Rant on Bad Parkers

So I admit I'm not the best driver in the world. And yes, sometimes it takes me a couple tries to get in a parking space. But you will never find my car off-center in a parking space. I'm pretty anal about our car and try to keep it in good condition. But mostly, I try to park well as common courtesy and decency to others. I'm sad to say that many others in the area do not feel the same. And I'm talking about you, Plateau Mommies. You, driving your minivans and SUVs need to learn how to park! I don't know how you can turn into a stall, be on or over the line and call it good. It bugs me to no end! Cause you always choose to park next to me and pull that stunt. And of course it's on the side of Evan's carseat, so we need to go to the other side and maneuver through the backseat to get him buckled in.

Last Friday we were parked in a church for soccer class. The Lil' Kickers SUV was in a stall all by itself. I parked 2 over. When I come out after class, I find a minivan parked between us and inches from the line on my side! (And of course the rest of the parking lot was empty). And the mommy was sitting in the car, chatting on her cellphone. She came out a little while later and I was going to say something, but just gave her a nasty look instead. I was about to say something to another mommy who was in our soccer class and leaving at the same time. But then I notice that she was parked on the line in her stall!!! I couldn't believe it! Today we were leaving an appointment and a Lexus SUV was parked inches from the line next to me. I don't know how they find me.

So for all you bad parkers out there - Plateau Mommies - I know it's hard being a mom and there's lots going on in your mind. But please have a little consideration for others and learn how to park. If it takes you one, two, three tries, at least get off my line!

Double Dipping

Wow, today I am wiped out. We had Evan's last swim class this morning. We had done some classes when Evan was 6 months old at the community pool, but finally registered for Waterbabies when Evan was 22 months. I really enjoy their program and think they do a great job. It's a good mix of water safety and fun/play time. However, Evan didn't like it much. He hated going underwater and would tell me, "No ABC's" (we would sing the ABC's during backfloat time), "No ready, set, hmmm" (the cue to go underwater) and finally, "No swimming!" (when we were getting ready in the morning.) So, when it was time to register for the next session, I decided to pass. I think it's just this age range. Kids just don't want to get their face wet and be forced to do things they don't want to do. I would say his dislike for the class was on a bell curve, peaking in the middle of the session. These last few weeks, there was a major improvement and I'm really proud of the little guy for sticking with it. But alas, today is our last day. We practiced a new move called the "double dip" where Evan went underwater in 2 quick motions. We did it twice and then moved on to other more fun activities!

We rushed home for a quick, early lunch, and then were off to our first day of soccer! We did an outdoor summer soccer session through Arena Sports and Evan did ok. He would be very attentive and follow the Coach's instructions, but get tired of running back and forth, or lose focus and want a snack or want to play with the water cooler. We passed on the next session, but have started up again. Today went very well. We are doing an indoor session and the coach was great. It can be difficult with these young dudes. They are sometimes attentive and other times running off and doing their own thing. I think Evan wanted to impress the Coach so he tried very hard to listen to directions. And I think he has a little more energy now than 5 months ago. He had no trouble running back and forth.

So after our back to back swimming/soccer adventure, I was pooped! Evan still wanted to play around the house, even go outside and play tee ball. But it's too cold and I'm too tired! He went down for a nap and we'll see how he does. He's been waking up early and taking long naps. We'll see if this one is closer to 2 hours or 3 hours. I've already napped myself - for one hour! :)

TV Junkie

So I admit, I'm a TV Junkie. Every night after we put Evan down for the night, me and the hubby come downstairs and try to cram in as much Tivo-ing before our bedtime as possible. And I must admit, although I feel horribly for the TV workers who are being laid off because of the strike, I am able to catch up on some TV that I've had to put on the back burner. So while I miss my mainstays: Desperate, CSI Miami, Ugly Betty, Numbers and Moonlight, I've really enjoyed watching Pushing Daisies. It's so fun on the eyes and every time I watch it, I want to eat pie!

Now, I need to convince the hubby to watch Reaper and maybe even Gossip Girl. Those are still waiting in the wings and not sure if we'll ever get around to them. And we're still trying to finish up Burn Notice, which has been over for months!

And who would have ever thought the day would come where you thank the heavens for reality tv? Yup, Amazing Race and Project Runway are keeping me going!

But I think we are just about caught up on our Tivo stash, so we may have to watch a rented movie tonight instead! Gasp!

Gymboree Shiner

Today is a day of firsts. It's my first blog post - yay! Hopefully, it will be something I will keep up with and Evan will have fun reading when he grows up.

Our other first - Evan got his first black eye. Poor dude. We were at Gymboree class and he tripped on the parachute. He landed face first on the edge of a tunnel and it immediately started to bruise. It's gotten bigger and bigger as the day goes on. Poor dude! Such a tough guy, though. There was the immediate stunned reaction and the cry of pain, but I was surprised how quickly he got over it. He tells me he got a 'big ouchie', but doesn't really complain much about it.

So a little about us... I'm a stay at home mom to Evan, a two year old cutie. :) My husband works hard for the money, but puts his family first and makes lots of time for us. His parents recently moved across country to be close to their second grandson and they've been such a big help! After almost 10 years of living in a place with no family, this is a nice change!

We (read, Evan) are anxiously awaiting Christmas. We put up the biggest Christmas tree we've ever had over the weekend. It stands about 10 feet tall and the topper clears the ceiling with about an inch to spare. Evan helped decorate, except the whole time I was saying, "Evan, no balls! No balls!" He would take the top off the glass ball ornaments and I was afraid he might cut himself. So we were at Target's Christmas section today and he points to the box of ornaments and says, "No balls, Evan." Such a funny dude.