What's going on around here

A quick update on what's been going on around here:

Riley
After a week of being super-sick, Riley is almost back on top of her game. She's been much better this week, but she's still not operating at 100%. She continues to be more tired than normal and is a wee bit irritable, which is not the norm for my sunny, happy little one. I'm confident she's on the mend, however, and will be back to herself very soon.

Me
After being out of work most of last week with a sick girl, this week has been all about digging out, getting back on top of things at work and at home. It always amazes me how everything just seems to drop when you have a sick little one. I've been really focused and productive at work this week, and I think I'm pretty much caught up there, which is good because there are some really busy weeks ahead and I hate going into a busy time already behind. I'm digging my way out at home, as well, and I am grateful that Riley is with her dad this weekend so I have some time and space to really get things done. With any luck, I'll have some time left to do some cross country skiing, too.

Op: UK
My work on the kitchen was way-laid for a while by the sickies, but it's back on. This week, I took the first big step and had a wall cut out. Where you once saw this:
You now see this (ignore the construction chaos):
If you are looking into my kitchen from the dining area, you see this:
It's so much more open than it was before. I can stand at my stove and see the whole living and dining room. It's fantastic! I've also removed cabinet doors and sanded down the frames on one side. I started painting the cabinet frames and the walls behind the refrigerator and the stove tonight. It's coming. Slowly, slowly, but it's coming along. I still can't decide on countertops, though. I keep going between the less expensive IKEA butcher block (which I like and looks nice) and just springing for solid surface (which I really like but is significantly more expensive). Any opinions out there?

The unexpected benefit to working on my kitchen is the chance to thoroughly and completely deep clean it. I pulled my fridge out to clean and paint behind it, which I haven't done in, oh... you know....ever (don't judge me) and it was horrifying and strangely satisfying. I'm currently degreasing and de-gunkifying my oven hood (the filters are soaking while I post this). And I solemnly swear that I'll buy oven cleaner tomorrow so it doesn't feel left out. It's sorta like I'm spring cleaning early, but in all reality I never spring clean because by the time spring comes, I just want to ride my bike. But I digress...

That's what's happening over here this week. It's been a full, busy, somewhat overwhelming week and I'm glad to have it over and to have my weekend stretching out before me. I hope your's is fabulous.

What I know tonight

'Be, Balance, Breathe'

We're on the other side of a week of the sickies.
We've been here before.
I know this game.
I know what to expect.
I know that it will take longer than I think it should to dig out.
I know that both the Girl and I will be more tired (more irritable, less patient) than usual.
I know she'll need extra snuggle time.
I know I probably need it just as much, maybe even more.
I know I'll feel behind at work.
I know I'll catch up soon enough.
I know I'll feel behind at home.
I know I won't catch up on that quite as quickly.
I know I'll feel like skipping workouts.
I know I'll go anyway.
I know I'll feel better for doing it.
I know I need to put myself first sometimes, too.
I know I will have to pull into myself for a while, to get past the deluge on my 'to-do' list.
I know those who know and understand me understand this.
I know these times happen.
I know they'll happen again.
I know I have the "get through it" directions on my mirror.
I know I have to let myself just 'BE'.
I know I must try to find some 'BALANCE'.
I know how to 'BREATHE'.

And that's all I need to know.

Bright spots in a dreary week (Gratitude Friday)

Miss Yaya came down with a nasty virus over the weekend, so we started this week off by staying home, forcing fluids, doing load after load of laundry, trying to shut out the Barbie DVD's that were on constant loop, and trying to keep her temperature in acceptable range.
Now the stomach virus has passed, but she's back in bed with ear infections and an awful chest cold. My poor kiddo. She's had a rough week.

There have been some bright spots, however, and today I am grateful for those good things that get us through the rough times.

For example:

We finally got to meet our friend Katie's baby on Sunday night. This little sweetheart is precious! Such a doll! So sweet and so tiny (I forget how teeny newborns are).

Riley brought her some purple sparkly sunnies, just like her pink ones.

This photo just cracks me up, for no particular reason.

I think these two are going to be good buddies. Riley already has renamed one of her babies, so we have a "Baby Quinn" around our house, too.

I did someone a little favor, and they brought me a dozen cookies from this shop as a 'thank you'. I'm not a huge fan of sweets, so I only ate one, but I did have fun handing them out to everyone else and watching their enjoyment. And the red polka dot packaging- pure eye candy.

This is my wonderful friend, Kris. I adore her. And because of both of our busy schedules, I don't get to see her as often as I'd like. I finally caught up with her one evening this week, and it did wonders for my spirit. She's one of the coolest, kindest, most genuine people I know.
(not to mention gorgeous, huh?)

We chatted for several hours over sushi. One of my favorite foods and one of my favorite girls. It was a fantastic way to spend an evening, and just what I needed.

A few more things I'm grateful for today:
*A wonderful pediatrician who is always happy to answer questions, provide information and help me out however she can.
*Good insurance that makes a week like this so much less stressful because I don't have to worry about the costs.
*A very understanding boss who totally gets the struggle between professional demands and motherhood, and who supports the choices I make on that front. It can be a tough balance often, but I'm totally willing to go the extra mile for her whenever it's needed, because she's always so great when weeks like this occur.
*Good friends who offer help and assistance always, but especially when weeks like this roll around.

*Drama Queen*

I got Riley some new, sparkly, pink sunnies to perk up the winter doldrums, and she immediately asked me to get the camera (she usually hates it when I pull out the camera). I was happy to oblige.
Image my delight when she started working her *drama queen faces* and let me shoot to my heart's content.
(don't you love that the sticker is still on the lense?)My goodness, I love this kid!

Operation: Update Kitchen 2011

I've been thinking about launching Operation: Update Kitchen for a while, but a pesky little pipe burst incident last week ruined my kitchen floor, and so Op: UK 2011 (oooooh, heeeey...that's so British. Maybe Daniel Craig will come help me on this project. Or the hot English guy who works at Barnes and Noble...but I digress) has been moved from a "someday-soon" project to a "right-now" project. Actually, this is probably good timing because the cold is keeping us home and indoors more than usual, and a big project might be just the thing to keep me busy. (oh, who am I kidding? I need another project like I need another three-year-old, but whatever. It's time to get this done.)

My kitchen is a teeeeeeny-tiny galley style kitchen, and you'd thing this would make it easier, but in fact it makes it more difficult because everything has to be efficient and practical and space saving. It's the first thing you see when you walk into my condo, so I want it to be friendly and fun, yet easy to keep neat and clean. I already have nice stainless appliances, so the necessary updates are mainly cosmetic, which require either paying someone to do the work for me, or doing it myself. Since a trip to Hawaii is calling my name for April and Riley and I are spending time back east in June, I'm opting for DIY.
To make this more fun for myself and to keep me motivated, I'm issuing myself a little challenge. And I'm posting it here to keep myself accountable.

The Op: UK 2011 challenge is as follows:

• As much as is possible, the current kitchen materials will be re-used or repurposed (I'm keeping it green, folks.)
  
• I will do as much of the work as is possible, but will gladly accept friends and family's help. I'll probably hire out having the floor tiled, because I just don't even want to deal with that.
• I'm allotting myself the total $$ of the insurance payout for the floor (minus the plumbing fees) plus $500 to do this project. The insurance was more than fair, but it's still a lot of work to do on a limited budget, so I'll have to be careful.
  
• I still have to maintain a functioning kitchen, so it's going to be important to have a strategy for what is done, when.
  
• This project has to be done by April 1, 2011. Because April is about when biking season ramps back up and, let's face it, I'm not gonna be working on my kitchen when I could be on my bike.

Sounds like fun, right?

So what do I need to do?

• Cut out this corner, so my kitchen opens up to my living room. This is something I've wanted to do for a while, and I think it will make a big difference in the room.
  

• refinish the cabinets. I've already started stripping and sanding.

• Paint the walls (depending on what color the cabinets end up, the walls will either be white or blue).

• install new countertops (probably IKEA butcher block).
  
• install open shelving over the refrigerator.
  
• new lighting.
• new tile floors.
• new kitchen faucet. Because I hate the one I have right now.
  

I think it's doable. And I think it will be great to have it done and out of the way. My plan is to update here every week or so, provided some progress was made. Can't wait to get it underway.

Another year of the 12of12 project.

This was my favorite project last year, so I'm excited to do it again this year. It's fun to look back on a year of random days, and see what happened during them.

1. self portrait as we were getting ready for the day.
2. harley checks out the snow pack (I could not get him to look at me.)
3. my day started with a visit from a plumber. pipe bursting = new kitchen floor for me.
4. the Rapunzel cupcake the Girl was saving for her after-school snack. she did test out the icing.
5. gearing up for a busy day in the office. I had 3 conference calls and 2 meetings on the schedule.
6. on the first of those calls. I only chew my lip when i'm thinking numbers. I must have been working on a project budget or something similar.
7. a to-do list for the day. those of you who know about my 'five-thing' rule will laugh at how out of sorts this one is for me.
8. the girl came home from school and went straight for her cupcake.
9. the stack of papers I sorted through. wow, they add up fast.
10. Riley had 'homework' to do: a snowman to color and a mitten to glue stuff to. I think she was working on the mitten here.
11. at some point, she got out with my heart shaped rocks (which are off-limits to her).
12. the day ended with some reading- finished one book, started another and read up on some swim drills.

Found Elsewhere

Hey Ya'll: I'm blogging over at the "I Am Enough" Collaborative Today. Head on over and check it out!

New Year's Intentions

I still haven't completely chosen my word for the year, but I'm not really that worried about it yet. This is something I've done religiously for the past several years, so it's on my mind a lot, but I'm not rushing it. The right word will find me when it's time, and in the meantime, I'm focusing on my New Year's Intentions.

"Resolution" is such a concrete, hard and fast word, and while the type A, perfectionist in me loves the idea of setting resolutions, the realistic part of me knows that life sometimes (often) intervenes and that I'll be disappointed in myself if I don't keep my resolutions. I know this about myself, so I only set one "New Year's Resolution" every year: to hold lots of babies. Holding babies makes me happy, so I am sure to keep this one. Ta-Da! Easy, no? (so easy and so successful that it's been my resolution every year for about three years. )

What I do instead is set some intentions for myself each year. These are, basically, things I want to see happen, projects I want to complete, trips I want to take--those types of things. I feel like this allows me to approach my life with a desire to consistently and conciously improve, but not from a place of scarcity. (Does that make sense?) I already have everything I need to be happy. The idea of setting intentions is to direct my energy towards those things that add richness and zest to an already wonderful life. The other thing I like about intentions is that working towards goals in this manner directs the focus on the process and the reasons, rather than the outcome or results. A much healthier mindset for me to embrace (thank you, Jen McGown, for this interpretation of intentions. you said it perfectly and helped inspire this post.)

So, the intentions for 2011 are:

To 'put first things first'. Defining my priorities is important to me, and I am constantly asking myself if I'm spending my time (and money and energy) on what really matters.

To focus on healthy living. I try to keep an emphasis on getting enough rest, eating healthy, whole foods and getting plenty of exercise. These things keep me sane, and if they aren't a huge part of each decision I make, they often get left behind.

To find S-P-A-C-E. During the past year, but especially during the past few months, I've felt totally overwhelmed by the sheer amount of commitments that I have. So much so that the idea of a couple of hours without something scheduled makes me giddy. Feeling this obligated makes me really anxious, because one thing I know about myself is that I need time to myself to recharge and re-balance. So I'm setting the intention that I'll open up more space in my life to enjoy my days. To do what I love, and not what I think I should do. To spend time with people I really enjoy rather than those I feel like I need to see. To play. To travel with my girl. To rest.

I'm feeling good about these intentions, and believe they'll help me move in the directions I am seeking for myself and my kiddo. Keeping it short and simple works for me.

My three-year-old has evil plans for me

Queen Mama and Princess Riley, January 1, 2011

It all started with this drawing.

"Look, Mama. I drew you a picture!"

She was so excited to show me this drawing. I could see that there were two people, and I was thrilled because it was the first drawing she has done (that I have seen, anyway) where her people had recognizable parts. There were definite arms and leg, eyes and mouths, and I had to laugh at the expression on the person on the right.

"Tell me about this picture, Riley. Who is this?"

She told me that it was me and her, and then proceeded to show me that she was the shorter figure, and although we both had bangs, she had longer hair (now that she has seen the Rapunzel movie, she is determined to have the longest hair possible, and most certainly longer than mine). She also told me that I couldn't tell in the drawing, but her dress was prettier and "twirl-ier" than mine.

"Why isn't my dress as pretty as yours, Riley?"

Apparently, I was the queen and I had spent all my money on a dress for her, so I had to make mine out of blankets and garbage bags. But then she must have thought that I was hurt by my clothing material, so she did offer this one consolation...

"You know what, Mom...since you are the queen, you do get a prettier dress when you die. Which will be soon. Because the hungry, hungry hippos come out of the cave to eat the queen every year after Christmas."

"Well, that doesn't sound very nice. I don't want to be eaten by hippos."

"It's better than being locked in the fairy dungeon."

"If you say so..."


I swear, I couldn't make up the stuff that comes out of her mouth. I love that she has an active imagination, but should I be worried about the fact that she's dressing me in garbage and planning my demise?

Getting back in the groove

Today, I am:
**transitioning (slowly) back into my routine.
**working. from home. in my pajamas. not a bad compromise considering it's still a holiday (for me) but I have loads to do.
**grateful that the Girl woke up feeling 'healthy and strong' (her words) and wanted to go to school. she didn't feel so hot yesterday, but she seems to have inherited my "bounce-back-quickly" tendencies.
**sipping yerba mate while I review some work documents. this may be a new obsession (the mate, i mean. not the work).
**forcing my washer and dryer to work overtime so I can catch up on laundry (is this a never-ending struggle for anyone else?)
**making a list of the many errands I need to run- more now than before the holidays (how does that even happen?)
**dreaming about which Squam classes I want to register for (can I just take them all? please...?)
**trying to decide between a run, swimming, or a Spin class...perhaps a swim/run brick, if time allows (it probably won't, but we'll see.)
**enjoying the view of the hot (and super nice) construction workers who are working on my building (I can't help it! I have a thing for manly men who do manly things. it's a sickness, really.)
**considering my 'word of the year' options. narrowed down to two or three (maybe i'll use all three.)
**looking forward to some XC skiing and some snowshoeing this week (bring it!)
**finishing up some writing projects (really excited about these ones!)
**jonesing for some new music (itunes gift cards, baby.) what are you listening to these days?

How about you? Are you feeling back in the swing of things now that the New Year is upon us?

(Intermin) Word of the year for 2011

I've received a bunch of emails asking what my word for 2011 is going to be.

Um...yeah.

I have no idea yet.

I'm narrowing down a series of words, but I have not settled on any of them yet. I'll know the right one soon enough, but the right word hasn't found me yet. So in the interim, and because it's really fitting for today, the word I'm focusing on is 'CHILL'.

Great Salt Lake, New Year's Day 2011

Recipe for New Years Eve -- Riley-style

Start with several cups of hot chocolate (extra whipped cream, please.)
Add in some quality time with the pink Zhu-Zhu pet.
Combine with one homemade pizza with a pepperoni smiley face (for the Girl) and mushroom and onion hair (for mama).
Finish off with several rousing games of CandyLand (guess who won them all...)
I'm really not a fan of New Year's Eve, and this year was super cold, so this is the perfect way for us to spend my evening. She's the perfect New Year's Eve date (despite the many wardrobe changes.)

I hope your New Years was safe and festive.
Happy New Years, ya'll.