Gearing up for the holidays! The past few years, I have been alone for Thanksgiving. Last year, Chad had Sniper school and left early November. I went to a friend's family dinner. I was glad for the invitation and it was a nice day, but nothing can replace spending the holidays with family. The year before I went to a different friend's holiday dinner too. I could have traveled home, but the expense just didn't seem worth it for a few short days at home and the long traveling days. The plane ticket, parking the car, boarding the dog. By the time all is said and done, this trip home for 4 days will cost about $700. My mom in law helped with some of the expense, but it is a lot for a short trip.
This year it is going to be a bigger hassle trying to travel with the Lil Britches, but also more important that we visit friends and family back home. She is changing so much; almost everyday I notice something new she is doing. Living so far away from everyone, I really miss being able to share that with everyone. I also can't wait to have a few extra hands. My mother-in-law and her husband and my mom will all be plenty happy to let me have a few days with emptier hands. While today I spent a few hours just holding her while she napped, (btw a total angel) it will also be nice to have a little freedom.
Following my own organizational advice, while putting laundry away today, I laid out her clothes for this week, the first couple of days of the week, and her outfits for our trip. But it's all the little things I need to pack for her and myself that make me crazy. I have so many tiny details to remember and how to have it all accessible for our long stop in Dallas. Plus, never having traveled with her, I worry about taking carry-ons and such. I think I am going to have to pull out the mommy purse for sure, but also diaper bag AND briefcase so I can take my computer.
This is getting complicated. Mmm, I am going to have to give this some thought. Hopefully, I will be able to get it all done tomorrow and be able to have everything packed. I would love to just keep out what I need for Monday and Tuesday and have the suitcase sitting ready to go. We'll see. I am trying not to get stressed or worried and just go with the flow. If I can keep myself chill, it will be a big step for me as a person.
I have always been someone who makes lists of the necessary lists. And sometimes agonizes over organizing. Luckily, my mother-in-law has taken care of so much so I can mostly pack clothes and hit the road. It will be hard to go to work this week for just two days. I can't even imagine how hard it will be for my students. We are taking a test that takes both days, so hopefully it will help keep them calm. Gonna be torture for me though. I am hoping the test goes well, but watching them take it is going to be SO boring.
See my problem~! I start thinking about one thing that I am worried about and the next thing I know my whole brain is going on all the stuff in the recesses of my over multi-tasked mind. I can't wait for a vacation.
Showing posts with label hands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hands. Show all posts
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Day 354: Crash and burn
I don't know how people do this. I know women have been single mothers or the equivalent with many more children and in much worse financial situations than I. After two weeks of trying to do this all, I feel like a bulldozer ran over me and then backed up to finish the job. Every minute of everyday is accounted for and full.
Sunday I scrambled eggs and premade ham and cheese patties for my breakfast sandwiches for the week. Monday through Friday, I run home, after being out from 7:15-5:15, with my daughter from daycare, rinse out her bottles. While the water warms up to wash them, I clean out the coffee pot and make coffee for tomorrow. Then I wash and sterilize the day's bottles and make three more for tonight and tomorrow. Then I feed her or I start with feeding her, really depends on the volume of her crying! After that, it is time to empty and clean her bottle bag and my lunch bag. If she is napping or content, I then worry about some sort of dinner for me. So far that has been frozen dinner or leftovers from things we made before Chad left. Then I make lunch and wash dishes, lay out her clothes and mine and sit down to feed and snuggle Lil Bit again. Plus let out dog, feed dog, water dog, poor dog - cooped up all day then pushed aside for the cutey pie in the boppy.
If somehow magically this has all happened before 8, it was a good night. Usually almost nine before I get to sit. And then I am too exhausted to think. Today I got up and the weather was in the 70s and beautiful. I decided I needed to take advantage of the weather and go for a run. Probably overdid it. The past two years I have trained for a half-marathon each fall, but it has been too hot to take Lil Bit out in her stroller. I just don't know what temperature she can handle. Today was nice enough I didn't ever want to come back, but 4.5 miles was plenty for my first run in a month, and the time before that it had been two months and before that . . .sheesh! Then I came home and crashed!
I have spent all day walking like a zombie from room to room. The baby was so crabby and fussy today. I think she is sick. She sounds all sniffly and I have been feeling puny for a few days too. Between the lack of sleep and running around, I just feel overwhelmed. I needed a nap today and the baby wouldn't cooperate. She wanted to nap plenty with me holding her, if I tried to lay down with her on my chest, she would wake up and scream. If I tried to put her down, she woke up and was very put out. I finally put her on her play mat, but she can't be left there unsupervised with all the rolling over she is doing, so I lay down next to her on the cheap plastic carpeting that poorly covers a concrete slab and dozed, but it was not enough. Plus, I have been hauling around a 30 lb. car seat and baby, diaper bag, laptop and briefcase for a few weeks and have completely wrenched something. I am really trying hard to do everything myself. As hard as I am working trying to make money, I don't want to waste any on frivolous things, but I am really tempted to get a maid! I feel like so much of the time I do get to be home with Missy, I have to clean house, put away mail, file bills and the piles are growing!
I just miss having him here for so many reasons, but today, was extra hard not having his extra hands to take her when I needed to get up for a second or to fix dinner while I fed her. I think the smell of food must trigger her need to eat because it never fails that I am finally getting to sit down to eat and she needs another bottle. I just feel like today, I have crashed and burned, and it is only week 2. Sorry this isn't a deeper entry, frankly she is starting to get very angry in her swing and I have to go get her. It has taken me 8 hours of typing a sentence here and there to get this done and who knows if it makes any sense. There just aren't any more days off this year, and I have a feeling I am going down in flames, many more times. I just hope I can pull a phoenix out of my hat.
Sunday I scrambled eggs and premade ham and cheese patties for my breakfast sandwiches for the week. Monday through Friday, I run home, after being out from 7:15-5:15, with my daughter from daycare, rinse out her bottles. While the water warms up to wash them, I clean out the coffee pot and make coffee for tomorrow. Then I wash and sterilize the day's bottles and make three more for tonight and tomorrow. Then I feed her or I start with feeding her, really depends on the volume of her crying! After that, it is time to empty and clean her bottle bag and my lunch bag. If she is napping or content, I then worry about some sort of dinner for me. So far that has been frozen dinner or leftovers from things we made before Chad left. Then I make lunch and wash dishes, lay out her clothes and mine and sit down to feed and snuggle Lil Bit again. Plus let out dog, feed dog, water dog, poor dog - cooped up all day then pushed aside for the cutey pie in the boppy.
If somehow magically this has all happened before 8, it was a good night. Usually almost nine before I get to sit. And then I am too exhausted to think. Today I got up and the weather was in the 70s and beautiful. I decided I needed to take advantage of the weather and go for a run. Probably overdid it. The past two years I have trained for a half-marathon each fall, but it has been too hot to take Lil Bit out in her stroller. I just don't know what temperature she can handle. Today was nice enough I didn't ever want to come back, but 4.5 miles was plenty for my first run in a month, and the time before that it had been two months and before that . . .sheesh! Then I came home and crashed!
I have spent all day walking like a zombie from room to room. The baby was so crabby and fussy today. I think she is sick. She sounds all sniffly and I have been feeling puny for a few days too. Between the lack of sleep and running around, I just feel overwhelmed. I needed a nap today and the baby wouldn't cooperate. She wanted to nap plenty with me holding her, if I tried to lay down with her on my chest, she would wake up and scream. If I tried to put her down, she woke up and was very put out. I finally put her on her play mat, but she can't be left there unsupervised with all the rolling over she is doing, so I lay down next to her on the cheap plastic carpeting that poorly covers a concrete slab and dozed, but it was not enough. Plus, I have been hauling around a 30 lb. car seat and baby, diaper bag, laptop and briefcase for a few weeks and have completely wrenched something. I am really trying hard to do everything myself. As hard as I am working trying to make money, I don't want to waste any on frivolous things, but I am really tempted to get a maid! I feel like so much of the time I do get to be home with Missy, I have to clean house, put away mail, file bills and the piles are growing!
I just miss having him here for so many reasons, but today, was extra hard not having his extra hands to take her when I needed to get up for a second or to fix dinner while I fed her. I think the smell of food must trigger her need to eat because it never fails that I am finally getting to sit down to eat and she needs another bottle. I just feel like today, I have crashed and burned, and it is only week 2. Sorry this isn't a deeper entry, frankly she is starting to get very angry in her swing and I have to go get her. It has taken me 8 hours of typing a sentence here and there to get this done and who knows if it makes any sense. There just aren't any more days off this year, and I have a feeling I am going down in flames, many more times. I just hope I can pull a phoenix out of my hat.
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