so, there is that.

Its Thursday and Daughter and I are both beat. I continue to not sleep well and Daughter was not ready to get up this morning. She was weepy and wandering when I arrived at her Dad's House at 8 to pick her up.

It is 9:30 as I sit here writing this and we are camped out on the couch, half asleep, covered in blankets, watching Aladdin. I am such a lazy mother. I'm on shots 5 and 6 of espresso this morning and they don't seem to be making much of a dent.

Note(s) to self: must cut back on coffee. Must figure out how to get more sleep. Also, must be more reliable about getting laundry done in a timely fashion. I really suck at all three of those things. FAIL.

I'm ready for the election to be O V E R. I don't do particularly well with uncertainty and there is a lot of that floating around everywhere these days. If nothing else, Election Day (good god, let it be decided on Election Day) will bring some unknowns to an end.

Daughter and I have to make a ton of Macaroni and Cheese (adapted from my Grandmother's recipe) today. That might help my overall outlook on life.

NaBloPoMo starts on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to that too. I think that some sort of new structure will be good for me as well.

And I'm getting my hair cut on Tuesday, because when you are only a campaign VOLUNTEER, you can do indulgent things on Election Day like get you hair done so you look totally hot for Election Night Festivities.

And I'm going to Seattle for a few days next week for a meeting. I'm really looking forward to the trip and to the work we are going to get done and hanging out with my friends R.S. & S.F.

Daughter is with me the entire week after I get back, too. Her dad will be away at a work conference. So that is awesome.

And we have a Target. And I was there again yesterday. And its such a treat to have our very own Target that has cute things like this and this and is right here instead of all the way in Seattle like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods and all the other cool places like this.

AND I've finally booked all the travel arrangements for our Christmas Trip. Which is a whole new set of stresses, but at least we are all committed now. So, there is that.

Soft Scrub....with Bleach!

Conversation with Self

Clockwatching Conscience Self
(the one that remembers that house guests are arriving in less than 12 hours):
Get off your ass already.
Yeah, you.
Stop reading blogs and go clean the bathtub.
Doooooooooo iiiittt.
Do. It. Now.

Lazy Self:Um, just…five…more…hang on…five minutes.

CCS: Ok. You’ve had ten. Now GET OFF YOUR ASS AND CLEAN THE BATHROOM!
That’s right Lazy; you have graduated to the entire bathroom. Congratulations.

LS: Argh.
This is going to require some Macy Gray played loud.

One hour later:

CCS: Well done. Bathroom, kitchen, all clean. That extra cup of coffee really helped.
Oh, and as an added bonus I didn’t tell you this sparking pearl so that you could discover it on your own…two years of diapers would make cleaning the seem far less disgusting.

LS: Sweet!
I’m SO going to blog this now so the others will know. Even if that means they will also know about the voices. D'oh!

End Scene.

Jokes and Coffee

After a successful venture to REI for a new sleeping bag and thermarest pad so that we may be properly equipped for a summer of camping in Southeast Alaska, La Chica and I decided to take a coffee break before meeting a friend downtown for lunch. We waited in line, oohed and ahead over the treats in the pastry display, ordered my coffee and an extra short cup for her.

While we waited for my Americano, La Chica chose some seats at the counter that were agreeable and I prepared her 'la-la-latte!' (half soy milk, half ice water). She chatted up the people at the counter, asked questions about the jugs of chai tea, marveled at the ice machine, and the barista with the multi-colored dreadlocks.

After she had finished her drink, cleaned up her drips, and tossed her cup and napkins in the trash we were headed for the door when she starts her faux giggle, the two year old kind when they are forcing a laugh for comedic effect.

"I joke you, Mommy!" she declares.

"What's so funny?" I inquire.

More laughter, two steps forward, and a full body wiggle reveals that somehow, without removing her jacket or fiddling with anything in any noticeable way, the ever modest creature that is my two year old daughter has managed to unhook both of her Oshkosh overall straps and is now standing in the middle of the coffee bar with her pants around her ankles laughing hysterically along with every person who is seated in a twenty foot radius.

Upon being re-dressed, amidst her doubled over laughter and chorus of "I joke you, Mommy! I JOKE YOU!!!" La Chica made her way for the door, suddenly over the hilarity, to announce that it was, 'Bookstore time!'.

Never a dull moment when you share the days in your life with a toddler.

And now, just to make things more interesting, there are JOKES!

Knock, knock...