So we decided to stay put. We're not planning on moving anytime soon, despite the woes we have mentioned about our apartment. What happened? I came to the realization that it's not that bad.
Sure, we have noisy neighbors. Yes, we still have cracks in the ceiling from the leak. No, we did not get rid of the fleas (although we're working on it). We also have some sort of sewage smell coming from under the apartment (found out there are leaking pipes - yuck! - but will be fixed Wednesday).
Change of heart? Perhaps. As we searched for apartments, we found a couple that we really liked and even started filling out the paperwork. The cost would have been a bit more, but I thought "it's worth it, because nothing can be worse than this place."
A couple of weeks ago we had new neighbors move into one of the apartments upstairs. As they were emptying their moving truck of belongings, I heard the mother yelling at her son, "Don't hang out there like that! This is a better neighborhood and you shouldn't be doing that anymore."
Reality check.
So I thought about it. Was it worth moving? Is my desire to move just out of selfishness? Are those things that annoy me about this place really that bad? Have I just over dramatized it in my head because I'm home all day?
So I came to the realization that maybe we should stick around here for a little while longer. Instead of spending the money each month for a higher rent, why don't we save more? Perhaps, I should take ownership in our apartment and try to clean it up? Maybe I should stop being such a priss and work harder to make this a livable environment for my family.
So that's what we're doing. We're staying put.
8.26.2006
8.22.2006
Trial and Error
One of the things that I wish I did a little bit more before becoming a parent was to do more research...Ask some more questions from experienced parents...get some ideas on how to be a more resourceful mom. I guess those months before Baby Bear arrived was a whirlwind, and I just didn't have the time (or the energy) to sit down and get a little bit more information.
I feel like I've been sucked into the chaotic consumer-driven world of places like Babies R Us. I can't tell you how many times I've walked down those aisles and thought, "hmmmm, maybe we should consider getting one of those." There are so many things that one child just does not need. I can name a few things already in our household that Baby Bear has touched maybe once or twice in her lifetime. Yet, we have them stored for those "just in case" moments.
It's been a wild game of trial and error. Before Baby Bear was born, we guessed and bought what we thought was minimally necessary. My thinking was that since we didn't know what to expect, we should buy the minimum and add as needs arise. When Baby Bear entered our lives, I realized that many of those once "necessary" items became "unnecessary" or "more than we needed." As Baby Bear developed, other items we had weren't quite the right fit. So on top of the unnecessary we bought more that was necessary. On top of the items that weren't quite right, we had to replace with more suitable purchases.
In the end, our minimum amount of things became just too much.
So this is why sometimes I wish I had done some more research. Perhaps we could have found the items cheaper. Perhaps we would have known beforehand that the items that seemed better for our baby, were just a bunch of expensive nonsense and scaled down. Perhaps, I would have been more careful about considering the worth to Baby Bear's growth and development. Perhaps we wouldn't have ended up spending so much on frivolities. Perhaps...perhaps...perhaps...
But since I don't have a time machine handy, it's a little too late for perhaps. Or...
Perhaps it's all just part of becoming a wiser more efficient parent.
I feel like I've been sucked into the chaotic consumer-driven world of places like Babies R Us. I can't tell you how many times I've walked down those aisles and thought, "hmmmm, maybe we should consider getting one of those." There are so many things that one child just does not need. I can name a few things already in our household that Baby Bear has touched maybe once or twice in her lifetime. Yet, we have them stored for those "just in case" moments.
It's been a wild game of trial and error. Before Baby Bear was born, we guessed and bought what we thought was minimally necessary. My thinking was that since we didn't know what to expect, we should buy the minimum and add as needs arise. When Baby Bear entered our lives, I realized that many of those once "necessary" items became "unnecessary" or "more than we needed." As Baby Bear developed, other items we had weren't quite the right fit. So on top of the unnecessary we bought more that was necessary. On top of the items that weren't quite right, we had to replace with more suitable purchases.
In the end, our minimum amount of things became just too much.
So this is why sometimes I wish I had done some more research. Perhaps we could have found the items cheaper. Perhaps we would have known beforehand that the items that seemed better for our baby, were just a bunch of expensive nonsense and scaled down. Perhaps, I would have been more careful about considering the worth to Baby Bear's growth and development. Perhaps we wouldn't have ended up spending so much on frivolities. Perhaps...perhaps...perhaps...
But since I don't have a time machine handy, it's a little too late for perhaps. Or...
Perhaps it's all just part of becoming a wiser more efficient parent.
8.17.2006
Quiet is Good?
This past week has had its shares of ups and downs. At the end of VBS Baby Bear caught a virus (or rather at the beginning of VBS since most viruses/bacteria have at least a 5-day incubation period...I know, nerd). So Saturday and Sunday she spent at home with a fever, poor child. Monday she broke out into a rash, and experienced mothers worldwide (My cousin, who has 4 kids - Friends who live minutes away) said "Oh, she must have roseola." So we stayed home for a couple of days. But she got better, and the rash disappeared.
Then I got sick. Still am. Not too bad, just extra tired. (Sorry haven't called you, Brightlife - have number, will call!)
Baby Bear then decided to kick off her good health to move from immobile child to mobile child. (Not crawling...but massive bouts of rolling)
How I found out: So today she started to cry because I sat down to rest. I heard something fall in the kitchen and went to investigate. After I found the culprit (a pile of clutter had fallen over) I realized Baby Bear had stopped crying and it was quiet. I thought, "ah, quiet is good." Then I stopped and rethought, "Uh oh, quiet is not good." I peeked my head around the corner to find my daughter four feet from where she started and pulling out all the magazines and whatnot that we stored on the shelf under our coffee table. She was happily chomping on a Physical Therapy magazine, and looked up at me with proud eyes that said, "Look, what I did!"
I smiled, of course. (But inside I'm thinking "Man, I have to start childproofing my home?!?!)
Here's a pic of our happy Bear at VBS last week.
Then I got sick. Still am. Not too bad, just extra tired. (Sorry haven't called you, Brightlife - have number, will call!)
Baby Bear then decided to kick off her good health to move from immobile child to mobile child. (Not crawling...but massive bouts of rolling)
How I found out: So today she started to cry because I sat down to rest. I heard something fall in the kitchen and went to investigate. After I found the culprit (a pile of clutter had fallen over) I realized Baby Bear had stopped crying and it was quiet. I thought, "ah, quiet is good." Then I stopped and rethought, "Uh oh, quiet is not good." I peeked my head around the corner to find my daughter four feet from where she started and pulling out all the magazines and whatnot that we stored on the shelf under our coffee table. She was happily chomping on a Physical Therapy magazine, and looked up at me with proud eyes that said, "Look, what I did!"
I smiled, of course. (But inside I'm thinking "Man, I have to start childproofing my home?!?!)
Here's a pic of our happy Bear at VBS last week.
8.10.2006
The Boys at Church...(By Songwriterlee)
So it's already begun. *Sigh*
This week is VBS (Vacation Bible School). Since I am a volunteer, Baby Bear got to spend her mornings in the nursery with the wonderful volunteers who take great care of her. So instead of being with just one kid, I am with about 140 kids.
After each day at VBS, there is lunch served to the volunteers and their families. The kids eat first, and then while the moms eat (and chat) the kids run around and play. I have been having a blast just observing and watching all the kids, including my own.
Baby Bear isn't quite mobile, so she sits in her stroller and watches all the rest of the kids. Apparently, it doesn't hamper her socilization much. There are always people stopping by to play with her and entertain her. She's so extroverted! I'm not quite sure how two introverts sired an extrovert.
Meanwhile, there is this group of boys around 3-5 years old who constantly come to chat with Baby Bear. They talk to her and then they ask me questions about her.
"Is she your baby?" (Yup)
"Where's her hair?" (I don't know, did I lose it?)
"Is she laughing?" (She thinks you're funny)
"Did she drop her food?" (Yes)
"What is she eating?" (Baby Cereal)
"How old is she?" (7 months)
And then they always end with, "She has cute smile" or "She's cute" or "She smiles good."
Uh oh.
I think it's time for daddy to worry.
This week is VBS (Vacation Bible School). Since I am a volunteer, Baby Bear got to spend her mornings in the nursery with the wonderful volunteers who take great care of her. So instead of being with just one kid, I am with about 140 kids.
After each day at VBS, there is lunch served to the volunteers and their families. The kids eat first, and then while the moms eat (and chat) the kids run around and play. I have been having a blast just observing and watching all the kids, including my own.
Baby Bear isn't quite mobile, so she sits in her stroller and watches all the rest of the kids. Apparently, it doesn't hamper her socilization much. There are always people stopping by to play with her and entertain her. She's so extroverted! I'm not quite sure how two introverts sired an extrovert.
Meanwhile, there is this group of boys around 3-5 years old who constantly come to chat with Baby Bear. They talk to her and then they ask me questions about her.
"Is she your baby?" (Yup)
"Where's her hair?" (I don't know, did I lose it?)
"Is she laughing?" (She thinks you're funny)
"Did she drop her food?" (Yes)
"What is she eating?" (Baby Cereal)
"How old is she?" (7 months)
And then they always end with, "She has cute smile" or "She's cute" or "She smiles good."
Uh oh.
I think it's time for daddy to worry.
8.03.2006
Five by Five (by Padawanlee)
Well since I have been tagged... here I go on my very first post.
Five Things in My Freezer
1. Milk for Baby Bear.
2. Edamame in shells.
3. Shu Mai that my grandmother made for us. Yum.
4. Lots of frozen fruits so we can make smoothies with, that we never do.
5. Phyllo dough.
Five Things in My Closet
1. Random stuff.
2. Clothes
3. More stuff
4. Crock pot
5. Water balloon launcher
Five Items in the Car
1. Tennis racquet
2. The only 3 CD’s that I own.
3. Bag of chips in my glove compartment just incase I get the munchies.
4. A bag of trash - Sometimes trash is in the bag, sometimes trash is on the floor. (ah… memoires of college)
5. Lots of AAA maps.
Five Items in My Backpack (I shall rummage though the backpack that I haven’t used in 2 years)
1. Lots of highlighters.
2. Lots of pens.
3. Random papers that I have no idea where they belong.
4. Spare change.
5. Dust and dirt from who knows where.
Five Books on My Nightstand (I have a few books on my nightstand that I do not even know the name of, but here is what I am reading.)
1. Sports Illustrated.
2. ESPN magazine.
3. TIME.
4. Newsweek.
5. NIV Bible.
I tag the one and only jasonisscruffylooking
Five Things in My Freezer
1. Milk for Baby Bear.
2. Edamame in shells.
3. Shu Mai that my grandmother made for us. Yum.
4. Lots of frozen fruits so we can make smoothies with, that we never do.
5. Phyllo dough.
Five Things in My Closet
1. Random stuff.
2. Clothes
3. More stuff
4. Crock pot
5. Water balloon launcher
Five Items in the Car
1. Tennis racquet
2. The only 3 CD’s that I own.
3. Bag of chips in my glove compartment just incase I get the munchies.
4. A bag of trash - Sometimes trash is in the bag, sometimes trash is on the floor. (ah… memoires of college)
5. Lots of AAA maps.
Five Items in My Backpack (I shall rummage though the backpack that I haven’t used in 2 years)
1. Lots of highlighters.
2. Lots of pens.
3. Random papers that I have no idea where they belong.
4. Spare change.
5. Dust and dirt from who knows where.
Five Books on My Nightstand (I have a few books on my nightstand that I do not even know the name of, but here is what I am reading.)
1. Sports Illustrated.
2. ESPN magazine.
3. TIME.
4. Newsweek.
5. NIV Bible.
I tag the one and only jasonisscruffylooking
8.02.2006
The Strange Things We Do...
A few weeks ago, a friend of ours was telling us how it's fun to see how short babies arms are. They're arms don't quite reach atop their heads...hee hee. Check this picture out.
8.01.2006
Five By Five - Tagged Again!
Tagged again! I don't mind being tagged, I just never know what to write...but I'll do my best. I've been tagged by Nina this time...
Five Things in My Freezer
1. Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken - Yum yum...easy meal, good taste.
2. Cha Siu Bao - Homemade by Matt's grandma...again, easy meal, good taste.
3. Ice Cube trays fulls of frozen foods for baby bear(peaches, apples, avocados, peas, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash - and more!)
4. Ground Turkey - I've been trying to cook healthier...Matt's cholesterol, grrr.
5. Pork bits - Perhaps one of these days I'll cook up some kimchee jigae with the random pork bits.
Five Things in My Closet
1. Uh, closet? Am I supposed to put things in the closet? They're doing fine on the floor.
Five Items in the Car
1. Baby Bear's stroller which I found out today is 28 lbs! Uh, I think we need a lighter stroller. Any suggestions?
2. My CD case with some of my favorite cds - when driving, you gotta have the tunes!
3. A travel Bible - Since we forget to usually bring one with us on Sundays to church, so we leave a small one in the car.
4. A bag of trash - Sometimes trash is in the bag, sometimes trash is on the floor.
5. Random stack of papers - I'll have to go through those one day...but I think they're old maps, past church bulletins, Matt's jury summons, or something...
Five Items in My Backpack (Is this for a student? oh well...I'll just use the diaper bag or my purse?)
1. A bottle of water - always, a must! For a thirsty mom and a thirsty baby.
2. A small tupperware full of Veggie and Fruit Puffs for the always hungry Baby Bear.
3. Mini Tinkle Crinkle - Baby Bear's friend when we travel.
4. A Joann's Gift Card that I received for Mother's Day - in case I have to urge to buy crafts.
5. A Picture of Matt and me - A friend took a mini polaroid of us on our wedding day, and I just carry it around.
Five Books on My Nightstand (Okay, so they're not on my nightstand, but they're wherever I usually read when I get a chance)
1. 1001 Women's Healthcare Questions - I don't have questions, I'm just a Bio major and health issues fascinate me. I know, I'm such a nerd.
2. The Poisonwood Bible - The fiction book, I'm currently reading. Wow, does this woman(author=Barbara Kingsolver) have a way with words or what? Plus, she has a graduate degree in Biology...
3. Moral Choices - Tough. It's making my brain mushy.
4. Super Baby Food - Yup, I'm cooking Baby Bear's food. Hey, I figure I might as well try.
5. Real Simple - Okay, so this isn't a book...but I really like the magazine. It makes me feel like one day I can actually organize and simplify things in my life...one day.
Who to tag...who to tag...how about meishichan(since she tagged me last time), mud2clarity and brightlife(only if you would like to - I won't be crushed if you don't), and Matt(only, he doesn't have a blog, nor chooses to write in this blog, but he said I could tag him).
Five Things in My Freezer
1. Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken - Yum yum...easy meal, good taste.
2. Cha Siu Bao - Homemade by Matt's grandma...again, easy meal, good taste.
3. Ice Cube trays fulls of frozen foods for baby bear(peaches, apples, avocados, peas, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash - and more!)
4. Ground Turkey - I've been trying to cook healthier...Matt's cholesterol, grrr.
5. Pork bits - Perhaps one of these days I'll cook up some kimchee jigae with the random pork bits.
Five Things in My Closet
1. Uh, closet? Am I supposed to put things in the closet? They're doing fine on the floor.
Five Items in the Car
1. Baby Bear's stroller which I found out today is 28 lbs! Uh, I think we need a lighter stroller. Any suggestions?
2. My CD case with some of my favorite cds - when driving, you gotta have the tunes!
3. A travel Bible - Since we forget to usually bring one with us on Sundays to church, so we leave a small one in the car.
4. A bag of trash - Sometimes trash is in the bag, sometimes trash is on the floor.
5. Random stack of papers - I'll have to go through those one day...but I think they're old maps, past church bulletins, Matt's jury summons, or something...
Five Items in My Backpack (Is this for a student? oh well...I'll just use the diaper bag or my purse?)
1. A bottle of water - always, a must! For a thirsty mom and a thirsty baby.
2. A small tupperware full of Veggie and Fruit Puffs for the always hungry Baby Bear.
3. Mini Tinkle Crinkle - Baby Bear's friend when we travel.
4. A Joann's Gift Card that I received for Mother's Day - in case I have to urge to buy crafts.
5. A Picture of Matt and me - A friend took a mini polaroid of us on our wedding day, and I just carry it around.
Five Books on My Nightstand (Okay, so they're not on my nightstand, but they're wherever I usually read when I get a chance)
1. 1001 Women's Healthcare Questions - I don't have questions, I'm just a Bio major and health issues fascinate me. I know, I'm such a nerd.
2. The Poisonwood Bible - The fiction book, I'm currently reading. Wow, does this woman(author=Barbara Kingsolver) have a way with words or what? Plus, she has a graduate degree in Biology...
3. Moral Choices - Tough. It's making my brain mushy.
4. Super Baby Food - Yup, I'm cooking Baby Bear's food. Hey, I figure I might as well try.
5. Real Simple - Okay, so this isn't a book...but I really like the magazine. It makes me feel like one day I can actually organize and simplify things in my life...one day.
Who to tag...who to tag...how about meishichan(since she tagged me last time), mud2clarity and brightlife(only if you would like to - I won't be crushed if you don't), and Matt(only, he doesn't have a blog, nor chooses to write in this blog, but he said I could tag him).
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