12 Tasks of Christmas

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, it's time for the usual frenzy before everyone takes off next week.

My colleague and I have 12 tasks we need to get through today to get to the holidays. If you assume 6 work hours (fingers crossed) and 50% efficiency and 2 people, that's 30 minutes a task... Game on!

Then, I get to come home and enjoy an evening with P.

We'll read and play and open presents and run around and maybe even dance a little. She may want to walk around holding a purse saying bye before doing a lap around the kitchen island. She may want me to lie on the couch and surprise her as she comes around the corner. She may want to go upstairs and listen to the messages on the answering machine. Or, she may want to sit and read Gingerbread Baby all night long. We'll see. They all sound fabulous to me.

I'm motivated to get in and get through my 12 tasks. The sooner I start, the sooner I finish.


Cheers!
mouse

End of Year Rant

Dear Friends and Family,

This might sound weird, but, honestly, it doesn't feel like December, at all, much less December 22nd with Christmas three days away and the end of the year a little more than a week away.

It feels like late October or so. How can it be December 22nd? And, more importantly, why am I not in a Christmas frame of mind?

I'm not stressed about the holidays. All of our shopping is done and we stayed well within our budget. We've attended a couple of parties. I'm taking a couple of days off from work.

Weird. I don't even have a name for this.


Cheers!
mouse

12.21.10: Getting Ready

Dear Friends and Family,

Woke up yesterday and knew right away something was wrong. A look at the clock led to a quick diagnosis of the problem - I had overslept almost two hours.

The weekend? What'd we do? Well, I guess that's why I blog, because I have no ability to recall where time went otherwise.

Saturday, I worked on a photo book of P's first year, we went out for dinner, or was that Sunday? Mr. mouse went out for our Christmas ornament one night. We went toy shopping one afternoon. I worked Sunday night. I'm drawing a blank on the rest of the weekend.

Happily, today is Tuesday and tomorrow is Wednesday and I am hopefully off on Thursday.

Seriously, how can I not remember two days ago?


Cheers!
mouse

Planning

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse is beginning to research real estate properties which must mean he's beginning to feel better about work. I think he's leaning towards taking a position at work, even if it's a demotion, and slogging it out until either A. the economy improves or B. we save enough for retirement.

The current calendar has us working until somewhere around the end of 2017 which seems like a long time away from now, but if you think about how quickly this past year went, it's not all that far into the future.

I think he thought the date was much further out than that. But, with seven years separating him from spending his days with P, I think he's willing to try to make that date stick. We'll see how the numbers play out between now and then. Another 2008 could hit us and then it'd be back to the drawing board again.

Well, we'll see how this month ends and 2011 begins.


Cheers!
mouse

Back to Work

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, it wasn't quite as relaxing as I thought it could be. But, it was good to have a day off.

We got off of our morning routine which meant drop off didn't go as smoothly as it normally does. So, instead of embarking on my vacation adventure at 8, I was headed out the daycare door at 10:30. And, instead of picking up one present for my brother and being done with the shopping, I ended up on a non-stop glazed-eye tour of the area picking up Mr. mouse's dad's gift, and something for Mr. mouse and, to be honest, a bunch of random stuff for P. And, instead of a relaxing lunch reading a book, I ended up with a hurried lunch reading my blackberry. And, instead of catching a movie, I plodded back and forth through the mall. And, instead of beating the traffic home, I ended up getting stuck at P's holiday party and coming home at the usual hour.

But, all that being said, I guess it does feel good to have P's gifts purchased and to be down to two purchases left for this weekend - our annual tree ornament and Mr. mouse's step-mom's present. And, I guess I can try for an afternoon off next week, to watch HP7A.

In any case, it's back to work today. Hopefully, not too much craziness ensued while I was out. Okay. Who am I kidding? The piper must be paid. Sigh. Next time, I'll take a day off without any plans. We'll see how that goes.


Cheers!
mouse

Vacation Day!

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm taking a vacation day and am very excited about it.

I slept in, a little, this morning.

Here's the plan.

I'll drop P off at school. Then, I'll head out - maybe for a cup of coffee, maybe to the mall to get some Christmas shopping done. Then, lunch. Then, either more wandering or a movie.

I'll pick P up a little early to enjoy the afternoon together.

And, then, I'll feel mega-refreshed for the day tomorrow. At least, that's the plan.


Cheers!
mouse

Quiet Morning

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, I went to work yesterday, and I came home from work yesterday, and in between were a bunch of meetings and a bunch of people stopping by my desk and a blessedly simple drop-off and a commute from someone who knew I didn't have it in me to do something more than blissfully short.

P's bottom right molar finally erupted. She's been walking on her tippy toes. And, she got into a Battle Royale with Mr. mouse because she didn't want any dinner last night.

And, today, I'm in a marginally better frame of mind.

The island is still under control although it's beginning to pile up with gifts we need to get out to gift recipients. And, left-of-sink area is still looking good. The elbow is a work in progress, but it's looking close enough for a final sweep this weekend which would leave the impossible right-of-stove for the next tackle point.

I just need to remind myself, it didn't become a disaster zone in a day. It won't become an organized spot in a day. Progress is what I should be measuring. Sooner or later the house will not look like a hurricane hit it.


Cheers!
mouse

12.13.10: Inevitable March to Year End

Dear Friends and Family,

It's December 13th and the steady march to year end continues.

I'm annoyed.

I need a vacation.

Work has been a constant non-stop barrage since... well, since forever, it seems. My potential vacation at the end of the week? Unlikely to happen since, well, work is too hectic. Instead of time off, I spent a good piece of yesterday working. Yes, that's a step in the right direction. NOT!

And, I think I may be working the week between Christmas and New Year's.

If you can't tell, I'm beginning to resent the toll work has taken on my personal life.

But, I want to give Mr. mouse the flexibility to make some decisions with regards to his work. So, I will continue to soldier on and try not to resent work too much.

What'd we do this weekend?

Saturday morning we took P in for a haircut and let her cry it out before the salon opened. Then, P and I went for breakfast with Auntie Janet while Mr. mouse came home to let the house cleaners in.

I can't think if we did anything after the house cleaners finished up. Nope. I remember now. P fell asleep on Mr. mouse's lap. We carried her to her crib and then went to our room for a monster four hour nap.

The afternoon was a chance to play. And, as if on queue, at 8, P asked to go out. So, we bundled her up and went out for a slice of pizza. She likes her Saturday evening jaunts.

Sunday, we woke up early because we all napped. Then, we went out for brunch. P napped. Mr. mouse got a tree. I worked. P played. I worked. We ate dinner. I worked. Mr. mouse did the lights. I worked. P went to sleep. I worked. Mr. mouse surfed. I worked. We all went to sleep.

See, that's how you want to spend one of the last weekends of the year. Working. Right.

Back to tree. P hates the tree. Or, rather, she is terrified of the tree. One look and she was crawling up my front trying to get away. I left her to help Mr. mouse bring it into the house and she stood there crying. I was holding her when Mr. mouse was leveling it and she turned and saw it gave a violent turn away and shuddered and cried and tried to get away.

We'll have to see if the lights and time get her more enthused. Or, if the tree thing will be a bust.

And, now, on the docket, gifts and cards. It would have been nice to get both done, but, I was too busy working this weekend. What kills me is that both require transit time and next weekend doesn't give me enough time for that so I'll need to tackle it one night this week.

Excellent.

I'm not even going to try and find a silver lining to any of this.


Cheers...
mouse

Tax Mystery

Dear Friends and Family,

I know it's more complicated than this. I'm not going to pretend it's not. But, I'm always been a big fan of a flat tax. Not a flat tax rate. A flat tax.

A flat tax?

Yes. A flat tax.

One where you take the budget (e.g. $3.8 trillion dollars for 2011) and the population (300 million for the US) - divide one by the other and voila, your tax bill.

You'd get rid of tax rates, exemptions, forms, credits, and all the other stuff. If we know our bill at the beginning of the year, we could all start saving for it and plan accordingly.

Our bill as a family of three would be $38,400 which is a fraction of what we pay. Not that I mind the taxes that I pay. I just mind all of the greed that is evident in all of the talks. And, I know that people making more than me (a lot more than me) are paying less than me (a lot less than me) in taxes.

Oh, and like United Way contributions, I'd like to spell out how I want my taxes to be spent (i.e. which department or initiative gets my money). If you leave it blank the government can allocate it. Think about how much smarter we'd all be about where our money goes.

Anyway, that's my source of inspiration for the day - simplification and ownership.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse and the Kitchen Counter

Dear Friends and Family,

Another day, another victory on the kitchen counter war front.

The island is still clear. I think Mr. mouse realizes it's giving me a measure of sanity and is helping to keep it clear.

I've mentally broken the kitchen counter up into four sections. There's the "area toe the left of the sink", the "elbow", the stove, and the "area to the right of the stove."

I've been concentrating on the area to the left of the sink. This morning, I did a little more incremental shuffling. Still left to resolve are two items - a candle I need to either use or store or toss and an empty ketchup bottle that Mr. mouse may have some emotional attachment to. That last statement is not as weird as it sounds. He had it made with a personalized label. Perhaps I need to look at removing the label like you would with a wine bottle. That's an idea.

Then, I can tackle the elbow, the next vast expanse of Hoarder's Delight that is our kitchen.


Cheers!
mouse

Taming Monsters

Dear Friends and Family,

There are two wars waged last night. Two monsters. Two different approaches. Two different strategies.

The Toddler Terror

P was in a monster of a mood last night. She was tired from being up since 3:30. She was cranky from teeth coming in. She was unhappy with the fact that I had to send off two not-so-quick emails when I got home.

We were tired from being up since 3:30. I was cranky from a long drive home with a whiny baby in the car. I was unhappy that I had to bring work home. Mr.mouse was unhappy that P was whining at home.

This is a quick military exercise in survival. Let's get everyone decently calm, decently fed, decently clean, and into bed. NOW.

The Kitchen Monster

Our house is a constant battle against clutter. I detest clutter. I have been fighting it my entire life. It's a battle I lost at home growing up. One lone person cannot win against a family of hoarders. It's a battle I won when living alone. That's a gimme. It's a battle I have been waging since living with Mr. mouse - one where I win some and I lose some.

I have proudly been able to maintain my foothold on the most savage of beachheads - the kitchen island. Three days, now, I have been able to keep it cleared and organized. I think I need to use this moment to expand my small victory and start contemplating the kitchen counters. Same strategy as with the island - tiny changes to sneak in without Mr. mouse noticing. And, then, once I gain enough momentum, a massive attack on the remaining space.

The things that are my life. Sad, but so true.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse Family Up

Dear Friends and Family,

3:30, P decided to get up and woke up both Mr. mouse and me.

I think it's a combination of molars and hunger that woke her. And, now she's being a whiny toddler while Mr. mouse gets her food ready. Sometimes she's so smart it's tough to remember that she's only a year and a half old.

Someone just asked to open the cabinet. I take complete blame for this because she saw me looking down there last night. Phew. Cabinet door closing. Disaster averted.

Well, Mr. mouse got more chores done yesterday. Router magically fixed. Closet rod re-installed. Which leaves P's haircut and a whole bunch of holiday stuff to do this weekend. Feels like it'll be fun and feels like it'll be relaxing. Just in time to still order gifts online. Just in time to enjoy my favorite time of the year.

I forgot to mention another developmental milestone. P started play acting with food, pretending to eat the popcorn from the catalog page and pretending to eat the sandwich from her book and pretending to eat the lemon from the kitchen island. Perhaps we need to feed her more. For now, I'm assuming this is play and not a sign of hunger so please don't call social services on us.

We weigh her weekly and feed her four to five times a day. I swear.

Time to go measure milk. Happy Tuesday.


Cheers!
mouse

12.06.10: Honeydew List Progress

Dear Friends and Family,

After a long weekend of diligently working through our to do list and keeping an increasingly independent toddler amused, I'm almost looking forward to work.

But, that being said, it does feel good to have most of the non-holiday to dos done. My hair is cut. My brows are trimmed. My nails are polished. The kitchen island was clear. The snow tires are on. Extra clothes are returned. Pantry and refrigerator are stocked.

What's left? Fixing a closet rod that broke Sunday afternoon and figuring out why our wireless has decided to go on early holiday. (For now we're using Mr. mouse's phone as a hot spot, not sure how long term sustainable that is.) And, P's haircut.

We had lots of fun with P over the weekend. She finally learned how to say Mommy on Sunday after meh which she started months ago and me-me which was both Mommy and Amy, her teacher at school. She learned how to step on a big girl scale, but only with me standing next to her on my scale. And, she's become absolutely enamored with an old answering machine we have plugged in.

P's molars are coming in and it looks so painful. Her gums are swollen with these huge white lumps just under the surface. And, when we offered her ice cream on Saturday night, the spoon came out with a streak of fresh blood. We caught her chewing on her swim shoes which have a bunch of rubber nubbins on the bottom. It must have felt good, but we had to ask her to stop.

She'll say no thank you if she wants you to stop or if she doesn't want something. She'll say please if she wants something, although its usage is more like now than please. And, she'll say hi if she wants your attention.

She pointed to a pomegranate and said apple. She pointed to an egg and said egg. And, she pointed to a beetle and said bug. She'll make animal sounds and ask you to guess the animal. She'll point to animals and make animal sounds. She'll put in song requests for songs she wants (e.g. Bumblebee, Monkeys, If You're Happy and You Know it, Row, Row, Row Your Boat are on her heavy rotation list).

Time to go clean up the island and sort through some pictures. Happy Monday!


Cheers!
mouse

Progress, One Nibble at a Time

Dear Friends and Family,

We have a basket on our kitchen island. It's full of junk. Literally. Chicken flavored lollipops, four year old chocolate, buttons to clothes we no longer own, you name it, it can be found in the basket.

And, it was overflowing. And, I couldn't see a way out of it with a pack rat husband. So, I took it one step at a time and started throwing away one thing in it at a time. And, the bottom is now visible and I think I can empty it before the year is out.

And, then I can replace it with the bamboo we have growing by the kitchen sink. It's not something I love, but it is a piece of greenery that could serve as a focal point on the island. In any case, I bought the container it's growing in and I like it more than I like an overflowing basket of junk.


Cheers!
mouse

Planning and Working

Dear Friends and Family,

Another month, another chance to revisit our retirement savings. And, since it's the end of the year another chance to revisit savings targets for next year and another chance to revisit our investment portfolio for this year.

I'm happy with the progress we made this year. I think I'll up our savings next year by $200 a month. I've determined that Mr. mouse's severance will cover next year's savings if we need it to.

And, I think we're going to to a blanket sell off of any stocks we have that are still capital losses to offset our income this year to minimize our tax bill come April.

And, last, but not least, I continue to be grateful that we have been as fortunate as we have been. We're not wealthy, but we're more fortunate than most. And, for that, I am thankful.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse and the Tofu Factory

Dear Friends and Family,

Last night started off normal enough. Mr. mouse had dinner with a work colleague. I had the evening shift with P.

The drive home was uneventful given the light rain. P had her milk in her sippy cup (day two of no bottle) and we stopped for gas and french fries on the way home. We sang, we talked, we enjoyed the drive.

P asked for Mr. mouse when we pulled into the garage, but was okay with reading with me. We ate a light dinner, spent some time snuggling and playing in bed, and then went to her room for bedtime.

We read and when she was tired, she pointed to the crib and I put her down. She curled up and was TWO seconds away from sleep when... (queue up the dramatic music) I put her blanket on her.

Twenty minutes of crying later, I picked her up out of her crib and tried to console her. No luck. In sheer desperation I asked her a series of do you want questions. She lands on car. Yes, she wants car. So, I carried her downstairs (she was giggling and kicking the whole way) and put her down in her car seat. Buckled the top buckle. And, then, P opened her mouth and out came a steady stream of white gunk. It looked like she was an extrusion machine at a tofu factory. Fantastic.

Took her out. Brought her upstairs. Gave her a bath. And, brought her back to her high chair to monitor and relax. She was coloring when Mr. mouse got home just before ten. He brought her upstairs and with much coaxing got her to go to sleep.

Now, the car seat is clean. And, since it seemed like a convenient juncture, we turned it around before re-installing it. Technically she's not yet 22 pounds, but we're turning it around anyway.

We'll see how today goes.


Cheers!
mouse