What Happens to You...

I just spent a pleasant and fun five days in WA visiting my sister and her family with our mother and my daughter.  I discovered I don't want to be a single Mom (though I wouldn't mind having my nieces around all the time).  I don't know how single moms or mothers whose hubbies travel alot do it. 

I discovered I need to reduce the clutter in my house.  My sister's house is nice and uncluttered (except for her mantle) and it makes for a much more peaceful house.  I'm debating parking my car outside and using half of the garage for storage.

I discovered my nieces are great kids (actually I knew this already).  One is quiet and a reader.  The other is bubbly and a talker.  They are both smart and considerate and they both have a great sense of humor. 

I discovered that you can't go a mile in WA without passing a coffee place.

I discovered that I miss grass and trees, which there aren't a whole lot of in NM.

I discovered that if you take a toddler on a plane, the extra seat is worth the money. And bring a stroller.

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I worked half a shift last night.  On my way home at midnight I stopped by a Wal Mart Supercenter to get some eggs and coffee creamer. At midnight there were people there with a screaming two-year-old.

I really don't want to be judgemental.  I know there could be planty of explanations as to why they had their kid up so late, but I still found myself thinking, "What are they thinking?!"

What do YOU think?

Oh, and does anyone else get nauseous from shopping at Wal Mart?

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I need a change.  I'm not sure exactly what the change is, but I've been having that feeling lately...

I've been hit hard by the urge to cuddle a newborn.  Not just any newborn, but MY newborn.  I think I am ready to start thinking about another kiddo.  I know this because even when Maddie has 5 tantrums in one day, I still think dreamily about a new baby.  Maybe it's because Maddie is growing up and saying new words every day and turning into a person with a very distinct personality.  I'm really enjoying her, and I would love to see her with a brother or sister.  Unfortunately, negotiations for this can't even start until after our trip to Morocco.

I've also been looking through the Advance for Respiratory job listings and dreaming of what it would be like to live near the ocean.  I don't really want to move, maybe I just need a change of scenery.  Hopefully the upcoming trips to WA and Morocco will satisfy me.

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We're having a very lazy weekend, or at least Maddie and I are.  I took the weekend off work so Allen could study for the PiMP certification exam.  When he passes he will be given five girls and a couple streetcorners in one of the seedier parts of the city (no lack of those). Woohoo, the bucks will be pouring in.

Just kidding, obviously.  The PiMP exam has something to do with Project Management.

Maddie and I went to the Explora Science/Children's Museum this morning (AKA the bubble and ball place if you're not quite two).  We made giant bubbles, Maddie drank some bubblesoap and splashed around in the bubbles too.  We said hi to the fishies and played in the toddler room and ate lunch outside and rode the giant furnished elevator. 

Maddie went down for a nap at one and I went down for a nap not long after. 

Allen and I watched "Hide and Seek" last night.  Allen didn't like it at all and I had nightmares all night about it.  I guess I'm getting too wimpy for scary movies.

I got my tickets last night to go visit my sister in WA in August.  I'm pretty excited for Maddie to meet her Auntie, Uncle and cousins.  I'm also excited to see them myself. Coffee on the deck, here I come!!  It will also be something of a test flight for our trip to Morocco in October.

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I just may pass the ACLS written when I take it tomorrow.  You see, I discovered that if I READ THE BOOK I learn the information.  Wow.  If anyone elsewants brilliant study advice from a master, feel free to E-Mail me.

Oh, and may I be the first to wish my sister Mia a

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!

Love you, Mia.

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We watched "What the (Bleep) do we Know" last night.  Wow.  If you haven't seen it I recommend it completely.  I'm not sure I "got" everything, but I did take quite a bit away from it.  I'm going to try to find a copy to buy.

In other news--Maddie is learning new word and sentences every day.  It amazes me how fast she is picking things up.  Lately she's been throwing things when she gets mad (much preferred to her short-lived biting and pinching Mommy stage).  Yesterday she threw her sippy cup then looked at the water drops on the floor and said "Wha' 'appened?".  She's also been asking "Wha' doing", "where are you?", and "Wha' matter?".  SHe sings quite a few songs including the Sesame Street fave "Sing", "The Bear Went Over the Mountain" and "Rubber Duckie".

We are hoping/planning to go to Morocco in October to visit Allen's family, and Maddie and I are going to WA in August to visit Tia Mia and check out her new digs.

Allen is studying for his Project Management Certification Exam (AKA the PiMP).  I should be studying for the ACLS written Exam which I failed the first time (embarrassingly enough) but instead I have discovered a "new" author--Marian Keyes.  I just finished Sushi For Beginners.   I have also read Rachel's Holiday  and The Last Chance Saloon, and I am currently reading The Other Side of the Story.  Yes, my housework is being neglected, but what else is new?

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It should be a looong day today.  I have to take an ACLS class (since I let my certification lapse) all day today and tomorrow, which means Maddie spends two days with Yamma.  She should be thoroughly spoiled by tomorrow night, and my Mom will definitely be thoroughly worn out.

One of Allen's friends from work had invited us over for dinner, so we went last night.  Of course we got hopelessly lost at first because we followed the computer directions instead of the map drawn by the guy who actually knows the way to his own house--that was my brillant idea as navigator.  Allen ended up calling the guy to come find us and we followed him back to his house.

They live in the "East Mountains", which is local speak for anyone who lives in the mountains East of the Sandias.  They have five dogs (3 Bichons and two mixed breeds)so Maddie was in toddler heaven.  She got more doggie kisses than I can count and the dogs loved her because she shared her crackers with them, though sometimes not voluntarily.  It was very nice to have a night of good adult conversation.

I guess I should sign off before Maddie wakes up so I can have everything ready to go.  I've discovered that advance preparation is key to leaving the houseon time when you have a kid.  I'm sure my sister told me that at some point, but I always have to learn things the hard way.

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It is almost 8 AM and Maddie is STILL sleeping.  This must be her belated Mother's Day gift to me.  I love greeting my daughter in the morning, but it's oh so much better if I can greet her AFTER I've had a shower and some coffee.

We got our new mattresss yesterday.  It's a latex mattress from Denver Mattress (if you're in the market, I highly recommend going there--we would have spent a thousand dollars more on a comparable brand name mattress).  When I woke up this morning, my back didn't hurt.  I was able to sleep on my sides, stomach and back comfortably.  What a difference!!!

Taos was very nice.  It was good to get away, especially to a smaller town where we could feasibly walk to several different places.  We explored a litle, relaxed a little, walked quite a bit, but alas, we saw no celebrities despite the local news claiming that NM is the "new Hollywood" and Taos is the center of it.  We did come across a few Kooky parents at the playground.  One Mom was discussing personal space with her three-year-old, and another Mom told her two-year-old she understood he was "feeling angry that another little boy has your bucket, but maybe we can talk to him and negotiate a solution".  She later commented that Maddie has "great verbal skills" for a 19 monther.  I was dying to tell her it was all the HBO we let her watch.  Instead I smiled and thanked her.

If anyone is looking for some great laughs, pick up a book by Laurie Notaro.  She has compiled four books of her columns--The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club, Autobiography of a Fat Bride, I love Everybody and Other Atrocious Lies, and We Thought You Would be Prettier.  Warning: you are at risk of peeing your pants or spitting a drink while reading these books.

I hear Maddie talking to Zoe II (a story for another entry) so I guess I should gulp down more coffee and prepare for the day.

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I tried to go to two of my regular blogs, Chez Miscarriage and Jennifer Weiner's blog, and the most current entries in both blogs are from March 7th.  I thought perhaps I had gone to sleep on March 6th and dreamed up the rest of March and the entire month of April.  I asked Allen what today's date was with just a little trepidation.  Luckily, it really is May 1st because we're going on a small vacation to Taos on Thursday and I don't think I could wait another two months for it.

Maybe it really IS March 7th and Allen, Maddie and I went across a small tesseract.  WHat month is everyone else experiencing right now?

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Although the last time I did the weekend assignment I had to depict it on a cave wall with a stick dipped in the blood of a woolly mammoth, this weekend assignment seemed challenging and important to think about, so I think I'll do it.

The most important life lesson I have learned from my life experiences summed up in one sentence.  Relax, relinquish control, and allow yourself to have fun.

This is something I have to remind myself of hourly, and I often forget.  But when I remember, I am much less stressed and I have much less conflict with myself and those around me.

Aah.

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