Every couple of months I get into this creative, crafty mood and feel like I want to make something. I’m not really talented in this area but I really enjoy most crafts.
One area that I have steered away from is scrapbooking. I think scrapbooking is a little too much and there are way too many possibilities. I think it would drive me insane with all the papers, kits, tools, etc etc.
So call it cold weather nesting, boredom or whatever it is, I have been feeling the craft bug lately. One thing that I’ve always wanted to learn was to sew and knit. Yesterday I stopped by a knitting store by my mom’s house with my mom and KK in tow. I had talked to the lady in the store on the phone a few days ago and she toldm e about classes they offer and gave me some info. I stopped by to take a look at everything in the store.
There really are some beautiful things people have made and all the litle baby blankets and sweater made my heart giggle. I doubt it will be anytime soon before I can make anything resembling a sweater. So the first project is usually a scarf and she showed me some yarns that we would be using. Coolio! My mom is also interested so it will be fun to learn with her. She used to make table runner and dollies when I was little so she’ll probably learn really quick. So hurry up and tell me what color scarf you guys want for Christmas!!! haha, jk.
I just recently finished reading several books so I think I need to take a mini break from reading and start up something creative with my hands. I also wanted to see if I could make some sort of hair bow holder thing for KK’s hair bows. She only has one right now but as her hair grows I can see her accumulating a lot of hair stuff.
Oh, and there’s nothing like colder temps to bring out the baker in me. I made some pumpkin bread this weekend for P to take to work and for my mom. I skipped it cause of all the oil and sugar but I did fine a low fat recipe that I want to try out soon. next on the list is pound cake and with pound cake, the variations and stuff you can add to it is endless!!
Yippie! I ran my first official 5K! I also did my best time to date too. Woo hoo!!! I almost died about halfway to the finish line though and had to stop and walk for 30 seconds or so.
I’m signed up to do two more 5Ks before the end of the year. 10/25 and 11/21. That will keep me running even in the cold.
with the big orange cat that lives across the street. She only gets glimpses of him/her occasionally but this will send her into a tizzy that lasts for days. Days in doggie terms is practically a lifetime considering they have such short term memory.
I came back from the store last night and I let her out to do her doggie business and I heard her growling. I quickly ran over to see what she was doing and I saw the orange cat in our lawn. Heidi is a few feet away growling and kind of making a grumbling noise at the same time. It wasn’t a mean growl, more of a “OMG I can’t believe you are here, right in front of me!!!” kind of noise. I quickly scooped her up and the cat went about its business.
Well, Heidi could not forget about this kitty all night. Later when we let her out, she went straight for the ivy patch that the cat was in and sniffed her way all around it, hoping to find her lost love. She paced back and forth and stared out the front windows all night hoping to get another glimpse.
This will go one for a few days before she gives up on her love….for now! Ahhh, what is it about this orange, pudgy kitty has my little hot doggie all enraptured? When is the last time someone has made your heart skip a beat?
Oh, I think I have finally found another work crush!!! Details to come…
Its been a jam packed couple of weekends. I’m not complaining one bite, I’ve had such a great time!
One weekend was all about my friend Eric’s wedding. Our lil brother Eric is married!! I still can’t believe it. He’s only a month younger than me but I somehow think he’s my little brother. I was honored to be the “best woman” at his wedding. So Friday evening and Saturday was pretty much all about the wedding. I didn’t get to spend as much time with my lil KK but we did spend all day Sunday together.
This past weekend, P’s friend visited us from Detriot. I was meeting him for the first time. He came to watch P run the Army ten miler. I think its an annual tradition for them. One other friend was suppose to come with his family but wasn’t able to make it. We took KK out to the Vienna Oktoberfest on Saturday and she was there to cheer her daddy (and 25,000 other runners) yesterday. The weather was great both days.
I had so much fun with KK all weekend. She’s starting to smile and babble on more and more. And omg, the drooooool. The never ending droool. I started mixing in some baby food into her cereal. She seems to like the sweet potatoes.
I signed up on Friday to run a 5K this coming weekend. This will be my first official run. I hae no idea what the course is like and I’m hoping its flat, hahah. They promised that the greatest pumpkim in Virginia is going to be there so how could I pass that up!!
I don’t think anyone takes criticism well. The people who say that they like getting feedback so that they can improve themselves are lying! Haha. No, learing where you can improve is always good but it still stings a bit.
I was in a week long strategy session last week. Representatives from each department attended as well as VPs and Directors. This is suppose to help us shape our vision for the next 3 to 5 years. We had guest speakers and then in the afternoon we’d break for group assignments. I was put on the team that was suppose to give the entire project some perspective so we didn’t really have an assignment. We would just brainstorm some more.
Now, I’m an introvert. With friends and family I have no problem opening up and expressing myself but in a business or classroom setting, I’m more of an observer who will chime in from time to time. I’ve never been one to talk just to be heard and I don’t think out loud.
Well, I was given some feedback by my boss that the Director who was leading the session felt that I was being too quiet and not participating in the discussions enough. Ouch! Well, in the big session there was no expectation for me or anyone to speak up. In fact, that is what usually makes these sessions last much longer than they need to be. In my defense I told my boss that our team sessions have been mostly the VPs prioritizing the business objectives and determining their feasibility. I really didn’t feel it was my place to chime in.
But this feedback did hit me in a sensitive spot. I do feel that I need to be a bit more outgoing and vocal in meetings. Its a known fact that in a professional or academic setting, people who talk more are usually perceived to be more intelligent and having more to contribute. I don’t think this is all true but it the perception that you are giving.
I’ll admit that this bothered me all weekend. So do I now have to say something just to say that I said something? I was a bit relieved to hear that most of my team has been given the same feedback and so its not just me. In fact, in today’s meeting to discuss next steps, the same director pointed to another girl and said “You are quiet, you haven’t said anything.”
So where do you fit in? Are you usually the thought leader in the meeting or mostly a observer?
I was told today that I am too quiet in meetings and that I needed to speak up more.
I’m not a huge talker in meetings unless I have something valuable to offer. I don’t talk just to hear my own voice nor do I think aloud. BUT research has been done that shows people who talk more in a business setting are perceived to be more intelligent.
http://lifehacker.com/5355474/speak-up-to-look-smarter-than-you-are
So this all week strategy session…..today is the last day and I’ve been told that I should SPEAK UP. Ugh, now I’m all paraboid about what to say cause I HAVE to say something.
I is dumb
I’m in a week long strategy session this week and its made me realize just how much I’m tied to the internet. I seriously miss being on AIM and having all my sites at my fingertips. I’m on my iPhone continuously but its not really the same. Its like a sip of water when you really want to take a gulp.
So being in this all day meeting has also really affects my daily routine. As most of you know, I am still breastfeeding and this requires me to pay a visit to the lcatation room downstairs at work two times a day. Well, being stuck in a room talking about strategy with senior managers is not really conducive to pumping. Its hard to sneak out at times and even though I try to sit close to the door, I always seem to end up somewhere in the middle.
Traffic has been a nightmare. Two days this week getting to work has taken over 2 hours. I feel so drained and tired after I get to work. This leaves me rushing to get to the strategy session on time. Ack!
Are you stressed yet? Cause this week has me feeling like I’m pulled in so many different directions and instead of being able to tend to a certain thing, I end up all misshapen and defeated.
Oh and I miss K. I miss her so much that pictures of her make me want to cry sometimes. I remember P saying that his sister had a much harder time with Post partum feelings after returning to work. I can totally understand that now. By the time K gets home from daycare, she’s usually totally pooped from playing, not napping well and probably pooping (ha!) that she’s usually not in the best mood to play with her mommy. She’s usually fairly quiet and all she wants to do it eat and sleep. I just sit with her on the sofa and let her nap on me. I like looking down at her little face and holding her. I just feel like I don’t have enough time with her.
So this week has me feeling a bit overwhelmed and a bit of a failure on all fronts. I feel like I’m not really doing anything well. I know this is something that I’m putting on myself. No one is standing over my shoulder to see if I am being a good mommy or a great employee. Its my own little warped scale and balance system.
So what am I doing? I’m choosing not to run during the week. I know it would probably help but my ankle and knee have been bothering me so the mini break will be good. I might actually run tomorrow night and I’ll definitely run this weekend. I’m choosing to not do too much when I get home. I usually organize a bit or I’ll read but this week, I veg. Couch potato= me. Oh and I chalk up that almond croissant, donut and candy that they were giving out at the strategy sessions to my “feel good” bucket too. 
I try to speak Chinese with K as often as possible just to get her used to the sounds and tones. I remember the pediatrician saying that its important for babies to start hearing the different languages as early as possible. Since P’s Chinese is pretty basic, the responsibility of exposing K to Chinese culture and traditions falls pretty much on my shoulders.
I try to sing children’s songs to K too. These were songs that my grandparents and mom sang to me and because its been a while, I often have to make up my own lyrics. I can’t seem to remember all the lyrics to the songs. Twinkle twinkle little star in particular stumps me in Chinese. I can’t remember the Chinese version for “Up above the sky so high, like a diamond in the sky…..” So I sing that part in English, hahha.
I felt that I was singing the same songs over and over again to K so I went looking online for some Chinese children’s songs to broaden my repertoire and stumbled upon this:
My oh my, I think the album cover says it all. If you’re interested you can click on the link below and hear the songs Groovi Pauli sings in Chinese. Its clear that Pauli is not a native Chinese speaker. He has a very clear accent.
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/groovipauli
I’m traumatized and I think K will have to make do with the 4 or 5 songs I can sing in Chinese.
What is my idea afternoon? How would I choose to spend it? I this differs a lot depending on what point in my life this question is asked. I think pre marriage, it would be to meet up for quick lunch with my friends and then to go home and spend an afternoon getting stuff organized at home and hanging out with heidi. After marriage the answer is to enjoy a lunch outdoors with P and then to do something outside with Heidi.
With the baby, things change so much but I would still choose to spend my time with both her and P and Heidi. This might mean we all eat lunch and then all fall asleep on the sofa. hee hee. If I had to do something by myself, I’d probably go shopping and then get my nails done.
I think P and I have adapted quite well to parenthood. For me, the most difficult part in the beginning was the logisitics on how to get errands and stuff done with a baby in tow. I’ve gotten a bit more used to the idea of bringing her along and working out what I need to bring with me. Packing a diaper bag is quite a skill and it takes a lot of forethought and experience.
We met up with a bunch of friends and their kids yesterday at Tysons for lunch. K was super sleepy the entire time and only fell asleep for about 15 minutes during lunch. She was so interested in everything going on around her that she didn’t want to close her eyes for one second. She loves being in her Bjorn so I ended up carrying her around in it for a while. She passed out in the car and took a really long nap when we got home. We all passed out in fact. It was rainy out so it as perfect napping weather. I’m not a good napper but I totally konked out for about 30 minutes.
I have my favorite spot on the sofa. We have an L shaped sectional and my spot is in the bend of the sofa. I like that spot cause I get to stretch my legs out and I don’t have to watch tv sideways. I think there’s a permanent imprint of my bottom in that spot. I napped and rested there during my pregnancy, I nursed K there and I still prefer to sit there when K naps. I think I’m the most rested and happy when I’m in this cozy little spot. Super sappy but its like my heart (and bottom!) have found themselves a home.
I will soon be bald. I will no longer have to worry about washing, drying or styling my locks because they are leaving my head at an alarming rate.
I hardly ever saw a stray strand of hair during my pregnancy but starting about a month ago, I seem them everywhere. They aren’t only on my shoulders, they’re clogging up the shower drain, ticking my arms, sitting in my bowl of soup and lying on the floor of the bathroom like a thin woven mat.
I am going bald!! Every time I run my fingers through my hair or brush it, clumps fall out. Ack! I know this happens but at this rate?!
