Thursday, December 31, 2009

Guns and Pianos

This morning, Sabrina found a gun for an Xbox game. She, being a baby, likes anything grownups play with, such as Xbox controllers, Xbox guns, Xbox steering wheels, and the like. (I'm trying to brainwash her into liking brooms and washcloths, but so far have mostly succeeded in makeup brushes. At least she's well rounded.)So, she picks up this toy gun and starts making shooting sounds and aiming it at stuff. This is not my fault. I got her a doll for Christmas.

On to the piano part (nice segue, eh?). I am the Primary pianist, and I can't play "I'm trying to be like Jesus." So, I though, since I've embarrassed myself several times and this is a popular song, maybe I should learn to play it. Unfortunately, I had apparently forgotten everything I ever knew about practicing. Then I got the metronome for Christmas (thanks, Victoria!). So, I started playing it really slow (60/eighth when it should be 104/eighth) and gradually moved up. Voila, I am to 95/eighth right now. Lucretia would be so proud. (That's my piano teacher. She would be shocked and appalled at my current lack of skill.)

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Phew! I made it!

You know those days, where the vacuum not picking up pine needles or missing a cup to put into the dishwasher and not noticing until the dishwasher is on "rinse" will send you into a storm of weeping? I just finished about two weeks of such fragility, although, let it be noted, I only broke forth into the aforesaid weeping storm ONCE. I really think I need to simplify, simplify, simplify my Christmas season!

Now that it's over, I can look back on it with a mug of mint hot chocolate and reflect. Here are some of my favorites.

*The nativity scene that Karen orchestrated. As a baby, Sabrina was not a shepherd or wise man or even a sheep. Sheep stay put. No, Sabrina was the stable cat, who went where she pleased and spent most of the "and it came to pass in these days" in Joseph's (Spencer's) lap. Just like a cat.

*Finding last-minute presents with Mom. Everyone goes shopping for presents on Christmas Eve afternoon, right?

*Finding presents "Santa" hid on Christmas morning. I really, really could not figure out the clue "What's the number?" Two people (Emily and Mom? I don't remember) immediately said, "Oh, the phone book." It was early, all right?

*Eating Dad's Honeybaked Ham for lunch at 2 pm on Christmas Day because we hadn't gotten lunch due to the vagaries of the custody situation.

*Listening to The Christ Child, the best Christmas book in the world, on Christmas Eve.

I hope your Christmas was full of joy, happiness, and the eggnog of your choice. Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Christmas Season

I was looking over my calendar, and I realized CHRISTMAS IS NEXT WEEK PEOPLE! GET A MOVE ON! I have STUFF to do almost every day for the next two weeks. I'm exhausted just looking at my schedule, even though I want to do it all. I have book group, family temple, family bingo, ward Christmas party, babysitting, and I don't know what all. This is why we have a calendar.

I'm trying to squeeze in some time to work on my quiet book that I started about eight months ago. I had almost all the pictures drawn and all the supplies, but hadn't started putting it together. Now I have. It will not be the most well put together quiet book ever, but, as Han Solo says, "Hey, it's me." I'm sure my next project will be much better, especially if Breklyn helps me. I'll have to post pictures soon, but Zane has stolen my camera temporarily.

Oh, and for all my Jewish (or other Tribe of Israel) readers, Happy Hanukkah!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Another first

I remember those fond days of Sabrina's lovely firsts: First time rolling over, pulling herself up, step, tooth, word...

Now we have another first. Sabrina wanted a bath this morning (can you see where this is going yet? Just wait!) So, as per usual, I bathed her and then read a book while she played. I figure I'll hear her if she falls into the water and tries to drown, given that I'm 22 inches away from her. I casually glanced up at the end of a paragraph to see POOP! Floating in the water! Her first poop in the bath!

Well, I got her out of that tub right quick.

As I was cleaning the bathtub a little later (I scooped out the poop with a washcloth. Good thing it's both laundry day and clean the bathroom day, so I don't feel I'm doing extra work), I was overwhelmed with a desire to call it dookey. I'm not a real euphemisms girl, but I kept thinking stuff like, "Sabrina did a dookey in the tub. I'm cleaning up dookey. Dookey dookey dookey." I have no idea what my brain was thinking.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Eating Out

Last Monday, Zane and I went out to eat with Sabrina. I should put this in her baby book under "firsts:" The first time I ordered her food off the menu! We got a pizza. It lasted her three meals, but she ate all of it!

The best part of the meal, though, was when Sabrina tried a green chili from our nachos. I TOLD her she wouldn't like it, but she ate it anyway. Well, it was more like she took a chew on it. Then she spit it out, rubbed her tongue, and panted to rid herself of any stray molecules that did not survive the spitting and scrubbing. Zane and I were just dying, and honestly, she was pretty amused with herself as well! Proof? She tried another one a few minutes later!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Stay-at-home mum update

I've been a part-time stay-at-home mom for two months now. (Incidentally, can you be a part-time stay-at-home mom, or is that a mutually exclusive oxymoron? Or Oxymormon? I'm not sure.) Here are some things I've learned.

1. It's way harder to go to work one day a week than five days a week. I start dreading my work day, Tuesday, on Saturday. "Oh no, the weekend is here! That means I have to go to work soon!" When I'm actually at work I love it, but it sure is hard to go.

2. Mommies are way happier when they get out of the house every day and when they exercise.

3. There are way fewer hours in the day when I stay at home than when I work. Maybe it's because I feel so unproductive (although usually happily so) when I spend 30 minutes playing "I'm gonna get you" and dancing to Weezer and Aladdin than when I teach 12-year-olds about the Civil War. Go figure. Therefore...

4. I get way less done than I think I'm going to each day.

5. Even though I'm home all day, I still need a list to encourage me to clean because cleaning is boring to think about doing, although it's not bad in actual fact.

What have you learned from being a stay-at-home mom or dad, even if you just did it for a little while? Any gems of learning, amusing anecdotes, or things complimentary about me *coughdadcough*?