Tidbits of Talk {Volume 15}

Tidbits of Talk   

Friday, Friday. I can’t believe it is already Friday.  I think I say this every week.   I kept thinking this week would go by slow since we were testing two days at school but it didn’t.  So, it’s Friday. And another edition of tidbits of talk is ready to go… at least I think so.

~Work is crazy right now. It is hiring season and firing season and the end of the school year which means the kids are crazy, I am crazy and no matter how hard I work, I can’t get it all done.  Yet, oddly when I do things like type this I realize I have more done than I thought.

~ Brady and I caught the plague last week. Literally, the plague I tell you. We were on the couch together home from school sick and we are still working on feeling better. We still have yucky noses, wet coughs, and struggling with fatigue but I am optimistic we are on the mend.

"I will smile all day at the doctor when I am not the one being poked and prodded"

~ I didn’t tell you but I rented a house for a week this summer at this place. People, I am telling you that I am already counting the days down. I must find a bathing suit, a mommy suit but a cute one. I am dreaming about sitting on the screened porch at night drinking a cold beer with my husband, sipping tea in the morning with my mama and driving our golf cart to the pool and pulling our wagon to the beach each morning.

~Cool story about the quality of customer service at J.Crew. I went in there on a Thursday to return some Crewcuts stuff and shop a bit for myself.  I have a woman there, Susan Small who I work with….like she sends me emails when new stuff comes in or the store is opening early etc… She was there on Wednesday but really busy. I ended up buying a pair of white jeans, four t-shirts that were on sale and a sweater.  I was in a HUGE hurry, paid, and left. After returning to work, I realized I had forgotten to take my teacher discount of 15% (did you know about this).  I was pretty bummed since I spent $200.  That is $30 off.  So, the next day, Friday, I called spoke the person who answered the phone who told me to bring my receipt in and they would adjust it.  I got home from work and was checking the mail. There was an envelope from J.Crew. Curious what it was, I opened it to find a note from Susan along with a receipt and gift card. It read, “Sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye. We are marking everything you bought down an additional 30% this weekend.  Looked at your transaction and applied additional 30% markdown and saw you did not take 15% for teacher’s discount so applied that as well. Thanks for shopping at J.Crew”.  That is why I love this store.

~ Gas and I do not really go together. If you ask my husband, it is one of the top five annoyances provided by me in his life. I hate to get gas and always feel like I don’t have time because I am usually just in time for everything. So, more times than not, it is on empty or daringly close. Yesterday was the closest call I have had in a while. I had one line left when I picked up Cate from her nanny and took her to the pediatrician for her flu booster. Do you see the side eye below? She's a smart one I tell you. 

"I see what is in your hand and it doesn't make me happy"

When we left there, I had no lines left. I went home and did not stop because both kids were screaming and we had been in the office for almost an hour. I left the house to go get my haircut and got ½ way there when the gas light went from yellow to red. Red...never seen that before.  I wondered if I could go get my haircut and then get gas but my conscience kicked in (aka what the heck would I do if I actually ran out and how long would Glenn remind me of it) so I stopped and got gas, was late for my haircut and then got a parking ticket thanks to the awful meter maids in Chicago. Sweet. 

Brady {2.5 Edition}

So, I have sat down to right an update on Brady no less than five times and each time I walk away from my computer feeling defeated. I can't seem to put in to words how I am feeling right now when I think about him. I can't seem to articulate the fact that he has a huge part of my heart that I will never get back and I am okay with that for now. Maybe it's because I see how far he has come and the baby in him is gone. And it might have something to do with the fact that life is getting easier and I know in my heart that our family complete and there is no looking back only what lies ahead. Or maybe it is because he is my oldest and my boy. Regardless, I get emotional about him because I love him with ever fiber of my being.

He is a gentle giant. He is so very big for his age in height. He wears a size 10 shoe which is huge. But, he is gentle. So, very gentle in all the right ways. He oozes empathy, asking Cate if she okay when she cries. He says sorry even when he does not need to. He is inclusive giving us one of anything he is eating and sharing with Cate his food by feeding her himself. Most weekend days he will let us rock with him when he wakes from his nap. He lets Glenn rub his head every night as he winds down before bed. And when I carry him upstairs to go to bed, he finds that place on my shoulder where his head fits perfectly so his breath is felt on my neck and he melts in to me.

Sure, he has his moments. No and why seem to reign supreme in our house right now and there are moments when I look at Glenn bewildered by his behavior only to laugh at him three minutes later. He know what he wants and he usually finds a way to get it. I worry that the days at daycare being one of twelve is what makes him so passive and hope that we are giving him everything he needs. He soothes himself. When he was a baby it was in the form of sucking his upper lip, now he picks his lips. He picks them until they bleed which kills me because I know that he has had a rough day.

Brady and I spend a lot of time together since we commute together, I drop him off and pick him up at daycare and I get him ready in the morning. I can tell you how the morning goes the minute I get him out of bed. He is predictable, stubborn and all boy.

I asked him in the car to do what he loved. His response was, "umm...mama, cars, cheese and milk". Pretty fitting don't you think?

Tidbits of Talk {Volume 14}

Friday has gotten here quicker than I would have like it to but it is here and I am ready for the weekend. I am ready to have very little planned, for the rain to pound on our windows, so we can snuggle under blankets watching Lightning McQueen not worrying if we have to get somewhere.

~ We have five showings this weekend. We have hit 30+ showings. I am tired of trying to keep our house clean. I am tired of trying to keep Brady from being a 2.5 year old and not letting him get toys out. I am tired of having my kids in the car and making the lap around the block while some stranger looks at my house and decides it is not for them. In some ways I feel dirty… all these strangers in my house looking at my pictures, examining my decorating or lack thereof and deciding that our home is not good enough for them.

~My SIL, Laura, found out she is having a baby girl. She is due right around Cate’s 1^st birthday. I am already excited for Cate to have a cousin close to her in age and the same gender. I just know that they will have a special relationship.

~ I feel out of balance right now. I feel like there are so many things I would like to be doing and yet I can’t manage to get anything done or focus on one thing. My mind races 1,000,000 miles a minute. I am counting down until summer and I am committed to making a plan for each week that includes things to do with my kids, me things and family things that I just need to deal with.

~Speaking of time, I am obsessed with the Shades of Gray Trilogy. Have you read it? Oh my god. Sometimes, I hide my ipad if I am reading public places because the content is so inappropriate. The sex scenes are crazy but the plot is thick and I am hooked.

~So right now everything is all mommy all the time. And, yes I am grateful that I am the chosen one for bedtime, baths and teeth right now because for a long time I was not. However, I am spent and frustrated. My husband is willing and capable of helping but Brady just won’t let him do. So after doing it all with Cate, I get to do it with Brady and then there is no time left for me. And no time for Glenn and I because bottles still need to be made, bags packed and I usually have emails to reply to and papers to grade. Most people reading would say that Glenn should take over with Cate. Easier said than done because that is the only time I get with her and I need it.

~ Have you seen these two You Tube videos. If this is where we are headed, I am excited and scared for what the future holds.

Project Glass

A Day Made of Glass

Happy Weekend Friends!

Easter- Eggs, Family and Food

Easter Weekend was well- full of bunnies and flowers and eggs. Just like it is supposed to be when you dream about a perfect weekend. We were so lucky that it included both sides of our family, two gorgeous spring days complete with birds chirping and the sun shining and food, good family food that defines our two sides. I even laid on a blanket in my in-laws yard for twenty minutes in silence. Bliss I tell you.

I wish I could tell you that Cate was dressed in a pretty Easter dress and that Brady was in some attire that was Sunday church appropriate but that didn’t happen. We didn’t even make it to church. I vow next year we will but this year, well it just wasn’t in the cards.

Growing up I remember going to my Great Aunt Pat and Uncle Bob’s house every Easter to have an Easter egg hunt even after we knew the Easter bunny did not exist. They had this yard that was perfect. It was big and flat and full of places to hide eggs. The big winner was the person who found the egg with the $20 bill. I knew I had to recreate this for Brady even if it was just him.

The Easter Bunny came, a day early, to our house and the eggs were everywhere in our yard. There was no money. Just M’s (M&M’s in his terms) and jelly beans. He used his basket and found them. And then when he opened each egg and realized what was inside, his face lit up.

Even when he opened the egg and the treats did not make it in to his basket.

We convinced him that the pink ones were for her. And there were even treats she could eat in the form of cheerios inside.

There was a lot of sugar and then the letdown. This is how we found him on Sunday morning before we left for the suburbs.

Happy Tuesday friends!

Tidbits of Talk {Volume 13}

Happy Friday! Gosh, this little meme of mine has gone by the wayside the past few weeks (4 to be exact}because life has just gotten in the way. But, it’s back and I am ready to chat if anyone is reading.

~ This week has been good. It’s simple. Our household, in my opinion, is just in a good place. Maybe it’s because I have seen my parents last weekend and will see them tomorrow. Or maybe it’s because I made it to the gym three of the past six days. Or maybe it’s because my husband and I are just in a rhythm when it comes to our daily lives. Regardless, this week was good.

~ For the first spring since I started teaching, I have not been on a softball diamond this spring. I miss it. I really miss it. I miss getting dirty. I miss watching that kid who works so hard crank a ball over the fence. I miss talking to the other coaches about who should play where. But, my family is my priority. And right now and my littles need their mama at night and I need them. I can’t imagine not seeing them before they go to bed. I am hoping next spring to come back part-time just to fill my need to coach but still be home with my kids.

~ Instagram came to the Android. This is huge. Huge news people. I have watched in envy as iphone users have filled my twitter stream and facebook news feed with pictures and now I am in the club. My user name is kristifischer. Find me. I have not had a chance to play with it but I am hoping this weekend I will have my chance.

~ I find myself wanting to create an anonymous blog where NOTHING is sacred and can’t be written about. I am struggling in this space to find the voice I want to be while making sure I don’t cross lines, upset others and stay true to who I am and what I believe in.

Happy Easter! The Easter Bunny will be visiting our house and I can’t wait.

Cate- 7 Months

Seven months ago you came in to this world and today, I can't and don't want to imagine life without you in it. Cate, someday you are going to look back at this blog and I worry what you will think. I worry that you will walk away thinking I complained about you. This week, your Mimi told me I deserve you and all your drama. She said you are me. She said that you scream me. So, instead of telling you about how you fuss when you aren't held or still don't consistently sleep through the night, I am going to embrace you and tell you some things that define your seventh month.

You get so happy, so excited that you actually start panting when we pick you up or do something to make you smile.

Your cheeks are delicious and full. You have finally started eating consistently, embracing solids and enjoying being full. You are getting those chubby cheeks that I find myself kissing each night before I lay you down to go to sleep. And I yearning for the day those chubby little legs poke out of a pink romper.

You love your feet. True all babies love their feet to some capacity, but this is different. You get mad when they are in a footed sleeper. You will eat them for hours. You will eat them on your changing table, when you are sitting up at your activity mat, or when you are in the bath. Sometimes your feet and your hands are in your mouth at the same time.
You love your stinking feet.

Your brother can make you belly laugh. We can get you to giggle, but he can make you laugh this deep, raw laugh that makes me catch your dad's eye to say, "this is what life is about". This past week at mimi and paw paw's house he insisted on getting in the bath with you. You never stopped looking at him... only of course when I was trying to take your picture.

You blow raspberries all day long. You make different noises when you do it and you are pretty cute when you do it. The drool is ridiculous but I guess that is what happens when you get three teeth in 6 weeks. The teeth thing seems to bother you. Your nose runs, your cheeks get red, and you keep trying to cope with the pain. (Notice your feet on their way to your mouth.)

You are busy. Busy and curious about life. You want to touch everything and taking your picture is getting harder and harder. You tried to eat the sticker and were reaching for the letters in your name on the wall. We can't leave you in the bath because you are nosy. So nosy, we found you half way out the tub the other night.

But, I love you. For who you are because you are mine. Don't grow up to fast okay?