Little Things, Big Things

Sometimes really good weekends are made up of a bunch of little things, such as :

1. Complete silence. The kiddo is sound asleep, snoozing away; the husband is out and about with his brother. The house? Silent, except for my typing. Ohhh... how sublime...

2. It was warm enough out to eat both lunch and dinner outside on the patio. Which means barely a single dish nor a solitary counter needed to be washed today. Plus, it just makes Tesfu so darn happy to eat outside. I don't know exactly why it is, but she loves it.

3. Tesfu slept soundly until 7:45 today. Which means Brad and I got to sleep soundly until 7:45 today. It. Was. Wonderful. Did I mention how wonderful it was? 'Cause it was. Wonderful, that is.

And we all needed that extra sleep, because of...
The big things that made this a really good weekend :

1. Brad and I, along with two of our wonderful friends plus four of our family members who had no choice because they happen to be related to us (just kidding, you guys are wonderful, too) pulled ALL of the siding off our house in one day. Thanks to our friends and family, our house now looks like this :



Which is actually, a really, really good thing. They have helped us save mucho moola in our siding / windows project. Oooo... just the sound of that makes me happy...

2. Our windows are coming! Our windows are coming! One of the first things I said to the realtor as we looked at this house all those years ago was, "It needs new windows". For six years I have waited for those stinkin' windows. Six years of hating and cursing at these drafty, rotting panes of glass is very shorty coming to and end. Bliss!

Hope everyone had a good weekend! If not, come over here and recuperate. It happens to be nice and quiet right now. But move quick, it won't last for long.



Peace, and thanks again to all our helpers this weekend!

Peaceful

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
~ Albert Einstein

Swimsuit Drama

I made an end-of-night dash to Target to pick up a swimsuit for the kiddo (an errand that I have been putting off forever...) and I was absolutely dumbfounded by what I saw.
I just see no reason what-so-ever for a two-piece swimsuit to be made in a 4T. Or a one-piece, but with holes cut in the sides so large it might as well be a bikini.

Since I was standing there (probably looking lost), a worker came and asked if I needed any help. I joked, "No, but anyone who buys this little number for their preschooler may!" Her answer was a laugh, and that, "Its not like people are ogling the preschoolers. Its when they are teenagers you have to worry."

I understand the four year old across the pool isn't 'checking out' my three year daughter. That isn't the reason I don't like the itty-bitty-baby-bikinis. It is how my daughter would perceive herself wearing it, not how others are perceiving her in it. If I can't teach her modesty at three when I have more control, how will I teach her at 16 when she wants to buy the same itty-bitty-bikini, just in a bigger size? Then, the men will be ogling her, and I would have been reinforcing since toddlerhood that going out in public nearly naked is fine. Cute, in fact.

And I just can't live with that.

I went with the very cute colorful stripped one-piece with dark pink accents. No peek-a-boo holes cut in the sides, no belly bearing midriffs will be shown. And I guarantee she will be absolutely adorable in it.

Peace.

Happy Wednesday

Curse you, Evil Blog!

Ahh yes... the 'blog effect'. Heard of it? If not, here is what you do:
1. Start a blog
2. Write something positive about your child's behavior
3. Sit back and watch what happens

This is well documented, people. The cries of parent's can be heard across the blog-o-sphere about how we have jinxed our good fortune (and good behavior).

Therefore, due to my last post and Tesfu's incredible ability to somehow read this blog and discover my joy at being pull-upless during the nighttime, she has now declared she wants to 'wear diapers' at bedtime again.

I am hoping this is a short lived phase, because she was doing so incredibly well the last few weeks and I'd hate to backtrack. Plus, those buggers are expensive.

Then again, even if it is just a quick detour back into diaperland, you won't hear about our triumphant return to the undie-wearers club. Don't want to entice the blog-effect again. I learn my lessons quick, I do.

Peace.

The Months Later Sleep Update

Interesting... has it really only been a few months since THIS sleep deprived, desperate post begging for get-your-kid-to-sleep-without-the-use-of-duct-tape-and-benedryl solutions? Funny, it seems like such a distant memory now... Though that might be the post traumatic stress syndrome at work.

Okay, really, it wasn't that bad. See, I can say that now because she does indeed fall asleep ON HER OWN (mostly... I sit outside her door until she is settled) and stays there for THE WHOLE NIGHT (practically... unless she wakes up scared in the night). I can live with the mostlys and the practicallys... as long as we are all getting the appropriate amount of sleep! As an added bonus, after just a few weeks into her new routine while we were putting on her pajamas - all on her own she decided she was too big for pull-ups.

Too old for Mama to sit next to you while you fall asleep, too old for pull-ups...

Ahhhh... baby. You grow so fast.

Peace.

Since Mother's Day was created by Hallmark and consumerism, I doubt anyone in Ethiopia gave any thought to this day as it passed. But I certainly thought about you today.

Happy Mother's Day.

All my love,

The lucky woman who got to kiss your daughter goodnight tonight.