January 31, 2005
TO TIP OR NOT TO TIP. THAT IS THE QUESTION.
Tipping people is one of those things I find very confusing. Dining out is easy, but what about everything else? Are you supposed to leave a tip when you pick up a take-out order? What if the place has curbside delivery and they bring the order right to your car?
And how much are you supposed to leave for your hairstylist? I got my hair cut this past weekend and when I went to pay for it, they asked how much I was leaving for a tip. I asked them what the standard percentage was (as I do nearly every time because I seem to forget this), they told me 20%. Back in the day when I could get a haircut for $10-15, this was fine. But now that I'm paying $45-50 for a decent haircut, this seems a bit steep. Is that really the standard tip these days?
I feel clueless. If anyone has answers to these questions, please enlighten me! I certainly don't want to jip the folks who work in the service industry!
*EDIT* I thought of one other tipping issue I'm not sure about. What about full service gas stations? Are you supposed to tip the guy that stands out in the bitter cold pumping your gas? I always feel guilty driving away without giving him something.
*DOUBLE EDIT* The hubs hates it when I get gas at a full service station because he thinks it's a waste of money when I could easily pump it myself. Technically he is right. But during the winter, I'll gladly spend a little extra if it means I can sit in my cozy warm car. So hubs, unless you're keep my gas tank filled on a regular basis, it's off to the full service pump I go!
January 29, 2005
She's A Perfect 10
2 months to go and she's the big 1. Whoa. Just the thought of it is quite staggering.
So far she's developing quite well. She's chatting up a storm, crawling around and getting into everything. We've noticed that she's attracted to gadgets, such as Remote Controls, VCRs, my XBOX, etc, etc.. MG calls her Gadget Geek, Jr.
Lately she has been saying "Dad-Dee". It does my heart wonders to hear this and makes Mommy work overtime trying to get her to say "Mom-Mee". One thing we've noticed is that she loves music. A few days ago we had the music cranked and we caught MO rockin' out on tape. Here is what we saw.
This is quite lengthy and yes, those are pants on her head!
January 25, 2005
I LOVES ME SOME FOLK ART
Warren Kimble is one of my favorite artists. He's simple, yet inspiring. I was able to pick up these 4 prints for our family room with some of my Christmas money. Don't they just make you want to break out the old board games?
January 23, 2005
IN THE MOOD TO REDECORATE...
Has anyone been to Target lately? They have this Global Bazaar Market thingie going on until February 19th and it's fantastic. I was like a little kid in a candy store. It made me want to spend lots of money and redecorate my whole house. What did I buy, you ask? Nothing. But I still have until February 19th! If you're too chicken to venture out in the cold, check out their goods online.
Target Global Bazaar Market Thingie
January 22, 2005
HAPPY SNOW DAY EVERYONE!
What a beautiful day today! The forecast was calling for 12-15 inches, and so far it's looking like we might just get that. It started snowing late morning and it accumulated fairly quickly. The hubs and I decided to go out for breakfast and do a little shopping. I know...we're crazy. But the store was nice and empty...and no waiting in line! By the time we got home (around 3 pm), it was much worse. But oh so beautiful! Here's a view looking out the front of our house (our neighbors across the street):
And here's a view of our backyard:
The pics aren't that great...mainly because I wasn't about to venture outside to get better ones! I'd rather stay inside and sit in front of the family room fireplace playing with the Mo-meister!
January 19, 2005
FEELING LIKE A BAD MOMMY TODAY...
I need eyes in the back of my head. And in my ears. And anywhere else that might help me to be a better mommy. In the blink of an eye, lil Mo is off and running...getting into bad things. Really bad things. The type of things that should never be put into one's mouth. Like scissors. Or a sopping wet mop. Or the garbage can. I can't keep up with this kid. I think I finally understand why child leashes were created.
January 18, 2005
WHAT KIND OF INTELLIGENCE DO YOU HAVE?
| Your Dominant Intelligence is Interpersonal Intelligence |
 You would make a good counselor, salesperson, politician, or business person. |
January 17, 2005
Don't baby your child
As I mentioned in my last post, I am going to comment on the 7 areas that are highlighted in the book I'm currently reading (entitled "The 7 Worst Things (good) Parents do"). I'm reading the chapter on babying your child. Some interesting things...
First, as parents we tend to do one of two things: Do what was done to us or do the opposite of what was done to us. As I was thinking about that, I couldn't really commit to one side or the other. There are lots of things I think my parents did well, and there are other things that...well, suffice it to say, could have been handled a hell of a lot better. I'm sure I will make many mistakes on this parenting journey as well, but I want to try and minimize that as much as possible (thus the continual reading).
Bottom line points from this section are as follows:
Struggle is good for kids. Do not do everything for your child. Let them fall and pick themselves up (both literally and figuratively). And for God's sake, DO NOT LET YOUR KID RUN THE SHOW. Parents are in charge, yet these days, that's barely noticeable. Some of the kids I know seem to give their parents the orders - instead of the other way around.
I think the most applicable information to me at the moment was to really work at teaching Mo the meaning of delayed gratification. In other words, instead of rushing to meet her needs the moment she starts to fuss and cry, I should give it 5 to 10 minutes so that she learns that waiting is not the end of the world. This is tough to do at times when she's really screaming her little head off, but I'm sure going to try and be consistent. (Note to self: Must stay cheerful when finally tending to her...can't let the screaming get to me...) Anyway, it'll be interesting to see if this little experiment really has an effect on her since she tends to be very, very impatient about things. I'll keep you all posted!
January 16, 2005
THE 7 WORST THINGS (GOOD) PARENTS CAN DO
I try to do a lot of reading about parenting. I'm always picking up different books, and I subscribe to a couple of different magazines. I've been learning a lot, so I thought I'd start posting on a regular basis about what I'm reading at the moment. The featured material this time around is a book entitled "The Seven Worst Things (good) Parents Do" written by Dr. John and Linda Friel. They believe the 7 worst things you can do as a parent are as follows:
1. Baby your child
2. Put your marriage last
3. Push your child into too many activities
4. Ignore your emotional or spiritual life
5. Be your child's best friend
6. Fail to give your child structure
7. Expect your child to fulfill your dreams
In future posts, I will attempt to highlight some of the important points regarding each of the seven things as I read through this book.
Why don't you share what you're reading about these days?
January 10, 2005
DOGGONE IT...SHE'S GONE AND DONE IT
I put Mo on the kitchen floor and turned for a moment to put some dishes in the sink. In a flash, she was gone! She decided to trek over to the breakfast room and have a seat by the dog dishes. Innocent enough, right? Then I noticed her chewing... ON DOG FOOD. So I ran over to get the piece of dog food out of her mouth. I was successful. Seconds later, she was chewing again. It seems she couldn't just try one piece of dog food. Not two. Not even three. She had to cram 4 large morsels of dog food in her mouth at one time. Eeew. And she seemed to like it. Double eeew. I must get a gate for the breakfast room!!
January 07, 2005
9 MONTH CHECKUP
Today was Mo's official 9 month checkup and she weighed in at 21 pounds 8 ounces and was 28 1/2 inches tall. It seems the little pudge-monkey is right on target growth wise.
Usually, she's a perfect angel at the Doctor's office, but today, she was a holy terror. I went to work for a few hours this morning and left Mo with her Daddy. She ate breakfast just before 10 am. (Yep, you're reading that right. She loves to sleep. What can I say?). Her appointment was scheduled for 1:45, so I got back to the house around 1:30 to make sure we could all go to the appointment together. I was expecting to pick up my happy little chum, but instead, she was miserable. Why? Because she was starving. It seems dear Daddy didn't feed her anything before our lovely visit to the Doctor, and of course, this had to be the one Doctor's appointment that lasted over an hour long. Thankfully we had the presence of mind to remember to take some Gerber puffs with us. So there I was in the doctor's office stripping her down for her weigh-in while Daddy was feeding her puffs. And of course, one puff at a time was not enough for her. She had to have 3 or 4 in her mouth at a time - while at the same time managing to whine incessantly.
We were planning to talk to the Doctor about her temper tantrums and lo and behold, she had one right there in the office. The good news is that the Doctor confirmed that this was a perfectly normal phase for babies at this age and she gave us some tips on how to handle them in the future.
Lesson learned from today's experience: NEVER TAKE A HUNGRY BABY TO THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE!
January 04, 2005
2004 IN SUMMARY
I stole this from Erin's blog, and she stole it from Krystyna's blog. Although she says she sent it to Krystyna last year, so she stole it from herself!! Point is...I stole it now too!!
1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
Had a baby. Started working from home for the first time ever!!
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I do not create resolutions. Not sure why. I just don't.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Sort of. My brother's girlfriend gave birth to my little bittie nephew Derrek. But I'm not exactly close with her.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope. But my family sure did have its share of tragedies this year.
5. What countries did you visit?
Nowhere. Although the hubby and I are trying to save up money for our 10th anniversary next year. We'd like to go to Germany. Of course, the kiddie is costing us a whole lot more than we ever anticipated, so our dream trip may have to be put on hold.
7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 29th for sure. Little Mo was born and it was the most magical day of my life. She's our miracle.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I can't say that I had any particular achievements. Career wise, it was a typical run of the mill year.
9. What was your biggest failure?
A person I associated with went crazy psycho and I never saw it coming... I was seriously blindsided by it.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My membership to Netflix. I love, love, love it.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Honestly, I can't answer this question. No one in my mind sticks out.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Two people's behavior, specifically, were appalling. It didn't depress me, but it sure did open my eyes to the craziness out there.
14. Where did most of your money go?
The usual bills, and baby stuff. Oh, and lots of formula. Can't wait until we can stop buying that.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The anticipation that was building for Mo's birth. I couldn't wait to meet her. Plus I was 2 weeks overdue and going bonkers with wanting my pregnancy to end. Those last few weeks of pregnancy are pure misery.
16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
Particular songs really don't stand out in my mind. Thanks to the hubs, there's always a steady supply of new music entering our house. My favorite bands are The Cranberries, Caedmon's Call and They Might Be Giants.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Happier for sure. Mo has filled our house with much laughter and joy. She makes things a total blast!
18. Thinner or fatter?
No comment!
19. Richer or poorer?
Poorer. Both the hubs and I rec'd raises this past year, but the expense of Mo fars outweighs it. Wouldn't have it any other way though. Plus the hubs and I bought a bunch of new furniture for our living room and had to fork out over $4500 last month to pay it off so that we could take advantage of the "no interest" financing. That took a nice big chunk out of our savings.
20. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Spend more time with my friends. I don't see them nearly as often as I'd like to.
21. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Working. And cleaning my house.
22. How will you be spending Christmas?
Probably the same as this year. With family.
23. Did you fall in love in 2004?
Nope. Not unless you count the Mo-meister.
24. Any one night stands?
Yeah right. Like I'd have time for that!!! :)
25. What was your favorite TV program?
Judging Amy, Without a Trace
26. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Yes. Although hate is a strong word. It's more of a dislike than a hate.
27. What was the best book you read?
Don't have a particular favorite. I read mostly parenting books.
28. What was your greatest musical discovery?
All the great music for babies. Mo listens to one of her CD's nearly every night.
29. What did you want and get?
A beautiful, healthy baby girl!! I know most people say healthy baby. To me, that's a given. I also wanted a girl.
30. What did you want and not get?
To have my ugly kitchen remodeled.
31. What was your favorite film of this year?
Um, I can't answer this. Why you ask? Because I can't remember! I know I watched some movies this past year, but I don't recall them for some reason. The baby has made my life a blur!!
32. What did you do on your birthday?
Stayed home alone while my hubby played mascot!! Although, I can't complain because he had to work on his birthday. Our situation is a bit weird because we share the same exact birthday!!
33. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
To not work and dedicate my time to raising Mo. I would love more than anything to be a stay at home Mom.
34. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
Fashion? What's that?
35. What kept you sane?
My hubby.
36. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don't "fancy" celebrities. In fact, it annoys me that other people spend so much time and energy idolizing them.
37. What political issue stirred you the most?
Hmmm, the election? This election was, by far, the most dramatic policital event I have ever encountered. People I know (who hated Bush) turned into utter freaks about it. It was crazy.
38. Who did you miss?
I miss my Gaudenzia buddies - the people I worked with in my last job. I missed them a lot.
39. Who was the best new person you met?
Mo of course. Other than that, I'm drawing a blank.
40. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004:
Try not to sweat the small stuff at home. It's more important to be with your child and spend quality time with her than it is to have a perfect, orderly house. I can't say it's a lesson perfectly learned, but it's something I'm slowly starting to overcome.
41. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Drawing a blank here. Again, things like this are a blur to me.
If you'd like to steal this as well, please do so. Erin won't mind!! :)
January 03, 2005
Christmas Recap 2004
The Holiday season is over, but in no way will be forgotten. From cutting down the tree to visits with friends and family, Mo was an absolute angel. It's amazing to see how she impacts all those around her.
Last Christmas we sat and imagined what it would be like with our little one. Now we know and wouldn't change a single thing.
Here are a few pictures from our holiday week. Enjoy. (click on the pictures to see a larger image).
