Last night was the first night D-man slept downstairs.  We set up a loft style bed in Mamacita’s room from IKEA, it is designed to allow a mattress or small toddler bed to fit underneath it.  The best use of the small room.  We moved the toddler bed under it after we put it up a couple weeks ago.  But we didn’t move D-man to it that day.  Instead we let him explore it, got Mamacita comfy with her new bed arrangement & took things slow.

The week leading up to last night made us say IT IS TIME.

D-man woke up constantly. We felt like the walking dead over this last week.  The lack of sleep was getting to us.

He has NEVER been a great sleeper. We’d get a day here or there, but nothing ever consistent.  Yet, on our family trip he slept in the same room with Mamacita & we noticed something after the first night of him adjusting to the new space he SLEPT.  Not a full night, but more than he had at home.

At home it’s been any time we get up, he gets up and at some point in the night each of us is going to get up to use the bathroom, unless we’re trying to create a water bed affect.  However, with D-man getting up every 10 minutes, screaming & throwing a set of tantrums that caused both Heaven & Hell to run for cover we decided it was time to give the new sleeping arrangement a try.

Wait, let me be more accurate.  Mike decided it was time & acted upon it.  I decided it was time & when it came to tucking all the kids into their beds I started to chicken out.  Even though earlier in the day I told him it HAD to happen THAT night or I was running away.  Not for good, just for a long nap.

See, I get ideas in my head & no matter how much sense they make to follow through on when it comes to act I panic.  I chicken out.  I have anxiety set in that overwhelms me.  I’ve always had difficulty with this but after the whole PPD breaking down it seems like I second guess myself more.  I didn’t think it was possible for me to be MORE neurotic, but apparently I was wrong.  Oh, how I was wrong.

Still, sleep called to me.

So we stuck to the plan.  More importantly Mike stuck to the plan & offered the idea that I could cuddle D-man to sleep.  He also reminded me that if it didn’t work out we could change the plan.  Darn him for being rational.

With that we both D-man tucked into his new little bed.  Then I laid down with him for a little bit.  I forgot how uncomfortable fitting a grown-up body into a teeny tiny toddler bed can be.  And as I laid there crumpled into the world’s smallest bed, with Mamacita above us asking questions every 5 seconds & D-man trying to get me to smell his feet I couldn’t help but laugh.  I’m sure we looked ridiculous, BUT he did stay in his bed AND he did sleep in it.

Although he woke up around 2am it was the ONLY time he woke up (he got more sleep too!) without a tantrum just a “Hey guys I’m up” kinda announcement.  Up enough to not fall back to sleep on his own, but not enough to cause sheer terror.  Hubby brought him upstairs with us & he spent the last few hours upstairs with us.

This means instead of the 4–5 hours of sleep Mike & I had been getting (which was an improvement over the 3 we use to get) we got  7 hours (since we were able to fall asleep around 10 pm) even with us waking up at 2 am & getting extra cuddle time in with D-man. That’s SEVEN HOURS!!  Can you believe it?!  Seven blissful hours of sleep.

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I don’t know what I’m doing.  Here, in life, or even with my coffee. See, it might be time to try a different creamer. I should probably (finally) stop using creamer, but I’m not going to.  Ever. I once attempted it.  I lasted about 5 minutes.

And really right now I’m having a hard time but not with my creamer. I decided if I want a creamer I’m going to have it.  Even if it’s flavored. A girl’s gotta have something to smile about.  But I might go with a different flavor, who knows? I’m a wild woman. OK, not really I’m a creature of predictability & comfort.  Messing with that causes me to become a panic stricken ball of nerves.

Instead, my nerves are already going into overdrive.  Work is not something I’m smiling about.  I went from feeling pretty awesome about work earlier this summer to having set backs hit one after the other.

Due to low enrollment I am teaching less, suddenly, turns out when people are looking to go back to school in a down economy sociology isn’t their first choice.  I know CRAZY!  I mean look how far it’s gotten me. Oh wait, I might not be the best walking campaign given the whole work reduction factor.

Because not only am I not teaching as much I’m not doing enough other work.  And it turns out work is something we need me to do, even if the evening teaching are not something we’re excited for me to do.  Yes, I have complained about how hard it is to split-shift parent because I do enjoy seeing my kids with my husband & having dinner together BUT there are bills & various expenses that need to be paid.  Money does that, money I earn helps pay student loans for example. My good looks, charming personality or lack of dance-off skills doesn’t.

As part of the underemployed PhD route I also learned funding for a research position I have been working in on & off for a few years has not come through.  Yet.  I’m praying Yet.  If not Yet then I’m going on a creamer binge to calm my nerves over money. That or another career must be opening up & this is all part of some cosmic plan to lead me to a new path.  However, I’m guessing I better stock up on creamer.

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We actually got out, with other adults, without our kids.  I know shocking!  We were celebrating our friends upcoming wedding at the rehearsal dinner, the wedding happened this past weekend & was spectacular.  I think we should do this “getting out” thing more often.  AND thanks to my beautiful Italian friend Susie who took this picture we now have proof.

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Banana bread is one of my favorites, as a kid I loved walking into the house & smelling it backing away.  I still love that smell.  It warms me from the inside out & makes me feel like a kid again.  However,  when I do make banana bread I also make Apple Spice Bread because Mamacita  is allergic to bananas.  I don’t want her to be left out of having a piece of bread. In fact, I made both the banana & apple spice bread on the same day.  It’s pretty simple to make both & for those who aren’t allergic it’s delicious.  Everyone deserves to have a freshly baked, warm, slice of quick bread with a pat of butter that just melts into it & this bread does just that.  Oh, so good.

What You Need:

2 Cup All Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

4–5 Ripened Bananas

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1 1/2 Stick of Unsalted Butter

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 Cup of Walnuts (chopped)

Topping:

1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/4 Cup Walnuts (chopped)

Pre­heat the oven to 350 degrees

Cook for approx­i­mately 1 hr– 1 hr 15 minutes

How To Put It Together:

See these don’t look so appealing.  However, these will become a sweet bread soon!  Another great way to have an on the go snack, breakfast or lunch or heck dinner.  Go wild!  Just don’t eat the entire pan in one day, your hips won’t forgive you.

After you sift together all your dry ingredients in a separate bowl put those aside.  Then cream together on a medium-high speed your eggs, butter, & vanilla.  Once those are creamed together add in your bowl of sifted dry ingredients slowly while the mixer is on.  SLOWLY!  Too fast is a face full of your dry ingredients.  Then add your bananas into the mix.  I like to add a few bananas at a time.

Nut time!  No, not me.  Well, not me this time. This time it’s all about the food.  The walnuts are going into the mix.  They are chopped walnuts.  If you don’t like walnuts you can substitute another nut or you can leave them out all together.

Add your batter into a buttered & lightly floured pan. You can use two 8x4 bread loaf pans or one 9x13 cake pan. I used a cake pan here. Once your pan(s) are filled sprin­kle your top­ping on it. I mix my topping with a mini-chopper. After this put it in the oven bake for about 1hr to 1 hr 15minutes at 350 degrees. I rec­om­mend check­ing it around the 1 hr mark, sim­ply use a tooth­pick or a knife & insert it into the bread. When you pull it out if it’s clean your bread is done, if not then let it bake a lit­tle longer (check again 10–15 min­utes later).

Now it’s done, let it cool & get ready to dive in.  Serve it up & be prepared to fend off the family who might have been waiting (asking ever FIVE minutes “is it ready yet?”) and is SO ready to eat a piece.  Again if you have someone who can’t have a particular quick bread, like Mamacita, in your house it’s really simple to make a batch of something they can have at the same time.  You already have the oven on & if your already chopping nuts and softening butter why not make more?

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I meant to post this earlier, but I thought everyone could use a smile today. OK, I COULD use a smile today.  And plus, Detroit is an awesome place, even with all the challenges & struggles it faces the City is awesome. Case in point Eastern Market. Eastern Market is over a 100 years old known for its food & flowers. In fact, this flash opera was on Flower Day. I couldn’t think of a better City to be flashed with some operatic beauty.

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1999

We had decided it was time to move.  Again.

Third time’s the apartment charm.

And so we began to look around.  This time we were looking to move outside the City.  We were leaving Detroit.

It was bittersweet.  I was excited to move. I was tired of the lack of grocery stores & strange men on our porch.  I was ready for a change & after the whole Alex situation I no longer felt comfortable at my old work.  Turns out Sarah wasn’t fond of me, go figure. Mike was also ready for a change.  He wanted to be able to go for evening walks & not think of where we should or shouldn’t walk.

But at the same time in our excitement and readiness for something different we were going to miss the City we met each other in.  The City we shared our first apartment in.  The City we started a home in.

After looking at about 100 apartments I got a call at my new work.  I was working as an optician & it was almost 9.   He told me that he had seen a small apartment with two bedrooms, a basement space with laundry in it that we’d have free access to.  Plus, it was just over a $100 more than our current rent, something we could actually afford.

It sounded like a dream.

Especially since all the other places we’d seen had been 1 bedrooms, with no storage, laundry was an arm & a leg (first-born for using the dryer) at twice the cost of our current place.  I think if we had each sold a kidney we’d have been golden for those places.

I could go & see it on my way home.  He gave me the number & after I finished talking to him I called.  I was on my way to see the apartment within the next 15 minutes.

It was one of two apartments on the back of a building being used for the landlord’s real estate business.  The neighborhood was quiet but near everything.  I walked up the stairs into the apartment.  It was small in its layout, not as much space as the current Detroit place but the basement area & laundry made up for that.  I mean a washer AND a dryer!  And we didn’t have to pay extra for it.  It was included.

It was perfect.  I told her that I loved it.  Within a month we were moved in.  Little did we know this was the apartment that we’d change & grow in ways that we could only dream of.

[this is part of my “how I met your father” series]

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I saw these at Target yesterday in the $1 section.  I can’t pass up that section.  EVER! Sometimes I find nothing of use there but sometimes I find useful gems.  I’ve never been so happy to see blocks in my whole life.  Mr. J tends to have a hard time looking at the numbers on a page & I noticed day one that he gets frustrated doing his math because of it.  Enter the Counting Blocks.

He did his math pages today with a smile.  He & I sat on the floor while he showed me how to do math problems with the blocks.  I think he relished feeling like he was teaching me something, I let him have that moment (I know I’m generous like that). Seriously though I had forgotten about how kids really do need hands-on at this age & stage.  I had planned to get some manipulatives for him & the other kids to use. I just hadn’t done it yet.

With the blocks he could stack, sort & count without feeling stressed while looking at the math problems.  He laughed.  He relaxed during math. I laughed & relaxed with him.

While he worked on his math.  I noticed Mr. G & Mamacita hard at work on their own project.  They were building pyramids.  Talking about the colors in their pyramids, the shapes of the counting blocks & the pyramid all being triangles, & they counted out how many counting blocks it took to make different sized pyramids.

They then used the counting blocks to create patterns.  The patterns started simple & became more complicated as they played. They also sorted through the blocks matching the colors into piles.  I really enjoyed these because they had so many uses & that the uses emerged without a lot of me forcing it.   As the kids all were doing their work I’d hop into the conversation every now & again, to help or offer a gentle correction if needed.  Really, I just love when kids are learning without realizing it.  I also think these are a a great thing to have in your home regardless of where your kids go to school because they are so versatile.  I’m wishing I had bought some sooner.

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A friend mentioned you can find companies who make specialty items that will ship anywhere & I thought hmmm…what about cupcakes? I love the idea of sending cupcakes, I mean it’s not something you get surprised by every day in the mail. And as y’all know I LOVE online browsing. So, of course, I set off to look up some amazing cupcakes. I have no idea how these S’mores Cupcakes taste from Crumbs Bake Shop, a shop that has no idea I exist but has made my day by just looking at their cupcakes.  I think every one I saw made my mouth water. It’s also truly wonderful idea to brighten a day with cupcakes.  If you head over to their site you’ll be dazzled by all the choices, I swear I think I gained weight just looking at them.

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Again I decided to catalog shop & redecorate the house I don’t live in, you know the fantasy house that I would live in if I could.  I thought this Pulley Task Table Lamp from Pottery Barn looked really neat.  My sons thought it was “SO SUPER COOL!”  That’s an exact quote.  I like that the lamp brings a clean look with a mechanical element with it.  A fun feature of the lamp is that the shade can be adjusted by using the pulley.  My oldest when reading that started to think of all sorts of ways he could rig something similar & his brother in crime started helping with a sketch.  Now I only hope that they don’t decide to rig my house with pulleys & levers.

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We started school yesterday.  At home.  At the kids request.  They wanted to start NOW.  They apparently really like learning, crazy I know.

It went really well.  We found a good rhythm.  We did some things in the morning, then we ate our lunch & after had our outdoor time in the beautiful weather that has rolled into town this week.  After our outdoor time we did some of our other learning activities & the day moved smoothly with more outdoor time in the later afternoon.  Everyone worked well together & I was able to work with each of the three kids who are schooling one-on-one.  I also was able to have my own down time carved out through out the entire day.

Overall, it was a big success. I know that it won’t be a perfect day everyday, but it started off on the right foot.  A big plus for any school experience.  I’m sure we’ll tweak & change things as the year moves forward especially as the kids activities start up again.  But I’m happy about the first day going so wonderfully.

Yet, I have to admit that I am sad that the next two weeks isn’t unpacking school uniforms, taking care of back to school lists & getting ready for the back to school gatherings at our parish school.  Even though I know this is the best decision for our children & our family after considering all the other options available this year (the kids talk about it as an adventure!), I’ve come to realize that I’m also having a hard time saying good-bye to the year that isn’t happening.

But then I remind myself I’m getting to say yes to the year that is going to happen & that is a pretty good thing.  Spending time together, learning together sharing those moments as a family & I get to do it barefoot with a cup of coffee in hand if I want.  That’s pretty sweet.

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