Boo!

For the first time in recent memory, I am really getting into the Halloween thing. So much so that I kind of wish I had taken the time to think up a costume for myself. Little O is rocking the ninja thing. So cute.

We carved a huge, classic jack o' lantern and toasted the seeds. Otto helped by walking around with a big spoon and periodically stooping down to get a little pumpkin on it and then flinging it all over the kitchen. Good times.

And tonight, I am taking the little guy trick or treating (just to a couple co-workers houses- he doesn't really eat candy yet) and then to a Halloween party. And guess what? I'm excited!

I think that in recent years, I'd forgotten the fun, the magic of Halloween. I'd forgotten how, when I was a kid it felt exciting and daring to dress up and then go out into your neighborhood at night- with flashlights and reflective tape on your costume- going door to door not knowing what delightful, delectable treats would make it into your plastic pumpkin. I'd forgotten that feeling of having your coat on -hopefully under- your costume (and possibly also wearing snow boots- it was Montana) and walking around in the darkness convincing yourselves that you can hear bats and ghosts and witches.

I'm excited for Otto to experience these things. Not now, but soon. And next year I'm coming up with a kick ass costume for myself- even if the only place I wear it is to the store to buy candy. Because why the hell not?

Have fun, eat much candy, be safe. Happy Halloween!!

Sick Day Baking

Donut Muffins from my new favorite food blog: Bread & Honey. Yum.

Since I had to be home with the puker anyway, I figured I might as well have some fun. The muffins turned out great and were very quick to make. Oh, and the puker helped. He doesn't look sick, does he? :-)

Now, however, I'm feeling a little baker's/eater's remorse. I think I'll hop on the stationary bike and do some reading. Ciao!

Edited to add: Maybe not...I think I just heard the puker waking up from his nap...curses!

Vomit Watch 2008! (Now! with more puking!)

So, um, yeah. For your Monday Morning Pleasure, a summary of the last few days:

Last Wednesday Night: Baby wakes up covered in vomit. We clean up, get back to sleep only to be awakened by more vomit in about 45 min. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Thursday: Stay home with baby. Seems fine other than periodic puking. I give him water in a sippy cup and breast milk only. We have high hopes.

Friday: Still throwing up in the morning. Puke now covering everything we own.

Saturday: Things looking up! No puking...here have some crackers! Oh. Oops! Puke.

Sunday: Puke free day. Seriously, not one puke. Baby eats crackers, applesauce. It stays down! Praises be!

Today: 8:00 am. Eager to return to the world of non-vomit, baby returns to daycare (with instructions regarding bland, starchy diet, excess of liquids etc etc) and I return to work.

9am. Phone rings. Daycare. You guessed it- PUKE!


Its OK, really. I totally wanted to use up ALL MY SICK TIME on my kid this month. Because, you know, VOMIT RULZ.

To be continued...

Bittersweet

It always surprises me, when we descend from our lofty perch here at 7200 ft. and go south that the seasons are just a bit slower down there. (It makes sense, of course, but its easy to get stuck in your own bubble and forget that not everyone lives at high altitude.) Here, we are nearing the bittersweet end of fall: The aspen leaves, which only recently were a beautiful green, contrasting with their white trunks, and then even more recently, brilliant gold coins that rattled and clinked in the wind, are now mostly gone, swept into gutters and raked into bags. The cottonwoods are nearly bald, the reminders of their summer beauty crunch and crinkle beneath our shoes. The days are chilly and the nights even more so. I've had frost on my windshield every morning in the past week.



So you can imagine our delight at being in Colorado this weekend. It was somehow nourished my soul to see full-fledged Fall again- lawns were still green, trees still had their brilliantly colored leaves. And the temperature! We spent a glorious afternoon at the zoo, enjoying 70+ degree weather.



And now, today, back in my office with a window overlooking the college campus, I can see the dead leaves whipping around the cold-weather clad students as they brave the bracing wind on their way to class.

I love this town, this state...I'm glad we chose this place to create our home and to raise our son.

But sometimes, just sometimes, I wish we could postpone winter a bit.

My email can beat up your email

I'll admit it: I was already a little crabby when I walked into work this morning. My kid was up at 3:30 am and it took an HOUR to get him back down. Not really sure what was going on there...maybe a new tooth? Who knows. Babies are weird. Anyway. Where was I? Oh, right- I was crabby.

I grabbed a cup of coffee (usually I'm decaf but today was a half-caff type of morning), settled in and checked my email. Innocuously placed among campus wide announcements and cute doggy pictures (thanks, Ma) was an email from a former co-worker. Someone I thought I got along with. Someone I KNOW I share certain political views with.

At first glance, I assumed it was probably just a greeting (Heyhowareyouitsbeenawhile type of a thing) or a silly forward (FRIENDZRAWESOMEforwardto10friendsorsufferHORRIBLEBADLUCK) but I was wrong: What was lurking inside this email almost caused me to spew half-caff with half n' half (say THAT 5 times fast) all over my keyboard. This email was the most vile, offensive, completely ridiculous drivel I've ever received in a personal email. And while I hesitate to post too much of it here because it is SO INCREDIBLY RIDICULOUS AND OFFENSIVE, I'll give you just a small idea of the content.

It was entitled "Why I vote Democrat" and included such gems as:

I'm voting Democrat because I believe people who can't tell us if it will rain in two or three days, can now tell us the polar ice caps will disappear in ten years if I don't start riding a bicycle, build a windmill or inflate my tires to
proper levels.

And:

I'm voting Democrat because it's alright to kill millions of babies as long as we keep violent, convicted murderers on death row alive.

And this one:

I'm voting Democrat because the government knows how to raise children better than parents do.

It went on and on and on. If printed out, it would be 4 pages. 4 PAGES! I'll have to admit: My first instinct was to fire off some sort of scathing reply. Something to the tune of:

I'm voting Republican because I’d rather completely destroy the landscape, the ozone layer and my own lungs than drive a smaller car or get off my fat ass and ride a bike or recycle a can.

Or:

I’m voting Republican because I in no way understand the issue of Reproductive rights. I've never known anyone with preeclampsia (and don’t even know what that is). I’m “Pro-Life” but do not want any of my money to go to help lower the rate of unwanted pregnancies, help single mothers make ends meet, take care of special needs children,or provide health insurance for the millions of uninsured children in this country.

I didn't of course. And I never would. I just ignored the email, and went about my work while secretly fuming. I know I should just shrug it off. There are a lot of dipshits out there right? But I hate it that this sort of baiting bullshit circulates and that people actually buy it. As strongly held as my beliefs and views are, I would never circulate or forward anything like the stuff that was in this email. And even if you have different opinions than someone else, especially someone you KNOW personally, get a long with, go drinking with...stay respectful, you know?

How do you respond to stuff like this? Especially if it comes from people you are close to? Just ignore it? Rise above?

Get Off My Lawn!

Is it just me or did McSame just come off as a crotchety old curmudgeon last night? He got some zingers in there, sure, but the overall impression was of a doddering old man.

Here's to hoping the polls are right about Obama's lead.

Also, something interesting I heard on NPR (sorry, no time to hunt for a link) is that polls can only include those with landlines...not the many people (like us) who only have cell phones...

Hrm.

Some Observations:

1. Baby boogers are gross but not as gross as adult boogers. I'm just saying. (The same goes for baby poop, as well.)

2. Much to the chagrin of my co-workers and as much as I hate germs, I refuse to use Ly$ol or nasty Clor0x Wipes. They are bad. BAD! Give me baking soda, vinegar, or plain old soap and water please.

3. Apparently, in Wyoming, if you hunt, own wave runners and/or snowmobiles, you are "outdoorsy." If you hike, snowshoe, and/or like camping you are a "hippie."

4. My stupid ass skin is rebelling against me right now and I have no idea why. The only thing I can think of is the change in seasons...I'm eating healthy, working out, drinking lots of H2O...

5. I'll be relieved when tonight's debate is over and done with. I'm not super excited but I feel somehow obligated to watch.

6. Will Ferrel is funny.

In Which I Have Real! Live! Friends!

Excuse me if my hair is just a tad windblown- it was a whirlwind of a weekend. But FUN! Yeah!

Friday night after I was FINALLY free from the office shackles, we went to a birthday party for a new friend. (I've been making an effort to cultivate more friendships...I'm so busy and naturally a little introverted and these things combined can work to sabotage a social life. Anyway. Go me!) Otto stayed up super late (9! PM!) and entertained everyone by making funny faces and pointing to things and asking "Dis? Dis?". It was fun. Beers were drunk and so were the people. (But not me, of course. Hello! Nursing!)

Saturday, I went to Diwali Nite on campus- OMG it was a freakin' riot. I've never been before and the entertainment was great and the food even better. For some reason, I had it in my moronic head that I didn't like Indian food. Because I tried it ONCE at a shitty restaurant in Denver. Yeah. So guess what? I DO like it! (For the most part- there were a couple things that were just too spicy for my pansy-ass palate.) Who would've thunk it? It was also nice to be out with girlfriends sans Bebe- The husband had no problem getting him down for the night so there was a bare minimum of mom-guilt.

Yesterday was a cold, clear fall day and I made up for my absence the night before by taking little O for a long trip to the park complete with picking up wood chips and swinging. The husband made baby back ribs (YUM) and we all watched the new episode of True Blood which, although I still think it is a tad silly and melodramatic, is growing on me.

Sigh. Why can't every day be Weekend???

Friday Fun

This one isn't even related to politics.

At all.

Enjoy!

Penny for your thoughts?

This kind of financial ooky-spooky stuff is really starting to freak me out. I am beginning (somewhat selfishly) to wonder what this "economic crisis, " "regression," "depression" -or whatever it is -is going to mean for us: Will the Husband have a job in a year? Will we EVER be able to afford a house of our own?

I'm not the only one (obviously) who has this on my brain; at Ask Moxie yesterday and then again today, they are discussing the economy, with today's post focusing on "Practical Ways to Tighten Our Belts". (You should check it out- the comments are great!) So that has me thinking.

Here are the things we are currently doing to "tighten our belts":

- Groceries:
We have switched some grocery items from name brand to store brand, and are opting for some things frozen rather than fresh (i.e., blueberries which we eat a TON of) so there's savings and less waste if we don't get around to eating everything. We switched from the jugs of orange juice to the frozen concentrate (cheaper AND better for the environment). We are also being more careful when we plan meals for the week, looking for ways to stretch a meat
purchase, for example. We are also using generic diapers during the day (they DO NOT work for overnight, though.)

- Eating Out:
We have definitely cut back on our eating out lately. We cook at home more and if we do go out we generally limit ourselves to once a week at a 'cheap' place (i.e., take n' bake pizza). I also bring my lunch to work every day and the Husband goes home for lunch.

-Cleaning:
I have switched from grocery store brands of cleaning products and detergents to an online store that offers concentrated, environmentally safe and affordable stuff. This has made a big difference in what I spend (especially on laundry and dish detergent) and our home is safer
and healthier without all the nasty chemicals (i.e., bleach, nitrates, etc.).

-Heat:
We've only just turned on our furnace in the last week, but plan on keeping it at 62 overnight and during the day and 65 when we are home in the evenings.

-Purchases:
We are buying used or borrowing whenever possible. We are works in progress with this, but I am using the library more, and shopping second hand- we got little O's entire fall/winter
wardrobe at the consignment store!


Looking at this, it is interesting that many of the choices we are making to save money are also 'green.' That's motivating in and of itself.

So what else can we do? There are some 'luxuries' that I am loathe to part with: cable TV and Internet, buying music (mp3 downloads), organic milk, little O's book club, our newspaper subscription...

How about you guys? What are you doing now to save money?

Take This Food and Shove it!

Ok, what is WITH the pickiness??? Over the weekend, the only, and I mean ONLY things that Otto would eat were little organic veggie crackers, freeze dried apples and frozen blueberries. That. is. it. Mac n' cheese? No thanks. Quesadilla? Nope. Mixed veggies? Negative. Broccoli, chicken, organic o's cereal, noodles...No, no, no, NO!

Really, I knew this was a part of toddler hood...but I was thinking more like 2 years old as opposed to 12 MONTHS. Gah.

He is still nursing (mostly evenings, overnight, and early morning- we're almost day weaned) which might have something to do with it. Its like he's holding out for the good stuff. And while I wish we could still nurse on demand, (and in a perfect world we would!), I have to pump wean. Enough is enough. Pumping at work is starting to effect my sanity. I still nurse him over the noon hour and as I mentioned, whenever we are home together so I don't feel like I'm being all that withholding.

Another issue might be that he just wants to MOVE. Walk walk walk...he's all over the place now. I've been trying to take the Drs. Sears' advice and feed him finger foods as he is 'on the go' and that works to a certain extent although he still rejects a great deal of what we offer him and asks for blueberries or crackers. (He does this by signing "more" and then pointing to the freezer/cupboard. Smart little shit.)

Ideas??

On a related note, I have a new recipe for Beef and Barley stew in the crock pot for tonight. I hope it turns out. Crock pot recipes can be so crappy sometimes...but the lure of the 'easy' keeps me coming back...

Friday Funny

Enjoy.

(A helpful chart regarding last night's debate.)

Tee hee.

Lame!

So the debate was a bit disappointing, no? I mean there were no obviously stupid comments, no name-calling, no crying. Well, I guess there was a little crying but it wasn't from her. No fun!

All kidding aside, I commend Palin's coaches- nice job. While she did not have many direct answers or specific examples, she did not make an ass of herself. Go get yourself a Jager shot.

Joe Biden, however, kicked ass. He was truly interviewing for a job- answering questions directly and citing specific examples. He did a wonderful job of sticking to the issues and contrasting McCain's views with Obama's. I could actually imagine him taking over the Oval Office, should the need arise.

I especially enjoyed the exchange regarding same-sex marriage. He was on point and when he implied that McCain/Palin shared the same stance as he and Obama, Palin's "oh shit" look was priceless.

A clip: (the best moment happens around 2:35)



Of course, Obama/Biden support "Civil Unions" giving same-sex couples the same constitutionally protected rights afforded married couples.

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In other news, the snot is BACK and I'm currently stuck at work wishing like hell for my couch and a cup of tea.

*************

And the Husband just IM'd me and said the bailout passed.

Strange times, indeed.

Lots of Used Tissues and Dirty Cereal Bowls

Well, I've come out on the other side of a nasty, nasty headcold, resulting in a sick day spent on the couch alternately sleeping with my mouth open and watching reruns of Jon and Kate plus 8. This is my life.

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In other non-snot related news, I'm so excited to watch the debate tonight I just might pee my pants a little. Just kidding. (Although now that I've had a kid, sneezing does have small risks if my bladder is full. TMI? Pardonez Moi.)

***************

We are totally out of food as neither of us has been grocery shopping all week. We are basically surviving on cereal, frozen blueberries and hamburger buns. I think a meal out this evening may be in order.

Hi!