Half-Assed Housewife

Self-Esteem

Cat — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:00:57 +0000

Kiddo is showing me a Valentine card she made for our cat. The text reads, “Dimi is niis.”
Gently, I explain that nice is spelled differently, with a ‘c’ that makes the ‘s’ sound and a silent ‘e’ that makes the ‘i’ say its name. (K is pretty big on the silent ‘e’ often adding it to the ends of random other words.)
She pauses to consider this info, then says firmly:
“This is how I spell it.”

The search goes on (and on …)

Cat — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:15:51 +0000

So, I’m back at square one in my quest to find childcare/social outlets for Tiny.

My two-day-a-week nanny had a family crisis two days before she was supposed to start last week. This leaves me trying to cram in work during his nap time, then staying up late after the kids go to bed. If the quality of my writing didn’t suffer from being brain dead at the end of the day (and if I could function on four or five hours of sleep), I probably would just let it go entirely.

My previous plan fell through after we were not-so-subtly asked to take our ~~business~~ crying toddler elsewhere.

I had a long, whining post all ready to go about that. But, since I haven’t had the opportunity to talk things over with the director face-to-face, I’m going to do the mature thing and refrain from commenting online.

Well, mostly refrain.

The miscreant being escorted to The Yogurt Tap by his sister last week.

I’ll just say that, while I understand that Tiny may not be ready for that kind of setup, I have some issues with how that was communicated and handled. (Also, just to clarify: The problem centers around my son crying. He was not hitting or biting or being aggressive to the other children. He wasn’t smoking in the bathroom or cutting class. He was sad. He was SAD at them.)

I also have issues with having to go down there and fill out a paper form to terminate my membership. (You can join online, pay online, and set up auto payments online, but if it doesn’t work out, you have to in there in person to stop the monthly charges to your credit card. Whatever.)

Anyway, I realize this definitely falls under the general life category of “My Sorry-Ass Minuscule First-World Problems,” and know that I am profoundly lucky that I have the most patient, flexible clients in the world and that Spouse is the breadwinner, so I can afford to take a long view and be patient.

More ‘before’

Cat — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:38:19 +0000

Trying to stick with my plan to clean one room and de-clutter one area a day, I tackled our cluttered guest/play/laundry-folding/could-be-a-den-or-third-bedroom room today. I didn’t do much but clear off the dresser and hang some prints. Still, a journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step, right?

Also, I hope I can put up an “after” photo in a few months’ time and I want people to know what I started with. You can click through on the photos and see the notes I put up on Flickr.

Here is the “before” perspective from the hallway:

And, from the door from off of our foyer:

Here it is with bonus artwork. An “in-between” photo, if you will.

I am trying out the 57-inch rule for hanging art. Supposedly this is a strategy used by galleries to hang art that is at generally eye level for most people. I usually end up hanging pictures too high, but I think this may be a step too far in the other direction.

What do you think?

Strengthening my resolve: Week #3

Cat — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:11:28 +0000

Here’s the breakdown:

The Kids: Think we have found a part-time nanny for Tiny. Someone who will watch him for two mornings a week while I work. B+

The House: Finally got the stand-alone closets in Kiddo’s room cleared out and ready for removal. Points for de-cluttering as well as bonus points for being the first step in Master Plan: Getting Kids to Share a Room. A

The Life: No weight change, but we did get a family membership to the Y! (Still left to do: Go in and get my personal membership card.) Hmmm. C+

The Spouse: Dinner last week at Cakes and Ale! A++

Slightly less than a not really extreme makeover

Cat — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:13:48 +0000

Our house, a photo by cathilee on Flickr.

We’re getting new gutters and covers today. (I know, thrilling!). *

It being the first major work we’ve had done on Chez H-A (as it will be known on the blog), I decided to start a Flickr set document the “fixing” we hope to be doing to our “fixer upper.”

*If you can’t tell, this is the “Before” photo.