Mommy Madness

So much has happened…

mkowalewski — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:49:15 +0000

…that I don’t honestly know where to start so I guess I’ll start here:

We had my son’s fourth birthday with his friends a few weeks ago at Bounce U. It’s really close and much easier to get to since they opened the new bypass from the Turnpike through to the Manchester Airport. That’s my son above – when I had him, he was first presented to me in the stocking and the hat that he was holding. Yes, he was small enough to fit into those and it was highly appropriate because he was born on Christmas. If I can find a picture, I will post it. I know that Izzy has one but I don’t know where to find it…Anyways, he’s obviously grown and it makes me both sad and happy at the same time! Anyways, it’s apparent that both of my children had a fantastic time at the party:

Nate and

New resolutions?

mkowalewski — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:55:22 +0000

So I was reading over my resolutions list and I have a few additions/corrections. I think that going vegetarian right now probably isn’t the best decision that I could make for my own mental health. I mean, I would essentially be making two sets of meals each night and I already don’t have enough time or energy to figure that out. So I think that I’m going to take that one off of my list. In its place, I would like to add – posting something crafty on Etsy and actually selling it. I’m working on a blanket for Nate right now but when I’m done with that I have a couple of other crocheting projects that might be worth posting and seeing if I can net anything. I’ve been doing moderately well on my other resolutions. I’ve already made one new thing last week:

I made those! So yummy too

Fun quiz results

mkowalewski — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 13:50:19 +0000

Your result for The Classic Dames Test…

Katharine Hepburn

You scored 24% grit, 24% wit, 38% flair, and 29% class!

You are the fabulously quirky and independent woman of character. You go your own way, follow your own drummer, take your own lead. You stand head and shoulders next to your partner, but you are perfectly willing and able to stand alone. Others might be more classically beautiful or conventionally woman-like, but you possess a more fundamental common sense and off-kilter charm, making interesting men fall at your feet. You can pick them up or leave them there as you see fit. You share the screen with the likes of Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant, thinking men who like strong women.

Find out what kind of classic leading man you’d make by taking the
Classic Leading Man Test.

Take The Classic Dames Test at HelloQuizzy

Your result for The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test…

Pure Nerd

57 % Nerd, 43% Geek, 39% Dork

For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd.

The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the “dork.” No-longer. Being smart isn’t as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful.

Congratulations!

Also, you might want to check out some of my other tests if you’re interested in any of the following:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Professional Wrestling

Love & Sexuality

America/Politics

Thanks Again! — THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

Take The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test at HelloQuizzy

Your result for Warrior Settler Nomad Personality Profile…

Warrior Settler

Warrior with the soft squishy center

You share traits of both archetypes, but warrior is the most powerful

WARRIOR

Physiology: Fairly straight-faced, few body response patterns, steady gaze.

Positive: Practical, tenacious and self-sufficient. Quick thinkers.

Negative: Suspicious, dictorial, manipulative. Cannot easily admit mistakes.

SETTLER

Physiology: Responsive body and head movements. Frequent smiles.

Positive: Caring, cheerful, pleasant, talkative and tolerant. ‘people’ people.

Negative: Depressive, indecisive, underconfident. Prone to mood swings.

Take Warrior Settler Nomad Personality Profile at HelloQuizzy

My end of the year posting and resolutions

mkowalewski — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:54:35 +0000

I honestly don’t think that I actually accomplished anything that I wanted to this past year, with the exception of maybe doing a little bit more writing, journaling and a tad bit more reading then I did last year. As some of you know, you can keep track of the books that I read by following my review blog. I unfortunately only read 57 books this year. I attribute that to having two children under the age of 5 that are pretty needy, a full time job outside of the home and just life in general. But hopefully next year will be better!

My resolutions are numerous. Some are more realistic and reasonable then others possibly, but whatever, it can’t hurt to be a little bit idealistic. So here are my resolutions for the upcoming year:

Do yoga at least twice a week. I went to a yoga class today after doing 30 minutes of cardio and I couldn’t believe how much better I felt and how much better I was breathing after doing the class. So, for me, it will mean either doing a DVD or a live class.
Cook one new thing a week – either a quick dinner or a whole big thing on a weekend.
Go vegetarian – yes, I am going to attempt to be a vegetarian myself (although not for my family – they are completely meat eaters).
Hit up the gym 3 times a week.
Read 75-100 books. As usual, I am looking for recommendations. I will try anything. I’m currently in the middle of the George RR Martin series, but am up for anything. Right now, my interests are tending to psychology/women’s studies/social commentary and fiction, but I will try anything.
Listen to more independent music and less pop music. Pop music is so empty and devoid of substance for the most part. Now don’t get me wrong, there is a time and a place for pop music, just like there is a time and a place for country music (and we all know how much I LOVE my country music – Brad, Kenny, Keith, Miranda, Carrie, Blake, Zac Brown, Sugarland), but I want to listen to more “independent” music. I think that this means that I will be listening to more of this radio station, which is ok with me, but I would appreciate any other ideas as to who I should listen to. It also means that I would love to hear about local bands. I already listen to a fair amount of Guster and Dispatch (from Beantown) and Lunatic Fringe, but I am always up for other recommendations. I also listen to a lot of Ani DiFranco and Indigo Girls…
Find a babysitter and go out with my husband at least once a month for adult time.
Related to number 6, go to at least one concert. The smaller the venue, the better. But whatever, I’m not picky.

What are YOUR resolutions? Can you make recommendations as to books that I should read or music I should listen to or concerts that I should attend? Do you have any good vegetarian recipes that I can try? How about your favorite websites for yoga classes?

I wish that everyone has a wonderful New Year’s Eve that is safe and fun and a wonderfully prosperous and healthy year.

Housekeeping, hornet’s nests and hearing aids

mkowalewski — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:37:54 +0000

So, I’ve been home since last week – Thursday to be exact – and since then we’ve cleaned up around the house, including getting a new stove (which has been wonderful). The stove gives me so much more room to do things and the oven itself actually works (surprisingly enough – when it says that it’s 375 degrees Farenheit, it’s really 375 degrees!). We have also done a thorough expungement of the toys and clothing that we don’t play with or wear because we’re in the process of cleaning our basement room. There is one room down there connected to the garage that houses a table, the treadmill, a cable hookup for a television and some benches that we intend to put cushions on. We want to re-do that room down there and make it into a downstairs play area for the kids, but first we need to get rid of a bunch of the stuff that is down there and then paint it and put down either some different carpeting (it’s a hideously dark blue right now) or this type of flooring. Our neighbors, whose house backs up to ours, had that in their basement and it was beautiful, so I think that the basement is our next major, major project. A more immediate project will be ripping up the carpeting in our bedroom, probably in the next few days or so, because there is hardwood floor underneath the rugs and we really want that style. Additionally, I’m sure that not having carpeting is going to help with my allergies.

***

As you can see from the above post, not only did my son have a fantastic time over Christmas (in spite of his illness) but he has also finally gotten his hearing aids. It’s been a little bit of an issue getting him to wear them, until today. Today was the first day that he wore them to school and he actually wore them all day with the exception of nap time and by all accounts, he has enjoyed wearing them at school because he can actually hear what his friends and teachers are saying. One of his afternoon teachers came up to us afterwards with questions about how to help him get the batteries out and changed. They have so far been really awesome and his friends seem genuinely interest in the hearing aids themselves which is cool. I have also filled out the paperwork for the school district as far as the speech pathologist goes. He hasn’t had speech pathology testing, and the school district is paying for it, so it can’t hurt just to make sure that he’s all on the right track. I completely intend on talking to the pediatrician about it as well at Nate’s 4 year Well Child Check next week.

***

This was found in one of the bushes at the front of our house. It was in one of the bushes that is closest to the road and is pretty big, all things considered. It’s actually really papery feeling but solid at the same time. Anyone know what wasps use or do to make their homes?

My Christmas Eve, Eve, the Christmas Eve and the Christmas post

mkowalewski — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 19:22:12 +0000

So, I have been on vacation since Thursday. I think that it’s “vacation” in the sense that I’m not in work 24/7. I guess you can call it that. I mean, I had a pedicure AND a haircut within 48 hours of each other (which is pretty much unheard of when you have two children under the age of five AND you weren’t exactly inclined to getting both of those things done within the same time period when you were childless). I also did work – and went into the office to make sure that certain things got taken care of in a timely fashion being that I’m out of the office until the new year.

I also had to bring my son into the Emergency Room at SNHMC on Friday afternoon/evening. He was having a really bad stomach pain on his right side and had a fever. He was also saying that his boy parts were hurting him. Wonderful. Fast forward 5 hours, two ultrasounds and a chest x-ray later, and it turns out my kid had a virus – a cold more like it. What a pain. We ended up not driving to NY until yesterday, which was fine by me because poor kid had the chills. He probably had the flu or something, which stinks because we all got flu shots. So far he’s doing better. We haven’t had to give him Motrin today yet and his fever is non-existent. I’m hoping to get him through tonight without having to give him the Motrin, but I will if it means that he’ll get a good night’s sleep. Poor baby.

He’s having a wonderful Christmas/birthday so far (yes, he’s a Christmas baby). We had a cake for him at Christmas Eve last night with my extended family and doing more birthday presents with him tonight for his “official” birthday. He’ll be four at 5:37 PM. Hard to believe that it’s been four years since he came out.

In the next few days, be prepared to see a few new blog posts about things that I would like to do in the future and keep an eye on the book blog for my top lists.

Hearing aids and Christmas trees

mkowalewski — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:44:59 +0000

So, for those of you that don’t know, I have hearing aids. I wear them approximately 8-10 hours a day, mostly when I’m at work, during the week. On weekends, I will wear them when we’re out and about or when we’re watching TV. I wore them to the movies for the first time yesterday.I don’t wear them in the shower or when I’m working out. I don’t wear them to bed. And when I AM wearing them, you wouldn’t even know whether I had them in or not, unless you were acutely aware of the seemingly lessening amount of times I was asking you to repeat yourself. Don’t get me wrong, I sometimes have to ask for people to speak up or move their hands from the vicinity of their mouths (because you wouldn’t believe how much that simple act of putting your hand near your mouth prevents the sound from traveling and thereby being caught and amplified by the hearing aids).

It has also worked wonders with my son, who we learned has nearly the almost exact same hearing loss that I do – same range and same place (the nerve, misfiring or not firing at all). We are getting him hearing aids this month and he’s really excited to have microphones for his ears, just like mommy. I am nervous about him getting them – one reason is a funny/proud reason. He’s already so smart and his hearing is nowhere near where it should be – I can’t imagine what’s going to happen when he’s really and truly up to speed. I’m nervous too though – because of his age, he qualifies for services through the school district (at the very least, he qualifies for accommodations – most notably requiring all of his teachers to wear an FM transmitter/microphone around their necks that will broadcast what they are saying to the FM receiver in his hearing aids and sitting near the front of the classroom). However, it has taken me nearly one week to get someone from the school district on the phone. I keep getting bounced around and having to leave messages. I finally got a call back today, when I was in a meeting. I will call back in the morning.

***

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. And the busiest. Our tree is up but I am nowhere near done wrapping presents. ::sigh:: Isn’t that always the way.

The Post Thanksgiving Post

mkowalewski — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 13:18:01 +0000

So, I know that there were a lot of people posting about the things that they were thankful for. I didn’t do that on Thanksgiving because I was having so much fun reading about everything else and wanted to write about my most memorable Thanksgiving, but now I’m also going to jump on the bandwagon and talk about what I’m thankful for.

Bad economy – it has made me more thrifty and who can find any fault in that?
My job – I have one that I enjoy most of the time and which challenges me in many ways. It’s cool that I can wake up everyday and go to that job to work with wonderful people and be challenged.
My family – duh.
I know that this is a subsection of the number three, but I’m particularly thankful for these people in my family:

The picture of Gabby and of Gabby, Nate and Izzy were taken at my sister’s new apartment in East Atlantic Beach, NY. It was so nice, literally a few feet from the beach. The one of Nate was from when we went hiking on Pack Monadnock.

My True Thanksgiving Story

mkowalewski — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:52:27 +0000

So, Happy Thanks giving everyone! I thought that I would share one my fondest memories of Turkey Day. OK, so maybe not fond but definitely memorable. And it’s a true story. I grew up on Long Island, literally a 30 minute (on a day when LIRR wasn’t delayed for some reason) from Manhattan and a five minute walk from the great borough of Queens. When I was 5 and half, my sister was born so my dad thought he would take me into the city with my uncle to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. So we proceeded to go into the city and set up camp and got a pretty decent spot. However there was only room really for a fairly small 5 and a half year old – me. The adults were at different places and my dad was probably 20 feet behind me. At some point, I turned around and I didn’t see him so I wandered back to where I last saw him. Oh and did I mention that not only was I in Manhattan, during the Thanksgiving Day Parade, but that we were a mere blocks from Time Square? Yeah. 5.5 year old me wandering around Time Square on Thanksgiving during the parade.

At some point I must have realized that I couldn’t find any of the people that I was with. I didn’t see my dad and my uncle wasn’t where I had last seen him. So I remember approaching a woman that was pushing a baby carriage – not bad thinking for a kid right? On some level I must have realized that she would be able to help me. She flagged down a NYC police officer and just as she got done explaining what happened my dad found us. And on the ride home, he told me not to tell my mom, an instruction I promptly ignored and which led to, I’m sure, a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving Day between my mom and dad.

This is something that we talk about every Thanksgiving when we turn the parade on. Classic.

Oral Arguments

mkowalewski — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:37:26 +0000

OK, i know that the title to this post may sound raunchy to those of you that aren’t in the legal profession. However, it’s far from raunchy – in fact it is and was one of the most amazing experiences that I’ve had in my life. On Wednesday, I was here:

to watch an oral argument on a case in which I was the trial attorney. This was the first time I had ever gone to an oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court. Ever. And it was on a case that I had tried. Here’s what it looked like when we were standing in line, waiting to get in:

At 5, that morning I got up and got ready and got coffee. Then I hopped into a cab and made my way to the court. I’ve known that the argument was scheduled for months but the magnitude of it didn’t hit me until I walked around the corner and literally was standing in the cold in front of the building, which is massive. The experience was unlike anything I had ever had and will probably ever have in the future because I don’t anticipate ever having another case that I worked on in some way, shape or form ever reach the US Supreme Court. I’m more than happy to discuss my experiences with you, but don’t necessarily want to blog about it.

I was in DC for about a week and it was one of the best trips that I have ever had – mostly because of the arguments, but also because I saw just about all the memorials and a couple of good museums. My favorite museums were the American Museum of Natural History and the Holocaust Memorial Museum, for very different reasons. I think that the Holocaust Museum serves an important purpose because it reminds us that genocide has occurred and continues to occur in today’s world. I loved the Natural History Museum because it just had really cool and interesting information in it. Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip:

There are many more on my FB page, these are just a smattering. I got home last night, pretty late and spent most of today getting re-acclimated to everything. Because of the snow storm, we are doing trick or treating tomorrow, so it seems that I am getting the best of both worlds.