Oh. Oh. I Know.

Dear Friends and Family,

It's so silly, the things I can get excited about. I just realized, I can bring a book that P borrowed with me today when I go to school, and return it to the friend we borrowed it from. If I succeed, that'll be one more thing crossed off of the list. That'll leave two things on my list:

1. summer camp
2. preliminary layout

on my "the nows" list. I can, for the record, say that my list has never been that short in my entire life. But, wait, I shouldn't get ahead of myself. I still need to complete the four things on my list.

1. recommendation (today)
2. transfer 3 photos to iphoto (today)
3. Christmas presents (weekend)
4. Christmas cards (weekend)

Then, I'll be down to two, if you don't count setting up two dinner dates. Well, anyway, it's never been that short in my entire life. Maybe it was back when I was single and living alone. But not anytime in the last 15 years. Wow.

Last night, we had a ton of fun visiting a friend's house. Let's call him The Entomologist and her The Entomologist's Wife. As you can guess, he collects bugs. P asked if she could see his bug collection and he did a great job of engaging her. He did a brief lesson first. Then, he showed her how he collects bugs, and preserves bugs, and pins bugs, and categorizes bugs, and ultimately studies bugs. She saw some bugs under a microscope. And, he showed her all sorts of larger bugs from some of his travels. I learned a ton as well.

Time to get ready for the day.


Cheers!
mouse

Final Stretch

Dear Friends and Family,

The holidays loom ahead, but, the end is in sight. Most of the gifts are ordered. Our cards arrived yesterday for us to send out. And, now, all that remains is a day of work and a recommendation for a colleague applying to business school.

Ah, business school. The expense of it is extraordinary now. And, the return not as obvious. I guess if I were 27 again, I'd probably apply again. I guess. But, being not 27, I'm just not sure. The pretzels that applicants get themselves knotted into is painful to watch. There are stellar candidates and then there are people who apply without any real idea of what they're applying to. Either way, it's my job, if I agree to write a recommendation, to write a recommendation. My recommendations are always honest and I try to do a balanced job of highlighting the candidate's strengths while acknowledging room for growth and development. I'm not going to gush. It's just not credible. And, it's not useful for the school in helping them screen candidates.

Well, I have a recommendation due tomorrow. And, outside of that, it's a free day with P to enjoy ourselves. I'll have to ask her what she wants to do. Exciting!


Cheers!
mouse

12.17.13: Spending Time with Friends

Dear Friends and Family,

What a wonderful weekend! We got to spend time with all of our friends from the Winter Cabin. It was cold as all get out, but in a city that's prepared for the cold, with friends who just get on with business, no one seemed phased by it all.

We got to see our old neighbors and catch up with J & J who we don't get a chance to see all that often any more. I had lunch with a girlfriend from old work and we stuffed ourselves on Chinese food. I went to a girlfriend's housewarming party and fed the fire while catching up with old friends and meeting new friends. And, while I didn't get to see my old Turk, we did get to take P to a children's museum where she had a ton of fun.

All in all, it was a most wonderful weekend. And, today, I'm off to work. #momoftheyear would take her kid sledding, but I'm going to let P play with her BFF while I get some extra hours in. That way, I've got more time with her while she's on winter break.


Cheers!
mouse

Spending Time with Family and Friends

Dear Friends and Family,

This has been a good week.

Two of the things that make me happy are spending time with family and spending time with friends. And, I got to do both this week. Our friend in need of a nickname was over until yesterday. Last night, I got to spend time with friends and happy hour. And, this weekend we get to see some friends for a housewarming party. All, that is good. But, even better, is that I feel like I got good time with P as well. She's growing so quickly that I need to appreciate the time. I don't want to wake up and find that she's all grown up.

Today, I've got lots of odds and ends. Which leads to an empty to do list which also makes me happy.

This has been a good week.


Cheers!
mouse

December Euphoria

Dear Friends and Family,

Christmas cards ordered. Now, we can move on to Christmas presents. Lots of people to buy for. I think I've got a decent list. I guess now I need to put together a plan of who gets what. Then, we can begin shopping. We're behind this year. But, in other ways we're ahead.

This year, unlike last year, we can actually relax in our living room. In fact, yesterday, Mr. mouse and I both worked from home, on the couch, with our feet propped up, with the Christmas tree in front of us. This year, unlike last year, we are not in a manic mode of completing school applications. We get to enjoy P's time without feeling like we need to be working on draft 8.1 of essay 4 of school 6. Definitely ahead there. And, this year, unlike last year, I've made progress on my idea. I've taken the plunge. I've hired my first employee. All good things.

Our "nows" are under control. And, we're slowly plugging away at the "laters" on the to do list. And, that, my friends, is progress.


Cheers!
mouse

Okay. You Can Give This One.

Dear Friends and Family,

Last night, I volunteered a grey hat from P's closet for the giving tree at school. All of a sudden, she was in love with the grey hat. So, Mr. mouse went out last night and bought a new hat, a pink and white hat with a sparkly gem on it. The first words out of P's mouth when she got downstairs this morning were, "okay, you can give this one." Of course, she was referring to the grey hat.

Now, she's sad and Mr. mouse is trying to console her. Last night, the hat needed a tag. This morning, oddly enough, she says that not all of the hats on the tree have tags.

Sometimes it's tough being four and a half. Sometimes it's tough not to laugh as the parent.


Cheers!
mouse

Pursuing Happiness

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Tuesday and I'm tired. I was up late last night working on P's yearbook.

Today, I'm off to work, again. And, I've got to download P's November photos tonight. Upload them to dropbox and import them to iphoto. There's GOT to be an easier process. I think. But, somehow, I don't think. That, and I need to download and read the December newsletter. Oh, and I have three emails I need to write. Then, I will feel accomplished for the day.

Yesterday was a good day. One of the things I have been trying to be better about is being in the moment with P. Somehow, I found myself letting Mr. mouse have the evenings with P while I was getting other stuff done. But, I was missing the time with P. So, I've been making it a point to let go of all of the other stuff during the evening and being present in the conversations with P. It's good. Spending time with Mr. mouse and P makes me happy.

So, I'll get done what I can get done while P is napping today. Then, I'll pick up where I left off when P goes to sleep. At least, that's the plan.


Cheers!
mouse

12.09.13: Oh Christmas Tree

Dear Friends and Family,

It's so nice having a four and a half year old in the house. She's so easily delighted and so open sharing her joy.

Saturday, we got our Christmas tree. We picked it up after lunch and P napped while Mr. mouse put the lights on. When P woke up from her nap and came downstairs, the lights were just about on and she was giddy with excitement.

We went out for a fabulous ramen dinner and P was so cute. Mommy, I really like the restaurant you picked. Mommy, that was a great choice you made. Mommy, we should come here again.

We came home and started putting up ornaments. Each ornament solicited a response from P. Oh, this one is lovely. Oh, I like this one, it's so sparkly. Oh, this one is my favorite. It was almost too much.

We also started telling her some of the stories. This one is the first one Mommy bought. This is the one from the year Mommy and Daddy got married. This is the one from the year you were born. This is the one from last year. She wanted to put all the special ornaments up high where everyone could see them.

After decorating the tree, we made cookies from some dough we made earlier in the day. They came out a little crispy, even for me, which is saying something, because I didn't think cookies can ever be too crispy.

Sunday, P went to church. Then, we went boot shopping (bust) and ornament shopping (score). We bought a lovely orange ornament because it's an uncommon color and because we wanted to commemorate P's new found love of the color orange. She wears it at least once a week now.

Our friend, who really needs a nickname because he's moving to the area and we'll be seeing more of him came over for dinner last night. He reads German, so P had a blast reading Benjamin with him. And, I had fun catching up with him, telling him about my family quandaries and sharing thoughts with him on how to be present in the moment and at peace with yourself.

While our friend who really needs a nickname and I were chatting, P was outside with Mr. mouse. She LOVES shoveling so we let her shovel the front steps while the snow blower was going in the back. She also threw snowballs with Mr. mouse and one made it outside the gate. When she came in, she had the pink cheek, pink nose look that makes her even more huggable than she normally is.

And, now it's Monday, and time to get ready for the day.


Cheers!
mouse

Odds and Ends

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Friday and I've got odds and ends to wrap up for the week. Then, we've got a busy weekend.

So, let me wrap my head around today:

1. pick up car
2. send out January party invite

And, the weekend

1. boots for P
2. snow tires for the car
3. Christmas tree
4. our 2014 Christmas ornament
5. order Christmas cards
6. replace toilet seat

I think that's it.


Cheers!
mouse

Grounded

Dear Friends and Family,

P got grounded yesterday. For a week. For misbehaving. Yes, we have a big kid now.

I went to drop P off at school yesterday morning. And, she was tired. And, she wanted to play with her friends. And, it's not cool having your mom hanging out with you when no one else's mom is there. I get it.

That still doesn't make it okay to push me away and say in that mean tone of voice, "Go away, Mommy." Repeatedly.

So, I extricated myself from the situation and thought long and hard about how to deal with it all. I confronted P about it in the afternoon when I picked her up. I told her I was okay if she wanted to play with her friends in the morning. I was also okay leaving her. But, that I was not okay with her approach. She apologized. And, for the next week, any breach in manners will lead to an automatic time-out. There's no second chances for the week.

She was remarkably good last night. One down. Seven to go.


Cheers!
mouse

6am Nurse Visit

Dear Friends and Family,

Fascinating.

In the process of moving benefits from my work to Mr. mouse's work, I must have tripped a wire because my life insurance didn't go through as smoothly as my former life insurance application did. When I applied five years ago, I had to answer a dozen questions on-line and sign a form. This time, I needed to have a mini-physical. A nurse visited me. She took down my height, my weight, my blood pressure, my pulse. She took down my medical history. And, she took a urine sample and blood sample.

It all took about thirty minutes. And, now, I am free to have my tea and go on with my day. While it was inconvenient, not being able to have my tea when I first woke up, it was WAY more convenient than having to schedule a doctor's appointment and have an office visit.

Somehow, I think it's cheaper for the insurance company as well. Yes, the person who came has to be qualified to conduct the visit. And, yes, she spends time traveling vs. going back to back with patients. But, there's no overhead. There's no office that needs to be maintained. There's no additional staff checking people in. There's nothing outside of her bag and her pen. It seems so self-contained.

Fascinating.


Cheers!
mouse

Holiday Crunch

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Tuesday and I'm exhausted. With only three weeks between Thanksgiving and winter break, it's dawned on me that we need to get in full-on holiday mode. Time to put up the tree, time to purchase the presents, time to print out the cards, time to really sit back and reflect on what the holidays are about.

A lot of people celebrate a lot of holidays during December. Having gone to church semi-regularly for a year now, I wonder what I am celebrating. At the core of it, I think I am celebrating the birth of a child. I think about the love and hope I felt when P was born. I think about how it draws the family together, even dysfunctional families like my own. And, I realize that sometimes you need that - that momentary lull to focus on love and hope and peace. It's a good note to end the year on, to kick off the new year on.

It'll be good to spend some time with Mr. mouse's family. And, on my side, my cousin invited us over. It'll be so good to see her. We'll also spend some time with my parents and brother. Even if they can drive me crazy at times, it's important for me for P to know them and to know they love her in their own crazy way. I guess I'll deal with whatever randomness comes of seeing them.

And, on that note, I think I'll use what time I have left to deal with a quick to do. After all, even if it's all about the squishy, warm, and fuzzy stuff, the practical stuff still needs to get done.


Cheers!
mouse

12.02.13: Home Again

Dear Friends and Family,

We went on vacation for five days to visit my sister and my childhood friend. And, while it was great spending time with them, it's good to be home.

Originally planned as a combination beach vacation, family vacation, Thanksgiving with my sister trip, the trip turned into mostly Thanksgiving with my sister. We went to the beach briefly on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday, we went to a park to get some gross motor in. Saturday it rained. And, Sunday it rained. So much for beach. I feel like I've been denied beach for multiple trips now for multiple reasons. I think I may have to make it a point to spend more time in the water next summer so I don't feel so denied.

The family vacation piece was a little tough because my sister doesn't like venturing outside of the house. I mean she really doesn't like it. The real trials and tribulations and the perceived trials and tribulations would be comical, except I feel sorry for my nephew. There could be car accidents, people who can mug you, people who can break into your car, the sun, the possibility of a fall, rain, snakes, mulch to be eaten, sand to be eaten, slides to avoided, swings to be avoided, bugs, lack of food locations, lack of nap locations, I mean the list is endless. So, outside of a trip to the park one day and a visit to see my childhood friend, we were somewhat house bound.

So, we had lots of time with my sister and my brother-in-law and my nephew. P has a lot of fun playing Lego with her uncle. They built all sorts of things together. And, my sister had fun talking with P about all the things P likes to talk about. Mr. mouse and I had fun trying to engage my nephew. We tried to get some colors and numbers into his head. I'm not sure how much of it stuck.

Still, there's much to be thankful for. As always, there's Mr. mouse and P, I can't imagine life without them. I'm thankful for the health and happiness of my family and friends. We're fortunate to have food on the table and a roof over our head. With my work change, I'm thankful for having time to get somewhat involved in P's school. Of course, there is also having time to get the house somewhat back in order. Thirdly, there's having time to work on my idea. We're making progress on our retirement funding. There's time playing with P. And, there's being happy with what you have even if life sometimes seems a little unfair when viewed through the eyes of a four and a half year old.

P was trying to tell us that life was unfair because someone else had more of something than she did. We told her it was important to be happy with what you have and to not always compare. I think the lesson sunk in when she learned that someone else who is older than her only gets $1 a week for allowance and she gets $4. We suggested dropping hers to $1 and she told us it's important to be happy with what you have and to not always compare. I guess she is listening and some of it is sinking in.

Happy Thanksgiving.


Cheers!
mouse

Big Kid Now

Dear Friends and Family,

P did something for the first time yesterday. She came down by herself to play.

Now, keep in mind, P doesn't have many opportunities to wake either of us. We're up before her in the morning. Mr. mouse is up while she naps on the weekends. And, generally, Mr. mouse gets home before she wakes from her nap on the weekdays. So, there's not many opportunities for P to find herself awake alone.

But, yesterday afternoon she did. And, she decided she wanted to be alone. So, she went downstairs, turned on the light, and was reading a book when Mr. mouse got home.

I feel like we've entered a new phase in our lives. P can be wandering around the house unattended. On the one hand I'm proud of her independence. On the other hand, I'm considering putting up the baby gates again.


Cheers!
mouse

First Snowfall

Dear Friends and Family,

P did two absolutely adorable things yesterday.

It was our first snow fall where we had some snow stick to the ground. And, the whole walk home from school P was trying to catch a snowflake on her tongue. One fell on her earmuff, one went in her eye, but alas no snowflakes on her tongue. So, I should have been on high alert when she tried to scoop up some snow in front of our house, but I wasn't. For some reason, I thought she had given up on catching a snowflake and wanted to try making a snowball. Well, it's a good thing the snow was clean, because she brought it up to her mouth for a taste. Her smile lit up her entire face. At the moment, I could only laugh. I guess at some point I'll have to tell her not to do that.

P also wanted to shovel snow, but I told her she would have to nap first. So, when she woke up from nap, she convinced Mr. mouse to go out and shovel with her. She shoveled enough snow to make the world's smallest snowman and she named her Roy. I spent more time than I should working on a photo book. I should have been out there with her. But, that's mom guilt speaking. I think she had as much fun shoveling the snow and making the snowman with Mr. mouse. I just missed out on the moment.

Next time, I'll do a better job of prioritizing.


Cheers!
mouse

11.25.13: Relaxing Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

It was a most excellent weekend.

Saturday, we went to P's science fair and saw what she's been working on for the past two months. Sunday, we had a play date with one of P's old friends from old school.

The house is reasonably clean. The to do list is tamed. And, vacation starts on Wednesday morning. P has three days off from school which means I have three days off from work. Hooray! No real plans, but I'm excited to have the time with P.


Cheers!
mouse

Feeling Accomplished

Dear Friends and Family,

Yay! I was able to cross off a giant to do from my to do list. I went through over 400 emails from P's old school. I copied down names of classmates and downloaded photos of P for her photo book. I saved the files. I sorted the emails. I imported all 223 photos into iphoto. I changed the dates to match the dates the photos were originally taken. I am exhausted.

I made a commitment to cross off 18 things from my to do list this week. I have 17 things crossed off. One more and I'm at my goal for the week.

I feel accomplished. Granted I still have to clean the house. And, I still need to do some work on my old work and my new work. And, and, and.

I don't care. I think, for now, I'll savor the feeling of accomplishment.


Cheers!
mouse

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Dear Friends and Family,

My world feels smaller today. I think it's because it was gloomy outside yesterday and I was up late last night.

I think I'll feel better tomorrow. I'll get some sleep tonight and it'll be a bright new day tomorrow, emphasis on bright which brings me to a realization I have been mentally working through for a long time. I think I have seasonal affective disorder, not to the point where I need medication or intervention or anything like that, but to the point of being aware of it and taking steps to counter it.

I guess the worst of it will be now through the holidays. The days will be getting shorter. My to do list is packed which means I have less time for taking in what little light filters through on cloudy days. And, it feels like just the beginning of winter. By January, I can convince myself that I just need to stick it out a couple of more months until spring.

I know what I'll do tomorrow. I'll spend the first part of the morning working on my idea. Then, I'll spend the rest of the morning cleaning house. I know that sounds like a ridiculous plan, but I'm SO much happier when the house is in order. I think that'll counterbalance the gloominess from the winter blues.


Cheers!
mouse

Happy Hump Day

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Wednesday and another busy, busy day. I've got work. I've got lunch duty. I'm getting my flu shot. And, with a little luck, I'll feel like it was a productive day.

Oops. Just realized I spent a little too much time browsing Christmas card designs. Gotta go.


Cheers!
mouse

Summer Camp 2014

Dear Friends and Family,

Yes. It's November. But, in the crazy world we live in, it's time to begin thinking about summer camp.

I downloaded a list of 43 summer camps from various websites yesterday. Time to do some research. It looks like registration for most of them begin January 1. Based on my experience with schools, I'm assuming the best camps fill up by mid-day on the 1st. Lovely.

Life in the city, so many pluses, but so many interesting challenges.

I think I'd like to round out P's summer with some form of physical activity (swimming would be great), some form of art or dance or language, and some form of enrichment. Sure. No problem.


Cheers!
mouse

11.18.13: Race Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

We flew down to Austin for the F1 race. It was tiring, but fun. We flew in Friday, got take out barbecue, and talked the night away with our old neighbors. Then, we woke up Saturday, ate a giant breakfast, watched qualifying, and lazed the afternoon away. We took P to the park. P and I slept while Mr. mouse went to the supermarket. And, we talked to another old friend we ran into on our way out to dinner.

Saturday night, we met up with a group of friends for more barbecue. It was great catching up with old friends. I talked the night away, again, with my old neighbor. She's such a good listener, it's hard to keep track of time.

Sunday, we woke to another giant breakfast. And, we watched the race. It was warm, but not too bad considering the temperatures. We drove to the airport, picked up more barbecue and flew home.

We were all exhausted this morning. Still, it was good to see the race and great to see old friends. I wish we could have stayed longer, but we need to work around P's school schedule now.


Cheers!
mouse

Friday, Glorious Friday

Dear Friends and Family,

Wow. I slept a lot yesterday. I fell asleep with P at 5 o'clock for her nap. I slept until 8. P woke me up for dinner. I was awake until 9 o'clock when I napped while she had her bath. I got up again at 9:30. I read to P and was back in bed by 10 o'clock. I slept until my alarm clock rang this morning at 5.

I guess I was more tired than I realized.

Today, I'm going to get a quote for fixing the car. And, I'm going to get a little bit of work done. And, pick up dry cleaning, do a load of laundry, and assess the dishwasher. Then, I've got odds and ends before picking P up from school.

As Effie Trinket would say, "Its going to be a big, big, big day!"


Cheers!
mouse

Top 3, Jumping Off the Hamster Wheel

Dear Friends and Family,

I feel like I'm on a hamster wheel so I think I need to revisit something. The question is what.

Each week feels like some game to try and keep the to do list under control. Then, there's the work I'm doing to keep the house under control. And, the endless cataloging of photos from P's old school. And, the constant juggling of my work schedule.

It feels like a hamster wheel.

Realistically, there's approximately 120 more days of photos I need to download from P's old school. I've been doing about 10 days per day, give or take, for, it feels like forever. 120 more days means I should be done in two weeks. Okay, two more weeks. I can do this. Then, I'll take a break from photo cataloging. There's one more monster cataloging project. I think I'll put that on hold for the time being.

And, then, I think it's time to stop over-scheduling. I'm perpetually guilty of this. The week of the 20th (of October), my mom was in town on Wednesday and Friday. The following week, I had lunch duty and lab work and interviews and a play date. The following week, I had a book drive and a call with a friend and work and a show and a play date and friends in town. And, this week I had a doctor's appointment and now a quote on my car. And, next week I have lunch duty again and a play date.

I think, when I over-schedule my time, I get that hamster wheel feeling. Okay. Time to commit to not over-scheduling. I should really try to leave my Wednesdays and Fridays completely free to focus on my new idea. I guess the play dates don't really wreck my schedule since those are after I pick up P. I'm kind of shot through Thanksgiving, but, after that, I'm going to really try and keep my schedule under control.

Then, I think my Top 3 can stay:

1. work on my new idea
2. keep the house and the to do list under control
3. spend time with friends and family

Good job, mouse.


Cheers!
mouse

Ack

Dear Friends and Family,

I was driving to work yesterday. The traffic was horrendous. I was changing radio stations. And, all of a sudden I was in a car accident. The driver behind me rear-ended me. It wasn't a bad accident. The driver was hugely apologetic. I got his insurance information, driver's license, and phone number.

Friday, I need to go to the body shop and get a quote on fixing the car. Focusing on the important stuff, no one was hurt. Cars are fixable. People are not.


Cheers!
mouse

Tuesday

Dear Friends and Family,

Oy. It's Tuesday and I already feel behind. How is that possible? I know why. The house is a little bit messier. The to do list is a little bit longer. Work, old work, is just not engaging anymore. And, I'm shocked to realize a half year has already passed since P's birthday.

Last night, P got caught in a lie. She brought home two things from school. She claimed her teacher said it was okay for her to bring them home. Then, when I pegged her in the evening on which teacher and would the teacher agree if I asked him, she broke down in tears and confessed that she hadn't really asked her teacher before pocketing the two things and bringing them home.

There's a part of me that feels for P. I know she didn't mean it maliciously. And, it's tough to explain the difference between picking up something discarded and bringing it home and taking something that doesn't belong to you and bringing it home. I think it's just easier to say, if it doesn't belong to you, don't bring it home. I think.

It might be easier raising a puppy.

Well. It's Tuesday. I think I'll try to get the house a little neater. And, I'll try to get a couple of things scratched off of the to do list. I guess first thing's first. Time to get ready for work.


Cheers!
mouse

11.11.13: Birthday Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Monday!

We celebrated Mr. mouse's birthday weekend with Mr. mouse's best friend and his family.

Saturday, we split up.

Mr. mouse and his friend decided to go on a road trip. They picked up our snow tires at a store that sells them cheap. They also had lunch with a friend, and visited a car museum on the way home.

The moms and the kids went to a park. Then, we went out of sushi. Then, we went back to the park. We picked up cupcakes. We made birthday cards. P and the moms napped. The two older kids played.

We all regrouped for a veritable feast at home for dinner. Afterwards, the kids slept while the adults played mahjong.

Sunday, we went on another road trip.

We went to see another museum. We ate a sausage lunch with a horde of Packers fans. We picked up macarons. We ate more sushi. The kids played while the adults swapped photos. After baths, it was time for bed.

The weekend went quickly. But, it was so refreshing. The weather was great. I got some sunlight. We had a chance to catch up with friends (which is on my current Top 3) and P had so much fun playing with the other two kids. We let all three kids sleep in P's room. It was her first sleepover.

I feel so much better than I did on Friday morning. I feel ready to tackle the week ahead vs. on Friday I was just trying to make it through the day. I suppose that's why we need weekends.

I'm glad our was so much fun.


Cheers!
mouse

Winter Blues, Already?

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Friday. And, P doesn't have school. So, we have the day together. Yeah!

It's been a bit of a blah week. I may be reacting to the reduced daylight.

Hmmm... Recognizing this, I may have to think about ways to get more daylight into my day. I'll add light box research to my list of things to do. Perhaps, it's as easy as finding time for a walk in the middle of the day. Or, talking to my doctor. All things to contemplate.


Cheers!
mouse

Hourly, Not Exempt, I Think

Dear Friends and Family,

After much reading, I think I'm going to go with a very simple model for paying my employees. Hourly, not exempt, which means they are eligible for overtime. Simple enough.

Now, I'm waiting for a return phone call from the Department of Labor to answer some questions I have.

1. How should I record keep for home time?
2. Can I pay my employees a bonus each week, on top of their hourly wages, based on billable hours?
3. Can I pay my employees profit sharing?
4. Can I guarantee a minimum for the first X days?
5. Do I need to pay me?

Hopefully, I'll have some answers next week. Which means, the next thing I need to focus on is picking between the two candidates I interviewed.


Cheers!
mouse

Over-Scheduled mouse

Dear Friends and Family,

I've got a busy day ahead of me. But, sometimes I bring it on myself.

I'm going to a book fair at P's school to see if there's any good books for P. I'm dropping off some old books at a book drive. And, then, I'm coming home.

I have a phone call with a friend who is interested in a position at old work. I need to be home by 10 for the call.

I want to spend an hour cleaning P's room. I'm trying to consistently make progress on the house. But, last week and this week feel busier than usual. Probably because I have over-scheduled my Wednesdays and Fridays.

I want to spend time on my idea: pay structure, candidate, and insurance are all things I need to tackle today.

Old work. I didn't get much done yesterday. Feel like I should get something done today.

Pick up. Followed by a nap somehow squeezed in there. And, then, a play and dinner. Yep. We're definitely over-scheduled.

Oh wait, I'm sure there's work to do after P falls asleep. And, my to do list is slowly creeping up on me.

Sigh. I think the rain just gets me down. Chin up, mouse.


Cheers!
mouse

My New Life

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Tuesday. My to do list is under control. I got to spend an hour on P's room yesterday. We have dinner with P's old teacher tonight.

I think I'm making progress on my top 3. Just need to find the time today this week to work on insurance, pay structure, and picking my first employee. Tomorrow's as good a time as any, I guess.


Cheers!
mouse

11.04.13: Kid Focused Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

Friday, I picked P up from school and we went to her friend's house for a play date. She had fun with the art and the popcorn. I found out I'm really allergic to cats now.

Saturday, P went to school in the morning. Then, she went to a birthday party. And, Mr. mouse took her on a bike ride on a trailer we borrowed from a friend.

Sunday, P went to church. Then, she had a play date with a friend.

As far as weekends go, I don't think she could have had more fun. Oh wait, she had a complete meltdown the first 15 minutes of her play date on Sunday. Okay, outside of that, I don't think she could have had a more fun weekend.

It's a busy week this week, but no busier than last week. Actually, I made a conscious decision not to go into work on Wednesday. I could have, for a culture training. It'd be "easy" hours. But, I decided I'd rather have the time at home to do other stuff.


Cheers!
mouse

Interviews

Dear Friends and Family,

So excited. And, at the same time, so scared.

Today, I have two interviews for my first employee. I just wrote an interview guide with 12 questions. And, I printed out resumes to guide the discussion. Hopefully, I have a good discussion with a positive outcome. Hopefully.

It's a little scary, but at the same time very exciting.


Cheers!
mouse

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Halloween and it's raining out. I just realized I'm going to be late for work. And, I've got a busy busy day ahead of me. Lovely.


Cheers!
mouse

A Little Less Innocent

Dear Friends and Family,

I feel like I lost a little bit of what little innocence I have left, yesterday, at work. I had 15 minutes left to my day and an email about some mandatory compliance training I was behind on. I figured it was as good a time as any to catch up. And, that's when I clicked on the link that ultimately took me to an online class on what to do if there is an active shooter at work.

Yes, I knew it could happen. But, the training came with a rather graphic video. It was disturbing to say the least.

And, now I've thought about what my best route is out of the building. And, I've thought about the need to take off my shoes so I can run faster. And, I've thought about my best hiding place. And, I've thought about things I've never really had to think about.

It's good. It's just not something I had done before. It's sad that we live in a world where this is something we need to worry about. I don't think this is what our Founding Fathers had in mind when they established a right to bear arms.


Cheers!
mouse

Time for a Top 3

Dear Friends and Family,

The to do list is under control, for the moment. The house is beginning to resurface from years of neglect, slowly. The old work continues, although I am not as engaged as I was when I was working full time. The new work is beginning.

It seems like a perfect moment for a top 3 update.

My idea. I think I'm ready to devote more time to it. I have two interviews coming up this Friday. This means, in a couple of weeks, I could potentially have my first employee which means the meter starts running on my cash flow which means I will need to go big or go home. I am excited about this. And, this will definitely fill the "intellectual challenge" box.

There's keeping up with the current routine of progress on the to do list and on the house. I like that there are oases of calm that my eye can rest on. But, the more I uncover them, the more I realize that there's miles upon miles of house that still needs to be uncovered.

And, last but not least, is spending time with friends and family. This actually takes planning, but I enjoy it. We've got some big weekends coming up. I think I'll just kick back and enjoy them.


Cheers!
mouse

10.28.13: Weekend with Grandma

Dear Friends and Family,

My mom was here this weekend. And, while P had fun, she also told me she wants time with just Mr. mouse and me.

Saturday, she went to her science class. Based on some paperwork I found in her bag, I think they made paper. Then, P went to an art supplies store with Mr. mouse and picked up some Mod Podge, the glue of choice for decoupage projects. She went on a bike ride with Mr. mouse while my mom and I watched the figurative paint dry. I finally decided to take a nap. Then, P came home and took a nap. While P had fun, and Mr. mouse had fun, I felt like it was a waste of my Mom's time to be here while P wasn't doing much of anything with her. Oh well.

Saturday night, we decoupaged our pumpkin. We traced pictures. We colored them. We cut them out. We pasted them on the pumpkin.

Sunday, we all went to church. Then, we took P to a park and to lunch. We came home. I napped. P played outside with my Mom and Mr. mouse. Apparently, near the end, she raked all of the leaves into a pile with Mr. mouse. Then, she said she wanted to nap in the leaves. When Mr. mouse told her she couldn't, she said she was going to her room. They found her five minutes later, in her room, cuddled up in bed, asleep. I guess she was tired.

Sunday night, we watched an auto race, we ate popcorn, we ate dinner, we did some stickers, we opened P's Halloween bag, and before you knew it, it was time for bed.

And, now it's Monday. I have an abbreviated work week with Halloween thrown in there. And, I have lots of odds and ends thrown in there as well. I have lunch duty on Wednesday and a blood draw on Wednesday. I have two interviews and a lunch date on Friday and a play date on Friday. And, we have play-date-palooza over the weekend with one on Saturday and one on Sunday.

One day at a time, mouse. After all, that's how we got through the to do list this weekend.


Cheers!
mouse

-7 +5 +3 +3 Equals +4

Dear Friends and Family,

I was so proud of myself.

I made a lot of progress on getting things done this week, especially considering the fact my mom is here and Mr. mouse has been swamped. Then, I realized that it's the beginning of a new month next week and that means there's a lot of stuff I add from my recurring list. So, at the end of the week, barring any unforeseen circumstances, my list will be four longer than it was at the beginning of the week.

Well. I really wish it wasn't. That's a goal. I need to knock four more things off of it.

I'm motivated. It's going to be another busy day today. But, it's a good kind of busy.


Cheers!
mouse

The Family I Inherited

Dear Friends and Family,

Sometimes I fool myself into thinking my family is normal.

Mr. mouse and I fight. We get angry. But I don't think our disagreements are outside the bounds of normal. P seems like a perfectly normal kid, even if we know she isn't quite normal. And, my sister, who I talk to on a regular basis, is pretty normal too.

But, you don't have to go far on the family tree to begin finding the craziness.

There's my brother. The 33-year-old who lives with his parents. He's following the dream of becoming a doctor. In three months he graduates from med school and has promised our Dad that he will find a job to begin paying back his loans. If he actually does become a productive member of society, I'm more than willing to grant him normal status. If.

There's my mom, the martyr who married my Dad. Why she married him, I don't know. Why she stays with him, I don't know. Why she doesn't set boundaries, I don't know. Why she expects it to all play out okay, I don't know.

Then, there's my dad. Ultimately all of the family drama starts here. I know. I know. He grew up in a war torn country to a family that faced immense hardship. They lost their "fortune" in the occupation and the war. Illness and strife followed and eventually craziness set in.

Not to be "that" person, but I will be that person.

What I described happened to hundreds of people. An entire generation grew up in a war torn country. Everyone faced immense hardship. Everyone lost everything in the war. But, guess what, hundreds of thousands of families persevered and didn't use circumstance as an excuse let their worst selves flourish.

What's driving this post?

First, there's the 40 minute harangue I suffered at my Dad's hands on Tuesday night on what was supposed to be a peaceful bus ride home. With topics ranging from the need to respect my elders, to how I should manage my money, to what P should be when she grows up, to how I had made such poor career choices, to everything.

Let's be clear. No one gets my respect unless they earn my respect. And no one gets to keep my respect just because they're older than me. Okay. We're on the same page.

Next point. Getting money management advice from my Dad is like getting money management advice from the guy with the cardboard sign and the coffee cup full of coins. It's full of blather. If I ever followed his advice, I'd be broke overnight. My Dad should thank his stars my mom managed the money when we were growing up. She's a horrible money manager. It's just on a relative basis, he's even worse. Okay. We're on the same page here too.

On to P's career options. She's four, people. The world is going to change several times over between now and when she enters the workforce. Really, I'm going to take career advice from a person who was born during The Second World War? There's a difference between life advice and career advice. If I need to shell out useless career advice, there's obsolete advice from my generation. Do I really need to go back further for worse advice? No thanks. I'd rather wait to see how the world evolves before giving P career advice.

On to the real stickler. Me. He criticizes me. I'm the one child of his that has a job. Granted, my current job is a combination of part time work at old work and research on starting a new company. But, after working for almost two decades, I've more than earned my right to explore new options. And, my work? So what if it wasn't glamorous? I enjoyed it and it paid the bills and it allowed us to save up for retirement. What about that should I be ashamed of? Tell me. I'm all ears.

If all that wasn't enough. Then, I find out he's been harassing my Mom to no end. My mom's not perfect. But, she should be allowed to have friends. She should be allowed to see her friends. She should be able to go by herself, especially if she invites my Dad and he declines the invitation.

It all hit some new nadir last night. We know my Dad's been stewing. That's why he called me on Tuesday. That's why he called my Mom on Tuesday and then yesterday with more haranguing. And, then, last night, he gets in the car and drives to my Mom's church at 10 o'clock at night to look for the priest. I want to believe he's seeking help. But, in my cynical heart of hearts, I think it's because he's just there to stir up more trouble.

Now, I need to think through the holidays. I want to see my Mom. I want to see Mr. mouse's family. I don't mind seeing my Dad. Why, I don't really know. But, I've got no desire to have P interact with the crazy man who is her grandfather. She's too tender a kid. She's too innocent. And, I don't see how the benefit is worth the risk.

The possible benefit? She has vague memories of seeing someone once a year who is fond of her that she is told she is fond of. The risk? I get angry. Beware the wrath of a mom who's protecting her young.

On that note. Happy Thursday!


Cheers!
mouse

Somewhat Free Time

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Wednesday.

I have my second meet and greet today. And, that's exciting.

I also have the whole day free. This would be more exciting if my mom wasn't here so I could have the time totally to myself. But, she did help with pick up yesterday afternoon. And, she is helping with drop off tomorrow morning. And, P does like playing with her so I really shouldn't complain.

Lots of little ideas of what to do with my day. There's the growth chart. There's looking at the insurance quote. There's figuring out a pay structure for my solitary employee. There's work. There's laundry and the dishwasher. There's preparing for tomorrow. There's writing my sister about Thanksgiving. There's scheduling dinner with a friend. There's... well, truth be told, not much else.

Oh. There's spending some time clearing up the clutter in our kitchen.


Cheers!
mouse

Cautiously Optimistic

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Tuesday. And, I'm cautiously optimistic.

I'm really making progress on my to do list. I really am. And, that makes me feel a little more happy and a little more relaxed.

I think, this week, I will hang a growth chart Mr. mouse and I bought for P. She's had it since she's two. And, for the past two years it's been in the hallway outside of P's room. We bring it into her room to measure her. We bring it into the hallway when we're done and lean it against the wall outside of her room. Again.

In a perfect world, we'd hang it in P's room and she'd be measured against it while it's hanging on the wall. But, we don't live in a perfect world. That would imply the spot to display her growth chart and the spot to measure her would be the same spot. It would also imply I was willing to trim away the baseboard to ensure her growth chart hung straight. It would also imply the hooks they gave us were flush to the growth chart.

See why we've been procrastinating on this for two years?

Well, this week, I will tackle this. That'll be one more thing to cross off the to do list.

Oh, and I have my second meet and greet with a potential employee for my future idea. This is really happening, people.


Cheers!
mouse

10.21.13: Fun Fall Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

We had a lovely fall weekend.

Saturday, P went to school in the morning. Then, we went out to the pumpkin patch in the afternoon. P got to ride her tractor wagon ride, and we picked a ginormous pumpkin to bring home. We're decorating it this week for a school project. Then, Mr. mouse will need to drive us and the pumpkin to school on Monday.

I think the easiest thing to do will be to bring it to school in P's baby stroller. Then, I can bring the stroller home on the bus. It looked a lot smaller in the pumpkin patch. It really did.

Sunday, we took P to watch Frog and Toad. We had been preparing all week, rereading our Frog and Toad books. And, to say we were excited was an understatement. The set was gorgeous. The songs were delightful. But, the best part, for me, was watching P.

Her face lit up with smiles and laughter. She giggled when she couldn't control herself watching Frog and Toad cavort on the stage. She looked to the back of the theater to see what was there when the characters peered than way. And, she looked appropriately scared when Frog was alone on the forest and we all knew Old Dark Frog was going to show up. It really was amazing to watch her face. I wish I was allowed to take pictures during the play, but I wasn't so I didn't.

We found a nice Greek diner for lunch and then played at the playground across the street. We got gelato. We ran errands. We ate dinner at home.

It was a fabulous weekend. And, best of all, I revisited my to do list. And, it's never been shorter! Congratulations, mouse.


Cheers!
mouse

Oops.

Dear Friends and Family,

I almost forgot to write today!

I did some work. I found some insurance. And, I've been on a monkey killing spree like no other. I've been downloading pictures from P's first two months at school. Once I get them all, I'll import them to iphotos and then change the dates on the photos that I can place. And, voila, six dead monkeys.

If we go to the pumpkin patch this weekend, I can kill yet another monkey - the tractor ride monkey.

Go, mouse, go.


Cheers!
mouse

Monkey Hunting

Dear Friends and Family,

My boss reminded me of an article I read years ago about monkeys. In the article, monkeys are things that require thinking or tending to. Most of us go through life with monkeys on our back. Some of us are martyrs and take on more monkeys than we can handles. Some of us are loafers who try to take all of the monkeys off of our backs and try to put them on someone else's back.

Rereading this article, I know why I've been so busy. I've been so busy, because, for the past month, it's been open season on monkeys in the mouse household. I've been trying to remember all of the monkey that have been languishing all around our lives for the past thousand years, monkeys on my back so long I'd forgotten they were on my back, and slowly but surely taking them out.

There's feeding monkeys, which means you still need to take care of it later. There's starving monkeys, in the hopes that they'll go away. They don't. And, there's eradicating monkeys so they're gone for good.

Today, I think I'll try to take out another monkey.


Cheers!
mouse

Free Day!

Dear Friends and Family,

It's my first free day since transitioning out of full time work. I spent extra time on Monday night working so I would have free time today.

I have about an hour's worth of work. And, I have a couple of chores I need to do around the house. But, most of the day is free. Hooray!

I think I will use the time to work on my idea. I am glad to finally have the time to get that ball moving. And, the best part? I have another free day on Friday!

My transition to my new life feels like it MAY be complete.


Cheers!
mouse

Disk capacity expansion error. resize 2fs

Dear Friends and Family,

Yep. That was the message waiting for me when I woke up this morning. Really.

At this point, I'm inclined to do one of two things - deal with it later or let Mr. mouse deal with it. I did enough reading to know that this error seems to be fixed by backing up your hard drive, restoring the hard drive to factory default settings, rebooting your hard drive, and then restoring everything.

I know, I just backed up my data. But, honestly, I didn't back it up "enough" to deal with the above. I backed it up enough to deal with an emergency. There are files I've updated since the back up. There are files that don't match perfectly. It's probably another week of futzing with the back up drive to do a 100% check. I mean, when you go from three copies of your data to one, you want to be 100% sure you know what you're doing. No?

I think everything is working enough that we have options. I don't think we're in crisis mode yet.

I've learned this about our hard drive. When it's working, it's great. But, when it needs maintenance, it takes a million and one years to get it back up to working.

Definitely not something I'm dealing with today.

Today, I'm off to work. Then, I pick P up at school. We eat a snack. P naps. I assess how best to spend my afternoon. We enjoy the evening.


Cheers!
mouse

10.14.13: Go! Runners! Go!

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Monday. We had a fabulous weekend doing what I love most, spending time with friends and family. I didn't get as much time with P. But, I enjoyed the time with our friends who visited to run the marathon. The weather was perfect, the runners did fantastic, and I loved the chance to spend more time with my inspirational friends.

Now, it's Monday. I have a chunk of meetings. And, the house needs to get back in order. But, I have the most fabulous gift of all, a normal week and free time to work on my idea!

Talking to my girl friend reminded me of how fortunate I am. I have a day job that pays me 70% of what I made. I have time with P. And, I have time to pursue something I could get very passionate about. I have a home I can share. I have a daughter who is precious and loves me. I have a spouse who understands me and loves me. I truly am blessed.

And, knowing that and knowing I have somewhat of a routine makes it easy for me to feel great this morning.

Go! mouse! Go!


Cheers!
mouse

Defragmenting, 24% Complete

Dear Friends and Family,

Now I realize why to do lists never get taken care of - things take forever, and who has the time?

We're now into our second week of working on exchanging the hard drive to remove a drive with errors and get some expanded capacity in the process. And, there's still a ways to go before I'm done. Sigh.

On a positive note, today is a beautiful day with more free time than I've had since I left work and P started school. Seems like a perfect day for working on my new idea. After all, it's not like I need to sit and watch my hard drive defragmenting, right? Right.


Cheers!
mouse

Checking, Checking, Rechecking

Dear Friends and Family,

After nearly a week of copying files, I spent last night checking my files. And, this morning I'm doing a final check. Hopefully this back up is complete and we can move on to the actual swapping out of the hard drive.

And, after a very long week, I have approximately 4.5 hours of work ahead of me over the next two days - three and a half in the office today and an hour of email tomorrow.

I have visions of what I'm going to accomplish tomorrow. I think I'll stop by Whole Foods to figure out a new vitamin. I think I'll get a manicure. I may pick up snacks at Whole Foods for a play date. I'm going to do my hour of work. And, I am going to do something, I'm not sure what, but something towards my new idea. I promised myself I was going to start this week so I am.

I'm exhausted right now. But, it also feels good. I've made it through another week in one piece and I finally feel like my life is becoming manageable.

Oh, and my living room is almost under control. There's still clutter hiding everywhere (the credenza and the coat closet are still pretty scary), but the external clutter is almost all gone. I might spend one more week on it and then move on to another room.

Time to get ready for work.


Cheers!
mouse

Copying, Copying, Copying

Dear Friends and Family,

Late last week I decided to back up my hard drive. And, since then it's been copying files onto my back up drive. Yes, it's been something close to a week. Hopefully it'll be done soon because that's when the real fun begins. We can swap out the drive on me hard drive that is getting full and reboot the drive and cross our fingers and hope.

Then, if all goes well and iPhoto opens without a problem, we can copy over all of the pictures we've been hoarding since late last week.

I've also decided not to nap with P. While I love napping with her, it makes it tough to sleep at night. Staying up would be great, except now that there's less work to do around the house, Mr. mouse just goes to sleep after putting P to bed. So, there's no real reward for staying up. Oh well, I think we're all looking for a routine. I guess I just wished part of my routine was spending more time with Mr. mouse. Still, I know myself well enough to know that nothing ticks me off more than staying up late at night waiting for someone else to maybe wake up. Okay, there's got to be things that tick me off more, but that easily makes the top ten.

Okay. Off to get ready for school and work. And, no nap for mouse tonight. I'm going to go to sleep after I read to P. And, if Mr. mouse decides to stay up after putting P to bed, I'll just take it as a sign he prefers to be up alone than with me.

I'll be so glad when I'm done with this hard drive thing.


Cheers!
mouse

Waste of Time

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday was a colossal waste of time. They decided to do some IT work over the weekend and re-mapped all of our share drives. So, no one had any access to their files. Lovely. So, I futzed about all morning, went to pick up P, came home and napped. Then, I was up until one o'clock in the morning working on stuff. Note to self, let's not do that again.

Today, I'm off to work. Then, I have time with P. And, dinner and drinks with a friend after work.

My focus this week is on getting P's lunch sorted out. She's been falling off her growth curve since starting school lunch. I had a meeting with the school nurse on Monday. I may have a follow-up appointment on Wednesday. I also have my doctor's appointment on Wednesday. And, I have a big presentation on Thursday.

Hmm... I like the paycheck, but I'm not 100% sure staying with old work was a great idea. Looks like someone is looking forward to the weekend.


Cheers!
mouse

10.07.13: Inflection Point

Dear Friends and Family,

Finally! A weekend on calm.

Saturday, P went to school. Yes, she went to school on Saturday. She just started an "enrichment" program that meets on Saturdays. The program is focused on language, math and science. P picked the science class for the fall semester. She loved it. It's sad to think we lose two and a half hours of quality Saturday time with her. But, if she's enjoying it, then I guess I am excited for her. It's just that it didn't hit me until this weekend that we were losing that Saturday morning time together.

Saturday afternoon we played at home painting a rocket ship. That's all we did and it was fabulous.

Sunday, P went to school while I went to church. Then, we went to the park since we hadn't been there for months. P had fun playing in the hammock. And, she conquered the next level of climbing on the net. She's growing so quickly.

After the park, we headed out to the burbs for lunch. P wanted to go to our favorite Korean restaurant, so with nothing on the agenda for the day, we drove out. P and I napped on the way home. And, once P woke up, we built the rocket ship. It's quickly become a house for P and me and toddler kid. A space age house where you can press a button and get food and clothes and medicine, but a house nonetheless.

It was a relaxing weekend. And, now, I'm somewhat gearing up for the week. Still lots to do. But, it's a more routine week. Today will be busy for work, both the day and the afternoon while P is napping. Tomorrow will be busy for work, but just the day. I will have time in the afternoon for me. Wednesday, I have a doctor's appointment during the day. And, I'll have time in the afternoon for me, I hope. Thursday, will be busy at work, but just the day. I will have time in the afternoon for me. Friday, I have the whole day blocked off. I've got about an hour of work. And, the rest of the day is mouse time.

Wow, it feels good to think there's so much time available for me. I think I've hit an inflection point.


Cheers!
mouse

Ahoy Thar, Pirate Princesses

Dear Friends and Family,

We got back from our potluck dinner to find P in a light-up Cinderella dress with her magic walk-on-water Cinderella shoes on. She also had on an eye patch and a batch of necklaces. She was hunting for treasure with her friend D. It was comical to say the least. I'm going to assume she had loads of fun on her play date.

Today, we switch gears. P has her first school trip, her first new school show and share, dance lessons, nap (hopefully), and then dinner with her cousin. And, as I look at my sheet, I realize the only reason I am sane is I have my sheet to guide me and reassure me. I've got almost everything written on that sheet - my calendars, my to dos, notes I need to transcribe, packages I am expecting, everything. Without it, I think I'd feel lost. Fortunately, I have it on my computer, so I'd only really lose the current week, but if that happened I'd probably walk around for a month with a niggling feeling that I might be forgetting something. My sheet is a happy little obsession.

Well, looking at my sheet, I'd better get started with my day. Deep breath, mouse. Go.


Cheers!
mouse

Yesterday and Today

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday, I blocked out my Wednesdays and Fridays on my work calendar. This should give me some amount of time to work on my new idea. That felt good.

Yesterday, I napped. That felt good.

Yesterday, I cleared off more of the kitchen counter. That felt good.

Today, I have work to do. Today, I have to pick up a present for my nephew who is visiting tomorrow. Today, I need to get P to nap early and then I need to drop her off at a friend's house for a play date. Today, I have my last "big" obligation for school kick-off.

Today, I still want to do a load of laundry. Today, I still want to empty out the dishwasher. Today, I still want to find 30 minutes to work on the house.

The little obsessions that make up my new routine are just that, obsessions. Still, it feels good to be making progress on the things that make me happy. A clean house makes me happy. Sleeping makes me happy. A shorter to do list makes me happy.

Yesterday, I was happy. Today, I hope to be able to do the things I need to do so that I can say the same thing tomorrow.


Cheers!
mouse

30 Minutes Well Spent

Dear Friends and Family,

I love, love, love the fact that P still naps. I would love the time with her if she didn't. But, I love the time without her since she does.

Yesterday, after she fell asleep, I set the timer for 30 minutes. I spent the time restoring order to those little islands of space that I have reconquered from the chaos that is my house. Fortunately, I was able to reconquer my tiny little islands of order in the 30 minutes. And, I was able to spend the rest of the time, after my 30 minutes were up, working on work.

Today, as long as I'm not too tired, I may try another 30 minutes. It's about enough time to really make progress, but not enough time to feel like you got nothing else done in the day. After 30 minutes, I move on, with little to no guilt, to my next task at hand.

I'm not sure what that task will be, but it feels good that I'm making progress on something besides old work. It also feels like we might be hitting a routine with P. We have a thing for school tonight, and then, after that, nothing looming on the horizon.

I also realized there is stuff at old work that just needs to be prioritized lower. Everything will not get done with me working 17.5 hours a week. And, that's okay.

Yeah! You deserve a pat on the back, mouse.


Cheers!
mouse

09.30.13: Last of the Action Packed Weekends, Hopefully

Dear Friends and Family,

After multiple death marches, I hope we're done with the action packed weekends. I hope we have time to spend at home without a to do list that fills a page.

This Saturday, we started with a haircut and a picnic while the house was being cleaned. Then, we went to the amusement park and dinner and the mall. Sunday, we went to church and a baseball game. We finally had time Sunday night to let P play at home and do some work with Mr. mouse. Her handwriting's gone to pot since she left old school. We haven't had time to practice. Time to make time for that, I guess.

This week is another bad week. But, once we get through Saturday, we have a full day of nothingness on Sunday. That's nice.

I also spoke with Mr. mouse on Saturday night. We agreed that my days need to be less hectic. So, I'm relegating house work to when P naps. During the day, I will focus on my old work, my new work, and me. At least that's the idea. So, we're going to give that a try this week.

And, nothing scheduled for next Sunday, right?


Cheers!
mouse

Glorious Friday

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Friday! I made it through the week with the atypical Wednesday and the out of routine Thursday. Now, I just need to make it through Friday and it'll be the weekend.

Yes, there's a lot of niggling to dos I need to cross off my list. But, right now, it seems doable. I will make it into the weekend in one piece. And, if I get through next week, I will be through the "big" weeks. I made a promise to myself that I would start work on my new idea October 7th.

I'm excited! Happy Friday!


Cheers!
mouse

When Mr. mouse Gets in on the Act

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday, a boat load of randomness found its way on to my to do list. I had a doctor's appointment which added follow-up on test results, schedule follow-up appointment, and get vitamin D pills for the winter to my list. Then, P told me she no longer wants to be an astronaut for Halloween. Now, she wants to be a paramedic which added paramedic costume to my list. I noticed I have a conflict with my November haircut and P's November class which added reschedule haircut to my list. And, last but not least, buy gift for my nephew who is visiting next week and schedule fall event got remembered which added them to my list.

Mostly, I'm pissed because I spent between 8 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon on bullshit tasks when I could have used the time on stuff I enjoy more. First, I went to a school event. The event itself was fine, but there was time before the event for socializing that I could have skipped without losing any sleep. Then, after the event I had just enough time to do nothing before going to my doctor's appointment. Lovely. But what really makes my blood boil is the hour I had to wait because my doctor is perpetually running behind. They really need to manage schedules better. Really.

So, I'm peeved about a waste of a day, in general, and the addition of more stuff to do is just rubbing salt in an already angry wound. My allergies are back. And, today I have ANOTHER school event. I cannot wait for October to come around and for all of this to hit a groove.

On a bright note, I did force myself to spend an hour on email last night so I'm not completely behind. And, I spent 30 minutes cleaning which felt good. And, Mr. mouse got in on the act and cleaned some more which is awesome.


Cheers!
mouse

It's Going to Be a Busy, Busy Day

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm re-reading the Hunger Games because I want to be ready for the next movie. And, the line from Effie, it's going to be a busy, busy day seems appropriate for today.

We have drop-off. We have a school event. I have a doctor's appointment. I have work. I have housework. I have to call about reunion hotel rooms. I have pick up. We have to get ready for tomorrow.

Phew! It's going to be a busy, busy day.


Cheers!
mouse

30 Minutes Here, 30 Minutes There

Dear Friends and Family,

I had some time yesterday afternoon when P was napping. So, I set up the tripod and snapped a picture of our entry way. It was a typical mouse pad disaster of stuff everywhere. And, I set the timer for ten minutes. And, I got to work. When the timer went off, I took a picture, reset the timer, and went back to work.

Thirty minutes later, the entry way was a mouse work of art. Lots of clean space for guests to put coats and bags, no shoes on the ground, and most importantly, no newspapers.

I think I'll try doing thirty more minutes today while P naps. There's no telling where this will lead.


Cheers!
mouse

09.24.13: Lovely Fall

Dear Friends and Family,

We had a most hectic weekend. But, it was nice to enjoy it with P and Mr. mouse and our friends.

Saturday, we had a quick trip to the salon, followed by a quick trip to the library, followed by a play date, followed by brunch, followed by an Apple Festival, followed by mail, followed by returns and exchanges at the mall, followed by shoe shopping at the mall, followed by shoe shopping at the outlet mall, followed by dinner. Are you exhausted yet?

The play date was fun. It was with another family from new school. They seemed completely normal. The kids had fun at the bounce house and the story time. The adults had a chance to chat. All in all, it was a successful first play date by my relatively non-picky standards.

The shopping was good. We got some much needed shoes for P. I just wish we didn't have to go to so many stores to get them all.

Sunday, we had church, followed by brunch, followed by zoo, followed by groceries, followed by play time, followed by dinner, followed by bath, followed by sleep. It wasn't as action packed as Saturday, but after Saturday it does feel like it was a non-stop weekend. P was tired at the zoo. It's a good thing we brought the wagon. I think we've got about one or two more years and then she'll be tired of zoo. Perhaps now is a better time for San Diego. We went when she was two and she was frightened witless of the animals.

It's a hectic week this week. Let's see if we can get through it without growing the to do list more. It's not two columns long. Happy Monday!


Cheers!
mouse

Just Not Happy

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday was a normal day. I worked. I did laundry. I loaded the dishwasher. I stared at my to do list. I went to pick up P. How is it possible that with 55% more free time, wait, it should be more when you knock out the commute, I feel like I have even less free time?

Well, today, I'm off to work. P has dance afterwards. Tomorrow, I take the car in for a 30,000 mile check and oil change. Hopefully at some point this begins to feel rewarding. Right now, there are moments where I feel like I've traded my old work and old money for more sleep for Mr. mouse. I'm not saying it's not fair, but I'm not saying it's fair either. I'm just saying.

I may just be in a funk. Yesterday, I felt angry at the world. Last night, it poured rain in response. Perhaps I'll feel better today.


Cheers!
mouse

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Wednesday. I'm finding a routine. It's not the routine I imagined. But, it's a routine.

I may need to revisit it see if it's meeting my needs. Speaking of which, what are my needs? After all, how do I know if it's meeting my needs if I don't even know what my needs are?!?!

So far, I've been focused on four things...

There's being a good mom which is now reduced to a couple of tasks I try to accomplish each day. I drop P off on time at school. I pick P up on time at school. I feed P a snack. I let P play for 5-10 minutes. I make P go potty. I put a pull-up on P. I read P a book. I let P nap until Mr. mouse gets home. So much for lots of Mommy-kid time. I suppose things will change once she starts skipping her nap.

There's being a good worker. This has been going fine. I need a better way to mesh my work calendar and my home calendar. I feel like, right now, things could overlap if I'm not careful. I suppose one way of doing it is to add any of my home commitments to my work calendar if they happen to occur before 2 o'clock. That will probably take care of surprises.

There's taking care of laundry and dishes. These were supposed to be my "small wins" to get my day started. And, they do get my day started. Still, my day goes so quickly. I had visions of a clean and orderly house. But, so far, the house is as much of a disaster as it was when I left work. I spent some time yesterday while P was napping organizing the house.

There's trying to tackle the to do list. This has been an epic battle and one that I am losing. But, perhaps this isn't a bad thing. I got through all of the super time-sensitive tasks I need to get through to get P through the first weeks of school. Now, it's flooded with nits and gnats associated with trying to ensure P has clothes and with making sure our weekends are planned out and other stuff. It may be time to take a break from the to do list and focus on something that will be more fulfilling.

Okay, assuming I've got the good mom thing and the good worker thing down, I suppose I've got a couple of options. I can work on my idea. I can work on the house. I can continue on the dratted to do list. I can work on me. All good options.

I think I'll work on me.

That's something to contemplate. Work on me. I'll need to give that some thought. I'd love to be back at my goal weight. Perhaps it's time to establish some habit routines around that.


Cheers!
mouse

And the To Do List Keeps Growing

Dear Friends and Family,

Sooner or later the to do list has to level out. I've already added 10 new things for this week. And, I've crossed off 2. This isn't an equation that is sustainable long term. I'm hoping this is a short term phenomena. That there's just a bunch of stuff I had been putting off and this is the results of opening the floodgates. I hope it is. Because, if it isn't, then I'm never going to be able to work through it all.

Let's see how this week goes and next week goes and see if this becomes more manageable.


Cheers!
mouse

09.16.13: Free Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

I walked into the weekend free and clear of chores and it felt great. The laundry was done. The dry cleaning was picked up. The birthday present was picked up. The library books were picked up. All the little things were done. We still needed groceries and a Target run, but it felt good to have all of the other stuff done.

We went out on Saturday to go apple picking. We picked a small farm this year. On the positives, we got to pick honey crisp apples, it wasn't crowded, and we didn't walk away with a car full of apple accessories (e.g. apple donuts, apple cider, apple bread, apple pie). On the negatives, we got eaten alive by some small bug, we had to dodge the bees, and there were no tractor rides. Still, we have a fridge full of apples and that's always a good thing.

On Sunday, we went to a birthday party. P had fun once she got used to the mob of kids and the noise. Then, we tried to go to a baseball game. It was delayed. We tailgated. It was delayed some more. We left. They ultimately played. We submitted our tickets for tickets next April. The seats won't be as good, but I guess that's better than no compensation. Mr. mouse will probably look for a game later on this season to give P a chance to go to batting practice and run the bases.

P and I had good naps on Sunday. And, we built a fabulous little set with our Lego. It started with a step pyramid that morphed into a pizza oven. It went from there to a food truck that morphed into a Google car that can drive 24 hours. We added a place for people to hang out in the rain and then bar seating for the pizza restaurant. Life didn't feel complete, so we built a zoo and a restaurant with a beach. A Daddy brought his two kids and their three pet giraffes. And, then the fun began of people buying tickets to pet the giraffes. P dressed up for a party they were going to have at the zoo. But, then, Mr. mouse insisted on selling tickets to the party and it turned into math night. It was still fun.

And, now, it's Monday. This week feels like it can be even better than last week. I'm going to see if I can take on more. I may try clearing the kitchen counter. I may. I may not. We'll see where this leads.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 4: Modules Falling in Place

Dear Friends and Family,

School's beginning to feel like it can become a routine.

1. Yesterday at drop-off, P went up to her classroom with her teacher instead of going up to her classroom with Mr. mouse. No tears.
2. Yesterday at pick-up, I left work in time to drive home and take the bus to pick up P. We went to dance together. She fell and bit her lip so it wasn't a pretty ending, but she still wants to go back next week which must mean she's enjoying it.
3. Mr. mouse figured out next Tuesday's thingamajig, so we no longer need to worry about next Tuesday morning's drop-off.

We're making progress.

Work's beginning to feel like it can become a routine.

1. I've decided to work 3 hours each on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 9-10, 11-noon, 1-2.
2. That leaves 8.5 hours for Tuesdays and Thursdays.

See, progress.

My time's beginning to take shape:

1. I have 10-11 and noon-1 free on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
2. I'm not going to spend a lot of time filling it yet. I'll use next week as a gauge on how to use that time.

Still, progress.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 3: Progress

Dear Friends and Family,

This week is definitely better than last week. Today, I don't have any giant to dos. I have to go to work. I have to come home. I have to go get P, which I think I will do via bus. I have to go to dance class. I have to come home and get P to nap. All within the scope of sane. I'd try driving straight to school, but there's road closures today that make it not seem worth driving to school.

This is how habits are formed - step by painful step until you don't think about it anymore.

Tomorrow looks sane. I have to dress P in her Friday clothes. I have a work call. I have to call P's old school. I have to load the dishwasher. I have to pick up the dry cleaning. If I have time, I'll get a manicure.

Oh, and I need to get gas today. One more thing to add to my habit loop.

I am mouse. I can do this.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: No tears at drop-off yesterday morning. Worst mom in the world, that's me, didn't have a camera on hand. I thought I did. I didn't. Nothing I do now will change that.

PPS: Tuesday morning is still an issue.

Day 2: Assessing

Dear Friends and Family,

Well. This week is better than last week. But, still not feeling a groove yet. I didn't have enough time at work yesterday so I took work home which I did while Mr. mouse gave P her bath. It feels like I don't have enough time in the day to manage 17.5 hours of part time work which just feels odd, truth be told. I used to manage more than double that less than a month ago. I'm hoping it's just the ramp up to school. If, by the end of September, I still don't have time for myself to do some of my own work, I think I will have to have a hard discussion with my manager about it all.

I'm also annoyed with myself. A colleague asked me to meet him for lunch and I agreed. I wish I had today to do stuff for me, not spend time helping out a friend from over a decade ago. Still, there's a piece of me that realizes maintaining a network and keeping a calendar of outside engagements does feed a part of my soul. So, I accepted. I just wish it wasn't this week.

And, Mr. mouse and I are in a state of denial about next Tuesday. He has an early morning meeting and I do too. Normally, Tuesday is his drop-off day. I feel like he doesn't understand why I can't do drop-off. I'm part-time. He's full-time. I feel like I need to re-establish myself and prove to work that part-time work isn't me punting at the drop of a pin. I also feel like I shouldn't have to "always" work my schedule to fit his. Again, like I said, we're both in a state of denial. And, obviously, next week will not be a normal week because we have a parent meeting Monday night, dinner with another friend afterwards, and this thingamajig on Tuesday morning.

What I wouldn't give for a normal week - a week with smooth drop-offs without a bunch of extraneous hiccups, so that I have some sense of comfort that what I signed up for is manageable. I guess I'm a little scared that what I signed up for isn't manageable. Fingers crossed.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: Yesterday, P tried on all of her dance gear and is now the proud owner of a leotard, tights, tap shoes and ballet shoes. And, I am the proud parent would managed Tuesday pick-up after work without a hiccup. See? Progress.

Day 1: Moderately Successful Day

Dear Friends and Family,

P had a tough drop-off on Monday morning. She cried and she cried. She told Mr. mouse she didn't want to go to school. She told me she wanted to stay at home with me. Then, she went to her teacher. And, within 15 minutes she found her happy face and enjoyed the rest of her day. P and I agreed to read a book on the bench in the morning before school. We also agreed that I would pick her up at dismissal - no extended day, at least not for now. Mr. mouse and I agreed to get P to school earlier so that she has a chance to acclimate to school before having to walk in. Let's see how the rest of this week goes.

I accomplished all sorts of little things.

I called my Dad and thanked him for the birthday card. He's convinced P should become a doctor. No, let's not see what she wants to become. No, let's not see what she may be good at. No, let's not see how professions evolve over the next 20 years. No, let's just prescribe medicine now, of course. Still, it was nice to call him.

I made dinner plans with a close friend who's in town next week on business. I packaged up a sweater for Mr. mouse to drop off in the mail. I did a load of laundry and I put it away. I loaded the dishwasher. I dialed into two calls for work. I caught up on emails. I read P two stories in the afternoon. We did sheets. We did puzzles. I downloaded the remaining pictures from P's daycare school - four videos left to go.

I didn't make any progress on my idea. And, that's okay for day 1 of my first "normal" week.


Cheers!
mouse

09.09.13: First Semi-Normal Week

Dear Friends and Family,

After a week that defies categorization, we decided to take it easy over the weekend.

Saturday morning, P and I took a picnic breakfast and a picnic blanket to the park. We ate our breakfasts, we watched a puppet show, and P rode the swing. We headed home when it started raining. We had fun.

We read books and played while the house was cleaned. We ate lunch. We slept in the car on the ride to P's play date.

P had fun playing with Q, a friend from daycare school, while Q's mom and I talked schooling. We stayed until the kids were run ragged and then loaded up the car for the ride home.

Sunday morning, we went to church. P got to go to weekend school which she missed terribly when it was closed over the summer. And, then, I napped during the afternoon while P got time with Mr. mouse. We spent the afternoon with friends and even made a new friend in our neighborhood. Yay!

Sunday night we had dinner at home and weighed P again. She has lost half a pound since starting school. It's concerning. We'll have to see how this week goes.

Today, I've got a couple of work meetings on the phone. I have a call with a school for gifted and talented children. And, I'm going to call my Dad to thank him for a super nice card he sent me.

Tomorrow's my big "new" day. But, for today, I'm going to enjoy today and hopefully feel like the world is a little more solid than it was last week.


Cheers!
mouse

Off to Work

Dear Friends and Family,

Last night I realized I was bitter. After much discussion and negotiation, I had agreed to work part-time. And, I thought it was a good idea. Except, this past week it's been the worst idea ever. I feel like I haven't been a good mom. I feel like I haven't been a good worker. And, I have done diddly squat on my idea. All in all, not a great week to be mouse.

So, today I'm headed into the office. So, at least I'll be a good worker even if I'm not a good mom or a good entrepreneur. And, next week, hopefully, will be a better week on all three fronts.

Honestly, it's been non-stop trying to just stay on top of school this week. I'm hoping next week truly finds a happier medium. If not, something will have to give. This morning it was ordering 2 leotards, 2 tights, and 15 pairs of dance shoes to try on next week because apparently we were expected to know to bring P in dance clothes for her class.

I should back track a little here. When last we spoke I was planning on leaving work. So, why am I headed into work? On my very last day, we decided to switch me from full-time to part-time work. I'd work between 15 and 20 hours a week, averaging out to 17.5 a week. I'd come into the office two times a week, usually on Tuesday and Thursday for about five to six hours and I'd work from home the other days for an hour or two checking emails and taking meetings by phone as needed.

This would give me the flexibility to pick P up from school every day. I'd still have time three days a week to work on my idea. And, for all of this, I'd get to keep 70% of my old pay check. It seemed like a great idea. Except, this week it hasn't been. With P out of school on three days and my computer working in fits and bursts, I haven't gotten much of anything done. So, today I'm going in to the office to get through the work and the IT issues.

Hopefully next week is better. Otherwise, I may have to resign a second time.


Cheers!
mouse

Resurfacing

Dear Friends and Family,

Where to begin?

Well, I'm begin with the easiest one. P. P's last day at school was Friday, August 23rd as planned. She had a good day. Mr. mouse and I went to pick her up. We got all of her things. We took lots of pictures. We gave lots of hugs. We walked out together.

We took a week off to go on a family vacation. Then, we had Monday off. P went to school for an hour with Mr. mouse and me on Tuesday for orientation. She spent the rest of Tuesday with me. She had a first full day of classes yesterday and spent the afternoon with me. She had today off. Then, she's back at school on Friday.

She had a meltdown last night about not getting enough time with Mr. mouse. I think she misses spending time with him. There's a lot of new stuff we're throwing at her. She's got new teachers, new classmates, a new building, a new food routine, a new schedule, and more time with Mom. It's a LOT to be throwing at a four-year-old.

I think, at a minimum, we'll need to give her 2-3 weeks of a regular schedule to see how she's doing. Which means the next checkpoint will be the end of September.

I won't lie, it's been a tough week. With Monday off, Tuesday for orientation, Wednesday full day, Thursday off, and Friday full day, there's no routine whatsoever to the week. On top of that, Mr. mouse has a work dinner tonight and I have Mom's night tomorrow night, and I'm probably going in to work tomorrow (more on that later) so there's really no routine whatsoever. We had a morning coffee yesterday, needed to stop by the school store for school shirts, and tomorrow's the first "wear the school colors" day for P. We had lots of discussions about P's milk (we're allowed to bring it after much wrangling). It feels like a week with no rhyme or reason.

What do I like about the new routine that'll be coming up? I won't miss traffic. I get to take the bus with P which involves a lot less thinking. I also get a mini walk in four times a day. I won't miss work (more on that later). I get a little piece of work (more on that later) and some time for myself. I'm excited for P. I hope she settles in and likes school. I'm excited to be able to spend more time with P. I'm excited that I'm starting with a blank slate and get to rewrite my life and my habit strategy. It feels like a new chapter.

What am I going to miss? I miss time in the car with P. I know, I don't miss traffic. But, I do miss the conversations we had in the car. I miss playing number squeeze challenge, singing, playing this animal, playing rhyming games, talking about people and why they do what they do, joking about chocolate chip cookie accidents, pointing out trains and cement mixers and construction and everything else we noticed on the roads, and everything else we did in the car to entertain ourselves on the way to school. P's a lot more quiet on the bus. Perhaps she'll start talking more on the bus and we'll get to enjoy that too. I miss the familiar. I miss seeing old friends at drop-off and pick-up at school. I miss my routines.

Well, today's a busy day. P and I get to finish a science experiment we started last night. And, then we may take a drive for old times sake. And, this afternoon she has dance.


Cheers!
mouse

1, I Think

Dear Friends and Family,

I've never had a busier second to last day. Fire drills in the morning. Snafus with the wireless not working. Lunch meetings. Conference calls with India in the early afternoon. Lunch at my desk during a meeting. More meetings. Squeezed in meetings. People waiting at my desk.

I thought 4 o'clock would never get here. But, it did, as it always does.

And, after packing up my bag, I headed out to drop off the car and go to happy hour. I had a fabulous time. Several moms showed up. More people than I expected from work showed up. It was good.

In a way, I hope the part-time offer falls through because today it feels right to be thinking about leaving. I still have a batch of things I need to do in the office, but it feels like thinking about leaving is the right thing to do.

I have a 9 o'clock with my boss. We'll see where this all lands.


Cheers!
mouse

2?

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Thursday and I still have real work to do. I need to complete a mid-year assessment for one of my associates and I need to complete a presentation that my boss will give on my behalf next week.

Then, I have my going away happy hour this afternoon.

The only thing is I am exhausted. A bad storm woke me up at one, and I didn't really go back to sleep until my alarm clock rang. Sigh.

And, I know I'll have to get closure within the next day or two on whether or not I will stay for part-time work.

Really? Can leaving be any more difficult?

My first job was gracious. My team took me out to lunch, gave me some wonderful presents and wished me well at school. I left on a high note. My second job was typical. My team took me out to lunch and wished me well. I left on a high note. My third job was a little frenetic. My team scheduled lunch. HR decided I needed to be "walked" because my next job was a "competitor." My team still took me out to lunch and wished me well. I left on a high note.

This job? My team took me out to lunch. Everyone is wishing me well. Somehow, they're really making it hard to leave. Truly, why am I not surprised? Why appreciate you when you're there? Let's wait until you quit and then fight you tooth and nail to make you stay. That makes so much sense. Right.


Cheers!
mouse

3, The Ultimate in Random

Dear Friends and Family,

I am somewhat seriously considering working part-time for work. They're coming back to me today with an offer. I'll see if I take them up on it. I thought it would be rude to not at least have the conversation with them about it.

I also thought of two more things that I should have brought up with my bosses' boss yesterday. I'm somewhat kicking myself over it today. But, I'll bring them up with my boss today. We'll take it from there.

Happy Wednesday!


Cheers!
mouse

4, Reality Beginning to Set In

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Tuesday morning of my last week at full time employment. It's a weird feeling. I've got a couple of meetings today - one with my business unit head, my official exit interview, and several with friends and colleagues. I've begun giving out hugs because it's possible I will not see people again while I am at work this week.

I'm going through the motions and reality is beginning to set in. Oddly, I don't think it'll feel real until I hand in my badge, get in my car, drive to pick up P, and come home. Sometime after that it'll feel real. Right now, it's all a little surreal. Keep in mind, when we were expecting P, it didn't feel real until the night when she was born and I was holding her in my arms, talking to her while the whole world slept. Yes, being nine months pregnant didn't feel real. So, it's hardly surprising that this doesn't feel completely real.

Either way, it's Tuesday and I have four days left at work.


Cheers!
mouse

08.19.13: 5

Dear Friends and Family,

You couldn't ask for a better weekend, minus one painful monkey wrench.

We enjoyed the wonderful weekend weather, taking P on a bike ride, enjoying dinner on the roof, and going to the beach.

The only hiccup in all of this was my ankle. I've decided that walking and daydreaming is just a bad combination for me. That's when I roll my ankle and this time I rolled it pretty bad. The giant scrape on my right knee only made it worse. And, walking to the beach afterwards didn't help. And, forgetting to take Advil didn't help. And, sleeping without a brace certainly didn't help. So, I'm in a world of hurt this morning.

Outside of that, the weekend was great. P had so much fun in the sand and in the water. I think I'll take her to play in the sand even when the weather cools down a little. I think she'll enjoy it. I hope she grows up loving the water. It was such an integral part of my childhood.

P was so solicitous yesterday. She asked repeatedly if I was okay. She offered to help me walk by holding my hand. She cried when I told her I couldn't walk to the car with her and Mr. mouse. She helped me clean my knee when we got home. She gave me lots of hugs and kisses. I'm glad she's so compassionate.

And, now, I enter my final week at work. Many, many days down, five to go.


Cheers!
mouse