Tuesday - Where is Everybody?

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Lady M: I love that you are looking at your schedule and finding ways to relieve some things. You are also right at identifying what has changed since the last time you had little ones. Is there a way you can nurture a Grandparent relationship for LO with someone from church so you have them to call on as well? I realize such a person will be about your age and have nothing to teach you but it might be a way to replace one of the things that is missing from your life as a mother now since your own mom isn't able to fill in that roll.

One suggestion: you mentioned doing things for yourself. Have you thought of taking karate at the same time as LO? When my kids were taking Tai Kwon Do, the class was all ages, not just little kids. The mind over matter element of it might be helpful to you.

Dh cooked dinner and I cleaned up, then did the weekly kitchen chores.

In fact, this week almost all the weekly chores for Monday and Tuesday have been done. That's most unusual (and possibly the only time this has happened since moving in!)

I even did the declutter challenge for today. Still have to clean out my purse (was going to do that while moving things to the new purse.) Since I've just discovered the preferred backpack purse is available on Amazon, I'm going to have to live with my existing purse just a while longer and take the one I bought today back. I really like it but the shifting forward while I biked was a problem and convinced me I really need a backpack purse.

[helia]

((LadyM)) You are amazing! I could never dream of being able to keep everything going that you do. And certainly not with the good attitude that you have.

Twins, I asked dh about your dd traveling alone to Amsterdam or Rome, just because he has traveled a lot and because he is European. His first question was whether or not she has traveled outside the US herself a fair bit? He said that if she has enough $$, a phone, and knows how to be safe in a foreign country, she should be fine. It helps to know how to use public transport, but that can be figured out on the spot too. I agree with Kathryn; if I were to choose between Amsterdam and Rome for an interesting visit, I'd go to Rome. Maybe that's also b/c NL is not so interesting to me anymore.

Belgium sounds very similar to the Netherlands in terms of English education, Harriet. My nieces and nephews in the Netherlands were able to hold decent conversations in English at a fairly tender age. I'm remembering one particular long walk and English conversation with a Dutch nephew, and I think he was around age 10 or 11 at the time. I was quite impressed at the time. I'd be curious to know if your Belgian friend is Flemish speaking or French speaking, just because I've been told that linguistically, Dutch is the closest language to English. We've always wondered if that is why the Dutch learn to speak English so well. I'd also be curious to know if you mentioned the Netherlands to your neighbor as there is a certain. . . well. . . cultural rivalry between Belgium and the Netherlands. I'm not sure how tongue-in-cheek it is, though.

We pretty much do North Face backpacks. I have a black one I use for work. Dd17 has a North Face backpack too, a teal colored one she bought from a friend who ordered 2. We asked her to pay 1/2 since they're so darn expensive. I don't know how many of our hiking backpacks are N F. They're usually good quality.

I went through a couple stacks of papers and pulled out some snail mail bills to pay, so I have those spread around me on the table.

Dinner has been made, eaten, cleaned up. Dh and the girls took the garbage and recycling to the curb. The dw is running. I have all day tomorrow, minus the time spent at a dental appt., to get ready for our houseguests. And there is a LOT to do.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Just ordered the bag I want. But 3 - 6 weeks shipping and I leave in 3 weeks. So that means I won't get it until September, when I don't need a summer backpack!

Dh suggested reordering from .com and having it shipped to his hotel. I think I will do that since the US price, converted to C$ is $10 cheaper.

Edited to add: order canceled (which means I have to wait for my book since it is more expensive from .com)

Now to decide if I'll keep the sling bag or not. If everything fits perfectly, I will since I can afford two (I will, however, have to find a purse or two to take to the giveaway shelf since I've added two purses to my collection.)

Edited to add (again): I found three purses to give away so they are waiting to go to the shelf.

Did you all notice how I'm avoiding SHEMs by editing my posts?!

[Nancy]

Speaking of back packs I saw some in stock here @ w-mart I looked at them briefly but they had no wheels.

I am working on another chicken shaped dish cloth but the head is facing the wrong way trying to decide if I like it ir not. Fixed and finished it.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Just stuffed the sling bag and it holds all my stuff for everyday but last Thursday I also had a dressing gown and soft cover book in my backpack and I'd be hard pressed to get them in today.

Anyway, if you are interested, here's a link, except mine is Atlantic Blue which looks pale purple to me.

http://www.amazon.com/AmeriBag-Small-Cl ... rds=hbbevo

There's a lot to like about this bag, including all the organizing pockets inside and out.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Today's thread reminds me of when Lucylee was looking for a purse. I'm just about as stressed about it as she was!

Speaking of Lucylee and shopping, I decided to get a new vacuum! (And based on her experience, I won't be buying a Kirby!)

SHEM:

Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go;
they merely determine where you start.

[lucylee]

LOL at all of this!
Now I sorta want a backpack. But not really, bc I carry a Nike sling bag, I think that's what it's called, to ballgames -- and I don't like how the drawstring pulls too tight and everything falls to the bottom. I just take it bc it is water resistant and lighter weight than my purse.

My purse is too heavy, but I like it. Large hobo style I guess you'd call it. Coach brand, ordered from Internet outlet store for less than a third of what it would cost in a store. Outlet turned out to be in China and purse may be fake -- I don't know -- but it looks nice, except it's a tiny bit TOO large and a tiny bit too heavy.

Glad to see you remembered my dissatisfaction with the Kirby, too, Kathryn. However -- seems like someone here has one and likes it. My Kirby now lives w/ds, along with TWO Electroluxes inherited from dmil.

ALL the ironing is done!!!
Finished book that is due back at library tomorrow!
Ate out w/dh.
Delivered mail order (R ush L imbaugh) tea to ds.
-- so nice to see them sitting around the table eating pizza, dgs happy and enjoying his pizza... I know dinlaws would be so happy. There's a lot of stuff I worry about, and stuff I'd like to change, but dgs is awfully happy and healthy, so I suppose that things don't have to be done just how I would prefer all the time, right?