Our Apartment

Mrs. Specktacular asked me recently to take a video of our apartment and post it. I was too lazy to do that but here are some pictures of it.

Living room ...

... dining room...

... kitchen ...(it's teeny!)

... our room ...... the Boogie's room ...
(it looks a little different now with the bed in it)
... and lastly, because you have to see it to believe it, the bathroom.
You can pee and brush your teeth at the same time.

We got our new mattresses yesterday! Old ones (circa 1990):New ones!
We slept so great last night. It was heavenly. Mr. and Mrs. Specktacular, we are sorry you have to sleep on our old bed when you come but I promise it isn't that bad. I bought a brand-new mattress cover today to put on it.

And last of all, as a free bonus, something cute.

This is Frog Eyes:

Drive-Thru Etiquette Addendum

There is one very important rule I forgot to post which was pointed out to me in an email from my lovely GMIL (grandmother-in-law.) This is it:
When you have young and/or small children in the vehicle with you, you are permitted to break all of the other rules.

Drive-Thru Etiquette

Drive-thrus are for convenience. They are there so that people in a hurry can quickly do what they need to do. They are also there for lazy people who do not want to get out of their vehicles. They are also there for people with children so that we don't have to get said children out of the vehicle and take them inside. Here are some rules for using drive-thrus:
1. Do not go through the drive-thru if you are ordering 22 tacos, 14 burritos, and 10 drinks. Go inside.
2. Do not wait until you are at the window to find exact change. Get it ready while you are waiting in line.
3. Do not go through the drive-thru if you have more than 3 simple banking transactions. Go inside.
4. Do not go through the drive-thru if you have anything more complicated than simple banking transactions, even if it is only one thing. Go inside.
5. Do not go up to the drive-thru window, ask for a deposit or withdrawal slip, and proceed to fill it out in your vehicle while others wait behind you. Go inside. Or get what you need, drive around to the back of the line, and fill out your paperwork while the next person is waited on. Only when there is no one behind you are you permitted to fill out your slip in your vehicle.
6. Do not go through the drive-thru and ask for information on your bank account. Go inside. Or call. Or check online.
7. Do not go through the drive-thru with anything but actual paper transactions. Go inside.
8. Do not back up while in the drive-thru. Go around.
9. Do not get angry if the person in front of you took forever with their banking transaction when there was another lane open and completely empty. The tube is every bit as convenient as the drawer.

These are not difficult rules to remember and follow. Everyone will be happier when you comply with these rules.

Coffee At Last!

Yesterday we took a little trip to HMart. I have never been to one before. We cruised up and down the aisles looking at the live fish and lobsters swimming in tanks, the dead fish on ice, the containers of kimchi and bags of dried anchovies, the multitude of different types of flours and bean pastes, the fascinating bags of candy, and I can't even remember all of the cool stuff. We got samples of giant rice cookies and bought a bag to bring home, and got my coffee! This is the good stuff, people. I am addicted. I need a support group. I would be ashamed to admit that it's instant but it is too delish to be ashamed of.

While we were there Eric decided he was thirsty so I grabbed a vitamin water on our way through the check out line. When we got to the car I pulled it out of the bag to open it and Eric exclaimed, "Take that back! There are ants in it!" Sure enough, the bottle had been opened and there were dead ants and trash floating around in it. DISGUSTING! He took it back inside and exchanged it but we were so disturbed we had difficulty drinking from the new bottle though it was still sealed and the liquid was obviously clear. So let this be a warning to you ... though I'm not sure what kind of warning. Don't buy vitamin water without checking for ants? Don't buy any bottled drink without checking for ants? Don't buy any drink from the HMart without checking for ants? Take your pick. But don't say I didn't warn you.

On our way home we stopped at Sleepy's and picked out new mattresses! We are very excited. We ended up spending a little more than we had hoped, but with Eric's very early rising hour we need good mattresses to help him get the best out of his sometimes too few hours of sleep. They will arrive on Thursday, just in time for Furry's arrival next week! Life is full of excitement these days!

Infatuation

The Boogie adores her uncle (BIL1). In fact, I'm pretty sure she loves him more than me or her daddy. This has recently been proven to us several times over. If she sees Uncle he must pick her up and hold her. She will snuggle on his lap but not anyone else's. If someone else is holding her and she sees Uncle she reaches for him. If she is carried past him she cries and cries. If he sets her down or hands her to someone else (including me and her daddy) she pitches a fit. If he comes down to the church nursery to pick up EK he must pick up the Boogie too or she is inconsolable. A couple of nights ago we went down to BIL/SIL1's apartment for dinner. The Boogie had been whiney all day and continued to whine while I tried to feed her dinner, twisting and turning in her seat and refusing to eat. As soon as Uncle came over and talked to her she settled right down and allowed me to feed her. If she started up again all he had to do was say her name and she calmed down and opened her mouth for a bite! Last night he came up to borrow some Italian dressing. He didn't hold the Boogie and when he left she positively wept. I am talking huge tears of sadness. It was all I could do to comfort her. Apparently I am chopped liver. At least I know that I am her second choice if Uncle is not around!

Owls

Owls creep me out. They always have. When I was a little girl the teacher in junior church showed a photograph of an owl to us during the lesson. I'm certain it wasn't intended to frighten the children, but for some reason it frightened me! For a long time I was scared to death to look out of dark windows because I was sure that there would be an owl out there peering back at me. Maybe it's the thought of something prowling around in the dark, I don't know, but I still don't like them. Last night when I checked on Dena her windows were open and I heard an owl outside. It hooted and sent shivers down my spine! I quickly closed her windows and jumped in my own bed and pulled the covers over my head ... Just kidding. :) But it was kind of creepy.

HR and H-man came over today. The Boogie and H-man played quite nicely for the most part. He didn't hit her, and she only tried to bite him twice (that I saw.) I think we are making some progress!

I have so many little projects to do. I am so terribly unmotivated. It makes me crazy to see papers piling up on our dining room table, but I don't want to take the time to sort through them and file them. It makes me crazy to have stuff just laying around when it all has a place it belongs in! When I start to put it away, though, I get distracted by other things in other rooms that also need to be put away and then I feel like I am going around in circles.

Oh well. I guess a good start would be to get off the computer, eh? If only I had some coffee ...

Everybody, Let's Dance

Oh, yes. They wuz gettin' their groove on. (There is music playing, in case you were wondering.)

Yesterday EK and H-man came over for a while. The Boogie does not like to share her toys with her friends. This is something we are working on, but it is slow going. There were some moments of peacefulness, like here:
Some down time with Clifford the Big Red Dog and a cup of milk or juice is always appreciated.

Time To Play

The LCs are very generous with their toys. When they are tired of one of their toys (or when their mom is sick of looking at it), it gets to come stay in our apartment where the Boogie plays with it to her heart's content. That way she regularly gets "new" toys and when she is bored with them, back they go! It is a great system (although to be perfectly honest I think we have yet to return any.) Yesterday we got this one:

If my pictures seem to be better quality, it's because they are. Not only do we get to borrow toys from the LCs, SIL1 let us borrow her older digital camera until we are able to replace ours. Yay! Real pictures!


Then I showed the Boogie this fun game (the digital camera is very nice but does not take video so I'm still taking those with my phone.)

I think she did this 25 or 30 times in a row. Or maybe more, like 40 times. Or possibly even 50. I'm not sure because I didn't sit there and watch her the whole time. But it was a lot! Finally she would collapse at the bottom of the slide after a couple of trips because she was so tired. Then she would get up and go around again. It kept her completely entertained while I made dinner. I need to think up a new game for tonight.


The other day when we were driving to church we saw this at a rural intersection:

It is a lawn chair. I don't know why it's by the stop sign. I like to imagine that some good country citizen was sitting there with a blow-dryer, pointing it at speeding drivers who would think it was a radar gun. It makes me laugh to imagine that!

People-Watching

Last night I went to Target to pick up a few things. While I was there I:
-heard a child screaming and crying the entire time, about thirty minutes, even when he/she was clear across the store from me.
-observed two unsupervised 5- or 6-year-olds playing in the makeup department. When I say playing I mean they were taking the caps and lids off and helping themselves to the actual product.
-saw a teenaged girl wearing a strappy pink top that was completely see-through in the back. See-through as in I could see every detail of the waistband on her jeans. I did not see the front of her so I have no idea if the front of the shirt was the same as the back.
-saw another pre-teen girl wearing a ruffly skirt that barely covered her bottom walking around with her parents.

Now, I have yet to personally experience the Public Toddler Meltdown. I have one toddler who has thus far been pretty good in our excursions. However, I am sure that some day, somewhere, some child of mine will bless me with such an exhibition. Therefore I will not judge a parent or caregiver of a melted-down toddler because you never know all the details as to why it is happening (the child is hungry, tired, not feeling well, etc.) BUT if said parent or caregiver is handling the situation by telling the child to shut up, or by making empty threats, etc., that is another story (I didn't see that happening yesterday but have witnessed it before.)

However, young children wandering around the store unsupervised is unacceptable, in my opinion. It's unacceptable for many reasons but the main one is that it's just not safe! Anyone could lure your little person outside and snatch them up. Just recently someone told me about a child being kidnapped in a Walmart not too far from here. So use your smarts, parents. At the very least keep your children safe, even if you aren't teaching them to respect the property of others.

It also makes me sad to see girls dressing so immodestly in see-through shirts and super-short skirts and shorts. Is it any wonder that child pornography is on the rise? Why are people so surprised that teen sex and pregnancy continues to increase? If an adult woman decides to dress that way, well, that's her decision. She is responsible for her own actions. But why would you subject your child to the perverted imaginations of all kinds of people? Ugh. I know I shouldn't be, but I am constantly amazed by the ignorance and indifference of parents.

On to happier things. The Boogie's vocabulary is increasing weekly! Here is what she says now, with understanding:
-hi
-bye
-no
-uh-oh
-more (when she wants anything, not just more of something)
-baby
-nose (while pointing to it)
-eye (while pointing to it)
-mama
-daddy

She also says "yeah" and "oh, no!" though I doubt that she knows what they mean. She used to answer "yeah" to every question we asked her but now she's switched to "no". :) Recently she started saying something that sounds like "thank you" when I give her something. She's done it consistently several times so I think that's really what it is. She obeys (usually) when we tell her:
-come here
-sit down
-stand up
-be still
-get your burpie
-stay here by me
-don't touch
-eat your food

...and knows what we mean when we say:
-are you hungry?
-let's pray
-time for a bath
-let's go for a walk
-let's brush your teeth

She can hum several bits and pieces of several songs. She knows all the hand-motions to "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" and "If You're Happy and You Know It" and spins around then sits down while we sing "Ring Around the Rosy". She can even hum the last part by herself -- I'll often hear her singing (in her own language but it's close enough for me to tell what she's doing) "ashes, ashes, all fall down" to herself while she spins then sits down. She LOVES LOVES LOVES music. Playing cds or the radio in the background seems to calm her, and she will stop whatever she's doing and come running to dance along if a song comes on the tv. I'm curious to see how that develops as she grows older. Lord willing we can get her into some kind of music lessons.

She is growing taller as well. I noticed the other day that some of her summer clothes are getting small. I guess it's just as well since in a few weeks I'll be pulling out her fall and winter clothes. She continues to be a content, happy girl, and we are enjoying her so much!

Labor Day

Today was a holiday. I like holidays because DH is off. Today, however, he got to go play with his friends. They went paintballing and had a blast! I'm really glad he got to go. I took today off in that I didn't go to work, but I did work around here, vacuuming, sweeping, laundry, dishes, cooking, etc. (Which reminds me, there is still a load of clothes that need to be folded and put away. Do you think if I leave them unfolded in the living room the laundry gnomes will take care of them while I sleep?) BIL1/SIL1 took the Boogie for a couple of hours which was wonderful. It was weird to be at home without her but it was still wonderful. She had a great time with the LCs and as soon as she came home she ate lunch then napped for another two hours! She's in bed now, and DH is conked out on the couch, both of them worn out from playing hard all day. I think I'll hit the showers and go to bed myself ...