done deal

Last night we had the contract negotiations and Schmitty's allowance is going up from $1 to $3.50 but he has to clean the bathrooms, not just the sinks. We'll see how it goes. I thought it was going to by Yago and me against Schmitty but in an unexpected turn in events Yago decided to represent his "client." With 20 bonus points Schmitty can choose a family activity we do together. He gets 5 reminders a week, after that he loses his allowance. Again, we'll see how it goes.

I found a house online yesterday that I liked and was excited to show Yago. When I told him how much I liked it he said, "Let's buy it," without even looking at the pictures. That's how much he hates uncertainty. He's dreading moving and not knowing where we're going to live. He doesn't like change. At all. It's funny.

I'm going to take Ralphie out for a walk to the park or something. I'm going a little stir crazy.

Tonight is my last German class, that'll be one less thing on the dreaded Wednesday schedule. Day after tomorrow we go to Interlaken. I want lots of fondue and swiss cheese.

oopsie

I'm thinking it's not non-alcoholic. I'll let you know for sure after another, but I'm pretty sure there's something in there. I can't wait til Yago comes home and verifies...

scheisse

I think I accidentally bought alcohol-free German beer. Why would they even make that? I lugged a whole case to the car with the midget only to get home and see a flyer stuck to it that says alcohol-free. Actually, alkoholfrei. scheisse.

contract negotiations

Tonight we're entering in to contract negotiations with Schmitty over his allowance. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing what he comes up with. I know Yago will counter everything and it'll be amusing to watch.

I'm really tired again today, I got up to pee last night and couldn't get back to sleep.

I should be making lists of things to do but I haven't, that means I won't get what I want done. I'll be running around without direction or focus but I've been goofing around on the Internet and now I don't have time. I need to get to the gym before all the ladies show up and hog the treadmills. I'm the only treadmill hog I like.

I'm looking forward to househunting. I have a whole list of wants but I'm most excited at the prospect of having a place to put my treadmill and weight bench so I don't have to go to the gym anymore. I want a big open kitchen so I can cook dinner while interacting with Schmitty and keeping an eye on Ralphie. Schmitty wants to share a room with Ralphie and even though I don't expect it to last it makes me happy that he wants to now. I envision a bedroom from the Pottery Barn Kids catalog that isn't realistic but I enjoy thinking about it anyway. I can't wait to have closets and a garage for storage, maybe even a mudroom. I'd like to have a clothesline too. Maybe we'll live near a bicycle trail, that'd be great. So many possibilities.

I'll miss Alpine winter getaways, for sure, and I'll miss all the flowers EVERYWHERE.

The grumpy baby is up so I'd better get ready to head to the gym.

Fancy Boots

I forgot about this story yesterday, it's a good one!

Sam came home from school and showed me his papers, as he always does. He proudly pulled out a cowboy boot he'd drawn, colored and cut out in art class. He'd drawn flames coming off of it and everything. He handed it to me and went through every detail he worked so hard on. He pointed and told me he even made a sperm. "Sperm?" I asked. Then I realized he was pointing at the spur! I had a mighty good laugh.

I asked if he knew what sperm was and he said no but he'd heard of it.

I ran errands all darned day but don't feel like I got anything accomplished for efforts. I went to get recycling bags but now you have to get them at City Hall and it closes at 1200 on Fridays. It was 1237.

I went to a art and craft store to get a neighborhood friend of Schmitty's a birthday present, her party is tomorrow. The craft store is closed on Fridays, and so on.

winding down

So it seems the busy spring is winding down. Scouts meetings are over, the last CCD class is Sunday and only two more weeks of German class. Of course June begins the swim lessons everyday at 5:30 for two weeks and we'll still have piano and baseball.

Ralphie woke up last night hollering, I brought him downstairs and discovered some awful diaper rash that was very painful. I felt really bad for the guy, he had a toxic poo.

I'm trying to book a trip to Interlaken, Switzerland, over Memorial Day weekend but the agency is having trouble booking the hotel for some reason. I should know today if the booking went through.

I've been trying to read about how to entertain Ralphie. I know he's learning and his mind is a sponge but I don't really know how I should be stimulating him. Frankly, I think we're both often bored with my lack of creativity. I'm trying to read and get ideas. Doesn't seem like it's something a person should have to research...

I'm trying to get a Reserve slot at Offutt but they're losing a lot of theirs and the ones they have are full with a line of people waiting. It doesn't look promising though, we'll see.

realization

I used to think it was a fluke but I think I've finally come to the realization it's true. It's the way it is, not just an accident or luck. Yagopuchae is a better housewife than I am.

When I go to class and come home a few hours later the house is tidy (kitchen clean, floors swept and mopped), the kids are clean in bed and he's outside reading a book while sipping iced tea he made. I haven't even mentioned he took the boys to a field to practice baseball with Schmitty while I was out. I get 10 hours a day to try to accomplish such things and it never happens.

It's a little disappointing, yet comforting. Maybe I can work in some more BonBon time after all... He can certainly pick up the slack.

Happiest Mother's Day

Sunday was a perfect Mother's Day. I got up in the morning and made sausage, eggs and toast for breakfast then dashed upstairs to get ready for CCD and church. When I came home Yagopuchae had done all the dishes, gone shopping, cleaned the house and packed a picnic lunch for us. Schmitty and I changed our clothes, then headed through the woods to a big city park for our picnic. Yago even remembered to bring a bottle of wine. He stopped at a bakery on the way and bought fresh brotchen. We dined at the park and Schmitty rode his bike and played. It was perfect picnic weather and relaxing. We sat and watched other families play soccer and badminton while Ralphie wandered around in his diaper. I don't think it could have been any better.

Ralphie's in the foreground and Schmitty is in the background.

keep some things to yourself

Last night we grilled and ate outside because it was sunny and beautiful. I was preparing dinner and the grill while Yago and Schmitty practiced his baseball swing. We grilled green beans, eggplant, zucchini, and ribeyes. I also made potato salad and a tossed salad, lots of veggies. Mmmm. Then we had some family reading time before bed.

Yesterday I also got a card from one of the women at church. Her son and Schmitty are in the same CCD class. She sent me a Mother's Day card about what a great friend I am and how I'm always there for her. The thing is, we're not really great friends. She's the one I've mentioned before about how I feel like she's always sizing me up. It's weird. We're both moving in about a month and a half, and we won't keep in touch. I can't really explain the oddness of getting this card from her without sounding like an insensitive jerk and maybe I am.

And Cher? Put some clothes on, you're 61 for god's sake.

that girl

I was that girl yesterday at the gym. I got on the treadmill and suddenly the place started filling up. People were waiting for one of the two treadmills and a lady asked me how much longer I had. I fibbed a little and said 20 mins but really I had about 28 mins left with the cool down. I know she was mad waiting on me and I should have cut it short but I didn't. I rationalized thinking about what an ill-behaved brat her kid was. He was climbing and jumping all over the place and she never chastised him. I was ready to get off the treadmill and walk over there and yell at him myself.

Today Schmitty got suspended from school for fighting. A first grader was picking at him and Schmitty chased him down and hit him. Not the best way to handle it but these days I guess you can't get away with a fight on the playground.

Maybe my parenting skills aren't the best either.

his favorite san francisco treat

Have I mentioned how much Ralphie likes rice?

The End

Yesterday Schmitty's class had a little presentation of Three Billy Goats Gruff, it was really cute. Sam played a cowbell and then had a narrating part at the end. And? If you can believe it, Ralphie behaved. Maybe the first time ever, he behaved when I wanted him to.

Yago and I are trying to figure out what we want to do for Schmitty's going away. We want to have a get together for his friends but we don't want a zoo. We want them to have fun but we want to do something at the house. I was thinking back to the park picnics we used to have and trying to come up with some ideas. Those were always a blast but our yard is quite small. There are kids from school, scouts and the neighborhood but we'd prefer it to be intimate. Add to that we'll be preparing to MOVE and it gets a little complicated. We'll get it figured out and organized eventually...

i can't get no... customer service

Do you ever feel like you're not a very nice person? Sometimes I say and do things that leave me wondering why on earth Yago married me. I know I'm being a witch sometimes and can't help myself. When we got to Normandy I was pretty mean and made a small scene for no reason. It's funny because during the course of our trip we were left thinking there wasn't a happy couple to be found but they may have thought the same of us (me) if they were judging by my behavior Friday morning.

I'm really mad because I ordered Schmitty his First Communion stuff a couple of weeks ago and realized last Thursday the order apparently hadn't gone through. I tried calling the customer service number but I got a dumb recording asking me to leave a message and they'd call back. It's too much trouble to explain on an answering maching that I live overseas and I'm not even sure how to give instructions on how to call me here. I emailed their customer service and never got a response, it's disappointing. When I realized the order didn't go through it was too late to fix it anyway because the mail is so slow.

It's supposed to be a big deal and I don't have a gift or tie for him. His extended family isn't here to celebrate and there aren't any gifts. I feel like I failed and I ordered it two weeks ago thinking I was on top of everything. I hate when I actually try to do something right without procrastinating and it backfires. I think I'm early and feel good only to wind up right where I always am anyway. Stressed out and a failure. Blah.

Normandy

There are a couple of things I can say about Normandy. It was beautiful in many ways, so much better than Paris. The landscape was gorgeous, the houses were like in storybooks and the museums were wonderful. And? If you go, go without two bus loads of other people.

I most enjoyed our time at Pont du Hoc. The land is still riddled with craters from the artillery and rockets. It was strange to watch Sam and all the children play there.

cutie pa-tootie

How adorable. We went for a walk yesterday. "Walk" might be overstating it, more of a stop and pick weeds then have mom drag me 10 feet down the path to pick new weeds.

beaten to the punch

I was going to post about Sec Gates but Mickity beat me to it. I have a different take on it though.

Sec Gates spoke at Air War College about it being like pulling teeth to get the Air Force to support the war on terror. Then he turns around and gives a speech at West Point about discretion and honesty. It seems contradictory and Rumsfeld-y, if you ask me, which I'll point out no one has.

It's nonsensical. They've been cutting AF personnel year after year to fund new aircraft development. I've been wondering for years why the AF needs new fighter aircraft when we're not dogfighting any other air force. Why aren't we funding bombers, ISR and close air support aircraft? Fighters can be used in those roles but they're not the most efficient/effective way of doing business.

And? Does it really need to be a rated officer piloting unmanned aircraft? Not in the Army, they have NCOs doing it. Should the flight clearance requirements be the same? Not in my opinion.

Back to bad talking the AF at Air War College, what is he trying to accomplish? If he has an issue with pilot proficiency requirements take it up with the Sec of the Air Force. How about you fund the personnel and equipment required? Then don't turn around and talk about discretion to a bunch of West Point graduates.

a day in the february life

I was going to do a day in the life post a couple months ago but lost motivation. Here are a few of the pictures I took anyway.

This is Schmitty, Isaiah and Ralphie as we leave the house and head to the bus stop.



















I'm feeding Ralphie at the gym before I get to the family workout room. I'm hoping with a full belly he'll behave. I'd promise pony rides if I thought it would work.





This is the view from the treadmill. It's hard to portray how cramped it is. There's one weight machine and it's a lat pull down Nautilus machine. We don't need stronger lats, we need stronger arms, legs and bellies!





Schmitty doing his homework after school. I'm sure he'd say it was his favorite part of the day. Not really.





And Ralphie enjoying an after dinner glass of wine with his father. Hmrr.

to be seen or not to be...

Now you would think after all my complaining and lamenting that I'd be super motivated and excited about going to the gym today, wouldn't you? Not so. I was dreading it but I hauled my happy butt there anyway, along with the screaming meanie's angry butt. He hollered at the prospect of me being 20 feet away so I had to put him in his car seat next to the treadmill. He was hollering 15 mins in to my little workout so I cut it short after he screamed for five minutes. Five minutes doesn't sound very long but when you're in public with a screaming kid AND running at the same time, it's an eternity.

After the gym I stopped by the commissary and saw someone I really didn't want to see. (Thankfully, he didn't see me.) He's a wing commander now but I knew him when he was a squadron commander and a deputy group commander. (Brown) He's conceited, full of himself, and he wasn't very nice to me when I was a Lt. I was in my old sweaty gym clothes and he was in his uniform, now as a full bird colonel. I'm sure if I thought he was pompous before he'd be an amazing a$$h#le now. When I was putting my groceries in the car I saw that Schmitty's piano teacher had followed me out and was parked two cars away. I pretended not to see him and he did the same, I'm still pissed about last week's lesson. I've been trying to work on my nice voice so I could call him and verify we're on for this Wed afternoon but I wasn't prepared to do it in the parking lot.

Day after tomorrow we leave for Normandy. Again, I'm not looking forward to a twelve hour bus ride with all the scout families. (or the screaming meanie)

Well, I should go shower. Maybe that will cheer me up because I'm not in a great mood today.

Zippideedooda!

I got my car back!! Swing low sweet chariot! I've got my wheels and freedom!

fuzzy memories

I haven't downloaded pictures since we got the wireless and brought the computer downstairs because the cable was upstairs in Ralphie's room. The only time I thought about downloading pictures was during nap time and there's no way I would consider disturbing the buckaroo.

Today I finally remembered to bring the cable downstairs before he fell asleep and I made a terrible discovery. I've had a blurry fingerprint on the lens of my camera for months and didn't know it. All the pictures are smudged on the left side. If I'd loaded them on the computer a long time ago I would have realized I needed to clean the camera and then I would have wedding pictures (brother-in-law's) without the big blur.

Here's a blurry pic of Schmitty and the flower girl after the wedding. He had the whole, "I'm embarrassed to be touching an icky girl." look on his face all afternoon.

I knew it

I knew it was coming but it finally came today. It was a phone call from my job in the Reserves. They need to do an OPR and all that jazz. Ugh. I've been dreading it. It's all stuff I need to do but have been procrastinating. I hate all this stuff.

The best part is the new boss used to sit at the desk across from me and I spent a good part of my day making reservations for upcoming trips and talking to my old unit in Stuttgart. I also left everyday to go breastfeed my baby monster and early to do PT so I could pass my fitness test. We debated politics almost daily because we have polar opposite views on everything.

Schmitty's friend is sleeping over tonight so I really should pick up some. His friend doesn't eat vegetables so Yago tried to slip some Morning Star veggie bites by him. They're little frozen battered vegetable patty things, quite tasty and not really that healthy. The friend wasn't falling for it though, it was funny.

Why is it that Victor on The Young and the Restless looks the same as he did 30 years ago and still always has a hot young love interest? Not that I'm watching. Really.

the glass is always cleaner on the other side

I did the windows today. Well, not really. I did three or four big windows and then got bored with the squeegee and chasing the midget away from the bucket and curtains. Yago said he should leave me carless more often. That brings me to the next topic... Yago's car still isn't ready.

We went through all the scheduling hassles yesterday and got almost nothing accomplished. We didn't (couldn't) get his car, didn't have the piano lesson and I couldn't make my German class. For all the hassles and headaches we only got Schmitty to his baseball practice.

Yago and I had both had rotten days, his at work and mine with Ralphie. At the end of the day we were both very grouchy but were cheered up by the other person's level of grouchiness. (At least I was amused by his sucky day.) Funny how that works.

too much to ask

I took Schmitty to his piano lesson again only to arrive at an empty house. Apparently, it's too much to ask for advance notice if his teacher isn't going to do a lesson. It has happened repeatedly and I only tolerate it because it took months for me to find anyone to teach piano. I don't think this guy understands what a pain it is to get Schmitty there. I have to pick him up from school (which usually entails a walk in the rain because they block off all the streets around the school) during Ralphy's nap time. Then I have to drive the 20-30 minutes to his house, entertain the baby (who doesn't get his nap and is very grumpy) for an hour then drive home. We eat late because I don't start dinner until 5:00. It's 2 1/2 hours of stress for an hour lesson. I'm not even including the time I spend getting Schmitty's snack together or making sure I have his piano books and notes. Grrr.

the last

Today Yago gets his car back, which really means I get my car back. Not a day too early either because baseball practice starts today along with a whole list of other activities. Schmitty's schedule feels a bit grueling sometimes but I always make sure it's something he really wants before I sign him up. Except piano lessons. He has scouts, piano, baseball, CCD and in a few weeks he'll have swim lessons. Luckily, by the time the swimming starts the scouts and CCD should be over.

He makes his First Communion in a couple of weeks and I'm excited for him. Yago doesn't really understand what the big deal is and I can't explain it. I just remember when I made my First Communion and I remember what a big day it was. I was most excited about my white dress and shoes. I can still see those shoes with the cut out heel, they were the neatest shoes I'd ever had. I remember mom helping me with the pantyhose and my hair being curled. I remember dad taking me outside in the yard to take a picture of me in my dress. I was disappointed by the taste of the bread, I was expecting something spectacular. It had to be really special and tasty since it had been witheld so long but it wasn't.

There were gifts and a party afterward. I got a praying hands necklace, a glow-in-the-dark rosary and something I'll always treasure: my grandmother's pendant. I still have and regret that I didn't wear it when I got married, I forgot it. I had a cake and my grandparents came over, and I think I remember us all playing a game.

I hope Schmitty remembers his big day.

new things

I tried a couple of new things over the weekend. The first was playing raquetball with Schmitty and Yago. Playing with Schmitty was more fun because neither of us knows the rules. We just kind of ran around and whacked (tried to whack) the little blue ball. Yago was very patient with both of us, bless his heart. That was the new thing I tried on Sunday.

On Monday I tried making homemade pasta, whole wheat tagliatelle to be specific. I say I made it but I should say we because Yago spent a lot of time unfolding and untangling my mess. (He had the day off.) I also tried to make french bread from scratch. It didn't turn out right but the good thing about bad homemade bread is that even if it's bad, it's still pretty dang tasty! So what if it's on the flat side and too dense?

The best part was I got to leave right after dinner to go to German class. The kitchen was a DISASTER! The counters were caked with dough and flour from kneading bread and pasta. I think I dirtied almost every bowl and pan in the house because, did I mention we also made homemade tomato sauce with capers? I came home to a pristine kitchen and dining room which surprised me a little given Yago's hatred of dishes. Plus, I wasn't even sure if two hours would be enough time to clean the mess I'd made.

Well, I'm going to take the little meanie out for a walk and maybe even stop by the park since the weather's gotten better. Hope you all have a good day!

barbara wahwah

I spend too much time watching The View but it always bothers me that Barbara Walters thinks of herself as a serious journalist. She does dumb celebrity interviews, oscar specials and an occasional middle eastern leader where she wears a head scarf improperly and tries to look legit.

post midget syndrome

Yesterday I got myself all mad about something stupid for no real reason. I'm reading a book called A New Earth (because Oprah told me to, according to Yago) and it goes to great depth discussing the ego and it's disfunction. I knew it was my ego getting upset and it was all quite inconsequential but I could not help myself. In the end, I sent a terse email to my dad and then felt bad. Yago came home shortly thereafter, immediately opened a bottle of red wine and declared us both PMSing. It was funny. (Neither of us got a good night's rest the previous evening because of the baby.)

Today, I'm unmotivated to do anything. Yesterday, I felt like I was constantly working but getting nothing accomplished. Today, I'm not working or getting anything accomplished.

I was eager to get back to my diet but it's not going so well. It's hard being out of my routine, it should be better once spring break is over and Yago gets his car back. School starts Monday and Yago gets his car Tuesday, I should see a marked improvement starting Wednesday.

Anyone want to come over and do my laundry and dishes? I'll even let you clean the bathroom while you're at it.

I made a muffuletta for dinner last night and we just finished it for lunch today. It was yummy and made me think of Mickity because hers is better.

I'm watching Mommie Dearest, she's crazy.

Schmitty updated his profile and he's pretty excited so check it out.

newest discovery

Yesterday Ralphie discovered a place to keep his index finger warm. It's called a nostril. Charming. I guess I should be thankful that he doesn't have 10 nostrils.

Rotkappchen

I went to my German class last night and it was good. We worked as a class telling a fairy tale in German. The instructor was at the board and we worked together to tell the tale of Little Red Riding Hood.

I had to introduce myself to the class in German so the teacher could gauge my ability. I got nervous and failed miserably. He asked where I'd studied German and I couldn't think of the words so I sat there and finally blurted out DLI in English. He apologized thinking I was purposely trying to withhold that information, which I wasn't. That detail just made it more embarrassing, like I should have known more. After that brief awkwardness everything went smoothly. I'm glad Yago made me sign up for it. He's a really good husband.

Oprah just started and I love Jamie Lee Curtis. She's funny and has interesting things to say. Incidentally, I'm a little mad at AFN for moving Oprah from 0800 to 0900. That throws a monkey wrench in to my schedule. I'll have to figure it out.

bummer

I wrote a post earlier, a long one about our trip and my day today but the Internet hates me. I hit the publish button and lost my connection, now it's gone. You'll have to wait until I'm in the mood to write again.

back from the wizard

(I found the draft so I don't hate the Internet anymore.)

So we all survived the trip. I'm still tired and a little jetlagged but it's getting better. I have some emails that I need to reply to but I'm not sure when I'll get to that.

Our trip was fun. We went to Oklahoma City for the brother-in-law's wedding. It was more fun than I'd anticipated. I met lots of relatives from Nebraska, everyone was excited that we're moving there. Then we went to Council Bluffs for a few days to visit my family. We were busy non-stop but it was nice to see everyone, even if only for a few days. We looked at some subdivisions near the base to get an idea of what was available and are confident we'll find something suitable over the summer.

I went to the gym for the first time in a few weeks today. How shall I describe it? It sucked. I wanted to get some exercise and feel like I accomplished something but two minutes in to the workout all I wanted to do was stop. I cut it short and decided baby steps was better than wearing myself out and getting sick again.

I'm taking a German class tonight and have a feeling I'll be in way over my head. I'm starting German III when it's been 16 years since I studied German. I don't remember much vocabulary or the cases but it's non-credit hours so it doesn't matter. At least I'm doing something, even if it's late in the game.

I didn't take pictures while we were on leave which is a real shame. Sam was the ring bearer and he was so cute that everyone moaned when he took the flower girl's hand at the end and walked down the aisle. I overheard several people talking about him at the reception. Ralphie had a little suit and all the grandparents GUSHED! It was adorable and quite amusing to watch them all. I'm disappointed I didn't take any photos.

off to see the wizard

It's time to go. I'll be offline for almost a couple weeks. Wish me luck on the flight!

advice

A tidbit of advice for my readers (reader)...

When you are getting over a killer chest cold don't go crazy working your abs. Yago declared Saturday was my day to do whatever I wanted with the car and go to the gym if I so desired. (His car is still sitting in a parking lot at a garage somewhere, he won't let me see it.) I went for an easy (slow) two mile jog, did some crunches and then found the Nautilus ab crunch machine. I felt good when I left but the feeling faded Sunday when I was coughing and holding my sore belly. Not too smart.

dread

Yago and I are DREADING the plane ride coming up tomorrow. Oh my god. I just want it to be over. That baby is going to be the target of death stares the entire day tomorrow. He doesn't have a seat and will be writhing and hollering the whole time. Even Schmitty was difficult to contend with at that age. It's the worst because they want to be down exploring, not nailed to a seat for nine hours. He doesn't have an attention span long enough to distract with any activity.

We're leaving the house at 6:00 tomorrow with a bunch of stuff; luggage, carseat, pack n' play. Ugh. That means have everything ready tonight and wake up about 4:00. Yuck.

Easter was okay but uneventful. We got a bunch of snow and Schmitty spent the day playing outside. Seriously, from 8:30 until about 5:30 he was playing with neighborhood kids. They had a snowball fight out front and there are little clumps of evidence stuck to the house.

This morning was our last morning walking Isaiah to the bus stop, they're moving while we're in the states. It's a little bit of a relief.

The screaming meany woke us up at 3:30 this morning and didn't go back to sleep until 5:00 so I'm tired today. I'd try to sleep but I'm too stressed about all the things I need to pack.

I'd better go start...

fashion time warp

I'm in a fashion time warp these days but I don't mind much. It's because I lost about five pounds and can fit in to jeans that went out of style a few years ago. They were probably too young for me when I bought them but I've dragged them out years later for a revival regardless of how ridiculous I look. Given the rocky road situation I don't see this as I problem I'll be dealing with much longer.

Ralphie's discovered a screech that can only be compared to nails on a chalkboard just in time for our transatlantic flight next week. It'll be a good time.

Happy Birthday, Ralphie!

Just when I get used to my baby he has to change things up on me. We've had a morning nap routine for months now. It's when I relax, read, watch Oprah and do the sudoku. No more. He's decided he doesn't need a morning nap now that he's one. Sigh.

I made Ralphie a chocolate chip cake today and overcooked it a bit. I'm sure he'll eat it but I'll be glad to have a normal stove again when we move. I don't know if it's the celsius that causes my problems baking or what. Also? While waiting for the cake to bake I might have eaten the rest of the rocky road. (I did leave a bit for Schmitty tonight.) I have about 34 calories left to consume today. I'm sure they'll be tasty.

Hopefully, I'll be posting some birthday pictures tonight.

One more thought, I was extra nice to Isaiah this morning.

a rocky road ahead

Grrr. Tomorrow is my little diablo's birthday so I bought some ice cream today in preparation for tomorrow's festivities. Yago had a work thing to do tonight so I decided Schmitty and I should break it out a little early. Our little secret. I ate half the darn carton!!! And it was a big carton. I'm not sure who to blame here. (not myself, obviously) I could blame Ralphie for having a dumb birthday. Or Schmitty for being so enthusiastic about a special treat.

karma

Schmitty and Isaiah got in to it this morning and I lost my temper. Schmitty was telling Isaiah to get off the couch and Isaiah wasn't responding. (I almost daily have to tell Schmitty that he doesn't need to worry about correcting Isaiah, that I'll take care of it.) Anyway, the bickering began and I yelled at both of them to stop talking and go to the door. "Let's go!"

I could go on with the mundane story but finally, halfway to the bus stop, I realized Isaiah was having a hard morning because he missed his mom. Then I felt bad for being so rough on him because I remembered having to drop Sam off after a rushed morning when he didn't want me to go to work. I felt awful for not being nicer and more understanding, as I wanted Schmitty's caretakers to be.

That's what's been on my mind all morning.

eye eye

I had my eyes dilated today to test for glaucoma. They even took pictures of my cups! Talk about feeling violated... Yago couldn't stop making fun of me. We joked the whole way there about asking for a prescription for medicinal marijuana. Turns out I don't have glaucoma, darn it.

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day and during the walk to the bus stop Schmitty told Isaiah his dad was out "fetching gold today." It was pretty funny. He also told Isaiah that he found a house leprechaun in the morning and put it in his backpack.

Well, time to go feed my little leprechaun.

Nearly One

I had a realization this morning. Sort of. Ralphie is almost a year old already, that means the big food transitions that come with turning one!

He won't need rice cereal and formula for breakfast anymore and I was thinking of what foods I used to transition Sam. I mean it's not like he can feed himself a bowl of corn flakes yet. I realized that I never really did a breakfast transition with Sam because he was in daycare. He got whatever the daycare ladies gave him, or my parents. I usually worked six days a week because I was in the Reserves too.

Lately, I've been thinking about how Sam wasn't much older than Ralphie when I applied to OTS. I can't believe I did that sometimes but it was the most stable job option I could think of. I'd do it for a few more years and then not have to worry so much... I'd be retired.

Well, Ralphie just slammed his hand in a drawer... Time to comfort.

poo

I feel like poo. This weekend has not been a good one.

My sister's favorite dog, her third child, died. I feel awful for her. It was so dramatic, I can't even imagine. I want to call her but the time difference thing again. From what I've gathered, someone that was doing an estimate at her house didn't close the gate and the dog got out. They found the dog drowned in a frozen lake shortly thereafter. Terrible.

Yago and I were going to go out to dinner last night. Yago was starving but took Sam to go stay at a friend's house and on his way home got in an accident. No one was hurt but his car is in bad, bad shape.

I worked out for the fifth day in a row on Friday and knew it was too much but ran three miles anyway. It felt awful the whole time I was fighting myself to not stop the treadmill. Now I just spit some green-yellowish stuff and my chest is killing me. I brought it on myself. I ran 4 miles Thursday and felt worn out on Friday but I wanted to earn enough calories to go out to dinner. Damn diet program. I'm sure that weakened my immune system and is why I'm sick.

I can't stop thinking about poor Mistress of MooMoo. Maybe I'll call and wake her up.

lonesome

The time changed in the states but it doesn't change here until the end of the month. That means my daily email and blog checks are off an hour, very inconvenient.

date to remember

I have a real problem remembering dates lately. I was at the gym talking to a mother with a similarly aged child, she asked when Ralphie's birthday was and I said the 25th. THAT'S NOT RIGHT!! And? I didn't even realize it until a couple of hours later when I was thinking about the conversation.

Add to that, most of the time I couldn't tell you when my anniversary is. I saw anniversary marked on the calendar and was trying to think of whose anniversary it was. It took a few minutes to realize it was mine. Duh. Yago's happy because that means he can't be faulted if he forgets.

false starts

This morning I layed in bed convinced it was Saturday. I was trying to think of what I could throw together for the Cub Scout bake sale at 9:00 and remembering I still hadn't picked up a gift for an afternoon birthday party. I was thinking of brownies and a trip to the toy store when I realized it was Thursday. Ugh. And raining. I had to get out of bed and walk to the bus stop in the rain. I hate days that start like that.

I've been doing really well going to the gym this week and have lost a couple of pounds. I know (recognize) most of the other mothers at the gym now. It's amazing how much better I feel if I get a little sweaty!

give them cake

I have had a terrible time resisting cake lately. I made a banana cake last Thursday and ate 2/3 of it. Then at the commissary today they were giving away cake samples at the bakery counter so I got one for me and one for Ralphie. Unfortunately, Ralphie didn't eat his fast enough so I had to eat most of his.

I'm not bragging, I'm just sayin'...

My baby can be cute and charming when he wants to be.

I went to the gym today and for the second time he played in the corral with the other kids. In less than half an hour, one of the girls had her skirt off. That's a charming boy that can get an older woman out of her skirt in 26 minutes. Shortly thereafter, he was laying on the mat with another girl laying next to him carressing his bald little head.

He's got some skills, that's all I'm sayin'.

i'm the cat by the bar toasting to the good life...

Yago and I went out for the first time in a long time without the kiddos. A girl from church came over and babysat for us, it was terrific.

We dressed up and it was like a real date! A little cocktail while drying my hair even... We went to a sushi restaurant because that's the kind of place you can't go with small children. It reminded me how much I enjoyed dating him.

I was going to post some "day in the life" pictures today but my camera is low on batteries so I decided against starting something I couldn't finish. (A bit unusual for me.) It would have been a good one because I went and talked to Schmitty's teacher today. You would have gotten to see his school, even though it's a series of boring government tan buildings.

He brought home a test on counting money last week and he did very poorly. I wanted to talk to the teacher and make sure it was an anomoly, not a new trend. Yago went with me and then we had lunch together at a little Turkish joint. I'm stuffed.

Tomorrow, I'm meeting a spouse from Yago's squadron and driving to some basket factory. Or something like that. I don't remember exactly but it involves a stop at a chocolate factory on the way home so it won't be that bad. Maybe I'll take my camera even though it won't be a typical day. It'll give the appearance my life is more interesting than it truly is.

It's snowing like cats and dogs here but it's not sticking. It's just ruining my hair. The baby's screaming which means he needs a little attention.

things to remember

There are a few things I need to remember in the morning:

1. It's light out when I take Sam to the bus stop now. I should check my face (cheeks) for yesterday's mascara before I head out. (And a brush wouldn't be uncalled for either.)

2. In case I want to talk to someone in the morning it would be polite to brush my teeth first. I'm not trying to scare people away with morning AND coffee breath.

3. Sometimes I should change it up and not schlup around in sweats all morning. Others may appreciate the effort of a clean pair of pants before I head out.

4. Housewife = Homeless is not the look I'm going for.

weekend travels

The realization that we're leaving Europe soon has set in and Yago wants to travel almost every weekend. We went to Strasbourg a couple of weeks ago and Saturday we went to Dusseldorf. He has some friends stationed up north and he called them to arrange our meeting at the Aquarium. They have a two and half year old son that Sam used to practice being a big brother with before Ralphie. We spent our day catching up and walking around. After the Aquarium we went to a park where the boys rolled down a hill and played. It was fun but very bad for my diet.

spankies

Over ten years ago my hair was overprocessed with a perm and fell out around my hairline. When the hair grew back in I looked funny because I had to wear my hair back for work and the little hairs would stand up straight. The rest of my hair was super curly except my short little hairs that stood straight up. My sister called them spankies.

I have spankies again, except the problem is inverted.

I lost a TON of hair a few months after Ralphie was born and it started coming in a few months ago. It's about an inch and a half long now and looks ridiculous, I hate it. This time it's not just along my hairline and it's curling at the ends. My haircut demands straight hair that I iron everyday but I inevitably get a curl crinkle about an inch from my scalp. I hate it but it makes me think of my sister calling me Spanky years ago.

more adventures in motherhood

Wasn't it just a couple of days ago I said I almost got caught with chocolate easter bunnies? Well today I got caught with a comic book that was supposed to go in an Easter basket. I left it on the table accidentally. What a retard I am.

child abuse at the gym

I had such a good work out and diet day yesterday that I was really excited to go to the gym this morning. I had gone about an hour earlier than usual and had the children's room to myself for the first few minutes. Today I showed up and there were tons of unruly children and the treadmills were in use so I had to do the elliptical. It's okay, but I feel like I accomplished something if I run for 30 mins. Anyway, I set Ralphie, buckled in his carseat, next to me instead of in the corral. If I put him in the corral without Schmitty he screams the whole time.

Back to my story. I put his carseat next to me and started my little elliptical workout when I heard a commotion followed by a screaming Ralphie. The carseat had somehow tipped on its side while he was still strapped in. I stopped and set him back up thinking that I'd put him too close to the pedal and kicked him over. (Very embarrassing in a room full of other mothers.) Afterward, a woman told me that he'd actually reached out and grabbed the pedal and that's how he flipped over.

smarty pants

It looks like (unofficially) we're moving back to Offutt in the summer, probably early June. It's coming fast and I'm already getting nervous. There's a lot to do.

I'm a genius today. I went shopping and bought some Easter candy only to forget and leave it on the counter for Schmitty to discover. He's usually all over that kind of stuff but I managed to yell at him to get out of the kitchen before he saw it. I also bought some German candy to send my neice and nephew only to discover it's filled with brandy and whiskey.

I went to the gym, as I usually do, but the treadmills were taken today. There are only two so I was kind of mad, especially because the people on them were walking. I don't know why it irritated me so much but it did. That whole room annoys me. I was thinking that I have my own treadmill, I could save myself the frustration but it's downstairs facing the circuit breakers. That's unbearably boring. Running in place in the basement staring at the circuit breakers. Maybe it'll be a better set up when we move.

a bird? a plane?

Who the heck knows. Schmitty and I went to the optometrist today. I need reading glasses so I stopped by the BX and picked up a $12 pair. I also have to go back for glaucoma tests because my "cups" on my optic nerves are too big. (It should be noted Yago couldn't stop giggling about my big cups when I called him.) Schmitty has a slight astigmatism but the dr doesn't recommend glasses yet.

Now I feel like an old lady with glasses perched on the end of my nose.

Retraction?

I was considering writing a retraction to my "evil" comment but I think it's clear to anyone who knows me that I wasn't actually insulting the program, more my willpower.

I don't have much interesting going on today but I'm a little sad about Clinton's fledgling campaign. I was really rooting for her, I still am but I'm becoming discouraged. I really think she has more to offer and a solid vision backed by plans of action. Obama is inspirational but I don't think he'll be able to do what he's claimed capable of. He's beginning to understand that as evidenced by his backpedaling on the campaign reform agreement he had with McCain.

Also? Castro has stepped down. I've been waiting for that for 15 years. I've never understood our policy with Cuba and don't understand what the Cubans in Miami are after. It's never made sense. I don't foresee a whole lot changing under Raul but it's still a big deal that Fidel's not in charge anymore.

I wish I had more interesting things to post but I don't. It's almost lunch and I'm still in my jammies procrasting a shower.

Another embarrassing moment

Today I went to the alterations shop because I ordered a skirt and it's a little big in the waist and a teensy bit longer than I wanted. I stopped by to see if it could be fixed on base because they wouldn't touch the dress I wore to my wedding. (Keep in mind, the dress wasn't a "wedding dress," just a party dress.) Anyway, I was wearing jeans and a sweater with some cute new kitten heels so I had knee-high stockings on. Well, they ushered me in to a little fitting room to put the skirt on and I had to walk out in front of what seemed like dozens of guys waiting in line wearing a black skirt with my big white knees showing over my old lady knee-high stockings. To top it off I got to pull up my shirt so the guy could pin the waist.

The worst part (besides showing off my white whale belly that housed two children) was I'd just eaten the big lunch mentioned below so the skirt wasn't really that big. Embarrassing!

Diet Power (or Diet Weakness)

A while back Yagopuchae purchased a program off the web called Diet Power, I'm convinced it's evil. You have to log every morsel you eat and it calculates the calories and your metabolism. In the morning it asks for your weight and then measures it against your goal to tell you how many calories you're allowed. Did I mention it's evil? I went out to lunch today and now I've eaten 1,000 more calories than I'm allotted. Of course, Yago has to turn everything in to a competition which means I'm losing against Diet Power AND him.

That also reminds me of the recalled beef. I'm reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and seeing the footage from the cattle processing plant is disgusting. Gross gross gross. They're claiming it's isolated but I'm sure it goes on everywhere.

Ralphie's chewing on a hairbrush, I'm not sure it he thinks he's brushing his teeth or not.

Introduction

Schmitty started a blog of his own today. We invited some readers but if you can't view it and want to just send me an email. He was excited today but I anticipate it waning shortly. I should also warn you that he chose the color motif himself...

I really think the worst part of posting is trying to figure out a title. It's like the subject lines of emails. I spend more time trying to synapsize the body into a couple of words than I do writing the dang thing. Of course, you couldn't tell that by reading my titles or subject lines because I give up.

The house is a disaster and I have a lot to do but housework is so BORING. We're having company for dinner tonight and I'm going to make chicken breasts stuffed with herbed goat cheese on top of some buttery polenta. Sam picked the menu. I don't know what to make for dessert. I made cookies yesterday but they turned out awful so I ate them all. Pitiful. So I have the housework, grocery shopping, dinner prep but I'm still in my sweats. I have managed to try to torture my new pimples and pluck a couple of eyebrows. Very productive.

To add pressure to clean the house our landlord is bringing over a potential renter to show our apt. We'll be leaving in about three months, that seems unbelievable to me.

I need to go get dressed and start my chores. Ugh.

Valentinstag

Today is Valentine's Day and I'm not wondering what Yago will get me. We don't really exchange gifts. I'm happy knowing that he loves me and I think he knows I love him. (Even though I haven't been very nice the last couple of days.) We got Sammy a little something but we celebrate it mostly as a children's holiday. I told him last night that despite the hokey sound of it, I really like our family. Of course that was before Ralphie woke up at 5:20 this morning.

I just downloaded the new Suze Orman book from Oprah.com. It's available until 5:00 pm PST today if you want to download it. I'm not sure I'll ever read it but it was free.

Something really stinks over here but I can't figure out what it is. It smells like old garbage but I'm only getting occassional whiffs at the dinner table.

I've really been trying to workout again in another effort to drop a few pounds. I sabotage it with my diet though. The nightly ice cream isn't doing me any favors.

spam

I've been emptying my junk mail at Yahoo and discovered I've been spamming myself. I've been sending myself notifications that my prescriptions are ready. Sweet.

The terror (church mouse) is uncommonly cute today. He's sitting around chewing on his index finger.

Ooh la la

Last Saturday morning, on a whim, we went to France. Yagopuchae decided we should have an adventure so I got in the shower and we settled on a trip to Strasbourg. I'll miss that when we go back to the states. There's no laying in bed on a Saturday morning and discussing a drive to France. We ate pastries, I had a Quiche Lorraine. Schmitty and Yago had a pastry that smelled like swamp feet.

no olympic medal on the horizon for him

So it seems my time with Isaiah has come to a close. His mother has enrolled him in before and after care on base. I was pleasantly surprised at how well he listened to me and followed my rules, not to say it was roses every morning... Schmitty is accustomed to running to the bus stop with me in the morning. Isaiah? Not so much. But he did run in the rain with me one day when we were late so I can't fault him.

Have I mentioned I'm digging the wireless? To hell with housework and laundry!! I have the internet back!

my babbling brook

Yago just set up our wireless last night so I'm not longer having to write and fight Ralphie for the trash can at the same time. He just woke from his morning nap and is upstairs babbling (loudly). I'll let him babble for a few minutes...

I spent the last few days trying to squeeze a pimple on my lip, it's finally exploded to a full blown coldsore. Yuck. They're so gross and I hate the stigma attached to them. The first one I got was in fourth grade or something, it's not like I was doing nasty things. Why does a person feel so ashamed to have a coldsore?

Last night I made homemade focaccia again, that stuff is evil good. I can eat the entire loaf/batch whatever. Sam helps me and we have a good time making it. He pokes the indentations, brushes it with olive oil, and sprinkles the parmesan cheese on top. It's so tasty.

Well, the babbling has turned in to crying and shouting. Time to go.

Sometimes kids are a real pain...

I'm sitting here watching Ralphie get in to everything he possible can. Cords galore in the drawers of the desk.

A few minutes ago I was trying on the new clothes that just came in and caught him eating a clump or dirt he'd pulled out of a plant. Grrr. Can't a girl try on her new clothes without her baby eating dirt?

I just finished bathing him... He pooped ALL over himself and the changing table so I gave him a bath. During the bath he puked (spit up) so I had to start over. I finished and took him out and carried him to the changing table I had just cleaned when he spit up down my back. Which reminds me, I forgot to change my shirt. I cleaned him up, AGAIN.

Schmitty's piano teacher loaned him a metronome but he lost it. I've searched all over this house and can't find it. Today I went and bought Schmitty and his teacher each one (to replace the lost one). Sixty Euro!!! That's about $100!!!

Ralphie's messing with the trash can now. Busy busy busy. He's like a dog that pulls out the dirty tissues and eats them. Really. I'd better go change my shirt and try to make the house look like I did some work today.

The kids...

The mornings with Isaiah have gone well, he hasn't misbehaved at all. I was ready for a battle but it never came. Ralphie on the other hand is a different story.

He figured out how to open cabinets and pull things out. Yesterday he broke my medium sized mixing bowl. He knows how to turn off the tv even though we never use the button on the tv. How did he figure that out? On the plus side, he's quit biting my fingers when I try to brush his teeth with the finger puppet toothbrush thingy.

He's ten months old and I was thinking that Sam was 10 months old when he last saw his biological father. It's strange to think about, it doesn't seem that long ago.

Speaking of fathers... Today was job shadow day. I tried to talk Sammy in to shadowing a housewife but he wasn't interested. He went to work with Yago again this year. He wore a tie and nice pants but not a full blown suit, he was adorable.

What have I done?

This morning at the bus stop I offered to start taking a Kindergartener in the morning. His mother was there for the first time and I was thrilled there was another mom to talk to. Unfortunately, she starts a new job on Monday.

It was her first time taking Isaiah to the bus stop and she was surprised how dangerous it is. (I watch Isaiah almost every morning run around and not listen to the high schooler that's supposed to be babysitting him.) I told her that even though Sam's in second grade I go with him every morning and make him stand away from the bus stop. (As evidenced during our conversation, Sam was the only kid a decent distance from the busy road.) I was actually happy she was concerned because I always wondered why she didn't walk with him in the morning when I knew she wasn't working.

Anyway, I told her she could drop him by our house in the mornings on her way to work and he could walk with Sam, Ralphie and me. Now I'm wondering if Isaiah will listen to me any better than he listens to the other babysitters. I hope so. I think I'm meaner.

Please, let it be tired.

I'm having a problem with my eyes again, I keep losing focus. The same thing happened to me when Sam was a baby. I went and got glasses but a few months later my eyes were fine. I blamed it on being tired and having a job where I just stared at computer screens all day.

Well, it's the same thing. I can't hardly pluck my eyebrows. I can't read directions on packages and I can't read my books. If I rub my eyes I get a few seconds before I lose my focus again. At night, I just read by guessing what the words are.

I don't know if that's how one loses vision. I thought things just got fuzzy and you couldn't see anymore. Not that you could see them for a few seconds and then it felt like your eyes were crossing.

Anyway, I spent ridiculous amount on two pairs of designer glasses when Sam was a baby but when I moved to TX they never made the trip. I didn't care because I didn't need them anymore. I've decided I'm either getting old and need glasses or I'm just tired and need to rest. I really wish more sleep helped.

Now I'm trying to make an appt at the optometry clinic and not having any luck. I called about a month ago and they were booked. They told me to call back and try again in a few weeks. I called today but they're closed on Wednesdays. Of course. That's how it always is. If I show up to get the baby vaccinated it's always on a day the immunizations clinic is closed. Whatever. Thank you military health system.

Oh baby!

My little baby is turning in to a big terror. He's a crawling machine that recently learned how to pull himself up.

He's in to everything and if I thought I didn't get much rest before, it's worse now.

He sprouted several new teeth since Barcelona, he now has six.

Soon, he won't be a baby anymore.

And? We're still fighting The Garmisch Gurgles.

The Garmisch Gurgles

The inlaws just left on Sunday. It was fun having them but I'm happy to have the house back to normal.

We all went to Garmisch, Germany, for a few days while they were here. Yago and I were concerned that his brother and fiancee would be bored sitting around the house in January so we booked some rooms at Edelweiss. It was wonderful. Yago's parents had an adjoining room and it turned out better than you might think since it wasn't planned that way.

His parents volunteered to watch Ralphie so the rest of us could all ski together. I feel like I finally learned to ski and Sam did great. We didn't stick to bunny slopes this time, we went down actual runs. Like real skiers! It was the family ski trip I've been trying for years to achieve. It was really, really fun. Even the accidental detour was funny--afterward. And the, "No pizza! No pizza!" I'd have to explain that in person, it just wouldn't be funny on the blog.

It seems Schmitty and I came home with a stomach virus of some sort. Schmitty's is REALLY bad. He's spent most of the last couple of days either curled up in a ball or on the toilet. My tummy hurts, but not as bad as his. Yago dubbed our condition "The Garmisch Gurgles."

That's about all that's been going on over the past week or so...

Barcelona

I should talk a litte about our trip but I'm not really sure what to say. We had a nice time, went to the aquarium, zoo, Guell Parc and La Sagrada Familia. We ate tapas and drank sangria.

One thing about Barcelona, there aren't any high chairs. That makes it a little complicated for those traveling with babies. Also? Restaurants are hard to come by. Especially family restaurants. On New Year's Eve and Day.

We had a good breakfast at a place across from the train station and went back for dinner on NYE. We were served pork tripe. Yago and I choked down a couple of pieces but Sam loved it. Said it was the best pork he'd ever had. Hmph.

Oh! I almost forgot my ROOKIE mistake. I still can't believe I did it. I ordered hamburguesas for Sam at a restaurant. I saw hamburguesas on the menu, they came with fried eggs and potatoes. I asked the waiter for a hamburguesa and papas fritas thinking I'd get those items a la carte. Not so. Out comes a plate with two hamburger patties (sans buns), two fried eggs and fried potatoes. Jason insisted I didn't know Spanish and hamburguesa must really mean breakfast. I spent the rest of the trip having him nag me every morning not to be late for hamburguesa. I should have remembered that hamburgers don't come with buns!!!

The choices...

For some reason I feel the need to write about the primaries. Yago keeps asking what I see in Clinton, looking for an explanation of her appeal. I can't really give an answer but I've been mulling it around for about a week or so.

I think it's because she's what I wish I could have been. I don't like to whine about the gender gap and all but it does exist. I know it and she knows it.

I didn't give it much thought until I got out of the military and saw people less qualified than me getting paid more. Men (one man in particular, Dwight Cole) used to sleep on the job but was favored over me by management. I was his shift supervisor but he made the same pay. I was appalled.

I think back to when I was an A1C. During shift change,everyone was at the table doing change over and my supervisor (Nate) and another NCO (Denny) were talking about something they saw on TV. My supervisor said it was evidence all women were whores. No one said anything, including myself, because who wants to be that person? The one whining about equal treatment. It's a label you'll never get rid of.

When you're a woman you can't be too pretty or too ugly. Your hair has to be a certain way. Men just wear it short but women have to do something else. You have to look polished but not severe. You can't wear too much makeup but you have to wear some. You can't be silly but you have to have a sense of humor. You have to directive but not bitchy. Friendly but not flirtatious... These are all difficult things to navigate. It can be done but it's not easy. She knows.

Also, I remember when she published the book It Takes a Village. I was trying to raise Sam and depended heavily on my family. It did take a village. I remember 15 years ago when she was pushing for health care reform, this is not a new platform for her just because she's running for president.

I admire her ambition from a young age. She worked on the Watergate hearings. I never would have had the confidence to put myself out there in my 20s. Hell, not now in my mid 30s. She had a very successful career at Rose Law Firm (I think that was the name of it). She had bigger ambitions though that she gave up to live in Arkansas with Bill so that he could run for Attorney General and Governor.

She's worked and raised a daughter and sacrificed for her husband's career. I'm sure she's had to miss some of Chelsea's moments and regretted the time away. Men miss things too but I don't think it sticks to their conscience the way it does with women. I think we're wired that way.

Her mother lives with her. Again, I can relate. I see it as another issue she has direct experience with.

While I love Obama also, I feel like Clinton knows more about my life. I wish they could both win because I find myself rooting for them both. I think they could both do extraordinary things.

A traveling we will go...

Tomorrow we'll be on our way to Barcelona. I'm glad we're going but rethinking spending a week there. A week is too long almost anywhere, except maybe Disney World. I love Disney World.

I'm supposed to be showering but had to post quickly because I won't have the opportunity again for a week or so.

We had a great Christmas. Sammy made his Christmas list on Christmas Eve, not a good idea for any little boy or girl. Luckily, Santa already planned on getting him about half of what was on there. Unfortunately, he was a little low on "suit to make me invisible" and "robot to do my chores." Santa also forgot to make sure he left batteries for the all-important RoboSapien. Darn Santa. Dad went out this morning and got the batteries, so all is well.

It was a really good Christmas. Schmitty came in our room at 4:30 and asked if he could open presents yet. I sent him back to bed until 6:00 but then Yagopuchae decided he was awake and we might as well get up. Hmph. I can't complain too much, he did make dinner. We had a tasty roast and relaxing day.

We went to the local Christmas market on the 23rd, it was bittersweet because it was our last. We only got to go to one this year and we only went once. Christmas markets are a highlight of the season. There are food booths serving local specialties (sausages on fresh, crusty rolls) and gluhwein. There are also local gifts for sale. Little toys and trinkets, it's all very quaint and gives you the happy holiday spirit that you don't get shoving your way through a packed mall looking for a bargain. Maybe the gluhwein contributes to the happy feeling...

Anyway, off to Spain tomorrow. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and has a Happy New Year!

Am I Wrong?

I think it's wrong that I wish the F-15E was grounded or in danger of falling apart midflight.

Finally

Yes, Yagopuchae is finally back!! I would post a picture of him at the PAX terminal but I forgot my camera, of course. His commander and a person who I think is the squadron deployment guy were there too.

He got back about 8:00 Saturday morning. We're all so happy to have him home, things feel normal again. Or at least as "normal" as they were before. Yago took Schmitty out bowling for a man afternoon and I'm making some apple cobbler stuff with the angry baby.

Well, maybe I'll post more tomorrow because I'm also done with work for FY 08!!!

What a Break

Well, tomorrow is my last day of work. I'm pretty excited about that. I worked with some really interesting guys, I was the only girl representing A6. It was fun.

Ralphie has been sick and is very congested but I'm hoping once he's out of the CDC he'll be back to his normal self.

I'm exhausted and going to bed. There was a lot I was going to write about but I think I'd rather go to sleep. Hopefully, Yagopuchae is starting his trek home. Which reminds me, one of the guys at work wore a Star Trek tie tack last week. I've given him endless crap about it ever since. How funny. It looked like he sent in $3.95 and four UPC symbols off of a cereal box.

Oh. And I took my PT test, I scored an 88.75. That's my personal best so I'm happy with it. (75 is passing, I think)

Cliche

I know it's cliche but it occurred to me that I didn't post anything that I'm thankful for...

I am thankful for my family. All of it.

I'm thankful for my friends. Both of them.

I'm thankful that I don't have to work anymore. (Except the next three weeks.) It's now someone else's job to make sure Sam doesn't have to sleep with the bugs.

A Home Gym

So, I haven't posted in a long time but I've been working and blogger is blocked at work.

In my office the guys all do pushups and situps about 3 times a day. I do about 25 of each and I've been trying to jog 3 times a week. I didn't realize how much I missed moving around until I started again. I feel great afterward, not always during. ANYWAY. When I change clothes at the gym I can totally see my abs and from a distance it looks good. The problem is, when I get home I can't see anything. It's something with the lights at the gym so I wish I could bring home the gym lights. It'd really be good for my self-esteem.

Dazed and Confused

I woke up this morning at 7:00, way late. I usually start hitting snooze at 6:00 and get out of bed at 6:30. When I opened my eyes and saw it was 7:00 I panicked. From my bed I yelled, "Laurie! Laurie! We're late, get up!" I kept shouting, "Laurie!" knowing it wasn't right. I was looking at Sam's bedroom, envisioning his face but I couldn't think of what name I should have been calling. Isn't that funny? It finally came to me, but the fact that I woke up shouting, "Laurie!" amused me.

The Great Pumpkin

We went to a pumpkin patch on Monday with some cub scouts. We had a really good time running around a corn maze and eating lunch together.

Whew.

I worked last week and all I can say is, "Whew." It was nice being back in a work environment with adults and whatnot but I don't know I couldn't do it on a permanent basis. It's way too hard to do anything at home.

Everday my house would get a little messier and I'd think I'd fix it that night but there was never time. I'd be so stressed out if I stayed in the AF, I wouldn't enjoy anything. I kind of feel like this way I can have my cake and eat it too. It'll only be a few weeks of work but I'll get to talk to people and meet different people and then know that when it's over I can go back to taking care of things at home.

I'd say it's a pretty good arrangement. Now if I could just get the husband home...

I'll spare you the picture... for now.

I went rollerskating with Sammy last night and forgot my camera. Why do I keep doing that? I charge it and then forget to bring it. ...But that's not the picture I'm talking about.

The skate was for kids of deployed parents. I went expecting to watch (and listen) to Sam whine all evening but someone generously offered to keep an eye on Ralphie so I could skate with Schmitty. I nervously donned my skates, something I hadn't done in many many years.

We got out there and after a couple laps of wall hanging he agreed to hold my hand. We zipped around the rink but eventually my luck ran out. I fell right on my kiester. I forgot how much that hurts... Anyway, I'm sure it'll bruise up nicely and that's the picture I will spare you all.

We had a really good time, it was the first time in a long time that I got to interact with Sam without Ralphie taking priority. I think it was important, I forgot how much fun we have sometimes. I even told him maybe we could go back just the two of us when Dad gets home. He was pleased, he thought Dad had to be deployed for us to do that.

What the Heck??

I just came home from Schmitty's football practice. I spent the hour laughing and talking to the other parents. As I was logging in to Blogger I realized my shirt is unbuttoned from the chest down. I've been walking around since God knows when with my shirt unbuttoned from Ralphie's last feeding!!! I'm completely *Agh* I can't even think of the right word! Well, I'm sure all the ladies enjoyed the peeps at my white fleshy belly.

Yagopuchae ordered me some fair trade coffee. I haven't been able to try it yet because I have to use up the rest of our unfair trade coffee first. I'd just like to validate my addiction to Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch ice cream by saying they use fair trade coffee.

I'd also like to blame Mickity and StuckinMD for falling off the wagon. The Ben & Jerry's wagon. Mickity got me back in to eating ice cream with her proclamation of Creme Brulee yumminess. I thought it was innocuous enough since I couldn't buy it in Germany. But then StuckinMD reminded me of my Coffee Heath Bar Crunch habit and I just bought one little pint... What could go wrong? Unfortunately, I started looking for reasons to go to the commissary and I couldn't pass up a pint of ice cream. Each time I promised myself I would only have a scoopful per serving. But every night one thing would lead to another and I'd be scraping the bottom of the container wishing I had more. Thanks.

It's been almost two weeks since I've had any but I think about it every time I stop by the commissary.

Runaway Fingers

I read my last post and wonder what the heck my fingers were doing when my brain was telling the what they were SUPPOSED to be typing. Holy crap, I sound like a retard. Whatever, I'm always in a hurry with the background "music" provided by Ralphie. I'm lucky anything makes it to the keyboard.

I thought of something cool that I could send Yago today but I didn't write it down and now for the life of me I can't remember what I was going to fill the box with. Hmmm.

Disruptions...

I haven't been able to blog or email much because I moved Ralphie's "crib" in to the computer room in hopes of a better night's sleep. Now when he naps and sleeps it's in the office. That's when I normally would used the computer, when it was quiet. Hence, no emails or blog entries.

Little Ralphie has a cold, poor guy. He tries to eat and blows snot in and out. Very gross since he's still nursing. I've been trying to get him to take a bottle more with mixed results. We was doing all right until he got sick.

Anyway, I had plenty of amusing antecdotes but can't remember any of them now. I'd better go watch Judge Judy, er, I mean do some housework.

The Green Green Grass of Home

I realized last week the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Again.

I've been kind of looking forward to a chance to work again, even if it's as a Reservist. I fantasized about interacting with people where the commonality wasn't our children. Our children wouldn't be the foundation of all our conversations. I could interact with people that would make jokes and perhaps even pull a prank.

Then I went to put Ralphie on the CDC waiting list.. Later that day I watched him start to doze in his carseat and he was so adorable. I didn't want to leave him with anyone else. I didn't want him to have a day separate from mine, if that makes sense. I didn't want to fret about what or how he was doing. Was he upset? Crying? Screaming?

It's good to have a reminder every now and again that I made the right decision to get out of the AF, even if I did give up A LOT of money over my lifetime.

Of course it's easy to say now because Ralphie's sleeping...

My Little Buddy

Little Schmitty is so smart and makes me proud. He had cub scouts last night and they were supposed to talk about their state flag. (They're military kids so they don't really have a home state.)

I told him I'd look up some stuff online and go over it with him after school. We chose the Oklahoma state flag because it was more interesting than the Nebraska one. I was rushing around while we talked about it and he asked me to write some of it down for him. I jotted down some quick notes and we went to the den meeting. Unfortunately, we left the notes and the little flag at home.

During the meeting we went around the table so the kids could talk about their flag. There were pictures in the book of the flags but only 2 other kids even knew what state they were supposed to talk about. When it was Sam's turn I could tell he was nervous but he remembered everything. The other parents were looking to see if he had all the information written down and were amazed that it was from his memory.

The shield is from the Osage warriors and is made from buffalo hide.

The six white crosses (stars) represent high ideals.

There are seven eagle feathers that hang from the shield.

The peacepipe and olive branch represent peace.

The blue background represents the flag the *Choctaw soldiers carried during the Civil War.

*He forgot the Indians were Choctaw.

Identity Crisis Part II

Guess who I met at the commissary today? That's right, Ms. Hall. Schmitty pointed her out in the parking lot but I couldn't see her, her back was to us. I studied her back side (not her derriere) and thought her hair was pretty yellow but maybe that was because she was wearing a yellow sweater. I decided to give her (me) the benefit of the doubt and think the sweater wasn't flattering to her hair color.

Inside, I got to see her close up and saw her face. My God! She must have been 50!! I was very disappointed. Stupid me, spending all those years trying to get a suntan. Yagopuchae would still be peeing himself laughing if he had been there.

Identity Crisis

Thursday night was Open House at Sam's school. When I entered his classroom his teacher, Mrs. Whalen, looked taken aback. I greeted her and she told me I looked just like a Kindergarten teacher named Ms. Hall. Hmph. Didn't think too much of it.

After talking to Ms. Whalen we went to the free spaghetti dinner put on by the PTO. We ate and left the cafeteria. A little kid followed us in to the hallway and yelled, "Ms. Hall! Ms. Hall!" I looked around and realized he thought I was Ms. Hall. I told him I wasn't her and he went back in the cafeteria.

I grinned and shrugged at Sam. He said, "Well, you do look a lot like her." I said, "She must be a very pretty lady..." Sam gave me a sideways look and didn't answer. I don't think that was very nice of him. Yagopuchae thought it was hilarious.

Whiny Kids

So much for a holiday today. I was looking forward to taking Sam bowling and hanging out but we battled instead. I always feel like I'm losing the war.

The thing is, I think Sam is genuinely a good kid but he has spells where I just don't know what to do with him. In the middle of it I would just like to throttle him (but don't). I try to stop the yelling match and make him calm down and I think we're making progress until he loses control again. He starts talking (yelling) back and it sets me off again. It's a downward spiral. He screamed and hollered so loud today I was humiliated because I knew people down the street could hear him. I couldn't get him to stop. God. He used to be so cute.

Aging Rock Stars

Anything more pathetic than an aging rock star? You bet. An aging fan. I watched part of the Diana concert earlier and when Duran Duran hit the stage I had to laugh. Middle-aged women dancing and singing along. Poor Duran Duran. I bet they think about all the hot women that attended their concerts 20 years ago every time they perform. I'd give up performing just so I wouldn't have to watch the old ladies swing their hips. They look like they're barking at the moon. Hooowwl. (I must admit I sang along with Ralphie on my lap and he look quite puzzled about my singing.)

Sammy went skating with a neighbor that he can't decide if he likes or not. Now I'm sitting here lonely with a lemon bundt cake I just made from scratch. I know how it'll turn out and it's not pretty.

Baby cries and momma signs off.

Buried in my own crap

The unpacking isn't going so well. I'm buried and can't dig my way out. It's making me super irritable too, I'm constantly snapping at Sam. (Like it's his fault.) Even when I get a suitcase unpacked I shipped myself a boatload of boxes so then I have those to unpack too. I can't keep up with it all. Plus? Two and a half months of mail? It's a lot. The counter is covered and I can feel Yago cringing at the thought of the kitchen counter covered in paper.

I got my hair trimmed yesterday and Petra cut the "style" out of it. Now it's just a really short bob instead of being angled. I'm disappointed but I'll let it grow a little and try again. As soon as I sat down she looked at me and said, "You lost a lot of hair, didn't you? I can see it." Um, yeah. That's great. I'm going to look like Mary the secretary. (Only Mickity knows who I'm talking about.)

Time to go dig some more. See what I can find in my mountains of crap.

Not a Love Machine

Ralphie is a toot machine. A great big smile-wearing toot machine. Watching him smile and toot makes me laugh.

I put him down for his morning nap while he was awake and he went to sleep in his bassinet. I'm so excited. I put him in the bassinet last night and he hollered for 40 minutes and then slept for 50 mins. I guess it's baby steps. At least baby steps in the right direction.

I'm really tired today and I look it. I have a zillion things to do but can't remember what they are now that I'm ready to go. I hate that. I'll run the errands I remember and then tomorrow I'll kick myself for not taking care of B and C while I was right there taking care of A. (If that makes sense.)

Compliment?

So what am I supposed to say when people comment on Ralphie's "perfectly shaped head"? I've been responding with, "Thank you." It seems weird and feels like it's dangerously close to an insult. I guess I can't complain after Yard Dart.

I'm Ba-ack!

I was just feeling all victorious that I got Ralphie to sleep in his bassinet but then the coffee pot turned itself off and now I hear him starting to fuss. Darn it. I need to win the battle of wills but I'm losing miserably. He senses my weakness.

Sooo, what a summer. What a trip back. I finally got home yesterday. I wasn't sure I'd ever get here, I was starting to think there was some vast conspiracy against my travel. The military couldn't get me home and then the commercial airlines couldn't get me home. I was getting desperate.

I have never been so happy to be in my own bed. Never. There is an indescribable pleasure derived from laying on your own mattress looking at a familiar ceiling. For the first time I stayed awake after flying home (well, pretty close) and then was able to sleep last night. Maybe the jet lag won't be bad after all. Sam went to bed last night without a problem. He woke around 2:00 am and told me he couldn't sleep. I told him to get in bed with me and he went back to sleep fine, so fine he didn't want to wake at 6:15.

I went to the bus stop this morning hoping to meet another mom but it was just me. It made me feel like I'm an overprotective loser but let's call a spade a spade.

I have to say, this could have been my best summer ever. I feel like I saw everyone I wanted to and had a good time. I visited family and friends that I haven't had a chance to visit in quite a while. I wish Yago could have been there (for parts of it) but I don't think he would have been able to hang.

Well, Ralphie's decided to not nap without his pacifier (me). I don't know how to convince him that sleeping on his own would make everyone happier. Apparently, not everyone would be happier.

My deepest gratitude to the friends I put out with very short notice, I love you guys.

Catch up

I haven't posted in a long time. I'm home visiting family and don't have a whole lot going on. The baby is getting better, not quite as cranky as usual. He's actually been good, so good it's irritating because (darn it!) I swear he was a grouchy little guy before I got here.

I've been trying to keep Sam busy but it can be challenging. He's resisting the morning routine of getting up and doing workbook pages. I'll have to beat him in to submission.

I've been trying to pump and it's not going so well. I'm disappointed on that front. I was hoping it'd be the secret to my freedom. Not really freedom, more like an occasional conjugal visit. Something to keep me going.

I'm running out of steam, mostly because I've been going to bed so late. I get up late and tired, don't get my shower early and then the next thing I know the day is almost gone.

I have taken Sam swimming and to the library. He checked out a book and then never touched it again. Grr. He wants to do things only if his cousins are too. It's funny and not a problem since we don't live here and I'm not working. I just pick them up and take them along.

That's about it for now. To Mickity: I'm reading your blog but haven't commented because I can't think of anything clever to say.

Because I think it's funny...

This is an email from Yago a while back...

So I was going to blog about this lady who wears sort of a burqa thing,but she gets around on a Segway. I googled for about an hour before Iremembered those things were called segways. But then I think my paintpicture may be a little too culturally insensitive, plus I'm not as goodwith paint as you all...