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

6...

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday, my boss asked if I would be willing to come back part time after next Friday. And, to be honest, I'm not sure.

In a way, it's the perfect blend of work and non-work. I can do four hours a day and be home before P finishes school. I know moms who would kill for that arrangement - work twenty hours a week at a nice hourly rate, be done with work by the time their kids are done with school, focus on home for the afternoon.

And, that's why I'm not disregarding it out of hand.

But, at the same time, I know if I did that, I'd be postponing work on my idea. And, I really do want to work on my idea. I realize that someone else's ideal isn't my ideal. I just want to make sure I don't regret it if I do decide to pass on the part-time opportunity.

Either way, it's Friday and I don't owe anyone a decision until Monday. Happy Friday.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: P proclaimed yesterday that if she does decide to become a mommy, she wants Mr. mouse to be the daddy. I told her he would be too old by then and then we moved on to another topic. Mr. mouse assures me this is normal - that the other likely candidates would be Prince Eric and Jim Darling. I guess it is normal.

7?

Dear Friends and Family,

I had a great discussion with my former boss yesterday. He was very supportive of my decision. It felt really good to close the loop with him and get his advice on my idea. Then, my boss approached me about staying longer. I told him I needed to sleep on it.

We also had a play date yesterday. We met more parents. I'm feeling more comfortable now with the school decision we came to. A lot of the parents seem like perfectly nice people. I'll miss the parents from P's current school, but I'm not feeling as anxious anymore.

So, it's back to work today for another day.

On the home front, Mr. mouse and I have been at odds with each other the last few days. We had it out Sunday night because he was being an @$$ and criticizing everything for no real reason. And, we just had it out this morning. I'm not sure what the issue is. I feel like he's not being a supportive husband. No, it's not that. He is being a supportive husband. He's just being bossy now. This morning I felt the need to remind him that I not going to not say something just because I think it'll make him angry. If it needs to be said, it needs to be said, and if he's going to get angry about it, we'll all deal with the consequences, but I'm not going to not say it just because I think it'll make him angry.

Lovely.


Cheers!
mouse

8?

Dear Friends and Family,

Eight days left of work and today is a half day. P has her last play date with her new school this afternoon so I'll be picking her up early.

On the docket for today? I need to call her new school about lactose free milk and adding a mailing address to our account. I need to also do some trip planning for a trip we have coming up this fall. I need to work with a manager on my team to move meetings off of my calendar and onto hers in case she needs to make changes after I'm gone.

And, that's it for today. It's going quickly.


Cheers!
mouse

9

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday, I gave notice. My boss and I spoke for nearly two hours after I gave notice. I'll miss him.

It feels good to be out in the open. It feels good to be going down a path I am excited about. It feels good to be moving on.

It also feels a little surreal, truth be told.

The funniest thing happened in the afternoon. A friend, Alex, stopped by. He wanted to make sure he caught me before I left. It touched my heart. My friend, Pete, was genuinely happy for me. My girlfriends were a little sad, but happy for me.

It all went better than I thought it would.

And, now, I should begin letting people know. I cleared my desk yesterday. Today, I'll write my 1:1 letters. I'll write my more formal letter the day I leave.

The next two weeks will go quickly.


Cheers!
mouse

08.12.13: 10

Dear Friends and Family,

P had lots of parent time this weekend. We spent Saturday morning together walking the neighborhood doing errands. P had the afternoon with Mr. mouse while I napped. We went to a birthday party together where P saw a working farm. Our kid is no longer deathly afraid of animals. We played school together.

Sunday, we went to church together. We went to look at ships together. We went to the park together. We painted together. We played school together.

I so enjoyed the baby years. And, the toddler years were fun. Now, I'm glad to enjoy the little kid years.

Last night, I cleared out my computer and my phone. I printed out my letter, signed it, and put it in an envelope. Today, I tell my boss. I tell my employees. And, on the way home, I tell P.

We're entering into a new phase together and I'm super excited.


Cheers!
mouse

11, I Define Me

Dear Friends and Family,

Oops. I forgot to hit the publish button yesterday. Sorry.

My day off yesterday was wonderful. I picked up a birthday gift for a friend. I picked up parking stickers. I ate dinner with P. And, I slept.

And, this morning, I had a chance to read the article instead of skimming it like I did yesterday. And, I'm feeling better.

Here's why I think I'm different. And, I know, everyone thinks they're unique. But, here's my thoughts.

1. My work doesn't define me. P does not define me. Mr. mouse does not define me.
   
   I define me.
   
   This is something I learned when I was in my early thirties at my last work. My self-worth and my self-confidence can't be defined my anyone but me. And, I alone define it.
2. The women in the article speak about shifting and sliding relationships with their spouse. I think it's different for Mr. mouse and me. We had 14 years together before P was born. Fourteen years during which we learned a lot about each other and dealt with our share of rough patches. I'm hopeful that those years make a difference. We're not a couple that met in our late-twenties/early-thirties dated for a couple of years, got married, had kids, and opted out. We're a couple that met while he was in business school, dated while I was in business school, got married, enjoyed a decade of marriage, had P, enjoyed four more years of being a family of three, and are now thinking about our next chapter in life.
3. Which brings me to my third observation. P is older than the infants defined in the article. She's four and starting full-time school. I'm not going to have some jarring moment when I transition from a full-time mom to a part-time mom with a kid in school. I don't think I'm a full-time mom.

I think I'm me. I'm retiring from work as I know it. I don't want a full-time job in a middle management position in a large corporation. After 15 years I'm done with that. I'm ready to retire. But, retirement for me never meant turning off my brain and golfing for the rest of my life. It just meant more flexibility to work on my own terms - perhaps something part time, or entrepreneurial, or something consulting based. It meant shifting in and out of work as I saw interesting things vs. getting up every morning for the rest of my life to continue doing more of what I'm doing now.

I'll still spend time with P. I want to. She's important. She's cool. She needs me. I love her. But, she doesn't define me. I'm looking forward to spending time with P, but I'm not retiring to be a full-time mom.

The house. A lot of the women seem to have a love/hate relationship with the house. I'm looking forward to housework. I benefit from a clean house more than Mr. mouse or P. I can't wait to go through the house and let me obsessive-compulsive side get a little obsessive-compulsive. And, no, I don't plan on doing the cleaning. We'll still keep our help for that, at least for now.

And, me. I'm very eager to spend some time on me. I want to get my health back. And, I'm excited about that.

So, after thinking and sleeping and rereading, I'm convinced I'm different. I hope I'm right.


Cheers!
mouse

12, Bonus Day

Dear Friends and Family,

Bonus day!

My boss is on vacation and I have one day vacation left that I know I won't be able to use once I give notice, so I'm taking today off. I slept in. I read my news. I'm writing my blog. Once I drop P off at school, I'll have some time to just relax and get my head on straight.

The only sour note is just as I'm getting ready to leave the work force, there's an article in the NY Times about "the opt out generation" and how they "want back in." Could any article have been more poorly timed? Am I going to regret my move ten years from now? I hope not. Ten years from now I'll be in my fifties. It'll be a little late for regrets at that point. Or, ten years from now, will I think this was the smartest decision ever?

It's funny. You do a bunch of soul searching. You talk to friends. You talk to your spouse. You do more soul searching. You come to a decision. Then, you let some generic article take you back to square one.

Nice, mouse. Nice.

I need to convince myself that I'm on the right path and that I'm doing the right thing. Or, just plow on ahead for the next 12 days regardless of the path and see where it leads me. I'm not going to not quit on Monday. I'm just perplexed now if I'm making the right decision.


Cheers!
mouse

13

Dear Friends and Family,

I had a most wonderful evening last night. Mr. mouse took me to the ballgame to see my favorite team play. The weather was perfect. P made it through the evening. And, although my favorite team lost, it was an exciting game which is all you can ever ask for. I even almost saw my favorite player play.

Days like yesterday make being tired the next morning worth it.

I need to get through more errands today. I need to drop off the last of the teacher gifts. And, we need to pick up mail. Hopefully the back pack I ordered for P is the right size for her for school this fall. That, and we're expecting another Egypt book because my mom goobered the one we brought home to show her. I swear, my family can be so careless with things. I know material things are only things and it's not worth getting upset over. But, they're notoriously careless and so they end up wasting money constantly replacing things. Thankfully, we seem to be able to take care of things in the mouse pad.

And, today is Hump Day. If I can make it through today the week will seem that much shorter tomorrow.


Cheers!
mouse

08.06.13: Welcome to 2013

Dear Friends and Family,

We spent the weekend with our neighbors. There was much food and time to catch up. And, as always, it's a little sad to see them go. I felt like I really had a chance to talk to them this time, even if things were so busy with stuff to do. We had a chance to talk college and careers and personality types and that's not something we get to do often.

Then, Monday came and it was time to drop off presents at school. One thing I've learned is P is shy even with her old teachers. Another thing I learned is she really doesn't like little kids. I had to talk to her about her manners, we had a lot of not responsiveness when her old teachers asked her questions and a lot of fidgeting when the younger kids started crying. I guess I should try to remember she's only four. She said she'd be better about it when we go to say bye in three weeks. We'll see.

And, Monday night, I got a little gift from Mr. mouse and me. I got a new iPhone to replace my feature phone. I needed a new phone because, in three weeks, I need to turn in my work phone. Yes, it's the one thing I wanted to buy for this transition. Now, I'm off to counting again.

14 days.


Cheers!
mouse

22, Definitely 22, Probably 22, What is 22?

Dear Friends and Family,

I had one of those days yesterday. My boss has been confiding in me more. He's getting me more resources. He's engaged in my work. He cares.

In short, he's being a good boss.

And, unfortunately, despite all the goodness flowing my way, I think the right answer is to still leave work. I think.

I just wish he wasn't going on vacation next week so I could quit already. Whoever thought it'd be this difficult to leave work?

Well, there's another person who's been on vacation for the past week and half. I'm sure once he's back I'll be more eager to leave. In fact, someone mentioned he's back today.


Cheers!
mouse

Not 1

Dear Friends and Family,

Today promises to be a busy day. And, tomorrow I'll go into work. And, I guess I will wait until my boss gets back before I quit. This is so complicated with him going on vacation next week.

I guess it's just another regular Thursday in the office. I hope my ear and head get better. At some point in the day yesterday a stabbing pain started on the right side of my head. I don't think it bodes well.


Cheers!
mouse

Not 2

Dear Friends and Family,

And just when I thought I was in my final countdown mode, I found out my boss is on vacation all next week. This gives me three options:

1. quit before he leaves: This is an unattractive option because I'm not ready (e.g. I haven't cleared my phone and computer yet) and it'll put a damper on his vacation, not much of a damper, but a damper nonetheless.
2. quit while he is gone: I'm sure the first thing that my boss' boss would do is email my boss on vacation and let him know. He'll wonder why I couldn't do this before he left for vacation or after he came back from vacation. I also like my boss more than my boss' boss so I'd rather have the conversation with him. He's earned that.
3. quit after he comes back: This seems like the least unattractive option of the three. It does mean I'll only have two weeks of transition and it does mean I'll have to put in my best faith effort at working next week. And it does mean I need to rejigger my to do list a little. And I'm not sure if I'll take this Friday off after all, but I guess this is the path I'm headed down.

I'm not sure it's the best option. Come back from a week at Jamaica. Have your employee quit on you. But, what's option B? Not much better, truth be told.


Cheers!
mouse

3

Dear Friends and Family,

Three.

Three.

Three!!!

Three.

That's 1, 2, 3. Three.

Three more days to the week. Then, I have Friday off. And, hopefully, I am giving my notice on Monday next week.

Yesterday was a stupid day. I got into a battle of wills with a business partner over the stupidest of things. It was like high school. But, I stood my ground. In hindsight, if I was staying, I would have probably written her boss and told him that we hadn't finalized the decision yet so badgering me wasn't going to help any. But, I didn't.

Know why? Because I have three days left.


Cheers!
mouse

07.29.13: Frenetic, but Happy Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

Not a weekend I would have planned for in any way, shape, or form, but in addition to having our neighbors over from the winter cabin, we flew home for my cousin's wedding and saw Book of Mormon. Oh, and this week counts down the second to last week before I give notice. See? Not a weekend I would have planned for in any way, shape, or form.

The wedding itself was fun. The food at the cocktail hour was better than the food at the dinner. The highlights were how happy my uncle and aunt were that we could make it, learning that one of my favorite cousins has moved back to the states, catching up with my brother, watching P dance, and taking photos in the photo booth with P.

I think she wants more photo booth pictures so Mr. mouse and I are trying to figure out how to manage that one... Unfortunately, we didn't get one of the strips that P and I took, but I'm going to focus on the positive with the one we did get. I think the guy manning the booth didn't realize we did two of them. Sigh.

Then, we came home and Mr. mouse took P to the park while I went to see Book of Mormon with my neighbors. It was so funny, I laughed until I cried. We came home and I had a chance to catch up with the Mom and Daughter while Mr. mouse went out for wine, steaks and baguette with the Dad.

It was a little brisk, but we enjoyed time on the roof. And, that, my friends, is a perfect way to finish off a happy weekend.


Cheers!
mouse

5

Dear Friends and Family,

I got through my meetings yesterday and outside of that my day was quite dull.

I realized something, my days are quite dull when my old boss is on vacation. Let's call him Joe, when Joe is out, life is easier. Unfortunately, I think Joe is back next week.

This morning I have two meetings. I think I'll leave after those meetings. After all, Joe is back next week. Is that bad?


Cheers!
mouse

6

Dear Friends and Family,

It's getting harder and harder to fill my days at the office. Since I'm not taking on new work and I'm not really thinking ahead to what should be worked on, my days are slowly emptying. It's the most boring feeling ever.

Fortunately, my day today is chock-a-block full. Then, tomorrow, I may go in for a meeting and then enjoy the rest of the day out in the sun. Is that bad? I may, I may not. I may, instead, go shopping for a new phone. I need a new phone.

We'll see how motivated I feel tomorrow. Until then, I'll attend my meetings and not try to complain too much.


Cheers!
mouse

7

Dear Friends and Family,

Work is getting dull. I'm not kicking off a lot of new work because I'm loathe to start something that can't be finished. And, the stuff on my plate is eminently manageable. So, I find myself with a lot of free time on my hands. I'm sure I'm due for a fire drill that occupies all of my day and let's work pile up around me. Still, until then, I'll enjoy myself and read more on-line.

I updated my to do list and found that it's a mess of stuff that needs to happen in the next four weeks. Nothing like having stuff to do to galvanize a mouse into action. Lots of stuff for P's current school, P's new school, and for me to quit.

Seven days left. That's not a lot of days.


Cheers!
mouse

8

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm tired of waiting. Are you tired of waiting?

One day down, another eight to go. This is worse than waiting for The Prince of Cambridge's birth. Because, royal babies don't change my day-to-day life, leaving work for the first time without something solid and specific lined up does. At least, with this, it's finite, we know what the end game looks like.

Eight days to go and then I can give my notice. In the mean time, there's so many little things I can focus on - like getting a new cell phone since I use my work phone for nearly everything, and finishing up our will since I thought we were angling to do that before I left work, and clearing out my computer. And, then there's stuff for leaving school - like presents and downloading photos. And, then there's stuff for new school like our meeting this afternoon.

Perhaps I should focus on all of that instead of focusing on merely watching the days go by. Because there's nothing quite like watching paint dry to drive a mouse to distraction.


Cheers!
mouse

07.22.13: Howdy Y'all

Dear Friends and Family,

We had a busy, busy weekend with friends in town from Wisconsin. Our old neighbor and his girlfriend came in for the weekend and we had a ton of fun.

Friday night we gorged on Cuban food. Saturday, we went for dim sum and then went to the museum to see a couple of exhibits they were interested in. P fell asleep at the museum, but she had fun while she was awake.

We spent Saturday evening on the deck eating ice cream and pizza and enjoying the wonderful weather. We came in when the ominous clouds came in. And, we spent the rest of the evening playing with P. When P fell a sleep, we played spades, girls vs. boys until we were all ready to pass out.

Sunday, I went to church. Then, P and I went to the park to play in the sprinklers while Mr. mouse went on a bike ride with our friends. The afternoon was a bit of a mish-mosh because we were all a little tired. Mr. mouse made magic fried rice. Our friends went for a walk. P and I took naps.

Then, they had to leave. And, we had the evening to eat dinner and wind down the weekend.

And, now it's Monday and I have nine more days at work before I give notice. Nine. That's right. Nine.


Cheers!
mouse

Two More Weeks

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Friday! And, I'm tired.

It will be nice when it's the weekend. As in, it'll be nice when I'm done with work today. Then, I'll have two weeks left before I give notice. Honestly, I'm getting a little tired of the charade. I'll be happy once I can have the discussion with my boss and begin to really wind down.

Last night, another one of my analysts left work. He's headed to the Bay area to join a technology company. I managed him when he was just out of school. And, now he's 25 and infinitely more mature than when I had him. It's nice to see progress. I'm proud of him and I'll miss him.

I'm beginning to keep a list of people I need to include on my farewell email. Such is life. Happy Friday!


Cheers!
mouse

Play Date II

Dear Friends and Family,

We had our second play date with P's new class yesterday. P had a lot of fun running around the playground. Other parents told us how cute she is, although I'm assuming that's something they say about a lot of girls. We had a chance to spend more time talking to the other parents. And, all in all, it got us one step closer to week 1 of school in September.

It'll be here before we know it. That'll be good.


Cheers!
mouse

Now What?

Dear Friends and Family,

We got back P's test results from her psycho-educational report. The evaluator had nothing but positive things to say about her. Not to brag, but here are some quotes:

• exceptionally bright young lady with a myriad of talents and abilities
• happy, gentle personality
• lengthy attention span despite her young age
• conscientious and persistent in her problem-solving efforts
• in school, P would be considered an exceptionally quick thinker
• P demonstrates exceptional cognitive abilities
• she would benefit from an educational program appropriate for highly gifted children
• consider offering P grade advancement for all or part of the day especially in reading

Now, we can order new books for P. We can glow about the report for two or three days. And then we can go back to enjoying our wonderful four-year-old who still loves to play peekaboo with Daddy.


Cheers!
mouse

07.16.13: Home Again

Dear Friends and Family,

We had a fabulous weekend visiting with our Motor City friends. We drove out Saturday afternoon and got to Ann Arbor in time to play in the playground before going out to dinner.

Sunday, Mr. mouse took P down to the hotel pool. Then, we went to see a Tigers game. It was a scorcher. We didn't even make it one full inning in our seats. Fortunately, we caved before everyone else did and found a table and three chairs in the air conditioned lounge and watched the game from there. In one sense it was sad to be at the ball park watching a game on television, but in another sense, we enjoyed ourselves more, which, I guess, is ultimately what matters.

Sunday night we saw our friends, Auntie Lisa and her family. P had so much fun coloring her rocket ship. And, we had fun catching up with the grown-ups. P's begun playing by herself more. It's nice she's showing her independence, but I hope she doesn't leave Mr. mouse and me altogether. I still like playing with her. I'm not ready for her to grow up yet.

Monday, we had our dentist visit. Mr. mouse got a chipped tooth fixed. I apparently had a cracked tooth that the dentist fixed. And, P went through her exam with flying colors.

We spent the afternoon with our friends D and D. D played Legos with P building a fire truck filled with fire fighters while D, the other D, and I spent the afternoon talking. We drove home through some miserable rain, but got home the same time flights would have.

And, now it's Tuesday and I have three more weeks until I give notice. And, this week is a short week to boot. Hooray!


Cheers!
mouse

Another Friday, Another Week

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Friday. That means I'm closing out another week at work.

This was a slow week. But, it was a good week. We spent yesterday afternoon laying out plans for the fall. I won't be there to execute any of it, but I feel like I've given the teams the tools to think about it and I've given the teams enough of my vision that they can execute it without me. And, that's a good thing.

I also gave notification at P's school. Her last day is officially August 23rd. It's becoming real.

I'll miss work. But, at the same time, I'm excited about retiring from the work I've known for the past two decades and moving on to my next chapter of life where I have more flexible work and time for myself.


Cheers!
mouse

Losing Our Bliss

Dear Friends and Family,

We've decided to get P tested. I'm not sure the number matters to me. But, there are programs we want to enroll her in that require testing and passing. Unlike crazy parents, we are not preparing for the test. Honestly, it's a chance to know where your kid is at. Why would I want fake results?

This Saturday we peg a number on our kid. I'm still not sure the number matters to me. But, there is a piece of me that is curious.

If she's 100, what does that mean? If she's 120, what does that mean? If she's 140, what does that mean? If she's 160, what does that mean? Do we do anything different in any of these scenarios? I'm not sure and that's why I'm not sure the number matters to me.

Saturday at 10, we go in for testing. If ignorance is bliss, we'll be a little less blissful after we find out whatever there is to know.


Cheers!
mouse

I'm All Alone

Dear Friends and Family,

Last night, during bath, P had a very sad moment. It started with water in her mouth and then went to something about her knee and then went to someone hitting her at school and then went to the root cause of her sadness, she misses her teacher who left in June and her best friend who also left in June. She says she is all alone. Most of the kids have paired up and she is bereft without her pair.

It really broke my heart to hear her. I was a lonely kid at school. From 4th to 6th grade, I had one close friend at school. I would have been crushed if she moved. And 7th and 8th grade, when my parents moved me, I had two close friends. I'm still friends with them, mostly through Facebook. Again, I would have been crushed if either of them moved.

So, I feel really bad for P. I'm going to talk to her this morning and also call the teachers this afternoon. I want P to end her four years at school on a high note, not remember her school for the place she was lonely.


Cheers!
mouse

Four Weeks and Counting and Sometimes Conflicted

Dear Friends and Family,

There are days I enjoy work. Like yesterday. Yesterday was a good day.

And, after days like that, I am a little sad to be thinking about leaving at the end of summer. And, the money always feels nice. At the same time, I am excited about the prospect of taking time off, of focusing on my health and cleaning the house, of working on my idea.

Why am I never happy? I guess I am happy. It will be hard to leave, but it will be good to leave. I will miss the comfort of work. I will miss the security of a pay check. I will miss the routine of work. I will miss my friends. It will be hard to leave, but it will be good to leave.

I should enjoy the remaining time. And, in the process, I'm sure I'll encounter some bad days that will remind me that not every day is a good day like yesterday.


Cheers!
mouse

07.08.13: Staycation 2013

Dear Friends and Family,

In the end, we decided to stay at home for the four day weekend. And, I had so much fun, I'm glad we did.

Thursday, we decided to take P to the carnival. There's something about it. Maybe it's growing up near the beach and the broad walk as a kid and remembering going to the ride the rides. Maybe it's high school trips with friends. Maybe it's childhood trips with my grandfather. I like going. And, I'm glad P likes going.

We bought an all you can ride bracelet for $50 that was good for four days. P rode close to 50 rides between our trip on Thursday and our return visit on Saturday, if not more, so it was well worth the initial outlay. We finished with a family ride on the carousel. P also won a mini rocket launcher and a yellow dolphin.

Friday, P rode her scooter and went to the park with Mr. mouse. Apparently she went splashing in the fountains and came home dripping wet. She's so much fun.

In the afternoon, we went to another festival. This one was to watch the hot air balloons, which did not launch. The balloon glow was fun and the fireworks couldn't have been closer. The funniest part of it all? We decided to get a wagon to haul the lawn chairs. And, in the process, we learned that P is something of a wagon connoisseur asking about shade covers and other features before we bought the wagon. She was giddy riding in it on the way back to the car, offering to hold the picnic blanket on her lap to do her part in carrying stuff. Moments like these are what make it worth it to have a kid.

Saturday night, after the carnival, we went to a birthday party for one of P's friends. She had a blast going down the slide and riding the paddle boats. She's a natural with the boats. We had fun catching up with other parents and eating fried chicken. Yum.

Sunday, we weren't firing on all cylinders on Sunday. We skipped church. We went to the wrong restaurant for the race. When we went to the right restaurant, we were late so we didn't get to eat. And, then we headed out to the ball game. Fortunately, things seemed to be going better. We enjoyed a good game and P made it home awake.

We had some hiccups Sunday night in discussing our wills and stuff. But, I refuse to let that mar what would have been a perfect end to a wonderful weekend with Mr. mouse and P.

In fact, I'll skip ahead to going to bed. We found a mountain of stuffed animals on the bed when we went upstairs to our room. Apparently P had hidden them all there to keep them safe from ghosts. That explains the empty bins in her room. Too funny.


Cheers!
mouse

Staycation 2013?

Dear Friends and Family,

After laming out for Memorial Day, I griped about staying home for 4th of July. But, honestly, there's so much going on here, I'm tempted to lame out and stay home for the long weekend. If we can round out a few more activities, I think I could be tempted to stay home.

I just don't want to sleep the four day weekend away.


Cheers!
mouse

P and Her Rocks

Dear Friends and Family,

Want to hear about classic over thinking?

P picks up lots of rocks at school and gives them to Mr. mouse and me as presents. She says the most endearing things when she gives them to us. "Mommy, this is a special present just for you because I love you so much," would be a typical phrase that accompanies a small rock from her playground.

If it's the thought that counts, each rock is worth more than winning the lottery. It's a token of love from my one and only daughter.

Or, it may that P is play acting just like she is play acting when she pretends to be an astronaut or a firefighter.

Or, it may be that P doesn't have any other gifts she can give. She doesn't have money to buy gifts. Is stealing rocks from the playground acceptable? Or does that just lead to stealing in general? Is it really stealing if she knows that the majority of rocks go in a plastic bag and go back to school once we have too many of them at home?

See? Over thinking.

I will save some of the rocks with the quotes that accompanied them. I will assume that the sentiment is sometimes real and sometimes play acting. I will return most of the rocks to school so the children will have more rocks to gift next summer. I will assume this does not lead to stealing in general. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, I will continue to savor each gift as if I won the lottery, because in a sense I did.

I have a small window of time to enjoy a very precious love - at some point P will not be as generous with her hugs and kisses and gifts. I'm glad she still is, for now.


Cheers!
mouse

07.01.13: Happy Second Half the Year, Everyone

Dear Friends and Family,

In true mouse fashion, I slept a good piece of Saturday. I hope this doesn't mean my thyroid is still hypothyroid. Because if it is, that might mean a lifetime of medication which will make me a little sad.

We went to a friend's birthday party Saturday night. And, that was Saturday.

Sunday, we went to church. Then, to see the race. And, then, we had a plethora of options. We gave P the option of going to a festival to learn about butter and cheese. We gave her the option of going to a carnival to ride more rides. And, we gave her the option of going to the zoo.

She picked the zoo. Unfortunately, zoo #1 was packed with people coming to see some entertainers. So we went to zoo #2. Zoo #2 is smaller, but it was worth it to skip the mobs of kids.

We went for a long walk after the zoo and ate dinner along the way. When we asked P what the highlight of her day was, she said it was riding the zoo train. Mr. mouse's was finding a good parking spot. Mine was seeing my favorite driver in second place, although I later learned he finished fifth. Or, maybe mine was waking from nap to see sand and a blue lake. I finally decided mine was hearing P's voice at the bottom of the stairs when she woke up and came downstairs.

Life is good.


Cheers!
mouse