Quick Takes Volume 33

~1~

I really can't decide if I'm on board with the Kindle thing these days.  Madeline has a Kindlewhich I have used a bit, but I find it frustrating to operate at times (Maybe I am just spoiled by the iPad and iPhone and how quickly they respond when you touch the screen.)  One one hand, I love that you can load up the Kindle or the app on my iPad and have all these books in one place that don't take up any space in the house, but when it comes to me reading the books on these devices I'm just not sure I like it.  I do like that I can get loads of e-books for free or next to nothing when compared to the cost of an actual book.  It seems like such a ridiculous thing to ponder, but that's how I'm choosing to fritter away some of my time.  I guess it boils down to the cheapskate in me wondering if it's better to spend $3.96 to get a set a books I want for the girls in a Kindle edition vs. paying upwards of $80 for the same set in hardback books.  Bryan says this is a no-brainer.  

~2~

The girls got their report cards this week.  Ellie did very well, but she took a hit in the handwriting department.  She was writing beautifully a few months ago, but has recently begun rushing through her work and writing very sloppily.  Her teacher and I have been working to get her back to writing nicely, but she's proving to be very resistant.  Madeline did a great job and came home will all A's and one B.  She missed having straight A's by two points.  She learned the hard way what happens when you decide you don't need to study.

~3~

Katie has been waking up at 5:30 in the morning and staying awake for a good four hours the past few days.  The past two mornings she has hung out in our bed for a couple of hours happily staring at things in our dark room.  I'm happy that she's nice enough to lay there quietly, but I'd be happier if she'd quietly hang out in her crib instead.  Some of us really need that extra hour and a half of undisturbed sleep.

~4~

My left eye is very red and sore.  While at the children's choir practice on Wednesday, Katie decided to show me how well she can fling her pacifier while it's attached to her bib.  She hit me squarely [and forcefully] in the eye.  All I saw was green and I felt like I got punched.  For a split second I was convinced that she had blinded me.  I was so thankful when I was able to get my eye open.  I turned away from the crazed pacifier flinging baby Katie and was able to see a blurry altar.  Things were a bit blurry for about 15 minutes.  I thought that was the extent of the incident until yesterday when I noticed my eye was all red where she hit me.  Today my eye hurts like it's bruised.  At least I can still see.  I'm sure this could have been worse.  I guess I need to wear safety goggles around this kid.

~5~

I've got a lot of stuff that needs to be packed up and dropped off at Good Will.  I want to get the clutter out of my house but I'm not feeling incredibly motivated to do the work that it involves.

~6~

In an attempt to cut back on my Starbucks intake [I don't like how much money I've been spending there, nor do I like their lobbying for same sex marriage.] I have only gone to Target once this week.  Bryan likes that because it means I'm spending less money.  

~7~

I'm trying to develop a game plan for getting the house clean from top to bottom and keeping it that way.  I'm thinking there has to be a way for me to schedule certain tasks to be done on specific days so the work doesn't pile up.  Of course, getting me to stick to that plan is an entirely different story.