What's going on .... a rambly ramble

Well, like a lot of you, my mind, my heart and my peace have been in Haiti lately.  Oh I have the priviledge to turn off the tv, turn off the news, the internet and zone in on the little things that annoy me or make me feel like I have so little, on and off throughout each day but it's pretty intense the overwhelming overwhelmingness of the pain happening in Haiti right now. 

So it seems trivial to complain about not getting enough sleep, not having too many moments of quiet ... going from sleep to parenting, from parenting to work, from work to parenting, from parenting to housework from housework to sleep just to start over day after day after day after day.  It really does and boy have I felt guilt over and over about my whining about these things.  Guilt of course DOES NOTHING for others who are suffering and it really doesn't help me much either. 

Seems like the blog-sphere is exploding with people who are doing amazing things to stretch their minds for the new year.  30 days of nothing, Jayme is doing some amazing stretching each month (so cool!).  Carrie is well on her way to a year (possibly a lifetime) of healthier eating for her family.  

We're kinda on the edge of spectacular here in S. Minneapolis.  We're doing some half-*ssish attempts at health and orderly living.  Quite frankly with our budget we are close to the 30 days of nothing every month.  What with paying off the past decade of decadence it leaves nothing to spend on the here and now.  I imagine one day the budget won't be quite so stretched and I'll be left wondering "should I save this money, donate it or buy new shoes" until then I'll keep the lights on! 

What we are doing here in Casa de Lucita (in terms of goals and resolutions) is:
1. sticking with the making meals for our family (not just with Lucy's fussy tastes in mind).   It's been a few weeks now and things are going better.  She's definately eating a lot more veggies and fruit since she prefers them over the other things I cook.  That's cool with me.  She tries everything and really usually only takes a small reminder to not whine or complain.  She hasn't been sent away from the table  for over two weeks.

2. I have decided to not spend any more money on meat for us.  No we're not going completely vegetarian.  We still have meat in our freezer, and in soup in the cupboard.  We'll still eat it when someone cooks for us or pays for our dinner out.  I am just not going to spend more of my money on something that is kinda cruel and definately unhealthy.   Yesterday Lucy half-heartedly ate a taco stuffed full of black beans (that i had chopped int eh food processor) and brown rice, seasoned with taco seasoning.  Yeah us! 

3. I am systematically purging and organizing our house.  We'll have a big ol garage sale this spring.  I will no longer be bogged down in stuff.  My house is already looking calmer and I am feeling calmer.  Sunday I hope to start working on the basement areas. 

4. Lucy and I are also working on her behaviors.  Trying to work together to figure out where "the line" is and what will happen when she crosses it.  She's a good girl but can be very challenging.  I don't want to always be calling her to the line and it is taking some time to figure out what's important and how to manage it.   Thanks to her magic clock bedtime and wake time issues have mostly ceased.  My child who will fight me on every little thing will almost always walk into her room when I tell her it's bedtime.  Sometimes she'll complain but she is 95% done complaining by the time she gets in bed.  She will go to sleep on her own with no problems.  She will not go out of her room, and will either sleep or quietly look at books until her clock turns yellow (at 7:11 a.m.).  Yeah Lucy!   


I have turned in our school choice cards for Mpls Public Schools and have applied to one charter school.  I should know by April where Lucy will be going to school.  Yikes! 

That's it for now.  Must pick up the house before bed.