A Year in Facebook: May 2010 - May 2011

I keep two worlds running now with digital journaling. This blog is used for longer thoughts and essays, but a short thought gets put on Facebook instead. Since many of you who follow this blog don't use Facebook, I thought it might be fun to cross post some old Facebook entries. If you are on Facebook, you might want to skip this redundant post.

So here it is... a year in the life (according to my Facebook).

May 31, 2010: 

Thanks to all for the birthday wishes. It was, in fact, quite happy. Like most years, I spent the long weekend camping (on the far side of nowhere). My kids were in heaven getting dirty and playing with their cousins. I enjoyed the gorgeous, warm, sunny weather. My dearest climbed a tall tree to hang a swinging chair for me, and I read a book. Ahhh!

June 4, 2010: I am taking the day off. Yay! First, to mow the lawn. Then, my dearest is taking me shopping (both to watch the human tornado and give me feedback). So, I can finally pitch the shorts that I acquired post-partum 3 years ago.  

Oops, meeting on my calendar at 3:30. Guess it will be a partial day off. :)

June 5, 2010: I was able to make up for my "day off" from work by ending the workday with a 1.5 hour meeting then spending my Friday night with 2 hours of emailing for work. It is all about balance, right?

June 5, 2010: My running shoes are officially dusted off for the summer. My body, not so much yet. 2.75 miles in 29 minutes? Ouch.

June 6, 2010: We had a great family bike ride to celebrate (early) the birthday of my soon-to-be-9 boy. Traveled to Lansing, met my dad and aunt and uncle, rode the Riverwalk trail for 10.5 miles. Had sun, then rain, then cool wind, then (best of all), ice cream from MSU Dairy Store.

June 13, 2010: Worked all Sat. planting gardens, fencing our veggies against rabbits and squirrels, and best of all...using the table saw to chop railing posts for the kids' new tree house. Woo-hoo! It made me feel super-powerful and I still have all of my fingers. Finished with celebratory bike ride for ice cream cones and we were quite a sight - hubby and me covered in garden dirt and sawdust; kids covered in blue moon drips.

June 13: I have been oddly entertained for the past hour with Google Picasa (photos) "people" (facial recognition) function. It seems to recognize my kids better than I do. And interesting to see which mistakes it makes.

June 13: Ack! Have 3 nieces spending the night with us. Just discovered 3 girls still awake at 11:30 PM (more than 2 hours after lights out)- Two chatty 6-yr-olds and the 4-yr-old girl sharing their room. Tomorrow could be ugly.

June 22: My darling littlest one, almost 3 years old, smiled at me across the table with a cherubic grin. Then he pulled out a squirt gun and shot me point blank. Ahh, true love.

July 13: My 3-yr-old came up to me looking proud as any peacock today. Had a bright yellow highlighter clutched in his fist with the cap nowhere in sight. "Mommy, I painted the walls for you!" Ack. How do you scold such a sincerely helpful deed?

July 21: CEO J. VanAntwerp announced today that engineers in the organization are well underway with the development of Baby Bump 4.0. Estimated release date: 2/10/11.

August 6: Celebrated 13 weeks of pregnancy with... vomit, of course. "Giving thanks in all circumstances."

August 17: Had a very productive research meeting on Whidbey Island near Seattle. If you have to work, this isn't a bad place to do it.

September 1: We have canned a dozen quarts of tomato soup and a dozen quarts of peaches. Pears are next. Now, if I could just harness that power for getting ready for classes next week...

September 10: Survived week 1 of school for all of us. But next week I have 2 doctor and 1 dentist appt eating up all of my prep time. Ack! I need a body double to cover these for me. Any volunteers to go get a filling in my place?

September 12:  My oldest child mowed the lawn for the first time today. I see a new day dawning in my life! (Good thing my quality standards are as remarkably low as my pay rate, though.)

October 7:  One day of single-parenting down; 2 to go. Turns out not to feel that different since lately I never cross paths with my spouse anyway. Ah, well. Spring will be a different semester.

October 7:  What's that? A spot of double-chocolate almond ice cream before bed? Don't mind if I do.

October 13: The email a pregnant woman doesn't want from her husband: "Plumbing disaster. Use the bathroom before you come home." Fortunately my awesome husband had flood cleaned up before I got home from work, water back on by after dinner, and a new kitchen faucet by bedtime.

October 16: Dashed over to E.Lansing last night to appease Dad and take his grandkids to the MSU Homecoming parade. But, um, excuse me, when did this become a nearly 2-hour parade?!!? Later getting home than I expected.

November 11 (12:46 AM): I am  ready to be done writing that test.

November 11: The baby is kicking like crazy (in utero) at 1 AM. Not a good sign for the newborn sleep patterns? Oh well, nice all the same.

November 11 (11:40 PM): I am actually done writing that test. Woo hoo!

November 18: My "day off" work allowed me to actually get something done. :) 4 loads of laundry, washed/dried/folded/put away. 2 loads of the dishwasher. 2 dozen muffins and 1 lasagna baked. Wait... when did I become manager of a "big" family? That really sneaks up on a person.

December 3: Today the 3-yr-old totally dissed me in the car. "Mom, will you turn on some music?" I oblige with cheesy Christmas music on the radio - my favorite at this time of year. A few seconds later, "Mom, will you turn on music that Daddy likes?"

December 11 Helped my dad buy and set up his tree, then left my kids there overnight. A good bargain for all. A peaceful 18 hours ahead to... write final exams. :)

December 17: My 6-yr-old lost her first tooth last night and apparently swallowed it. She worried that the tooth fairy wouldn't come w/o the tooth; I assured her it would. What she didn't know is the real concern is the tooth fairy's memory.

Thankfully, as she opened her eyes today and said she was going to look "RIGHT NOW" I remembered a very important tooth fairy rule that you must always go use the bathroom BEFORE looking under your pillow.

January 4, 2011: Syllabus written, photocopies made; notes ready. Take a deep breath; start teaching a semester's course in 15 days... Begins in 13 hours. Then finish with 16 days before the due date. Here's hoping!

January 4, 2011: Mr. John Braxton Hicks: Today you are not my friend. Hydration and deep breathing, right?

January 7, 2011: I wonder what demographic the grocery store thinks I fill. My checkout coupons printed as infant formula and Depends.

January 11, 2011: I asked my [about to graduate from college] students today if they had heard of the Exxon-Valdez oil spill. One of them Googled it quickly and said, "Yeah, that happened the year I was born." Really? Ouch.

January 18, 2011: So, anyone have tips to share on the best way to disinfect a house from the stomach flu? I have high hopes of NOT sharing this any further, inside or outside our family, though it seems to be a particularly virulent and contagious strain.

January 18: Two down. Three to go?? Be strong, stomach!

January 19: Relief and joy. Stressful procedure over, and excellent test results for the baby due in 3 weeks.

 January 26:  Grades are in, maternity leave can start today. Except for that March 1 project deadline, and April 1 project deadline. In to work this AM to race the baby to completion. :)

January 29:  The upside of falling asleep at 8 PM on Friday night is I am wide awake at 5 AM and have already gotten a ton of work accomplished before 6! Nap at 10 likely. :)

Febraury 10:  I am feeling very thankful for a mother-in-law willing to stay and play chauffeur and cook for a week so I can recuperate gently.

 February 15: I am remembering why I find newborns so much fun! Diaper blowout, bath, spit up all over clean neck and face, dressed, poops again, new diaper, poops again. And I am actually really still liking this! :)

February 17:  Either we got the measurements-challenged nurse at the hospital, or my newborn has grown 3 inches in 2 weeks. :)

February 21:  Wow. At my pre-pregnancy weight 15 days later. Never done that before. Speaks not to my efforts but only the advantages of a sick 1st trimester. Still, none of my regular clothes fit yet - so not so much weight loss as weight redistribution! ;)

February 21: Snow day for the kids. They are actually playing nicely together. It is fun to hear their games - they never actually play because it takes the whole time to negotiate their rules. They currently are inventing trading rules to build empires out of collections of random toys.

March 8 (12:07 am): I am falling asleep writing too many scholarship recommendations. Unfortunately still typing in my sleep. Just caught myself finishing a sentence about the student's good project work, "In which the crying baby was overlooked." Hmm...

March 20: Jeremy VanAntwerp's double-chocolate chunk cookies rule!

March 29:  Yesterday I discovered I had put a newborn to bed and woke up with a full-blown baby. Bittersweet - sigh.

April 1:  I just managed to pull an all-nighter. Didn't think I still had it in me. But a complete draft of my conference paper is done. Hope it make sense. I can't tell any more.

April 12: Had a diaper blowout in the house. As I went to clean things up, the 3-yr-old yelled, "Mom, you're the Poop Rescue Hero!" Who says a stay-at-home parent gets no positive feedback on the job performance? :)

 April 22:  I think I found the Achilles heel in my otherwise unstoppable 3-yr-old. The spinning tire swing at the playground did him in. Thank goodness for the wastebasket kept in the minivan.

April 25:  My 3-yr-old leaned down close to my 2-month-old, put his ear close, and was quiet for a moment.Then he stood up and announced, "She just told me a secret. She wants to buy a motorcycle!"

 April 25:  I love the way a house feels so clean and so EMPTY after a party - everything is still hidden away.

 April 29: Meeting at work was canceled this morning so decided to get stuff done at home instead. 1 hour left until preschool pickup, and so far I have: nursed, changed 3 messy diapers, cleaned up four large lakes of spit-up, and nursed some more. Ah, productivity.

May 18: Not sure what it means that the 4th grade field trip to the Science Museum later left me struggling for 1/2 hour at home with what seemed like fishy circuit diagrams. I guess I am a very poor out-of-context learner. 

May 19: "Mom, Daniel says he likes duct tape, but my favorite food is yogurt." Ahh, don't you just wish you could peek into the 3-yr-old brain and see those neurons connecting faster than we blink, and in unfathomable ways?

May 30: Thanks for the many birthday wishes yesterday - what fun to hear from so many of you, near and far. I had a great day. My in-laws took the older kids for the weekend, and Jeremy VanAntwerp played clothes consultant, baby-sherpa, and personal shopper for me. I now have a cleaned-out closet and clothes that fit! 

 Jeremy VanAntwerp is such a fashion cop - he told me I needed to throw out the 10-year-old dresses that had large rips around the button-holes. Go figure. I had just worn one last week so that seems like a waste. :)

June 3, 2011: Sometimes I wonder just what kind of profile Netflix has built for me...or how its recommendations algorithm woks. Tonight it suggested, "Because you enjoyed 'Babe,' 'Masterpiece Classic: Pride and Prejudice,' and 'Anne of Green Gables - The Sequel,' try 'America's Test Kitchen.'" 

Perhaps the season they are recommending is one in which pork is lovingly and wittily prepared in period-style recipes from England and Canada. Then again, we do subscribe to the magazine for that particular cooking show, so perhaps Netflix's eerie hidden algorithm is on to something, and I really would enjoy that TV show.