Quack

I just added a new link - Suburban Turmoil - to my list on the right, and so far I'm quite pleased with what I've been reading. Particularly her recent post with how she hates her dog, because our dog is a complete and utter moron. She's desperately needy, steals food, and pees in my house. I don't like her. But yet, I keep trying. I'm taking her for more walks and she's spending more time in the backyard with the kids and I. Not that she appreciates that AT ALL. After half an hour or so, she's desperate to go back inside and sleep under the computer desk.

I had left her in the backyard alone for ten or fifteen minutes yesterday, because we have a problem with ducks. I don't think most people have problems with ducks, but we have such a large pool of water from our sump pump exit hose that this duck couple thinks it's a pond. They're nice to see and all, and I find it particularly hysterical how the mallard is very protective - after all, he's a DUCK, what's he going to do to fend off attack? - but I do NOT want ducklings in my backyard.

So, I've been encouraging the dog - who is a BIRD DOG, by the way, so this is her very INSTINCT - to go out and chase away the ducks. Except she is apparently so non-intimidating that WHILE she was hanging out in the backyard, the ducks landed in their "pond".

Garage Sale - The Positive Day

While I ended the day yesterday happy with our sales, I was somewhat disturbed by the general population. There was the woman who sent her child in to the bathroom with one of my 'mom friends' and the child needed a wipe - if your child can't wipe himself, he can't go in alone! There were the hagglers and also the possible theft.

The best thing about a garage sale for me, though, is that I talked to my neighbors and people in the 'hood. I met a mother with a child who would be in Luke's class at school and we exchanged numbers. I chatted with two direct neighbors and one indirect neighbor. We saw the mentally handicapped guy who bowled with us. It made my world smaller, and I like that.

The Garage Sale

The Mommies, or The Coven, as one husband dubbed us, all got together for a garage sale this weekend. Pooling the crapload of toys from 20 (TWENTY) households on my very busy through street has paid off in spades. We made (wait for it)

$1500. In a DAY. So you can picture the selling that was going on and the number of people we had, right? Because it was FREAKING CRAZY. Garage sales bring out the crazy people more so than anything else, and they were definitely there.

First off, don't haggle with me at 8 AM *before the scheduled start of the sale*. I mean, dude, we haven't even technically OPENED yet. I'm not giving you a deal.

Then there's the "I don't speak English" haggler. Two fifty, I say. "2?" she says, with a giggle. Two fifty, I say, and giggle back. I'm getting better at working the sales with my age and wisdom.

Then there are the oddballs, like the woman who engaged me in conversation about her daugher's autism and lack of social skills, which, not to be rude, she clearly got from her mother. I feel for the socially challenged, but I simply had to figure out an escape. She had, apparently, decided I was her new best friend.

We think perhaps one thing was stolen today, though we had an overage in our funds, so perhaps not. Too many people working the sale and too many people chatting combined with 1,001 shoppers.

I'm curious to see what Day 2 brings!

Oh, We Are Outside

We have been outside a LOT the past few days. It's finally warm where we are and that means yard cleanup! And trying to scare away the ducks who think my sump pump run off is a pond. This is a going to be a good year of outside, I think - Luke can really get into sports and can be half trusted for minutes at a time in the backyard while I weed in the side yard.

Of course, it's also going to be a summer of "No come INSIDE now" followed by screaming and whining and requests to go back outside and can't I play baseball with him? Soccer? Football? And OH DEAR GOD, I AM TIRED. And it's April 16th.

I also think I got a little burn on my face.

HA!

I finally have lost another 0.4 pounds, thus bringing my grand total for the YEAR to 10.8 pounds. It took me SIX WEEKS to lose that 0.4 pounds and damn, do I deserve it. Now that things are warming up I'm hoping my general day to day movement will increase and help lose the pounds. So that means that there has to be no more snow, allright? It's the IDES OF APRIL, I should be able to reasonably request that there be NO MORE SNOW. Or below 40 degree weather. I can handle low forties. BUT NOTHING LESS.

I have been actively throwing food scraps and yard waste clean up into my compost bin. No compost yet.

A big black waste box!

I am very excited today, because yesterday we got the compost box I ordered! Yay! Compost! This 'greening' thing has been impacting Esposo, too, I believe - he commented the other day that he was noticing all the garbage on our street on garbage day. Well, we are now going to make an impact on what we put out there.

Honestly, I'm rather nervous about composting - if you read up on it there are greens and browns, layering and turning. You really want a 'hot' compost pile, you know. If I can get a 'hot' pile, then I can start throwing the dog poop in there. But can I get the mixture right?? How much turning will I have to do?? But I'm ready to start doing this - just a $70 investment for the big black box!

I set up the box this morning and it went together pretty easily - four plastic sides and a black plastic lid - black to absord heat from the sun and help get things cooking! Once I figured out where I was putting the box (on the side of my house next to a bush, well away from neighbors in case things get smelly while I learn) I dug out the irises that were there (we have a huge patch of irises that have been needing to be moved) and put my box in. Then I collected all the materials I've been piling in various places - kitchen scraps and dry plant pieces - and tossed them all in there. My initial fill left it about 15% full. Already this has improved things, though, as I no longer have banana peels in my backyard!!

Not Much Baby Left

I started clearing out my cupboards again today - removed all but two bottles, as all Courtney gets is a bottle at bedtime now. She definitely walking more than half the time, and we know she is saying 'Dada' (and probably more, but we haven't deciphered it yet). I'm actually thrilled by all this, the baby stage is not my favorite stage, though with Courtney it's certainly been an easy stage.

We even took out the bucket car seat and put her in a forward facing car seat. She's probably not quite 20 pounds yet, but this is so much easier! And there's more room in the car, too. With our regular trips up north, space in the car is a necessity.

Conversation

Something woke me up, but I rolled over and went right back to sleep.

My husband, he knows how to get the conversation GOING.

The Nap Poop

Courtney is still about the easiest child known to the world, and I still wonder about people who have this kind of child first. Seriously, this is your point of reference? They must think those of us who talk about our non-stop, screamy, exhausting children are bad parents.

However, she has been having some troubles with sleep, mostly because I torture her every day with trips to the gym and playgroup and classes and wherever the heck else we decide to go. And now, when I finally get her home and in her crib, she poops. One can not sleep in a diaper full of poop, I get this. But you'd think getting that out would relax you enough to get you to sleep after that? Not so much.

Just another parenting challenge...

In Your Face! With Cow Bone!

I have one older brother. As Charlie Sheen said to Anthony Michael Hall in Breakfast Club, my older brother was a parent's wet dream (until later in high school, anyway). He kept his room perfectly neat. He did very well in school, he didn't mouth off, and he never had cavities. NEVER.

On the other hand, my room was a disaster, I whined, and I ALWAYS had cavities. My teeth suck and I have two crowns to show for it now. They want to put on another one because basically, there's just so little of my actual TOOTH left, why even bother with fillings?

But my brother went to the periodontist because he has gum issues. And his gums are in such bad shape they're going to be putting COW BONE in his mouth (I've got a fever! And the only thing for my fever is MORE COW BONE!)

IN YO' FACE, BOYEEEEEE! My gums rock!

Celebratin' my genetic victory...