I don't adapt well to change. I am a creature of habit. Behaviors have been built into me over 36.5 years, and I often think I don't have the mental, emotional, and/or physical wherewithal to undo the less savory ones.
Think positive. Nope, that one never sticks. Nor does believe in yourself or any of that other stuff. It's just easier for me to kind of prod along as is because changing that mindset requires so much deliberate modification. Think "swimming against the current."
But today I did something that just may have made a difference. I don't know why. Maybe I've just decided to let it help. I'm not going to spend time questioning the whys.
I'm impatient with myself. Very, very impatient. It's all or nothing. I need to do it perfectly and I need to do it perfectly right bloody now. If not, I feel like a failure and my frustration goes through the roof. Tiring.
So today, you know what I did? I found an ordinary yellow post-it note and I wrote on it:
Rome wasn't built in a day.
I posted it to the bottom of my monitor. Every time I can't get a sentence right, I read it. Every time I get overwhelmed with what there is to do, I read it. And I've been reading it all day, and it has calmed me each time. All I know is that I believe every word of that, and I am trusting in the power of that little note.
I hope you find your phrase today and let it bring you to somewhere good.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Three "Bests" Ain't Bad!
I was just reading one of the working mom blogs I follow, and they had a cool map detailing the best cities for working mothers for various attributes (employment rates, cost of housing, etc.). Some pertain to all mothers in general, not just working moms. I'm proud to say Baltimore made three lists:
1. Baltimore ranks number 8 in the top 10 highest incomes for working moms.
2. Baltimore ranks number 5 in best pediatricians (I love you, Dr. Caterina!!)
3. Baltimore ranks number 8 in best childcare (I love you KinderCare!!)
I was pretty impressed!
1. Baltimore ranks number 8 in the top 10 highest incomes for working moms.
2. Baltimore ranks number 5 in best pediatricians (I love you, Dr. Caterina!!)
3. Baltimore ranks number 8 in best childcare (I love you KinderCare!!)
I was pretty impressed!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
It's a Love/Hate Thing
I currently hate...
Sinus infections and related antibiotics and steroid regimens, being tailgated every single night driving home from work/daycare, special trips made to the Red Canoe for chai latte and they are out of chia latte...twice, missing the morning train by one minute and having to wait around for the next one (thus being late for work), when Au Bon Pain is out of Nantucket Nectars Orange Mango, having to physically drag my screaming child out of daycare and then listening to her scream her head off for "Daddy! Daddy!" the whole way home (while being tailgated; see above), waking up every night at 3 am and not being able to get back to sleep.
My current loves...
Onion dill bagels from Au Bon Pain, the fabulous female side of my office, the hilarious male end of the office, the latest ruffles trend in clothing, watching Claire crack an egg into a bowl better than anyone I've ever seen, my new Watson Twins CD, the entirety of the Crewcuts catalog, this week's weather, winning a fantastic perfect mint condition denim jacket for Claire on ebay last week, Claire's purple graffiti Sketchers, thinking about how peaceful my new pale blue bedroom will look, thinking about what a great Saturday I'm going to have with two super cool chicks, and the best of all...
listening to my beautiful angel sing "Are You SLeeping Brother John" as I turned out the light tonight at bedtime...never sang that to her, but have it on a CD in the car and I imagine she sings it at daycare. It was the most precious thing, and I've been smiling ever since :-)
The loves so greatly outweigh the hates. And that makes me so happy that all the hates start dropping from my mind...goodnight and hope your list of loves is neverending.
Sinus infections and related antibiotics and steroid regimens, being tailgated every single night driving home from work/daycare, special trips made to the Red Canoe for chai latte and they are out of chia latte...twice, missing the morning train by one minute and having to wait around for the next one (thus being late for work), when Au Bon Pain is out of Nantucket Nectars Orange Mango, having to physically drag my screaming child out of daycare and then listening to her scream her head off for "Daddy! Daddy!" the whole way home (while being tailgated; see above), waking up every night at 3 am and not being able to get back to sleep.
My current loves...
Onion dill bagels from Au Bon Pain, the fabulous female side of my office, the hilarious male end of the office, the latest ruffles trend in clothing, watching Claire crack an egg into a bowl better than anyone I've ever seen, my new Watson Twins CD, the entirety of the Crewcuts catalog, this week's weather, winning a fantastic perfect mint condition denim jacket for Claire on ebay last week, Claire's purple graffiti Sketchers, thinking about how peaceful my new pale blue bedroom will look, thinking about what a great Saturday I'm going to have with two super cool chicks, and the best of all...
listening to my beautiful angel sing "Are You SLeeping Brother John" as I turned out the light tonight at bedtime...never sang that to her, but have it on a CD in the car and I imagine she sings it at daycare. It was the most precious thing, and I've been smiling ever since :-)
The loves so greatly outweigh the hates. And that makes me so happy that all the hates start dropping from my mind...goodnight and hope your list of loves is neverending.
Monday, March 8, 2010
It's 3 am and I Must Be Lonely...
No, not really. Sorry, Rob Thomas.
However, it is, in fact, 3:56 am and I have a screaming headache. I never seem to be able to escape the weekend without one, and this one showed up late Sunday evening. Oh well, I just took some Advil and I'm sure it will help.
Took Claire to Great Kids Village in Columbia on Saturday. She had an absolute blast until it was time to go home. Then she had an absolute fit..lol. Later that evening, her personal superhero showed up, aka Daddy. The plan was to stay over and take her with him Sunday morning. However, he decided to take her back that night because I had no water that day. Yep, big water main break in the area that no one could find until later in the afternoon, so I was without water from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm. Not fun! I am so thankful I have it now! When you lose something like your electricity or water, it is only then you realize how very much you depend on it.
The move is fast approaching and I need to get it in gear. Since the last post, I did pick up the bar stools and also bought the comforter and throw pillows. I have (no big surprise) changed my vision about the play room slightly, which involves less painting, so that's a good thing. My hope is that Claire's dad and I can move as much as we physically can ourselves, with the help of his work van, and that would leave only the big items for when I can get more help.
I plan to return to my sister blog, Style Times Two, very soon. That one takes a little more work because I go searching for fashion and then start saving the pics, all of which is a little cumbersome on the computer I'm currently using. But I have many wonderful things I've been lusting after, and my daughter is a veritable fashionista, so I look forward to sharing my inspirations for anyone who has the interest...or who is bored enough lol.
OK, probably should try to rest a bit more since work comes a'callin at 8:30. Off to bed to dream of fresh starts and serene surroundings.
However, it is, in fact, 3:56 am and I have a screaming headache. I never seem to be able to escape the weekend without one, and this one showed up late Sunday evening. Oh well, I just took some Advil and I'm sure it will help.
Took Claire to Great Kids Village in Columbia on Saturday. She had an absolute blast until it was time to go home. Then she had an absolute fit..lol. Later that evening, her personal superhero showed up, aka Daddy. The plan was to stay over and take her with him Sunday morning. However, he decided to take her back that night because I had no water that day. Yep, big water main break in the area that no one could find until later in the afternoon, so I was without water from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm. Not fun! I am so thankful I have it now! When you lose something like your electricity or water, it is only then you realize how very much you depend on it.
The move is fast approaching and I need to get it in gear. Since the last post, I did pick up the bar stools and also bought the comforter and throw pillows. I have (no big surprise) changed my vision about the play room slightly, which involves less painting, so that's a good thing. My hope is that Claire's dad and I can move as much as we physically can ourselves, with the help of his work van, and that would leave only the big items for when I can get more help.
I plan to return to my sister blog, Style Times Two, very soon. That one takes a little more work because I go searching for fashion and then start saving the pics, all of which is a little cumbersome on the computer I'm currently using. But I have many wonderful things I've been lusting after, and my daughter is a veritable fashionista, so I look forward to sharing my inspirations for anyone who has the interest...or who is bored enough lol.
OK, probably should try to rest a bit more since work comes a'callin at 8:30. Off to bed to dream of fresh starts and serene surroundings.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Progress
OK, so...
1. Application to new apartment accepted, lease SIGNED!! Woot woot!
2. Apartment is ours as of March 28.
3. Both shower curtains bought!
4. Bathroom rugs and toothbrush holder & wastebasket for Claire's bathroom bought!
5. Duvet cover/shams bought!
What's left...
1. Sofa, which will be bought closer to move so it can be delivered right to new place.
2. TV for living room...same reason as above.
3. Slipcover for sofa...located but not bought yet
4. Throw pillows for above sofa...possibly bought today on my trip to IKEA
5. Comforter insert for duvet cover...see number 4
6. TV stand...want to measure first
7. Counter stools for kitchen...hopefully picking up today!
Yep, can you tell I'm getting excited? I've got some friends who've volunteered for painting and so many visions dancing around in this old head that it's spinning! Yay for new place to call home!
1. Application to new apartment accepted, lease SIGNED!! Woot woot!
2. Apartment is ours as of March 28.
3. Both shower curtains bought!
4. Bathroom rugs and toothbrush holder & wastebasket for Claire's bathroom bought!
5. Duvet cover/shams bought!
What's left...
1. Sofa, which will be bought closer to move so it can be delivered right to new place.
2. TV for living room...same reason as above.
3. Slipcover for sofa...located but not bought yet
4. Throw pillows for above sofa...possibly bought today on my trip to IKEA
5. Comforter insert for duvet cover...see number 4
6. TV stand...want to measure first
7. Counter stools for kitchen...hopefully picking up today!
Yep, can you tell I'm getting excited? I've got some friends who've volunteered for painting and so many visions dancing around in this old head that it's spinning! Yay for new place to call home!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Moving in Style
So the application for my new apartment is in; I should know sometime this week if it has been accepted. After researching, asking friends who live here, etc., I applied for an apartment at Cascades Overlook in the New Town section of Owings Mills. It is extremely close to Claire's daycare and had most, but not all, of the amenities I had wanted.
I originally wanted a ground floor apartment. Claire does go up and down the stairs usually, but it's still difficult when I have groceries and am trying to coax her up. At the last minute I opted for the second floor again, because a co-worker mentioned that she'd worry about someone breaking in since it's much more accessible. Yikes, sad to say, I do have to think of those things. So we are scheduled to be on the second floor of a building on the "pet friendly" side of the complex. I have no pets, but they don't bother me, and we have plenty in our current complex. And I've heard that this is the side that ends up being quieter anyway.
The one thing I noticed pretty fast was that the parking looks crappy. That is very disappointing, because that is one of the very main things I was looking for. Unfortunately, there aren't really any complexes with assigned parking. There were two who had individual garages, but I didn't like the one and the other I was advised by a former resident isn't great.
Other than that, it does have the other stuff I wanted. Two bedrooms, and they are right beside each other. I really wanted that because right now we're at opposite ends of the apartment, and I'm always nervous when I go to bed that I won't hear her if she calls.
Second, we now will have a full-sized side-by-side washer and dryer....oh thank goodness. I'm grateful for the stackable because at least I have something, but it doesn't hold much. This new set is actually in its own small closeted section and even has a shelf for laundry products.
Two bathrooms...woot woot! The master bath has a shower stall, and the main bathroom has the shower/tub. Two vanities, so two places to store stuff.
There is a full-sized living room and a small room right off the kitchen they call a family room. This will be used as Claire's playroom. Even better that it's close to the kitchen. The kitchen has a breakfast bar, and I just located some gently used counter stools on Craigslist...going to buy two of them from a couple in White Marsh.
And finally, I have a fireplace :-) I've really wanted one for a long time, and I decided that was an amenity I was going to treat myself with.
So to get the rent special, the lease will be starting around March 28. I'll have a nice two week overlap where I'll have the old and new apartment, so I'm hoping to get some smaller stuff moved during that time so I don't have to do it all in one day.
I've been driving myself crazy with my redecorating project. I DID find bedding...a really nice Pottery Barn duvet cover and shams I found on ebay. I had gotten myself so fixated on finding "the one" that I was actually making myself almost sick. I said enough for heaven's sake. That's when I decided to just pick something not too trendy and that I'd be happy with. And I did :-) The living room I've just accepted won't be my ultimate dream, because I can't bring myself to buy new chairs and tables when I have perfectly good ones here. I was going to cover my current wing chairs with slipcovers, but all the wing chair slipcovers I'm finding are made for T cushions, and mine are not. So for now, I'm just going to get my new sofa and keep the rest the same. I am still getting a slipcover for my current sofa, to be used in Claire's play room. I am hoping that by trying to confine Claire's stuff to that room, the apartment will stay a little neater, because right now my place is a disaster with all of her stuff all over the small living room.
I'm hoping this will be a good move. I will finally be in the area I want to be, and it will be a faster commute to the daycare in the morning. I'm excited to make the place our own.
On that note, anyone who likes to paint, I would love some help, because I plan on paiting a few rooms, hopefully before the furniture has to be moved in.
Looking forward to moving out and up!
I originally wanted a ground floor apartment. Claire does go up and down the stairs usually, but it's still difficult when I have groceries and am trying to coax her up. At the last minute I opted for the second floor again, because a co-worker mentioned that she'd worry about someone breaking in since it's much more accessible. Yikes, sad to say, I do have to think of those things. So we are scheduled to be on the second floor of a building on the "pet friendly" side of the complex. I have no pets, but they don't bother me, and we have plenty in our current complex. And I've heard that this is the side that ends up being quieter anyway.
The one thing I noticed pretty fast was that the parking looks crappy. That is very disappointing, because that is one of the very main things I was looking for. Unfortunately, there aren't really any complexes with assigned parking. There were two who had individual garages, but I didn't like the one and the other I was advised by a former resident isn't great.
Other than that, it does have the other stuff I wanted. Two bedrooms, and they are right beside each other. I really wanted that because right now we're at opposite ends of the apartment, and I'm always nervous when I go to bed that I won't hear her if she calls.
Second, we now will have a full-sized side-by-side washer and dryer....oh thank goodness. I'm grateful for the stackable because at least I have something, but it doesn't hold much. This new set is actually in its own small closeted section and even has a shelf for laundry products.
Two bathrooms...woot woot! The master bath has a shower stall, and the main bathroom has the shower/tub. Two vanities, so two places to store stuff.
There is a full-sized living room and a small room right off the kitchen they call a family room. This will be used as Claire's playroom. Even better that it's close to the kitchen. The kitchen has a breakfast bar, and I just located some gently used counter stools on Craigslist...going to buy two of them from a couple in White Marsh.
And finally, I have a fireplace :-) I've really wanted one for a long time, and I decided that was an amenity I was going to treat myself with.
So to get the rent special, the lease will be starting around March 28. I'll have a nice two week overlap where I'll have the old and new apartment, so I'm hoping to get some smaller stuff moved during that time so I don't have to do it all in one day.
I've been driving myself crazy with my redecorating project. I DID find bedding...a really nice Pottery Barn duvet cover and shams I found on ebay. I had gotten myself so fixated on finding "the one" that I was actually making myself almost sick. I said enough for heaven's sake. That's when I decided to just pick something not too trendy and that I'd be happy with. And I did :-) The living room I've just accepted won't be my ultimate dream, because I can't bring myself to buy new chairs and tables when I have perfectly good ones here. I was going to cover my current wing chairs with slipcovers, but all the wing chair slipcovers I'm finding are made for T cushions, and mine are not. So for now, I'm just going to get my new sofa and keep the rest the same. I am still getting a slipcover for my current sofa, to be used in Claire's play room. I am hoping that by trying to confine Claire's stuff to that room, the apartment will stay a little neater, because right now my place is a disaster with all of her stuff all over the small living room.
I'm hoping this will be a good move. I will finally be in the area I want to be, and it will be a faster commute to the daycare in the morning. I'm excited to make the place our own.
On that note, anyone who likes to paint, I would love some help, because I plan on paiting a few rooms, hopefully before the furniture has to be moved in.
Looking forward to moving out and up!
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