Observations

Some observations I have made of late --

• It will never be warm here. And by warm I mean dry with a high temperature of greater than 70 degrees for two consecutive days.

• (Given: Bird loves loves loves balloons.) Grocery stores inflate helium balloons of tremendous colors and sizes and tie them to every fixed surface in the store -- and I had never noticed them until Bird pointed (and pointed and pointed and pointed) them out to me.


• A full day of gardening kicks my ass. I have not hurt this badly in a long time. It took me an entire day to mow, clean out the flower beds, plant a few annuals and one tiny hydrangea bush, and spread mulch in front. Lucky for me, the weedwacker cried "Uncle" before I really got going. The yard looks better, but far from my vision. My hamstrings are still wondering what the hell happened. They have no idea that we are not finished yet.
  


• Now that Bird is a much-accomplished eater, it is so much harder to get him to eat a well-balanced meal. It used to be so easy to open a jar for each major food group and start scooping it in. I've already resorted to hiding vegetables in a ball of much-loved mashed potatoes and placing it on a toddler fork to "trick" Bird into eating his veggies. Don't get me wrong, the kid loves to eat all different kinds of stuff. However, when given the choice between veggies and meatballs, the kid chooses meatballs every time.

• My home does not look like it could be in the pages of a magazine. My mom always used to say that to us --- "I want your room to look like it could be in a magazine!!" She was not referring to the "before"pictures either. The thing is, I would like for my home to look like that -- not the "before" pictures, the "after" pictures. It doesn't even have to be my whole house. Maybe just a small photo spread with pictures of my cozy bungalow living room (that is kid-friendly and adult-appropriate), envy-enducing pictures of our master bedroom, and a sidebar with before, during, and after pictures of the transformation of our side entrance from a dark, wood-paneled time capsule to a bright, clean, and practical entry way.

• I'm going to have to take a long vacation if I am ever going to make a dent in my long to do list of mini-, medium-, and mega-home projects.

• I had a dream the other night that I took a vacation -- a vacation that involved going on a trip. I went to a resort that catered to parents. I slept in the most wonderful bed that did not have a baby monitor next to it. I read books and magazines and ate whatever I wanted. And I got to use the bathroom for as long as I wanted with no interruptions and no guests.