Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Should I?
So I'm sitting here at work, bored and sleepy. I don't want to be here. I want to be home in bed watching crappy reality shows. I texted my mom and told her I needed suggestions on what to look at on the internet. She suggested this old blog. It got me thinking....should I start posting on this blog again? Still not sure.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Comparing
Lately I find myself comparing my daughters. It's hard not to.
Kylie is easy-going, sweet natured and up for anything. She will try anything once and has no fear. She excels at pretty much anything she tries.
Sophie, on the other hand, is more difficult. She is sweet, but she doesn't like to try new things. She prefers to be coddled and held. She has no interest in soccer, Chinese dance, Brownies or anything else. She takes piano, grudingly (see previous post) but doesn't seem to enjoy it. She seems to like gymnastics, but she tried out for the team and did not make it. I felt terrible for her. Most of the other kids in her class who tried out made the team.
I know I shouldn't compare, but I do. I want Sophie to be passionate about something, and right now she's not. I don't want to force her to do something she doesn't like. When I was a little older than Sophie's age my parents forced me to take soccer. I HATED soccer. Hated it so much that I would pray for rain so the games would be cancelled. My mom said she thought I would be good at soccer because I was fast. Ha. 30+ years later I still recall how sick to my stomach I would get before practices and games. I won't put Sophie through that.
Sophie will tell you in no uncertain terms how she is feeling. If she doesn't like something she won't hesitate to state her opinion. She is good at drawing but doesn't like to write. She has a wild imagination and a wicked sense of humor. She likes to stay up late and sleep late. She is afraid to sleep by herself and wants us to sleep with our arms wrapped around her.
Kylie is more reserved. She gets stressed if she makes mistakes. She is tender-hearted. The other day when she got off the school bus she looked upset. I asked her what was wrong and she burst into tears. She said that at school they learned about cancer and watched a video about it. She said that she felt so bad for people who had cancer. It was heartbreaking to listen to her cry. I finally calmed her down.
Kylie is easy-going, sweet natured and up for anything. She will try anything once and has no fear. She excels at pretty much anything she tries.
Sophie, on the other hand, is more difficult. She is sweet, but she doesn't like to try new things. She prefers to be coddled and held. She has no interest in soccer, Chinese dance, Brownies or anything else. She takes piano, grudingly (see previous post) but doesn't seem to enjoy it. She seems to like gymnastics, but she tried out for the team and did not make it. I felt terrible for her. Most of the other kids in her class who tried out made the team.
I know I shouldn't compare, but I do. I want Sophie to be passionate about something, and right now she's not. I don't want to force her to do something she doesn't like. When I was a little older than Sophie's age my parents forced me to take soccer. I HATED soccer. Hated it so much that I would pray for rain so the games would be cancelled. My mom said she thought I would be good at soccer because I was fast. Ha. 30+ years later I still recall how sick to my stomach I would get before practices and games. I won't put Sophie through that.
Sophie will tell you in no uncertain terms how she is feeling. If she doesn't like something she won't hesitate to state her opinion. She is good at drawing but doesn't like to write. She has a wild imagination and a wicked sense of humor. She likes to stay up late and sleep late. She is afraid to sleep by herself and wants us to sleep with our arms wrapped around her.
Kylie is more reserved. She gets stressed if she makes mistakes. She is tender-hearted. The other day when she got off the school bus she looked upset. I asked her what was wrong and she burst into tears. She said that at school they learned about cancer and watched a video about it. She said that she felt so bad for people who had cancer. It was heartbreaking to listen to her cry. I finally calmed her down.
I'm back!
It's been 9 months since my last post. I stopped doing the blog thing because I was updating my status on Facebook instead. Now that Facebook is going through many changes I am questioning the privacy/security thing, so I've deted my Facebook account and I'm back to blogging.
My days are hectic and always filled with things to do. On Tuesdays I take both girls to piano from 6:30 to 7:30. Kylie's been taking piano for almost 2 years now and she's really good. I'm amazed at how quickly she plays her scales and how she catches on. Sophie, on the other hand, is mediocre. She does not like to practice and cries when I correct her. She frustrates easily. The other night I got fed up with it and told her I was pulling her out of piano, which made her cry even more. She said she doesn't want to quit and I'm not sure if it's because she enjoys it, or because the teacher gives her a piece of candy at the end of each lesson.
On Wednesdays I take the girls to Kylie's gymnastic practice. Both girls are in gymnastics and both used to have practice on Thursdays, but recently Kylie made the level 4 team so her practices are now on Wednesdays. Sophie tried out, but did not make the team so her practice is still on Thursdays. Kylie's practice increased from 1 hour to 2 hours, so Sophie and I do errands while Kylie is at gymnastics.
Friday night is "open gym" where both girls can practice what they've learned in class. Saturday is Chinese dance for Kylie, but right now it's on a brief hiatus until March.
Here's a summary of a typical week:
Monday - work
Tuesday - work, then piano
Wednesday - work, then gymnastics
Thursday - gymnastics
Friday - open gym
Saturday - Chinese dance
Sunday - nothing, except Brownie meeting one Sunday a month
My days are hectic and always filled with things to do. On Tuesdays I take both girls to piano from 6:30 to 7:30. Kylie's been taking piano for almost 2 years now and she's really good. I'm amazed at how quickly she plays her scales and how she catches on. Sophie, on the other hand, is mediocre. She does not like to practice and cries when I correct her. She frustrates easily. The other night I got fed up with it and told her I was pulling her out of piano, which made her cry even more. She said she doesn't want to quit and I'm not sure if it's because she enjoys it, or because the teacher gives her a piece of candy at the end of each lesson.
On Wednesdays I take the girls to Kylie's gymnastic practice. Both girls are in gymnastics and both used to have practice on Thursdays, but recently Kylie made the level 4 team so her practices are now on Wednesdays. Sophie tried out, but did not make the team so her practice is still on Thursdays. Kylie's practice increased from 1 hour to 2 hours, so Sophie and I do errands while Kylie is at gymnastics.
Friday night is "open gym" where both girls can practice what they've learned in class. Saturday is Chinese dance for Kylie, but right now it's on a brief hiatus until March.
Here's a summary of a typical week:
Monday - work
Tuesday - work, then piano
Wednesday - work, then gymnastics
Thursday - gymnastics
Friday - open gym
Saturday - Chinese dance
Sunday - nothing, except Brownie meeting one Sunday a month
Monday, May 16, 2011
It's been a few weeks since I last posted.
What's new with me is that I've become a "mystery shopper." That means that I get paid to shop and eat! I do contract work with several companies. So far I've done a few jobs for a major fast-food chain, some local restaurants, a mattress store, a deli, a major retail store and an apartment building. It's been pretty interesting. Here some of the stuff I've done:
1. Go to a major retail store and blow up balloons for Mothers' Day (using a helium tank): I got there and no one in the store could even locate the three boxes of balloons. I stood around for an hour, left without blowing up balloons and still made $10.
2. Ate at a local restaurant: I got paid $5 plus a free meal. I had to comment on the server and the cleanliness of the restaurant. I brought a book to read and had a relaxing 30 minutes away from the kids and husband!
3. Ate at a local ice cream shop/bakery: this is the best bakery around and is known for their ice cream. In fact, Oprah has the ice cream shipped to her in Chicago. I brought Kylie and Sophie with me. We got ice cream and cupcakes. They paid for our food and we got $5 on top of that. The store is located on the way to dance class, so we didn't waste gas.
4. Counting the steps: I got hired to go to a local deli/convenient store 5 miles from my house. All I had to do was count how many steps it took me to walk from the front of the store to the back. It was a very, very tiny store and only took me 17 steps. I also had to count the # of cash registers....one! Got paid $4 for this. By far the easiest job.
5. Go to a mattress store: I had to go to a mattress store and pretend like I was looking for a king-sized mattress. I had to get the salesman to write me a quote. It took 30 minutes max and I made $13.
6. Check out an apartment: I went to a local apartment community and had to pretend I was looking for a 2-bedroom apartment. I took a tour of the apartments and had to write a report. I got paid $18 but it was an in-depth report which took a long time. In hindsight, it really wasn't worth the $18.
7. Grocery Store: On Saturday I went to the local grocery store. I had to buy at least $9 worth of groceries. I had to put a large item underneath the cart to see if the cashier would notice (she didn't). They paid me $9 for my groceries and an additional $5.
8. Electronics Store: I visited a large-chain electronics store. I had to inquire about purchasing a refrigerator and a gaming system. I was there for 30 minutes and made $13.
This week I have three more assignments, one involving a buffalo wing restaurant. I don't make a lot of money, but it's very interesting and (sometimes) fun!
What's new with me is that I've become a "mystery shopper." That means that I get paid to shop and eat! I do contract work with several companies. So far I've done a few jobs for a major fast-food chain, some local restaurants, a mattress store, a deli, a major retail store and an apartment building. It's been pretty interesting. Here some of the stuff I've done:
1. Go to a major retail store and blow up balloons for Mothers' Day (using a helium tank): I got there and no one in the store could even locate the three boxes of balloons. I stood around for an hour, left without blowing up balloons and still made $10.
2. Ate at a local restaurant: I got paid $5 plus a free meal. I had to comment on the server and the cleanliness of the restaurant. I brought a book to read and had a relaxing 30 minutes away from the kids and husband!
3. Ate at a local ice cream shop/bakery: this is the best bakery around and is known for their ice cream. In fact, Oprah has the ice cream shipped to her in Chicago. I brought Kylie and Sophie with me. We got ice cream and cupcakes. They paid for our food and we got $5 on top of that. The store is located on the way to dance class, so we didn't waste gas.
4. Counting the steps: I got hired to go to a local deli/convenient store 5 miles from my house. All I had to do was count how many steps it took me to walk from the front of the store to the back. It was a very, very tiny store and only took me 17 steps. I also had to count the # of cash registers....one! Got paid $4 for this. By far the easiest job.
5. Go to a mattress store: I had to go to a mattress store and pretend like I was looking for a king-sized mattress. I had to get the salesman to write me a quote. It took 30 minutes max and I made $13.
6. Check out an apartment: I went to a local apartment community and had to pretend I was looking for a 2-bedroom apartment. I took a tour of the apartments and had to write a report. I got paid $18 but it was an in-depth report which took a long time. In hindsight, it really wasn't worth the $18.
7. Grocery Store: On Saturday I went to the local grocery store. I had to buy at least $9 worth of groceries. I had to put a large item underneath the cart to see if the cashier would notice (she didn't). They paid me $9 for my groceries and an additional $5.
8. Electronics Store: I visited a large-chain electronics store. I had to inquire about purchasing a refrigerator and a gaming system. I was there for 30 minutes and made $13.
This week I have three more assignments, one involving a buffalo wing restaurant. I don't make a lot of money, but it's very interesting and (sometimes) fun!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Fun with Sophie
Blogger is finally cooperating, so I am able to post some photos. These were taken a few weeks ago, before all the rain. The past two weeks we have had a TON of rain. In fact, this April has been the rainiest in history!
These photos were taken in our yard, on a Thursday while Kylie was at school and I was at home with Sophie. I love having Thursdays and Fridays with just Sophie. The weather was nice so we had a hotdog picnic. Scooter and bike-riding afterwards, with Pet Shoppy (her stuffed animal turtle) of course.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
La-La
Next month La-La will turn one year old. She has been such a blessing to our home. Kylie and Sophie love seeing her every day when they return home from school. Kylie makes sure La-La always has food. Somehow Steve and I are the ones always changing the litterbox. I've tried bribing Kylie without any luck.
La-La is a snuggler. She has to be in the same room with us at all times. When we take a shower, she stands just outside the shower door and watches us. When I'm sitting at the computer she jumps into my lap. She also recognizes her name and runs over when you call her.
For Girl Scouts Kylie was learning about pet care and had to make a chart showing how she takes care of La-La (see photo above)
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