too much effort

EVERYTHING seems like too much effort lately.

DH left Friday night for a Caribbean cruise. He went with my full blessing and wishes for fun -- he earned the cruise through work and unfortunately the cruise line won't let you cruise past your 28th week (I'm 30 weeks tomorrow.) He wasn't going to go, but I encouraged him to do so. It wasn't something we could save for a different time -- the company bought out probably 1/4 to 1/2 of the ship for themselves and this was the only opportunity. He invited a good friend of his to go with him, and I've heard via email that they're having fun. He misses us, as we miss him -- but I'm glad he's having fun. And, if he earns it again next year -- he's not going. (it's only for employees and one guest; no kids - and since I"ll be breastfeeding, I won't be able to go again.)

I had a few errands to run yesterday, but managed to only make it through 3. I got to the post office (THANKS AGAIN, ALEXA!!!!), the dry cleaners, and the library. Oh, and lunch at DQ. I also needed to drop off recycling (2 different places, one for cans and another for paper) and go to the grocery store.

The recycling is still in the van, and Safeway is delivering my groceries sometime this afternoon. Thank goodness for grocery delivery!! This week I also want to get the van cleaned (debating between do-it-myself or spending 10x as much and having it detailed.)

I'm exhausted! My pelvis aches no matter what I do. I waddle around like a duck to attempt to find some relief. This is definitely the hardest pregnancy I've had and I feel so frustrated with myself and my body. I have become a complete hermit; partly because I'm never sure how long I'll be able to last. I almost ran screaming from my hair cut last week because she kept TOUCHING me! (and she's been cutting my hair for years . . . ) I feel like an emotional wreck.

And now I'm done venting : )

We've got some schooling to get through today. C has just a few pages left in his K math workbook and then tomorrow we'll start his 1st grade math workbook. N made the decision to start a K math workbook, so I'm going along with it. They also have an art project to finish up, and C will do some reading. I'm trying to put something fun together to celebrate Dr. Suess' birthday on Friday (but I'm not holding my breath . . . )

ipod

I resisted an ipod for a long time. When I needed a new computer last summer, Apple was running a promotion for a free ipod with the purchase of a computer . . . and so I ended up with one. DH talked me into spending a few extra dollars to upgrade the free one to a 30G one and I'm glad I listened.

I looooooooooooove it.

Itunes is easy to work with, and I loaded a ton of music onto my little music machine. DH often listens to talk radio, and so he has been listening to podcasts for a long time as well. Talk radio annoys me because I have little patience for the people who call in usually, so I didn't think I'd enjoy podcasts. BUT, I found that I really enjoy podcasts (except when they spend too much time on reader mail . . . but at least I can fast forward!)

A priest from the Netherlands has one that I listen to faithfully (Fr. Roderick and his "Daily Breakfast"), the podcast from the "Catholic Family" in TX is enjoyable, and a few mommy-type podcasts. NPR recently made their program "This American Life" available free! There's a podcast for the "Pray as you Go" website (provides direction/prayer on a daily basis) and just in time for Lent, I found a podcast with the daily mass readings from the New American Bible! And it's all FREE!

I have also loaded up my ipod with kids' books (Jim Weiss' Famously Funny and Fairy Tales CDs, Winnie the Pooh, Paddington Bear, and Mouse Tales to name a few) so I can plug in while we're in the car and the boys can enjoy listening to their books.

I recently added a couple pregnancy/labor support CD's to my playlists, and am working on a playlist that I hope will support/calm/relax me during labor. (Speaking of pregnancy/labor, I'm 28 weeks today! If this babe comes at 36 weeks like N, I've only got another 8 weeks to go!)

My ipod is definitely one of my favorite things!

Happy Birthday to my hubby!

Today is my darling husband's 38th birthday (yes, I married a younger man!)

I'm feeling bad because we didn't really do much for it . . . he ended up going to the doctor and we met with an architect about adding on to our home. He called me after his doctor's appointment, and I asked him if he wanted a cake. He said "no, that's okay" and I said "Oh, well, I was thinking that since you were out anyway you could pick one out for yourself!" He is also picking up pizza for his dinner.

I feel terrible. Thankfully, he doesn't -- he doesn't expect anything, but that just makes me feel worse. His family never celebrates birthdays -- in the 12 years I've known him, his own mother has never even called him on his birthday.

When my parents were here, my mom DID celebrate his birthday . . . she got him a decorated cake and a very nice gift . . . so at least we're not ALL losers. LOL! And the boys did make him adorable cards and we gave him a couple small gifts today.

I usually make more of an effort, but I'm just not up to it this year. NEXT year I will do better.

worn out

I'm worn out. I feel like a wuss, but this pregnancy is kicking my butt. Physically and emotionally.

I'm grateful my parents were here for a few weeks and helped me out immensely. I'm grateful for a loving and helpful husband. I'm grateful for children who are able to entertain themselves. I'm grateful for the miracle of life.

But, I'm still worn out. :(

where I've been

Tons of out-of-town company have blown through this past week and 1/2, with a generous side of family drama to go along with it.

I'm tired, I'm stressed, and I'm grateful that only my parents will be in town after tonight. They'll be here another week, so I expect blogging to continue to be light.

I'm overall doing okay, but a couple bouts of contractions have scared me a bit. I'm trying to keep up my water intake, resting often, attempting to avoid stress (the worst batch of contractions were the direct result of a ridiculously stressful situation) and talking plenty to the babe. She has been told that she has at least 10 more weeks to stay put and I hope she's listening! (I'm 26 weeks today.)

Other than that, all is fine.

A book meme

Seen at Susie's blog

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?
I usually prefer paperback -- trade vs. mass market doesn't matter, but hardbacks are usually too big/heavy for reading in bed.

Amazon or brick and mortar?
Both! But, I spend much more on books at Amazon, because it's easier to search and order what I want. I do enjoy browsing brick & mortar stores though!

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Either/Both. Both offer education discounts for homeschoolers, so it's a toss-up. Both are located close enough to shop at easily, so it just depends where I am when the mood strikes to visit a bookstore.

Bookmark or dogear?
I NEVER dogear pages in a book. I use bookmarks sometimes, but usually I remember the page I left off on.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
Neither. I keep "like" books together - so all my parenting books are together, spiritual books together, novels together, etc.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
I keep quite a few books, and sell some every few months to 1/2 Price Books. I never throw away a book!

Keep dustjacket or toss it?
Toss it.

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
Since I toss them, I read books without ;)

Short story or novel?
I have no real preference - both have their appeal.

Click for more...

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Same answer as above.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
I've read 5 of the Harry Potter books and none of the Lemony Snicket books. Harry Potter didn't hold my interest -- was interesting the first few books, but I got bored.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
When tired.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"?
"Once upon a time"

Buy or Borrow?
Both. If a book is available through our library, I borrow it -- especially novels / fiction / biographies. For reference type books, I'll still borrow first, and then decide if I want to buy it. For kid's books - we buy bunches.

New or used?
New, usually. I'm very picky about used books - mainly because of the smell of some of them. I sniff library books, too, before bringing them home -- if the previous borrower was a smoker or heavy perfume wearer, it stays on the shelf!

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
All of the above.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Cliffhangers are okay, but I prefer books with a satisfying ending.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading?
Whenever I have a spare moment.

Standalone or series?
Both.

Favorite series?
Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series or Jan Karon's Mitford Series

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart

Favorite books read last year?
My top three from 2006:
Women in the Material World by Faith D'Alusio and Peter Menzel
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dustbowl by Timothy Egan
Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamante

Favorite book of all time?
The Once and Future King by TH White

** I read quite a bit, and enjoy it. Last year, I was keeping track of all books read in a journal - but dropped it this fall. Doing this meme reminds me that I should probably start it up again! It's nice to be able to go back and look at what I've read.

dogs

Our dog, Julianna (a white boxer), ran away on Sunday. This picture is a couple years old, but she loves our boys and has put up with them since they were born -- and this picture reminds me of that.

We got her as a puppy our first Christmas after we married, so we've had her since 1997. As a pup, she used to ride to work with me in a laundry basket and keep me company in our office. She is a good protector, and prefers her entire family to be together in the same room so she can truly rest.

This past Sunday, DH was working in the yard and left for some supplies. Inadvertently, he left one of the gates open. About 30 minutes later, I realized she wasn't by my side, so I went to look for her and found the gate open and no dog. I called urgently for her, and our dear neighbors actually hopped in their truck to look for her. When DH got home, he & the boys went out looking as well.

DH felt horrible since he left the gate open. I admit to feeling a bit of ambivalence -- she is microchipped, so I knew if someone picked her up, they'd be able to call us once she was scanned. My biggest fears were that she would either get hit by a car, or wander into the desert and tangle with a coyote or 2.

On Monday morning, both boys woke up and were very sad that Julianna was still gone. They both thought they heard her before they woke, and were tearful when they realized it was only their "memory." We talked about having positive thoughts about her coming home, and saying a prayer that she would be taken in by a kind family who would return her.

Monday evening there was a knock at our door and a young boy was there with our Julie on a leash. She only wandered a few streets away and a very kind family took her in for the night. The family owned 2 boxers, and I guess our boxer refused to eat the dog food they had -- so the young boy said they gave her some steak!!! He got home from school and began walking through the streets trying to find her owner. Another of our neighbors saw him, and said "Hey! I know that dog!" and directed him to our home.

The boys (and I and DH) are THRILLED that she is back home. Even though I grouse about the dog hair on everything . . . I do love our dog.

Homekeeping meme

Seen at Amy's and other places . . .

Aprons – Y/N?

I have a couple, which I wear sometimes while baking or scrubbing the kitchen. Probably not more than half the time, though. I love the look of some vintage aprons, and went through a phase of wanting to make one . . . but never did.

Baking – Favorite thing to bake:

Bread! I love the smell of yeast, punching down the dough, and filling the house with the aroma of freshly baked bread. Yum.

Clothesline – Y/N?

I used to have one strung on our back patio. It was perfect for hanging diapers. DH always hated it, and moved it to the side yard. It was taken down when we had the pool installed and I don't have one anymore.

Donuts – Have you ever made them?

No, but my mom used to make them every once in a while.

Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day:

make my bed

Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?

yes - and I use the freezer in my mom's refrigerator next door as well. (They only live there a few weeks out of the year right now.)

Garbage Disposal – Y/N?

Yes, but it's lousy and doesn't work very well.

Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?

Because of this meme, and some posts at the Real Learning site, I borrowed Home Comforts and Martha Stewart's homemaking book from the library this week. They're still sitting in the library basket where I placed them after coming home.

Ironing – Love it or hate it?

don't do it. DH has to iron for himself, which is why I take his shirts to the cleaners.

Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?

Yes, we actually have 4 in our kitchen! (I'm lucky that I have many drawers/cupboards there.)

Kitchen: Design & Decorating?

I love my kitchen and the more houses we look at, the more I love it. We have tons of cupboards, a wonderful island the boys can eat and do crafts at, and plenty of light. We have plans to paint it this spring 2 tones of orange.

Love: What is your favorite part of homemaking?

Organizing something and keeping it organized.

Mop - Y/N?

DH has always been in charge of the floors in our marriage. That said, he does use a mop.

Nylons - Wash by hand or in the washing machine?

washing machine

Oven - Do you use the window, or open the door to check?

I open the door.

Pizza - What do you put on yours?

Pepperoni and black olives

Quiet - What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?

read a book

Recipe card box - Y/N?

No, but I do have a binder full of recipes that I've written out.

Style of house -

Ranch, 4 bedroom, 2 bath

Tablecloths and napkins - Y/N?

for special meals

Under the kitchen sink - Organized or toxic wasteland?

organized -- mainly because I clog the garbage disposal and DH has to easily get under there to fix it. Everything under there is organized into 3 plastic baskets and a bucket.

Vacuum - How many times per week?

once

Wash - How many loads of laundry do you do a week?

8 or 9 -- I try to do at least one load/day, but often have 2 loads of towels and 2 loads of sheets each week so I do 2 loads on those days.

X's - Do you keep a daily list of things to do and cross them off?

Very often I do. I have a notebook that I write my lists in.

Yard - Who does what?

DH takes care of 95% of yard duties.

Zzz's - What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?

Making sure the outside lights are turned off, and locking all the doors.

Tagging whoever hasn't done this yet and wants to. :)

24 weeks & 1 day

C took the picture, so it's a little crooked . . . but here's my burgeoning belly :)

And I cleaned my bathroom mirror yesterday . . . but apparently not very well! LOL

hungry

I'm finally hungry. According to babycenter.com, the babe has gained about a quarter of a pound in the last week! Since I am still down about 12 lbs since pre-pregnancy, I'm glad that I'm hungry and able to eat more. I'm probably on track to end up about 10-15 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight by the time the babe is born, which is okay with me. I've been craving cheeseburgers (same as with C) and oranges like crazy. It was jell-o with N.

I'm at 24 weeks today. I was changing shirts earlier and N came in and was amazed at my stomach. He came over and said "WHAT are all these scrapes?? You need rescue creme right away!" I explained they were stretch marks from my stomach growing to fit the babe. I'm a little amazed at the size of my stomach right now, and can't wait until my mom sees it next week.