Should there be a 4th R?

I just read a blog post on Seventh Generation's website in which is was proposed that there should be a 4th R in the REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE campaign.  The proposed 4th R would be REPAIR.  I have to say, I completely agree with this.  Recently, our washer & dyer both went caput on us (in the same week, in fact) and between the 2 appliances it only cost us approximately $75 to REPAIR versus buying new.  Now, the cost was kept down soely because Urban Cowboy did the work himself, thanks to the internet and other DIYers sharing their knowledge.  If he had not repaired them himself or if we had not been willing to pay a repair person to do it, it would have resulted in 2 perfectly good appliances in a landfill.  How sad.  In fact, I even get shoes repaired when the wear out.  Now, in all honesty, I do have to confess that I get shoes repaired more because I like those specific pairs more than because it helps the earth to do so ... but, still.  Anyway, I just thought I would spread the whole idea of the need for a 4th R out there - we can all think about it and decide or act accordingly.

The Baby Jesus Theme

Yesterday evening I was playing with the Little Man and we were playing with one of his wooden puzzles.  He hands me a puzzle piece which happens to be a Duck in a Bathtub and says, "here, Mama, hold Baby Jesus".  Ok, a little weird (I know) but I just go with it.  A few moments go by and Little Man takes the Duck in a Bathtub (aka Baby Jesus) back and says, "Baby Jesus is in the manger Mama" and he proceeds to place the puzzle piece in its correct home.  At this point, I decide to join in this themed play and pick up a Puppy Catching a Frisbee puzzle piece and I ask, "Little Man, is this one of the Wise Men visiting Baby Jesus?"  Little Man responds with, "No, Mama, that's a dog."  Well, of course it is ... silly me.  LOL

Etc.

- I got a Kindle for Christmas ( thank you, Urban Cowboy) and I really like it.  I've noticed 2 things about it  1) when I type I get very frustrated and until recently didn't know why...it's because the "typepad" (it's not a touch screen) is in A-Z order vs. like a traditional keyboard.  Duh - took me a month to figure that out.  2) I love, love, love having a dictionary at my fingertips!

- I can't figure out why the religious background/standing of our potential presidential candidates matters.  I mean, seriously, if we elect a Mormon does that mean we'll all be sujected to "Mormon-ism".  No and, frankly, people are dumb.  I mean, isn't there a lot more important news to report on than this?  And, while I'm on the topic of politics, again, I have to point out that there is a lot of important stuff going on in the world and I cannot, cannot, cannot figure out why the potential presidential candidates still qualify the abortion issue as important in the "big, national picture."  Just leave it alone already.

- My conversation with my boss went as well as expected.  We have agreed to only go up and be positive from here on out.  No, I have not told her my intentions for the end of the school year - I think I need to sit on it a bit longer to a) repair/rebuild our relationship for a positive parting and b) improve my chances for staying on in some type of reduced-hours, specialized capacity.

- Urban Cowbaby is the queen of the army crawl and she's ridiculously fast!  One second she's on the carpet, the next she's trying to eat the heating vent.  LOL  It's tough to keep up, honestly.  Little Man is doing a great job potty training!  We're very proud of him.

- I thought I accepted the imperfections of the one pair of pj pants I made for Little Man but, alas, it is not true.  Two nights ago I ripped the waistband apart and plan to repair over the weekend.  I will get this right.

- Sirius Radio is rocking my world again. I found a new channel, LaughUSA, that entertains me on the way home from work.  Sometimes I'm laughing so hard that I'm sure people driving by me think I'm a lunatic.

Follow-Up to "Not the First, Not the Last"

On Nov. 17 I posted about being punished for certain life choices we all make. In my case, I was specifically upset that I am being punished at work for choosing to be part-time instead of full-time so I can be at home with our kids more.  Well, a few weeks ago, I was pursuing an opportunity completely unrelated to my current position but, unfortunately (and shortsightedly), within my employment community and with very poor timing (oops).  Let's just say that it was a complete disaster and my boss rang me through the wringer for it.  Let's also say that she's been harboring negative feelings toward me from the very beginning of our relationship and all due to the same issues: She claims I don't trust her and by not sharing all of my information/aspirations with her I consequently disrepect her.  She also claims that while she's addressed this issue with me twice previously (although, not so candidly as in this most recent incident) I continue to disrespect her by not trusting her and she finds it insulting.  (SIGH)  So, the question is where the hell do I go from here?  Her expectation is that I respond to her in some way as I was quite silent during our meeting when she laid this all out for me.  Also, in that meeting she told me she can't tell if I just say things to "appease" her and if not, why I continue to do the same things to "hurt" her.  I'm struggling with how to respond to all that, especially with so much time passed between the incident and now.  I'm also struggling with how I can move forward and positively repair/rebuild the relationship considering I will very much need her and a good reference from her if I choose to move out of my current position.  One thing I have decided is that I am not going to outline my  logic to her.  I have done that previously and it's clearly not accepted as reasonable.  Additionally, I'm not going to tell her that I think the words "trust" and "management" don't belong in the same sentence with one another.  Finally, I'm not going to tell her that this most recent incident stems from me exploring options which may change her team structure and my work structure.  So, what's left?  I think I will take L's advice and simply tell her that I am sorry for appearing to be disingenuous and that my intent has never been driven by malice - I did not intentionally disrespect her and am sorry that she thinks I have ... I'm still struggling with the exact wording.  But outside of those two brief points, I do not think it is wise to say anything more on the matter because, based on what she's already shared with me regarding her feelings/perecptions toward me, if I say more she won't believe I am being sincere and that I'm simply attempting to say things for the sake of saying them.  All of this does not make the idea of coming to work very appealing and I am sad for that.

Sewing - Pajama Pants

I recently sewed 2 pair of pajama pants for Little Man.  I used fabric I had just lying around the house and both pairs are perfectly gender neutral so Urban Cowbaby can wear them too.  1 pair came out a bit wonky because, despite the fact I ripped out the elastic twice, the elastic seemed to be measured incorrectly both times.  The result is they are a bit big around the waist and we have to pull them up a lot.  But they're pajama pants so he only has them on for a bit before he goes to bed and they don't seem to bother him when he's sleeping. 

Also, very high on my list of sewing to-dos is to make Little Man 2 pajama shirts using old t-shirts.  I'm going to ask Little Man's Opa if he has any t-shirts he's willing to donate to the cause.  All of Urban Cowboy's shirts are too small as you need an XL size shirt.  I'm also going to solicit donations of old ribbed tanks from a few friends - I just recently cleaned out my collection or I would use one of mine.

Anyway, remember when I made the sweater pillow?  Well, I was left with the sleeves of the sweater and I still haven't thrown them out or repurposed them.  Currently, I'm torn between two options: 1) make them into another pair of pajama pants for Little Man.  I found a few tutorials that make it seem simple/easy but I'm a bit lost on one crucial step so hesitating or 2) make them into 2 rice heat bags with lavendar scent.  The lavendar is from my garden that I brought in and dryed.  So, I guess I'll keep you updated.

Maybe someday I'll even post a pic of Little Man modeling the pj pants.  Hahaha

Little Man's Conversation

The Little Man is an awesome conversationalist!  He loves to give us moment-by-moment commentary of what's going on around us.  He loves to tell us about all of his imaginings like climbing onto fire trucks with elephants and with monkeys on the ceilings.  Lately, he's been into pretending he's the UPS man and likes to load his truck (our stairs) with packages (various household items and toys) for delivery.  He's an excellent delivery person and even accepts returns.  ;-)

I want to share his 2 best Quotes of 2011:

1. We bring Urban Cowbaby home from the hospital and Little Man checks her out and then says, "She's nice, put her in the closet."

2. We are at a family Christmas party where Santa makes an annual appearance and Little Man has not been a fan of Santa since birth.  Little Man is crying and very upset and keeps repeating, "Santa, Go Away! ... Leave Presents (sob, sniffle, cling) Go away, Santa.  ... Leave Presents."