My Work

"I have always been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I slowly realized that my interruptions were my work." ~ Henri Nouwen

Just saw this great quote on a post over at 5 Minutes for Parenting. Love it. I feel like I found it exactly when I needed it. The boys have all been giving me a run for my money this week, especially E, who is looking for attention by hitting his brother. We are working on sticker charts, but E has yet to earn a sticker in spite of the fact that he is incredibly upset each time B gets one and he doesn't. But I digress... great quote, one I am going to have to post in giant letters all over my bathroom mirror to keep me grounded each morning.

Post-Partum Clothing Options?

Let's face it. For the no-longer-pregnant-but-just-barely types, clothing options are few and far between. Right now, I just feel fat and icky. My maternity clothes actually try to accentuate the belly area, the very same area I am trying to minimize. Of course, none of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit either (it appears that the chest area may be an issue this time, too, but that is a whole other ball of wax...). What to do, what to do?! I can't live in yoga pants and hubby's t-shirts forever!

Nesting Instict Is DEFINITELY Kicking In - I Am Selling Old Books!

Over the weekend, Hubby and I decided that we should probably unpack our guestroom. It has only been four months since we moved into our new house - no big deal. With the prospect of houseguests in the next month when baby Z arrives, I felt compelled to actually do a good job.

As part of this unpacking, my pregnant brain decided that I needed to go through all of my books. My parents brought four boxes of old books (that I had never moved from their house) a few months ago, and I felt compelled to go through each box that they brought, as well as all of the boxes from our old place, and decide on a case by case basis how I was going to categorize each book -

• Keep Out - These books make the cut to be left out on our scarce shelving in the guest room/office.
• Keep In Storage - These are books I want to keep but don't have room to keep on shelves. My series of Harry Potter books falls into this category.
• Try to Sell
• Donate

I actually was really excited about the options I found for what to do with my "Try to Sell" books. I looked into listing books on Ebay and Amazon, but fees and the hassle of packing and shipping each individual book was more than I could deal with. Then, I found two online book sellers on whose sites you can provide the ISBN numbers of your old books, and they will tell you whether or not they are buying and for what price. Abe Books was the best for me, but Cash4Books also looked promising. The best part of these services is that they pay for the shipping to send books out to their stores. All I have to do is pack them up and drop them off for Fed/Ex. Sweet.

For the books I wanted to sell but Abe Books was not buying, I turned to PaperBackSwap. This online club, which has been featured in all sorts of news stories across the country, allows users to swap books. You list what books you would like to offer up, and when another user requests it, you mail it off to him. For each book you mail, you get credit to request a book from another user. I listed my books last night, and it was super easy. Someone already requested one of my books this morning, and the process of mailing it off couldn't be simpler. You can print off a label and wrapper for the book all in one, and you can even have the service add postage to the label for you. Because most books are under 13 oz., you don't have to do anything special with them other than drop them in your own mailbox for your carrier to pick up. Quick and easy! Love it!

Here's to developing OCD tendencies during the last month of pregnancy!

Lovin' Cake Wrecks!

I was getting ready to post a blog update tonight when I caught sight of Blogger's Blogs of Note, where they highlight one blog each day for people to check out. Last week, a blog called Cake Wrecks was chosen for the blog roll. I had to check it out... what was the name all about?

Oh. My. Gosh. This blog is hysterical. It basically involves all kinds of awful cakes, either with really bad designs, bad messages, horrible mix-ups, or any combination of the three.

Below is a cake that was featured at the end of July as The First Censored Cake Wreck. Oh, how I wish someone would buy this cake for me as the arrival of my third gets closer...

Oooh... television

ILL-INI

This is for all of you Illinois alumni out there...


When we were in Champaign a few weeks ago, hubby and I made sure to pick up some Illinois apparel so that B and E could not forget who our favorite college team is. :) Yes, we even picked up one for Z, too! We pulled out the t-shirts today, and both boys insisted on wearing their Illini "football pants" (as they call them), in spite of the 80 degree weather.

We even practiced our cheers... at the sound of "ILL," the boys know to yell "INI!" :)

Time Keeps on Tickin', Tickin', Tickin'...

Yesterday seemed to be one of those really great summer days. In the morning, B, E, and I met some friends at a pool and water park in a neighboring town. The boys played in the water while I (at least at some points) got to have some adult conversation. After finishing with our swimming adventures, we all ate lunch outside near the pool, and then enjoyed a long nap at home. After dinner last night, hubby and I took the boys to the park around the corner, where we played together for over an hour and then came home to play even more, washing hubby's car and watering the plants. To end the day, we all came in and had some ice cream. It was a perfect day, the kind that seem to permeate my memories of summer as a kid.

However, as the day winded down, I realized that summer's days are numbered. Days are getting shorter, and school will start before we know it. I mean, the days are already getting shorter! It just makes me really savor the fun we are having now.

Time isn't just flying with summer either - all of life seems to be speeding by! Yesterday, I officially reached the end of my 28th week of pregnancy. I am subscribed to an email update that tells us what is going on with the baby each week, and this week it told me there are 84 days until my due date - ONLY 84 DAYS!!! That is just crazy to me, especially because I will probably have my c-section scheduled at least a few days before that. 84 days. 12 weeks. 12 weekends in which to get stuff done (including this one)! I started to think of all of the things that I want to get done before Z arrives, not just to be ready for him, but to be caught up in all areas of our life. I started making a list of things to do before the delivery. In the first ten minutes, I generated 32 items for the list, everything from buying and installing window treatments in Z's room to developing all of our pictures and getting them into albums. I think we are in trouble.

I shouldn't just say that I want time to slow down because of all of the things that we have to do. I also want it to slow down so I can really savor all of the pre-baby things I have to enjoy: sleep, the chance to leave the house (fairly) easily, but most importantly, spending time just snuggling and loving the two boys I already have. I know life will be exponentially more hectic with the addition of a new infant to our home, throwing everything into chaos for a while, and I am trying to enjoy life the way it is - the calm before the storm. :)

Am I really excited for fall to come and Z to arrive? YES! Do I seem to miss him even though I haven't even met him yet? You bet. But am I happy to have some time before he arrives? Yes. I am totally conflicted about the passage of time, which I guess means I am no different from everyone else in the world. Everything is as it should be.

Pure Joy for Children

The sound of children's laughter is infectious for me. The pure joy that they find in life's small details astounds me, and even on days when I want to resign from my job, their giggles of delight bring me back to understanding why it is that I have made sacrifices in my life to spend time with my boys.

I am often astounded by the things that bring the biggest smiles to my children's faces, things for which adults usually wouldn't even spare a second thought. Here are some of the laughter-worthy experiences for my boys...

1. Silly "hats" - Now, the word "hats" is in quotes because I don't really mean hats. E and B can turn anything into a hat, and when they do, hysterics often ensue. A postcard advertisement that came in the mail? It is a new pirate hat. Boxes that hold their toys? Train engineer hats or spaceman helmets. T-shirts that get stuck on their heads? Well, those are just silly t-shirt hats, of course! :)

2. Water - Water, water, water... is anything more spectacular for children? Hot day? You can play with the hose or fill up the pool. Water slides into the kiddie pool are the best. Raining? Fantastic - you can jump in puddles! Whether in the bathtub or a watering can, water is one of the best things on the planet. Just don't squirt them with it - not cool.

3. Secrets - Nothing puts my kids in stitches like secrets. For them, secrets are words that sound silly that we whisper (or yell, whatever you prefer) back and forth to each other. Some of their favorites? Picnic table, mango, and goggles. These secrets are great when the kids are getting antsy in the car or at a restaurant and somehow manage to keep them entertained much longer than coloring on those dinky placemats.

4. Bubbles - I realize my children are not alone in their love of bubbles. It often seems to me that bubbles have magical properties that adults are not aware of, kind of like the sound of the sleigh bell in "The Polar Express" that only those who truly believe can hear. There is a great quote from the movie "Knocked Up" that sums it up nicely...

Ben: "They seem to love bubbles."
Pete: "Oh, god, they go ape sh** over bubbles."
Ben: "They're really going ape sh**."
Pete: "I mean, that's an incredible thing about a child. I mean, what's so great about bubbles?"
Ben: "They float. You can pop them. I mean, I get it. I get it."
Pete: "I wish I liked anything as much as my kids like bubbles."

I think that last line says it all. Somehow in our adulthood, we lose that sense of wonder and excitement for things like these. For me, I only seem to find it when I am with children - the excitement, wonder, and giggling are contagious.