I know - you're all like, WTF is she going on about now? It was 80 degrees out today! One of the best days of the year! And it's going to be warm all weekend? Why is she talking about winter? Don't we have to listen to her complain enough during the actual season??
Well, dear readers, this is true. I do my fair share of complaining about the snow, cold, ice, slush, and shitty, shitty weather during the winter months. I have lived in New England all my life, and of course I'm used to it, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. We live here because our families and friends are here, and that's about it. I often find myself looking up weather porn during the winter (10-day San Diego forecast).
So as spring is finally here and I find myself contemplating putting on the AC this weekend, I have realized what a funk I was in this winter. I totally believe I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. I was seriously depressed this winter, y'all. And I only realize how bad it was now, when I see how much happier the nice weather makes me.
I just told Greg that we HAVE to go on a vacation next winter, somewhere that features warm and beach and nice 'round about mid-February, because that's about when I really start to lose my shit. Make sure I stick to this plan, 'kay?
Have a happy weekend!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
a day in the life
OK, so I was reading this post on The Stir about a day in the life of a particular mom-blogger that I love. And reading her post made me exhausted. She has two boys, is training for a marathon, works full-time, and is also going to school at night. It all seems impossible, but she made the point that if you schedule accordingly, you can squeeze a lot of stuff into your day. Which made me ponder the fact that some people think I’m a busy person (Seriously! People have said this to me!). Initially I laugh, because I think I was a lot busier before Jane, what with all of the shows I did and social life I had, but I think I just traded in one form of busy for another, because whew, I’m exhausted at the end of the day.
So THEN I remember way back in August 2007, I also posted a “Day in the Life” entry, and if you’ll indulge me, here is part of it again:
(Midnight-2 a.m.: Sometime between here, there is the first of the nighttime feedings. It can last 20 minutes or an hour. I'm half-asleep for this, and watching some crap TV like "The Hills" or "America's Next Top Model" reruns. My brain can't handle any more than that, but it can't handle any less either, or I'd be completely asleep.
2 a.m. - 3:30 or 4 a.m.: Blessed sleep.
4 a.m. - 5:30 a.m.: Sometime between here, there is the second of the nighttime feedings. See above.
7 a.m.-8 a.m.: Wake up for the first of the daytime feedings. This can last quite a while, by the time I get her down for some more sleep (for her).
Somewhere between 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.: Here is when I will usually get a shower in. You have no idea how wondrous a shower is until the prospect of you having one is slim. It's the whole goal of my morning, and when it happens, it's divine. Then I "get ready" in about five seconds, hoping and praying she doesn't wake up. My current uniform is a ponytail, no makeup, shorts and a big t-shirt. HOT. I spend a lot more time making sure she looks cute, because, Lord knows, I don't. During this time I will also try to pick up the house, especially if we are expecting visitors that day, which we have almost every day since I've been home.
Somewhere between 11 a.m.-1 p.m.: More feeding. During the day, I try to keep the TV off. It's become very annoying to me - can you believe it?! - and I prefer the quiet than the loud blathering crap on daytime television. Usually I read (if I can balance the book right) while I'm feeding her during the day. Other times I just stare into space, because, if you can tell by the nighttime feeding schedule, I'm not getting a whole hell of a lot of sleep these days.
The rest of the afternoon is a crapshoot. Like, today, she's been sleeping since about 11:30 - two whole hours! - and I've done some laundry, read some book, played around online, and got the mail. Other days, she might be feeding for hours at a time (yikes!!) and I lose a large chunk of the afternoon to that.
Evening, from about 6 p.m. to midnight: This is Miss Jane's time to party. Either it's feeding time, looking around time, or napping time - but NEVER in her crib. She'll cry and cry if you put her down, so one of us has to hold her at all times. If I'm going to be cranky during the day, this is about the time I am, because the exhaustion creeps up on me and sometimes just plain knocks me out.
And so I read this, and I think, MAN that seems exhausting! How did that lady do it? So I got to thinking about my current life and schedule, and so, for maximum boredom potential, I’ve decided to give you a glimpse into a day in my life, as it stands now (let’s assume this is a work day):
5ish a.m.: The human alarm clock pokes her head in the door. If I am already awake, I can see her do it; sometimes, my first notice that she’s in the room is when I smell her (very wet) diaper. Gross, I know, but it’s true. She’ll climb into our bed with us, and start handing us the things we need to get started for the day (i.e., our glasses, books, her piggy, and once she got Greg a beer out of the kitchen). (Greg does not drink beer first thing in the morning.) As soon as she’s in the room, I know I NEED to get up to get her to the potty, because despite the fact that her diaper is soaked, I have to keep up with the routine of a beginning-of-the-day potty trip (have I mentioned how much I love potty training?).
5 a.m.-7:30 a.m.: I get Jane ready and fed for the day, and then plop her in front of Dora (I will be expecting my Parent of the Year award in the mail any day now) so I can wake up Greg for the day and get ready. Then I hang out with her and Dora for a while before heading off to work. I also typically pick up the house/do laundry/check work email.
8ish a.m.-4 p.m.: Work, aka “Amanda Time.” Sidenote: I think it’s profoundly sad that work constitutes “Amanda Time.”
4 p.m.-6:30 p.m.: Pick Jane up from daycare (I hate this. I hate this because it’s a huge drag on my energy to pry her away from whatever fun thing she’s doing there, chase her around the daycare center to get her coat on, often after having to change her poop diaper, because the girl apparently poops at 3:45 every day and no one notices it until I get there, ugh ugh ugh, wrestle her cranky self into the car seat, and get home), find something appropriate for her for dinner, and then these days, we’ve been able to go outside and throw the ball to the dog or whatever. I cannot stress enough how much more enjoyable it is to have it be light outside after dinner, so we can actually do something with our evenings, instead of zombie-ing out in front of Dora and/or trashing the house with toys. I also use this time to pick up the house/do laundry/check work email. It is amazing how much laundry three people produce. I think Greg must change his outfit three times a day.
6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.: 6:30 is officially, as we call it in our house, “Bathtime Specialtime.” I have no idea what prompted this name, but you get the drift: it’s, uh, bathtime. But it’s special! Because there are toys! And bubbles! And hair washing and teeth brushing and why doesn’t she let me brush her teeth? Why? I really need to get her to a dentist this summer and I am afraid. Not because I don’t brush her teeth, because I do, every day, but she clamps her mouth shut and I’m not sure I’m doing the best job in the world. Anyway, after Bathtime Specialtime, I get her in her PJs and then it’s “Couch Time.” This is the time of day when, a month ago, she would’ve gone to bed, but now that she’s free of baby jail (the crib) I let her stay up later, instead of forcing her to go back to her bed over and over and over again. So she sits on the couch with me and reads books or does something else quietly (most of the time) (ok,sometimes) (quite often she’s not quiet at all) and then it’s bedtime at 8.
8 p.m.-?: OK, this is the time I hate. Jane completely freaks out if I don’t lie down on the floor next to her bed while she falls asleep. And I know I’m caving in to her, but at this point of the day, I just want peace. I don’t want to lock her in her room and listen to her throw herself against the door, weeping and wailing. I don’t want to have to herd her back into her room over and over (I tried this, and all she did was cry and cry and get more and more worked up). I know I have to address this issue at some point, but I’m just not there yet. So I lie there for up to an hour (but to be fair, lately it hasn’t been more than 15 minutes) and think about all of the things I could be doing while she tosses and turns and finally, finally falls asleep.
?-10 p.m.: Ah, one more sliver of Amanda Time! I spend this watching TV or reading, inevitably. But this will change soon, as I have auditions and then rehearsals for my summer show coming up in less than a month. So soon I can toss three nights of rehearsals into the mix, plus prep work.
So that’s it! Wow, such a long post, with so little interesting information!
So THEN I remember way back in August 2007, I also posted a “Day in the Life” entry, and if you’ll indulge me, here is part of it again:
(Midnight-2 a.m.: Sometime between here, there is the first of the nighttime feedings. It can last 20 minutes or an hour. I'm half-asleep for this, and watching some crap TV like "The Hills" or "America's Next Top Model" reruns. My brain can't handle any more than that, but it can't handle any less either, or I'd be completely asleep.
2 a.m. - 3:30 or 4 a.m.: Blessed sleep.
4 a.m. - 5:30 a.m.: Sometime between here, there is the second of the nighttime feedings. See above.
7 a.m.-8 a.m.: Wake up for the first of the daytime feedings. This can last quite a while, by the time I get her down for some more sleep (for her).
Somewhere between 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.: Here is when I will usually get a shower in. You have no idea how wondrous a shower is until the prospect of you having one is slim. It's the whole goal of my morning, and when it happens, it's divine. Then I "get ready" in about five seconds, hoping and praying she doesn't wake up. My current uniform is a ponytail, no makeup, shorts and a big t-shirt. HOT. I spend a lot more time making sure she looks cute, because, Lord knows, I don't. During this time I will also try to pick up the house, especially if we are expecting visitors that day, which we have almost every day since I've been home.
Somewhere between 11 a.m.-1 p.m.: More feeding. During the day, I try to keep the TV off. It's become very annoying to me - can you believe it?! - and I prefer the quiet than the loud blathering crap on daytime television. Usually I read (if I can balance the book right) while I'm feeding her during the day. Other times I just stare into space, because, if you can tell by the nighttime feeding schedule, I'm not getting a whole hell of a lot of sleep these days.
The rest of the afternoon is a crapshoot. Like, today, she's been sleeping since about 11:30 - two whole hours! - and I've done some laundry, read some book, played around online, and got the mail. Other days, she might be feeding for hours at a time (yikes!!) and I lose a large chunk of the afternoon to that.
Evening, from about 6 p.m. to midnight: This is Miss Jane's time to party. Either it's feeding time, looking around time, or napping time - but NEVER in her crib. She'll cry and cry if you put her down, so one of us has to hold her at all times. If I'm going to be cranky during the day, this is about the time I am, because the exhaustion creeps up on me and sometimes just plain knocks me out.
And so I read this, and I think, MAN that seems exhausting! How did that lady do it? So I got to thinking about my current life and schedule, and so, for maximum boredom potential, I’ve decided to give you a glimpse into a day in my life, as it stands now (let’s assume this is a work day):
5ish a.m.: The human alarm clock pokes her head in the door. If I am already awake, I can see her do it; sometimes, my first notice that she’s in the room is when I smell her (very wet) diaper. Gross, I know, but it’s true. She’ll climb into our bed with us, and start handing us the things we need to get started for the day (i.e., our glasses, books, her piggy, and once she got Greg a beer out of the kitchen). (Greg does not drink beer first thing in the morning.) As soon as she’s in the room, I know I NEED to get up to get her to the potty, because despite the fact that her diaper is soaked, I have to keep up with the routine of a beginning-of-the-day potty trip (have I mentioned how much I love potty training?).
5 a.m.-7:30 a.m.: I get Jane ready and fed for the day, and then plop her in front of Dora (I will be expecting my Parent of the Year award in the mail any day now) so I can wake up Greg for the day and get ready. Then I hang out with her and Dora for a while before heading off to work. I also typically pick up the house/do laundry/check work email.
8ish a.m.-4 p.m.: Work, aka “Amanda Time.” Sidenote: I think it’s profoundly sad that work constitutes “Amanda Time.”
4 p.m.-6:30 p.m.: Pick Jane up from daycare (I hate this. I hate this because it’s a huge drag on my energy to pry her away from whatever fun thing she’s doing there, chase her around the daycare center to get her coat on, often after having to change her poop diaper, because the girl apparently poops at 3:45 every day and no one notices it until I get there, ugh ugh ugh, wrestle her cranky self into the car seat, and get home), find something appropriate for her for dinner, and then these days, we’ve been able to go outside and throw the ball to the dog or whatever. I cannot stress enough how much more enjoyable it is to have it be light outside after dinner, so we can actually do something with our evenings, instead of zombie-ing out in front of Dora and/or trashing the house with toys. I also use this time to pick up the house/do laundry/check work email. It is amazing how much laundry three people produce. I think Greg must change his outfit three times a day.
6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.: 6:30 is officially, as we call it in our house, “Bathtime Specialtime.” I have no idea what prompted this name, but you get the drift: it’s, uh, bathtime. But it’s special! Because there are toys! And bubbles! And hair washing and teeth brushing and why doesn’t she let me brush her teeth? Why? I really need to get her to a dentist this summer and I am afraid. Not because I don’t brush her teeth, because I do, every day, but she clamps her mouth shut and I’m not sure I’m doing the best job in the world. Anyway, after Bathtime Specialtime, I get her in her PJs and then it’s “Couch Time.” This is the time of day when, a month ago, she would’ve gone to bed, but now that she’s free of baby jail (the crib) I let her stay up later, instead of forcing her to go back to her bed over and over and over again. So she sits on the couch with me and reads books or does something else quietly (most of the time) (ok,sometimes) (quite often she’s not quiet at all) and then it’s bedtime at 8.
8 p.m.-?: OK, this is the time I hate. Jane completely freaks out if I don’t lie down on the floor next to her bed while she falls asleep. And I know I’m caving in to her, but at this point of the day, I just want peace. I don’t want to lock her in her room and listen to her throw herself against the door, weeping and wailing. I don’t want to have to herd her back into her room over and over (I tried this, and all she did was cry and cry and get more and more worked up). I know I have to address this issue at some point, but I’m just not there yet. So I lie there for up to an hour (but to be fair, lately it hasn’t been more than 15 minutes) and think about all of the things I could be doing while she tosses and turns and finally, finally falls asleep.
?-10 p.m.: Ah, one more sliver of Amanda Time! I spend this watching TV or reading, inevitably. But this will change soon, as I have auditions and then rehearsals for my summer show coming up in less than a month. So soon I can toss three nights of rehearsals into the mix, plus prep work.
So that’s it! Wow, such a long post, with so little interesting information!
Friday, April 23, 2010
weekend update.
Hey! Look at me! I'm doing one of those weekend update thingies I used to do all the time, way back in ye olden tymes when I used to, you know, have a life. Anywho, it's Friday, and woah Nellie, am I glad. This has been a challenging week in a lot of ways, none of which I will go into here, because I'd rather focus on the fact that it's Friday! And luckily, since Jane's wake up clock is set on London time, I've been celebrating Friday since 4 a.m. (PS This is killing me. I am shaking I am so tired. It is like have a very mobile newborn.) Anyway, here's what's up for the weekend:
Friday: The plan is to leave work around noon, and then go see my friend and co-worker who is wrapping up maternity leave. Tonight I am going to see a community theater production of RENT with the always-fabulous Lisa and her friend Aimee. I am a little apprehensive about this production ONLY because RENT is my all-time favorite show (this will be the 22nd time I've seen it, and the first on a community level) but from what I see in the promo photos and video, it looks like they've stuck to the original in terms of blocking, etc, so we shall see!
Saturday: Rumor has it it's going to be a really nice day, so we may head down to Essex to feed the ducks. And before you think this is a nerdy family-style thing to do, Greg and I used to do this all the time pre-Jane. So we are just flat-out nerds, kid or not.
Sunday: Rumor has it it's going to rain (hey, I'm happy at least half the weekend will be rain-free, which is unusual these days). We're supposed to go over my friend Heather's house to pick up a yard playscape thing they don't want anymore so we can set it up in our yard for Jane, but not sure if this is going to happen if it's crappy out. Other than that, not sure.
OK, what are you doing?
Friday: The plan is to leave work around noon, and then go see my friend and co-worker who is wrapping up maternity leave. Tonight I am going to see a community theater production of RENT with the always-fabulous Lisa and her friend Aimee. I am a little apprehensive about this production ONLY because RENT is my all-time favorite show (this will be the 22nd time I've seen it, and the first on a community level) but from what I see in the promo photos and video, it looks like they've stuck to the original in terms of blocking, etc, so we shall see!
Saturday: Rumor has it it's going to be a really nice day, so we may head down to Essex to feed the ducks. And before you think this is a nerdy family-style thing to do, Greg and I used to do this all the time pre-Jane. So we are just flat-out nerds, kid or not.
Sunday: Rumor has it it's going to rain (hey, I'm happy at least half the weekend will be rain-free, which is unusual these days). We're supposed to go over my friend Heather's house to pick up a yard playscape thing they don't want anymore so we can set it up in our yard for Jane, but not sure if this is going to happen if it's crappy out. Other than that, not sure.
OK, what are you doing?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
I used to be good at this blogging thing....
Hey! Long time, no see! You look great. Have you lost weight?
So. Once again, I am a terrible blogger. I feel like I start off practically every entry with an apology. Besides, who reads this thing anyway? And I’ve been busy. Also sick. And the dog ate my homework.
After we hosted Easter, it was on to a week of birthdays. My mom’s birthday was Tuesday and Greg’s birthday was Wednesday. That’s right, two of the heaviest-hitters in my life have their birthdays one right after the other. This is obviously not fair. My siblings and I planned a birthday “dinner” (not party, because she said she didn’t want a party, but really, it was like a party, in that there was 20 people there and it was a surprise - but we kept it as low-key as possible. Kind of. Not really. I mean, I wore a DRESS.) for my mom’s 70th, but because that wasn’t until Saturday- my mom though she was just going to a restaurant with me and my siblings on Saturday, and instead the dinner/party was at my sister’s house – I also took her out for a small dinner on Tuesday night, her actual birthday. Basically we went out and got hot dogs. What? That’s fancy! (By the way, I realize this paragraph is kind of difficult to read, but I’m too tired to fix it.)
Wednesday was Greg’s birthday, so I took the day off and we went down to the boat. It was over 90 degrees that day, and although I am totally loving the fact that summer came early last week, it was a lot to take, heat-wise. But I’m not complaining, Mother Nature! No way! In fact, all of this nice weather has confirmed it to me that I need to move somewhere where the weather is nice all the time. Because you just naturally feel better, you know?
The rest of the week was taken up by getting ready for my mom’s birthday celebration, so of course by the time I woke up on Sunday morning, I was sick. It’s just a stupid cold but it is making my head incredibly foggy (as you can clearly tell by this post).
So. Once again, I am a terrible blogger. I feel like I start off practically every entry with an apology. Besides, who reads this thing anyway? And I’ve been busy. Also sick. And the dog ate my homework.
After we hosted Easter, it was on to a week of birthdays. My mom’s birthday was Tuesday and Greg’s birthday was Wednesday. That’s right, two of the heaviest-hitters in my life have their birthdays one right after the other. This is obviously not fair. My siblings and I planned a birthday “dinner” (not party, because she said she didn’t want a party, but really, it was like a party, in that there was 20 people there and it was a surprise - but we kept it as low-key as possible. Kind of. Not really. I mean, I wore a DRESS.) for my mom’s 70th, but because that wasn’t until Saturday- my mom though she was just going to a restaurant with me and my siblings on Saturday, and instead the dinner/party was at my sister’s house – I also took her out for a small dinner on Tuesday night, her actual birthday. Basically we went out and got hot dogs. What? That’s fancy! (By the way, I realize this paragraph is kind of difficult to read, but I’m too tired to fix it.)
Wednesday was Greg’s birthday, so I took the day off and we went down to the boat. It was over 90 degrees that day, and although I am totally loving the fact that summer came early last week, it was a lot to take, heat-wise. But I’m not complaining, Mother Nature! No way! In fact, all of this nice weather has confirmed it to me that I need to move somewhere where the weather is nice all the time. Because you just naturally feel better, you know?
The rest of the week was taken up by getting ready for my mom’s birthday celebration, so of course by the time I woke up on Sunday morning, I was sick. It’s just a stupid cold but it is making my head incredibly foggy (as you can clearly tell by this post).
And this week? Has been boring. Jane gets up at 4:30 a.m. if not earlier - so I'm not entirely with it. Oh also, we're going through a potty-training regression. So much for my potty-training success cake from Lisa.
So yeah. That’s where I’ve been.
So yeah. That’s where I’ve been.
(I've added the pictures to make this post more interesting.)
Saturday, April 03, 2010
thank you Easter Bunny, bawk bawk!
(does anyone remember that commercial?)
We have spent the better part of the past two days getting ready to host Easter at our house. Hosting Easter is the impetus for us to things like wash down the walls, doors, lights, nooks, crannies, etc, that typically get ignored from the time we host Fourth of July to, well, Easter. It's our spring cleaning, if you will.
However, this afternoon we headed down to the beach for a while, the main reason being that I didn't want anyone in the house to mess it up (see: Jane). So we went to my in-laws house, and walked down to the little beach nearby. And even though it was only in the 60s down at the shore, that sun was warm, and I got to dig my toes in the sand for a while, and, oh man, I CANNOT WAIT FOR SUMMER. I will cry real tears if the weather turns cold again, or, God forbid, we get snow. I'm dead serious. I am so over winter in a way I don't think I've ever been. I was seriously considering moving to a warmer climate today. Like, for reals. And, in conclusion, I HATE WINTER.
The end to this nonsensical post. Happy Easter (if you celebrate such things)! I will be stuffing my face with chocolate like a lunatic tomorrow, because, as this has felt like an extremely long winter, it has also felt like an extremely long Lent.
OK, now it's the end of this nonsensical post.
We have spent the better part of the past two days getting ready to host Easter at our house. Hosting Easter is the impetus for us to things like wash down the walls, doors, lights, nooks, crannies, etc, that typically get ignored from the time we host Fourth of July to, well, Easter. It's our spring cleaning, if you will.
However, this afternoon we headed down to the beach for a while, the main reason being that I didn't want anyone in the house to mess it up (see: Jane). So we went to my in-laws house, and walked down to the little beach nearby. And even though it was only in the 60s down at the shore, that sun was warm, and I got to dig my toes in the sand for a while, and, oh man, I CANNOT WAIT FOR SUMMER. I will cry real tears if the weather turns cold again, or, God forbid, we get snow. I'm dead serious. I am so over winter in a way I don't think I've ever been. I was seriously considering moving to a warmer climate today. Like, for reals. And, in conclusion, I HATE WINTER.
The end to this nonsensical post. Happy Easter (if you celebrate such things)! I will be stuffing my face with chocolate like a lunatic tomorrow, because, as this has felt like an extremely long winter, it has also felt like an extremely long Lent.
OK, now it's the end of this nonsensical post.
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