Back!

What's this?  A post?!?!  Hold onto your hats everyone, I know it's been a while.

Jeez, I hardly know where to begin or what to write about.  Apart from losing Maude, things have  actually been.... GOOD.  I know in writing that the universe will be forced to squash my exuberance by sending us more plumbing problems or a three year old hospital bill, but I'm going to try to enjoy it for a bit and, since y'all put up with my venting the rest of the time, I like to reassure you it's not always gloom & doom around here.

The Boy, with the electrical board he got for his birthday.
Hie thee to engineering school, young man!

Health?  The last come-get-your-kid call from daycare was a full two weeks ago.  That might almost be a record.  *I* have a snaky lingering cough but haven't missed work and it hasn't stopped me from running lately.

Which I have been doing!  After spending six months on the couch, I dug my running shoes out of the deep recesses of the closet, shook out the spiders, and applied liberally to my feet.  I've even moved (slowly) past that painful start up, single, 20 minute-I think I'm having a coronary-mile.  I'm not running as often, far, or as fast as I'd like, nor have I magically dropped 20#, but even my little somethin' is a vast improvement over the ass-widening last six months.  I might even sign up for another half marathon this fall, for a little motivation and to snag another T-shirt.  

NOT running shoes.
We were late for speech, I grabbed The Girl's sandal, and...
yeah. 

The weather has not helped with the running.  We're in the middle of a brutal heat wave, so most of my recent miles have been on the treadmill in the musty basement (which doesn't help the cough) - but we have been going to the pool almost every day I'm home.  The Boy can now swim underwater from one side of the pool to the other and the The Girl has been jumping into my arms from the ledge.  Today she even released her Grip of Death and bobbed around in her floatie (this is huge!).  Finding swim lessons has been a colossal FAIL but I'll resume the search on Monday.

Work?  I try not to write about it too much, especially since I may have been xxxxx enough to check this previously anonymous site from my work computer, but it had been, um, hard lately.  Really hard.  But there was a long conversation/general clearing of the air which broke the tension and, bizarrely - because it changed nothing - made me feel better.  I have less flexibility now - which really, actually, makes my life IMPOSSIBLE (see above, re: calls from daycare), but I can still work 4x10s, so am home on Wednesdays with the kids, and Matt's schedule is flexible, so we'll figure it out.  Ultimately, I really enjoy what I do and since I keep picking the wrong lottery numbers, this is the new normal.  So there.  Cryptic enough for you?

This is the best part:  in four-ish months my commute will be cut by more than half.  From 35 miles one way, to 15.  You know what that is?  TIME.  Precious, precious, life sustaining, family building, sanity preserving TIME.  90% of my kvetching here has got to be about work/life balance issues, yes?  But the great gods of Corporate America have just given me back 80 minutes a day.  80 minutes to spend with my children.  80 minutes to make them a dinner that doesn't come out of a box, to yell at The Boy about his homework, to work on The Girl's fine motor skills, maybe even work on potty training, to go running, to go on a bike ride with The Boy, to have a dance party with The Girl, to take them both out for ice cream, to unearth the vacuum cleaner, maybe even use it, and maybe even to go running with our e'er shedding dogs.  80 minutes to tuck the munchkins in and read them an extra story without stifling that voice in my head that's yelling, "SERIOUSLY!? JUST GO THE EFF TO SLEEP. I HAVE TO BE UP IN 6 HOURS."  80 minutes to check in with you guys, leave the occasional comment, and to maybe even spend some time with my husband.

OK.  I might need more than 80 minutes to do all that.  But for all that is sweet and glorious, it sure as hell helps.

[For all the eco-judgers out there, there was a whole string of decisions and factors that led us to buy where we did.  It wasn't because we hate Mother Earth and are trying to choke her with our gasoline emissions.  Not that you wouldn't know it by the oceans of gas we've been burning these last years.]

With Aunt Mary at MoBot during the Chinese Festival.
That Dragon is made out of... china.  Plates & cups, specifically:

What else?  This is the first weekend we haven't had visitors and/or fun things planned in six weeks.  Aunt Mary was here (when The Boy got sick on his birthday - boo!), Tima was here the following weekend (yeah!  rescheduled party!), I went to CA to see my little sister graduate high school (whaaa?), we went to the Lake of the Ozarks to celebrate my 40th birthday (*gulp*)... I think I'm forgetting something.  Oh yes!  Last weekend, in which the washing machine ran for 48 continuous hours because we hadn't done laundry in 5 weeks.  I think next weekend might be open but then.... WE ARE GOING TO THE NDSC CONVENTION IN DC!  I can't wait to meet you guys!  (Yes, even YOU).  Any fellow-eventers wishing to de-lurk, now's your chance.  Also, any other cheapskates skipping the big banquet, let me know - we're having a pizza party in our room on Saturday.

I still want to write about the graduation, I have a bunch of miscellaneous idle thoughts & tidbits on special needs I'm going to lump into one post, and at some point I will be forced to vent about the amount of money we're spending on private therapy this summer because Oh, Dear G*d, The Money... but then I will joyfully announce that WE HAVE WORD APPROXIMATIONS.

YES WE DO.