todoist

I just discovered this site:

http://todoist.com/

It is a to do list website. I LOOOOVE it! I have gotten so much junk done, its not even funny.

Seriously, why couldn't this snow have come in January? I still love snow, anyway. I love how everything slows way down. It feels like vacation to me. And, I love shovelling snow. It is one of the few tasks in my life that does not IMMEDIATELY reappear on my to-do list the second I cross it off. And, when you are done, your accomplishment is so easy to see. Very satisfying.

Gabe has me wrapped around his finger. I just cannot get enough of him. Lately, he does this thing where he will ask me for something, and then he will say, "Pwease, mommy!". It takes every ounce of strength I have to resist him.

Gabe's favorite things: trucks, trains, fire trucks, Daddy.

Right now, Evelyn is giving Gabe's trucks names like "Madeline".

For three nights in a row now, Gabe will not sleep. He's sick, but amazingly, he will not go to sleep at bedtime. He slept in our bed the last two nights because it was the only way to get the kid to sleep. He wouldn't even take a nap today. Crazy. I am not looking forward to the rest of this night. I just can't wait for winter to be over. The scary thing is that March is usually the worst month for us as far as sickness goes. I hope I am wrong about that.

It is 2pm, and I am just now having my first coffee of the day. Sick, huh? Joe is in Chicago right now, and he is the one who makes coffee. Its not that I don't want coffee, I just seem to get side tracked by all the kid stuff going on.

Speaking of kid stuff, Gabe keeps saying something that sounds just like "fuckin' a". It is usually when he is talking about one of his toys, but I cannot figure out what he is saying. Not only that, but he says it like ten time in a row. No. He YELLS it. At least its winter and the windows are closed so the neighbors can't hear.

Jesus Ghost

Last weekend, my sister and her husband, Suzanne and James came over to our house to take away our basement workbench. The thing was enormous, but it never was properly used. It just collected stuff, so we decided to offer it to them and they accepted. We found this drawing of Jesus Ghost on the underside of it. The workbench was there when we bought the house, and we are pretty sure it was put there by the previous owners. They just seem like the "Jesus Ghost" type.

We decided it was best to leave Jesus Ghost stapled to the workbench. If you are wondering why he doesn't have arms? That is because he is a ghost, and everyone knows that ghosts don't have arms. He does have rather nice lips and eyelashes for a ghost, no?

Both kids are vomitting now. Evelyn threw up last night at 4am, and Gabe at the breakfast table. I thought we were out of the water with Gabe because it had been over two days since he last got sick.

Evelyn is acting totally normal, but Gabe seems more ill. He wants to be held constantly, and he glazes over a lot while he is playing. Our pediatrician said that this is something that is going around, and that the diarrhea can last up to 14 days, but more commonly it is lasting about 7 days.

I am hoping that I don't get this, but I guess I am not very optimistic right now. I almost always get this sort of thing when the kids have it. We are washing our hands like crazy. That's the best we can do right now.

Owl candle update

Someone bought it off of craigslist! I posted it for $3, and this lady emailed me to ask my if I would take $1 for it. Of course I said yes.

In the listing I said that it would make a great gag gift. I also used the phrase "utterly glorious" because I just had to.

I was not here when she picked it up, but Joe was. It's a good thing, too. Turns out the woman collects candles. I am not sure what I would have done when I heard that if I had been here, but I am afraid it would have been something a lot like choking, which would have been bad.

My neighbor came over last week and gave me this. Not as a joke, either. It is taller than a gallon jug of milk, and very heavy. In case you can't tell, its a candle. I have been trying to pawn it off on everyone who comes through my door, but no takers yet. When Evelyn learned that it is a candle she asked if we could put it on top of her birthday cake. Seriously, I considered it, but it is so heavy that it would smash any cake out there. Plus, I just want the damn thing out of here.

Gabe vomitted yesterday morning. He wouldn't eat breakfast, so we thought something must be wrong with him, and he was a little whiney. And then....it happened. But that was it. Nothing else for the rest of the day. He ate a normal breakfast this morning, and he seems to be fine. Its strange how kids do that.

So far, Evelyn seems to be fine.....

Chief and I are going out tonight, and so I was in my closet trying on clothes this morning. Nothing fits me anymore. This is so depressing to me, but it might also motivate me to do something about it. Maybe even a New Year's Resolution. More on this later.

I was in the asian grocery earlier this week looking at the green tea selection. I have been considering using it as a diet aid. I saw several brands labeled "Dieter's green tea", and I thought I had found what I was looking for. When I read the label, ALL of them contained laxatives (senna). In fact, I am not even sure they contained any green tea at all. I will just stick with regular green tea for now. I am not against dietary supplements, but I think it is hard to find one that is safe. I am open to suggestions.

I just overheard Gabe making two of his animals kiss each other.

If I were being video taped today, there would be loads of examples of how NOT to parent. The kiddos are sleeping now, so I am going to try to pull it together, but so far, its been pretty ugly. Evelyn just had a full blown meltdown because I turned the TV off. I think we are all just a little cranky.

Yesterday, Evelyn started asking Gabe, "Gabe, are you going to marry me?". To which Gabe would reply, "Uh-Uh" (that means no). And then Evelyn would start laughing hysterically.

I mean, we have hill billy roots and all, but I never expected this. I think it is mainly because Evelyn just figured out that Gabe has started answering questions verbally. I think she likes talking to him now.

The worst of it is that I find this to be so funny, that I keep asking Evelyn to do it again. I can't get enough of it.

I just overheard Evelyn asking Gabe if he thinks something is cool. He said yes.

These two are so wild. Normally, all they want to do is jump on the bed. But they also like to pretend sleep, too. I busted those fakers.

Today, Gabe woke up at 3am.....and never went back to sleep. Which means that I also woke up at 3am, and never went back to sleep. Yawn. I am going to try to take a nap, but I am not a very good daytime sleeper.

Evelyn slid down the firepole at preschool today. I am so proud. She has been wanting to go down the one at the playground for a while now, but she never has the nerve. She is so brave.

I have been having Evelyn attend the rehearsals for our church children's choir. This week, most of the other kids were singing, but not Evelyn. She kept her little mouth shut through the entire thing. When I asked her if she could sing the song she repeatedly told me that she is too little to do it, and yet she still says that she wants to be in the children's choir. Later on Sunday we were practicing the song, but Evelyn still would not sing, even at home. Then, I just blurted out, "I'll make you a chocolate cake if you learn all of the words". She clarified some of the details of the deal, like whether or not we could also have candles on the cake. Of course I said yes, and she proceeded to sing EVERY SINGLE WORD of Silent Night.

Little stinker.

Parent-Teacher conference

Today we had our first pre-school parent teacher conference. It was pretty uneventful. I didn't hear much that surprised me. The teacher said that Evelyn does not play with or talk to any of the other kids in her class. She said she just does her own thing, pretty much all of the time. When they sit in circle time, Evelyn has her own spot where she always sits that she apparently guards rather well. The teacher said she does not get confrontational, but she guards her space. If someone gets too close to her, she will move.

The teacher also mentioned that Evelyn has a difficult time with transitioning from one activity to the next. She completely tunes out the teacher when she is being given instructions. We have this same problem at home. I am always asking Evelyn if she is ignoring me.

She also likes to draw mountains. I guess every time the teacher asks what she is drawing, she says it is a mountain.

Overall, I am pleased with how the conference went. I think most of the stuff we covered is age-related. I will probably address the issue of not paying attention to instructions, but I think that is all. Evelyn has always been quite shy, but she has also grown tremendously in the last year.

Bus of God

Today Evelyn and I were listening to some music with lyrics about the Lamb of God. I was explaining that Jesus is the Lamb of God. Evelyn said, "I'm the bus of God, Mommy".

"You're the what?"

"The bus of God. The city bus."

Don't ask me where this came from. I have no idea.

Funny

Gabe's newest word is "funny!" It is so adorable. He will knock down some blocks, laugh, and say "funny!" Little does he know how funny he really is. He also calls all animals "horse" and any moving vehicle he calls "truck". I will often hear Evelyn correcting him in the back seat. "No Gabe. That's a bus. B-u-u-u-u-s-s-s. Buh Buh Bus."

Evelyn has a new favorite outfit, which she has now worn two days in a row. She actually asked to get dressed this morning, which never, ever happens. I usually have to keep after her for about 15 or 20 minutes to get herself dressed. And, since she is 3, there is no way she is going to let anyone help her get dressed. I am thinking it might be interesting to see just how many days in a row she will want to wear the same outfit. I will have to sneak it out to wash it, but if she is going to volunteer to get dressed herself, and do so quickly and happily, why should I care if she wears the same outfit all month long?

Yesterday, I looked into little Gabe's mouth, and he has a molar! And not just the beginnings of a molar, but a full fledged one, and another on the way. I feel like such a slacker mom, because I was totally oblivious to it. It did not just break through recently from the looks of it. I would guess it has been there for a few weeks...at least. Maybe it is because I have been engrossed in Harry Potter for several months now. I just finished the last book today. Loved it.

My ring finger problem persists. It is so weird. I have never had this issue before even though I have been wearing it for 6+ years. I keep getting this painful red rash underneath it. Oddly, the same thing happened to my sister several years ago, and she turned out to have a nickel allergy. So, she can't wear her wedding band anymore. I am hoping it is not the same thing for me.