06.01.15: First Days of Summer Vacation

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Monday and it's the first "real" day of summer vacation. After many ups and downs we ended May on a high note. We found buyers for some tickets we had. We had some good news come in the last couple of days budget-wise. And, our retirement review was also positive. So, after a month where it felt like nothing was going to break our way, in the end, things worked out okay.

Thursday afternoon, P had a doctor's appointment for her six year check up. I almost made us late, but I took a couple of moments to take some pictures outside of school. And, I'm glad I did because Friday pickup couldn't have been more chaotic. Instead of staggering dismissals, all of the grades dismiss together for the last day of school. On top of that, everyone is trying to capture the last day of school. And, to make matters worse, the skies opened up 10 minutes before dismissal and it was pouring buckets for 30 minutes. Like I said, I'm glad I took pictures on Thursday.

Saturday, we had pancakes for breakfast. Then, we took P to a dance workshop. To say she loved it would be an understatement. She came out positively glowing. I love that she has passions. I love that she enjoys her activities. I love that she's willing to try something new even if it takes a little extra coaxing at the door.

After P's workshop, we came home and ate lunch. One of P's best friends, we'll call her CHG, came over in the afternoon for a play date. The girls danced upstairs while the dads deejay-ed and the moms caught up. We love spending time with them, they're an easy family to love.

Sunday, I punted on brunch with the boys and went to mass instead to hear our new Archbishop speak. He gave a great homily on family and remembering we're all sent into this world for a reason and it's part of our job as family to help each member do whatever it is that member was sent to do.

I know Catholics don't believe in reincarnation, but I do. I believe we've all got a purpose in life. That purpose might be so that our soul can learn a new lesson on its journey to nirvana. Or that purpose might be so that we can help another soul learn a new lesson on their journey to nirvana. Yesterday's homily really rang true for me.

We spent the rest of Sunday getting new sneakers for P and a new toaster oven for our kitchen. We finished off the day by going to the park. It was freezing cold, but it gave P a chance to run around. Now, it's Monday. I'm hoping it warms up a little bit. If not, we'll figure it out.


Cheers!
mouse

Last Day of Kindergarten

Dear P,

It's Friday. Today's the last day of school before summer vacation. It seems like kindergarten only started yesterday, the year truly did fly by.

I'm so proud of you. You've matured so much the past year. You have a great group of friends. You're able to figure out how to make compromises so that everyone gets to have a say in your play scenarios. You are able to articulate what makes you happy, what makes you sad, and what you find annoying. It's precious listening to you. You sound so much older than six years old. And, it's especially darling because you are about the size of a typical four year old.

I'm also very proud of how far you've come academically. You've picked up so much Spanish and math and reading. You've nearly memorized the Almanac your friend, Gabe, gave you and you're able to make connections to facts you've read in the book with conversations you have with us and with your friends. You're comfortable with time and money and numbers into the thousands. Your favorite books right now are the Who Is/Who Was series of biographies. We currently have Maria Tallchief, Marco Polo, Leonardo da Vinci, Abraham Lincoln, Gold Rush, and Louis Armstrong on loan from the library and Laura Ingalls Wilder on hold. See? It's fun feeding your thirst for knowledge.

It's been a good year for me as well. Last year, I was still transitioning from old work to new work. This year, I feel comfortable with the amount of time I got to spend at school and with you. I feel healed from the scars of old work. And, I'm excited about another summer with my slightly older kid. It's also been a good year because I've finally begun wrangling my way back to wellness. I want to be a good role model for you. And, I've been wrangling our house back to sanity. I don't want you to feel like you live in a pig sty.

I feel like my little kid isn't such a little kid anymore. I think from now until middle school, you're my big kid - my big kid who loves dance and swim and math and reading. Then, you'll be a tweenager before I know it. I guess it's time to say good-bye to my little kid years and hello to my big kid years. I'm sure I'll enjoy them as much as I have the first six.


Love,
your mommy

Lunch Walks Among Us

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday's popsicle party was a huge success. Many popsicles were eaten, many bubbles were blown, many chalk drawings were drawn, and three bird were rescued by the park professionals.

At the party, we were talking with a couple of parents about how much parenthood had changed since we were children. It started with being able to play and roam unattended since our kids were essentially running free in the park and it was a special treat to reflux to vaccines to ADD and ADHD to all sorts of other things we need to worry about now that our parents didn't need to worry about.

And, it got me thinking, there are things where the actual number of people with X has been going up like peanut allergies. Then there are things where the actual number is staying the same but the diagnosis of it is going up like reflux. For those things in the latter category, where the actual number of people with X is staying the same, just diagnosis of X is on the rise, it means X is walking among us in the same proportion of the population in adults as in children. The undiagnosed adults who had ADHD as children are working in cubes next to my old cube and Mr. mouse's current office. The undiagnosed adults who had reflux as children are eating at restaurants next to us when we go out to dinner. The undiagnosed walk among us. And, largely, they seem fine.

Does that mean we're worrying ourselves over nothing? If things worked out okay in the end then does intervention make sense? Or does intervention make the journey to the end easier and less painful? I'm not sure. We medicated P for reflux. And, I don't let her roam unattended. And, I think I would her intervene if ADD or ADHD came up. But, I need to remember there are all sorts of things that walk among us in adults who went undiagnosed as children. And, they seem fine.


Cheers!
mouse

Wednesday, Hump Day

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Wednesday already.

I think the long weekend threw me off more than I realized. That and the fact that I spent almost the entire day yesterday doing laundry. There was a comforter that I needed to clean. It gave off a really noxious smell when it came out of the wash so I ran it through a dozen more times. By dinner, I felt like it had gotten to the "good enough" point and threw it in the dryer. There's something about the detergent that the last cleaner used that does not play well with our detergent at home. Sigh. It's done now.

Today, I need to get mail, hit the library, meet a friend for lunch, and go to school for the end of year Popsicle Party.


Cheers!
mouse

Weekly Weigh In: 5/26/15

Dear Friends and Family,

this week's weight loss: 0.2 pounds
total weight loss: 6.8 pounds

Sigh. 0.2 pounds. Well, I knew it would be a tough weigh in after last week's 2.2 pounds. Added to that, my sister was in town for the weekend and I ate out more than I typically do and drank less water than I should have and slept less than I really should have. I guess I should be happy that I didn't gain. And, I am happy that I didn't gain. A week ago I would have been ecstatic with my weight today so it's all a matter of perspective.

6.8 pounds. It's enough to feel like I've made progress. But, it's also not enough because it's still easy to slip back into old habits and regain the weight - a pound here, two pounds there, and before you know it total weight loss equals zero. Today, I'll drink my water and eat my fruits and vegetables and see where I am tomorrow.


Cheers!
mouse

Down Under

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Friday and I've got a little time. So, I think I'll write about Australia.

We went to Australia in March for spring break. Overall, it was an amazing trip. All of our flights (outside of our first one) left on time. All of our luggage made each connection. All of our hotels and rental cars were waiting for us when we needed them. The weather was warm and sunny with the exception of one day in Sydney. So, really, everything was lined up for an amazing trip.

Day 1, Saturday, we left home for the airport for our flight to Los Angeles. We had an intentionally long layover in LA to go shopping at P's favorite clothing store and to give us a chance to stretch our legs before the long flight to Melbourne. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed several hours so we had just enough time to race over to the store before it closed. We made it and bought some pieces to add to P's spring wardrobe. We had time for In-N-Out burgers for dinner. P surprised us all by eating three burger patties for dinner. We thought we were safe with two, but she must have been hungrier than we realized. Mr. mouse ended up eating one lettuce and tomato sandwich and one burger for dinner. Sometime late Saturday night we boarded the plane for Australia. We were all ready for bed which was perfect because it was evening in Australia.

Sunday, I'm not sure what happened to Sunday. I think the international date line happened to Sunday.

Day 2, Monday, we arrived in Melbourne well fed and well rested. We were all feeling a little grubby, but decided to skip the shower and headed out to Healesville Sanctuary, a zoo specializing in native Australian animals. En route, we picked up some cookies, some meat pies, some hot cross buns and some drinks. When we travel, we always pick up odds and ends to snack on and for breakfast. That way we're not spending all of our time and money foraging for food. At Healesville, we got to see kangaroos, koalas, platypuses, echidnas, and wallabies. We made it in time for a show on Birds of Prey that we really enjoyed and another one on platypuses that was fun. P had time to paint two rocks that we took with us on the trip and to play in the playground before we headed back to the kangaroo area for our kangaroo encounter. She was a little scared during the encounter, but afterward she said she had fun meeting the kangaroo. We bought a stuffed kangaroo at the gift shop and she named in Lacey after the kangaroo we met during the encounter. Monday night we checked into our hotel, Wyndham on William, and P promptly grabbed the first room with the king sized bed. We laughed and rolled the two twins together in the second room and called it good. The Wyndham has a lovely view from the rooftop, but the pool up there was a little too cold for a long swim. We came down and ate a combination of take out (spaghetti, soupy dumplings, regular dumplings and french fries) and meat pies for dinner. The shower felt so good.

Day 3, Tuesday, we packed our bags and checked out of the hotel. We spent the first part of the morning wandering around Federation Square. P and I went to an exhibit on local artists while Mr. mouse went to one on Australian cars. We took some obligatory tourist photos in classic tourist spots before heading out in search of fun neighborhoods in Melbourne further afield from the main tourist city center. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a bit of a bust so we picked up take-out (chow fun and maybe something else) and headed to the airport for our flight to Cairns. We ate while waiting to board the plane and read and dozed on the flight. We landed in Cairns, loaded up the car and drove out to Port Douglas. We checked into our hotel, Sheraton Port Douglas Resort, carried P to the room, and fell happily asleep.

Day 4, Wednesday, we didn't have anything planned for Wednesday. We left it free to ensure we had time to hang out and play in the pool since P loves playing in the pool when we travel. The pools at the Sheraton didn't disappoint. The pools were warm and empty and it was just perfect for spending the day relaxing. We went out to the beach briefly before heading back to the hotel for lunch. Mr. mouse and I got a beer and smoothie to go with the last of the meat pies while P feasted on the kid's fish and chips. Before we knew it, it was time for dinner. We headed back into the room and got clean before applying the bug spray and heading out. Chilly's Pizza has delicious pizzas and the pasta was yummy as well. We couldn't stop eating and we had leftovers to bring back to our room. We found an ice cream place, Wicked Ice Creams, for dessert before heading back to the room.

Day 5, Thursday, we had the first of our two snorkel trips planned for Thursday. Since P had become such a good swimmer, I thought it would be criminal to visit Australia and not take her to see the Great Barrier Reef. And, after much research, we decided to skip the pontoons that we had visited in 1999 because it seemed like they had become overrun and the reef had degraded as a result. And, we skipped the islands because I wasn't as impressed with the islands the last time we were in Australia. So, that left the smaller cruise boats. Our first one, Calypso, held 60 passengers and five crew. We sailed out to three points on Opal Reef. The first site was the most impressive, by far, and P lasted 50 minutes of our allotted 60 minutes in the water. She didn't do as well at the second and third sites because the waves were choppier and the fish were bigger. Added to that, we felt time pressure since we were at each site for only an hour. Ultimately, Mr. mouse kept her company while I snorkeled at one site and I kept her company while Mr. mouse snorkeled at the other. It wasn't ideal, but I was glad we got the first site in together as a family. I was worried about the next day because it would be a waste if she refused to get in the water. But, back to Thursday, we got back to the hotel, practiced snorkeling some more in the pool, got clean, and ate leftovers for dinner. At least that's what I think we ate for dinner because I don't have any dinner locations in my notes. Plus, I know we skipped on the bug spray and we got bug bites over the night in the room. I found the guilty mosquito the next morning. It was bloated. I squashed it.

Day 6, Friday, we had the second of our two snorkel trips. This time we sailed out on Synergy with nine other passengers and two crew members. P made fast friends with a boy named Finn who was a year older than her. Synergy goes to one location on Tongue Reef for three hours. That removed the time pressure since it was plenty of time to see the reef without feeling rushed to get back in the boat to get to the next site. We took our time getting in the water, maybe 15 or 20 minutes, and swam out to the reef. P had fun pointing out the different coral formations and we used our hand signals to check on each other and make sure everyone was okay. We were out about 40 minutes before coming back in for lunch. After lunch, P wanted a break, and fortunately for us, so did Finn and his mom. So, Mr. mouse and I headed back out to the reef while P played on the boat. Agatha, one of the crew, asked if she could take P out if P wanted to go out again and we said yes. At some point while snorkeling we looked up to see Finn and P and Agatha swimming back out to the reef. Agatha had promised P and Finn that she would find Nemo for them. And, she did. P was thrilled. Afterwards, we took P for one last round in the water before we all headed back to the boat. It could not have been a better day. Except it was because when we got back to the hotel for one last dip in the pool, we got to see a bunch of REALLY large bats head out after sunset for their nightly foraging frenzy. Dinner was peri-peri chicken pizza from Domino's and chicken for P from Dave's Take-a-Way.

Day 7, Saturday, we drove down at the crack of dawn for our flight from Cairns to Sydney. When we got to Sydney, it was grey and raining on and off. We checked into our hotel, the Radisson Blu, and walked over to see the Opera House and the bridge. It was wet, but we got P to record a video talking about the weather in Spanish and we found a tourist who we trusted to compose the picture and posed for a picture with the Opera House in the background. After a quick walk back to the hotel and our car, we drove over to Newtown. There P got to see where "Sky Full of Stars" was filmed. She walked down the main street pretending to be Chris Martin. It was precious. After our reenactment, we found lunch. P had sushi. I had tofu soup. Mr. mouse had a little of each. We picked up some meat pies and Clem's Fried Chicken for dinner. P and Mr. mouse bought me two purses. And, we went back to the hotel. The pool was super crowded, but we found a way to make it work.

Day 8, Sunday, we drove down to the Opera House for one last photo since it was bright and sunny in the morning. Then, we headed to the airport for our long ride home. In hindsight we should have napped Saturday night instead of sleeping the full night. But we didn't. So, it was a little tough when we got on the plane, ate "dinner" and tried to go to sleep. We all fell asleep, but with a full night's sleep behind us and loud people around us, there was no way we were going to sleep the bulk of the flight over from Sydney to Los Angeles. We watched a lot of movies. P journaled about the trip. We fidgeted. We rested. We made the time go by. We landed in LA not quite on local time, but not too far off either. After customs, we boarded our flight back home. We all dozed on it which gave me a bad feeling about jet lag since we should have been up. When we landed we knew we needed to stay up until bedtime or around 8 o'clock whichever came first. Fortunately we did and the day that seemed like it would go on forever (we crossed the date line in the other direction on the way back so somehow we had a morning in Sydney followed by 20 hours of travel followed by and afternoon and evening at home and it was still Sunday) came to an end. I almost forgot, P was excited to see that the Easter bunny had visited while we were gone. She had fun hunting down the eggs while we started unpacking.

Still with me? And, that, my friends, was our trip to Australia. It really was a special trip - one I will remember for a long time to come. And, now that P is older, one she may remember for a long time to come. We'll see.


Cheers!
mouse

Fun Times with My 6 Year Old

Dear Friends and Family,

P is always a little sad when Mr. mouse tells her he has a business trip. But, as long as it is a short one, she seems to do okay. In fact, to be honest, it's better than okay. We have fewer meltdowns, we get to bed earlier, we enjoy each other's company more. When the trips get long, we inevitably get the "I miss Daddy" meltdown that lasts for 20+ minutes, but with short trips it seems to be okay.

Mr. mouse left yesterday morning for a short trip. He'll be back today. Yesterday, P and I got ready in the morning. It was a little bit of a scramble, but we got to school about 5 minutes early so I'll consider it a successful drop off. If we had been super efficient, we would have had time for a doughnut and the bus, but I'm not going to be picky. I picked up P in the afternoon and she had a play date with one of her close friends from school.

We ate dinner together. P played while I filled the tub. She had a bath followed by tub time. We got into our pajamas, brushed our teeth, and went to bed together. We both slept through the night. I'll consider it a success.

Today, we need to get to school a little early so I need to go wake her soon. Hopefully today goes as smoothly as yesterday did.


Cheers!
mouse

Feeling Stifled

Dear Friends and Family,

I want to write about a topic, and 99 out of 100 times when I want to write about a topic, I write about it.

This time, I'm choosing not to write about it despite wanting to write about it. I feel like it makes my world a little sadder because to some extent this journal will be my memory of today and yesterday in years to come. And, in years to come, I'm not sure I'll remember why I chose to intentionally leave a blank page in my book.

Just as a reminder to my future self: it was a good day, not a bad day, a very good day.


Cheers!
mouse

Weekly Weigh In: 5/19/15

Dear Friends and Family,

this week's weight loss: 2.2 pounds
total weight loss: 6.6 pounds

This week was definitely easier than last week. Definitely. Let's hope that doesn't mean this upcoming week is going to be a bear.

6.6 pounds. That feels real. There's a part of me that knows I wouldn't have lost 6.6 pounds without trying. So, trying is worth it. I guess there's no new magic I need to work between now and next Tuesday. I just need to keep doing what I'm doing which is fine with me. Hopefully it's not an "up" week next week. I seem to remember weeks in my last journey where a big "down" week was followed by a small "up" week. I just need to remember that it's a journey and one week can't derail me.

6.6, yeah!


Cheers!
mouse

05.18.15: It Was Supposed to Rain, but it Didn't

Dear Friends and Family,

It was supposed to rain this weekend, but it didn't.

Saturday, we went out to the suburbs to pick up a new bicycle for P. The day didn't start out on the right foot. We called ahead. They told us they would hold a particular bike for us. We got there. The bike was gone, apparently sold while we were driving over. We didn't really have enough time to shop around because we had guests coming over for dinner. It was looking like it was going to be a waste of a day. After leaving the store, we turned around and went back in because Mr. mouse wanted to size out helmets for P. While he was looking at helmets, P was standing on a bike, passing the time. By the time Mr. mouse picked out a helmet that fit P, she had fallen in love with the bike she had been playing with. It was a little more than we had in our budget, but since the four grandparents were insistent on buying P her bicycle, we went with it. It would be $10 more each of them, which didn't seem like it was worth quibbling over.

Back in the car, late for dinner, I texted our guests to check on their schedule. They were running behind too. We made it to the grocery and home in time to make dinner and enjoy the evening.

Sunday, we went to church. Then, P had a play date while Mr. mouse and I finally confronted the GIGANTIC WHITE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM keeping the 800 POUND GORILLA company. There was a weekend in June that had a wedding combined with a school reunion and dance recital and a sporting event we had already purchased tickets for. All in two days, none in the same city. After many snide remarks and ill will, we finally settled on a plan that involves splitting up for the weekend, getting two of the four accomplished.

Sunday night, P spent the evening with Mr. mouse while I met a friend for coffee and to work on my website. It's launched, but I'll continue to modify it now that it's live. Now, it's Monday and I've got a busy day ahead of me.


Cheers!
mouse

Friday, Free Day

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Friday and I don't have to go to P's school to volunteer. I've got the whole day to myself. Well, the whole day until I need to go pick up P.

I think I'll try to get a few things done.


Cheers!
mouse

Top 3 Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been a tough spring. And, we're on the cusp of heading into summer. I think I need to revisit my Top 3 because I can't even remember the last time I gave it any thought.

Two things that I've got momentum on that I'd like to keep momentum on are working towards my goal weight and going through the clutter the house. I'd love to see how much I can accomplish between now and the end of summer vacation against both of these goals.

And, that leaves me with space for one more item. And, since it's summer vacation and there's a couple of weeks when P is off and almost a month when she's in half day camp, my last area of focus will be spending time with P and enjoying summer vacation together.


Cheers!
mouse

Things I Think of That Make People Think I'm Crazy

Dear Friends and Family,

Ready?

This one is on the topic of abortion, that hot button that gets so many people riled up.

I think there's something to be said for states and their interest in protecting life once you can define life. I also think there are people who really do believe it is murder. But, I'm 100% on the side of the right of the woman to made decisions that concern her body, really at any point in time up until and after the baby is born.

This is my idea, which of course would never happen, but in mouse's world it would.

If it's born, and neither parent wants it, they should be able to give it up for adoption. If it's not viable, the woman should be allowed to abort it. If it's viable, the woman should be allowed to have it removed from her body. If someone somewhere has an interest in paying for the baby's care (it's not a fetus anymore, just a very premature baby) and adopting it, they can. It'd essentially be adoption, but of very premature babies.

And, I know exactly what would happen. No one would go this route, because, really, who would want to pay for the cost of neonatal care? Why pay for it when you can get it for free? Let's just force another human being to do something against their will. It's a slippery slope that ends in slavery, but it's apparently one we're okay with.

My world would be different. Someone would have to pay for it or we'd be done fooling ourselves on viability and women could go back to owning their own bodies.

Cheers!
mouse

Weekly Weigh In: 5/12/15

Dear Friends and Family,

this week's weight loss: 1.0 pounds
total weight loss: 4.4 pounds

That was a lot of work for one pound. There were many moments this past week when I felt hungry. Part of that is my own fault because didn't really do much on the fruit and vegetable and water side so I wasn't leaving my stomach much work to do. Part of it is just chance. Between the birthday trip and biology, this week is a random "heavier" week - one of those weeks when you do everything right and don't have a lot to show for it.

But, before I lose perspective, it's still a pound loss. A pound is still a pound. And, I knew there would be weeks when this would be tough. This was a tough week. I'm still on a journey. And, on a positive note, while 4.4 pounds isn't a ton, I feel like my face was less puffy in P's birthday photos than in our Australia trip photos. So, I guess it's progress. I'll take less puffy.

Hopefully this next week is an easier week. I'll try and be better about my fruit and my water so I'm not walking around feeling hungry all week.


Cheers!
mouse

05.11.15: Birthday Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

Instead of a birthday party, we decided to celebrate P's birthday with a weekend trip to Cincinnati, the city's whose name I can never remember how to spell. I'd either drop the extra n or add one more n and t. But, that's just me.

We flew over on Saturday afternoon for an overnight at the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and Science. The theme for the evenings was Caves. We had two guided tours, one of a recreation of a limestone cave and one of cave art exhibit. Then, we had time to explore the museum on our own. P was precious as she led us for our own exploration of the cave. It was just the three of us. She was so cognizant of being quiet we couldn't help giggling. As a last desperate measure to remind us to be quiet, she put her left index finger on her lips and the right index and middle finger in the shape of a V in the air, the sign they use at school to remind the students to be quiet.

She slept like a champ. I couldn't fall asleep, so I spent half the night watching her.

Sunday, we flew back from our overnight. The two men in row 20 reminded me why I believe America can still be a great country. They volunteered to switch seats with P and me so that we could sit together. They made my day. When we landed, we checked into a hotel and let P go swimming. After a lunch of sushi from P's favorite restaurant, P went back to the pool with Mr. mouse while I napped. We drove home and opened presents before turning in for the evening.

I can't end this post without first writing about my Mother's Day present from P. Friday night, P stayed up with Mr. mouse and made a photo book for me. She had the idea and picked out photos from her first six years. She cut them out, pasted them onto pages and bound it as a book. I love it! It was the best present ever.


Cheers!
mouse

Happy Friday

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday, I packed all of the bags and headed out to buy P's presents. I found a cute dress, a fun Playmobil set, and added a batch of headbands and hair clips. Mr. mouse ordered a book she wanted and I had thought ahead and ordered one book and two sewing kits she wanted. It's not a lot of stuff, but there's not a lot of stuff she wants or needs so it feels okay. My sister and both sets of grandparents are getting the big gifts. She's getting a teal version of her recital dress from my sister and a new bicycle and helmet from the grandparents. They both want to buy it for her so we're letting them split the bill. She's a lucky kid.

Yesterday, I also found a sewing kit for one of P's best friends. The two of them were born less than a week apart and her friend asked us to join them for their birthday dinner. It was a special night. We're a lucky family.

Speaking of birthday dinner, I survived the birthday dinner with no ill consequences. I ate a lighter lunch which in a way set me up for success, but in an illogical way set me up for failure. I was starving by 2 o'clock which meant I would be ravenous by dinner time. So, I improvised and bought a Diet Coke to have in the afternoon. It kept the hunger at bay so I walked into the restaurant feeling sane. Normally, when we eat at this particular restaurant, I munch on tortilla chips. Then, I have a tamale. Then, I have 2-3 fajitas because they are so yummy. Last night, I skipped on the chips and the tamale and waited for my fajitas. I had two fajitas followed by a handful of chips. I had a tiny piece of birthday cake and left feeling like I did better than I would have done without my eating plan. I'm a lucky mouse.


Cheers!
mouse

Happy Thursday

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Thursday and after multiple weeks of feeling blah, today I feel good. It might be because it's supposed to be sunny today. It might be because I had a good weigh-in this morning. It might be because I have finally made some progress on my to do list. Whatever it is, I'll take it. No need to over think feeling good.

Today, I think I will go shopping for some presents for P. Honestly, if I had done this earlier I could have simply made a trip to the mailbox and picked it all up in one fell swoop, but I didn't do it earlier so I think I'll have to do it the old fashioned way and go to the stores.


Cheers!
mouse

Arrgghh

Dear Friends and Family,

To make this week even more trying, it's my grumpy week when anything and everything seems to make me angry. Yesterday's weather was a foul mix of fog and damp cold. Yesterday's dinner tasted like salt. Yesterday's budget review made me feel like we were spiraling out of control. See? Everything seemed to make me angry.

The only thing that made me really really happy was catching up on emails. I had a pile of unread emails and now I have five which is an acceptable number to let sit. They're attachments I need to work on or things I need to take the time to read or forms I need to fill out. I can deal with five.

This morning I rejiggered the budget to make the rest of the month work. And, I guess I'll plow through my water today to get rid of the over-salted feeling. And, hopefully, when all is said and done I'll feel less grumpy. And, if not, I'll at least realize it's my grumpy week.


Arrgghh!
mouse

Weekly Weigh In: 5/5/15

Dear Friends and Family,

this week's weight loss: 1.6 pounds
total weight loss: 3.4 pounds

It's Tuesday. And since I'm back on Weight Watchers it's weigh-in day. This week I lost 1.6 pounds which I'm happy with. I was a lot less ambitious about getting everything in so while I made it a point to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet, I didn't walk around feeling bloated and blah all week. I'll take a slightly slower weight loss for not feeling blah. Feeling blah is low on my list of things to do.

These upcoming weeks are big weeks for me, mentally. In my head, I know that if I hadn't decided to make changes in my life, I'd still be 3.4 pounds heavier. But, in my heart, I feel that there's natural fluctuation in my weight, and maybe I would have lost the 3.4 pounds or some portion of it through natural day-to-day fluctuation. But, at some point, my heart catches up with my head and realizes that natural day-to-day fluctuation isn't what is driving the weight loss. Then, the mental game becomes easier. Once you have faith, it's easy to continue. Right now, I'm in that grey area where I tell myself I should have faith, but I'm not quite there yet.

So, this week I'll continue to try and follow the plan and I'll see where next Tuesday finds me.


Cheers!
mouse

05.04.15: Birthday Party Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Monday and P is getting ready for school with Mr. mouse.

Saturday, P had school. Mr. mouse had house cleaning. I had a chance to look at window treatments online. After school, P and I went to watch a play while Mr. mouse cleaned up more. We finished off the day with a trip out to the suburbs for a surprise 50th birthday party for one of Mr. mouse's colleagues.

Sunday, we slept in. We went to church. We ate lunch. We went to one of P's best friend's birthday party. We came home. We went to sleep.

Mechanistically, it doesn't sounds like much of anything. But, for me, both parties were a wonderful chance to talk with adults and interact socially. I miss that now that I work alone.

Time to get started on the day.


Cheers!
mouse

"Home Theater" Update and Retirement Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, we made all of the changes last night. And, if I'm going to be 100% honest, it doesn't look all that much different from before we made the changes. I take that back. I looked at a photograph before and after and it does look different. I guess it'll just take some getting used to. The funny thing about clutter is that sometimes you get so used to it that when you get rid of it your eye misses the change. Once you get used to the new space, you don't want to go back, but the transition is odd.

Onto retirement update. We do that every month end. I'm not sure what metric I should be using. I guess there's three that I really care about. Goal 1: what we need for our retirement, best case scenario. Goal 2: what we need for retirement, worst case scenario. Goal 3: what we need if we want an annuity that will eventually become P's inheritance.

1. Goal 1: 95%
2. Goal 2: 86%
3. Goal 3: 67%

Some months we make money. Some months we lose money. In a way, I think of this as "my" money. No, I don't think I own the money. I know it's money I share with Mr. mouse. I think of it as my money because the money we earn on it replaces my former income. My paycheck always went towards deleveraging. First it went towards student debt. Then it went towards the house. Most recently it went towards retirement savings. Now, it grows enough by itself that I don't feel guilty taking the time to be with P and to work on my own business. Mr. mouse's money is what puts food on the table, clothes on our back and the heat turned on. It doesn't put a roof over our head, because I was able to provide that. We're a good team.

Anyways, hopefully, one day in the far future all three numbers will be 100%. I'll feel like we accomplished something then. But, if we never hit those numbers that's okay too. I know we accomplished something just by measuring our progress.


Cheers!
mouse

mouse "Home Theater" Plan

Dear Friends and Family,

Remember when I wrote a couple of weeks ago about replacing our TiVO? Well, in the process we swapped out the TV in the living room for a smaller TV we had in the basement because the outputs on the TiVO are not compatible with the inputs on the TV and I wasn't willing to buy a new TV to make this all work. Well, Mr. mouse found an $8 cable that theoretically will enable us to connect the TV we had with the TiVO we bought.

Now seems like a good time to make Mr. mouse get rid of a lot of stuff in the living room. Let's start with the DVD player. It's over 10 years old. We never use it. And, when we try to use it, it doesn't recognize the DVD half the time and won't play. Inevitably we end up hooking up a portable DVD player for the 1-2 times a year we need a DVD player. I'm all for getting rid of it.

The wooden ledge. We bought it a long time ago when people still had cathode ray tube monitors hooked up to their desktops. It too is over 10 years old. I'm not sure if it really serves a purpose. It does raise the TV 2-3 inches and the TV does not need to be raised 2-3 inches. So, I think we should find another home for it somewhere else.

Ideally, I'd like something really simple on the credenza:

1. the TV
2. the tuner
3. the TiVO
4. the center channel speaker
5. the right speaker
6. the left speaker
7. a telephone
8. a power strip

Looking at the list, that doesn't sound simple at all. Still, it'd be a giant improvement over what we have now.

I'd like to empty out a drawer in the credenza and put all of the miscellaneous stuff in there, like:

1. the remote controls
2. the portable DVD player
3. the four DVDs we own
4. Mr. mouse's list of channel guides

And, then I need to find a new home for some random decorations we have hanging around the TV for no good reason.

No time like the present.


Cheers!
mouse

Paper Purge

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday and Monday I did something only an OCD person would enjoy. I spent my days going through old papers and purging all of the things we really don't need. I'm nowhere near close to done. I've only tackled a half dozen files out of a credenza that holds close to a hundred files. But, still, it's progress and it felt so good.

Depending upon my day today, I may go through more papers today. I've even begun thinking ahead to what papers I could shift into the credenza once I free up space because, of course, we have papers everywhere. But, for now, I won't go there. I'll focus simply on going through what's in the credenza. Then, I can begin to tackle the paper that's elsewhere. Because, if I started with the papers lying around the house first, I wouldn't have anywhere to put the papers I wanted to keep. I would have gone to the credenza and it would have been full.


Cheers!
mouse

Weekly Weigh In

Dear Friends and Family,

this week's weight loss: 1.8 pounds
total weight loss: 1.8 pounds

It's Tuesday. And since I'm back on Weight Watchers it's weigh-in day. After a week of measuring and drinking my water and feeling blah, I lost two pounds.

It's hard to not get discouraged by the road ahead. And, there's moments when it's just not fun. But, I had an interesting thought in the shower the other day. The beginning is the hardest part. There's a lot of change, your body remembers being able to eat at will, and there's a long road ahead. Once you get into the journey, say 13 weeks or so since I think of everything in fiscal months, it's a lot easier. You have a routine, your body has been beaten into submission, you've made progress, and you have confidence.

So, even if the pain of the last week hardly seems worth it for a two pound loss, I need to keep it in perspective. It was totally worth it if the end goal is my goal weight.


Cheers!
mouse

04.26.15: Spring Has Sprung

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Monday morning. P is eating her breakfast of apples and yogurt. Mr. mouse is getting ready to shower. And, I am counting down the time until I can have my coffee. It's a typical morning in the mouse household. I've got 35 minutes to go which means I had my probiotics 10 minutes ago.

We had a good weekend this weekend. Saturday morning, we took care of all of our children. Yes, I know we only have one child. But, there are times when others need our parenting help. I would have liked to have gone out to brunch again, but I was still full from dinner the night before and the weather was gray, cold and raining. So, we had breakfast at home and it was just as good. We took P to see a play on Saturday with one of her close friends. Afterwards, we came home and the girls played while the parents decided to try and guess the first grade classrooms. Yep. That's what we do for fun. We try and guess classrooms for the fall. It's fun to speculate.

Sunday, I came downstairs at 6 o'clock to begin my day. Five minutes later I received a text from a friend who had just come into town. I picked him up from the train station. We went to church together and then came home. Mr. mouse cooked pancakes and sausages for everyone. I had fruit and almonds. Then, because the weather was nice, we went to see a baseball game. It was freezing in the shade, but once we moved to the sunny side of the stadium, it was warm and balmy and we had fun sitting and enjoying the game.

And, now it's Monday and we're all in weekday mindset. There's school and work and things to be done. Plus, it dawned on me on Saturday that P turns six in two weeks. We need to order her birthday presents. A six year old. How is it possible we'll have a six year old in the house?


Cheers!
mouse

mouse journal reboot

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been close to a month since I wrote. So, I'll cover the basics of what's been going on, why I haven't written and where I am now.

The Good

The good is actually the amazing. We took a week long trip to Australia during P's spring break. It could not have been better. Actually, if I were going to be really picky there was a two hour stretch in Melbourne that could have been better. But, overall, this will be one of those trips we remember for a long time. But, I'll save the actual details of the trip until another day.

The Bad and The Ugly

It was really tough getting back in gear when we got home. It was rainy and cloudy and just plain old yucky for a week. If that wasn't bad enough, the house was a mess from unpacking. And, my technology all decided to go on the fritz at the same time. I decided to tackle the cable first because it was just ridiculous. Service was intermittent at best and when we had it at all it was a trickle. After multiple phone calls, multiple reboots, multiple service calls, and an email to the CEO, we were able to get back on line. And, we haven't had an outage in over a week. Woo hoo!

Then, our TiVO went. Now, this is not a big deal to me. But, apparently it was eating mr. mouse up to not have TiVO. Why? I don't know since he never watched TV in the first place. But, we got a new box and spent an evening installing it. I will say I like it because it is smaller and less cluttered than our old box. And, we were able to disconnect the Wii while we were in there so I am happier with the smaller footprint.

Then, my computer started to go. Granted my computer should have started to go a couple of years ago. You know your computer is old when Microsoft stops supporting your OS. Yes, it was that old. And, the final straw that broke the camel's back was the power connection. It had gotten old and sensitive so I was losing work when the cord got jolted and I was getting worried because it was having a tougher and tougher time each time in turning back on. So, we ordered a new computer.

In the mean time, my NAS seemed like it too was dying. It kept losing its connection to the home network when I was moving files from my computer to it to ensure I didn't lose any data. We weren't sure if it was the NAS, the router, the computer or some combination of the three that was causing the problem. Well, moving five files at a time over multiple reboots of the system, we were able to move all of the data.

Then, my new computer showed up. And, I spent the better part of a week tweaking it before it felt like home.

Now...

Now, the cable is good, the TiVO is good, the computer is good. The NAS is okay, but still not quite right. And, I'm slowly learning to type on the new keyboard which is a little more spread out than my old keyboard. Wow. That's an action packed three weeks right there. But, wait, there's more.

I also decided to go back on an eating plan. I'm not calling it a diet because that's a four letter word in our household. But, I have been journaling my food and tracking my weight. I feel healthier, but I know I've got a long road ahead of me. I'm okay with that. I'll admit it can be a time sink because I need to plan my food, cook, and then eat instead of just grabbing whatever looks appealing from the fridge. But, I am committed. I can do this.

And, last but not least, my work. I'll be honest. Outside of the basic turning on the lights and sweeping the front door, I haven't done anything since I've gotten back from Australia. I feel guilty about it. But, I've also begun to live with the guilt. Perhaps, now that I'm back up and running I'll feel like I have the time to work on work again.

Each week has been better than the one before it. That first cloudy, dark, rainy week when everything went on the fritz and I was trying to tackle a new eating plan and work felt like the worst week in a long time. I'm optimistic about next week.

I should also write about old work. I know. It's been over a year. But, actually, this time last year was when the last bit of ugliness with old work went down. At the time, I was so angry and so bitter and feeling so betrayed. But, I have finally turned a corner. I realize now that I should have left in August of 2013. But, I didn't. The money was too good and I felt like I was cornered into saying yes. But truth be told, I was willing to play the game because I wanted the money. Once we started down the part-time path, I'm not sure how long I would have let it go. Part of me says July, but part of me is not sure. I might have been willing to stay for longer. So, while it sucked when it happened. I'm glad we parted ways last spring. I've learned to live without the paycheck and I'm a much happier person for it. So, I've finally closed that chapter as well. I no longer care which means I need to rethink the artwork in my living room.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: font on the computer still too big, sigh

Day 5 of Spring Break

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Friday. P and I had the entire week off together and I had so much fun with her.

Monday, we went on a play date with a friend from summer camp. Then, we spent the afternoon building snowmen and attending dance class. P rated the day a 4.5. I think she really enjoyed her play date. She made a new friend there after her friend had to leave. And, she really enjoyed making the snow people. She named the original one Hailey. But, when we got home from dance, we found Hailey sprawled on the deck and broken into three balls. We used each to build a new snowman. She named them Emily, Despicable (because it only had one eye and looked like a minion) and Hailey. We built those snowmen on the ground so they wouldn't fall over.

Tuesday, we went to the museum and saw a movie and tried a mirror maze. Then, we came home and colored until Mr. mouse came home. P rated the day a 4.0 which made me a little sad. But, I enjoyed the day.

Wednesday, we went to the park and met up with a friend for another play date. It was cold, and P's hair was bothering her, and we cut the play date a little short when P told me she was done and wanted to go home. It turns out she bonked her head and her butt while playing and both were bothering her. She also got a cramp in her left foot so I think it was good we finished early. We came home, built a fort, watched Big Hero 6 and finished our art project from the day before. It was so fun watching Big Hero 6 together in the fort - except the part when P thought Baymax was dead. We had to pause the movie and she cried in my arms for a little bit before agreeing to go back to the movie. It's the first time I saw her cry over fictional character. She was so sad. It must have been a good day because P rated it a 5.0 in spite of the sad moment in the movie.

Thursday, we went to Mr. mouse's office for lunch. Then, we came home for 30 minutes before heading out to swim. After swim, we went to Home Depot and picked up some PVC pipe to make a new fort for P. It's almost like a canopy bed. I'm glad I got to use my engineering skills in designing it. Actually, anyone could have done it. I guess I used my engineering skills in looking at fort ideas and picking one that was easy and structurally sound. Yesterday was a 5.5 for P, mostly because she got to eat lunch with Mr. mouse.

And, now, today, the day of errands... Hopefully it's not too big a drag on P. But, stuff has to get done otherwise the house will begin to fall apart around us. And, I'm okay that she sees errands and understands they need to get done too.


Cheers!
mouse

Evil TiVo

Dear Friends and Family,

Last night we did something we hadn't done in months. We turned on the TiVo and picked a random program and watched it. Then, we picked another and another until we both fell asleep on the couch to the sounds of the television.

Why is this a bad idea?

First, while our couch is comfortable, our bed is a lot more comfortable. Second, while TV is moderately entertaining, sleep is something I cherish. Third, while it's nice to have TV again, time is even better.

So, I think I'll pass on randomly turning on the TV at night. Maybe I'll watch a show as a treat during the day, but my evenings with my family are too precious to me. There's no real reason to turn on the TV. No good will come of it.


Cheers!
mouse

Busy Bee Day

Dear Friends and Family,

Lots to do today. Let's see if I can wrap my head around it all. That'll help me get motivated.

1. get ready for day
2. eat breakfast
3. throw out two things in the house I am not in love with
4. empty dishwasher
5. clean cups
6. organize the house
7. work on website
8. eat lunch
9. order chopsticks for P
10. order books for P
11. check bills
12. one thing from my to do list

Wow. No wonder I'm having trouble wrapping my head around it all. My list today is huge. Well. I guess I should get started since it's not going to go away or get done otherwise.


Cheers!
mouse

03.16.15: Too Much to Celebrate

Dear Friends and Family,

With Maple Syrup festivals and Pi Day and St. Patrick's Day and the spring weather, it almost seemed like celebration overload for the weekend.

Saturday, we went out to the suburbs to learn about maple syrup. We got to see sap coming out of a tree. We got to taste the sap. We tried tapping a tree. We saw the syrup being boiled down. We saw how pioneers lived. We saw how Native Americans lived. We ate pancakes and maple syrup.

We came home and napped to prepare for the evening.

Saturday evening, we went over to a friend's house to celebrate Pi Day. As always, we had so much fun at their house. it was 11 o'clock when I realized we should probably get P into bed. We got home a little after midnight and went to bed close to one.

Sunday morning came quickly. P and I had a brunch party at American Girl. P loved it, but was good about leaving her borrowed doll, Claire Crouk, at the door when she left.

We came home and napped again to prepare for the afternoon.

Sunday afternoon, we went to a robotics birthday party. It was a great chance to catch up with the parents and to watch the kids make robots. There was a point in the party when the gym was open and twenty kids were playing with their robots on the gym floor. Some were chasing them. So had them corralled with friends using their legs as gates. Some were stooped over them adjusting them. It was pure magic.

And, now, it's Monday. Perhaps we'll celebrate St. Patrick's Day tomorrow. Or, perhaps we'll let to the Irish soda bread we bought be the extent of our celebrations.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse Lake House Thoughts - Entryway

Dear Friends and Family,

I know I'm about 20 years late to the party, but in looking for inspiration for our front entryway, I found myself on a feng shui website. And, I was surprised (or not surprised) to learn that we're not far from where we need to be.

If I had the time and the inclination, I would:

1. paint the entry way a more neutral color, something closer to taupe because I'm not a big fan of the clay orange the former owners used.
2. replace the coat hooks with a simpler wood set of coat hooks. I liked the ones we have now when we put them up, but now I feel like they'd be better used in P's room to hang her stuff.
3. lower the print we have on the wall. It's really too high up on the wall.
4. add a focal point to anchor the table. It used to be bubbles because P likes to blow bubbles on the front steps, but I feel like I'd like something more decorative. If I were to go with the feng shui recommendations, it'd be something plantlike, but not necessarily alive - something with some green.
5. replace the table with something a hair narrower so it sat fully behind the door instead of protruding an inch or so into the entryway.
6. replace the front door with something a little nicer than the generic metal door that the builder put in. I'd love something that looked like wood.

There's my list.


Cheers!
mouse

Program Management Time

Dear Friends and Family,

It's mid-March and I have been working on and off on my work website since the beginning of the year. If I'm going to be honest with myself, days can go by where I don't make much progress. This wouldn't happen at work. But, at home, when there's a lot of distractions, it does happen.

And, to the degree that I'm partially retired, I'm okay with letting life get in the way. I like our home beginning organized. I like not feeling like I'm treading water with absolute chaos just around the corner. I like looking at a to do list that is under control. I like having time for walks now that the days are nice.

But, at the same time, the program manager in me feels like I need to better scope out the website. I think I'll put together a plan for April 15th to go live come hell or high water, or frankly both. Then, I can continue to modify it and work on it and improve it. But, I'll be live. That'll be my plan for today. I'll put together a plan for the next four weeks to get from here to there. I am confident I can do it.

I can do anything I set my heart and mind to. It's usually a matter of setting my heart and mind to it.


Cheers!
mouse

Bonus Deployment

Dear Friends and Family,

Last Friday, Mr. mouse got his bonus. And, after some back and forth we agreed how we would deploy it. 56% of it went into our savings account towards our retirement. Normally, we try to put 90% of it towards retirement savings. But, we wanted to pay off a loan we had made to ourselves from our short term savings account, so we used 34% of it to effectively pay ourselves off. And, that left 10% of it for a vacation. That was our reward to ourselves for the months in 2014 when we were living on a super tight budget. So, I guess, in a way, we did save 90% of it, just in two separate accounts.

And, that, feels so good. I feel like, as long as we continue to live within our means, we won't find ourselves in the dire straights we found ourselves in last summer. And, truth be told, they were dire only because I wanted to dig myself out quickly. There wasn't ever any real danger of expenses not being met. It was more of the little conveniences that go away when each dollar counts. For example, parking was a huge deal - $8 here, $12 there, and before you knew it you could spend $100 on parking, in a month, easily.

In a way, living on super tight budget is easy. There's less to think about, less to worry about. Some decisions get made for you. What's for dinner tonight? Easy. We're eating whatever's in the fridge because we're not going shopping tonight and there's no money to go out. What's the plan for the weekend? Easy. We're playing with the toys we have because we're not buying new ones and there's no money to go out. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Now, for some people, it may sound like tragedy to live in a world of no. But, I'll tell you, I enjoyed it once I got used to it. By not going out, we had some of the best weekends with P. We built crazy concoctions out of Lego. We went exploring in her rocket ship to far worlds like Mars and Trophy Planet. We learned about science through cooking. P learned how to help with folding laundry.

So, now, even if we could go off of our budget, I've decided to keep us on a budget. It won't be as restrictive as the one we were on. But, we'll still have plenty of opportunity to make our own fun.


Cheers!
mouse

03.09.15: Fresh Off the Boat: 1995 or 2015?

Dear Friends and Family,

Our weekend was fun. We had a play date on Saturday at our friends house. Then, Sunday, P went to see a play with Mr. mouse and I got a chance to do some paper organization.

But, that's not what I want to write about. Living in a major metropolitan area in 2015, I thought we had moved beyond blatant racism to the more insidious racism that is so much harder to prove like white privilege. But, I've come to realize we haven't moved completely into a brave new world which makes me realize if it's like this for me, it's gotta be a whole lot worse for other minorities.

So, what happened? A couple of weeks ago some crazy jumped out of her car and threatened Mr. mouse with her snow scraper and called him a Chink because he got mad at her for driving into a crosswalk full of pedestrians. She also threatened him with the cops, apparently her dad and her brother are part of Chicago's finest. If she was 1,000 years old, it'd be one thing. But, the fact that she was in her mid-twenties adds an entirely different context to the whole incident.

Then, last week, I was at an airport, in Seattle. And, going through security, the TSA agent decided it was necessary to speak to me in very simplified English, slowly and loudly, in a very derogatory tone. I remember this happening in 1995 on flights when people assumed I was a tourist from Asia. But, come on. It's 2015. I've been speaking English for 40+ years. I dress like a sloppy American, not like an Asian tourist. There's no need to presume I can't speak English. It's insulting.

Then, last night, we went out for dinner. We had reservations. There were tons of open tables at 6 o'clock. They walked us past the main dining room to the very last table right by the doorway to the kitchen. Not knowing better, P climbed in and Mr. mouse was ready to climb in. And, I said, no. I didn't want the worst table on the floor when there were clearly better tables free. Mr. mouse asked me if I was willing to wait. I was. Frankly, I would have walked at that point, but I didn't want to make a scene. Not surprisingly, they were able to find us a perfectly acceptable table because when they pulled their collective head out of the fog they realized they had walked past a dozen tables before getting to the table by the service door. I wasn't sure if this whole situation happened because we had a small child with us or because we are Asian. Well, half way through dinner, they sat several families with children throughout the restaurant. I felt that answered my question - wouldn't want those fresh off the boat people where anyone can see them, would we?

And, now, I'm just disappointed in people. In 2015, we still haven't figured this out. And, like I said, if it's like this for me, what must it be like for others? I feel like we've come so far, but there is so much more road that needs to be traveled before we reach a point where race truly doesn't matter. I will have to figure out how to help P navigate a world that still sees black and white.


Cheers!
mouse

Friday Full of Tasks

Dear Friends and Family,

I didn't get as much done on Thursday as I thought I would, partly because I wasn't as efficient as I could have been. But, it does mean that the overflow as piled up on to a busier than expected Friday.

Then, I had a bad dream. And, Mr. mouse didn't wake me when the alarm clock rang because he thought I was awake. And, that only makes the day more hectic.

Well, nothing I can do at this point besides move on. Guess I go wake P now.


Cheers!
mouse

Home Again

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm home again. My flight out to the Emerald City was delayed enough to make my connection an adventure. But, I made it and I felt like a kid on holiday when I walked out of the airport. It was my first trip away from Mr. mouse and P since a business trip I took when P was a little over a year old. Yes, it had been that long.

We went for coffee and then for pizza and then for a long walk. Just walking in the sun watching the glimmers on the water was enough to make me feel like a new person. There's something about seeing water. It's soothes my soul.

We went for ice cream and then went home to see the kids. We made ribs for dinner. On a whim we made peach cobbler for dessert. While dinner was cooking, we took the kids to swim class. Then, before we knew it, it was time for bed.

Since I got up at 2 in the morning and it was close to midnight my time, I slept like a rock. Well, I did, but I didn't because I knew I had an early morning flight to catch and I didn't want to oversleep.

Wednesday morning, the alarm rang at 3:50 and I got ready in time to go the airport for a 6 AM flight home. But, the flight was full and instead I found myself with a bonus day with my friends. We bought bagels. We walked the kids to school. We explored the University campus to see what kids nowadays are doing in school. My flight got delayed. We went out for noodles and then I went to see my friend's office which has a great view of downtown. We went to the airport and found a spot at the club to sit and talk.

And, before I knew it, it was flight time. My friend got home before the traffic got horrendous and I lucked out and got a window seat with an empty middle seat. I watched some TV and ate a snack on the way home. Mr. mouse picked me up and P was asleep in the back with her furry crocs on her feet and socks on her hands.

When I saw her I realized I was home again and my trip was over. While it was therapeutic to spend the time away from home it was also nice to be home again.


Cheers!
mouse

03.03.15: Brains. Brains for Breakfast.

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Tuesday morning or rather it's really Monday night even with my generous definition of morning that starts at 4 AM.

Our weekend was fun. Saturday, we went to see a play and then had friends over. Sunday, we went to mass and then dim sum and then P played the afternoon with our friend visiting to see the opera. Monday, I caught up on to dos and finished off season five of Downton Abbey. And, now, I'm packed and off to a quick trip to see Mr. mouse's best friend. I'll be back on Wednesday if everything goes to plan.

Until then, P will be partying with Mr. mouse.


Cheers!
mouse

Friday!

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Friday and I'm feeling good, not great, but good. What would make me feel great? That's a good question.

If I spent 15 minutes getting the house in order. I went to sleep last night without doing that.

If I spent 10 minutes and clipped my nails. They're a hot mess. I wish I had the time to go for a manicure, but realistically I don't.

If I got a couple of things knocked off of the to do list so that I'm set up for success next week.

If I ate better yesterday. I ate too much salt yesterday. And, I ate too much overall. I need to put together an eating plan. If I spent 30 minutes really thinking about an eating plan.

That's a couple of hours work. I guess I could try to get there from here.


Cheers!
mouse

Retirement Reviews

Dear Friends and Family,

I must be the only person in all of America who looks forward to reviewing my retirement accounts. On the last trading day of every month I update a file I have been maintaining since January of 2010 with all of the information on how our retirement accounts are performing. And then the file spits out how much money we would have per month for retirement if we retired right now.

Before I had this file we would meet quarterly with our investment adviser and we would look at our portfolio together. Once a year we'd get an update on our overall retirement plan scenarios. It was useful, but I never really understood the math in the different scenarios. I wanted different assumptions and the cookie cutter plans couldn't really accommodate my wants so my adviser would jury rig it to make it work, but it never felt right.

With my own sheet, I can type in whatever assumptions I want about social security, college, lifespan, cost of living adjustments, etc. to get to an outcome I feel comfortable with. It might mean we're saving more than we need to, but I'd rather have money left over than be short because expenses went up faster than people thought they would.

Well, tomorrow is our retirement review. So, I've got my fingers crossed that nothing bounces the market around too much between now and tomorrow afternoon. I know it's only a snapshot in time, but it's still nice to record a happy snapshot.


Cheers!
mouse

Catch Up Day

Dear Friends and Family,

P, the kid who almost never gets sick, got sick yesterday. Actually, she got sick Monday night and was sick yesterday. She's still out of sorts today, but she wants to go to school so we're letting her make the call on it. Hopefully she makes it through the day in one piece.

For me, it's a catch up day. My mom left yesterday afternoon. And, I've got a couple of things I'd like to get crossed off of my list. Time to get started on the day.


Cheers!
mouse

02.23.15: End of February

Dear Friends and Family,

I won't focus on Saturday night because Saturday night did not go well. Instead, I'll focus on Sunday because Sunday was a lot of fun. We went to church on Sunday morning and heard an inspirational talk about life in general. In essence, the speaker told us that life will be full of challenges and that we need to be brave enough to face those challenges. After Saturday, I certainly did feel like life was full of challenges and I didn't even know where to begin.

But, in a zen moment, I decided to empty my mind and see if I could be more mindful. And, that's when I realized that I need to be strong. I need to be honest about who I am and stand up for what I believe in. And, that made me feel better.

We went to lunch after church and P had an abysmal lunch. She's had a terrible run with eating lately - easily distracted, picky about her food, annoyed with noise, you name it, she's used it as an excuse. So, meal times have been torture for us. And, instead of fighting it anymore, we decided to take away dress up day until the situation improves. This morning, we put together a chart and she needs to earn 10 stickers in the next 13 meals to earn dress up day back. So far she's earned one sticker. Hooray!

After our abysmal lunch and after lunch meltdown we went to a friend's birthday party. It was P's first time ice skating and we were ready for a meltdown, but she did surprisingly well and enjoyed herself. I guess we'll have to go again some time.

I napped the rest of the day, but P played with my mom and enjoyed the afternoon. And now it's Monday. Time to get some work done.


Cheers!
mouse

Nice Dream

Dear Friends and Family,

Wednesday night I had a nice dream. I had a dream about an ex-boyfriend - the one I was dating when I met Mr. mouse. I always felt a little bad that things did not work out between the two of us. Or rather, I don't feel badly that things didn't work out between the two of us, but I do feel badly about how it ended.

In my dream, I ran into him and he was working in scientific research and had just announced a major breakthrough in the field he was studying. He was married with children. He was doing well. He was happy. We had a nice conversation. And, he forgave me for the mess I made of our lives 20 years ago.

I woke up feeling warm and happy. It was a nice dream.


Cheers!
mouse

Grandma's Here! Grandma's Here! Grandma's Here!

Dear Friends and Family,

There's nothing like having Grandma visit. For P, it's a new playmate - someone who lets her direct the play and is willing to explore P's favorite topics with her. Yesterday, P and my mom played fashion show. P put on dress up outfit after dress up outfit and giggled with my mom. They stayed up in P's room and chatted about the things little girls need to tell their grandma.

Then, we had dinner and dessert and P went to bed. It's freezing cold today. And we have swim this afternoon. Wish us luck.


Cheers!
mouse

Grandma's Coming! Grandma's Coming! Grandma's Coming!

Dear Friends and Family,

If you visited inside P's head today, that's what you would hear. She had close to twelve hours of sleep last night. And, she's eating dinner for breakfast this morning. And, she's counting down the hours until my mom arrives later today.

It's so endearing watching our five year old. She's sharp as a tack and you can see her logic coming through. She's independent enough to open and close her own car door. Yet, things are still new and fascinating for her. Like when we fold laundry, she loves sorting the clothes and folding the napkins. Or when the soap dispenser stops working, she loves working through testing process with Mr. mouse or me. Or when she's counting down the hours until grandma is coming and she smiles every time she realizes it's today.

Our little P.


Cheers!
mouse

02.16.15: P and the Pool

Dear Friends and Family,

If P could, she would move into a Sheraton hotel and spend her days swimming until bed time. We were traveling this weekend and that is effectively what she did. I split my time between the hot tub and the pool, but P spent her time in the pool swimming, racing, and trying to reach the bottom. Her lips get thin and blue, her eyes get ringed with goggle lines and her fingers prune up like raisins, but I've rarely seen her happier.

And, now, it's back to another week. My mom is coming later this week. P is super excited.


Cheers!
mouse

Scurrying

Dear Friends and Family,

Good morning. I've got a meeting this morning with my accountant. So, I need to go shower. Sorry. Have a good day.


Cheers!
mouse

Meeting with My Accountant Tomorrow

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm meeting with my accountant tomorrow. So, I need to prepare this morning. Have a great Wednesday!


Cheers!
mouse

Sunny Tuesday

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Tuesday. It's sunny. I immediately feel just a little bit better with the sun shining.

Last night, I got to vent to a girlfriend and I feel better for it. Today, I need to get through my task list. Then, I will be in a better place.

Time to go tackle emails.


Cheers!
mouse

02.09.15: Weekend Highlights

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Monday. The start of another week. It's a short week because P doesn't have school on Friday. And, it's an even shorter week because I have a school meeting on Wednesday and a meeting with my accountant on Thursday. So, I need to make the most of the day today and tomorrow.

We had a fun weekend. Friday, we went out to dinner with friends. Then, Saturday, we went to see our old school friends and catch up over sledding and pizza and movies. Sunday, we played Lego with P all day. It seemed like the most perfect weekend.

Then, it all fell apart Sunday night. We were folding laundry and talking. And, Mr. mouse voiced that he was unhappy. I asked him what would make him happier. And, he wouldn't talk. I sat there waiting for him and he went off to do email. Classic Mr. mouse. Right there. Total avoidance. Let's not talk about it and somehow it'll magically go away. Perhaps I'm insane... After all, to quote Einstein, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I always try to open a line of conversation somehow expecting he'll take me up on it. But, it's because otherwise we'll continue to do the same thing and get the same results which will continue to make Mr. mouse unhappy. See? We're a house of crazies. The lunatics have taken over the asylum.

Well, I sat there waiting. And, then I got irritated at being ignored. That's just plain rude. So, I got mad and went to bed. I think I know why Mr. mouse is mad. I think it has to do with the budget. Well, I'm sorry. We're on a budget. I don't know what to say about it. I've given him options on how to save money so we have more money to spend in areas we care about, but classic Mr. mouse. He hates making decisions so those stay in limbo and the budget doesn't change. I don't know what to tell him. The other thing that irritates me is that we've gotten through seven months of this. Sometime this spring this should all resolve itself. It's just around the corner so someone's going to have to man up and suck it up for a couple of more months. We're all grown ups here.

Me? Why am I so upset? Well, there's the reminder that we are not good at working out our problems. There's Mr. mouse's inability to let go and throw anything away. And, there's the fact that I have no good idea how to repair our friendship. It's just a big old cluster and my mom is coming in a week and I just feel sorry for all of us. We all just want to be happy but we can't seem to find a way to get there from here.

Well, I can't mope. I need to get a ton done today. It's a short week after all.


Cheers!
mouse

Blogger before Facebook

Dear Friends and Family,

It's not a matter of priorities. It's more a practical matter. Once I've scrolled through my Facebook feed, my mind feels numb. Hmm. Perhaps that should be a sign that I shouldn't be ignoring.

Anyway. We had family night last night. We all piled into P's bed to sleep to celebrate the ribbon she got at swim last week. Well, Mr. mouse and I climbed into P's bed. P slept in her cozy corner. I guess when you're an only child without cousins you need to work with what you've got. I still remember all the sleepovers I had with my cousins. I guess P will grow up without that. Families are so small now and so separated. But, it's not like she knows any different.

On deck for today? I'm working on my website. Hooray! And, we've got dinner tonight with friends. And, since it's Friday, I'm sleeping with P tonight. Seriously. I feel like I've moved into her room with the amount of traveling Mr. mouse has done recently. Golly. I wish I knew if there are any more trips planned. Oops. That would require some amount of communication and coordination which we've apparently decided to forego. Why be practical? It's so much more fun to live life blindfolded. Keeps you on your toes.

On a more happy note, I sent P with Mr. mouse to his haircut last night and used that time to catch up on emails and a monthly tax form that's due in a week. That felt good. And working on my website today will feel good as well.


Cheers!
mouse

New Day Same Spot

Dear Friends and Family,

I'll admit it. I'm not in a good spot.

Last night, P texted Mr. mouse to say good night and we received no text back. This morning, I checked the phone, and still no text back. Combined with his travel right near the holidays and a large cash withdrawal on that trip and our disagreement over this week's travel and his focus on the grapes, I'm almost inclined to believe he's having an affair.

Do I really believe he's having an affair? No, not really.

But, I do know something. I always thought of Mr. mouse as my best friend. But, I think somehow in the chaos that is our lives, sometimes I feel like that's no longer true. I think that's why it's sometimes hard to find a happy spot. I have lots of friends. But, I don't have my best friend.

How to fix the situation? I honestly don't know where to begin. We have time alone together now since P goes to bed early. But, sometimes Mr. mouse falls asleep with P and sometimes we have errands and chores and sometimes we just do our own thing and sometimes I turn in early.

I don't know how to fix the situation. And, that means I'll probably be in the same spot tomorrow that I'm in today. Time to put on a brave face and whistle a happy tune.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: I know why Mr. mouse didn't text last night. It's because we wrote to say we were going to sleep and he didn't want to risk waking us. We had that debacle on a prior trip. At least that's what I think it is. Caffeine = good.

02.04.15: Wednesday

Dear Friends and Family,

Clearly I need a new social media routine. I haven't been writing and I haven't been reading and I haven't been on Facebook. While all of this saves me time it also makes me feel a little odd like I'm in a vacuum occupied only by my thoughts and my small interactions with the world around me. It makes me feel solitary.

I think I'm still struggling with the transition I've made. And, I think I'm still struggling with winter blues.

Mr. mouse and I got into a something-or-other last night. It wasn't big enough to call a fight, but it wasn't small enough to brush off. Since I left old work, Mr. mouse has been traveling for work. Somehow he rarely traveled for work before, but now he travels regularly. I'm not sure I understand the dynamic behind it. I'm not sure if it's a hump of backlogged travel that he needs to get through or if this is the new reality. I'm not sure I understand. In fact, I'm quite sure I don't understand.

I do know how it makes me feel. It makes me feel like he's assuming I've got the flexibility to move whatever needs to be moved to manage my own calendar, P's calendar and whatever else that needs to get done. He doesn't check before he books his work travel, he doesn't let me know much in advance that he's going, and somehow he assumes it will all work out. And, in general, it does. Except, like in the Dr. Seuss books, sometimes it doesn't. And, that's where it makes me feel like he's assuming I will make everything move to work around his world.

I know he feels he makes trades offs without even letting me know about them. These sacrifices that I am oblivious to should make me feel grateful. Except, they don't. I'm unaware of them. How can I feel grateful? Instead I feel resentful and like a second class citizen.

Last month, one night, I was cleaning the family room floor because it really did need a good scrubbing. And, Mr. mouse told me he didn't marry a housewife. And, I told him that's good since I didn't want to be a housewife. Yet, in the end, I feel like it's a slippery slope and a death of a thousand cuts and sooner or later I will wake up and realize that that is exactly what I have become.

So, I've got swim this afternoon with P. I'm still trying to find time with my accountant, which is what started this whole disaster. And, I find myself struggling to keep my new year's resolution of being happy. I am sad today. I am sad because having gotten here I don't know how to get out of here to a happier place.

Mr. mouse knew I was upset last night. But, in classic Mr. mouse fashion he hunkered down and focused on his grapes. After five minutes, I got up and went to fold the laundry. The rest of the night was a combination of Mr. mouse putting away the laundry and doing who knows what in the basement and me sitting on the couch reading the news on my phone in the dark.

And, today, more solidly than ever, I feel like I own the home calendar and my calendar and P's calendar, and all of these must be able to flex as needed to accommodate Mr. mouse's calendar. And, that'll be my unhappy place until I find a way to a happier place.

I guess new year's resolution requires work. That's okay. If it's free, it's probably not worth much.


Cheers!
mouse

Friday

Dear Friends and Family,

My apologies. It's been over a week. Mr. mouse has been traveling and that means I've been a little busier taking care of P. He's back later today and P is counting down the hours.

Me? I'm a little stunned that it's the end of January already. Seriously? But, I'm also very happy. My to do list is manageable. The house is manageable. The budget is manageable. The work is manageable. The year end forms are getting done. The website is getting started. And, it's so much better than it was last year in January when I was still working part-time at old work. I really should have quit in August when I quit and not stayed on part-time, but the money was nice so I'm not sure how to think of it all. I'm still coming to grips with it.

Plus, to add to my good mood, the winter has been milder than last winter. And, the days are getting longer. I'm doing well.


Cheers!
mouse

Feng Shui and the Home

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been cloudy and I've been mentally sorting through my head. Today, I've got help coming, but oddly enough I don't want to be home for it. I have a list for her to tackle, but I think I'll go out for a spell.

Why?

I casually invited my assistant over to my party this past weekend. And, she came. And, she got very drunk. And, she said a bunch of embarrassing things. Fortunately, it was late enough into the evening that it wasn't a big deal. But, it still wasn't cool. Her husband was there, but he didn't do much to alleviate the situation. I felt bad for him. Still, I wasn't sure what to expect. On Sunday, she thanked me for inviting her to the party. It was clear she didn't remember anything of the evening. Still, I'm not a good liar and I don't want any awkwardness so I think I'll just give us some space until we can talk about other things.

So, I'm off to shower and eat and "run some errands" for the day.


Cheers!
mouse

01.19.15: The Day After

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Monday and we're almost back to a normal schedule. P's off from school today and she wants to spend the day getting her world back in order. We moved a bunch of stuff around for the party. And, then we needed to rescue several toys when the kids got out of hand. And, I think the current disorder is getting to her. So, when I asked her what she wanted to do today, she said she wanted to spend the day with me at home getting her things organized. I can respect that and I'm more than happy to spend the day with her doing that.

Mr. mouse and I will have a lot to do over the next week getting the rest of the house back in one piece. But, I'm okay with that. We had a fabulous night. I was a little afraid at one point because the kids were getting a little crazy and I thought P would have a meltdown if anything got destroyed, but we made it through that part and were able to enjoy the rest of the evening.

Now, we just need to unwind and slowly put everything back together.


Cheers!
mouse

Spouses

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday, I was watching a video from my mom's dance recital. She had been practicing for months and I thought she was beautiful.

Watching her dance, I began to wonder what she wanted from her marriage. I think she wants to feel loved and cherished and appreciated. I feel bad, because those aren't things my dad is especially good at. My dad? I don't know. On the surface, I think he wants a servant, someone to keep his house clean, cook his food, and fetch for him constantly. But, deeper down, I think he's looking for validation and self-worth. I think he's a got a lot of baggage, but no one can give him what he needs. That comes from within. I'm just not sure after all of these years that he'll find it in him.

Then, I realized how different my relationship is with Mr. mouse. I want to be loved and cherished and appreciated. But, just as important to me is to feel like I'm on my life's journey with my best friend. I want companionship. And, I feel like I have all of that and more with Mr. mouse. We enjoy spending time together.

This weekend we are celebrating, marking the weekend twenty years ago when we first spent a lot of time together. We had met briefly before that in random chance encounters, but this weekend is special for us.

Today, I'm feeling especially happy.


Cheers!
mouse

New Infrastructure

Dear Friends and Family,

Last night, we put in a new cable modem. And, while the cable company promised us all sorts of benefits associated with the new cable modem, I'm not sure we've seen any noticeable differences in our download and upload speeds. I am happy about one thing... Our new cable modem is a 2 in 1 cable modem and router. And, in the process of installing it, we also unplugged most of our devices and plugged them into our UPS. So, there's modest improvements in cord management. And, we have a guest network now that is separate from our main network. So, I guess I'm happy with the new arrangement. I guess we'll have to wait until we upgrade our computers to see any real difference in our internet performance.


Cheers!
mouse

Odds and Ends Day

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm going to be ambitious today and try to tackle a bunch of year end forms for work. I'm also going to try and take three bins of odds and ends and reduce the odds and ends to two bins of odds and ends. Oh, and I need to review our December expenses to make sure we didn't get too crazy with our holiday spending. Then, if time allows I should catch up on emails.

Which to tackle first? I think I'll begin with the odds and ends. Then, I'll move on to the computer stuff.


Cheers!
mouse

01.12.15: Home Again

Dear Friends and Family,

After a bummer week with no internet access, we're home and up and running and the weather is in the double digits. I am happy. I have also been sticking with my new year's resolution to do something each day to make our place more of an airbnb and me more of a happy soul on permanent staycation. No one change is monumental. Nor does it feel like I'm anywhere close to done. But, I am beginning to see signs of progress. And, that feels amazing.

I've been spending a lot of my time on the main room that we spend our time in. In most houses it would either be in the basement or in a separate room with closed doors. It's filled with P's toys and is mostly a playroom. It is also a dumping ground for all of the stuff she brings home from school... mostly artwork, but also sheets and cards and photos... I've been slowly going through things to figure out what we still play with and what we've moved on from. Today, I moved two bins of stuffies upstairs to P's room. That opened up space to put a bunch of stuff sitting on the floor (Lincoln Logs, Jenga, and blocks) into the shelf. It makes more sense to have the stuffies in P's room. Now, I just need to put some thought into their home in her room. But, still, it's one step closer.

I'm also happy because we got to spend the weekend with friends from the mouse winter cabin. It was cold, but it doesn't feel as cold because no one makes a fuss over the cold. P got to walk on a frozen lake. I got to sip wine by our neighbors' fireplace. I also got inspired by my neighbors. They've done some amazing things to their house. It's so well thought out and put together. But, they didn't do it all at once. It came in bits and pieces.

Well, enough about me and my general sense of bliss. I've got to go get some work done or tomorrow I'll feel like a wreck.


Cheers!
mouse

Single Step mouse

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse just left for work. P is at school. Welcome to 2015.

I've got the house to myself to get done what I need to get done today. And, it feels great. Lots of things to do. I guess step 1 is getting mentally organized.

mouse's day, today:

1. laundry
2. eat breakfast
3. file state unemployment forms
4. look into Frog and Toad
5. clean up drop box
6. figure out plans for the weekend
7. eat lunch
8. sew on button on P's shirt
9. do something to make the house more like an airbnb
10. yearbook email
11. call my Dad
12. pick up P

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I'm off to do laundry.


Cheers!
mouse

Last Day of Winter Break

Dear Friends and Family,

It's the last day of winter break. Mr. mouse heads back to work today. P heads back to school tomorrow. And, then, I can catch up on Downton Abbey. Just kidding. Then, I can return to my routine. There's a lot of things I want to work on in 2014. I mean 2015.

I feel like my to do list is under control. So, I'll definitely work on keeping it under control. I feel like my budget is under control. So, I'll definitely work on keeping it under control. And, I'm excited about the progress I've made on the house the past four days. Under the aspiration of turning my house into a bed and breakfast, or really more an airbnb, I've been working on getting the place in order. Just to be clear, I don't ever intend on renting the place out, I'd just like for the place to be able to be rented out. Then, I feel like I'd enjoy it more. It'd be like getting to stay at someone else's place, only for free. It'd be an endless, free staycation. And, that, my friends, sounds marvelous.

There's a blog I read that always inspired me to work on the house. The writer had gone on hiatus for over a year and I despaired of ever seeing her posts again. Then, she wrote yesterday. And, I leaped to read her post. It turns out her mother has dementia and she's been battling cancer. Yes, while I've been going through what seemed like major events in my life - adjusting to my new role as entrepreneur, learning to live on one paycheck, getting over old work, enjoying my time with P, and trying to get life under control - she's been struggling with the very basic fight to live.

And, that's reminded me of a very important lesson. Life's too short to be unhappy. Yes, there's the need to defer rewards. Yes, there's the need to take care of the chores while enjoying the cheers. But, that doesn't mean you need to be unhappy. I feel like I spent a lot of last year unhappy. First, I was unhappy with both old work and with new work. Then, I was unhappy with my transition from old work. I was happy over the summer. But, then, I was unhappy again in the fall with new work and with life in general. I kept thinking happiness was an end goal, that once I whacked a certain number of moles back into their holes, I'd be happy. But, I don't think it works that way. Life's still going to feel like a game of whack a mole. But, happiness is learning to like playing whack a mole. The moles never stop popping up, so I've got to learn to be happy playing, not looking for a goal that I may never attain.

So, I guess my new year's resolution is to focus on being happy, truly happy, on the inside happy. I don't think people, in general, know when I'm unhappy. So, I don't think anyone will notice a difference. But, that's okay. The one person who will notice is me, and that's all that matters.

So, I'll continue to do the things I'm doing. But, I'll really focus on enjoying the journey instead of only focusing on the end result. Here's to a wonderful 2015.


Cheers!
mouse

2015: A New Year

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Thursday evening, January 1, 2015. The past year did go quickly. And, after a quick trip home to see the grandparents, it's nice to be back home and beginning a new year. We're still on a budget. And, the house is still a mess. And, I still need to get back in shape. But, somehow, I'm still happy today. I know things will get hectic once P's back in school next week. But, for now, I'm blissfully enjoying the low key days at home for winter break.

I have been trying to get the house back in order. Whenever we travel, I realize how happy we can be with what little we packed into our suitcase. Then, I come home with a little motivation to get the house in order. I know this is an odd goal, but I'd love my house to be like a bed and breakfast and Mr. mouse and P and me the guest. It sounds sterile and not home like, but I think I'd enjoy it. I think we'll stop far short of a bed and breakfast, but it's a nice aspirational goal as I continue to try and get the house in order.

Today, I cleared off my nightstand. And, I made some progress in P's play area. The problem is we have so much stuff that does not have a home. And, I'm not sure it needs a home in our house. We have three bottles of foam glue from an art project at P's school. My initial inclination is to throw away the extra glue. We don't have foam at home we need to glue, so we don't need to find a home for foam glue. Mr. mouse will be appalled. He'll think it's a waste. This is where we end up with piles of things with no home. A bed and breakfast would not have three bottles of foam glue on a coffee table. This I know. I will try to continue to be motivated!

Well, I think Mr. mouse fell asleep with P. I'll probably head to bed soon myself.


Cheers!
mouse