Goal: 52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad Update

Dear Friends and Family,

I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. What do I mean by meaningfully? No, it doesn't mean I'm giving away things loaded with meaning. It means it's purposeful decisions to remove something that has found a home in our home. In other words, clearing out old bananas doesn't count, they never found a home. Clearing out old toys counts since they would linger in the basement given no active actions on our parts.

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. I don't even know where to begin documenting what was our disaster of a deck. The garden oasis that we enjoyed prior to P had begun to look like an abandoned parking lot. Well, it was never a garden, but we did experiment with tomatoes and zucchini and cantaloupe and peppers. So, I'll count them in random bunches. 4 planters, 1 watering can
2. 1 hose reel, 2 hoses
3. P's toddler pool
4. 2 rusty lounge chairs, 1 stool
5. 4 solar lights that no longer light
6. a bucket and a lid
7. A basket. It's made its way back into the house from the donate pile multiple times so I think it may be useful. But, I put it back into the garage. Let's see if it sticks this time.
8. Two books - Gone With the Wind and Brave New World. I have them both on the Kindle. I don't think I'd ever read the print versions again. Or, at least, the chances of it are slim enough I don't mind parting with the books.
9. Mr. Potato Head MLB edition. Yep. One of my girlfriends got it for P because she knows Mr. mouse and I like baseball. We do. One of Mr. mouse's friends just had a baby. His friend likes baseball. We mailed it to him for the new baby.
10. My sister asked about the Boppy yesterday. I'll add it and its cover to the pile we have for her.
11. odds and ends: new drawer used for kitchen towels
12. odds and ends: guest bathroom counter
13. crock pot
14. hurricane with almond candle
15. old bath salts and perfumes
16. foam roll
17. three boxes of breast milk storage containers
18. toy: truck (combo riding and push toy)
19. toy: dog security blanket
20. toy: battery-operated toy train
21. toy: stacking pyramids
22. toy: hammer and eight nails
23. cane, from Mr. mouse's 40th birthday

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse

Summer in the City

Dear Friends and Family,

It's summer in the city. And, yesterday was a broiler.

Cleaning the deck this weekend may not be in anyone's best interest. One option might be to wake up early tomorrow morning and go up there for a spell. Not sure on this one. It was like walking through a sauna when I left work yesterday afternoon.

Yes. That's what I'll try. I'll set the alarm clock for my usual wake up tomorrow morning and see if it's cool enough to get some work done up there.

Wish me luck.


Cheers!
mouse

July Plans

Dear Friends and Family,

July.

It's just around the corner.

And, before I know it, I'll be saying the same about August.

Am I moving the ball on what makes me happy?

Goal Weight: I'm back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon for the umpteenth time this year. I'll say it. This year hasn't been as successful as my first round of Weight Watchers. But, I don't think it has to do with the new points system. I think it's because I set myself up for failure. I figured I could go back to old Weight Watchers, but I couldn't. Life's completely different now with the commute and P. I was trying to add the old Weight Watchers routine to my new life. What I needed was a new Weight Watchers routine. And, that's the approach this time.

The old Weight Watcher habit loop?

cue: time of day - breakfast, lunch, dinner

habit: log on, plan food, enter food, get food, portion food, eat

reward: weight loss every Tuesday (my weigh in day)

What was I thinking. This only works when you've got dedication and time. And, the other thing that was tripping me up was having points left over at the end of the day and the end of the week and then grazing.

The new Weight Watchers habit loop?

cue: whenever

habit: eat, right it down in the pink book, the next morning enter it into Weight Watchers

reward: at least being able to try to stick to the program

Clean House: It's definitely looking more organized around here. Not organized. Just more organized than when we started. For July, we need to clean the deck and the basement. If we do that, I'll consider it more than adequate progress for July.

Completed To Do List: This is definitely better than before. The NOW NOW NOW list is essentially empty. I think this next week I will try to merge it with the NOW NOW list. I know this is weird, but a list with five things on it seems manageable. A list with thirty things on it seems like utter chaos. So, sometimes I prioritize and break up the thirty things into six mini lists with five items each on it. If we manage to pack away the old G5 and to put together a plan for P's school, that seems like an ambitious enough target for July.

Spending Time with Family and Friends: This feels like it'll happen. We've got friends visiting in July. Perhaps I'll add a plan to figure out 2013 so we can look for cheap tickets now.

Travelling: After our June chaos, I'm okay with a bye month.

Saving for Retirement: I'll continue my $100/week budget experiment.

So, what does this boil down to?

• continue with the pink notebook - writing down food and spend
• organize the deck and the basement
• pack away the G5
• put together a school plan
• 2013 travel plan

Seems like a good list - makes progress without seeming overwhelming.


Cheers!
mouse

Bits and Pieces of My Life

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Wednesday and I've got snippets here and there to write about.

I have a new routine. Actually, it's an old routine. But it's so old it feels new.

After getting a little dizzy from trying to track a million and one things, I decided to try something new. I've been carrying about a little notebook (from my Weight Watchers days) to jot down random notes in. It could be what I'm eating. It could be what I'm spending. It could be P's potty information for her records. It could be my weight. It could be her weight. Anything. Out of brain. On to paper.

Then, in the morning, during my morning time, I enter all of the notes into already established tracking spots. It's efficient enough to continue trying. I'm on Day 3.

P has been doing stunning with the potty training. Last night, she told us she had to pee and we got her to the potty in time. That's the first unprompted success story.

On Monday, at school, she fell into the toilet. The seat was up, she was in a rush, and plop, in she went. Apparently, she was distraught. I have trouble not chuckling over this one.

The kitchen counter still has eight things on it that need to find a home somewhere. A SIM card from travelling. A USB adapter from travelling. A set of cords from travelling. Flight information for travelling. And, a cord from a badge holder we bought while travelling. Wait, I see a trend here!

The final three? The stickers P gets for potty training at school. The screws for the trunk in the car. And, two bumpers for the bottoms of our bar stools.

I may throw it all, minus the stickers, into the garbage this weekend.

Speaking of the weekend... it's supposed to be brutally hot. We've got two tasks on the list that might be worth beginning - clearing out part of the basement since we have friends coming in July and clearing off the deck for the same visit.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse Calls a Friend

Dear Friends and Family,

I know life will hit me and I'll end up treading water again, but for now, I think I can declare official progress on the to do list.

Last night, I had time to call one of my girlfriends in California, Auntie B. And, we had a chance to catch up after more time went by than should have. And, I had a chance to call my dad and my sister.

P needs to finish up her thank you cards. And, there's nine random things on the kitchen counter that need a home.

But, nonetheless, it feels good.

This weekend? We need a new table for the deck - the old one disintegrated two winters ago. And, we need to spend some time clearing out and organizing the deck. This boils down to a lot of runs to the garbage. We've got a lot of junk up there. Then, we can put up a new table, rehang the hammock and enjoy the broiler of a weekend we have coming up.


Cheers!
mouse

06.25.12: Second Half of June Done

Dear Friends and Family,

We did it!

I think we're officially recovered from the chaos that was our spring.

Saturday morning, P and I got our hair cut. From that moment on, Mr. mouse and I may as well have been unicorns for the amount of attention we got. We need to cut her hair more often. She can't make it 8 weeks like I do. On the grooming front, we also got our eyebrows done and I got a manicure.

We dropped off books at the library. We dropped off dry cleaning at the cleaners. We ate brunch together. We bought shoes. We made three batches of ice cream for a girlfriend. P played on a bouncy moon walk and LOVED it.

In the afternoon, after my manicure, I faced three options: nap, nap on the hammock, or buckle up and do some work. The first was tempting. The second was VERY tempting. But, I opted for option three.

We put on the registration stickers for the car. We burned a CD for one of P's classmates - from 2009. We mailed off a card to a friend, to thank him for fixing our hard drive. We mailed off a present for a friend, who just had a baby. We cleared most of the random stuff from our trip off of our kitchen counter. We took P to a toy store and bought lots of presents for her friends - three upcoming birthday parties.

On Sunday, we went to the doctor. He thinks P is doing stunningly. We watched F1 at home in the afternoon because it was broadcast on network TV. My favorite drivers were on the podium.

We returned the last of the unused merchandise we bought before our big trips.

And, to end the weekend, we ducked out to the park and took our "spring" photos on the first official weekend of summer. Done!


Cheers!
mouse

Goal: 52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad Update

Dear Friends and Family,

I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. What do I mean by meaningfully? No, it doesn't mean I'm giving away things loaded with meaning. It means it's purposeful decisions to remove something that has found a home in our home. In other words, clearing out old bananas doesn't count, they never found a home. Clearing out old toys counts since they would linger in the basement given no active actions on our parts.

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. A basket. It's made its way back into the house from the donate pile multiple times so I think it may be useful. But, I put it back into the garage. Let's see if it sticks this time.
2. Two books - Gone With the Wind and Brave New World. I have them both on the Kindle. I don't think I'd ever read the print versions again. Or, at least, the chances of it are slim enough I don't mind parting with the books.
3. Mr. Potato Head MLB edition. Yep. One of my girlfriends got it for P because she knows Mr. mouse and I like baseball. We do. One of Mr. mouse's friends just had a baby. His friend likes baseball. We mailed it to him for the new baby.
4. My sister asked about the Boppy yesterday. I'll add it and its cover to the pile we have for her.
5. I'm not sure how to count this one either. We had a drawer that was originally used for pot lids. Then, we used it for P's baby food jars. Then, it became a catch all drawer. I emptied it and now it holds our kitchen towels. I saved a sample of cups and spoons from the ones we used for P when she was a toddler. I put the rest in a pile to send to my sister. I threw away any expired food and random candy we hid in the drawer. I put the m&m's and gum in Mr. mouse's bag for him to consume at work. I put a bag of random bottle nipples and caps in the donate pile. And, everything else went into the garbage. It feels awesome.
6. I'm not sure how to count this one. But, the guest bathroom counter is under control. Some toys came back down to the living room. The items from P's first bath were moved to the kitchen, with a final destination of the basement. And, a bunch of hotel shampoos and conditioners and lotions, all partially used, were tossed. And, now, it looks nice up there. I guess the only things to leave the mouse pad were the clutter of half used bottles, an unused basket and two unused ducks, but put together it seems like it should count for something.
7. I have a slow cooker. It was a gift when I wanted a crock pot. It's in a box on top of the kitchen cabinets. Auntie Janet wants a crock pot. I want to get rid of a crock pot. We make a good team.
8. There was a hurricane with an almond candle and some river rocks lurking in the corner of our guest bathroom. Sometimes these things make me realize how my mind works. If something is in a spot long enough it begins to blend in with the background and my brain doesn't pick it up as something to process. Once I move something, one thing, the whole thing kinda shifts on me and it doesn't blend into the background anymore and my brain begins to pick it up as something to process. Then, at some point, it all fossilizes all over again. Back to the hurricane. We bought it to "stage" the master bathroom for a house we sold in 2006. We never used it in that house. We bought it because it was cheap and it filled a whole in the corner of a bathtub in the master bath. I could re-purpose it as a roof light, but I love the idea of a bunch of lights strung up there, so I'm not very motivated to make the hurricane work. It's in the donate pile. The candle went into the garbage. I like the scent, but the wick is too short so it doesn't light anymore. And, the rocks? I cleaned them and put them in a bucket. It'll be good to use them to teach P how to add.
9. I emptied a box of stuff from underneath our bathroom sink? Contents of such said box? Old bath salts and old perfumes. Since I haven't used either since moving to the mouse pad in 2006, I think I'm in safe territory to say that that's old.
10. I was looking around the basement and came across a foam roll. We used the foam when P was a baby. We put a blanket on top of the foam and played on it for hours. Well, P is three and no longer interested in tummy time. So, I decided to toss the foam.
11. three boxes of breast milk storage containers
12. toy: truck (combo riding and push toy)
13. toy: dog security blanket
14. toy: battery-operated toy train
15. toy: stacking pyramids
16. toy: hammer and eight nails
17. cane, from Mr. mouse's 40th birthday

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse

Zzz...

Dear Friends and Family,

Overslept. Time to get ready for work.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse's Ordinary Thursday

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm drawing a blank.

Traffic has been miserable, but I don't want to whine about it.

Life has been placid, but I don't need to write about it.

It's Thursday and life's been okay. Nothing great, but nothing atrocious either.

I guess life's just not that interesting when you're focused on saving money and getting rid of stuff in the house and potty training and knocking out a monster to do list.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse's Budget: Week 5

Dear Friends and Family,

I did it! After many "bad" weeks, I came close to my $100 per week budget.

week 1: $111
week 2: $151
week 3: $146
week 4: $157
week 5: $112

This week is promising to be a bad week. I think the week looks manageable, but Saturday I've got a haircut and wax and manicure. It will not be good. And, I need to prove I can spend less than $100 to begin eating away at my deficit.

Last week gives me hope. After three weeks of 50% overage, I'm back in the 10% overage category. Plus, when I look at the week, I can see how I could have stayed under. That's what feels good.

dinner with Mr. mouse and P, $32
brunch with P, $20
dinner with Mr. mouse and P, $14
BYOB wine, $11
brunch with Mr. mouse and P, $7
chocolate milk shake and fries for me, $6
eBay, $6
training chopsticks for P, $5
coffee, $4
cookie and Diet Coke, $3
fries for P, $3
Diet Coke, $1

If I wanted to spend $12 less, I would have cut out BYOB wine, $11, and down-sized fries for P to $2 for small fries from $3 for medium fries.

If I wanted to spent $10 less than that, giving me a $10 buffer, I should have passed on the chocolate milk shake and fries for me, $6, and the cookie, $2, and the coffee for a friend, $2.

So, there you have it. Progress.


Cheers!
mouse

P Begins Potty Training

Dear Friends and Family,

P started potty training on Sunday. And, it's been going well.

Sunday, prompted by her mom and dad, she sat on the potty every hour and went. She was accident free until 2:30 in the afternoon when she was due for another potty moment. But, she was in the park in her diaper and so I'm not sure if I should count it as an accident or just a moment in time when she went in her diaper. In the grand scheme of things, it's not even worth categorizing, it's just worth noting.

Sunday evening, we went to a baseball game. And, P was good about going to the potty every hour. There was one time when she had her accident waiting on line to go.

And, the rest of Sunday was incident free.

Monday, she had three accidents in school. Her teachers say this is normal and they think she'll improve rapidly. We'll see how today goes.

And, then she had two accidents at home. But, unlike prior incidents, these times, she knew she had an accident and let us know. Lots of laundry, but lots of progress.

Today, I think I'll put her in pull-up with her swimsuit on top for water day for the drive to school. Then, I'll leave her at school in her swimsuit sans pull-up. We'll pack a spare swimsuit and lots of spare clothes and underwear.

Wednesday night could be interesting. We're going to another baseball game, but this time P will have chugged her milk en route to the game. We'll see.

All of this makes me realize she's growing up very quickly. Once she's out of diapers, there'll be very little "baby gear" left. She's got her high chair and toddler bowl and plate and spoon and fork and chopsticks, essentially her eating gear, and that'll be about it. Oh, and the crib. And, I guess technically the stroller and sling.

Okay. I feel better. Even if all of the diaper gear leaves the house, there'll still be remnants of toddler stuff to remind me she's not completely grown up.

I have a feeling that she'll continue to transition out of it between now and four or five. But, for now, I'll get to keep my little girl a little longer.


Cheers!
mouse

06.18.12: Happy Father's Day, Daddy

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Father's Day, Daddy.

Ah. The bliss. At some point in throwing out things, Mr. mouse decided to jump on board. I'm not sure what triggered it, but I'll take it.

We also got the house cleaned. And, the new washer/dryer came. And, we did mountains of laundry. And, I dropped off dry cleaning. And, I went to the bank. And, we did a bunch of little things that put the house closer to in order.

Sunday, I left Mr. mouse's card and P's present on her dresser. When she woke up, she had fun reading the card with Mr. mouse and opening the present. He must have liked it because it's up on his dresser. We also took P out for bagels - something she does on Sunday with Daddy, except this time I joined to pay.

Sunday, we had some stunning success with potty training. We had one incident in the park (had the pull-up on just in case) and one incident at the baseball game (while waiting on line to go to the bathroom) and the rest of the day was accident-free. We're so proud of P.

Sunday, we cleaned out a bit of the kitchen and the laundry room - organizing a drawer of clutter and re-purposing it for kitchen towels. We also cleaned out a shelf in the laundry room and put all of the stuff that used to sit on top of our dryer away.

Something about potty training and packing boxes of baby things to give away makes me wish we had a second P. I think the feeling will pass. But, if we could clone her or press the rewind button to 2009, I would be game to relive the past three years.

Sunday, we finished the night at a baseball game. P got to drink lemonade and eat french fries and a popsicle. She had fun. Mr. mouse had fun. I had fun.


Cheers!
mouse

Goal: 52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad Update

Dear Friends and Family,

I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. What do I mean by meaningfully? No, it doesn't mean I'm giving away things loaded with meaning. It means it's purposeful decisions to remove something that has found a home in our home. In other words, clearing out old bananas doesn't count, they never found a home. Clearing out old toys counts since they would linger in the basement given no active actions on our parts.

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. My sister asked about the Boppy yesterday. I'll add it and its cover to the pile we have for her.
2. I'm not sure how to count this one either. We had a drawer that was originally used for pot lids. Then, we used it for P's baby food jars. Then, it became a catch all drawer. I emptied it and now it holds our kitchen towels. I saved a sample of cups and spoons from the ones we used for P when she was a toddler. I put the rest in a pile to send to my sister. I threw away any expired food and random candy we hid in the drawer. I put the m&m's and gum in Mr. mouse's bag for him to consume at work. I put a bag of random bottle nipples and caps in the donate pile. And, everything else went into the garbage. It feels awesome.
3. I'm not sure how to count this one. But, the guest bathroom counter is under control. Some toys came back down to the living room. The items from P's first bath were moved to the kitchen, with a final destination of the basement. And, a bunch of hotel shampoos and conditioners and lotions, all partially used, were tossed. And, now, it looks nice up there. I guess the only things to leave the mouse pad were the clutter of half used bottles, an unused basket and two unused ducks, but put together it seems like it should count for something.
4. I have a slow cooker. It was a gift when I wanted a crock pot. It's in a box on top of the kitchen cabinets. Auntie Janet wants a crock pot. I want to get rid of a crock pot. We make a good team.
5. There was a hurricane with an almond candle and some river rocks lurking in the corner of our guest bathroom. Sometimes these things make me realize how my mind works. If something is in a spot long enough it begins to blend in with the background and my brain doesn't pick it up as something to process. Once I move something, one thing, the whole thing kinda shifts on me and it doesn't blend into the background anymore and my brain begins to pick it up as something to process. Then, at some point, it all fossilizes all over again. Back to the hurricane. We bought it to "stage" the master bathroom for a house we sold in 2006. We never used it in that house. We bought it because it was cheap and it filled a whole in the corner of a bathtub in the master bath. I could re-purpose it as a roof light, but I love the idea of a bunch of lights strung up there, so I'm not very motivated to make the hurricane work. It's in the donate pile. The candle went into the garbage. I like the scent, but the wick is too short so it doesn't light anymore. And, the rocks? I cleaned them and put them in a bucket. It'll be good to use them to teach P how to add.
6. I emptied a box of stuff from underneath our bathroom sink? Contents of such said box? Old bath salts and old perfumes. Since I haven't used either since moving to the mouse pad in 2006, I think I'm in safe territory to say that that's old.
7. I was looking around the basement and came across a foam roll. We used the foam when P was a baby. We put a blanket on top of the foam and played on it for hours. Well, P is three and no longer interested in tummy time. So, I decided to toss the foam.
8. At my cousin's house, we agreed to a sale. She was willing to buy my "vials" at $0.50 a piece. I bought boxes upon boxes of the containers as storage for breast milk. They worked great. But, we're done with them and I'd just been too lazy to post them on eBay or Craigslist. I bought them for between $0.75 and $1.00 a piece, but I'm fine giving them away for a lower price. What's option B? Storing them for longer and then eventually donating them. Let's agree, the chances of my selling them are slim to none given my current priorities.
9. Friday morning, on the way to school, I reminded P that we had a list of things that we were going to give to the baby. (I didn't want her to have an awkward change of heart in front of company.) And, she thought about it a moment. And, I waited. And, she asked if she could give the baby her yellow rider truck. She said she was done with it. So, I asked Mr. mouse if he could add it to the pile. And, now the yellow push toy/rider truck is also out of the house. I love P.
10. P wants to give my cousin's son a thing. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's almost like a security blanket. It's almost like something you can lay a baby on. It's almost like a stuffed dog without the stuffing. She got it when she was born and never got attached to it. The other night, she pulled it out of her bin and asked me what it was. I told her it was for babies to lie on or little girls or little boys to sit on. She declared that she wanted to give it to my cousin's baby. So, we brought it downstairs and put it in a bag so that we can drop it off this weekend. I almost feel guilty and proud at the same time that she's so generous.
11. toy: battery-operated toy train
12. toy: stacking pyramids
13. toy: hammer and eight nails
14. cane, from Mr. mouse's 40th birthday

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse

Goal: 52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad Update

Dear Friends and Family,

I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. What do I mean by meaningfully? No, it doesn't mean I'm giving away things loaded with meaning. It means it's purposeful decisions to remove something that has found a home in our home. In other words, clearing out old bananas doesn't count, they never found a home. Clearing out old toys counts since they would linger in the basement given no active actions on our parts.

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. I'm not sure how to count this one either. We had a drawer that was originally used for pot lids. Then, we used it for P's baby food jars. Then, it became a catch all drawer. I emptied it and now it holds our kitchen towels. I saved a sample of cups and spoons from the ones we used for P when she was a toddler. I put the rest in a pile to send to my sister. I threw away any expired food and random candy we hid in the drawer. I put the m&m's and gum in Mr. mouse's bag for him to consume at work. I put a bag of random bottle nipples and caps in the donate pile. And, everything else went into the garbage. It feels awesome.
2. I'm not sure how to count this one. But, the guest bathroom counter is under control. Some toys came back down to the living room. The items from P's first bath were moved to the kitchen, with a final destination of the basement. And, a bunch of hotel shampoos and conditioners and lotions, all partially used, were tossed. And, now, it looks nice up there. I guess the only things to leave the mouse pad were the clutter of half used bottles, an unused basket and two unused ducks, but put together it seems like it should count for something.
3. I have a slow cooker. It was a gift when I wanted a crock pot. It's in a box on top of the kitchen cabinets. Auntie Janet wants a crock pot. I want to get rid of a crock pot. We make a good team.
4. There was a hurricane with an almond candle and some river rocks lurking in the corner of our guest bathroom. Sometimes these things make me realize how my mind works. If something is in a spot long enough it begins to blend in with the background and my brain doesn't pick it up as something to process. Once I move something, one thing, the whole thing kinda shifts on me and it doesn't blend into the background anymore and my brain begins to pick it up as something to process. Then, at some point, it all fossilizes all over again. Back to the hurricane. We bought it to "stage" the master bathroom for a house we sold in 2006. We never used it in that house. We bought it because it was cheap and it filled a whole in the corner of a bathtub in the master bath. I could re-purpose it as a roof light, but I love the idea of a bunch of lights strung up there, so I'm not very motivated to make the hurricane work. It's in the donate pile. The candle went into the garbage. I like the scent, but the wick is too short so it doesn't light anymore. And, the rocks? I cleaned them and put them in a bucket. It'll be good to use them to teach P how to add.
5. I emptied a box of stuff from underneath our bathroom sink? Contents of such said box? Old bath salts and old perfumes. Since I haven't used either since moving to the mouse pad in 2006, I think I'm in safe territory to say that that's old.
6. I was looking around the basement and came across a foam roll. We used the foam when P was a baby. We put a blanket on top of the foam and played on it for hours. Well, P is three and no longer interested in tummy time. So, I decided to toss the foam.
7. At my cousin's house, we agreed to a sale. She was willing to buy my "vials" at $0.50 a piece. I bought boxes upon boxes of the containers as storage for breast milk. They worked great. But, we're done with them and I'd just been too lazy to post them on eBay or Craigslist. I bought them for between $0.75 and $1.00 a piece, but I'm fine giving them away for a lower price. What's option B? Storing them for longer and then eventually donating them. Let's agree, the chances of my selling them are slim to none given my current priorities.
8. Friday morning, on the way to school, I reminded P that we had a list of things that we were going to give to the baby. (I didn't want her to have an awkward change of heart in front of company.) And, she thought about it a moment. And, I waited. And, she asked if she could give the baby her yellow rider truck. She said she was done with it. So, I asked Mr. mouse if he could add it to the pile. And, now the yellow push toy/rider truck is also out of the house. I love P.
9. P wants to give my cousin's son a thing. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's almost like a security blanket. It's almost like something you can lay a baby on. It's almost like a stuffed dog without the stuffing. She got it when she was born and never got attached to it. The other night, she pulled it out of her bin and asked me what it was. I told her it was for babies to lie on or little girls or little boys to sit on. She declared that she wanted to give it to my cousin's baby. So, we brought it downstairs and put it in a bag so that we can drop it off this weekend. I almost feel guilty and proud at the same time that she's so generous.
10. Toy train that Mr. mouse's parents gave P for her first Christmas - she liked playing with it in general. She loved dancing to it when we turned it on. It was one of her few battery operated toys. I like it, but I can't see keeping it forever. I think I'm okay with one toy per year as a memento, at least for now. The train will go to my cousin's house as long as Mr. mouse is okay parting with it. If he's not, it'll come off this list.
11. toy: stacking pyramids
12. toy: hammer and eight nails
13. cane, from Mr. mouse's 40th birthday

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse

Goal: 52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad Update

Dear Friends and Family,

I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. What do I mean by meaningfully? No, it doesn't mean I'm giving away things loaded with meaning. It means it's purposeful decisions to remove something that has found a home in our home. In other words, clearing out old bananas doesn't count, they never found a home. Clearing out old toys counts since they would linger in the basement given no active actions on our parts.

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. I'm not sure how to count this one. But, the guest bathroom counter is under control. Some toys came back down to the living room. The items from P's first bath were moved to the kitchen, with a final destination of the basement. And, a bunch of hotel shampoos and conditioners and lotions, all partially used, were tossed. And, now, it looks nice up there. I guess the only things to leave the mouse pad were the clutter of half used bottles, an unused basket and two unused ducks, but put together it seems like it should count for something.
2. I have a slow cooker. It was a gift when I wanted a crock pot. It's in a box on top of the kitchen cabinets. Auntie Janet wants a crock pot. I want to get rid of a crock pot. We make a good team.
3. There was a hurricane with an almond candle and some river rocks lurking in the corner of our guest bathroom. Sometimes these things make me realize how my mind works. If something is in a spot long enough it begins to blend in with the background and my brain doesn't pick it up as something to process. Once I move something, one thing, the whole thing kinda shifts on me and it doesn't blend into the background anymore and my brain begins to pick it up as something to process. Then, at some point, it all fossilizes all over again. Back to the hurricane. We bought it to "stage" the master bathroom for a house we sold in 2006. We never used it in that house. We bought it because it was cheap and it filled a whole in the corner of a bathtub in the master bath. I could re-purpose it as a roof light, but I love the idea of a bunch of lights strung up there, so I'm not very motivated to make the hurricane work. It's in the donate pile. The candle went into the garbage. I like the scent, but the wick is too short so it doesn't light anymore. And, the rocks? I cleaned them and put them in a bucket. It'll be good to use them to teach P how to add.
4. I emptied a box of stuff from underneath our bathroom sink? Contents of such said box? Old bath salts and old perfumes. Since I haven't used either since moving to the mouse pad in 2006, I think I'm in safe territory to say that that's old.
5. I was looking around the basement and came across a foam roll. We used the foam when P was a baby. We put a blanket on top of the foam and played on it for hours. Well, P is three and no longer interested in tummy time. So, I decided to toss the foam.
6. At my cousin's house, we agreed to a sale. She was willing to buy my "vials" at $0.50 a piece. I bought boxes upon boxes of the containers as storage for breast milk. They worked great. But, we're done with them and I'd just been too lazy to post them on eBay or Craigslist. I bought them for between $0.75 and $1.00 a piece, but I'm fine giving them away for a lower price. What's option B? Storing them for longer and then eventually donating them. Let's agree, the chances of my selling them are slim to none given my current priorities.
7. Friday morning, on the way to school, I reminded P that we had a list of things that we were going to give to the baby. (I didn't want her to have an awkward change of heart in front of company.) And, she thought about it a moment. And, I waited. And, she asked if she could give the baby her yellow rider truck. She said she was done with it. So, I asked Mr. mouse if he could add it to the pile. And, now the yellow push toy/rider truck is also out of the house. I love P.
8. P wants to give my cousin's son a thing. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's almost like a security blanket. It's almost like something you can lay a baby on. It's almost like a stuffed dog without the stuffing. She got it when she was born and never got attached to it. The other night, she pulled it out of her bin and asked me what it was. I told her it was for babies to lie on or little girls or little boys to sit on. She declared that she wanted to give it to my cousin's baby. So, we brought it downstairs and put it in a bag so that we can drop it off this weekend. I almost feel guilty and proud at the same time that she's so generous.
9. Toy train that Mr. mouse's parents gave P for her first Christmas - she liked playing with it in general. She loved dancing to it when we turned it on. It was one of her few battery operated toys. I like it, but I can't see keeping it forever. I think I'm okay with one toy per year as a memento, at least for now. The train will go to my cousin's house as long as Mr. mouse is okay parting with it. If he's not, it'll come off this list.
10. Stacking pyramids. P got them from one of my girlfriends for her first birthday. She loved wearing them as bracelets and jangling them. There's more inventive things for her to build with so I'm okay giving them to my cousin as well.
11. toy: hammer and eight nails
12. cane, from Mr. mouse's 40th birthday

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse Travels

Dear Friends and Family,

You must be sick and tired of my exhaling.

So, today, I'm going to write about our trip. It did not start well.

It started with me leaving work with a days worth of work that needed to "go out" (via email) before I went to sleep. It started with a commute that promised to be straight from hell. It started with some confusion on where exactly to meet and if we were driving or flying. It started with P declaring she needed to go potty five minutes away from our house. It started with Mr. mouse locking us out of the house. It started with a mad dash back to the airport. It started with a flight that was delayed two hours prompting us to realize we wouldn't be checked-in at the hotel until well past one in the morning. It started with the realization that neither of us packed my power cord.

It improved when our flight finally took off. It improved when we found a cord at the supermarket. It improved when I logged on and with the help of some Diet Mountain Dew and some Doritos I was able to power through my work by 5 AM. It improved when P was a rock star during her dental visit doing everything we asked of her. It improved when I napped. It improved when we got to our friends' house for dinner and Mr. mouse made a delicious tarragon tonkatsu dinner and I got to watch the race and I found a couple of hard to find airport pieces. It improved when I told my girlfriend about my idea and she told be I HAD to start my business. It improved when we curled up to bed that night and I was able to sleep with P and Mr. mouse. It improved when we played in the park on Saturday and had a picnic before coming home. It improved when we did the bulk of our packing Saturday night leaving Sunday for odds and ends and a leisurely exit of the house for the airport. It improved when P managed a 16 hour flight without a hiccup - coloring and doing connect the dots and looking at flags and eating and sleeping.

Monday night, we had dinner with Mr. mouse's family. Over there, it's all about food. Everything social is usually accompanied by food. His aunt and his uncle and his cousin were there and got to meet P for the first time. You could feel the excitement.

Tuesday morning, P got to start the day with British beans and toast for breakfast. We stopped by Mr. mouse's cousin's house and P played with her sons' trains. We had lunch with Mr. mouse's step-mom and then let P nap before heading out for the viewing.

The viewing was five hours long. But, it focused on a picture of Mr. mouse's grandmother. The body was in the room behind us, so I don't think P got a lot of what was going on. The service was in Chinese, so I don't think I got a lot of what was going on. After the viewing? Dinner. Of course.

Wednesday, we had more beans and toast for breakfast. Then, we went back for the final service and cremation. I think P got less of what was going on. Fortunately, there haven't been any questions since. I'm torn. I'm not sure how much of it she actually remembers. If she remembers then I want to explain. If she doesn't then I'm fine glossing over it. Huh.

Wednesday afternoon we had a lunch banquet and then time with Mr. mouse's aunt at the apartment where Mr. mouse grew up. We let P nap through the evening. And, around midnight we began packing when she woke up.

Thursday morning we went to the park and then had breakfast and then went to the airport. P fell asleep at the correct time and then slept through most of the flight which put her back on our local time. We landed, came home, unpacked, and unwound.

I won't talk a lot about Friday except to say that Mr. mouse's 9 AM announcement that he was going into the office for a little bit almost made me blow a gasket. Sometime around 3 we started packing (we needed to leave the house by 4). We made it. Not dwelling on this piece.

The trip on Friday seemed like a hop and a skip compared to the miles we had logged so far. Friday night, I got a chance to catch up with one of my close friends from school. He's doing well. I'm doing well. I think this is when I began to unwind.

Saturday, we walked to the park for qualifying. It was warm and sunny and reminded me why I love going to the race each year. Saturday night was yumminess for dinner and hilarity listening to P sing on her friend's microphone. And, I got more time to chat with my friends. They were really supportive of my idea.

Sunday, we enjoyed a most exciting race. P had a picnic. We had a late dinner. Everyone turned in a little early.

Monday, we came home and here we are. I think what I was most anxious about was the long flight and P's potential jet lag and having to explain the service and P's potential melt down with all of the new people and new places.

I think what I'll remember most is watching P play with Mr. mouse's aunt and the warm sun at the race and my friends encouraging me to go forth and try something new.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse Finds Her Center, Again

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday felt like a normal day. Work was a little dull. The commute was a little long. But, nonetheless, it felt normal.

Our upcoming weekend is busy, but manageable. There's nothing on our NOW NOW NOW list.

After some heated back and forth, Mr. mouse and I decided to dip into our savings to make up for some over-spending in the first half of the year. It's not really savings, it's money we had set aside for fun that I guess we used for fun.

And, now, there's still stuff to be done and still a budget to be watched, but we're beginning to find normal again. The next three weeks look like they'll be a good time to get through a bunch of stuff on our to do list.

The second half of June?

It's shaping up to be a time to focus on completing our to do list, organizing the house, and spending time with family.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse's Budget: Weeks 3 and 4

Dear Friends and Family,

On the one hand, I'm spending less. On the other hand, I'm still spending more than the $100/week I budgeted.

week 1: I spent $54 on eBay, but I decided to spend that before putting myself on the budget.

week 2: I spent $50 on seat cushions for the race - they're awesome, and we'll use them often, so no regrets.

week 3: I spent $80 on lunch for friends going away to business school.

week 4: I spent $101 on souvenirs while traveling.

All of which leaves $115 to cover 4 weeks worth of expenses which is why I've still been spending more than the $100/week I budgeted.

Fortunately, a lot of my big spending is behind me. I'll have to dig myself out of my $76 hole, but I'm okay with that. It'll feel really good to be back in the black once I do.

What's left this week? Mr. mouse will take the train out to meet me, at least once, which is $5. Then dinner, which will be around $20. I'll have a picnic in the park with P on Saturday to save on brunch expenses. And, I'm sure we'll spend some money over the weekend which means in all likelihood I'll be starting next week in the red, but that's okay. Part of this is learning and progressing.

And, like I said in the beginning, I'm spending less, which was the whole point of this exercise.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse Returns Home

Dear Friends and Family,

We're back!

Where do I begin?

It feels good to be home. It feels good to have nothing really on the calendar into the foreseeable future. It feels good that we all survived in one piece, especially P. It feels good to have seen friends and family. It feels good to be me.

Originally, we had a series of three long weekends planned to see friends. Then, we needed to sandwich in between the last two weekends a trans-Pacific trip to go to a funeral. I was stressed to say the least. It seemed like a logistical nightmare from a packing and unpacking perspective alone. And, I like to prepare P for trips so that she can anticipate the trip - she does better when she knows what to expect.

From a logistical perspective we shaved a day and a half off the first long weekend so that we had a full day to pack. And, we shaved a day off of the trans-Pacific trip so that we had a day to pack for our last weekend.

And, from P's perspective, she did swimmingly. She managed to stay on some hybrid of local time and home time while abroad - we woke her from her naps to keep her on local time until the very last day. Then, we kept her up until a little later than typical for her nap and let her sleep a full night. When she woke up, it was noon home time and the middle of the night local time. We kept her up until our flight, which was mid-morning local time, late night home time and then let her crash on the flight home. She adjusted swimmingly.

I'll write more about the trips. But, for now, know, we're home and it feels good.


Cheers!
mouse

Goal: 52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad Update

Dear Friends and Family,

I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. What do I mean by meaningfully? No, it doesn't mean I'm giving away things loaded with meaning. It means it's purposeful decisions to remove something that has found a home in our home. In other words, clearing out old bananas doesn't count, they never found a home. Clearing out old toys counts since they would linger in the basement given no active actions on our parts.

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. I have a slow cooker. It was a gift when I wanted a crock pot. It's in a box on top of the kitchen cabinets. Auntie Janet wants a crock pot. I want to get rid of a crock pot. We make a good team.
2. There was a hurricane with an almond candle and some river rocks lurking in the corner of our guest bathroom. Sometimes these things make me realize how my mind works. If something is in a spot long enough it begins to blend in with the background and my brain doesn't pick it up as something to process. Once I move something, one thing, the whole thing kinda shifts on me and it doesn't blend into the background anymore and my brain begins to pick it up as something to process. Then, at some point, it all fossilizes all over again. Back to the hurricane. We bought it to "stage" the master bathroom for a house we sold in 2006. We never used it in that house. We bought it because it was cheap and it filled a whole in the corner of a bathtub in the master bath. I could re-purpose it as a roof light, but I love the idea of a bunch of lights strung up there, so I'm not very motivated to make the hurricane work. It's in the donate pile. The candle went into the garbage. I like the scent, but the wick is too short so it doesn't light anymore. And, the rocks? I cleaned them and put them in a bucket. It'll be good to use them to teach P how to add.
3. I emptied a box of stuff from underneath our bathroom sink? Contents of such said box? Old bath salts and old perfumes. Since I haven't used either since moving to the mouse pad in 2006, I think I'm in safe territory to say that that's old.
4. I was looking around the basement and came across a foam roll. We used the foam when P was a baby. We put a blanket on top of the foam and played on it for hours. Well, P is three and no longer interested in tummy time. So, I decided to toss the foam.
5. At my cousin's house, we agreed to a sale. She was willing to buy my "vials" at $0.50 a piece. I bought boxes upon boxes of the containers as storage for breast milk. They worked great. But, we're done with them and I'd just been too lazy to post them on eBay or Craigslist. I bought them for between $0.75 and $1.00 a piece, but I'm fine giving them away for a lower price. What's option B? Storing them for longer and then eventually donating them. Let's agree, the chances of my selling them are slim to none given my current priorities.
6. Friday morning, on the way to school, I reminded P that we had a list of things that we were going to give to the baby. (I didn't want her to have an awkward change of heart in front of company.) And, she thought about it a moment. And, I waited. And, she asked if she could give the baby her yellow rider truck. She said she was done with it. So, I asked Mr. mouse if he could add it to the pile. And, now the yellow push toy/rider truck is also out of the house. I love P.
7. P wants to give my cousin's son a thing. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's almost like a security blanket. It's almost like something you can lay a baby on. It's almost like a stuffed dog without the stuffing. She got it when she was born and never got attached to it. The other night, she pulled it out of her bin and asked me what it was. I told her it was for babies to lie on or little girls or little boys to sit on. She declared that she wanted to give it to my cousin's baby. So, we brought it downstairs and put it in a bag so that we can drop it off this weekend. I almost feel guilty and proud at the same time that she's so generous.
8. Toy train that Mr. mouse's parents gave P for her first Christmas - she liked playing with it in general. She loved dancing to it when we turned it on. It was one of her few battery operated toys. I like it, but I can't see keeping it forever. I think I'm okay with one toy per year as a memento, at least for now. The train will go to my cousin's house as long as Mr. mouse is okay parting with it. If he's not, it'll come off this list.
9. Stacking pyramids. P got them from one of my girlfriends for her first birthday. She loved wearing them as bracelets and jangling them. There's more inventive things for her to build with so I'm okay giving them to my cousin as well.
10. Hammer and eight nails toy - it was a gift from my parents for P's first Christmas. She never really played with it. It was good for when we had friends come over. I hope my cousin doesn't mind all of the toys. They're all in near new condition.
11. Mr. mouse's cane from his 40th birthday. He got it as a gag gift. It needs to go. Perhaps there's someone at Salvation Army who can use the cane. It's functional. It's just that no one in our house needs a cane right now.

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse

Goal: 52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad Update

Dear Friends and Family,

I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. What do I mean by meaningfully? No, it doesn't mean I'm giving away things loaded with meaning. It means it's purposeful decisions to remove something that has found a home in our home. In other words, clearing out old bananas doesn't count, they never found a home. Clearing out old toys counts since they would linger in the basement given no active actions on our parts.

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. I emptied a box of stuff from underneath our bathroom sink? Contents of such said box? Old bath salts and old perfumes. Since I haven't used either since moving to the mouse pad in 2006, I think I'm in safe territory to say that that's old.
2. I was looking around the basement and came across a foam roll. We used the foam when P was a baby. We put a blanket on top of the foam and played on it for hours. Well, P is three and no longer interested in tummy time. So, I decided to toss the foam.
3. At my cousin's house, we agreed to a sale. She was willing to buy my "vials" at $0.50 a piece. I bought boxes upon boxes of the containers as storage for breast milk. They worked great. But, we're done with them and I'd just been too lazy to post them on eBay or Craigslist. I bought them for between $0.75 and $1.00 a piece, but I'm fine giving them away for a lower price. What's option B? Storing them for longer and then eventually donating them. Let's agree, the chances of my selling them are slim to none given my current priorities.
4. Friday morning, on the way to school, I reminded P that we had a list of things that we were going to give to the baby. (I didn't want her to have an awkward change of heart in front of company.) And, she thought about it a moment. And, I waited. And, she asked if she could give the baby her yellow rider truck. She said she was done with it. So, I asked Mr. mouse if he could add it to the pile. And, now the yellow push toy/rider truck is also out of the house. I love P.
5. P wants to give my cousin's son a thing. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's almost like a security blanket. It's almost like something you can lay a baby on. It's almost like a stuffed dog without the stuffing. She got it when she was born and never got attached to it. The other night, she pulled it out of her bin and asked me what it was. I told her it was for babies to lie on or little girls or little boys to sit on. She declared that she wanted to give it to my cousin's baby. So, we brought it downstairs and put it in a bag so that we can drop it off this weekend. I almost feel guilty and proud at the same time that she's so generous.
6. Toy train that Mr. mouse's parents gave P for her first Christmas - she liked playing with it in general. She loved dancing to it when we turned it on. It was one of her few battery operated toys. I like it, but I can't see keeping it forever. I think I'm okay with one toy per year as a memento, at least for now. The train will go to my cousin's house as long as Mr. mouse is okay parting with it. If he's not, it'll come off this list.
7. Stacking pyramids. P got them from one of my girlfriends for her first birthday. She loved wearing them as bracelets and jangling them. There's more inventive things for her to build with so I'm okay giving them to my cousin as well.
8. Hammer and eight nails toy - it was a gift from my parents for P's first Christmas. She never really played with it. It was good for when we had friends come over. I hope my cousin doesn't mind all of the toys. They're all in near new condition.
9. Mr. mouse's cane from his 40th birthday. He got it as a gag gift. It needs to go. Perhaps there's someone at Salvation Army who can use the cane. It's functional. It's just that no one in our house needs a cane right now.

We'll see if I can get to 52 this year. I'm cautiously optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse