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Bookerdog – Picture Catalog There are new pictures up in the picture catalog. We have an enormous backlog, but then again, that’s kinda true in a lot of areas of our lives right now. Still though, I’ve done some work to the plumbing of our picture pages and things should run a bit more smoothly now. I’ve reduced the overhead on our machine enormously, so you should get better performance.

Most of these latest photos were taken with our relatively new Canon S60 camera. While it’s taken some time to get used to, the resulting images are a lot of fun. And for some reason, despite being taken from a 5 megapixel camera, the compressed images that we present to you are even smaller than the ones taken with our old 2MP Sony. Anyway, I thought you should know. If it’s been a while since you’ve browsed the photos.

And yes, there are a few new ones of Elliott, though not as many as you would probably like. Don’t worry, there’s still over 300 pictures and 3 months to cover. You’ll get your fill of little baby goodness.

Who can I talk to about adding a few extra hours to the day? Seriously, now, can’t we do something about this? It’s like the electoral college: everybody talks about it, but nobody ever proposes any legislation trying to change it.

Or maybe I just need a couple more hours of napping from my children during the day.

I’m circling the drain here, people. Maybe if I sleep on top of my copy of Getting Things Done, I’ll get some gumption via osmosis. If that works, tomorrow I’ll be trying to get comfortable atop a pile some three feet tall of all the stuff that needs doing. That pile would include: 6 inches of project notes, my keyboard (for all the email and stuff I need to write), my Swiffer, the dogs’ veterinarian Dr. King (Tim, you don’t mind, do you?), my razor (again, my apologies, dear), my running shoes, my favorite facial mask and a box of thank you cards.

At least the laundry is under control.

Am I projecting? This whole election deal threw me for a bit of a loop.

I am addicted to Starbucks. There, I’ve said it. Not only am I addicted to Starbucks, but I’m addicted to iced sugar-free vanilla skim-milk lattes the size of your head. That cost nearly four dollars. Just typing it out makes me sick.

Needless to say, this admission flies in the face of my commitment to becoming debt-free. Sure, we budget a certain amount each week to just blow, but a $4-a-day addiction is just ridiculous. I mean, sure, it’s not as bad as smoking or something, but still not very healthy for me (or my breastfed baby).

So putting it out here is my way of saying enough is enough. I’m going back to enjoying them only when we happen to be in the vicinity of a coffeehouse, not when we drive 10 miles out of our way to get to a coffeehouse.

Thanks for listening.

Anyway, on to another topic: I bet that not many parents can pinpoint the actual day that their children said the word “Ewww!” for the first time, but I can. Last Thursday, we were eating my delicious dinner of black bean chili mac when Auggie pointed at my plate and said, ‘Ewww!’ (Due to his bean boycott, he was enjoying his noodles with parmesan cheese only.) Tim and I both chuckled (the worst possible thing to do in these situations, but completely unavoidable, alas) and I said, ‘Where did you hear that? School?’

School gets blamed for everything these days — mostly good things, but the occasional bad thing, too. Like when Auggie got frustrated at some papers last Sunday and started calling them “stupid.” It was actually quite Chris Farley-like and I had to laugh as he repeated, “stupid, stupid, stupid” in this really funny, gruff voice.

This is all part of my “fear of outside influences on the three-year-old” stage that I’m currently enduring. It takes my breath away sometimes to think about the older kids at his school and what they might be teaching Auggie. He’s such a little sponge these days: repeating things we say, doing things he sees us do, insisting on doing things himself, etc. A bossy little sponge to be sure (you should hear this guy in the car) and yes, it was going to happen sooner or later, but the guilt! The paralyzing guilt that I’m not there to shield him from the sometimes-cruel outside world! Of course, most of the time, I just stretch out and enjoy my few minutes of focusing on something non-Little People-related.

By the way, I just have to say thanks to Meg, who sent me a copy of Mimi Smartypants’ book. Autographed, no less! Talk about just the cheering up I needed after watching the Cardinals roll over and die in the World Series… Thanks a ton! Kim, you have the coolest little sister in the world!

Too depressed to write much of anything right now, as the Red Sox have somehow managed to hog-tie my beloved Cardinals.

Oh, sure, it’s cool to root for the Red Sox now. But, hey, we got a whole lotta New Yorkers rooting for our clean-cut Midwestern boys right now, and that’s pretty cool.

Auggie’s fever rollercoaster made a stop at Mommy and Daddy’s doorsteps this past week, which is why you were stuck wondering the same thing my friend Jane was, ‘What happened with the dog pee?!’ (Let’s just say that we’re back to the drawing board with that situation.)

Tim was at Game 7 of the NLCS while I was at home with at 103 degree fever, playing “banana picnic in Mommy’s bed” with Auggie and Elliott, as my teeth chattered from chills. Whenever he called to see how I was doing, I asked, ‘Do you really want to know?’ Not pretty.

I am excited at the prospect of being in bed before 11 for once this month…

I have cleaned up no dog pee today.

On the way to the pet store to bring Booker home (Yes, I know that is one of the worst ways to get a pet. Yes, I also know that Missouri is one of the worst states in the Union for puppy mills. I learned all these things after bringing the cute little [and unbelievably expensive] wiener dog home as an incredibly indulgent graduation gift to myself.), we stopped at Wal-Mart and bought two baby blankets (more of a loose-knit blanket than the flannel receiving blanket kind you’re thinking of) to put in his kennel. Since that time (nearly seven and a half years ago now), I can’t remember a day when I didn’t have to put those blankets back into his kennel at night because he had drug them out at some point during the day. (And the blankets have held up remarkably well, only a few largish holes, after serving as makeshift tugs during this entire time.) Could it be that Booker hates the blankets, and he and I have been locked in some sort of blanket back-and-forth for years, with me none the wiser? Until today?

I posited this theory with Tim a minute ago and he laughed, saying, ‘Maybe that’s why Booker pees on everything. Maybe he’s like, ‘Lady, if you would just get rid of the damn blankets, I wouldn’t have to pee on everything!’

It’s worth a try, I guess, but now I’m kind of attached to the blankets…

So today I finally feel like I’m starting to shake off the cobwebs. Because, you know, the first day you declare “Pajama Day” is pretty fun and novel and all, but the next day, when you still aren’t dressed, it’s not “Pajama Day” anymore. And your toddler is starting to smell a little funny.

It was weird, though, because I really do feel like I walked around in a daze for most of this week. I didn’t clean, I barely kept up with the laundry (baby’s diapers don’t wash themselves, you know) and it’s really hard to remember the last meal I actually cooked. On the stove. With ingredients and stuff.

When I pushed “send” for the last time today, I totally breathed a sigh of relief. I mean, yes, I still have a ton of work to finish this weekend, but no more today. Even though it was 15 minutes until Auggie’s naptime, we hit the road for Bread Company and the bank. Good times. Even the sheets got changed!

Tim and I got to take Elliott out to the NLCS game Wednesday night, which was a ton of fun, but didn’t help the fatigue factor much. I had been feeling really guilty about not taking Auggie with us, but he chose to stay home with Grandma Libby and play. And then, when we got home that night, Tim took his temperature and he had a 103 degree fever. (You were right, Grandma! He was warm! I should listen to Grandmas more often. Especially when they’ve raised five boys.)

We’ve been riding the fever rollercoaster ever since. Give him some Motrin when the temp goes up, and watch Auggie perk up as the fever goes down. About six or eight hours later as the Motrin wears off, watch Auggie’s eyes go glassy and be prepared to start carrying him around like a baby again. In typical Beth-fashion, I couldn’t decide if his symptoms (high fever, runny nose (mostly just cloudy, not green or anything), oozy eye) were enough to warrant a trip to the pediatrician’s today. And now it’s the weekend, so I’m sure that he’ll wake up with a full-blown sinus infection tomorrow.

But, hey, at least I got dressed today.

You know the part where the blogger makes the lame excuse that they are so tired that their eyes are crossing? That’s me. Only it’s not sounding like such a lame excuse anymore.

I have been very busy with work, work and more work. But what about all this time I’ve got with Auggie in preschool, you ask? Well, it’s time that I spend making calls, answering emails and listening to the Dave Ramsey show. I’m finding it nearly impossible to focus enough to actually sit down and compose articles. I totally forgot how distracting darn babies can be! Of course, Elliott is distracting in the cutest ways possible. He wrinkles up his nose when he smiles! And he laughs now, too! I spend at least two hours a day actively trying to make him laugh. Which never works, of course.

Auggie came out of preschool today wearing the cutest Christopher Columbus ship hat. Was it the Nina, the Pinta or the Santa Maria, you think?

Not only am I slightly obsessed with our finances, I’m also currently obsessed with this book called Getting Things Done. I read about it on the Internet!

OK, so I’m a huge geek. I’ve also confessed here many times that I’m a sucker for self-help books. (Not enough to get suckered in by Dr. Phil’s new book, however. I have some standards.) After spending two exhausting days “processing” my stuff, I feel a lot better. Since Elliott has been here, hell, since I was about 16, I’ve often felt as though I’m running around in circles, never getting anything really done. It’s especially unsettling when I’ve got a ton to do for other people. For money! The approach in Getting Things Done is very logical and has me feeling more confident that I’m not forgetting anything.

In other obsession news: We paid off our first debt this week! Woo hoo! Sure, it was only $55.56, but it’s something! One down, four to go! (This does not include the house, of course, although it will be paid off early.) Next up, Tim’s student loan. I cannot wait to kick that thing out the door…

Anyway, did I mention that you can listen to Dave Ramsey’s show online? Friday is my very favorite day to listen, because people call in and get to scream, “I’m debt-free!” And their stories are usually completely amazing. A couple of weeks ago, a woman called in who had paid off over $90,000 in debt in under 2 years! Unreal. Those calls also make you feel really good when you don’t have anywhere near $90,000 in debt. I think, ‘Dude, we can totally do this!’

But I’m the squarest square in Squaresville.

I think I’m getting a little obsessed. I mean, when you’re making the customer service people at the bank look at you funny because you want to have a dozen or so special savings accounts (“mini-accounts” if you will) tied to your checking account (at no charge, natch) just so you can use them to budget your finances down to the last damn dollar, you might think that that would send up a red flag, no?

And, no, my little local credit union does not have such a thing. They do have a Christmas Club and a Vacation Club, though, which do me no good whatsoever. Thanks!

Sigh.

So I’m trying to make do with a way-too-detailed (is that possible, considering my obsession? no, there’s no “dental floss” file. Honey, how much do we spend on dental floss each fiscal year?) Excel spreadsheet budget and a firm grip on my self-control. Maybe I should freeze my debit card in a bowl of ice water. Except that would get really old, waiting for it to thaw at the gas pump.

How many of you just pushed your chairs back from your computer and let out a low whistle, like ‘Dude, Beth has officially lost it.’ I wonder sometimes myself.

Elliott tidbit: I weighed him yesterday (fully clothed, to his relief as we were in Kangaroo Kids) and he was up to 15 pounds, 10 ounces. I totally need to unearth Auggie’s stats. I bet he didn’t hit 15 pounds until 7 or 8 months. Not that I’m comparing… Ok, I’m totally comparing.

Auggie tidbit: Today before church, a gaggle of ladies had gathered around Tim to ooh and ah over Elliott. Auggie chose that moment to reach out to me, give me a big hug and say, ‘Mommy, I love you so much,’ eliciting a chorus of ‘Awww!’ from the ladies. Good boy.