Category Archives: Work

after a week of sickness

L is on day 8 of running a fever 101 or higher.  Ibuprofen has been very effective, but it hasn’t been a fun week.  One night featured wake-ups every ten minutes until nearly 2 am.  Then B decided she wanted to be awake from about 3 to 5.  Not surprisingly, I am also sick.  The doctor has advised starting antibiotics if she’s not better by Monday, as it looks like she has the beginnings of a sinus infection.  We’ve been giving her children’s Benadryl, per the doc’s recommendation.  I didn’t know that this stuff even existed, but it seems to be helping her.  We’ve been spending a lot of time hanging around the house reading books, with periodic trips to the library to restock.

I sent L upstairs yesterday to get her shoes, and she comes back down and says to me, “There’s not a sign of them to be seen.”  What?   I was very amused.  Then I caught myself saying to her today, regarding a pear I’d just peeled, “There’s not a spot of skin to be seen.”  Apparently, I use this expression a lot.

Despite the fact that I’m a huge slacker about tummy time, B is getting better at holding up her head.  We’re nearly at the four month mark – so hard to believe!  She’s not an infant anymore.  It just goes by so, so fast.  I’ve had lots of opportunities to remind myself of that this week when I was at my sleep-deprived wit’s end.  I’ve been trying very hard to remember to try and appreciate the fact that B wants me to hold her all the time, and that L wants nothing more than to crawl in bed with me or get a hug or get carried.  After all, it won’t be long before they’re surly teenagers.

We decorated the tree – H and L pleased with their work:

I have been working away on my Christmas present quilt.  The front is now completely done.  I cut a piece of fabric for the back, and I’ve constructed a piece of fabric for the binding.  The latter needs to be ironed.  After that, the next step will be to mark the front for quilting.  Then I wait for the batting to arrive on Tuesday night.  (Our mail is always super late.)  That will leave me four days to baste, quilt and sew the binding before we leave for vacation on Sunday.  Of course, if we’re all still sick, we’re going to skip the trip.  Hopefully that won’t happen.

Tonight, despite really not being in the mood, I’m off to my company Christmas party with L and B.

Will I ever sleep again?

I love the pope’s <a href = “http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/04/opinion/parini-pope-10-tips-for-happiness/index.html?hpt=hp_t3”>ten tips for happiness</a>.  It’s really hard not to like this pope.  Maybe this is because the media loves him, but I am inspired.  <a href = “http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/08/us/american-archbishops-lavish-homes/?hpt=hp_c2”>This article</a> on CNN is about the excess of bishops and archbishops in particular.  I’m not impressed to see that the ab of Seattle is among the group; he apparently lives in a 4 million dollar house.  Having just been through a housing search, I can definitively state that you can live very well in Seattle in a house worth anywhere between 500K and 1 million, and obviously modestly for a lot less.  Not all bishops live like kings; see the end of the article for others who live more modestly, including of course, the pope himself.

Eight business days of work less.  I had a very stressful workday Saturday, and I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders now that it’s over, but these days I feel like every week is harder than the last.  I am very emotional lately and often find myself in tears in the mornings.  I remember feeling like my emotions were totally out of control in the beginning of pregnancy, and that feeling is returning to an extent.  I cannot remember being this uncomfortable last time, but B assures me that I was – or at least that I complained a lot.

Having a toddler definitely does not make things easier.  I often feel these days like I prefer to spend all my leisure time in bed, but I think it’s somewhat understandable.  After working a 10 hour day Saturday, L woke me up at 6:30 am on Saturday.  I brought her into bed with me, and B went for a run.  She slept fitfully until 8, at which point we got up and had breakfast and the day was underway.  Last time, I likely would have woken around 8 but laid around in bed until 10 or so.  I think those extra hours of sleep make a big difference.  I miss them.   With two children, will I ever sleep again?  I can’t remember the last time I had eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.

 

commute?

I’m curious how long in minutes people are willing to commute one-way on a daily basis?  How long do you currently commute?

We have found a house we like in the perfect school district, but the one-way drive is 27 minutes without traffic.  At rush hour, it’s 40 minutes plus.  My current commute is less than 10 minutes one-way during peak rush hour.  Needless to say, the idea of spending an extra hour on the road is very unappealing.  However, the idea of being trapped in Ke.nt for the rest of my life is also unappealing.