Jan 14: My brother Joe returned from his trip to Death Valley last Saturday.  He’d gone out to California to join Terry in a little desert exploration, and I think they had a fun time.  So far this week, I’ve been delighted to have the opportunity to spend three whole days in my young brother’s company.  It fills up my Joe-box nicely.
Joe is a junior at Bowdoin College, and on January 25, he’s leaving for Sri Lanka for a semester abroad.  I am so excited for him.  I don’t think that statement adequately expresses my excitement.  SO EXCITED.

Joe got his vaccinations this morning, and in the next week or so we’re going to shop for the final items he wants to take on his trip.  Andrew has been really curious about what kinds of animals Uncle Joe will see while in Sri Lanka.  We’ve been looking things up online.  I love the Internet!

While looking up info on Sri Lanka, I found a blog written by a student who went on the ISLE program last semester.  She wrote a blog called Culture Change, and so far it has given me a tantalizing sneak-peak into the experiences Joe may have over the next several months.

Joe is planning to blog about his experiences abroad.  You can find him here: Platos Footnotes.
His first post on his travels is copied below. I really love travel…especially international travel…especially international travel that involves an immersion into the culture.  Oh, Joe…I hope your experiences challenge and inspire you in wonderful ways.

Jan. 13: I just received an email with the following info from Spooky’s vet:

“Spooky’s CBC, chemistry, and total T4 were normal so he is not diabetic or hyperthyroid.  His urinalysis showed many red blood cells and transitional cells, some with multiple nuclei, in the sediment.  This may be due to a severe inflammatory process or tumor in his urinary bladder or his kidneys.”

My brain is processing.  Both this news and the following estimate: $160-$700 in ultrasounds, x-rays, and radiologist consults.  At the low end of that estimate, they can do an ultrasound of Spooky’s bladder to look for a tumor.  I guess that will probably be the next step.

Jan. 10: I’ve been thinking about writing some posts about my struggles and strategies with keeping my home clean and uncluttered.  Then I think, “Who wants to read about how dirty my floors are?”  But since house cleaning is a big component of my job as a stay-at-home mom, and since everyone I know has to find ways to keep their home the nest they want it to be, I’ve decided that maybe people would be interested.  So here’s the start of a mulit-post topic: Clean House!

Background:
Bryan and I were both working out of the home until December of ’07.  During our time at home, I think we did a good job of prioritizing time-with-Andrew over most other things.  So than meant that our kitchen was usually dirty, our meals were unplanned and thrown together, our floors were cleaned only occasionally, and in general, we played with Andrew until he was in bed at which time we both collapsed – most real cleaning and laundry and yard work etc. occurred on the weekends.  In some ways, I’m glad that I can comfortably live in a messy home.  It meant that I wasn’t too stressed out when the bathroom was requesting a cleaning and I told it to wait until Saturday.

After Sylvia was born and I changed jobs to working in the home, I found myself transitioning to feeling like I needed things at a higher state of cleanliness all the time…not just once in a while.  But with a new baby and a  two-year-old, I didn’t know when in the heck I was supposed to find the opportunity to mop the floor or clean the toilet.

Then last June, my friend Julie wrote a post about some of her random quirks.  One of her “quirks” was that she never leaves the house without making her bed.  Another was that no crumbs are ever left on the counter.  I mulled these over in my mind for days.  I’d be walking down the street thinking, “No crumbs left on the counter ever?”  I sometimes wash off the counter.  It is occasionally clean.  Before making something new, I usually clean off the part of the counter that I’m going to use.  But a totally clean counter every day?  wow.
And then bed making.  I’d think to myself, “I know how to make my bed.”  I make my bed when guests come over.  Sometimes.  I’d put away our decorative pillows years ago because they never made it on the bed.  I had put bed-making on my “not going to worry about that” list.  I wonder what it would be like if I made my bed every day.  huh.

So that was Part I: feeling like things could be cleaner…starting to want them to be cleaner…but really not knowing how to do it…

Jan. 9: One of the items on my lengthy to-do list is to reflect back on 2008 and to do some goal-setting for 2009.  I’m going to use Simple Mom‘s questions as a starting place, and I thought I’d share!

20 questions for a new year
2008 reflections

Jan. 9: The snow is coming down fast and thick this morning.  Already, I’m sure it has filled in the tracks that Andrew and I made while we walked to school.  Sylvia has a few minutes left of napping, and I’m enjoying the quiet.  Because when both the kids are active, it is SO not quiet.  Sylvia is screeching all the time.  Andrew asks, "why" about almost anything.  He also likes to sing songs and seems to live with one foot in his narrated imaginary world where we are all active animals of some sort. 
He went back to preschool yesterday morning, and he was so happy to return.  I was so happy to have him return!  Eli spent the afternoon at our house, and those boys snuggled and played games and in general were two peas in a pod.  Andrew was so worn out from the activity, though, that he fell asleep at 6:30!
I spent my Andrew-at-preschool, Sylvia-napping free time yesterday by making a three page to-do list. It was a big brain dump, and it felt so good to free it all from my mind.  Then I spent all evening whittling away at some of the smaller projects.  I love getting things done.  I don’t think I can overstate that.  It’s like gold stars and bells ringing when I get to check off an item on my list.  I am, indeed, a complete geek.

Continue reading “Snowy naptime thoughts”

Jan. 5: Today feels like the first day of life-returning-to-normal now that the holidays are done.  Sylvia is napping. Her naps have been going much better (usually).  She’s been sleeping for an hour and 15 minutes two times a day.  Andrew is watching Life in Cold Blood – a David Attenborough documentary series on reptiles.  He just curled up next to me sighing, "Cameleons.  I like everything about cameleons."

Continue reading “Happy New Year!”

Jan. 2: I’m re-reading Eldest by Christopher Paolini.  It’s the second book in a fantasy series.  The third book came out recently, and I have a copy from the library.  Due January 5.  Around Christmas, I stopped reading, but in the last couple days, I’ve gotten caught up in the story again.  When I am reading a story I like, it’s like an addiction.  I can’t stop. So today, I’ve decided not to read until the kids go to bed so I can try to be a good parent:)
I’ve got about 200 more pages to go in Eldest, and Brisinger (the next book) is probably around 700 pages.  Think I’ll be able to do it?  Anyone want to watch my kids:)

Continue reading “Reading obsession”

Dec. 27: After doing my quick Christmas morning post, I’ve been away from my laptop for a couple days.  I’ve just sat down and sorted the photos from Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the 26th.  Christmas Eve we spent here at my house.  My siblings, their sig-oths, and Dad came over, and we had rib roast, Yorkshire pudding, and a heap load of side dishes.  It was a lovely evening.  Everyone helped, either with childcare or cooking or cleaning.  Then we had a nice Christmas morning here with our little family.  Around noon on the 25th, we headed over to my Dad’s house for the day.  My dad’s brother Scott, and his wife, Marcia came up from Chicago to join us, and we all made a huge fondue meal.  It was a lot of fun.  The Zilics were in Chicago for the day, so we missed them, but it was a fun Christmas.
Pictures are in the gallery from Christmas Eve (and a couple days before), Christmas Day, and December 26th.  Enjoy!

Dec. 27: We’ve had such a great time these last couple days seeing friends!  Bryan and I are currently crashed on the sofa after Fondue Part Deux.
On the 26th, Anne & Owen and Heather stopped over for a visit.  We all had a fun time catching up and indulging in the wonderful hot chocolate from Aunt Kate.  Maretta and I went shopping in the afternoon for a work-blazer.  We had lots of success at Macy’s.  It was one of the first times in recent memory that I was shopping without any children.  It was a delightful afternoon!

In the evening, Joe and Becky came over and fixed enchiladas for us for dinner.  They helped us put the kids to bed, and then Bryan and I spent the evening camped in front of a movie (me) and the laptop playing chess (Bryan).
This morning, our clan trooped through the thick, thick fog to Grandma McElmurry’s house where we visited with Grandma, Nancy, Brian, Tom, and Katie for a couple hours.  When we came home, we were delighted to find that our friends Josh and Annie were driving through Madison on their way home from Christmas (on their way back to Philly).  So they stopped over and we got to visit with them for a while.  We last saw them three years ago.  How time flies!
After their visit, we drove across town to attend Lisa’s birthday ice cream get-together.  Sylvia and Andrew shared a cup of vanilla ice cream, and I think Sylvia ate more than Andrew did!
Not missing a beat, we drove to my dad’s house where we picked up the left-overs from our Christmas Day fondue feast and took them back to our house.  Heather and Michael, Maretta and Kyle, and my dad all came over, and we stuffed ourselves once again.  Cheese, meat, and chocolate fondue.  That’s a lot of food…
It’s been a great couple of days.  Tomorrow may be more relaxed, and that will be fine with me too:)
I’m so glad that we’ve had the opportunity to see so many friends!

Dec. 25:  We had a lovely Christmas morning here in the Dotzour house. Sylvia is currently dressed up in an adorable dress, and she’s crawling around the room with her new doll from Granny and Grandad.
Last night, my family came over for a feast, some singing, a bit of present opening, and a lengthy game of Christmas poker.  Between going to bed past midnight, getting up three times with Sylvia, and having Andrew come in at 6:30 (as per normal), I’m less than bubbling over with energy right now.  But it’s a good, mellow kind of feeling.
Andrew had no idea that he was getting more presents this morning.  However, he quickly became a speed-demon present-opener.  Sylvia doesn’t get the ripping paper thing yet.  However, she loves to maw down on bows:)
The big present of the day is a kitchen for the kids.  I LOVE it.  They love it.  We’re going to have some fun!
Photos from our morning are in the gallery.