My Maytag Repair Man of Day 6

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 4 Comments

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We all got a good nights sleep last night–hooray.  I did manage to stay up until just after 10 so that I could watch Weeds.  I am starting to feel a cold come on, but I am going to deny it the ability to put roots down.  I. Will. Not. Get. Sick.  There, I think that just might work. 

I am excited by the prospect of some coffee I have coming  this month.  I am getting a 1/2 lb. of Peets Jamiaca Blue Mountain.  I cannot wait to taste it freshly brewed.  I don’t know how often I mention my love for coffee.  I. LOVE.COFFEE. And coffee for me is like wine or cheese.  I love good or should I say excellent coffee.  I am a bit of a coffee snob.  I think I picked that up along with my wine snobbery from living in Santa Barbara.  I will gladly keep it up as there are somethings that should be the best. 

What are you snobbish about? 

Sleepless Night or Day 5

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 3 Comments

Good morning loyal readers and newbie readers.  I have been up since 3am.  Minnow is teething.  He is cutting teeth left and right.  He has a top molar and eye tooth coming in on the top and another molar trying to push through on the bottom of the opposite side.  Top it off with a bit of a runny nose and you have the makings for a disastrous evening.  Oh and don’t forget to add in the “I’m not feeling well” hubby and a 6 am spin class and you have the makings for a shitty ass day. 

Minnow woke up at 3.  Hubby was up getting a bicarbonate of soda and came in to tell me–who was sleeping–that the baby was awake as he crawled back in bed.  Seriously…I kid you not.  So, I went to see the little man who was screaming as though he was being eaten alive.  He asked to watch Spongebob and I am not one to give in to toddle requests hours upon hours before the sun even begins to consider rising.  Hubby insisted since said screaming baby was disrupting his attempts at sleep, lest we forget that Hubby is not feeling well. 

Minnow and I watched tv until it was time for me to leave at 5:35 for my spin class.  I go in to tell hubby that I have to leave…”Just put him back in bed.”  Okay but he is wide awake.  I carry Minnow upstairs and put him in bed.  The minute he is down he starts throwing everything out of his crib and screaming and crying.  I gather him up to bring him downstairs to sleep in our bed with hubby.  Hubby yells up to me “you have to leave.”  Like I don’t know this.  I hand off the baby…”I thought I said to put him in bed.”  I say good-bye and leave. 

I love my hubby as he really is a great guy, but this morning…ugh.  Thank goodness for spinning.  I was able to pound the pedals and work out my frustration.  Now what?  Maybe a few minutes of sleep before my babies wake up. 

Goldfish For Breakfast or Day 4

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 1 Comment

Minnow loves to cook.  He watches hubby and I cook and now whenever one of us is in the kitchen cooking he has to get out his own pan and needs a spoon, a spatula and a wisk.  Today he desperately wanted something inside of his pan to stir as daddy was making his sunshine potatoes  (that’s what we call them in our house–don’t ask).   

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We went out today, taking advantage of this amazing fall weather we have been having.  I know that very soon the weather will turn cruel and going outside to even get the newspaper will suck.  I have also been wanting to get out and take some photos of the beautiful fall foliage that we have.  It is a bad year for the colors but there are some bright spots.  This is my favorite time of year and the one I missed most when I lived in Santa Barbara.  That and the fact there concrete is everywhere and the number of parks was minimal.  I love living in the midwest where there are lots of green spaces and lots of parks that are more than a patch of grass and a playground. 

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 A great way to end a beautiful weekend.  

Really This Isn’t Normal? or Day 3

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

Our 19 month old toddler asks to go to bed–at both nap time and bed time.  There are the rare nap times where he will just crash on the floor while he is playing with his blocks or something but for the most part he lets us know he wants to go to bed.  How does he do this you ask?  Well he either says please when asked if he wants to go to bed or he will grab his binky, his juice and walk to the bottom of the stairs and say please.  I know it is rather cute.  In my conversations with other parents I have deduced and been told that this isn’t normal.  I have to say I am shocked as Minnow is my first child.  We didn’t do anything spectatcular to enduce this sort of sleep compliance other than we have always let him “decide” when it was bedtime.  We never really created a bedtime routine.  We did start putting him in bed awake when he was about 11 months old–so that he would learn to put himself to sleep.  Maybe because we let him set his own sleep schedule naturally he finds going to bed a good thing and not something he is forced to do.  I am of course hoping that this pattern continues, but I am sure that we will soon find that going to bed will be the last thing he wants to do.  Until then…I will enjoy my little man who likes going to bed. 

Kids Are Fun or Day 2

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 2 Comments

Halloween was much more fun this year than it was last year when little Minnow could barely sit up. This year he as an awesome Halloween participant–even though he only tricked and treated from our candy bowl.  He graciously helped mom answer the door, laughed at kids jokes (here in our little city kids have to tell a joke to get a piece of candy…we make them work for it).  The best one I heard this year was

How many witches does it take to change a light-bulb?

How many?

Only one, but she changes it into a toad…

Minnow really liked that joke.  The highlight of the evening for Minnow was putting candy into his jack-o-lantern that yes did have a candle burning in it.  The below picture is his “Where did it go?” Face.  Well it is next to the raging candle inferno, my sweet little lion.  Why don’t you stick your flammable lion paw in there and try to get it.  No I really didn’t tell him to do that last part, that he figured out completely on his own.  But I put down the camera long enough to keep him from starting himself on fire. 

He roared all night in his little lion costume.  He was hilariously funny.  These are the moments parents dream about and those who don’t have kids, totally miss out on.  It is a nice reminder of what is really important in life and that it really is the little things that make life worth living.  Thanks Minnow.  You inspire me.