7 quick takes around our house

This blogger that I really like does "7 quick takes" every Friday and even though it's not Friday and even though it's probably not a good practice to copy other bloggers unless you are participating in their link-ups I'm, uh, doing it anyway because 7 quick takes just seems to me like a really good excuse for putting a bunch of unrelated items in the same post which you just feel like doing sometimes when bloggers block has got you down.

1.    me:  "Someone in Relief Society today said that their stay at home mom friend lists her occupation on Facebook as CEO of the Smith Household.  I like that."
Tanner:  "So. . . if you're CEO at our house, what does that make me?"
me:  "Like, Assistant Manager?"

2.    me:  "hey dear, could you take out the trash?"
Tanner:  "ya. . . can I do it in like April when it's not 15 degrees outside?"

3.   Remember the our lovely staircase of death (pictured here)?  A genuine disaster of 8 metal steps covered in a nice thick layer of ice and snow that almost broke the back of my husband last week and did break a wheel off the stroller he was hauling?  It has claimed it's second victim (that we know of):  The FedEx guy.  We heard a knock at the door and then (I wish I could convey sound effects through a computer screen)  thump thump (times 8).  We rush outside to find a new package at the top of the stairs and Mr. FedEx at the bottom, nursing wounded pride and backside alike, apologizing for knocking over one of my pots.  It's probably not ok to laugh at others pain, but it was kind of hilarious.

4.   Can I just throw one teeny tiny temper tantrum real quick?  It's so dang coooooold!!!!  All the time.  With no relief or sunshine and I'm stuck inside all day and it really bites.
Ok done.

5.   A fellow mom I met at the park back in those sunshiny days when we went to the park and breathed not-frozen air and sat on not-frozen grass, said that if she were ever rich enough, she had a dream to build an indoor heated playground right in the middle of south of campus Provo to save the sanity of all the car-less Provo moms who had to survive winters with toddlers and had nowhere else to go.  I support this project.

6.  I don't really watch t.v. but lately have started due to freezing temperatures and hours I spend bookbinding, and I got hooked on Parenthood.  I am trucking through season 4 on OnDemand and I know I'm behind, but I have one issue.  The episode where Julia looses her (high profile lawyer) job and transitions to being a stay at home mom?  She's at her kids school and some of the other moms have found out, so they invite her to come participate in their mom coffee hour.  Which is fine.  Except that they are characterized as completely ditzy, perky, gossipy, unintelligent, silly women.  Which completely bugs me on one million levels because there couldn't possibly be any other moms in her same position who are educated, interesting, normal and intelligent and have either lost their jobs, can't find work, or who have chosen to stay home.  Heaven forbid they portray that kind of group of moms who invite her into their circle and offer support, friendship, and intelligent adult conversation and make her feel better about the whole thing.  Instead they're all obnoxious, frivolous, stay-at-home women because, obviously, that's how we all really are in real life.  Thanks, NBC.  We really appreciate it.

7.  I have to go get a crown at the dentist today.  bah humbug.

Behold, the face of pure happiness

 

That's right, my child is pretty much excited out of her mind about 2 things:  waking up to ridiculous amounts of snow, and the infant hiking pack that my parents got us for Christmas.  So, I think I've effectively brainwashed her on at least the most important things.  I felt more than a little bit ridiculous this morning walking around the neighborhood with this thing on my back, but. . . not ridiculous enough to stop me.  Because, hello, there were six fresh inches of snow, there was no way I wasn't going to go out in it, and there was also no way I  wanted to push the stroller through it.  Make that our backup, hand me down from a friend jogging stroller, as our regular stroller is currently Out of Order thanks to the stairway of death (pictured below) that Tanner slipped down the other day (the whole thing, top to bottom), because it was covered in 2 solid inches of ice, stoller in hand, leaving me nearly widowed and our stroller missing a limb (aka wheel, snapped clean off).

Anyways, we are all thrilled about the hiking backpack, including and especially Camryn.  If there are any Provo moms out there fortunate enough to have one too, I am your woman if you need a hiking buddy to spend the summer with.

Poor Buddy. . . we probably should have gotten him a cover for Christmas. . .

The Staircase of Death:

Anticipatory Dread

3:30 is the new 8 a.m., haven't you heard?  Or maybe (probably) that's just Camryn's take on things.  She still wakes up in the middle of the night, but she's usually wanting to be fed or have her binky back.  Last night it was because she was ready to go.  The neighbors behind us have a back porch light that shines right into our window (and holy cow is brighter than the sun), which has always bothered us, but last night it was reflecting off of all the snow (snow!) and it honestly might have been the middle of the day.  So I think Camryn thought it was.  I really need to cover her window with something black and light hiding like I've been intending to.

Well enough with those directionless ramblings and. . . on to other directionless ramblings.

I'm going to just right now go ahead and begin the choruses that we'll hear marveling at the snow today (snow!) Because that's just what we human beings do, right?  We talk about the weather.  And the snow is unbelievable!

For some reason, I've been dreading winter, and all of a sudden in a day it is here in all it's 30 degree, frozen everything, snow covered glory.  Do you ever dread something and you keep thinking about the bad parts and forget the good parts and the negativity keeps circling around in your head until all you can see is the worst case senario playing through in your mind convincing you that you will be beyond miserable through the entire thing?  In this case, the picture being me all winter as a lonely, bored out of my mind, stir crazy hermit-mom locked in the apartment that becomes my cage as the world freezes over, chasing an into-everything toddler all day long every day forgetting what it's like to talk to adults, to breathe fresh air, etc. etc. you get the picture.  And I'm not manic depressive (I promise) but I've probably invested far too much negative energy in this little vision of mine as I soaked up the fall season as if I would never be happy ever again once it was over.

But then it happened-- winter hit.  Temperature plummeted, it snowed like crazy all day long and. . . I didn't crumple into a heap of seasonal blues.  I enjoyed a lovely indoor day of knitting, bookbinding, cooking and standing at the window with Camryn watching the snow.  And when we did venture out to go to the grocery store, I remembered, oh yeah, I LOVE being outside in the snow and bundling up in boots and coats and getting my hair filled with snowflakes and looking straight up until I get dizzy or hit in the eye with one.  It's kind of absolutely fabulous.

And I can't WAIT to ski!!! And since I didn't get to ski for an entire season last year I'm bursting with 2 years worth of excitement.  I can almost smell the fresh I'm-on-top-of-the-world air now.  And Thanksgiving is coming and Christmas is coming and I can't wait to spend a lot of time with all of my siblings which doesn't happen much anymore (especially Alison and Zach who are flying in this year!) And there is Camryn's birthday (my 1st child's 1st birthday, oh man I'm getting all excited and sentimental over here), Tanner's birthday, my birthday, Valentines Day all of which I absolutely love (and all 3 of which are celebrations that got majorly shafted last year due to my 8 months pregnant through 1 month post partum self).  I'll get my husband back for the whole Christmas break when he only has to work instead of work and school.  And guys, my husband is really fun to hang out with.  And I can take camryn sledding!  How fun!  And take her to see Christmas lights and buy her her first christmas presents and knit her a couple more ridiculous but adorable hats (I'm getting better guys)  and chasing her around the apartment actually sounds like a blast (insert all the veteran mothers laughing at me here).  And it's not exactly a rule that we can't go outside, we'll just have to bundle up.  (And I'm yes, I'm going to start every sentence in this entire paragraph with the word and.  deal with it) And I have lots of friends to rough the really freezing boring days with me.  And you know, there's indoor activities, the aquarium, the library, Target (let's not even talk about how many moms have told me that Target is their long winter day escape) and. . .

winter is not going to be the worst thing that ever happened to me.  And it doesn't ever actually get to feeling that way until about March, and we'll just take March when it comes.  So, Dana, calm yourself and enjoy it.