A few notes from the week thus far:
1. Dan and I finally copped to the fact that we need a new coffee maker. The Mr. Coffee that has served us faithfully for nearly 10 years is… well, I don’t really know what happened. I cleaned it at least annually, and then this year, I probably cleaned it twice within six months, and the coffee still just tasted bad. Indescribably bad.
Thank goodness for VIA.
I put out a query on Twitter, as I am wont to do, regarding a recommendation for a replacement coffee maker.
The response was overwhelming: Twitter recommended I get a French press, maybe two (one for loose tea).
So we will be getting a French press (or two) in the near future, and possibly another Mr. Coffee for when we need to make more than 3-4 cups of coffee at a time.
Thanks, everyone!
++
2. I have been doing so well with the meal schedule that I actually have enough for two nights of (mostly) leftovers, tonight and tomorrow. I need refrigerator space and storage containers! So: cleaning out tonight and tomorrow.
3. One of the secrets to doing well with the meal schedule is cooking in the morning. I usually make pasta Monday morning for that night’s dinner; Tuesday, I get the rice steamer set up, or (as I did yesterday) make something like veggie chili before leaving for work. I had never even contemplated this step in the past.
4. This organization thing is going pretty well (knock on wood). Packing lunches at night, and putting dishes away in the morning, plus prepping some food in the morning is leading to extra time in the evenings. Of course, that means I get to do stuff like go through M’s clothes to update sizes and seasonal wear, or more efficiently take care of paper work, but STILL.
++
5. I added something else to the evening schedule: violin practice. (Related: I may have lost my damn mind, as I told a friend on Twitter yesterday.) I’m starting Flora out with 15 minutes of practice each night (she’s not even playing real songs yet). We’ll see how it goes. We chose violin as a starting instrument because: 1. we don’t have a piano, or room for one at this point; 2. lessons are at school, during school. She’s taking part in group lessons; 3. renting a violin is super, duper easy and not very expensive.
6. The perfect bribe for my children (or, conversely the perfect thing to take away as a consequence): computer time. They watch a lot of YouTube Pokemon videos or play games online (fantage, coolmath). They each get between 20 and 30 minutes at a pop.
++
7. We will be shopping for materials to make the Halloween costumes this weekend.
Yes, I told the girls they could be Pokemon, and, yes, I told them we would make their costumes. Further proof I have lost my damn mind. Rest assured: I am still sane enough to know that SEWING the costumes in out of the question. It will be more a matter of… constructing them.
Michael will be a monkey, in a costume being passed along to me. So that’s all right.
What totally crazy and/or out-of-character things are you doing lately?
Red Pen Mama 