Best Buddies Friendship Walk

We'll be participating in the Best Buddies Friendship Walk on May 1st. Our fundraising goal is $200:

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorreg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=334131&supId=288050341&extSiteType=1

Also, if anyone would like to join us we'd love to have more company! Registration is free and you can even sign up to get paired with a walking buddy.

Join the fun!

Checklist

1) Medical Records:

Johnny - Check!

Ari - In the mail

Zachary - Check!

Gabriel - Check!

2) Naps

Zachary - Big, fat X

Gabriel - Check!

3) Housecleaning

Bathroom - Check!

Floors - Check!

Dishes - Getting there...

4) Scholarships

Essay - Check!

Application - Check!

Letter of Rec - Pending

5) Allow Children To Live

Baby - Check!

Two-year-old - Pending...

Happy Spring!

It is, indeed! What a perfectly beautiful day - sunny with a high of 75.

We celebrated by walking around the National Mall and hitting up a Micky D's on 17th St. Now I'm sitting on the couch pretending that this blog post is important so that I can further delay going downstairs to hang the laundry to dry. I wish we had an outside clothes line...

All my boys are sleeping. There is one on each couch and one in a crib. Looks like I wore them out today. Sweet serenity.

I found a promising full scholarship for UMass and will work on the application process this week. I also plan to start working on my inventory lists since that will be a huge undertaking with my dedicated little helpers running around. You see, I have to make full inventory lists of every single item in my apartment and sort them into types of shipping (Via boat, unaccompanied air, accompanied air, and carry-on). It's always a little too surreal to categorize one's entire life.

Gabriel is becoming increasingly interested in the potty which is causing me increasing concern that he will decide he's ready to potty train right in the middle of moving. That would be fun, wouldn't it? I won't do it; you can't make me, not even with your big, blue eyes and mind powers!

Johnny has his second Spanish evaluation on Monday. This one will be very tell tale. It will give us a much better idea of our timeframe as far as whether we will leave as scheduled of leave a bit earlier. Exciting!! Pray for my man, please!

Ok, laundry, you win; I'm coming.

Money, money, money

I've been applying to scholarships like a crazy person in the last few weeks. I haven't really talked much about this plan to a lot of people, so this might come as a surprise. I'm planning on going back to school this Fall. I was just accepted to UMass Boston's adult completion program. This is a degree for people with 90+ credits. It will require 10 courses to complete and will take 4 semesters. It is 100% online. The total cost will be around $10,000. I already have a $2,400 PELL grant, so I just need to scrape together the rest. I do have an essay submitted to a contest with a $20,000 prize, but I definitely do not hold out high hopes. I'm praying and hoping, nonetheless.

Today I powered out 3 scholarship applications and started the loan application processes. Zach is not napping, but he is sitting quietly on the couch where he has been banished until the end of nap time. He currently refuses to stay in his bed and constantly wakes up a very frustrated Gabriel is I leave Zach in the bedroom. Zach actually did sleep on the couch a couple days ago, but I think doing so hurt his pride and he has refused to do so again.

I had a fantastic time with Caity and Elisabeth last night! We hit up the Green Turtle to watch the Caps game.

Mary Kay is picking back up a little bit. I'm still trying to pay off my inventory investment and I stayed at a standstill during the move. I'm trying to pick it back off the ground. Email me if you're interested! Mother's Day is coming up fast. :-)

Complain-a-thon

A blog seems like such a cliche place to complain, but I feel that my last couple weeks deserve a venting.

March has not been my month thus far. It all started with my losing Gabriel's favorite blanket that my mom made for him. I lost it somewhere on a trip into D.C. and Metro lost and found has not reported it found, so I assume it's lost somewhere in the filthy vastness of D.C.

Next I fell on concrete stairs with Gabriel in my arms. I was able to turn to protect him but this involved a crash landing on my kidney and elbow and the slamming of my foot into a concrete wall which resulted in a hairline fractured of the second metatarsal. I've been limping for a week and a half now.

A couple days after I broke my toe I came down with a nasty cold and also smashed my face into the corner of a cabinet door while rushing around to prepare lunch. Ow.

To top things off I have spent the entire morning making phone calls and hunting through papers trying to obtain my immunization records for my entire life. My mother says she gave to me. I don't have them, so, genius that I am, I must have lost them. I've been on hold with Orange County for 20 minutes now.

*insert groan of despair* At least Gabriel is napping and Zach is being relatively quiet.

Naps are Awesome

I, personally, have not had a nap in quite some time, but it is way beyond awesome when both the boys nap at the same time. I have been trying to implement this phenomenon for a few weeks and finally seems to be taking place. Today and yesterday have been quiet, pleasant afternoons to myself. Yesterday I was way too exhausted to enjoy it and just stumbled around the apartment getting chores done. Today I am sufficiently pumped on caffeine; I have so far spent my free time reading a book on homeschooling (courtesy of my mother), the Humanist Manifesto, and a chapter in the Foreign Service going-overseas checklist guide. Oh, I also made GF pancakes.

I'm so glad I started getting up earlier than the boys. Previous routine saw me jolting awake to their crying around 7 am each morning and scurrying around trying to get organized while changing diapers, making beds, fixing breakfast, and using nap time for a quick workout and shower. Now I get up somewhere between 6 and 6:30, enjoy a leisurely yoga and pilates session and even a shower, leaving nap time open for devotions, reading, and whatever. Trust me, when Mommy is relaxed life is better for everyone involved. Now, if you'll excuse me, I get to go to the bathroom alone... YAY!!!