Please join us there for more things…

Walker discovers balloons at his friend Lucas's first birthday. It didn't really occur to us that Walker hadn't spent much (or any) time with these wonderful things. He didn't really want to share once he figured out how fun they were.

I sit here drinking some wine, looking over work email, and pondering my return to Adobe.

I had one great vacation — not because I went somewhere exotic or did something unique or fascinating. I had a great vacation because it did what vacations are supposed to do — rejuvenate and relax you. The last three weeks were filled with a balance of working for Adobe and AiT/Planet Lar, completing things for the household, and doing things just for me. The result is a significantly smaller TO DO list, a more functional computer, a new blog, a trimmer me, and a tidier home and finances.

I must begin by saying I love being a mommy and I wouldn’t change anything in the world. However, I must say, the last few weeks have reintroduced me to the feeling of TRUE ACCOMPLISHMENT. Let me explain. I’m the Girl of 100 Lists (the Go Go’s song is my theme) and my lists are written with a small box to the left of each item. (A former boss gave me no end of grief about this format for my multi-page lists.) Each time I complete a task, I take a moment as I make a solid, confident check in the box. For a particularly significant item, time stops for just an instant, as if to honor the effort it took.

All parents will understand that a small human puts a crimp in life as you knew it. My 100 lists became 1000 lists over the last two years and every weekend I’d get stressed because more boxes were created than were checked on my lists. As I thought about my sabbatical, I considered packing up the family and using our miles to go somewhere fantastic. But the more I considered these scenarios, the more stressed I felt. Then a friend said something about her “staycation” and the more I thought about what that meant for me, the more comfortable I felt. So, Staycation it was. And it was great. I’m relaxed and I suspect our home appraisal will be higher.

Some Staycation highlights:

• Run/walk each day making it up to running 2.75miles at a stretch and watching the full FIREFLY series in the process. Oh, my pants fit better and I joined a gym near work so I, my family and co-workers continue to reap the benefits of my exercise regimine. (And I mean my stress reduction, not my better-fitting clothing.)
• Lunches, errands, and a movie with my honey
• Creating a home office, cleaning the guest room, taking stuff to the safe deposit box that should have been there a year ago, balancing all the finances, and meeting with the insurance agent
• Digging through and eliminating two years of crap on the table in the living room so it’s recognizable (and usable) as a table
• Weeding in the front and back and planting a few nice things that should do well in our sandy and windy backyard.
• Shopping
• Going to the Genius Bar to have them fix a the small problem with my email — oh yeah, years of emails DISAPPEARED when Adobe upgraded my system software… but they’re back now
• Migrating my blog to www.mimzilla.com (Were you paying attention? This will be addressed later)

There were many other things that were accomplished but I won’t bore you. Just know that this goes down in Mimi’s history as one of the best vacations ever. And why? Because I rediscovered the euphoric feeling of efficient TO DO list completion. And because life doesn’t stop when you’re on vacation. Things still happen like your dryer breaks, PG&E must inspect your solar installation (we’ve made more than 100 kilowatts than we’ve used), your fence breaks in two places in a wind storm, you and everyone in the family get a horrible cold, and you need your electric service replaced to your house. Had I been somewhere exotic, I’d have to try to deal with most of these things upon my return. However, with my fantastic staycation, I had the time to deal with it AND do a bit of exercise.

Adobe has a shut down in June and I’m already planning a day-by-day TO DO list.

WE’RE MOVING

You may have noticed that one of the highlights was that I’ve moved the blog. Yes, this is the final posting here. All future postings will be at www.mimzilla.com. It’s time we move to a more permanent URL. Please update your bookmarks. For those of you subscribed to RSS and emails, I’m really, really hoping you won’t have an interruption in entertaining posts.

Walker update

No post is complete without some Walker news. Our little guy is using more functional words. “I’m hungry” and “Want go home,” “Drink,” and “Move” have been added to other important words like ball, Barney, Elmo, Hop, Tweet (the bird, not a 140-character online post), YeeHaaa, Whee, Oh My, Boy oh boy, and Um.

Walker went a whole week without being sick! But alas, he’s got a runny nose again. Today, we were preparing to visit our friends Adrienne and Jim and Larry grabbed Walker’s hand to put his shoes on. “Did you put lotion on his hands?” he asks.

“No, that’s snot,” says Mommy absentmindedly.

“Mmmmm, creamy,” was Larry’s reply.

• Exercise daily
• Create garden paths
• Make home office
• Make guest room somewhat liveable
• Be able to use the living room table as a … table

Of course, there are many other tasks I’d like to complete such as knit a blanket, create a quilt from old jeans and flannel pants, convert the crib to toddler bed, see some movies, catch up on financial paperwork, etc. but I consider all these stretch goals. I have quite a long list and will consider it a success if I can check off half the items.

I’m already a week into my staycation. It started off with a trip to the after hours clinic — the second time in three weeks. It was clear Walker had an ear infection when all the gunk drained out overnight. He was diagnosed with a ruptured eardrum and a wheeze which was treated with a week of antibiotics and doses from an inhaler. Sounds very dramatic but it’s very common for kids. But, of course, Larry and I got the cruddy cough. Despite the fact I sounded like hell and had a body-wrenching coughing fit every fifteen minutes or so, I wasn’t going to let it stop an activity-packed sabbatical.

On Monday, I took Walker to Day Care and then took a very, very long walk along the beach — oh, and the first 30 minutes I chatted with a vendor about a work project. While a lot of the week was spent wrapping up a few things for work, I did it from the convenience of my new home office (check off one KPI), after walking/running/watching FIREFLY episodes (check off another KPI for week one), with the benefit of meeting-free days. Tuesday night the dryer decided to stop drying clothes and we had to take a few hours and $150 to get it fixed. All in all, it was relatively painless and inexpensive given I thought we’d have to replace our 20 year old dryer (which was predicted to last another five to ten years by the repair man who simply cleaned it to get it working again…) By 5:30 on Friday afternoon, I finished my work and could finally start my sabbatical in earnest. And yes, everyone is feeling much, much better. Tomorrow we’ll be starting the work on the garden paths.

Walker had a wonderful Easter. On Saturday we colored eggs and, this morning, the Easter Bunny left a very big basket on the stoop for little Walker’s second Easter. It was filled with Barney and Elmo DVDs, a puzzle, a bunny pull toy and some sidewalk chalk. Despite all of that, Walker was more interested in Daddy’s See’s Candy Jelly Beans. Later in the day PopPop came over and we had the First Annual Easter Egg Hunt. I filled some plastic eggs with organic chocolate graham crackers and strawberry fruit chews and distributed them around the back yard. I couldn’t get the camera started fast enough — Walker saw the basket and took off around the yard collecting eggs. He was in heaven. After finding all the treasures and transferring from the Easter basket to the Christmas tree holder, we did a bit of chalk drawing.

It’s also worth mentioning that it’s spring and Walker is not immune to the love in the air. He has been smitten by a young girl at Day Care named Madeline. When we returned from a week in Florida, Walker spent the first day back at Madeline’s side, giving her hugs and kisses and returning her dropped pacifiers. Periodically, when he awakes from his nap, he’ll run straight to Madeline’s crib and give her a hug. Apparently his love is not unrequited. Madeline follows him around as well.

Well, today I dropped Walker off to play with Grammy Jane at Toddler Tunes and I noticed it was time for my weekly tire trip. Annoyed, I wonder if they’ll let me inflate for free if I only buy two gallons of gas so I also unsuccessfully scour the car for three quarters. And then it happened. The fog parted and I realized I could be much more efficient. Why continue the cycle of emergency air stops when I have one of the best mechanics in SF blocks from my office? So I skidaddled on over to see Robert at Action Auto and he fixed my tire for $20. And to top it off, I got some good exercise walking to and from the garage. So, I hope you won’t think any less of me. I was in a rut but I seem to be back at jamming as much into my day as possible. (When putting Walker to bed, I had some good business ideas as well as thoughts about how to reorganize the sleeping arrangements and toddler gates for maximum efficiency.)

And what’s a blog post without a photo of Walker? When we went to Florida, we got smart and hid the shoe shine kit before Walker could destroy the brass tops. But it’s heavy and not something Gigi can move herself. So, we had to replace it before we left for the airport. Walker took the opportunity to mess with it during the very short time between moving it and going to the airport — you can tell we’re on our way soon since Walker was donning his backpack filled with toy.

And of course, all the girls love Walker… Need I say more?

Thank you Simon, Susan, Ian, Devin and Megan. Walker appreciates the toys; Mommy and Daddy appreciate the ability to sit on the couch and watch him have fun.

Hooray! Today our little house began to be a more green place to live. Our solar system went online and we saved about four pounds of carbon dioxide in the last two hours of sunlight of the day. It was very exciting to see the electric meter spin backwards and know PG&E can pump a bit less crud into the air because of us. We look forward to smaller bills.

I don’t think it’s related but Walker sang a wonderful rendition of “Yeah Mama!” tonight while he was falling asleep.

Here’s to a better life for our kids.

Walker went to the store and picked out this plant all by himself. He carried it through the store, to the register, back to the car, and all the way home so he could ensure it arrived safely. He’s very sincere in his good wishes (as evidenced by his expression.) Happy Birthday Gigi. We love you.

A few other things have happened recently. Walker has continued to CREATE at school. He’s doing a lot more drawing and I continue to be impressed at how well he colors in the lines. Some of his projects have included cut outs and tape. Today I brought home a large cut out bunny that was stapled to a brown piece of paper rolled in a tube so it’s sort of like a Bunny on a Stick. All these projects have been stored in Walker’s new folder that hangs on the wall at school. It’s so exciting to walk in to Sofiya’s and check his folder for the latest creation.

And how do we get all these items home? Sofiya suggested Walker was old enough for a little backpack. Boy, was she right! On Sunday we went to the toy store in search of something — I had been hoping for a small bag with some astronauts and rockets on it but we had to settle for a blue bag with a generic “Football U” on it (I’ll be sewing some space patches over the existing embroidery). Who cares what I like? Certainly not Walker because the pack is his new favorite possession. Each morning, when we get ready to go, we put on shoes, pick out our favorite coat of the day, and put on our backpack. He’s so proud of himself and feels like such a big boy that I think he’s an inch taller by the time we walk out the door.

Speaking of big-boy, last night we refinanced our house (again — we got an amazing rate so there’s one benefit to the economic “downturn”). Walker was very patient but really wanted to be a part of the process. For those of you who haven’t been through this, you must know you have to sign and initial about 100 documents. And both of you must do it. Walker wasn’t going to let us have all the fun; he very much wanted to assume some of his own debt. So he sat down at the kitchen table with Mommy, Daddy and Notary, took his pen and started signing loan papers. The Notary was quick to accommodate his desires, giving him some of his very own pages with check marks, “x” marks, stamps, and signature lines. Thirty years from now, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to know we considered him “Borrower #3″.

I can now check off one of those items on my “must do before I die” list. For most of you, it’s likely not terribly exciting. But for me, well, it’s a big deal. I’ll be able to clothe my family should we all have to return to our Pioneering roots. I learned to crochet. (Now is the time when you picture our interesting little family dressed as Pioneers from the 1974?) I went to the Adobe Yarn Craft Club (OK, so it’s a knitting club but people crochet too so I’m going to be craft-agnostic to avoid any controversy), and in five minutes, a woman showed me how to double crochet a hat. I’m a fast learner and have had a few meetings where I needed to relieve a bit of stress so I made two hats in less than a week. These were donated to a homeless shelter with more than 45 other knit and crochet hats created the good folks at Adobe. It appears a bit square in the photo but that’s only because of the inflatable packing material I got with my Amazon.com order that I jammed in there to give it a bit of depth for this very professionally art directed photo taken with my iPhone…

And I’ll end with one comment. Walker has given Wilson another nickname. The cat once known as WillyBean, Beano, Mr. Bean and Mr. Three Fang is now affectionately known as “Rwaow.” The large kitty doesn’t “meow” like most cats but rather, he has a more guttural “rwaow” and he likes to talk. Yeah, that nickname is gonna stick.

I got to Sofiya’s today and something new happened. She gave me a project Walker did at school. (He colored a picture of a pizza with orange and yellow crayon.) It was so wonderful, I almost cried. It’s not that it’s his best work ever — you should see the awesome Valentine’s Day cards he made with crayon, pen, and marker — but it’s his FIRST school project.

You see, all the big kids have folders on the wall and each day, there are projects in the folder waiting for the parents to take home (pictures, masks, and other crazy things).

Walker adores to draw. It’s been his favorite activity the last few weeks. Many times throughout the day, he’ll go to the table and pat his highchair and demand his crayons and paper. We have a plethora of paper options to choose from including tablets, notebooks, cards, letters, instruction manuals or whatever else he can find. He’ll sit for long spans of time and scribble away. He’ll make small lines, big circles, soft and hard scribbles. Most of the time he uses his right hand but sometimes, he’ll put crayons in both hands and go to town. I love watching him. He’s so focused and when he does something he likes, he picks it up and shows me. (He demands I sit next to him.) I’ve even found he likes to draw in the car!

I don’t have a lot of experience with kids so I think this behavior is normal for a kid his age. But today Sofiya was so very impressed. She couldn’t believe how well he did all by himself.

He’s going to get a folder on the wall with his name on it.

I think I’m going to cry all over again.

Monday was President’s Day and Day Care was closed. Sofiya didn’t decide she was going to close until the end of the week so I didn’t find out until after 5 on Friday. (All the kids are sick including Walker who has a sinus/ear infection, and I think she needed the rest from all those runny noses.) Not having back up care, I made Walker my apprentice for the day. Our first stop was our financial adviser. He was an angel. He played with his blocks and he colored and he ate goldfish crackers. He had the run of the office and was the perfect gentleman. Our next stop was the Adobe office. He played blocks with some of my co-workers, colored on my white board, ran up and down the cube rows, sang, jumped and danced. He joined me for four meetings. During one, we sat on the floor and ate yogurt. During another, he jammed grilled cheese in his snack cup, smeared a dirty whiteboard eraser across a wall, and took everything out of my wallet multiple times. He also would yell “Mama!” or “Ssssshhh. Quiet!” at opportune moments. (I was terribly impressed at how well everyone focused on the meeting despite my apprentice’s activities.) He napped during the third meeting. For the fourth meeting, we were at home. He was a bit less patient and despite playing with Daddy, he spent a lot of time grabbing my hand and bringing me into the living room to watch him climb on furniture, knock down block temples, or run down the hallway.

He is perfect. I’m so proud of him.

Walker loves to move things from one place to another. He also likes hats. On Christmas Day, the little munchkin combined his two passions and put a wicker trash can on his head and walked around with his new box of books. Walker had logged some considerable time with the basket on his head and impressively avoided all barriers but he had not tried carrying anything while donning his very special hat. It was certainly video-worthy.

Yesterday, Walker and I went on an errand to a knitting store. He was in heaven — a store filled with small boxes of soft things. He spent the next 30 minutes taking yarn from a cubbie hole, going up the step to the next room and putting the yarn in a box. He’d then repeat the process. After about 10 minutes, he worked up to removing two skeins at a time. I wasn’t able to get my yarn because I was getting my own exercise returning the yarn to the correct location. Finally, he decided to remove an entire cubbie of yarn at once. “It’s a good thing he’s cute,” I heard one employee say. We promptly left. Next time, I’ll go to the store by myself.

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Thanks to everyone who has been so very supportive over the last week. Without Moxie, the house feels a little emptier and Wilson is a bit more attentive but it was time for Moxie’s next adventure — whatever that may be. We choose to think of her purring on Mom’s lap.