No, not a new baby... yet!
So. For you avid follower who was so concerned about my lack of sleep. Thank you. I'm happy to tell you I have a solution. Not a great one. But creative... at least, as creative as a sleep-deprived mother of two little children can be.
You've heard, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em?" That's what I'm going to do. I have a scheme (worked for 2 days so far) that pumps me up with as much adrenaline as my bouncy morning children (who are not so bouncy or joyful any other time of the day. Want to be awake to appreciate their over-abundance of zeal at the prospect of a new day).
Interested yet? First of all, credit where credit is due. This isn't an original idea. I got part of it from my highly motivated mom friends who wake up early and do things before their kids take over. I admire and respect that. But somehow, it doesn't work for me. I want to sleep, dammit! But if I have to be awake, I don't want to feel like absolute crap, as I do most days.
Ok, here it is. After a two day trial period, I found that I can speed up the waking up process by at least 2 hours if I do 5 minutes worth of some cardio exercise before breakfast. Just 5 minutes! Greta loves it. "Work out, Mamma?" as she stuffs her breakfast in her mouth. Joseph is highly intrigued by the sight of his pajama-ed Mamma jumping around, as he does his best to provide her with an obstacle course.
Once I set a date with my videographer (husband), I will put together my routine. It's made up of 10 easy, uncomplicated moves that you do for 30 seconds each. I'll do a few stretches for a minute or two, and then start the circuit. It definitely gets your heart rate up, maybe break a tiny sweat, but no doubt about it, you WILL be awake after this! 5 minutes... your coffee takes that long to brew. It's so worth it.
So check back later for the list of exercises and how to do them.
Wednesday, September 28
Monday, September 26
My baby has regressed
Dear Joseph! He really is quite a kid. He's nine months old now and just an adorable child. He has a big, full-faced grin that lights up a room. He has twinkly hazel eyes and curly lashes. His hair has the dearest way of growing in wisps over his forehead. His chin is as prominent as his nose. While I call Greta a "sturdy girl," I call Joseph a "wiry boy." He is longer and much thinner than Greta ever was, but he is strong. So strong! If he's not pulling himself up on something, he's pulling something down. And he's fast. He comes at you across the floor like a bulldozer, ready to take on anything in his path.
In anyone else's world, I'm sure he would rank as an "easy baby." From 0 to 8 months, he really was. Just a happy, loveable, contented little soul. But something's gotten into him recently. Perhaps it's because I'm so tired to begin with and because my attention is divided between two babies, but I've found myself so angry and frustrated with Joseph. He's stopped sleeping well at night.
He acts like a newborn... from what other people tell me. I was blessed with two very good newborns so I'm spoiled. But he is up several times a night to nurse and I'm having the hardest time falling back to sleep while he's nursing. I'm pretty sure Greta did something similar, but the key difference is that Greta would sleep indefinitely as long as I was nursing her. So we'd sleep in until 9 or 10 am. Not Joseph! He could audition to be someone's rooster based on how punctually he wakes up and crows. By 6:30 am, he is up. Not just up, but up and ready to play. It infuriates him to no end if his parents (what else are they supposed to be doing?) are not up and moving about or playing with him. We've tried a lot of things. But he's a smart kid (did I mention that?) and knows when he is being thwarted. If we put him on the floor to play in his toybox, he pulls on the sheets of the bed and yells until someone picks him up. If he was a dog, I'd give him away at that point. Fortunately for him, he isn't. His latest stunt is to stand on our pillows (or heads) and look out the bedroom window, which is at the head of the bed. He LOVES that window. He yells at the neighbors, the trees, whathaveyou for minutes at a time.
Any ideas? I need more sleep. The lack thereof is making me hate my life.
In anyone else's world, I'm sure he would rank as an "easy baby." From 0 to 8 months, he really was. Just a happy, loveable, contented little soul. But something's gotten into him recently. Perhaps it's because I'm so tired to begin with and because my attention is divided between two babies, but I've found myself so angry and frustrated with Joseph. He's stopped sleeping well at night.
He acts like a newborn... from what other people tell me. I was blessed with two very good newborns so I'm spoiled. But he is up several times a night to nurse and I'm having the hardest time falling back to sleep while he's nursing. I'm pretty sure Greta did something similar, but the key difference is that Greta would sleep indefinitely as long as I was nursing her. So we'd sleep in until 9 or 10 am. Not Joseph! He could audition to be someone's rooster based on how punctually he wakes up and crows. By 6:30 am, he is up. Not just up, but up and ready to play. It infuriates him to no end if his parents (what else are they supposed to be doing?) are not up and moving about or playing with him. We've tried a lot of things. But he's a smart kid (did I mention that?) and knows when he is being thwarted. If we put him on the floor to play in his toybox, he pulls on the sheets of the bed and yells until someone picks him up. If he was a dog, I'd give him away at that point. Fortunately for him, he isn't. His latest stunt is to stand on our pillows (or heads) and look out the bedroom window, which is at the head of the bed. He LOVES that window. He yells at the neighbors, the trees, whathaveyou for minutes at a time.
Any ideas? I need more sleep. The lack thereof is making me hate my life.
Tuesday, September 20
Movie Review: Yanks
Another WWII movie. I'm rather on a WWII-themed-movie-with-girls-no-fighting kick. This one is about American soldiers (Yanks) stationed in England prior to being deployed to fighting on the continent. It follows roughly two romantic interests between American soldiers and English women. The one story of Vanessa Redgrave and William Devane was so-so. God! William Devane is one ugly SOB and he practically ruined the movie for me. I almost had to look away when he showed up or worse yet, opened his mouth to start romancing Vanessa Redgrave. Men that ugly should not be cast in romantic roles. It wasn't just his looks that I had against him. I disliked him for his home-wrecking abilities and his overall "skeeziness" of character. What lovely Vanessa Redgrave saw in him, I have no idea.
The other couple was Robert Gere and Lisa Eichorn. Adorable. She is SO gosh-darn lovely. I want to look like that when I grow up. Their relationship was much more edifying.
Overall, it was a pretty sappy, slow-paced movie with very little to stir the mind. However, it was a good story for a tired evening and the acting was pretty decent. With the exception of William Devane. Lord spare me another movie starring him! Unless he's the villain who dies early on.
The other couple was Robert Gere and Lisa Eichorn. Adorable. She is SO gosh-darn lovely. I want to look like that when I grow up. Their relationship was much more edifying.
Overall, it was a pretty sappy, slow-paced movie with very little to stir the mind. However, it was a good story for a tired evening and the acting was pretty decent. With the exception of William Devane. Lord spare me another movie starring him! Unless he's the villain who dies early on.
Movie Review: The War Bride
This Canadian made movie really stuck in my mind. Set during WWII, it chronicles the story of a Canadian soldier who meets and marries an English girl. She gets pregnant. When he is sent abroad to fight, she goes to Canada along with all the other English "war brides" for safe-keeping. She ends up out on a prarie in Alberta. Her in-laws don't like her, but she keeps up her spirit and suffers through.
I liked this movie. The main actress was really good. She is kind of person I might like to meet sometime. It isn't a fast-paced movie or particularly stirring. But it was at the level of an intelligent chick flick.
I liked this movie. The main actress was really good. She is kind of person I might like to meet sometime. It isn't a fast-paced movie or particularly stirring. But it was at the level of an intelligent chick flick.
My online book review
This was part of why I started a blog. I read constantly and I wish I remembered half of what I read. I would like to use some of the information I garner from reading in my future home-schooling pursuits, so with that in mind, I want to write a short synopsis or review of each book I read. These are going to be pretty rough and blunt because it's more for my records than for my readers' edification. Read on at your own risk! :)
Four Stories by Sigrid Undset
Writing in the early half on the 20th century, Sigrid Undset is a Norwegian author most famous for "Kristen Laveransdatter" (or so she was at my college). Her stories deal much with Catholicism in the world as exemplified in peoples' lives. Her portrayal of a life with faith is neither saccharine nor idealistic. In fact, it is often painfully realistic.
Four Stories is collection of 4 of her short stories set in modern times. The themes deal with loneliness in the single life, notions of home and children, the strange relations between men and women, and the futile hopes and aspirations of the average person. Really, they are rather depressing. But very poignant and thought-provoking. Reading them, you truly realize that every person is a mystery both to themselves and to those around them.
I would reread this.
Four Stories is collection of 4 of her short stories set in modern times. The themes deal with loneliness in the single life, notions of home and children, the strange relations between men and women, and the futile hopes and aspirations of the average person. Really, they are rather depressing. But very poignant and thought-provoking. Reading them, you truly realize that every person is a mystery both to themselves and to those around them.
I would reread this.
Remembering
How do all of you more organized mommies keep track of your kids' memorable moments and funny stories? I had this grandiose idea of writing them all down in a baby book (diary). But this didn't work out. I'm horrible at journaling these days because it takes a lot time to sit down and handwrite anything. I've put off writing them digitally because I'm afraid the computer will one day devour all my memories in one mega-crash. So all my baby-lore is currently being filed mentally in this momma's head. As you can guess, this data storage base quickly goes into overload because of all the information it processes in a given day. Hence, I deem it an unreliable source.
My solution has been to open two Word documents - one entitled "The Book of Greta: 2 Years" and the other, "The Book of Joseph: The First Year." I keep them easily accessible on my computer and when something funny or memorable happens to one of the kids, I type it up in my "baby book." I will print these out and put them in binders for posterity or to humiliate the kids later in life.
So what do you do along these lines or would like to do? I could use ideas.
My solution has been to open two Word documents - one entitled "The Book of Greta: 2 Years" and the other, "The Book of Joseph: The First Year." I keep them easily accessible on my computer and when something funny or memorable happens to one of the kids, I type it up in my "baby book." I will print these out and put them in binders for posterity or to humiliate the kids later in life.
So what do you do along these lines or would like to do? I could use ideas.
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