture, especially when you add in the Owen factor.

Owen was strangely cooperative yesterday and actually asked to take a nap. Are you seeing a red flag? I did. He woke up afterwards with a headache and sniffles. Then during the middle of the night, he woke up with a stomachache and promptly puked on the floor. Lovely. There is nothing like cleaning up puke in the middle of the night to really wake you up! He puked again this morning, but is eating and drinking. He still has a runny nose and a little temp, but nothing serious at this point. I'm hoping just a little rest is all he needs.

I'd just like to point out playing nurse isn't what I had planned for break. I wish I could just snap my fingers and make both boys instantly better so we can get back to having fun!

The Princess & the Frog

Today, Gavin went to his first ever movie at Movies 14. Originally, we were all going to go as a family, but the plan hit a little snag when Owen decided today should also be National Grumpy Boy Day. Nothing was making him happy, so he stayed home with David. After asking me at least 20 times if we were there yet, Gav and I got to the theatre, bought our tickets, and spent a small fortune on small popcorn and a medium Sprite. We found our seats and Gav promptly set about devouring the popcorn. He loved the Toy Story trailer and doesn't quite understand he can't see it now! He was quiet and sat still for the entire movie. I'd say he enjoyed the whole experience as he walked out like he owned the place or at least had been to 20 movies before now. And yes, he ate the whole bag of popcorn by himself.