Windfall!

1.  Grace goes to Superkids, which is a social skills class for kids.  It's very expensive, but we thought it may help with, well, her social skills.  I'm not really up on what is covered under our healthcare plan, but decided to submit the claim to see if we could get any of it covered.  Woohoo!  A big, fat check came in the mail today!  I feel so fortunate to have very adequate healthcare for my family.

2.  There was a scheduled delay for school today.  I knew the chimney sweep was coming over, but didn't also anticipate that I'd have to have someone come over to look at the hot water heater-always something, I swear!  The kids were home running around like lunatics while I was trying to talk to the guys.  I finally got Grace on the bus and came back to see what the guys were up to.  The chimney sweep said the family room fireplace should be cleaned every year and that it was way overdue.  Yikes!  Let this be a lesson to me and anyone reading this with a fireplace.  Mind you, these are gas fireplaces and still need to be cleaned!  The other guy tried to fix a vibration that was causing a lot of noise and also found a leak.  So, now I'm trying to find a plumber to come change a valve.

3.  I think my treadmill is possessed.  Ok, maybe it just needs to be serviced.  I guess I'd be a little cranky, too, if I had to sit down on a cold, dirty basement floor right by the hot water heater and boiler!   The past few times I've tried to use it, it's done odd things like speed up or start over or say weird things on the readout.   So, now trying to find someone to come service that.  Can't-wait-for-vacation!  Too bad there's so much darn work to do between now and then!

Party Hearty!

1.  We just returned from a lovely 50th birthday party for a dear friend.  The dinner was at The Dressing Room in Westport and was delicious!  That's the second time we've eaten there and thought it was much better this time.  It pays to be friends with the hostess-I got to bring home balloons and extra chocolate for the girls and a gorgeous floral centerpiece of white lilies and white roses.  Ahh!  I was thrilled to have found Scrabble letter cufflinks on Etsy.  The birthday boy is a Scrabble player and the cufflinks with his initials were the perfect gift!

2.  I just found out that my friend, the nanny at the bus stop, will no longer be there as she was let go.  She's been sick with a bacterial infection a few times since she's been here.  I spoke to the mom the other day and asked about her.  She just said that they told her not to come that day because it is contagious.  I had no idea they have fired her.  If anyone is looking for a very dependable nanny, she is looking for work.  Her infection is under control and she should be fine soon.

3.  Lola was up several times in the night, which meant I was, too.  Rich couldn't get up to go to the gym.  Lola then got up early, too.  She went to school and I went to Target.  I had a lot of fun browsing-until the smell started.  There was some type of sewage problem happening.  It was rather comical to see all the people walking around talking about the stench.  The workers kept saying they felt sick and needed fresh air.  Then I heard the high school was evacuated.  I was just so happy to be shopping by myself that I just kept right on and ignored the smell.  I got back and immediately had my training session.  Boy, am I pooped!

Rainy Days and Mondays

1.  Always Get Me Down...but not today!  I started my usual Monday morning sprint to "clean" the house for the cleaning ladies.  Then, in the pouring rain, took Lola to her Little Gym class.  During class I went to the library, to Trader Joe's, to The Fresh Market and to the dry cleaner!  At The Fresh Market I grabbed a pizza to take to a playdate today.  The playdate was supposed to be at our house, but our friends had hot water heater trouble and had to wait for the repairman.  So, instead of cancelling we were invited to head over there.  The fresh, you bake pizzas at TFM are really good.  I also grabbed a $5.99 jar of marinara sauce that was on sale for $1.99.  When it rang up at $5.99 the cashier ran back to look at the price.  I ended up getting it for free since it was a pricing mistake on their part!  I feel a little bit redeemed after buying moldy strawberries last week.  Then I cut into one of the onions I had bought there and the entire thing was rotten!  So much for fresh!  No, I didn't end up taking either of the products back to complain and/or get my money back. 

2.  I was actually feeling a bit down as I was waiting for Lola's class to finish.  I looked around and I think most all the adults there were nannies.  It's the same thing for storytime and I know a nanny at the bus stop.  Then I was at swim class today and met moms, but they were from another town.  It's really frustrating not to find other Weston moms to talk with when I'm out and about.

3.  Lately I've had friend requests on Facebook from people I didn't know very well in high school.  People have been posting high school pictures, which has been a lot of fun.  Last night I dug through old photos and found some that I posted tonight.  I think it's interesting that we all look back with nostalgia and try to get a bit of that feeling back by friending everyone we can find that we knew back then.  I've actually stopped asking for friends because I've had some not accepted!  Boo hoo!

CT Science Center

1.  I decided before bed last night to go check out our new science center in Hartford.  Wow!  We weren't disappointed!  It's a gorgeous facility and the kids had a ball.  We spent hours there and had lunch in the cafe.  We're so impressed with instituion food these days-it's getting really good!  They support local agriculture and list the names of the farms where their products that day came from!  On the way up we stopped at "Timmy's" for hot chocolate and coffee.  For those not in the know, that's Tim Horton's, the Canadian chain that serves coffee, doughnuts and light lunch-type food.  It's named after their famous hockey player.  We love the place and went there everyday when we were in Niagara Falls for a week last summer.  We have at least 2 Timmy's that we know of in CT and stop when we go by!  We saw a sign for Hometown Buffet at the same exit.  So, on the way home we stopped there.  It's always an interesting experience going to one of these buffets.  The people watching is outrageous!  The people sitting across from us were coming from church and they were decked out in their Sunday best.  The woman had on a huge red hat, purple dress and red shoes.  When she smiled she had gold caps on her front teeth.  The guy looked like the guy on The Jeffersons-Sherman Helmsley, I think was his name.  They looked like caricatures.  Many people were speaking Spanish.  (I keep looking for a class as it's my dream to learn Spanish.  I took French and loved it, but think Spanish would be so much more useful!)  Throughout the meal Lola kept pointing at the lady in the red hat.  She loved it!  We all chowed down.  After the meal Lola proclaimed that she "ate like a pig!"  Pretty funny!  So, why when it was bedtime did both kids have to have a snack?!  When we were leaving the buffet, we asked the general manager for balloons.  He was sweating  profusely.  He probably weighed in the neighborhood of 500 lbs.  I'm not exaggerating and was thinking that was not the place for him to be working and that I'd love to see him go on Dr. Oz to work on his weight.  That poor man is not going to live long at this rate.

2.  Lola's final team roster for soccer has come out today.  She's on a team of 2 girls and 5 boys.  I hope she's ok with that.  She should be fine and, hopefully, will love it.  I always call her my "ball girl."  The kid adores any kind of game with a ball.

3.  Swimming lessons start up again tomorrow.  I'm happy that Grace will be able to go again as the pool is freed up by the time elementary school lets out.  It's so convenient to have her take the bus over to the pool.  Lola will have her lesson and then she'll change and then we'll go up and watch Grace and then take Grace home.  I'm always looking for ways to make my life easier!  I'll only have to go to the pool once a week.  Maybe I'll break out the Leapster for Lola if she gets bored-and, of course, snacks!

Fundraiser Day

1.  Lola's school fundraiser was this afternoon.  We watched Beatiful Marsha perform and then the kids made some crafts, got tattoos and face paint then watched the band, Milkshake, perform while I worked my shift at the bake sale.  It was a fun time to see everyone outside of school-especially since I don't see a lot of the MWF people anymore with Lola only at school T and Th.  We didn't have much time to take part in the silent auction, but did "win" the tickets to Old Sturbridge Village in MA.  That will make for a fun weekend away.

2.  Tonight Lola fell off the back of the chair Rich was sitting on.  Hm, why wasn't he paying attention to that?!  Of course, she fell off and bumped her head and was upset for at least 40 minutes.  The sitter came and she wouldn't let me leave.  She is very clingy with me, especially when she is upset or nervous.  We missed going to the movie we wanted to see, but finally were able to leave.  We went to Greenwich again.  We've been wanting to try Asiana.  It was so good!  It's also kid-friendly, but has a hip vibe.  We'll definitely go back.  We started walking down to Greenwich Ave, but it was so cold we got in the car and drove over.  Our destination was the crepe place!  Meli-Melo looks like a tiny creperie we loved in St. Barth!  Turns out the owner used to live there and had a high-end restaurant there.  We loved feeling like we were back on our favorite island-if only for a short time!  We dream about going back someday, but it will be a while with the price of the dollar to the euro-everything will cost us about 30% more!  Eek!  It's very expensive anyway and very hard to get to, so we'll wait til the kids are older.  *sigh*

3.  Tomorrow is a completely free day and we're trying to decide what to do.  I love those kind of days where we can do anything we want!  Now to get to bed to try to read some of The Help before I collapse!  I love this book!  The next book we're doing for our book club is The Space Between Us.  I'm hoping it will be good cruise reading material.

TGIF!

1.  Today was a busy, but nice day!  I took Lola to her friend Helen's house.  Her mom and I swap babysitting duties.  Today was my turn to go play for a while.  I spent the entire time in TJ Maxx!  I ended up getting myself a few goodies.  We then all went to lunch at a Pan Asian restaurant-LC Chen's.  Of course, Lola wanted white rice-she also had edamame.  Helen will eat almost anything!  She was eating fried rice, sesame chicken, spring rolls, avocado rolls and tea!  I hate to say it, but once she hits school and birthday parties she'll be tainted for life!  Actually, her mom is a pediatrician and is very good with her eating.  So, maybe she'll continue to eat well.  Helen's dad also happens to be Lola's pulmonologist.  I continue to be amazed at the high calibre friends I have in the area!  I have friends that went to Ivy League schools and who have doctorate degrees and MBA's and who are doctors, lawyers, accountants, pharmacists, bankers, etc.  I'm also astounded at the talent that seems to be going to "waste."  I know this is controversial, but can't imagine all that schooling and work experience and then quitting all that to raise kids.  Then I went to help with the fundraiser set up today for Lola's school.  That's when I realized that their talents aren't going to waste.  Besides infusing great values in their kids they're also the power moms that are running our school fundraisers, PTO's, mom's groups, and on and on.  Thanks, ladies!

2.  After the set up tonight Rich and I went out to dinner.  I had gotten a sitter so I could help set up.  So, I thought while she was here, we might as well go out for a bit!  We went to Blackstone's Steakhouse in Norwalk, which was very good.  Among other things, we talked about the fact that Lola keeps asking for a dog.  I know pets are good for kids, but can only think of the negatives.  I know the dog will be my responsibility and I'll be taking it to the vet and paper training it and taking it out and feeding it and everything else that goes along with having a dog.  I had some bad experiences as a kid that make it even more difficult to consider it.  When I was 6 I was bitten in the face by a strange Dalmatian and had to go through the battery of rabies shots, as well as have stitches.  Somewhere around the same time my brother was born and had asthma and allergies.  I had to get rid of my French poodle, Pretzel, because of it.  Now I learn that poodles are hypoallergenic!  Then we had a yellow lab puppy when I was in high school.  My brother and Cassie were out playing one day and she ran out in the alley behind our house and was killed by a car.  One side of me says, "no way!" and the other side says, "go for it, despite all that!"

3.  Lola went to a make-up Little Gym session today.  It was half gymnastics and half tap.  It was so cute watching her try to tap with her sneakers on.  She always says she wants to be a ballerina so I thought we'd make-up during a dance class to see how she felt about it.  She had fun, but isn't begging to change classes.  There is something about seeing those little girls running around in little pink leotards and tights that is just so darn cute!

Dirty Finger Nails

1.  Today I told Grace we'd wait to plant the flowers til she got home.  She immediately wanted to scooter and then she changed her mind.  Then I said we could plant and they both were gung ho.  Grace lost interest very quickly and went inside.  But, Lola, the little gardner was so excited and kept running in to fill her cup with water so she could water the pansies.  Pansies always remind me of my grandmother.  I'm not really interested in gardening, but there was something satisfying about having dirty finger nails, hauling the 4 cu ft of soil to the back yard from my car on the wagon and then having three cute pots of flowers to enjoy on the back patio.

2.  Speaking of my grandmother: I bought a huge thing of toilet paper yesterday.  My kids are so free with the stuff and constantly pulling off way too much.  Fortunately, they seem to be past the stage where they unroll it and run it all over the house!  I can't help but think of my grandma everytime one of them takes too much.  It seriously strikes the frugal nerve in me!  She used to let us have one square for pee and two for poop!

3.  I'm proud to say I've worked out everyday this week.  Today I did a class at the gym.  It's the first class I've taken in years!  I told the instructor afterward that I felt like I was 20 years younger and on my way back!  She was older than me and looked AMAZING!  Now, to stop eating the cupcakes!  Too bad I practically licked the plate clean.  Tonight I tried making something super-simple to see who would eat it.  Trader Joe's sells a bag of chicken cutlets that I baked and I had bought macaroni salad at Stew's yesterday that would do well and also I had a frozen Cascadian Farms organic vegetable mix and I topped it off with a bowl full of grapes.  Grace complained that the chicken was too spicy, but then proceeded to gobble it up.  Lola ate apples and pears.  I'm longing for delicious, healthy meals.  When will the day come that the girls will eat salads?!