Another Friday – Still here
Wednesday, after P got out of school, a friend (not really close, but only because of not much time spent together) came and met us at the house for a walk. We walked for 30 minutes at a pretty good pace, me pushing K2 and P riding her bike. And W (friend) walking just slightly behind me which kept making me think I was going too fast. But she said I wasn’t so it just must be where she likes to walk. It was a very windy day, but also very warm so it was a nice walk. I did most of the talking. 🙂
After we chatted for a few minutes when we got back to the house, she left, and the kids begged me enough to go to the park right away that after a quick snack, that’s what we did. Walked to the park. We had been there maybe 5 minutes when P realized she had to go potty badly and we had to leave right away. So we came home and had lunch and a potty break. K2 “went down” for a nap that he never actually took. So we ended up at the park again around 4:00. Two park trips in one day! We all got a little sun, and the kids got nice and dirty and tired. Then they played across the street while I made dinner, so more sun and more dirt and more tired.
Thursday was a quiet day. I didn’t take the kids to the park even once. I was tired. It was colder. We stayed in. Too much TV, but not all day long. Had cold cereal for breakfast due to my lack of planning ahead. In the morning, K2 and I went to P’s school for her end-of-year knowledge presentation and party. They recited the states and capitals, sang some songs, and recited answers about their heroes. Then the kids (including K2, who was very excited to be sitting with his sister) had refreshments. I loitered and hovered until they were finally done. K2 at one point shoved past the teacher standing behind the little table cutting the cake, and tripped himself and put his hand in frosting of said cake. Nice. It was stressful wrangling him and making my way around the tiny classroom with my belly sticking out and all the little kids and all the other parents. I was glad when it was over.
Today was her assembly presentation of the Gettysburg Address in conjunction with the 5th graders. So K2 and I stayed after walking her into school and I had to wrangle him again during the short assembly. It was cool to see her up there looking normal and not like she was about to pass out from shyness.
After we got home from her assembly, I changed clothes and K2 and I went on a 30 minute walk. Then we went and picked P up from school and then went straight to the park where I let them play for about 40 minutes until I decided it was getting too cold to stay. We came home for lunch and they played while I swept and mopped the entire first floor of the house. It was a lot of work, and it is now very clear to me why I’ve put it off for 2 weeks.
After the kids were satisfied with a short game of London Bridges upstairs, I put K2 down for a nap and now P is watching Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium on the DVR. I am trying to psych myself up for going grocery shopping when K2 gets up, but it is Friday night and I just don’t know if I want the groceries bad enough. If I don’t do it tonight it will have to wait until Monday because there are things going on tomorrow and we don’t shop on Sundays…..
Oh wait, I just realized how I can do the grocery shopping tomorrow!!! The plan is for my mom to watch the kids while I go get my hair cut tomorrow (pretty excited). After my haircut, I was going to spend some time by myself for a few hours before going to the adult session of stake conference at 7 PM by myself, so mom would just keep the kids all afternoon. I could go grocery shopping by myself!! Without the kids!! That’s how I could spend my time! Of course it might be more fun to go to a movie by myself. Hmmmmm….
Well, I don’t know yet what I’ll do. But today is a good day and I think tomorrow will be too. Also booked a flight for K to fly out here on the 13th and stay until the 17th, so I’m pretty excited about that, too.
Tuesday smoojday
Dumb title I know.
Saturday we ended up going to Sam’s Club and then King Soopers for some groceries that I feel are already disappearing. Saturday evening we ended up spending at my MIL and SIL’s house chatting while the kids played. It was quite a pleasant evening.
Sunday was church and dinner at my parents’ house. Again, pleasant and not much out of the ordinary.
Yesterday, we played at the park after school. I cleaned the upstairs while P was at school, including vacuuming the stairs, the bedrooms, wiping down the bathroom floors, the toilets and the sinks. Tidying bedrooms, and improvising a nightstand for myself with an upside down laundry basket covered in a pillow case. 🙂
In the afternoon after K2’s nap, we went out front and I weeded the rocks while the kids played. The weeding wasn’t too bad, but it was unpleasant for me with all the bending over – my heartburn was pretty bad by the time I finished. But we were out there for almost 2 hours so the kids enjoyed it and I’m glad I’ve got a headstart on keeping the weeds under control. Anything that helps the curb appeal, right? No showings.
Today, K2 and I went for a walk for about 20 minutes before picking P up from school. I decided I need to get out there as much as possible to walk since I haven’t been making myself work out inside and I’m gaining weight too rapidly again. After picking her up, we went straight to the park where they played for about 30 minutes before we had to come home for P to go potty.
They are playing with blocks now after a very random lunch for all of us. I am on hold with the Department of Revenue, a call I meant to make yesterday but couldn’t seem to make myself dial. The recording warned me that my wait would be an hour. I sincerely hope that is not the case. I’ve been on hold for about 25 minutes already.
Mom is coming this afternoon to watch the kids while I go to Peak Vista and register for a doctor’s appointment. I’m excited and nervous at the same time. After I register, I don’t know how long it will be before they schedule an appointment for me, but I hope it is only about a week because I’d really like to have someone official tell me that my blood pressure is ok and that the baby is looking good (at least sounding good).
Next big hurdle is getting the short sale application paperwork sent off, which I hope to have done by end of the week at the latest. Getting K to fax the signature page is proving much more difficult than I would like – apparently he has a hard time finding openings to use the fax machine since it is also the credit card machine at work. It is one page for crying out loud!!! At least he finally sent his paystubs yesterday since I need those to go to Peak Vista.
No showings yet today. I am praying every morning that we will just have a showing. K is talking about putting the house up for rent, but the idea of having renters and still being responsible for these two mortgages (that we couldn’t make through rent), and ultimately still responsible for the house, just fills me with dread. I’m trying to be patient. But if lowering the price 10,000 still isn’t getting us viewings….. !!! ??? How low is it going to have to go? And it makes me question my realtor’s advertising – how well is it getting represented? I don’t have a reason to doubt him, really. Just this process making me insane.
Over and out. 32 minutes on hold. Hopefully it won’t be another 30 because I need to take a shower and get presentable for going to the clinic.
Gotta write it down “Kitty dogs”
Leaving Mom and Dad’s house last night – Piper saw a dog (I think) with pointy ears.
Piper: “It must be a kitty dog, because it has pointy ears.”
Me (amused): “I don’t think there’s any such thing as a kitty dog, sweetpea.”
Piper: “As a scientist, I know kitty dogs.” Pauses while I start cracking up. “Well, I’m not actu-lly a scientist, I just know kitty dogs.”
It was hilarious. Maybe you had to be there. She was so serious. And when I laughed, she wanted to know what was so funny, and then she decided to commentate about kitty dogs and kitty frogs for about 5 minutes straight. I think trying to get me to laugh out loud again, but the running ramble just made me smile a lot. Good driving entertainment.
Edited to add:
Tuesday morning on the way to school:
P: Why is that guy running on the road?
Me: Because he wants to I guess.
P: Well, he’s supposed to run on the sidewalk.
Me: There aren’t any sidewalks on this road, so he has to run on the road.
P: When Jesus made this city he must have forgot to put in sidewalks.
I didn’t have the heart to tell her that He created us, the world, and all the animals and matter in it, but he’s not the one that organized it all into this city.
Waves
Things went downhill after Tuesday. Wednesday was gloomy and rainy, and my mood matched. And I couldn’t seem to get cheerful again until Friday. Wednesday and Thursday were spent mostly inside with not-too-much TV on Thursday but way-too-much on Wednesday. Kids were cooped up, I was bummed about the whole house-not-selling-husband-gone-uncomfortable-with-pregnancy thing. I tried a recipe Thursday night that was a disaster and wasted a bunch of food because I wasn’t going to eat it and neither were the kids. Wed night was pancakes.
I haven’t worked out since Tuesday.
I felt pretty good yesterday. We got P from school and the kids played for a couple hours before my realtor came over with some revised fliers and the new listing agreement with a lowered price that we’re hoping will glean us some showings on the house. Then we headed off in the rain and wind to the library where we checked out a huge stack of kids’ books, 3 books for me, and a movie. The rest of the day was nap and homework and playing, and then we headed to the bank when our JP check came early in the mail. Deposited it and got us some easy fast food that wasn’t too good for us, but was easy and fast and tasted good. I pride myself on not giving my kids fast food on too-regular a basis, but I’ve probably resorted to it a little too much since K left.
As we were finishing our food at home, my SIL called and asked if she and MIL and SIL’s daughter could stop by for a visit. This is pretty unusual, and of course I said they could. They were here chatting while the kids played for about an hour, and then they left a little after 7 to go run a couple of errands before they went home.
The kids and I watched Monsters vs. Aliens that we’d checked out from the library, and then they went to bed at about 8:40. Of course, the later bedtime did not cause K2 to sleep in on a Saturday. Oh, no. He got up at 7 and went in and bothered P for a while before she told him firmly to go away and he came to me to ask for TV. So I set him up downstairs with a cartoon and went back to bed. I didn’t really ever get back to sleep; I heard P go down at about 7:40 and I heard them downstairs. I heard them coming up the stairs at about 8:30 asking for breakfast when I told them where to find some food that P could get to.
I got up at about 9 after laying in bed for a while awake. We had breakfast, I cleaned up the crumbs from their snack (a graham cracker – they always get crumbs everywhere), and now we’re just sitting around. They are still watching cartoons and alternating between playing together and fighting. I am in my bathrobe, trying to decide if I want to bother getting us all dressed to go to the store or not. We need a couple things and we haven’t been to Sam’s Club in ages since our membership had expired, but K renewed it a week or so ago.
So, I don’t know if we’ll go or not. No other plans, possible or otherwise, for today.
I want to write a post about my feelings and impressions while reading my journal back from 2005 on Thursday and looking at the pictures on the computer from back then, too. But not today.
Tried New things – cobblestoned a recipe, and pb parsnip fries
Researched a bunch of meatball recipes today, and picked and chose ingredients that I had on-hand to cobblestone my own recipe:
1-1.5 lbs ground beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 – 1 cup whole wheat dried, ground bread crumbs (lots of recipes called for oatmeal, might try that next time)… See More
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 T cajun seasoning (could use chili powder, I didn’t have any)
1/4 tsp pepper
1.5 tsp onion powder
handful of brown sugar
1/4 c 2% milk (lots of recipes called for evaporated milk)
1/4 c milled flax seed
Mixed it all together, rolled into balls, browned them in a pan on the stove until they were almost done through. Put them in a baking dish and covered them with sauce. I didn’t have enough BBQ sauce in the bottle left, so I took some ketchup and mixed in a little brown sugar and white vinegar to supplement the 1/2 cup or so I had. Made sure they were all coated in the sauce (could use however much you want depending on how saucy you want them. We were having them by themselves but more sauce might have been good if we were having them on rice or pasta), put in oven for 15-20 minutes until sauce is heated and you’re sure the meat is cooked through.
They were kind of soft – they could have been browned a little more than I had the patience for. 🙂 Hope this isn’t too long!! I literally had this stuff on-hand, but I don’t know that any one thing is absolutely necessary. None of the recipes I saw called for flax, but I thought it would add some healthy fats and fiber. Also, lots called for just oatmeal and no bread crumbs. Some called for more egg, some for none at all.
1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T chunky peanut butter (I used creamy, Naturally More peanut butter)
1 T almond butter (I just used one more T peanut butter because I didn’t have almond butter, but I want to try this when I can afford to get some more almond butter)
1/2 tsp sea salt
Cut three parsnips up into “fries”, coat with the mixed peanut butter mixture, cook at 400 for 30-40 minutes. Apparently in Colorado, I only needed about 25 minutes, because I managed to burn most of them. But what I could salvage was YUM.
Monday night
I played with P at her designated activity – her doll princess sticker books. Kinda boring, but I did my best to sit there and do it for a while so we could chat. Mostly she chatted and I listened.
Started some potatoes baking and then P spent a while agonizing over when K2 would wake up because I’d told her we could go to the park when he did. Finally, I let her go upstairs and open his door, which obviously resulted in him getting up. So we headed to the park, even though K2 was still kind of emotional from being woken up. He finally figured it out after we’d been at the park for a few minutes, that crying and pouting wasn’t going to be nearly as much fun as playing, climbing, and sliding. We stayed at the park for about 20 minutes, and then I figured we needed to get home to our baked potatoes, plus I was cold. The wind was kind of chilly as the sun neared the mountains.
Baked potatoes and some frozen leftover ground turkey and creamy sauce with cheese and brocoli. It was a yummy dinner. Then we settled in for Family Home Evening, most of which I’m sure K2 didn’t hear. We had a song, a prayer, and a short lesson about being a child of God, then we sang more songs and had a closing prayer. Then, while P was reading K2 a book that he didn’t listen to at all, they had their treat, a little bit of candy that I’d let P pick out at the store.
They played with the couch cushions after FHE (wonder when that’s going to get old?) and played upstairs for a while chasing each other while I talked to my mom for a bit and put some clean laundry away. Then it was time for one cartoon before bed (I left the TV off from 10:30 on!! Yay me!!), and then pjs, teeth, bedtime story, prayers, kisses, hugs (which turns into wrestling), and drinks of water. And finally, bed.
I had done a quick BWO+ while they were watching their cartoon, so I already had 15 minutes of my intended workout finished. When I came back down, I had already set up the treadmill as well, so I got right to work at walking. I walked for 28 minutes, and phew it was hard. After my workout, I texted K a bunch, watched part of a movie I’d recorded on Saturday on the DVR, had a little bit of ice cream and a homemade granola bar, and a lot of water.
At 9:45 I turned off the TV!!!!! and headed upstairs to shower and read until sleepy time. Ended up turning out the light at 10:45. K2 woke everyone up at 6:40 this morning when he punched P in the eye, probably because she wouldn’t do whatever he wanted (get up early??). So he got a time out and I laid in bed for a couple minutes more before giving up. P was getting dressed in her room so I got up and did the same. And she had time to relax and watch a little cartoon before school.
Leaving in a few minutes to meet my MK director. Taking K2 with me, and we’ll leave from there to get P from school. I’m all dressed up! Wearing jeans, a cute shirt, have my hair braided in a side ponytail (new endeavor), and I have jewelry and a little bit of makeup on! Crazy! I’ll just have to change out of it later if I decide to do some cleaning and later still when I work out. But it feels good to look presentable at 9:30 on a Tuesday morning.
Oh, down from 230 a few days ago to 228 today. That isn’t much, but considering I’d like to stop gaining weight now (which means I have to lose a little while the baby gains to maintain my current weight), I’m happy with that. I ate plenty, healthily, I haven’t binged in two nights, and I worked out last night and have gone to bed earlier for two nights in a row. I’m going to need to go to the library soon since I’m on my last book and that helps me want to go upstairs earlier rather than watch TV until late.
I’m off!
Weekend recap – nothing to see here
Friday ended well after that last post. At 6 PM, we headed over a friend’s house where we had wonderful homemade pizza (their tradition every Friday night) and my kids played with her kids and we chatted while her husband went and cleaned his night-time cleaning account. Then, when he got back, we left the kids with him and went to Chili’s for some molten lava cake.
The cake was good, the pizza was wonderful, the company was great. I felt so blah that I was worried that conversation would stagnate or we wouldn’t have enough to talk about. But my worries were in vain and we had a great time together. It was quite honestly the highlight of my week. When we got back to the house, I collected my tired and happy children and they got to bed around 9:40. Didn’t stop K2 from getting up at 7 on Saturday, but whatever.
Saturday dawned dismal and dreary. We had pancakes for breakfast and oatmeal for lunch. We stayed in all day and didn’t do much of anything at all. The kids had a good time jumping from the couch to the back couch cushions on the floor, pretending that the cushions were beds and covering up and “sleeping”, and pretending the cushions were their horses and dragging each other around straddling them. I watched a couple of movies on TV, and as the evening came on we hopped in the car (so great to be in the garage! the kids were in their pjs and my awful get-up didn’t even matter) and we went to the drive thru for some fast food. I justified this somehow.
Sunday, we got ready (unlike pj Saturday) and went to church. I actually managed to listen to some of the talks in our main meeting and was inspired by some of the things that were said. Namely that what we do when our time is pressure-free, deadline-free is a big indicator of where we are in our progression. Where our thoughts go when there is nothing we HAVE to think about is a guage of how our discipleship of Christ is fairing. I felt inspired to come home and delete a bunch of my DVR timers – I’ve let myself become a slave to way too many shows over the past two years as K has been gone in the evenings and the TV and remote are basically all mine after the kids go to bed. It doesn’t seem healthy and it is something I’d like to improve. I also want to get to bed earlier each night – this is an ongoing battle with me. The sooner I go upstairs, the sooner I’m safe from the kitchen, yes??
After church, K2 took a short nap after some lunch while P and I hung out together and then we all headed over to my MIL’s and SIL’s for dinner. I had a lovely time chatting with Mom-in-law and Sister-in-law while the kids had a great time playing (SIL has one daughter a little younger than P). We had sloppy joes, oven crinkle fries, peas, and salad. It was all very tasty. But the best part was having folks to talk with. We left to come home around 7:40 and came home for a bedtime snack and bedtime ritual.
I did pretty well with my self-improvement after the kids went down. I watched one show, ate one thing (ice cream and probably too much, but that was it), checked some stuff online, and then went upstairs to get ready for bed and read my scriptures and then my book until I was sleepy. I didn’t get sleepy, but I turned the light off at about 10:35, but didn’t get to sleep until about 11 due to some texting with K after he’d gotten done with his birthday dinner over in Utah.
Today, I’ve been feeling ‘wo is me’ but in a practical sort of way. Can’t really describe it. Usually when I feel this way, I cry if someone asks me about it or if I really think about it. Today, I’m feeling very matter-of-fact and kinda pissed. This is my beef: it feels like for the last 4 years or so, I’ve been waiting for one big thing after another that is going to make our lives ‘better’. Usually financially. Waiting for K’s shop to open up. Waiting for him to give up and shut it down. Waiting for JP to start up. Waiting for the bankruptcy to be over. Waiting for a miscarriage or a baby to be born. Waiting for K’s JP business to be big enough that he feels like he can start paying quarterly taxes. Waiting to find out how much taxes we owe when filing and waiting to see what the payment plan is going to be like. Waiting. Waiting until I can quit my job and be a stay-at-home mom (which I know so many people don’t get to do, or don’t want to do, but its something I’ve always wanted and I’m lucky enough to be giving it a shot). And NOW waiting for the house to sell, possible short sale to be approved, and for us to be able to start over in Utah at a job that for all intents and purposes looks like its not going to be NEARLY enough to support us. When we thought it was going to be great.
WAITING. I know I should stop waiting, enjoy life as it is now, live it NOW, etc. But today, it feels like it is just one big waiting game and it NEVER ends, and it NEVER gets better. Whaaaah. I’m venting – hope no one is offended by my self-pity.
Today, I filled out short sale paperwork with our second mortgage company. I’ve sent it off to my realtor for him to look it over and fill in a couple of parts. I’ve called the discount, uninsured clinic that I was referred to by a friend to see what I need to bring with me to register and see how much my appointment would be (it is based on income). I’ve asked my realtor to fix our fliers (noticed today after two weeks that the house number on the flier is wrong), told him about our random broken shutter that is snapped in half that I swear was fine a couple days ago, asked him how this short sale thing works. He seems pretty sure we need to drastically reduce our asking price for the house, so I’m not sure exactly how long we’re going to wait to do that.
The kids and I went grocery shopping after lunch and before K2’s nap time. Got basically everything on my list plus a little for about 87, and also filled up the tank of the H3. And we are now officially broke until next pay day, in 2 weeks. So I hope the food and the gas lasts. WAITING.
Now, it is almost 4 and I should do something with my daughter. Ok, I’m off to do that. Then put some potatoes in for baking for dinner. Then we are going to have Family Home Evening tonight.
TGIF ??
I’m not sure if I’m glad its Friday or not. In a way, I am. Because that’s two days I don’t have to take P to school or worry about homework after today’s is done. Because if I let them take care of each other, I might be able to sleep in a little for the next couple days. And because that’s one more week gone.
But that’s also one more week gone. One more week that we are apart from K. One more week that the house hasn’t sold, and in fact has only been shown once.
Tonight, we are going to a friend’s house for dinner, then my friend’s husband will watch his 4 and my 2 kids while the friend and I go out to Chili’s for molten lava cake, our traditional outing. I am looking forward to this, in a mild sort of way. I like her a lot, but we don’t have a lot in common as far as interests go so conversation might be stilted now that I have next to nothing going on. The kids will enjoy playing with their kids, and it will take up the evening hours.
Tomorrow, we don’t have anything going on. I could go to a Pampered Chef party in the evening if I wanted to badly enough to get a sitter. But I think my lack of action in that area tells me how badly I ‘want’ to go. So tomorrow might be a slow day. Sunday, we will go to church, and maybe to my parents’ for dinner.
K got paid today. About 250 less than I thought he would. So I’m not sure what happened, but I do know this tight financial situation isn’t loosening up today. I’ve almost a mind to cancel the molten lava cake, but I won’t.
Last night, my craving for a candy bar overwhelmed me. Workouts yesterday consisted of walking to and from the park pushing K2 in the stroller, and a quick BWO+ in the afternoon. With the intention of walking in the evening on the treadmill. Didn’t happen, because instead I loaded up the kids and we went to Loaf N Jug where I purchased some chewy candy for them and 3 king size candy bars for myself. I rationed theirs (they’re finishing it now), plus they shared. I, however, had finished all 3 bars by the evening’s end. And I hadn’t walked. And its a wonder I didn’t eat more. I don’t even have any words of defense – the whole episode was so blatantly ridiculous and avoidable. Sometimes I am just sick of myself and with myself.
Today hasn’t been exactly on-par nutritionally. I need to get it together. I need to work out, take a shower, accomplish something. Stop munching on stuff I don’t even really want because I’M SO BORED. AND STRESSED. AND BORED. Whaaah.
K2 woke up at 5:53 this morning. I intercepted him before he could wake up P, and we got in a clash of wills over what he was going to do, besides NOT wake her up. He didn’t want to go to his bed, he didn’t want to come lay in K’s spot. But I made him, and he cried tragically and loudly. Honestly, it didn’t occur to me until this morning that I might have to just get up with him. P was so drastically different. She would come in, wake me up, climb in bed with us and then just lay there, quietly whispering to herself or actually go back to sleep. And this is after waking up already later than K2 wakes up these days. I was SO SPOILED by P. When she got too old to want to just lay there while we continued sleeping, she had learned to turn the TV on, and she slowly switched to not even bothering to come in and say good morning to me. She just got up and came downstairs and found one of her cartoons on the DVR and came and got me when she got hungry. She’s known how to use the DVR, trial and error sometimes since she couldn’t read, since about 3 years old. Crazy, thinking back. So as K2 has progressed into wanting to get up earlier than any of us would normally, and all he wants to do is wake her up, I haven’t known what to do. I’ve forced him to wait in bed with me. I’ve forced him to get back in his bed. We’ve gotten mad at each other. If its not too much earlier than our normal wake-up time for school, I’ve just let him go climb in with her and wake her up, as I wait half-asleep for the alarm to go off.
Today was the first time it occured to me that I probably just need to get up with him. I know, DUH. I can bring him downstairs, put some cartoons on for him, and sit with him. Maybe even doze some more. Is that what I should do? I’m definitely not at my best in the early morning, not by far. After 20 minutes of him snuffling over on K’s side of the bed because I’d made him lay back down, he got up and said he was going back to his room. I totally didn’t believe him, because of his track record. So I got up, got dressed (of a sort) and brought him down here where we sat watching cartoons until it was time to get P up for school. Given everyone leaving her alone, P would sleep in until 7:30 or 8:00 every day.
Maybe K2 will get there one day. Or become his own little morning-caretaker like P did. But for now, unless I’m willing to sacrifice P’s sleep, I’m going to have to get up with him. And that does not make me happy at all.
Sometimes I feel like I’m doing ok. Other days I feel like the worst mom on the planet.
First Showing and Cutting Back
Yesterday afternoon, I got a call at 2 from my realty group saying they had an agent that wanted to show the house between 3 & 4. I was so excited! I mean, obviously one showing does not necessarily a sale make, but it is a start!
So I spent the next 50 minutes running around the house doing some last minute things that I’d kind of put off because of the feeling of a showing “never going to happen”. I tidied up the bottom of the coat closet by the front door, I made sure the toilets were clean, I put all the dirty laundry in the washer and closed the lid, I checked the kids’ rooms, I wiped out the kids’ tub (still had some dried bubbles in the bottom), I spot-cleaned the kitchen floor, wiped off the table and counter once more, cleaned out the kitchen sink drain and made sure it was fresh-smelling, put away a few toys in the living room, changed the twin sheet that is acting as a half-couch-slipcover. And then I woke K2 up from his nap and loaded the kids in the H3 and took off. We went to the park, again. We’d already gone once before lunch to a different park.
This time, we went to the park by the library. The kids played for about 50 minutes, and then we stopped by the library drop-box for a return, and then stopped by MIL’s house to drop off a movie we’d borrowed for the airport drive and some granola bars for them to try. We only stayed for about 5 minutes, and we were home at about 4:25 to find a business card on the counter and no SOLD sign outside. 🙂 J/K, I wasn’t expecting a SOLD sign.
I’m going to wait until about 10 AM and then if I haven’t heard from my realtor, I’ll call him and see if there is any feedback.
Other than each of them watching Little Mermaid yesterday, the kids didn’t watch TV. I was so proud of myself. We went to the park, the kids played upstairs a little in the evening, after dinner, we played a bunch of games, including some lopsided games of Red Light, Green Light; Duck, Duck, Goose; London Bridges (they enjoyed this one the most); and Ring Around the Rosies. I read them a bunch of books that we got at the library, including one that P read to us. That was pretty cool; I’m so excited about her learning to read and enjoy it.
After two days of much less TV, K2 is asking for it less when its off. He still asks for it, but he seems to half expect me to say no, now. I plan on turning it off about an hour before we go get P, and then it won’t come on again this afternoon except for P to maybe watch one short cartoon while K2 is sleeping.
Tuesday night, we had a short Family Home Evening. Since we were going to use the music/hymns playing from the internet so I needed access to the computer, I had them sit on the couch cushions on the floor next to the computer chair. We started by singing one of their favorite church kids songs, then we had a prayer to start. K2 kept bouncing from his cushion to P’s, and back. Then moving his cushion in front of hers, then back. Then bouncing some more. He was driving me nuts. So I got a little upset and tried to get him to sit still or at least stop moving his cushion and bounce around just on his. But he yelled at me and got upset back – I kinda lost all motivation for this little adventure and I sent them both upstairs and told them to forget it. P was so upset, she’d been so excited. So I sat there and counted to 10, and then called her back down and hugged her and asked what was wrong. Of course, it was that she wanted to do FHE and was sad that K2 had ruined it (along with my temper). So I had her sit down and called K2 back down and asked him again to please sit on his cushion and stop moving it. Of course, within seconds he was doing exactly that. So I pulled his cushion out from under him and put it back on the couch and told him he had to sit on the floor. That got through to him and I gave his cushion back and he seemed to finally get it and he didn’t sit still, but he stopped bouncing from cushion to cushion, and he stopped moving his cushion in front of P’s. So finally, we carried on. I told them a story using the felt cut-outs and book back-drop they’d gotten from Grandma for Christmas, basically the story of the beginning of the Book of Mormon, about the prophet Lehi and his son Nephi and their family.
After the story, we sang 3 more songs, and then had a closing prayer when I had P ask for a blessing on our refreshments, the granola bars I made Tuesday afternoon. P has been asking to do FHE every night, so I think she enjoyed the whole thing. We will do it again with a different lesson/story next Monday. I don’t know if we’ll do the cushions again with all the trouble that caused. We’ll see.
As much as I hope for another showing today, I kind of hope it doesn’t come in the middle of K2’s nap again. But if it does, we’ll make do. I’d much rather sacrifice K2’s nap-time and sell the house than have him get plenty of afternoon zzz’s and have to stay here for longer without K.
The last two nights, I’ve walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill after the kids go down. The first night (Tuesday) it helped me stay out of the food. Last night, it didn’t work quite as well since I was really craving some stuff before I walked, and the cravings were still there when I got done. But, the first night I got a pain under my belly and had to stop at 28 minutes. Last night I finished the full 30. I also did some wall pushups and some tricep dips on the stairs.
That’s about all there is going on around here. We might go to the park again today – have to spend the day somehow. Also might let them play out front today since I’ve given the neighbors about a week off from my kids now. Had quick chicken tacos for dinner last night, and lentils for lunch. K2 apparently doesn’t digest lentils (eeeewwww), so I might not be feeding him anymore of them. Not sure what to make for dinner tonight. Tonight, I’d like to do my BWO+ and some walking for a workout.
Hanging in there
Earlier today I was extremely sad and bummed about this whole situation. I’m still struggling a little. We went to the grocery store, and K2’s antics and wimpiness helped distract a little from being sad. I was annoyed instead. 🙂
Now, K2 is in bed for a much-needed nap. We have a few groceries in the fridge, some fresh veggies and fruit. I’m cooking lentils for dinner. P is putting on makeup (SCARY!). And I have gotten some encouraging and uplifting words from some friends on Facebook.
I’m trying to remind myself that the house has only been on the market for less than a week. Patience, Farah!!!
Its just that sitting here, day after day, going about our business, as if everything is normal when 1/4 of our family is gone, it feels like we’re never even going to get a showing. Its going to be such a shock when I get a call telling us to be out for someone to come by! I’m probably going to have heart palpitations!
I’m going to do some dusting. Clean a bathtub and a sink or two. Put some clothes away. Call my realtor and see if he’s worried yet. That’s really all I can do. This is a waiting game, and I’ve never been good at waiting. For ANYTHING. I’ve always been the type of person that decides something and then wants to do it, have it, be it, immediately. One of the reasons I’ve never really learned to save money, make long-term changes in my eating habits, or….. well that’s all I can think of. But you get the idea. This waiting for someone else to make a move on something so important to me is excrutiating.
Ugh. Trying to hang in there.
Comfy in My Skin 