Last Week in February

Chicken pot pie or Tofu Pot Pie

Acorn squash rings
meatballs
cornbread muffins
Green Salad

Rice
tofu fried in garlic black bean sauce
Trader Jo chinese BBQ Pork
Watermelon

Leftovers?

Pizza

hard to pin down style

I'm putting in a bid on a post-war ranch house, with wood plank ceilings. It looks like you could shoot a catalog in it.

I'm having a hard time figuring out what kind of furniture I'd want in it. Easy to imagine Ozzie and Harriet in it, or Cary Grant with Myrna Loy, but that's not quite how I want to go.

Latest thoughts, triangulate between these:

Sundance catalog
Shabby chic (though shabby chic in general does not necessarily seem fresh to me.)

I love Midcentury, and that's around when the house was built, but it's hard to imagine the delicate lines under those big ole beams.

And this has me wondering if I should pull out of buying this house.
http://www.raincityguide.com/2009/01/11/dont-buy-a-house-that-you-like/

When Mom checks out, everyone checks out.

The day back to school after a long weekend is hard. Even if you've kept fairly close to the normal schedule, even if you didn't travel over the holiday weekend, the logistics of getting lunches and socks and out on a bike on time challenge everyone.

During the school day, I needed to take one kid to a dentist. Additionally, I dropped over at someone's house to work on a Relief Society project I wanted to participate in, something for an orphanage in another country.

I knew I was maybe pushing it, stopping by for socializing and quilting. I should have been doing chores or maybe catching up on sleep. But, I wanted to have a normal life, by my measurements. even if I had just pulled a couple weekend days as the only parent at home.

Right after school I needed to take one kid to tutoring. Which was also aggravating, because the tutor cut back her hours and the institution providing the tutoring couldn't schedule with me with an appropriate replacement. I've paid for the ten-session block in advance. The other child's tutoring, which we usually drive to after this one's, had been cancelled for their spring break.

On the way home we were talking about picking up the monopoly game the smaller children and I had laid out on the game table in the morning. But I was so tired driving, my head kept nodding.

Luckily when we got home, a toy my son had ordered from eBay had arrived. We cancelled monopoly. He played with his new toy, and she played some computer games. And I took a nap. I was out for three hours. Three prime hours of after-school time.

Now everyone is cross. They don't like the hot dogs I offered for dinner, my backup for when I didn't make anything good. They haven't done their homework or chores, so now they're overwhelmed and cross about being asked to do so.

I don't consider my lapses character flaws anymore. I consider them flaws in managing my time and resources. Still, even with greater attention to my limits, sometimes I am taken by surprise when I've collapsed.

Progress Report

I'm working through Shrink Yourself. It's starting to settle into my brain stem. I read the book but couldn't seem to concentrate on it, so I signed up for the paid online program.

I'm listening to Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani as an audiobook. It gives me a reason to stay in the kitchen long enough to clean up or do laundry.

Between my iPod Things application, consulting with an organizational expert, and reading advice books, all the things I juggle are pretty much staying in orbit and rarely anything falling. Oddly, getting a little better at this and I'm less enjoying public confession about all the things I don't do well.

My brother introduced me to Stanza, and I'm reading some Bruce Sterling-ish author.

I worry about my kids.

I'm a little stressed out when I should buy a house.

Today, I'm going shopping.

With a young teen. Recently I've given her control over her clothing allowance, and she has embraced the task. But all that investment in choosing the best style and at better prices than I would, has resulted in her NOT WANTING HER MOTHER LOOKING OVER HER SHOULDER.

Thank heaven for cell phones. Since I need to be in some other part of the mall. I'm not brave enough to drop her off and drive away--the affordable malls are not that close to home. Maybe I'll find something for my own Valentine Date tonight. Or maybe I'll play a lot of suduko.

Now he wants to watch a movie

I'm only partly through the mopping. Haven't started the bathroom. Husband comes back from meetings. Probably at the chocolate shop.

"hey, haven't you had a shower yet?"

My mother-in-law was of the opinion there was no point in taking a shower before mopping the floor. Maybe I ought to rethink that advice.

"I have an idea" he continues, "why don't you wash up, then we'll watch that Bob Dillon movie and then go out to lunch."

Grr. I got nothing done yesterday. The kids get out early, and then I'm driving them on wall-to-wall appointments until dinnertime. Then there's scouts and youth activities at the church.

He drifts in and out. I keep mopping.

Finally, I realize he doesn't know the school schedule--the kids get out early but have classes I drive them around to, right up to the point we collapse at home in front of dinner from a crock-pot. "I'm sorry," I say, "that's why I'm being so stingy with my time."

"Oh," he says, "yes, there wouldn't be time for a movie anyway."

"lunch sounds tempting,"

"well, let me know."

In my calculating brain, I know the invitation to a watch a movie is something I should be grateful for. But mostly right now I'm feeling socially awkward.

addendum: we went to lunch, and it was fabulous. and the next day out to dinner. and out to hot chocolate. I just don't play this much when he's not around.

What would a dolphin trainer do?

I'm in the thick of cleaning up the kitchen, my supplies laid out to scrub the bathroom afterwards, and then to clear some clutter from the living room. [system] Some days work lined up like can be daunting, but today it is invigorating. I have had a full night's sleep for a change, and haven't scheduled too much work to handle before noon.

My husband comes ambling into the kitchen. When he's in town, he works at home quite a lot. "The president will be speaking at noon (eastern time). That's in 15 minutes. I've got to go scrub myself. Will you queue up the t.v. so it's going when I get out?"

"What channel will it be on?" (is it just me? I am supremely irritated by this.)

"Oh, I don't know. Probably a few, it will be easy to find."

(what the heck is this? Doesn't he know how to turn on the t.v. anymore?)

He pads off. I keep emptying the dishwasher.

I could "forget."

I could be grateful for the opportunity to do this small service for him. Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.

I could blog about it. You could tell me what to do.

Once the dishwasher was empty, I padded over to the living room, found a channel that will be running news in the next hour, turned the sound down low so it doesn't bug me while I'm working in the other room. Then back to work for me.

I think the dolphin trainer would "forget."