Last Day of February

Dear Friends and Family,

It's February 28th. I'm hoping P has a good day at school today.

It's been a rough transition for her from her three year old room to this room. She's had multiple meltdowns. We're not sure if it's the transition from her old room, if it's travel stress, if it's that they haven't been going out, if it's the bad dreams she says she's having, if it's constipation, if it's hypersensitivity, or if it's something else we haven't thought of. The list is apparently endless.

Tuesday, she apparently had a perfect day. Yesterday, she had a good day outside of the meltdown she had with me. We'll see what today brings.

Next week begins the countdown to school notifications.


Cheers!
mouse

Crashing Towards March

Dear Friends and Family,

Taxes. Still not done. House still a disaster. I'm beginning to feel discombobulated.

And, on top of that, we've had weather which adds the stress of traffic to the mix. And, on top of that, Mr. mouse has been busy at work which adds the stress of a less involved parent/spouse to the mix.

Taxes, due on Friday. Taxes, due on Friday. Two more days to finish my taxes. Ugh.


Cheers!
mouse

Wanting Time Off

Dear Friends and Family,

I wish I could have some time off.

I want to sleep. I want to spend some time exercising. I want to have time to cook. I want to organize the house. I want to do my taxes.

On Sunday, we went to church. I'm not sure what the homily meant for a lot of people, but for me, I took away a question I need to ask myself.

What are my priorities?

And, nowhere in my current list is my current work. In a top 3, it wouldn't make the cut. In a top 5, I still don't think it'd make the cut. In a top 10, it may be in there somewhere only because I don't think I have 10 things I'm actively working against.

That should speak volumes.

Yet, I continue to work. I'm committed to working through September (at a minimum) to save a little more for retirement. If P gets into school, I want to take time off and focus on my idea. If P doesn't get into school, I'm not sure what I'll do.

I may keep my job until we figure out what to do about her school. If it involves buying another house to move to a good school district, I may keep my job until we figure that out since applying for a mortgage is easier with two incomes. I'm also thinking about my idea. I want to keep my job until it's break even in case I need funds from work for my idea.

It's all so complicated. I think, in the end, I need some time off. But, I also recognize spending a little more time plugging away at work isn't a bad idea. I'm not quite ready to leave yet. I don't think. Perhaps I'm wrong.

Off to get ready for work.


Cheers!
mouse

02.25.13: Quiet Weekend, Finally

Dear Friends and Family,

We had a birthday party on Saturday, and I had a meeting with an accountant. We had church on Sunday, and I had a couple of hours dedicated to taxes. But, overall, it was still a quiet weekend.

We had time to go to the park and make a snowman. We played color tag to make P get some exercise. We pumped it up at pump it up.

We ate breakfast and dinner at home both days. And, P got to nap in her bed both days. It felt good.

This week promises to be a hectic week. It's the last big push for school and it's driven by the deadline to submit for financial aid. We need to be done with taxes by March 1 to submit our returns to the schools. This is all complicated by the fact that I need to submit my forms for my new business. I was in existence in 2012 even if I didn't have income. So, I need to fill out all of the forms. First on the list is even figuring out what all of the forms are. Sigh.

Which reminds me, I need to go update my sheet so I'm working off of a good sheet for the week.


Cheers!
mouse

Friday, Break from Travel Blog

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm taking a break from the travel review because Mr. mouse hasn't uploaded most of the pictures yet that I need to write. So, I'll finish next week, probably on Wednesday.

Instead, today, I'm looking around the house and I realize nothing happens here on the weeknights. Our house is in the same state of semi-unpacked-ness that it was in on Sunday night when we got home. I think I'll spend a few minutes now trying to make progress before heading to work.

Sigh.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 6: Travel Day

Dear Friends and Family,

Day 6 was a travel day.

We had two options, we could leave Cairo late Wednesday night, fly to Amman late Wednesday night, land in Amman early Thursday morning, rent a car, check into an airport and crash. Or we could wake up in the middle of the night Wednesday night, get to the airport by the crack of dawn, and fly to Amman early Thursday morning. Frankly neither option sounded too appealing. We picked the first option and I'm glad we did. Sleeping in is nice.

What We Did

We woke up around 10 AM. We packed what little we had unpacked. We checked out of our hotel room. We did a little shopping for souvenirs at the hotel. We ate lunch at the hotel. We left for Petra.

The drive to Petra is a three hour drive from Amman to Petra. It's an easy drive on a well marked road. Totally doable by rental car. Our biggest debate was where P should sit since for some reason we could not get a car seat for her. Ultimately, we decided to put her in her own seat, behind one of the front seats, with just the lap belt on. I wanted to hold her belted, but Mr. mouse convinced me that in a crash, I would end up crushing her against the belt with my body which I could see happening and that didn't feel like the right thing to do.

We got to Petra late afternoon. We checked into the hotel. We discussed Petra at night. And, on a whim, we bought tickets. We ate a quick dinner and we headed out.


Petra at night. They light the Siq (the way to the Treasury) with candles in little paper bags. They light the Treasury with a bunch of candles in little paper bags. It's about a mile walk in either direction. P wanted to ride in the sling so it took us about 20 minutes to walk to the Treasury in the dark. P fell asleep on the walk. I guess she had skipped her nap.


Once we were at the Treasury, the had us sit in rows and offered us mint tea. We listened to two musical presentations and then we took a bunch of pictures. P woke up during the pictures so we got to take some with her. We walked out. We went back to the hotel and opted for a slightly later start the next morning to offset the unplanned activities that evening.

What We Ate

We went easy on P.

We had sandwiches for lunch. We had chips in the car. We had pizza for dinner.

What I Learned

Sometimes it's nice having a day off while travelling. We could have tried to squeeze in a site or two on the drive down. But, it was nice sleeping in. P and I had fun playing in the car. A low key day isn't necessarily a waste of time.

Petra at Night would be amazing with a full moon. We didn't plan our trip around a full moon, but I could see it being an even more amazing walk with a full moon. I love full moons and nightscapes.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 5: Cairo

Dear Friends and Family,

Cairo, our second stop in Egypt, gave us a lot to think about. Two weeks before our trip, cars were being torched, hotel lobbies were being looted, and the presidential palace was being stormed. Mr. mouse was watching twitter and instagram and the news to see how the situation on the ground was evolving. One week before the trip, it seemed more quiet. And, while we were there, it was manageable. Plus, we were in Giza to see the pyramids which is like being in Disney World. It's its own bubble of a world focused on tourism.

What We Did


We stayed at a hotel with a view of the pyramids. We could see their outline when we checked in at night. But, there's no describing that first moment in the morning when you open your eyes and look and see the pyramids. Originally, I wanted to do the pyramids in chronological order. Our guide recommended doing Giza first and I'm glad we did. By staying at a hotel close to the pyramids, we beat the rush of tour buses that crowd Giza. And, we also got to enjoy the cool breeze the morning air provides.

Great Pyramid of Khufu

Sphinx and Pyramid of Khafre

Pyramid of Menkaure


After Giza, we headed to Saqqara to see the step pyramid of Djoser. It was the first pyramid built. It was undergoing restoration, as you can see in the photo. I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the restoration. I think they're going a little too far towards fixing. A little bit of crumble is nicer, at least for me, than seeing smooth concrete. Still, as the first pyramid, I'm glad we got to see it.


Technically, we saw the Red Pyramid first and the Bent Pyramid second, but I wanted to show the Bent Pyramid first. You can't actually get up close because it's not open to the public, but you can get close enough for pictures. It's the next evolution from the Step Pyramid to a smooth side pyramid. You can see the adjustment that needed to be made on the angle and you can still see a lot of the original smooth limestone facing.


This was the highlight of my day. The Red Pyramid is the first pyramid built with the classic proportions of the pyramids we all think of when we think of pyramids. It's the third largest of the pyramids. You can go inside. And, we had the whole thing to ourselves. Not another soul in sight if you don't count our driver, our tour guide, and the lonely guy collecting tickets. Unbelievable. Magic.

What We Ate

We went easy on P.

We got room service for breakfast. We got room service for lunch when we got back from our day tour. We went down to the hotel restaurant for dinner.

What I Learned

It really helps to have a guide in Giza if you're pressed for time. Our guide didn't spend a lot of time talking about the sites. But, she did take us unerringly to every perfect photo venue so that I would enjoy the view while Mr. mouse clicked away to capture the moment.

Dahshur should be on every pyramid lover's list. It's a long drive away. But, it's beautiful. And, for now, you'll have the whole place to yourself.


Cheers!
mouse

Days 3 and 4: Luxor

Dear Friends and Family,

Luxor, our first stop in Egypt, was originally only a tentative on the trip itinerary. A colleague at work made it seem like such a chaotic and dangerous place I was a little scared to go and to bring P. It turned out to be an amazing place with a very laid back vibe. I think I saw the most and learned the most while in Luxor. I'm glad we spent two days here.

What We Did


First stop was the Valley of the Kings, a must see in every guide book. Armed with a list of tombs in order of build with little plus and minus signs next to the names of pharaohs based on state of their tomb, we approached the ticket office to see which tombs were open for the day. Our ticket got us entry to three tombs. We picked Merneptah, Ramsses III and Ramsses IV. All three tombs were amazing in the level of detail you can see. Just thinking that the tombs are over two thousand years old and that you're still allowed to walk in them and marvel at the carving and the color made me realize how fortunate we are.

Sarcophagus of Pharaoh Merenptah

Tomb of Ramesses III

Tomb of Ramesses IV


Next on our itinerary, Temple of Hatshepsut. Temples are nice because there's daylight and you can bring your camera. But, because it's exposed, most of the colors are faded or washed away. It's still amazing to walk through the temple and see the carvings.

We made a quick stop afterwards for some souvenirs and lunch. Then, we headed out for our afternoon adventures.


Next on our itinerary, Tombs of the Nobles. Not as highly rated by the guidebooks, we opted to see the Tombs of the Nobles instead of the Valley of the Queens. And, are we glad we did. The tombs are in excellent shape. You have the place to yourself. And, you get to see a different style of tomb. Instead of religious carvings, the tombs are painted with scenes of everyday life in Ancient Egypt.

Tomb of Rekhmire

Tomb of Sennefer


Also not as highly rated in the guide books, Medinet Habu was our last stop for the first day. I can't imagine what the other temples must look life because this one took my breath away. Yes, the text was repetitive, talking repeatedly about the wars Ramesses III won. But, still, the state of preservation made it the best temple on my list.


Day 2 in Luxor started with the Temple of Karnak. Another must see Luxor site, you can't take in the full scope of the detail in one trip. Recognizing that, and recognizing our time limitations, we saw enough of the temple to get the general idea down, but this is a place I could explore for a week and still discover new things.


After Karnak, we went to another classic East Bank site, the Luxor Museum. Any piece in this museum, in any other museum would be behind glass with a long queue of people waiting to see it. Here, you almost have the place to yourself. It feels almost criminal.


To finish off, we went to the Temple of Luxor. Just the right end to a perfect two days in Luxor. It left us enough time to go back to our hotel, relax on the balcony, and finish packing our bags before heading to the airport.

What We Ate

We went easy on P.

Day 0. When we arrived, we went down to the hotel restaurant and ordered pasta for P. Mr. mouse and I shared a plate of Middle Eastern dips followed by a plate of fish and chips.

Day 1. We ate breakfast at the hotel. We had chicken with eggplant and rice for lunch. We ate dinner at the hotel. I don't remember what.

Day 2. We ate breakfast at the hotel. P had pizza for lunch. We ate pizza at the airport. We had pasta and another plate of Middle Eastern dips for dinner in Cairo.

What I Learned

Egyptians are truly generous. Our guide kept us stocked with water and snacks. Outside of restaurants, we didn't have to buy water on our entire trip. We had water left over when we were done.

It's completely safe to visit the tourist sites. There's the usual swarm of people trying to sell you postcards and trinkets, but nothing like what I encountered in India.

A guide really helps. They know where to buy tickets, who to give the tickets to, and they keep ad hoc guide offers at bay. They also explain things I would have missed if I was looking on my own.

The Egyptians love P. Several asked if they could take pictures of her. They were constantly petting her and trying to get her attention. They also all assumed she was a boy.

$4.50 gets you pictures inside of a tomb. Sad, but true, it's still a country that is developing infrastructure around how to preserve it's unique history.

And, last, but definitely not least, I learned that human beings are capable of amazing things. The scale of the ruins, the beauty of the artwork, the fact that it's all lasted this long, it made me realize what we can do when we set our hearts and minds to any task.


Cheers!
mouse

P.S. all of the indoor pictures were borrowed from wikipedia

Days 1, 2, and 9: The Big Travel Days

Dear Friends and Family,

If you haven't guessed yet, we've been travelling for a week now. We went to Egypt and Jordan to see the sites. I'll get to those parts of my trip throughout the week this week, but, today, I'll talk about our travel days.

What We Did

On the way out, we flew from home to Frankfurt. We had a long layover in Frankfurt. It was just enough time to shop for some clothes for P, some muesli for Mr. mouse, and for some groceries for the trip. We continued on to Cairo in Egypt. And, from there to Luxor which was the first stop on our trip.

P was great on the flights. She colored. She read. She played a memory game. She ate. She slept. We couldn't ask for anything more.

On the way back, we flew from Amman to Frankfurt. We originally had a tight connection to our flight home. But, due to a flight delay in Amman, we missed our connection. Fortunately, we were able to get a flight a couple of hours later. It was just enough time to check in, get our boarding passes, eat a snack, and head to our gate.

P was great on the flights. She colored. She waited patiently for her dessert. She ate her gummy bears. She napped.

What We Ate

Nothing of note. It was standard airplane food while we were travelling.

What I Learned

The Germans love P. They showered her smiles and the flight attendants gave her all sorts of toys on the flights.

No scissors on international flights. Not even kid scissors.

The Egyptians are a generous people. They couldn't stand the sight of P's tears and let us take the scissors through security. We checked the scissors on the way back to avoid the issue altogether.

On the way back, because we missed our connection, we got three seats that we needed to barter to get seats together. Mr. mouse had an aisle nowhere near P and me. The German man in the aisle seat across from P switched with Mr. mouse, no hassle, no questions asked. No fuss. No muss. This is why I love Germans.

The woman who had the seat next to P is a totally different story. I had the window in front of P. I asked her to switch seats with me and she didn't want to. She wanted the aisle next to an unaccompanied minor rather than the window next to a sleeping adult. I was tempted to let her have the seat next to P for nine and a half hours. Instead, I offered up Mr. mouse's aisle seat and we had the window with the window and aisle behind instead.

Seriously? She didn't get up at all during the flight, so I don't know why the aisle seat was so critical. I wonder what she would have done with P if I took my originally assigned seat since she refused to switch with me. I learned I want to be like the German man. No fuss. No muss.


Cheers!
mouse

Round 3: Week 0 Progress

Dear Friends and Family,

I got back my lab results and my doctor reduced my thyroid medicine again to half a pill a day for six weeks. To keep things simple, I took 21 pills and cut them in half all at once.

I'm feeling fine. I'm a little cold at night and I get tired earlier than I would if my thyroid levels were higher. I'm beginning to lose the weight I put on when my medication took me from hyper to hypo. My symptoms are at bay.

Am I glad I went on the medication? At the moment, yes. Do I wish I never had a recurrence in the first place? Of course, obviously. I guess I'll take it from here. Take my medicine and see where I am in six weeks. What choice do I have?

On a separate note, I dropped off the mugs yesterday and no one died. Our house is a little less cluttered for it although you technically can't tell since the mugs were stored in a cabinet over the stove behind closed doors. Still, technically a little less cluttered for it. I guess it was the right thing to do.


Cheers!
mouse

52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad (Round 2) Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's a new year. And, I'm beginning another round of my clutter diet. The goal? I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. It's a purposeful decision to remove something that has found a home in our home. I'm evicting unwanted tenants.

There's different questions different people use to gauge what should stay and what should go. There's do I still love it, does it serve a purpose, when did I last use it, etc. My guiding light question will be knowing what I know today, would I buy this today?

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. I'm writing about clutter because sometimes it's easier to focus on a small thing than to try and process a storm going on around you. And, I am truly getting rid of something so I have the slight endorphin rush from progress against clutter. This one is almost comical. I have 12 Disney coffee mugs I bought in 1994 so almost twenty years ago. Actually, I bought close to two dozen mugs, but donated a batch some years ago and kept only my favorites. The colors are them are really nice. The feel of them is really nice. I haven't used one ever. They're still new in box. I found a friend of a friend who has a car with a vanity plate of Disney Lover. I am going to give the last 12 mugs to her. I am still sad to have these mugs leave the house. I don't use them. They sit above my stove in the cabinet. They need to go. Would I buy them today? Possibly, if I came across them somewhere. The problem is, I don't think I'd come across them anywhere today. So, I guess I couldn't or rather I wouldn't buy them today. Be strong, mouse, let them go.
2. The next two are almost trivial. I almost feel guilty counting them. Yesterday, I went into a bin of light bulbs we had and I found a plant bulb from the pile of random bulbs that sit in our garage. I brought it into work and gave it to my friend who now uses it to light up the plant I gave her. (see below, second from bottom)
3. I brought a bag of P's swim diapers to school. We've been most excellent about managing diaper inventory and diaper transitions to not have spare diapers, but swim diapers are a different story. On numerous occasions, we bought a pack of 12 to use one at the hotel pool and brought 11 home. Since P doesn't need swim diapers anymore and since we forgot to bring them to my sister who does, I brought them into school and gave them to the two year old room, for those times they might need them.
4. Apparently Mr. mouse got motivated. Out went a cable modem box, an old telephone, two routers, and "some other stuff."
5. It comes out of the woodwork. Clutter. I decided to donate a unitasker. I have a sandwich maker. It makes sandwiches. You butter the outside, you put something yummy and meltable on the inside. You wait the requisite amount of time and voila! Golden brown and delicious on the outside, hot and gooey on the inside. Except, a pan and our bacon press does the same thing. And, I don't eat many sandwiches with cheese. And, the sandwich maker makes is a little too brown on the outside. Still, it's childhood memories headed to Goodwill.
6. More clutter coming out of the woodwork. I peeked inside a cabinet we never use. I know that all of the stuff in it needs to eventually make its way out of the mouse pad. For today, three plastic cups with a baseball logo on one side and a supermarket logo on the other are going to Goodwill. We'll never use these cups. I didn't even know we had them until I looked into the cabinet.
7. And, at the last minute, I decided to add the bagel slicer to the things headed to Goodwill. If the bagel is that hard, I'm not sure I want to be eating it. Why do I suddenly feel two rounds of 52 won't be enough?
8. Erin, at work, LOVES the aqua globes she got from me as a white elephant gift. I have one more box of three in the basement. I think I'll bring them in today for her. I hope that's all of the aqua globes we have in the house. I'm beginning to think Mr. mouse has hoarder tendencies. I hope he never spirals out of control.
9. Two winter coats, both gifts from Mr. mouse's folks to me for the holidays, I wore one coat until it died on me and I'll never wear the other one unless my life depended on it.
10. The other two baby gates, Mr. mouse brought three over for my sister (see below). These two didn't make the cut. They're loaded in my car so we can take them to Goodwill this weekend.
11. baby gear: three baby gates
12. books: five or more kid books
13. toys: two noise makers
14. toys: Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders
15. toys: elephant pull toy
16. toys: peg puzzle with farm animals
17. toys: two bags of blocks
18. useful, just not for us: house plant
19. useful, just not for us: exercise ball

The tally from 2012?

1. junk: 15
2. useful, just not for us: 14
3. toys: 11
4. baby gear: 7
5. odds and ends: 3
6. books: 2

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


Cheers!
mouse

And, How It All Played Out

Dear Friends and Family,

I was giving this a lot more thought on my drive into work. And, in the end, it all played out the way I thought it would.

My project it too high profile to kill without a lot of discussion. I think my former boss thought on Monday night that killing it was the path of least resistance. Or my new boss misinterpreted my former boss. I'm not sure which. Honestly.

BTW, my new boss works for my former boss so this is all tangled up.

Anyway, two of my close business partners have an almost direct dial line to the CEO. And, when we told the first, he looked numb and panicky and threatened/promised (depending upon your point of view) to call the CEO. I scheduled my second meeting for the afternoon to see how the first one meeting played out.

As promised, he wrote the CEO. And, by lunch my former boss' boss called me into his office to tell me I'm not to cancel my project. I called my former boss to confirm that he was on the same page. And, he said, do not cancel your project. I checked with my new boss, and he said the same thing.

So, I cancelled my afternoon meeting since I didn't need it. We went through a lot of u-turns, and we landed essentially where we started. My project is back on. And, I have confirmation my business partners value the work I do.

I can't say the drama was fun. I feel a lot more cynical now than I did two days ago. I'm looking forward to my week off next week.


Cheers!
mouse

Little Lightbulb Moments: Free, at Last

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday, they cancelled my program.

The two people who were supposed to champion it got together and cancelled it. I'm being re-purposed to a new project. Lovely. I'm going to miss working with the people I worked with over the last year. But, I'm not as sad as I thought I'd be.

I had a talk with my former boss (the one I had for about a month after my old boss left) about a month ago. I told him I didn't hold any of the past changes against him. I told him I enjoyed my project. I told him with a raise, I would be motivated to stay another year. He was thrilled to hear that and assigned me to a new boss (just this past week) who apparently must have begun pouring poison into his ear about my project because now it's cancelled and my new boss had a wonderful new resource freed up to work on his other projects.

Why am I not as sad as I thought I'd be?

Well, it shows me the nature of my new boss.

And, it shows me how willing my former boss (the one I had for about a month after my old boss left) is to inject volatility back into my life (since apparently I told him I didn't hold old abuse against him) which means he wasn't all that sorry for the past changes. He was just saying so, so I feel like it shows me the nature of my former boss.

I'm not working on my project which is sad. We're killing it. I'll miss the teams I work with. I'll be leaving my business partners in a lurch. I'll miss driving the results we had been driving. This makes me sad.

I may or may not get the raise I've been promised.

So, why am I not as sad as I thought I'd be?

I'm free to leave. Before, if they got me the raise, I was committed to a year at work. Now, since the reneged on part of the bargain, I'm free to leave, raise or no raise.

I'm in the process of signing up my first customers and in the process of hiring my first employee. It all seems so fragile right now, but I guess all businesses start somewhere.

Next week, I'm going to take some time off to think. And, the week after I'm going to plow through school stuff. And, we begin getting notices in early March for P's school. And, in all this, I'm free to leave.

Perhaps I'm ready to jump into the pool. I hope the water's nice.


Cheers!
mouse

52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad (Round 2) Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's a new year. And, I'm beginning another round of my clutter diet. The goal? I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. It's a purposeful decision to remove something that has found a home in our home. I'm evicting unwanted tenants.

There's different questions different people use to gauge what should stay and what should go. There's do I still love it, does it serve a purpose, when did I last use it, etc. My guiding light question will be knowing what I know today, would I buy this today?

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. The next two are almost trivial. I almost feel guilty counting them. Yesterday, I went into a bin of light bulbs we had and I found a plant bulb from the pile of random bulbs that sit in our garage. I brought it into work and gave it to my friend who now uses it to light up the plant I gave her. (see below, second from bottom)
2. I brought a bag of P's swim diapers to school. We've been most excellent about managing diaper inventory and diaper transitions to not have spare diapers, but swim diapers are a different story. On numerous occasions, we bought a pack of 12 to use one at the hotel pool and brought 11 home. Since P doesn't need swim diapers anymore and since we forgot to bring them to my sister who does, I brought them into school and gave them to the two year old room, for those times they might need them.
3. Apparently Mr. mouse got motivated. Out went a cable modem box, an old telephone, two routers, and "some other stuff."
4. It comes out of the woodwork. Clutter. I decided to donate a unitasker. I have a sandwich maker. It makes sandwiches. You butter the outside, you put something yummy and meltable on the inside. You wait the requisite amount of time and voila! Golden brown and delicious on the outside, hot and gooey on the inside. Except, a pan and our bacon press does the same thing. And, I don't eat many sandwiches with cheese. And, the sandwich maker makes is a little too brown on the outside. Still, it's childhood memories headed to Goodwill.
5. More clutter coming out of the woodwork. I peeked inside a cabinet we never use. I know that all of the stuff in it needs to eventually make its way out of the mouse pad. For today, three plastic cups with a baseball logo on one side and a supermarket logo on the other are going to Goodwill. We'll never use these cups. I didn't even know we had them until I looked into the cabinet.
6. And, at the last minute, I decided to add the bagel slicer to the things headed to Goodwill. If the bagel is that hard, I'm not sure I want to be eating it. Why do I suddenly feel two rounds of 52 won't be enough?
7. Erin, at work, LOVES the aqua globes she got from me as a white elephant gift. I have one more box of three in the basement. I think I'll bring them in today for her. I hope that's all of the aqua globes we have in the house. I'm beginning to think Mr. mouse has hoarder tendencies. I hope he never spirals out of control.
8. Two winter coats, both gifts from Mr. mouse's folks to me for the holidays, I wore one coat until it died on me and I'll never wear the other one unless my life depended on it.
9. The other two baby gates, Mr. mouse brought three over for my sister (see below). These two didn't make the cut. They're loaded in my car so we can take them to Goodwill this weekend.
10. Mr. mouse is going on a business trip that brings him within a short drive of my sister so we're doing another scrub of the basement for stuff that P is done with. The biggest and bulkiest would be the five baby gates that my sister needs that P is done with. We took the last ones down late last year so I'll be glad when they're out of the house. Three made it on the flight. Five was too bulky.
11. books: five or more kid books
12. toys: two noise makers
13. toys: Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders
14. toys: elephant pull toy
15. toys: peg puzzle with farm animals
16. toys: two bags of blocks
17. useful, just not for us: house plant
18. useful, just not for us: exercise ball

The tally from 2012?

1. junk: 15
2. useful, just not for us: 14
3. toys: 11
4. baby gear: 7
5. odds and ends: 3
6. books: 2

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


Cheers!
mouse

02.04.13: Overwhelmed

Dear Friends and Family,

P's not sick anymore. We had another play date on Friday. P and I got our haircut on Saturday.

Work is still overwhelming. My new boss is so different from my old one, I'm beginning to realize it's going to take awhile for us to settle into a groove. Mr. mouse needs a haircut.

We worked through a MOUNTAIN of tasks this weekend, taking a short break on Saturday to go sledding and on Sunday to go to dim sum. Yet, we have a mountain of tasks ahead of us.

We have another play group on Tuesday.

I have more lab work on Tuesday and a follow-up discussion on what that means for my thyroid. I think I'm on even keel now, so my expectation is that I'll stay on my current dosage. But, we'll see. I might be completely off my rocker and not even realize it.

We have taxes due on Friday (for financial aid) - taxes which include taxes for my idea which will be a first, taxes for which we haven't received all of the requisite forms yet. Lovely.

And, last, but not least, we planning a trip. There's lots of research and I'm not sure if we'll still end up going. It depends upon the situation on the ground. Mr. mouse knows I have reservations. We'll see how the week goes.

Oh. And, it's snowing which means we'll have a lovely two hour commute this morning.

Happy Monday.


Cheers!
mouse

52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad (Round 2) Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's a new year. And, I'm beginning another round of my clutter diet. The goal? I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. It's a purposeful decision to remove something that has found a home in our home. I'm evicting unwanted tenants.

There's different questions different people use to gauge what should stay and what should go. There's do I still love it, does it serve a purpose, when did I last use it, etc. My guiding light question will be knowing what I know today, would I buy this today?

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. Apparently Mr. mouse got motivated. Out went a cable modem box, an old telephone, two routers, and "some other stuff."
2. It comes out of the woodwork. Clutter. I decided to donate a unitasker. I have a sandwich maker. It makes sandwiches. You butter the outside, you put something yummy and meltable on the inside. You wait the requisite amount of time and voila! Golden brown and delicious on the outside, hot and gooey on the inside. Except, a pan and our bacon press does the same thing. And, I don't eat many sandwiches with cheese. And, the sandwich maker makes is a little too brown on the outside. Still, it's childhood memories headed to Goodwill.
3. More clutter coming out of the woodwork. I peeked inside a cabinet we never use. I know that all of the stuff in it needs to eventually make its way out of the mouse pad. For today, three plastic cups with a baseball logo on one side and a supermarket logo on the other are going to Goodwill. We'll never use these cups. I didn't even know we had them until I looked into the cabinet.
4. And, at the last minute, I decided to add the bagel slicer to the things headed to Goodwill. If the bagel is that hard, I'm not sure I want to be eating it. Why do I suddenly feel two rounds of 52 won't be enough?
5. Erin, at work, LOVES the aqua globes she got from me as a white elephant gift. I have one more box of three in the basement. I think I'll bring them in today for her. I hope that's all of the aqua globes we have in the house. I'm beginning to think Mr. mouse has hoarder tendencies. I hope he never spirals out of control.
6. Two winter coats, both gifts from Mr. mouse's folks to me for the holidays, I wore one coat until it died on me and I'll never wear the other one unless my life depended on it.
7. The other two baby gates, Mr. mouse brought three over for my sister (see below). These two didn't make the cut. They're loaded in my car so we can take them to Goodwill this weekend.
8. Mr. mouse is going on a business trip that brings him within a short drive of my sister so we're doing another scrub of the basement for stuff that P is done with. The biggest and bulkiest would be the five baby gates that my sister needs that P is done with. We took the last ones down late last year so I'll be glad when they're out of the house. Three made it on the flight. Five was too bulky.
9. There's five books that P never really took a liking too. Two have licensed characters. Two we got as gifts, but P had moved beyond those books before we got them. And, one, kinda got lost in the basement. Apparently Mr. mouse took down more than five books. No definite number, just more than five.
10. There's three noise makers. P got them for her first Christmas. He took down two.
11. toys: Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders
12. toys: elephant pull toy
13. toys: peg puzzle with farm animals
14. toys: two bags of blocks
15. useful, just not for us: house plant
16. useful, just not for us: exercise ball

The tally from 2012?

1. junk: 15
2. useful, just not for us: 14
3. toys: 11
4. baby gear: 7
5. odds and ends: 3
6. books: 2

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


Cheers!
mouse

52 Things Will Leave the Mouse Pad (Round 2) Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's a new year. And, I'm beginning another round of my clutter diet. The goal? I am going to try and have 52 things meaningfully leave the mouse pad this year. It's a purposeful decision to remove something that has found a home in our home. I'm evicting unwanted tenants.

There's different questions different people use to gauge what should stay and what should go. There's do I still love it, does it serve a purpose, when did I last use it, etc. My guiding light question will be knowing what I know today, would I buy this today?

The List (most recent departures listed first):

1. Erin, at work, LOVES the aqua globes she got from me as a white elephant gift. I have one more box of three in the basement. I think I'll bring them in today for her. I hope that's all of the aqua globes we have in the house. I'm beginning to think Mr. mouse has hoarder tendencies. I hope he never spirals out of control.
2. The other two baby gates, Mr. mouse brought three over for my sister (see below). These two didn't make the cut. They're loaded in my car so we can take them to Goodwill this weekend.
3. Two winter coats, both gifts from Mr. mouse's folks to me for the holidays, I wore one coat until it died on me and I'll never wear the other one unless my life depended on it.
4. Mr. mouse is going on a business trip that brings him within a short drive of my sister so we're doing another scrub of the basement for stuff that P is done with. The biggest and bulkiest would be the five baby gates that my sister needs that P is done with. We took the last ones down late last year so I'll be glad when they're out of the house. Three made it on the flight. Five was too bulky.
5. There's five books that P never really took a liking too. Two have licensed characters. Two we got as gifts, but P had moved beyond those books before we got them. And, one, kinda got lost in the basement. Apparently Mr. mouse took down more than five books. No definite number, just more than five.
6. There's three noise makers. P got them for her first Christmas. He took down two.
7. There's Mr. Potato Head. My friend at work got it for P. It was a life saver on our first trip with it when I had P with me in a middle seat. We played with it for hours. She's since outgrown it. Apparently she hasn't outgrown Mr. Potato Head. She was very sad to hear about it and pointed out that Mr. mouse had seen her playing with it last night. So, Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders went down instead.
8. There's a pull toy elephant that my best friend gave us. The one time P got attached to it was when we put it out during her second birthday party and Little Miss I Haven't Learned to Share Yet lost it and started crying about the elephant. The elephant went.
9. There's a peg puzzle with farm animals. P liked it, but she's outgrown it. The puzzle went.
10. Last, but not least, there's a bag of blocks. I think P might at some point develop a greater interest in blocks. But, I'm hoping the five bags of blocks we have will be plenty to build to her heart's desire. One more box of blocks went for a total of two sets of blocks. So, ultimately, some changes in what went, but I'll keep the tally the same.
11. useful, just not for us: house plant
12. useful, just not for us: exercise ball

The tally from 2012?

1. junk: 15
2. useful, just not for us: 14
3. toys: 11
4. baby gear: 7
5. odds and ends: 3
6. books: 2

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


Cheers!
mouse