Day in the Life of TTM–Weekend Edition

Posted in Family, Photography by teamtradermom

A couple weeks ago I did the exercise of taking 1 photo every hour during a typical work day, based on the idea from Simply Rebekah. You can view the results here. Well today I decided to do it again, only as a way to document a weekend day! Turns out my weekends are way more fun than my work days. Who knew? Smile

7:30 a.m. – Rise and Shine

7:30 seems so early for a weekend but it actually is pretty typical for me. Isabella wakes up anywhere from 7 – 8 a.m. so I consider myself lucky to make it to 7:30! CJ is a night owl and I’m a morning person so he will stay up later at night when I go to bed early and then I will get up early and let him sleep in. Some mornings it feels unfair when I have to get up early but in the end, it means some extra one-on-one time for me and Munchkin, which is worth it!

8:30 a.m. – Breakfast!

Even though Munchkin wakes up at 7:30, we don’t pull her out of bed right away. Usually, we’ll give her a couple books to read and a few stuffed animals to play with. She is very content to hang out in her room for a little while, giving us time to make coffee/tea, let Samson out, and get breakfast ready. Today, we had waffles, cereal, bananas and milk! Or as Isabella would say, “Waffles, ceweal, nanas and mook!”

[Yes, I know that she’s wearing a Halloween bib at the end of January. You pretty much stop trying to coordinate bibs with holidays/outfits after about the first week.]

9:30 a.m. – Playtime!

The best parts of my weekend are when I get to play with Isabella. She has so much energy and is a lot of fun. Here, we’re playing peek-a-boo with her play house.

10:30 a.m. – Baking

Munchkin went down for her nap at about 10 a.m. so I decided to use that time to bake some treats. I’m trying to use up some stuff from the cupboards so I made chocolate peanut butter rice Krispy treats. They turned out AWESOME! Just ask Samson! Or me…I only at 3 of them at lunch….

11:30 a.m. – Cleaning and decorating

Once the treats were done, I started in on some cleaning. I still had my January snowmen out so it was time to put them away and break out the February décor. Now that Munchkin is old enough to understand some things, it’s even more fun to change the decorations around the house. Since she was napping still, I hid a few bears and other valentine stuffed animals around. When she woke up I let her find them on her own and her face lit up every time she discovered a new one!

12:30 p.m. – Lunch!

We had macaroni and cheese (or “ronis” as Isabella says), a quince, green beans and milk for lunch. And of course, rice Krispy treats!!

[We’ve now quickly advanced in holiday bib world from Halloween to St. Patrick’s day. We like to mix it up around here. That’s how the Trader’s roll.]

1:30 p.m. – Chillin’ with my home girl

We decided to take a break and watch some Sesame Street. Isabella has a bit of a cold so I thought she could use some quiet time. Plus it gave me the chance to snuggle with her, which I always love!

2:30 p.m. – Dinner Prep

Today I’m going to make roast and veggies for dinner. I’ll tell you right now that this is NOT typical of me. I hate cooking and will usually opt for the easiest thing I can whip together. But today I was feeling ambitious so there you go. CJ was at the grocery store so it took me about an hour to peel the potatoes and carrots because I had to stop many times to play with Munchkin, change a diaper, let Samson out or whatever. But it eventually got done and popped in the oven around 3.

3:30 p.m. – Photo editing

I took advantage of Munchkin’s afternoon naptime to edit some of these photos. Her afternoon naps are usually shorter so I was frantically trying to get done as much as possible. Fortunately, CJ came home around this time and played with her when she woke up, so I had a little extra time.

4:30 p.m. – More Play Time

But too much time away from her during the weekend is hard so I couldn’t justify “work” when she wanted to play! Here we were playing peek-a-boo with a Christmas blanket that is out year round because it was CJ’s mom’s favorite. I had it draped over my head and she’d come running up and sneak underneath saying “Peek!”. She gets such a kick out hiding and then being “found”! Cracks me up!

5:30 p.m. – Dinner!

Almost time to eat the roast and veggies! Mmmm….Here I was in the process of finishing up the gravy. Turned out pretty good. Not as awesome as my mom’s but considering it’s only the 2nd time I’ve made a roast, I think I did all right.

6:30 p.m. – Bath time!

Isabella used to hate baths. I mean she would scream bloody murder through the whole thing. It got to the point where we just dreaded bathing her. But eventually she got used to it and now she has fun in there. Here she was putting her toys up on the edge of the tub and then knocking them down. Caught this shot a split second before the fish came flying at me. Bath time ended though when she called her, um, “girl parts” a “pocket” and tried to put her woobie in it.

7:30 p.m. – Puzzles with dad

Samson looking on as CJ and Munchkin work on some puzzles. We usually try to keep the activities low key as it gets closer to bed time. Samson likes to sidle up as close as possible too so that we don’t forget he’s there. Now how could we forget about Samson? When he was a pup we called him the “sidler” because he would come up when you were sitting and lean against the chair but then scurry off if you tried to pet him. He was very conflicted in those early days and I think he wanted love but didn’t know how to accept it. Now he does though. As soon as I took this pic, I gave him lots of kisses and snuggles.

8:30 p.m. – Watching a movie

After Munchkin went to bed, CJ and I decided to watch the “Babies” movie. Our friend Sara lent it to us a while back and we haven’t had a chance to watch it. It was really cute and much more interesting than I thought a movie with no talking that focuses only on 4 babies could be. Samson laid over in the play corner while we watched it. He really wanted up on the couch with us but there wasn’t room so the whole time he laid there, he was eyeing my spot just waiting for his opportunity.

9:30 p.m. – Time for bed

As soon as the movie was done, I headed to bed. All 3 of us are fighting colds and I wanted to get as much sleep as possible. 9:30 is my usual bedtime though some weekends I live on the edge and stay up later. I always pay for it the next day though.

So there you have it! A typical weekend day for TTM! It’s hard to pinpoint a typical weekend for us because they change so much from week to week, but I think yesterday was a pretty good representation. The only thing NOT typical about this day was the fancy dinner. Otherwise, everything else was pretty right on.

On February 1st, I will be linking up with Simply Rebekah and all the other blogs that participated in her challenge. Go check it out to see what a typical day is for other bloggers!!

If you liked this, you might also like:

Annexed: The Finale (aka, A Day in the Life of TTM)

A Day in the Life of Samson

The Perfect Day

26Jan2011

Samson Stories: Locked Out

Posted in Samson by teamtradermom

[Samson Stories will appear when I am in a creative slump or don’t have anything exciting to write about. These are funny stories from our adventures of raising a Labrador puppy. Enjoy!]

It was mid-April 2006 and Spring was upon us. The days were longer, the sun was out and the mercury was slowly rising on the thermometer. Back then, CJ and I were both working and this was before Isabella. We had owned Samson for about 3 weeks at this point and were still getting used to his antics.

I arrived home at my usual time – around 5- and let Samson out of his kennel. The Tasmanian Devil that he is came careening out the door and tearing down the hallway. He did loops around the dining room and kitchen then raced back down the hall before turning and making a mad dash for the backdoor. Good thing I was already there with the door open or he would have run right through it, leaving a labrador shaped outline behind.

We had to stand outside and watch him while he was in the backyard because he couldn’t be trusted alone yet. So I stepped out and kept an eye on him. I tried to be discrete. After all, who likes to be watched while doing their business? As I milled about on the deck, I spotted the grill and thought it would be a perfect night for burgers. CJ would be home a bit late tonight as he had to run a few errands after work so I thought I’d get the grill fired up and the burgers going.

Samson and I headed inside and I started dinner. I emptied a can of green beans into a pan (I’m gourmet like that) and put ’em on the stove. I got out the hamburger and began making the patties, all the while keeping an eye on Samson because he can’t be trusted even when we’re home with him. I would have to stop occasionally to run frantically down the hall and see where he had snuck off to. It was usually to our bedroom where he’d take either my shoes or steal CJ’s pillow.

Once the hamburger patties were ready, it was time to fire up the grill. I took the meat outside with me and got the grill going. Samson stayed inside which was fine since I was coming right back in.

Or so I thought.

I attempted to go back in only to find the backdoor wouldn’t open. Puzzling. I tried again. Still wouldn’t budge. Then I looked down and saw that the dowel rod we use as extra security by placing it in the track of the door was in fact jammed in place.

And this is what I saw right next to it:

Samson!!

Ok so let’s stop to assess the situation. I am outside on the deck with the grill and a plate full of hamburger patties at about 5:30 p.m. on a night that was rapidly becoming chilly. Samson was inside staring at me through the sliding glass door that was now blocked from being opened. CJ was at work and not due home for an hour or so. I had a pot full of green beans on the stove. And my cell phone was tucked safely inside my purse, which was on the kitchen counter.

And let us not forget that SAMSON CANNOT BE TRUSTED!

I tried to stay calm and contemplate my options. The front door and garage doors (along with all windows) were locked. At the time we didn’t have a key pad on the garage door (but we do now!) or a spare key hidden anywhere outside so there was no alternate way to get in. So I could…

Start screaming at the top of my lungs to see who would come help.
Try to break the door down.
Walk to CJ’s work (which was about 2 miles from our house) and get a key.
Ask a neighbor for help.
Sit and wait
Mow the lawn while I was out there
Pick up the treats Samson had just left me in the yard

I discarded all of those and decided to try reasoning with Samson. Makes the most sense right? I mean, if he can push the stick in to place, he can certainly pull it out. I started talking to him through the door.

“Hey Samson! See that stick there? Looks like a fun toy doesn’t it? Why don’t you play with it!”

Nothing.

“Guess what boy – that stick is made of meat! Bet you want to start gnawing on it now huh?”

Blank stare.

“Samson, don’t you dare touch that stick. If you touch it you’re going right to your kennel!”

Usually reverse psychology works on him but not this time. Drat.

Just then the next door neighbor came outside to do some yard work. I ran to the fence and asked to borrow their phone and called CJ. No answer. What, you thought the ending would be that easy? Tried again. No answer. I left a couple scathing messages about how important it is to answer one’s phone and then called my parents who have a spare key to the house. My dad said he’d come right over.

Now I just had to wait. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal. After all, I had food (fully cooked burgers by this time) and it was a decent enough night. But, I also had a 4 month old puppy who would give his right nut (and he did a few months later, along with the left one) to have free reign over the house. Now he did. And I had no way to stop him from ripping everything to shreds.

The only thing I could do was stand by the door and peer in from time to time (while simultaneously gnawing on a hamburger patty). If he was there, great. If not, I’d bang on the glass really loudly until he came running. He would look at me like, “Why are you outside? Can I come out? Why won’t you let me out?” Then he’d wander off and I’d have to bang on the door again.

My dad got there about 15 minutes later and opened the door. Samson came bounding over as if he hadn’t seen me in FOREVER! Then he promptly ran outside, jumped up and took a burger off the side shelf of the grill. *sigh*

If you liked this, you might also like:

Samson Stories: the Escape Artist

Samson Stories: Doggie Day Camp

Samson Stories: Two-Timing

24Jan2011

Snip

Posted in Isabella/Munchkin by teamtradermom

Yesterday I decided it was time to give Isabella a haircut. She was born with a full head of hair so this will be the 3rd haircut in her 15 months of life. It’s mostly cutting the bangs as I’m trying to let the rest of it grow out long. She seems to have my hair though (poor thing) – thin, fine and slow-growing, with some curl in it. So it doesn’t need to be trimmed that often. I just do it myself because it’s only the bangs and there’s no way I’m going to shell out money for someone to do 3 snips and be done.

But, perhaps I should reconsider.

The first 2 times and it turned out great. Silly me didn’t take a pic of the first haircut (I know, major milestone that I missed. Doh!) but here she is after the 2nd one.

Pretty good, right?

The key is to distract her. Since she is constantly moving, it can be a challenge getting her to sit longer than 30 seconds. Usually if I can sit her down in front of the TV, she’ll get absorbed in it and not even realize I’m chopping her hair.

Well that didn’t work yesterday.

I put her in her Einstein chair and turned on Sesame Street. She was also reading a book so I figured, hey, bonus! Once she was settled, I got the comb and scissors and started to work. However, she was fully aware of what I was doing and would either pull away or try to grab the comb/scissors, neither of which was helpful. I finally got it lined up and just as I snipped the scissors, she moved and I cut off more than I had planned.

Drat!

So of course I had to even it out which meant cutting the rest shorter. And it wasn’t straight so I had to take a little more off and a little more until eventually she looked like this:

And it’s still not even! But I couldn’t bear to keep going shorter so it’ll have to work. I’ll just tell people I did it on purpose to give her that super hip, short choppy bang look. Um, yeah.

By the way, she’s not pointing at the camera here and saying “Bad mommy!” She’s actually eating chocolate Malt-o-Meal for the first time and my guess is she’s trying to slime CJ’s phone.

Anyway, they will grow back and let’s face it, [warning: parental brag alert ahead] no matter what I do to her hair she will still be adorable so I won’t chide myself too much. I actually do think it’s kind of cute. Makes her already angelic face look that much more cherubic.

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23Jan2011

Oompa-Loompa

Posted in Isabella/Munchkin by teamtradermom

Though you can’t tell by the look on her face, you can tell by all the sauce on it that Isabella really enjoyed her Beefaroni at lunch!

If you like this, you might also like:

Wait

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It’s Bone Time!

22Jan2011

Toot-Toot

Posted in Isabella/Munchkin by teamtradermom

Last night I was feeling a little sad and contemplative after attending the memorial service of a fellow volleyball player. He was too young and left behind a wife and 2 beautiful little girls. Naturally, I was taking stock of my life and feeling extremely grateful for all that I am blessed with.

Isabella and I played for a little while and then she wanted a cookie. I got one for her and one for me and we sat on the couch eating them together. Samson was sitting at our feet waiting eagerly for some crumbs to fall. I was holding her tight and kissed her little head a million times as we sat there. I think she sensed that I needed some extra love, because she turned her head and looked right in my eyes before leaning in and giving me a kiss. It was so sweet. Next, she leaned in against me and gave me a hug. It was exactly what I needed.

Then she tooted.

Without skipping a beat, she looked down at Samson and said, “Dude…” as if blaming it on him. She learned that trick from her dad.

There’s never a dull moment around our house!

If you liked this, you might also like:

The Meltdown

Woobie-oobie-oobie

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