Another Check in the Con Column for Florida

It's so transient. I swear all the best people leave. Family, friends and coworkers have gone in the past, and now there's another wave. A new mom I really gelled with had to move, then an old friend who moved here before me. Now someone I met in IF circles years ago (and adore) is moving to a whole different country!

One of the reasons we chose Fl over others is because there were a wealth of family members and people so close they may as well have been family here. There are still a few, but it's dwindling fast, and at a time when we so need it. (Because it's all about us, right?) The economy has played a large part in all the recent ones, just like it's keeping us here in our decent situation. It's just too scary to trust anything other than a fabulous job offer.

What about you? How have your relationships been affected?

And the Barnyard Prepares For a Seige

Yes he arranged them.

Quick Updates

• The diapers have sold! Yay! Thanks Jessica! 
• It's been so hot this winter. It worries me.
• Little man needs a letter. He is REALLY two, and it is just amazing.
• He slept in a big boy bed easily for two nights! (granted we're still sleeping mostly with him, but it's a step!)
• I write a lot about what I'll miss about Florida (if we can ever move), but what I WON'T miss AT ALL is as follows: 
• Nighttime humidity that makes it hard to sleep
• Fire Ants - the murderous, swarming, ever present, invasive little bastards
• The burning merciless sun (the same sun that makes it pleasantly bright is also brutal over your head) 
• Fire ants
• Grass that sends out runners. Man I hate that crap. 
• Tourist traffic and predominantly tourism culture
• FIRE ANTS

Sadly for Sale

I've been holding on to the lost dream of these Bumgenius beauties for too long. They worked beautifully for us for a total of about 5 or 6 months of E's life. The rest of the time his little butt was too skinny, or he was at daycare, and now he's refused to wear them, and I just don't have the oomph to fight him. I suspect him being so hot has something to do with it.

Anyway, these diapers (nicely arranged in a "wainbow" by E - he's an arranger) are for sale. They are much more gently used than I would have liked, but it's a good bargain for you! There's even a new one in package! They have all inserts, and there are only a couple stained ones. The diaper sprayer didn't work for my plumbing, so it's never been opened.

I'm asking $35 for the sprayer, $10 for each diaper (13 in all). If you want the whole shebang, it's $150. If you want all the dipes minus the sprayer, it's $120. And no you may not have the flannel wipes I got from Jen. They are too awesome for everything. If you are interested, leave a comment with your email, and we'll chat.


**Get a load of my Christmas clad toes in the shot. Classy.

Overdue Kindle Fire Review

In short: I like it, but not as much as real books. I don't know how much the backlit screen plays into that and if I'd like the e-ink better. I love the internet and movie capabilities, and the sound is great.
Now for the list:

PROS
1. The price! I hear rumors that Amazon is taking a hit in the hopes that content sale will more than make up for it. Whatever. It's cheap for a tablet!
2. Good screen clarity and sound.
3. The category system and little rotating carousel and book shelves.
4. Good for on the go movies.
5. Cloud drive and automatic sync with your amazon account with wi fi.
6. The keyboard/spell check system is easier to use than Apple's in my opinion. (it's Android)
7. Holds its charge very well.

CONS
1. Not overly portable.
2. E books are often more expensive than paper books. And to get them from your library or the Kindle one is a hassle with VERY limited selection. At this point, I think I'd rather still order them the old way from my library.
3. Back lit screen. I just can't quite sink into the book as well as on regular paper.
4. Amazon Prime sounds great with the Kindle, but the one free book (lent) a month is hard with the poor selection, and all those movies you have access too? Not too many, and you still pay $2 or so per movie. No thanks. Unless we're on a trip, I'll go to Red Box or use Netflix.
5. I don't like their email set-up.
6. I can remove certain books from the device, but for many of them, the damn image of the book stays up there! You know how I detest clutter.
That's all I can think for now. Any questions?

Sensitive Sally

If you know me at all, then you know that it's no secret that I can be easily overwhelmed and that I shut down with too much input. It's not that I'm not intelligent enough to take it in. It's that my brain bounces ideas and images around like a ping pong match. It can be hard for me to find peace and focus. And lately, when I have the rare quiet moment just for me, I've felt more like finishing projects that require my whole attention or curling up in a chair in the sunlight and reading a book than getting too involved online. And if you know me, you also know that I run with my gut instincts.

I used to feel guilty about this aspect of myself as I've mentioned before. It felt like a failing. But maturity and learning have helped. I think reading the book, "The Highly Sensitive Child" closed the last big door on my doubts over that aspect of myself. It helped me see that this is just my personality from a psychological perspective and that to help E with that same personality, I should model confidence and peace with it. I think it wasn't a coincidence that I used to yearn for the simpler routine of Laura Ingalls Wilder, or that growing up on a forested mountain top suited me so well.

And don't get me wrong. It's worth it to step outside myself regularly for awesome experiences. But I guess all this is just to say that after having E, I finally learned (out of sheer necessity!) to save myself. I try to avoid my "triggers" for anxiety and only take on what I can. Thus why I am not on twitter, why I don't participate in FB games, and why I can have long absences from blogging. My natural, peaceful existence is a more quiet, self contained one. When I have an explosion of outside involvement, it's because something (often stress) has driven me there.

And there's your long ass version of the, "I haven't been blogging post."
Tell me more about how you process. I'm genuinely curious about how most people work through this hyper input world.

E this Morning

I have you Mommy! (smiling warmly and in sing song speech) and then, "Mommy I missed you!"
Happy "Bawentime's" Day to me.

Valentine's Card

For Hub: I love you! Happy Valentine's Day!  

For E: This song is meant as a romantic song, but it reminds me much more of how I feel and felt as your mother. I love you forever.

Repurposing

Remember that Ikea shelf that caused me such grief in the nursery a while back? This us what we decided to do with it.