Books - Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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So yeah... this posting a book every day in January thing... um...

Well, I've got one for today!

You might very well have heard of this book already, especially if you work with kids or learning disabilities or mental illness. It's a GREAT read!

You see, the story is told from the viewpoint of the protagonist - a young boy with Asperger's Syndrome. It begins the night he finds the neighbor's dog dead on the lawn in front of the neighbor's house. Now don't start thinking this is a gory book - that's it for anything icky, really, and it's told very matter-of-factly. In fact, one of the things that characterizes Christopher is that he's got a very orderly and bright mind... even if the order is maybe a little different than most people's. Yellow and brown are bad, but red is good, for example. He loves math because it's logical, but doesn't understand people and their reactions, expressions, etc.

Anyway, Christopher decides to solve the mystery of who murdered Mrs. Shears' dog, and that quest, along with the complications that follow, is the story.

One thing I found absolutely enthralling about the book was the way Christopher explains the way he thinks. There are diagrams he's drawn, and math problems he explains, and lists he's written to try to explain to the reader just how he thinks about things. The author, Mark Haddon, really lets you see inside his mind. I've had kids in my class or on my teaching team who had Asperger's or a few tendencies towards it, and man, did it really make me go "Oh! So THAT might be a little bit of how it was for them!"

(Oh, you know the whole "On the game show, there are 3 curtains, you pick one, they show you one you didn't pick, and now you've got a chance to switch if you want to... should you?" dealie? Well, Christopher explains that with a chart that totally made sense to me and now I KNOW I'd switch because it really would increase my chances of winning. Really! If you don't believe me, go buy the book or get it from the library.)

So anyway, I found this a fascinating and quick read. I enjoyed the insights into the way the narrator's mind worked, and how it related to kids with whom I've worked, but even without that connection I'd have really enjoyed it.

Reflections on good naps, poor sleep, and slight sickness

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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This week Pumpkin has been GREAT about taking naps. We're talking 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hours each afternoon, with no fussing going down. I had been feeling really good about this, because she needs at least some nap or she's a bear by about 5pm. And when she does nap, it's NEVER less than an hour.

But the weeks before then were tough with no nap, naps that started too late, and/or ran too late, and/or made her not tired enough to sleep well at night. So I decided I needed to be better about making naptime and the leadup to it more consistent and earlier.

And it seems to be working well - no fussing when we go up, love reading stories together in the big girl bed, no hassle when I leave her alone to go to sleep, and she's been falling asleep within 10-15 minutes of when I leave the room, which for her is superb. And even if her naps have been running long, she's still up and about well before Mr. Kluges comes home, with time to play and then wind-down before bedtime.

Now, since her nap were so long, and since Mr. Kluges has been a bit under the weather, I figured part of the success might be due to the fact that she's fighting off some kind of bug and needed the extra sleep.

Yeah, she was. And she came down with a bit of a fever Thursday night... which was LONG. Much crying, needing Mommy, wanting Mommy to stay with her in her room, etc. And of course that equals not much sleep for Mommy.

And last night? Yeah, same thing.. combined with a super big poop that must have woken her up (or she woke up to do) and caused her to cry and yell for us to come and change her. This was followed by extensive neediness and distress and wanting Mommy to sleep in her bed, or in the extra bed in the room (yay for the extra bed, 'cuz she's a wiggly thing), or "My tummy's rumbly for a cereal bar!" or "Where's my flashlight?" or whatever.

*sigh*

So again with the not much sleep for Mommy between the hours of 1:30 and about 4:30 or 5 am, other than brief catnaps caught in her bed, the extra bed, or (for brief, brief periods of time) back in my own bed.

(But once she was finally back to sleep, and I stumbled back to our own bed in the early hours of the morning, I woke up Mr. Kluges, told him he got to get up with her in the morning, and put in earplugs. 'Cuz a Mommy with no sleep is a dreadful thing.)

And today? Today, do you think she'd nap?

Not on your life.

*sigh*

Oh well, at least she's well enough that we're not cancelling the dinner date we have with another couple down in Kinsale... and I'm guessing/hoping she'll go to sleep pretty early and easily for our babysitter.


(Now, I'll just try to not think about how sleep deprived I'm going to be come May...)

Banana Pumpkin Kiwi What?

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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So I've blogged before about the strange chip flavors you can find here in Ireland, as well as the "exotic vegetable" of butternut squash, but I came across this product the other day and had to share it with y'all.

It's a little tiny (hand for scale, you know) bottle of pureed fruit and vegetable. Now, I've been trying especially hard lately to increase the amount of fruits and veg in my diet, both for baby-on-the-way and general health, so I picked these up thinking, "Hey, these are easy and look interesting!"

They're... not bad... but a little odd. In case you can't read the label very well, this one is Banana Pumpkin Kiwi. Yeah, strange combo, I know. It tasted mostly like pureed pumpkin or squash baby food thinned down with tropical juice. Not great, but not bad, and tiny, so it's not like I had to choke down a ton if I wanted one.

Pumpkin herself loved them, so since then we got the slightly more normal (& yummier) version of Orange Banana Carrot. Equally bright orange, if not more so, but tastier!

**This blog entry brought to you by the CFAoMHI (Cultural Food Alliance of Ms. Huis's Imagination). Thanks for your support.**

Snow! Hooray!

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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It snowed Monday!!!

Really! That's super exciting when you're 2!

Pumpkin was sitting at the table, having a little breakfast when it started to snow. Just a few little flurries, but it's the first snow we've had this winter. I turned her chair around so she could see it, and she was thrilled!

"Snow! It's snowing! Look at the snow!! Can I go out and play in the snow?"

"Well, honey, you've got your jammas on still, but let's hurry and change you into warm clothes and then we can go out."

So we hurried and scurried and got us both dressed and in winter gear in like 2 or 3 minutes. (I know, new world record!) Just in time to go outside for this...

Nothing. Squat.

"Where's the snow went, Mommy?"

"Well, honey, it stopped snowing for now, but maybe the snow will come back in a little bit."

"Come a back, snow!"

And luckily enough for us,

... it did!

And just for fun, here's a bonus picture from the other day of Pumpkin looking extra adorable in her "I'm a winter cutie" outfit of earwarmer/headband (since her ponytail buns wouldn't fit under a hat), fuzzy pink vest, and stripey mittens. I know I'm biased, but isn't she CUTE?!?

Henceforth, you may address me as...

****************
copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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Tee hee! I got this from Kittenpie at her blog. It's a good Monday cheer-er-up-er!

Henceforth, you may address me as...

Her Eminence the Very Viscountess Ms. Huis the Complex of Brompton Underfoot.

So there.

Get your own peculiar aristocratic title! And then tell us what it is 'cuz it's fun.

Ballybeg Priory Post up at Honest Erin's

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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Hey, guess what? For the first time in like forever (ok, 3 months or so), I've put up a new entry over at Honest Erin's Unofficial Irish Tourism Blog. It's about the ruined Ballybeg Priory not far up the road and even has pictures. Check it out.

The bottom-most entry in the strange chips flavors, no matter how many others I try

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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Here's another entry into the "Strange Flavors of Chips" category. Previously, I'd mentioned Roast Ox , Steak & Onion Fajita, and Tiger Prawn with Crushed Garlic and Cheddar with Mango Chutney flavored chips.

They were all infinitely superior to this one.

According to my taste buds, Peking Duck & Hoi Sin Sauce potato chips are an abomination upon the world.

That's it - you heard me right. These chips should never have come into existance. I base this on the fact that I have eaten a grand total of two. (The first unsuspecting one to try them; the second a few days later just 'cuz I couldn't believe that I was accurately remembering the awfulness of the taste.)

They taste like... duck.

(Ok, yeah, hello, that's what the label says, I realize that, but...)

Not good duck ('cuz I have had yummy duck before). It's more like the overly oily, "how old is this?", gamy, suspect duck pieces you might get at a not-great Chinese take-away that you reheated in the bacterial-laden work microwave in the styrofoam container.

...


Yeah, that good.

So good, in fact, that none of us in the Huis/Kluges household like them - NOT EVEN PUMPKIN (who will eat some strong cheeses that us two adults won't).

So you know what? For the first time in my life, I think I'm going to be throwing away perfectly good (so to speak) potato chips.

'Cuz I'm never letting one of those chips cross my lips ever again. Blech.

One Smart Cookie Update

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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Ok, so the other day I bragged about Pumpkin drawing her first real "face." Well, here's the pictures to prove it.

(She had been scribbling on this page for a while, so you'll have to ignore the additional non-face scribbles.)



Ok, so if that wasn't clear enough for you, here it is with labels.


Ok, it's not Van Gogh, but it's DEFINITELY a face. :)

Books - by Olivier Dunrea

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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These are some of Pumpkin's favorite books lately. We've been getting them from the library, but I found a few of them on sale at a bookstore, so we'll be adding those to our permanent collection.

(I'm saving them to be extra fun distractors at doctor appointments, long car trips, etc.)

The characters are sweet and funny, the illustrations are simple and fun, and the storylines make Mr. Kluges and I chuckle sometimes.

All in all, books we don't mind reading again, and again, and again, and again... which is a great recommendation for a children's book!

One smart cookie!

****************
copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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Today Pumpkin did two very cool things.

She drew herself as a rough circle with a scribble underneath for legs, and then when I asked her about her eyes, nose and mouth, she drew them in as two circles (ok, roughly circles), a vertical line for her nose and a horizontal line for her mouth. That's like, an actual smiley face! First time she's done that much representation in her drawing! Usually she'll narrate as she goes... "Here's me, here's my hair, here's my leg, here's my belly button..." but it's all indecipherable scribbles. This though - this was a face!

(I took a picture & will try to get it on the computer and posted sometime soon.)


She also successfully sang the entire ABCs on her own while having her prebedtime snack! She's been able to get a lot of it for a while, but this was the first time she made it all the way through.


Yay for Pumpkin!

And how DOES your garden grow?

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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A conversation that took place while Mr. Kluges was picking out some new dress shoes last weekend.


Pumpkin, to the shoe lady: What's your name?

(Which happens to be one of her current favorite questions,
along with "What's ___?" Like "What's dog poop? What's a
apple? What's e-i-e-i-o?")

Shoe lady: Mary. What's yours?

Pumpkin: Do you have a little lamb?


Yeah, she likes her nursery rhymes.

Books - The Last Light of the Sun

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
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Life is good when you discover that one of your favorite authors has written a book you didn't know about...

...and then you discover that the local library system has a copy of it...

...and then when you put it on hold, it shows up not in the two or three weeks it usually takes, but in 3 days...

...and you just happen to stop by the library on the day it comes in, before you even get the notification of its arrival.

Life is good.

Books - The Art of the Catapult

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
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This is the book Mr. Kluges requested for his birthday after hearing about it from our friend, thisc0rrosion. I couldn't find it anywhere in town (not a huge surprise), but eventually found a bookstore that would order it.

But then it was Christmas rush and all that, so the order didn't come in as soon as it would have usually, and then it was backordered, but yesterday? Yesterday they called to tell me it was in.

So we went to Cork today primarily to pick it up. Hooray for new books!

Books - The Leaving Morning

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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This is the book my class (ok, & the other teacher, of course) gave me when I left to come to Ireland. It's all about the morning a family moves, with simple, real text. We'd been studying the author, Angela Johnson, during Writers' Workshop, so it was very meaningful. Also, I teared up when I went to look inside, because the covers were filled up with the kids' signatures. Very sweet!

Books - Encyclopedia of Herbs & Spices

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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Sorry no post yesterday. I was just feeling lazy! So, to make up for it, here is a LONG post, complete with recipe.

This is the cookbook I was using the evening I decided to do the January Book Challenge. It belongs to Mr. Kluges who found it at a second-hand bookstore. TONS of information and pictures about herbs and spices in the first part, lots of recipes in the second. We've only tried a couple, but every time I look through it I get hungry. (And then wonder where I can get some of the unusual ingredients.)

This is the yummy recipe I was making when I decided to include this book... hope you enjoy it. Since butternut squash is an exotic vegetable here in Ireland, I feel very worldly when I make it. :) It's sounds spicy, but it's really not (or not the way I make it - you could of course up the spices yourself). Don't skip the horseradish cream - it adds a lot in terms of richness and flavor.

Butternut Squash Soup with Curried Horseradish Cream
(serves 6)

1 butternut squash
1 cooking apple
2 Tbl. butter
1 onion, finely chopped
3 3/4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp. chopped fresh sage
2/3 c. apple juice
salt & pepper
curry powder, to garnish

Curried Horseradish Cream
4 Tbl. double cream [regular cream is fine.]
2 tsp. horseradish sauce
1/2 tsp. curry powder

1. Peel the squash, remove the seeds, and chop the flesh. Peel, core and chop the apple.

2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan [or Dutch oven]. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in the curry powder. Cook to bring out the flavor, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

3. Add the stock, squash, apple, and sage. [I usually add the sage later with the apple juice since it's fresh, but I'd definitely add in ground/dried now if that's what you're using.] Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simer for 20 minutes until the squash and apple are soft.

4. Meanwhile, make the horseradish cream. Whip the cream in a bowl until stiff, then stir in the horseradish sauce and curry powder. Cover and chill until required.

5. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. [Or just mash in the pan with a potato masher if soft enough - much less cleanup!] Return to the clean pan [I don't know if they expect you to wash it before putting the same stuff back in, but that' s just crazy.] and add the apple juice, with salt and pepper to taste. Reheat gently, without allowing the soup to boil.

6. Serve the soup in individual bowls, topping each portion with a spoonful of horseradish cream and a dusting of curry powder. Garnish with a few lime shreds, if you like.

Enjoy!

Books - What to Expect When You're Expecting

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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Some things I like about pregnancy:

• getting to eat more snacks
• having my tummy stick out is no longer a figure flaw
• people telling me I "look well!"
• telling Mr. Kluges I need to put my feet up for 10 minutes
• getting a new baby to add to our family eventually

Some things I don't like about pregnancy:

• no wine
• no beer
• HEARTBURN (I know, count my blessings, it was my biggest (and really only) complaint during Pumpkin's pregnancy, but I've had it the past two evenings & I'm only 22 weeks along, so it's probably just going to get worse.)
• laugh/sneeze-induced incontinence
• being even more clumsy and forgetful than usual
• labor
  

Oh, and here's one of the books that's currently on my nightstand. :)

Coffee as art

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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Ok, so I followed this link from dooce and got to this AMAZING coffee art. Seriously - it's way cool. And the YouTube video on it? It's 3 minutes of watching somebody make all different pictures and designs in espresso apparently effortlessly.

Well, I think it's cool... or maybe I'm just missing my caffeine...

Books - Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs: The Definitive Pop-Up

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
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This is one of the coolest books we own. It was a gift from my Brother Drew.

Now dinosaurs are cool and all on their own, but check out the pop-up-ness of this book!!!!

Every page is like that! There's a main big pop-up that opens up when you open that page, but then there are all these little extra pagelets on each one that have additional text and more pop-ups! And there are often 2 or 3 layers of pagelets, so TONS of pop-up dinos. If you go to Amazon.com and look at their page about Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs: The Definitive Pop-Up, you can see what I mean. They recommend it for ages 4-8 or grades k-3 or 4, but I think you'd have to have quite a careful 4- or 5-year old to let them look at it on their own, and older kids would still like the intricacy of the pop-ups.


And no, Pumpkin's not allowed to touch this book yet.

Books - Waffles

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
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So when I decided to do this meme, I took a bunch of photos that evening so I could put them up whenever and not have to hassle with the digital camera or finding the book online.

I took a photo of this cookbook, not because we use it all the time or because we have Waffle Wednesday every week or because Mr. Kluges once made me breakfast in bed with it or anything like that ('cuz none of those are true anyway), but because it amuses me.

You see, for some reason, we shipped it all the way to Ireland when we didn't ship our waffle iron (power differences, you know), and haven't purchased a waffle iron yet after living here for more than a year and a half.

It's got some nice recipes, and more variety than you'd expect for an all-waffle cookbook, but I think we probably could have left it back in storage.

Books - Tigana

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
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I Love Guy Gavriel Kay.

Well, his books anyway. Don't know him personally.

This is just one of the several I brought over. In one word they are... rich. They're sort of historical fantasy, if I had to give them a genre, I guess. The fantasy is light - magic, in most of his books (well, the ones I've read so far anyway) is rare, but the worlds are immensely plausible and intricate. The characters are complex and moving. To say the plotlines are multilayered is an understatement. In fact, when I came to the end of A Song for Arbonne, I actually said, "Oh!" out loud as what I thought was a throw-away character from the beginning showed up again, significantly.

You know how some writers take enough material for one book and stretch it out to be a trilogy? Or a trilogy's-worth and stretch it forever? Guy Gavriel Kay does the opposite. When you finish one book, you feel like you've lived in that world and known the characters for at least a trilogy.

I own A Song for Arbonne, Tigana, The Lions of Al-Rassan, and both books of the Sarantine Mosaic. (But I lent out the first one and don't have it right now. In fact, I don't remember for sure who I lent it to - Syl, was it maybe you?) They are wonderful and I've reread them many, many times.

If I've gushed enough, you might want to check out this site. It's the authorized website and includes some reading passages from his books, which are long enough to give you a nice sample of his prose and a sense of each book.

Big Girl Bed Update

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
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---Warning - there is poop mentioned in this entry.---

So we moved Pumpkin to her big girl bed earlier this week. She's now slept in it for 3 nights and two or three naps. Wonderful!!! The first couple times we asked her if she wanted to sleep in her crib or in her big girl bed and she chose the big girl bed every time. (Well, the very first time she picked the big girl bed, but as soon as we left and closed the door she cried out, "I want my crib!" so we put her back in her old room that night.)

There's just one problem...

Of those 5 or 6 sleeps in the bed... she's had a huge poop in her diaper during 4 of them.

Yup, more than half the time.

The latest was naptime today, which I discovered after she woke up, but the other three were nighttime, and the stench gave it away when we went to tuck her in before we went to bed.

And by stench I'm talking toxic, bog-of-eternal-stench type of odor. Like, "we don't happen to have any gas masks, do we honey" sort of smell. The kind of thing where you look at each other and sigh at the things you have to do when you're a parent.

Like, the smell almost had enough presence that it could have tiptoed its way down the stairs, tapped us on the shoulder and said, "Hey, like, you might want to change her."

And of course we don't want to wake her up, so we end up tag team changing her in her big girl bed, Mr. Kluges holding the little plastic bag open as well as a flashlight/nightlight
(one of her favorite Xmas presents & very useful! I love it!) so I can see to take care of the mess and not get anything on the bedding. This is, of course, while we're trying to hold our breath and not speak any louder than a whisper and take care of this as quickly and smoothly as possible. And so far Pumpkin has only gotten partly awake and has been willing to let us change her and has snuggled back down and fallen asleep again immediately, but still...

*sigh*

Let me tell you, I'm loving that she's feeling so... relaxed... in her big girl bed, but I can do without the nighttime deposits.

This post was a public service announcement for fellow parents & parents to be. We apologize for any grossing out that may have occurred, especially for nonparents. Thank you. :)

Books - Joy of Cooking

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
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This is the most used reference book in our house, and one Mr. Kluges says he'd be sure to take along on a desert island. ('Cuz he'd know ahead of time that he was going to end up on one, and would pack accordingly....) We've got an older version which includes such useful information as how to skin and prepare game. Now, some of the recipes are from another era (tomato aspic, anyone), but when we want to find out how to make a basic, it's the one to which we turn. Like, did you know you can make pancakes WITHOUT BISQUICK! I know!

January Challenge (or Books Galore)

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
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I was over at Mary P.'s site and saw that she was taking up this challenge . . .

Posting challenge for January: "a book...every day, all month long. If you'd like to participate, please do! There are no rules, except you must post a book every day. It can be a book you love, a book you hate, a book that impacted you. Whatever you wish. You may review it, or just tell why it matters; you may post a picture from Amazon or your own copy. Whatev. Up to you."

Apparently it's from Sassy Student. (Not a blog I've read before, but I might have to 'cuz it's a good idea.) And I like to read, as do many of you, I know, so it sounded like fun. Now, I'm not promising to get a post up every day, but I will post a bunch of books over the month.

('Cuz - Yay! A month's worth of ideas! Which is good 'cuz sometimes I sit down here and go, "Duh... what were all those ideas I had to post about?")

I know it's already the 4th, but I did mention War for the Oaks by Emma Bull recently, so I figure that sort of counts. And this picture contains several books, so I'm going to call myself caught up:



Yup, kid books it is for today. This is a shelf with all of our Sandra Boynton books. (Not that I'm so anal or that we're so tidy that they usually all end up on the same shelf, but it made a good picture.) We received most of these as gifts from TNGreatAunt, after we'd mentioned to her how much we liked one we had. They are fun and funny. My fav of these is Hippos Go Berserk! It counts up a bunch of hippos coming over to have a party, then counts them back down. Somehow Sandra Boynton manages to convey so much without her characters having a whole lot of facial expression.

Also, we've had The Going to Bed Book the longest. There's one page where all the animals are exercising, and Pumpkin likes to point to each one and ask what they're doing. Well, we've been doing that long enough that now we ask her back. Some are running, one is doing push-ups, and, according to Pumpkin, there are two who are doing "Thai cheese." Hee hee!


So there you go - feel free to post some of your favorite, least favorite, current reading, remember from long ago, whatever books yourself!

Do I get a sticker, too?

****************
copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
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****************

Before I had a child...

I never thought I'd hear again that someone was proud of me for going pee on the potty.

Also, I have it on good authority that I'm "a such big girl!"



:) She's got the right idea and the right words, now if she'd decide she's ready to put it all in action, we'd be golden.

Good news, bad news

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

Pumpkin slept in her big girl bed last night!
The whole night!
Hooray!

(Well, with one wake-up at 5:00, but that just took a little shushing and being in the room with her & she fell back asleep.)


The bad news? Apparently, the bed is not so good for a nap today. In fact, it sure looks like a nap today is going to happen when H-E-Double Hockey Sticks freezes over.
*sigh*

Well, if I'd have had to pick one, I'd pick sleeping (mostly) through the night in the big bed over the nap, but still, it makes for L---O---N---G afternoon.

New Year's Resolutions

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
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So it's the new year. 2007. I've never been much for making New Year's Resolutions, because it seems too easy to do big, sweeping, non-realizable statements that sound good, but are hard to implement. But after doing monthly goals for about half the year, I found them to be good motivation, so I think I'll try for a few yearlies. However, these will be GOALS, not resolutions. That means I'm allowed to goof up some days and try again the next.

This year, I'd like to...

• Get Pumpkin to start sleeping in a big bed. We got a Winnie the Pooh comforter and some other stuff to turn the guest room with two twin beds into 'her room' for Xmas and actually did most of what we need to do this weekend to get it ready for her. In fact, we're attempting to get her to nap in it right now. She's more interested in chatting, telling us she's hungry even though she just ate, and doing anything possible to avoid dozing off. However, she does like her big girl bed and comforter, so it's a start. This goal is actually a have-to, since Baby-on-the-way will be needing the crib come mid-May or so. [Update... Mr. Kluges did manage to sing her to sleep, so yay for her first nap in her big girl room!]
  

• Get Pumpkin potty trained. It'd be nice to get this accomplished pre-new-baby, too, but we'll see if she's ready for it. Obviously, we're not going to try to do these two things at once, but Mr. Kluges and I are both WAY ready to be done with diapers, at least for a little while. I'm sure I'll be blogging about our progress (and frustrations) on this one once we start.

• Eat healthily. I know this is one of those sweeping generalizations, but I'm not planning on this being the 'goal.' Rather, I'm going to use this resolution to help focus my monthly goals and choose smaller, more specific, measurable steps that will help me eat more healthily overall. (You know, like a fruit/veg/juice with breakfast, or only one treat/day, or whatever.)

• Exercise. Once again, a big broad statement, but for January, the little goal is going to be to get at least 15 minutes of exercise/activity every day. That might be walking down to the grocery store and back, or doing some exercises from What to Expect, or throwing in a belly dance CD. (Did I mention my belly dance instructor moved back to Miami? Yeah, so I've got to either find a new one or just skip it until after May and then look. With Pumpkin, I had weekly classes into the 7th month, and would have kept it up longer, except that we hit summer break.)

So there you go. Both some broad resolutions and my more measurable January goal of 15 minutes of activity/exercise every day. Best of luck to everyone else who's also trying to change, improve, start, or stop some habits!