All Things Considered

So many things have been going on lately that it’s been tough to keep up with the day-to-day blog chores.  What’s been going on you ask?

I’ve been feeling unsettled.  It’s that springtime unsettled feeling that happens every year.  It’s the wind.  It’s so predictable.  It happens every year, I know it’s coming, we batten down the hatches for the 40+ mph winds, yet still, it’s unsettling.  It’s like—hey, the weather is warmer, we should be outside enjoying the green on the trees, but, ugh, we can’t go out because we’ll be blown into the next time zone.  By the time it’s over, it’ll be 90 degrees out and then no one but me wants to go outside :D.  Lightweights.

My computer has been limping along since 12/31.  I know that date because it’s my ds’s birthday.  Nah, the poor kid didn’t have anything to do with my computer breaking, it’s just a fluke.  After reinstalling Vista (I evidently got an error message that only 1 other person, I believe, has gotten), my computer got to the point last week where I just had to do something or throw it away.  I got some help from Dell—great customer service, BTW—and reformatted my hard drive.  I used to do that all the time to our classroom computers when I was teaching software classes, but it’s so traumatic when it’s your own computer.  Things you take for granted that used to just work now don’t and you have to set them up all over again.  Fortunately I knew this was coming so I was able to make a good full backup copy of my files instead of an incremental one.  Still.  I’m not convinced I like Windows 7 or Internet Explorer 8 (but I dislike Firefox more).  It’s change and I don’t do change well.

Spring means Lifesavers!  Once again we’re gearing up to head to Lifesavers to socialize learn the latest things happening in the world of CPS.  One thing I do to prepare myself is, well, whiten my teeth.  Yep, secret’s out :p.  I spent a whole bunch of money a year and a half ago (and a lot of pain!) going through my second set of braces, so I may as well get rid of the Diet Coke habit evidence too.  I’ve used the regular Crest White Strips in the past and they’ve been ho hum in doing the job—kind of ‘eh, maybe I see a difference.  This time I had a Target coupon and thought I’d try the expensive White Strips.  You know, the ones that cost $50.  I went to the Crest web site and looked at the reviews and many of them said they could see a difference after one day.  Yeah, right.  Dude!  They were right!  Seriously, I noticed a huge difference after just one use.  I’d pay full price for these.  I was a bit concerned they’d get too white—like Ross’s teeth in that Friends episode where he whitens his teeth and they glow in the dark—but since my teeth are so sensitive, I can’t use too many strips in a row.  So, when you see me at Lifesavers, my teeth will be white, but not white enough to light up a room should the power go out ;).

This week has been spring break for us and it’s been busy.  I had hoped to be able to sleep in, but nope, it didn’t turn out that way.  In fact, I’ve had to get up at the crack of dawn (6:50a—argh!) more than once this week.  Such a bummer!  I sleep in later when the kids are actually in school, lol.  You know from my previous blog that I’ve been waiting for a special delivery.  And waiting and waiting.  Oh, and waiting.  I figured it would arrive on the one day this week that we wouldn’t be home all day.  Ding ding ding!  Yep, there it was, sitting on the doorstep waiting patiently for us to arrive home.  I’m glad we have a safe neighborhood with good watchful neighbors!  I’m sorry to say that because of the chaos of coming home to a dog who’d been in her crate all day and demanded the love and attention of her chosen person (me) and a dd who needed to get to baseball practice (that’s my girl!), I didn’t get around to opening said special delivery.  Fortunately, dh is being kind and leaving us his SUV with the buried LATCH connectors so that I can try out the LATCH guides ;).  Fun!

This all leads me to be excited in general for the next couple of weeks for the blog.  I’ve got the new seat in my possession now, Lifesavers is next weekend, another review coming up right after Lifesavers . . .  Wait!  Another review?  Of what?  One of us has already blabbed about it somewhere ;), so that’s your hint.