Unproductive Day, Might as well Blog

After my radio interview on Friday I was going to write up a post about a thought I had during and after the interview.  Still planning on that (hopefully later this week) but right now I feel the need to share about my unproductive day instead.

That sounds boring, doesn't it?  But stick with me, hear me out a little ...

We had a rough weekend, the boys have been sick.  Actually, back up, *I* was sick last week, Ethan started to seem a little down on Friday, by Saturday it was obvious he was sick as well.  Peter has a runny nose and was a little fussy over the weekend, but mostly in a good mood.

Which brings us to Monday.  I finally feel well for the first time in 5 days.  Yay!!  Despite my sickness last week I took advantage of the boys being in daycare to work on my sabbatical project.  I did pretty well, despite the sickness.  Monday should have been productive as well.

"Should" being the operative word!  And so the story goes ...

Have to remind myself what my
healthy, happy boys look like.
So cute!

I know when I go to get the boys up Monday morning that they are not going to daycare.  Ethan continues to be fussy, gets upset at the slightest things, and once he starts crying he seems bothered by everything around him.  Poor guy, he makes me so sad.

Lots of crying during breakfast, clinging to mom during the morning, crying anytime Peter touches him ... I find it exhausting.  Both boys are in their cribs for a morning nap BEFORE 10 am.

That was probably partly because they needed it and partly because *I* needed it.  Sometimes you got to do what you got to do.

They slept for an hour ... better than nothing.

More play time, lunch (which means more crying), back to playtime (and crying), and then the doorbell rang.

With two boys crying down in the playroom someone from the electric company is here to install the conservation stuff on our air conditioners.  Not a big deal, it's outside, thankyouverymuch, and goodbye.

More clinging to mom, wiping noses, throw in a load of laundry, start looking at the clock to see if another nap time is in order.  It's only 12:30.

Doorbell rings again.  Apparently the breaker switch on one AC unit is now broken.  This means the AC is not working until someone can come out to fix it.  Greeeeeeeeeeeeat!

Finally just before 2pm, I put the boys down for another nap.  There's more whining going on from two obviously sleepy boys when the doorbell rings again.  At least I know the AC will be fixed!!  With the boys cries carrying through the house via the strategically placed baby monitor in our front hall, the electrician comes in and I take him to the electrical box where he discovers that the circuits aren't all labeled, but he tries one anyway and heads outside.

I run upstairs knowing that there are probably four pacifiers scattered across the boys' room and just as I get them both settled again I hear the electrician come in and call for me.  I just want to yell "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"  Luckily I don't.

Anyway, he gets the circuits worked out, labels them for the next guy that will need them, and heads back outside.  By 2:30 he is done, ACs are all working, and the boys are finally asleep.

Work on sabbatical project or give up for the day??  That is the question.

My answer: give up.  

Procrastination wins again!

Thankfully, the boys are starting to seem a bit better and my hope is that they will be well enough to go back to daycare on Tuesday.  I should also feel back to 100% and then I can dive back in.  That gives me four days to make some good headway on this project before I go back to working in my office.  Once I am back at work I can continue to work on this project, but it will be along with all my other responsibilities.

Oh responsibility, how I have not missed thee.

7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 40

~1~

Before the boys afternoon nap on Thursday, Peter had carried a small, plastic toy hammer up with him that I had put on their dresser.  So when I got them up a couple hours later, I handed the hammer to Ethan to occupy him while I changed him.  Peter, I discovered, is very attached to that hammer.  When I placed Ethan down on the floor Peter, who had already been changed and was on the other end of the room, spotted the hammer and made a beeline toward Ethan.  I could see his eyes fixed on that hammer.  Ethan meanwhile had no idea that the object he was crawling around with (clanging against the hardwood floor) was now the object of his brother's affection.  Just as Peter got within reach, Ethan innocently turned a different direction.  I laughed as I watched Peter stop while his eyes followed the movement of the hammer.  This happened a couple more times and was quite the site!!  Ethan was clueless.  So cute!!  Finally, Ethan decided to pull himself up on the changing table, but he had to let go of the hammer.  He put it up on the shelf, let go to pull himself up on his feet, and Peter made his move.  He reached up, grabbed the hammer, and crawled away.  The whole show was so funny!!  And to top it off, I don't think Ethan even realized that the toy hammer had disappeared.

~2~

Although I haven't been writing as much on the blog as I would like, I am still writing.  Just not here.  I recently put up my last interview on the blog that serves as an employee newsletter of sorts at my work.  Before leaving for my sabbatical I did several interviews for the series I was doing on "What we're Reading."  The last one is what I finally up called "What we're Reading: from Sonnets to Manga."  I really enjoyed doing this series and hope to continue doing it when I return to work in July.  It's been fun to talk to people who work in a library about what they are reading.

~3~

I also have posted a few new posts on my sabbatical project blog.  If you're interested in those, you can check it out at Music Recitals Project.  I wrote up a couple at the end of April and another one just yesterday.

~4~

I've also been working on some posts for Catholic Sistas (watch for one from me coming on Monday).  Do you read Catholic Sistas?  If so, we would love for you to come "like" our Facebook Fan Page.  And while you're at it, come follow Catholic Sistas on Twitter as well: Catholic_Sistas.  And, spread the word, please!!

~5~

I am so lucky!!  I have a great community around me!  Some friends of mine and I made plans for next week to have a girl's night out.  How many groups of friends plan to go out together and have the plans start with evening Mass?  I CAN NOT wait until next Wednesday!  So much so actually, that for most of THIS Wednesday I thought it was that night.  I was so disappointed when I realized I was a week off. 

And then I got a call this week from another friend.  She invited me to go with her to a MOMs group gathering.  This MOMs group is at our parish, but I have never attended.  I usually work, so it's not something I can attend.  Since being home on sabbatical I thought about it, but I haven't yet made room for it in our schedule.  But this was an evening thing!!  A gathering at a member's house to say a Rosary together followed by socializing.  That just sounds so wonderful to me!!  And I'd be able to meet other moms from our parish.  Unfortunately I realized that the night in question won't work for me.  Sad again!!  But I hope this group will do it again and I can have another chance to join them.

~6~

You know what is lacking from this blog?  Pictures!!!  I'm sure you're all wondering if I ever take pictures of my two boys.  Well, yes, I do.  The problem is getting them off my camera to use.  Actually, the problem is time.  I actually have several pictures on the camera that I'd love to share.  The boys are getting so big!  They are 11 months old now.  Where has the time gone??

~7~

Finally, a question for all of you married readers: Are you and your spouse involved in any ministries at your parish together?  Like both on the same committee or whatever?  I would like to become more involved in my parish again and would like to do it with my husband.  I have some ideas, but I'm curious what others do.  Pre-Cana classes?  NFP classes?  Something else?  Share in the comments, please!!

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.com.

7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 37, The Late Edition

-- 1 --

So much has been going on and thus I haven't posted on my blog in almost a month!!  Here is one of the reasons why:

We sold our house!!

-- 2 --

We are now renters!  We closed on our house, but are still living here.  We were given 30 days from the closing to move which worked out great for us. We close on the new house a week from today and then we will start the moving process.  Let the packing begin!!

-- 3 --

In a January Quick Takes post I shared how Ethan was pushing himself up on his toes but I had no pictures at the time.  I do now!!

Ethan doing his push ups.

A floor view.

-- 4 --

We have had such a mild winter, as I imagine many people around the country have had.  We have flowers already blooming in our yard.  These were from a few days ago when it was still February:

-- 5 --

A midst the packing and house closings and taking pictures of my boys, I also have a sabbatical project I'm working on.  Yesterday I posted an update at the two month mark on the blog I set up for the project.  If you're interested in what I'm working on and how it is going you can check it out here: Two Months Gone, Four To Go.  (And feel free to look around at the different pages I have there and "Follow" the blog if you are so inclined.)

-- 6 --

Also written yesterday but posted today was a bit about the challenges I have while working on this sabbatical project.  I have several purposes for why I have a sabbatical blog.  One of those is to journal about the project so I have a record of things for when I need to produce something later: an article, presentation, report, whatever.  So that's why I have a post that seems a bit more about my life than it does about the project.  For readers of this blog, this post may also explain why I haven't been posting much here lately: Sabbatical Challenges.

-- 7 --

Finally, the boys are nine months old now!!  A couple pictures for your amusement:

Feb. 29, close enough to being 9 months old!
Peter on left, Ethan on right.

Peter has discovered that he can climb things.  Ethan isn't quite sure what to make of it.

Peter's climbing antics include over his brother.  He knows no bounds.

Enjoy the weekend!!  For more Quick Takes visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 34

~1~

Week one of sabbatical project has started.  I hope it will go well.  By day two I was starting to wonder if I was crazy to try working at home with two 7 month old babies and no day care.  Still too early to tell.  If anyone local wants to come visit during the day you're welcome to come during non-nap times.  The boys would love it!

~2~

I started a new blog just for my sabbatical project.  If you're curious about what it is or how it's going, I'll be journaling my way through the sabbatical over there.  You can go to Music Recitals Project to see more.  It's not a very creative name, so if you have suggestions, I'm all ears.  I'm not attached to the current name at all.  Seriously: not. at. all.

~3~

Also this week, I'm back on the wagon.  That is, the weight-loss wagon.  I've fired up the old Lose it! app on the iPod, weighed myself on Sunday, and started counting calories.  Man, I'm hungry!!  I also have a support group on Facebook that a group of friends started, so I'll have some accountability this time.  And motivation!

~4~

The boys and I went for a walk on Wednesday morning.  It's a little too cold for walking the neighborhood, so we went to the mall to walk before the stores opened.  I barely made it.  We had a pooping episode in the morning that required a change in clothes and an unexpected load of laundry and then when I got to the mall I had to remember how to unfold the very big and very heavy double stroller.  It took me a while to remember how the wheels fanned out, but I finally got it.  I was determined to get my walk in and not be foiled by a stroller!  I do love the stroller, though!  It is great: turns easily, is very smooth, looks comfortable for the boys.  But man is that thing heavy!

~5~

I got a Kindle for Christmas!!  It was totally unexpected.  I had been looking at them, but couldn't decide which I wanted.  Did I want the basic, original Kindle or the Fire?  Did I want 3G capabilities?  Did I want to wait a year and see if they released a Fire with 3G?  Maybe I should look at the Nook?  But all my questions got answered for me: Hubby got me the Kindle Fire.  So far I'm loving it!!  I downloaded a whole bunch of free Kindle books and am currently reading The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus (I also got free e-books by Aquinas, Belloc, Ignatius of Loyola, John Henry Newman, and a few others).  Hubby downloaded Angry Birds and started playing Words with Friends.  Currently he may use it more than I do.

I also like that I can get Facebook and my email on it, plus I'm enjoying the Pulse app that comes automatically with it.  Pulse is a little like an RSS feed, but mostly just for newspapers and magazines (current events), though you can also set up part of it to show you the links your friends post on Facebook.

I realized the other day that one of the best features of this is that when I travel I only have to bring the Kindle with me and not my whole laptop.  Bonus!!

~6~

Speaking of Christmas, we had a great Christmas visiting my family in Atlanta.  Everyone was there for Christmas day: my parents, all four of us kids along with two spouses, a fiance, and a girlfriend, four grand-kids, and my aunt who just recently moved (back) to the Atlanta area.  Opening gifts was overwhelming, probably because my two children aren't old enough to do anything and have no idea what is going on, so I felt as if I was constantly being brought gifts from my niece (6) and nephew (3).  Boy were those two excited!!  It was a fun day and very relaxing.  My family is always laid back during holidays, just hanging out, catching up, playing with the little ones, watching football, and enjoying a nice meal together.  And it was wonderful to have everyone there!

How was your Christmas?  Did you travel or stay home?  See extended family or celebrate with your immediate family?  Any special traditions?

~7~

My husband has already accomplished one big goal this year: re-organize the garage so the van will fit in it.  Success!!  The garage was already pretty well organized and neat (for a garage) but there was really only space for the two cars.  Now that we sold one of the cars and Hubby re-organized things, the van fits!!  That is quite an accomplishment if you know the neighborhood and kinds of houses in this area.  Garages are small!  The van barely fits, but it's in there.  Now that the weather is turning colder, this will be a good thing.  I don't want to deal with doors frozen shut early in the morning when we have to go somewhere (no repeats of what we had on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception trying to get to an 8am Mass ... no surprise, we were late).  And it was snowing all day while Hubby was working in the garage, thankfully mostly flurries or heavy flurries with the occasional moments of accumulating snow.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary.