2011: Making Time, Doing Things

I'll admit it: I love the idea of goal-setting and being organized...but, I can rarely pull it off in real life. In real life, I make fitful progress on big things, only finishing when I absolutely have to, and I simply ignore the little things until they either go away or become big things (like having service turned off). While I think I've gotten better in general, I've become increasingly frustrated with this approach to life and I'm particularly worried that this year --with only one income, another baby, and a dissertation to write--it's going to be a debilitating problem that will interfere with some of the bigger goals I'd like to accomplish (DISSERTATION).

So, what did I do? Well, first, I took it out on Josh. I've had a hard time keeping up with the house and sometimes feel like I'm not getting any help. More than that, though, I've also started feeling like we're not taking time out for each other. As a family. So I got upset and declared that we needed to take advantage of the time of year and make some resolutions together. Even just spending 30 minutes together talking about what we'd like to do this year was cathartic somehow and it made me feel a lot less guilty about insisting that we turn the tech off one night a week and then proposing that we watch "Centurion" (which is a totally forgettable movie).

We tried to keep the goals reasonable (I'm redoing my 101 things list in a couple months, so this felt like a good time to work on the little annoying things) and each came up with individual goals and some that we need to work on together.

Josh:
Do dishes after dinner
Take more lunches
Set up dates
Consolidate passwords
Get a physical
Eye exam

Dalyn:
200 words a day
Print pictures
Hang art in the upstairs
Establish baking routine (1 day a week, every 3 days, something)
Teeth cleaning--6 months
Take Eames to the dentist

Family:
BUDGET--get current on little bills, monthly budget, savings goal, research savings options, apply for state insurance, renew AAA, rental insurance renewal...
Learn photoshop/watch tutorial
Road trips (one weekend trip every other month): Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, RMNP, Durango
Organize the office--get rid of the desktop, org books, make space for work
Pay bills on time--divvying up, setting the calendar, autobillpay
Tech-free night per week (crafts/games/local trips/coffee night)
Set up a will
Life insurance--term

I'm particularly excited about going tech-free one night a week and I think it'll give me the time to accomplish some of the other goals I've listed here. Admittedly, most of the time, I'm tired enough by the end of the day that all I want to do is watch Top Chef, but I'm also feeling the need to do something more often that doesn't involve babies or work. I'd like to take better advantage of Eames's 6:30 bedtime. I'm groaning inwardly at the idea that couples need to make time for eachother, but it's amazing how life gets in the way of so many things. So, yes, I'm going to be that woman--the one who schedules time with her partner. And I think I'm going to really appreciate it. Sigh.

Here's to a productive 2011!

Books of 2010: Reading Can Be Fun!

In honor of the reading I do for fun, instead of for work, I thought I'd keep track of the books I read this year.

Non-Fiction: 
Eating the Dinosaur--Chuck Klosterman
Lost Cyclist: The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and His Mysterious Disappearance--David Herlihy
Spice: The History of a Temptation--Jack Turner
Born to Run--Christopher McDougall

Fiction:
Neverwhere--Neil Gaiman
Stardust--Neil Gaiman
The Bachman Books--Stephen King
Dust of Dreams--Stephen Erikson
Hunger Games/Catching Fire/The Mockingjay--Suzanne Collins
Wizard of Earthsea (Books 1-4)--Ursula Le Guin
Affinity--Sarah Waters

 Books I Re-Read:
 Camulod Chronicles (Books 1-5)--Jack Whyte
A Game of Thrones--George R.R. Martin

Bean Butt

It's no secret that Eames is a prodigious eater. Aspen remarked more than once than he eats more than she does. When I pick him up from the neighbors, Kathy basically tells me that he ate. A lot. For the whole 2-3 hours. And played a little.

He's also not picky. He'll eat just about anything I put in front of him--including all the crazy vegan eats that we're known to prepare around here. He likes raw onion, tofu and tempeh in any form, salsa, kale, curries, and every variety of bean known to man.

In fact, Kathy was kind enough to give me her recipe for Cuban Black Beans and we've been making a big batch about once a week. Eames likes them so much that he gets a purple bean stain on his butt.

But, what can I say? Refried beans stick to the spoon well enough that they're the perfect food for Eames to practice feeding himself with. Bean butt, be damned.

P.S. This is not a video of Eames's butt.

The Eames Witch Project

Warning: May Cause Motion Sickness.

The Highlight Reel: July Edition

Like most blogs, I generally only share the particularly funny or noteworthy things that happen around here--and I definitely only post pictures that I feel are decent. But, I thought it was time to let you in on some of the day to day operations. The stuff that gets edited out. Here, you'll find some of the updates I send Josh, so he know what monkey business Eames is up to. And you'll find some pictures that didn't make the cut. I think both tell their own story.

All of the following are excerpted from chat conversation had during July 2010. Some may not be safe for work:

07/06/10 @ 9:36am--I just caught Eames standing on top of the console. He used the chair to climb up, stood on top, and proceeded to shuffle through records. I was making pancakes and only realized he was up there when I heard records fall.
07/08/10 @ 1:38pm--I put the pillows in the cases and Eames LOVES them. Which, of course, means that he's rubbing the white pillows all over the floor as he pushes them around and lies on them.

Eames doing the earthquake drill at a SLC hotel.

07/09/10 @ 8:59am--Nico just attached himself to Eames's face.
07/09/10 @ 2:50pm--By the way, your son has figured out that he can climb up the high chair by grabbing the seat and stepping up on the platform.
07/13/10 @ 11:43am--Your son just face planted in the driveway. Scraped forehead and a mouth full of dirt.

With sunscreen in his hair and a scab on his nose.

07/20/10 @ 9:20am--Eames just fell off the arm of the couch and landed butt first in his toy box. He's fine. But it was just like a cartoon arms and legs sticking out hte top of the box.
07/20/10 @ 9:41am--So I just heard a squeal from Eames and I look over and he's standing in his toy box but he's bent over and his head is caught under the rim so his butt is just sticking out and he can't stand up.

Destroying flowers in Louisville.

07/21/10 @ 11:08am--You know how Aspen left her suticase and stuff in the living room? Eames is having a good time going through it.He just found her toothbrush and is combing his hair and Simi with it.

Doing God-Only-Knows-What to Simi.

07/22/10 @ 12:42--Eames keeps trying to bite me.

07/26/10 @ 9:36am--Eames just tore apart every record in the basement. He's on a rampage.

07/27/10 @ 11:51am--I'm teaching Eames how to eat a sandwich. He doesn't quite get it.
07/27/10 @ 12:06pm--There's a character named Eames in Inception. Weird.
07/27/10 @ 1:37pm--Eames just filled Polly's bowl with the hose, then got down on his hands and knees and tried to drink out of it.

We've wasted a lot of water this summer.

07/29/10 @ 3:53pm--Eames is a bit grouchy today and I think I'd rather drive with him than sit here and listen to him bitch.

He does not think I'm funny.

07/30/10 @ 11:08am--Your son is a menace. He's standing on the plastic box you left next to the couch, swinging a broom around his head.
07/30/10 @ 12:41pm--Eames just climbed up his high chair. Again. He high stepped on to the second black bar and pulled himself up.
07/30/10 @ 12:43pm--And now he's pulling on his penis, so...double yes.
07/30/10 @ 12:44pm--Also, polly ate his poop.
07/30/10 @ 12:46pm--Now, he's waving at every bus that goes by--and some of the cars. I'm sure all the people driving by like getting waved at by a naked baby tugging on his penis.

A little poke and giggle.

Excerpts from the Summer of Aspen

Well, after what seemed like a short visit, Aspen headed back home to California this past Friday. It seems like we hardly saw her, since she was in volleyball camp for half the visit and asleep for the other half (Remember how tiring being a teen was? Apparently, it still is.), but we still got a good dose of teen-ness when we did see her.
________________
Me: Aspen, did you have breakfast?
A: I had some grapes.
Me: You aren't eating lunch until 12. You need to eat something before you workout.
A: ...
Me: Also, you need to stop being passive aggressive.
A: What's passive aggressive?
Me:....
Me: Will you eat pancakes if I make them?
A: Yes.
Me: Of course. Yay tan food!
______________________
Aspen comes home from the overnight weekend camp and leaves her suitcase on the floor of the livingroom. Eames has a great time going through her stuff. He finds her toothbrush and proceeds to brush not only his hair with it but also Simi's.
_____________________
Me (talking on the phone): Hey Kathy. Can you do me a favor and peek out your window to make sure Aspen isn't letting Eames run into traffic?
Kathy (sounding surprised): Oh, I have him.
Me (sounding more surprised): You do?
Kathy: Yeah. Aspen brought to me about 3:30 and said, "Can you watch him? We can't get cooking done. I thought she was going over there.
Me: Huh. She volunteered to watch him at about 3:10. I thought she was outside playing in Jenai's yard. Would've been nice if she's told me...

Me (5:30, in the kitchen): Aspen, you know how when your plans change and you go somewhere else and you have to call and let us know that you'll be in a different place?
Aspen: Yeah.
Me: Well, the same thing applies to when the 15 month old's plans change and he's not where you said he'd be.
Aspen: Oh.
________________________________
Aspen: There's nothing normal about me.
Josh: Name one thing about you that isn't normal.
Aspen: I have flat feet and I pronate.
Me: Most people pronate. But, Nike convinced us it's not natural and now they're rich.
Aspen: Well, I have flat feet anyway.
____________________

Colorado already misses her.

Eames On His Chariot

...if only he could actually lasso Nico.