My New Favorite

Okay, so last time I mentioned American Idol not very many people commented--does no one else watch this or what? I had missed a few early weeks and had completely missed Brooke White altogether until last week when she sang a Pat Benatar song. I really enjoyed her performance, and she became my #2. Then I found out she's LDS--bonus! After last night (she sang Let It Be), she is my favorite. I love the whole Carly Simon thing she's got going. David A. totally choked last night, but I still like him. He's got the talent, but I'm not so sure he's going to win. My other two favorites are Jason Castro (really loved last week's Hallelujah--one of my all time favorite songs) and David Cook. I'd be happy if any of them won. I know everyone loves Carly Smithson, but for some reason, I just don't like her that much. There is quite a lot of talent this year. I'm probably getting way too into this! :)

Terrible Two's--Nine Months Early??

Kate has really been a fussy one lately. The only times she's been like this have been when she's teething, so I assume that's what it is this time, too...it's just that I don't see any teeth coming in yet. I really hope this isn't her next phase.

In addition to her all-around fussiness over the past week, she has stopped eating everything except for bread, fruit, and Graham crackers. I tried rolling a green bean up in a piece of bread to trick her. It fooled her the first time, and she let it pass (not without a glare, though). But when I tried to feed her again after that, she wouldn't let anything by without a thorough inspection first. She unrolled the bread, promptly tossed the green bean overboard, and shoved in the bread. She used to be a great eater--green beans, peas, broccoli, you name it--she loved it. I hope it's just a teething thing and her appetite will come back. Not sure how healthy she'll be if all she eats is bread and fruit. I don't want to get into the habit of fixing something else that we're not already eating. Anyone have ideas for a picky eater?

Poor thing. I do feel sorry for her--I think she must be in pain from her teeth. She's still a sweetheart, though. She'll be screaming bloody murder one minute, then she'll wrap both arms around me, lay her head on my shoulder, and give me a consoling pat. It's as if she's saying, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll be back to normal soon."

It will be a relief, though, to see those new pearly whites break through--then I can breathe easy!

Interview Update

Well, thanks to everyone who offered to help me out. Luckily, I was able to reschedule the interview for the morning when the kids are at school, and Andrew's grandma watched Kate and let me borrow her car to get there.

PHEW! I am tired! The kids I am watching are pretty good, but the oldest one is a little defiant. Oh well. Just one more day of this!

So the interview went pretty well, I think. The lady that interviewed me was really friendly and easy to talk to. It's weird to call her a "lady," as I'm sure she's younger than me. She said I did "really well" on the test, and she loved my writing sample (it was a novelization of a few scenes from Gattaca for a Literature and Film class). She also seemed really intrigued that I was editing someone's life story. Overall, I think it was a good interview (only 20 minutes). She said she would call me next week.

She did ask me what I might struggle with in the job, and unfortunately, I was honest. I said that not knowing how much work it would be, I was a little concerned about being able to get it all done. What was I thinking?? Argh. I just don't want to accept a position (assuming I'm offered the job) that I can't meet expectations because of Kate. She said it might be between 20-30 hours a week, but it may not even be every week. If it was 30 hours, that may be kind of tough. But if it was only twice a month, I could do it. I just hadn't thought it would be quite that many hours...

Maybe I will email her to thank her for the interview and clarify what I said. Trying to get a job is so stressful! Especially when it's a job you want!

Patrick Swayze is Dying!

If you haven't heard, Patrick Swayze has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (he's 55). Even though I haven't seen one of his movies in a LONG time, I felt really sad! I had been a fan from age 8-21, baked him a cake on his birthday even! So...even though I haven't been a fan for years, it's almost like a part of my childhood is dying! I know that sounds really cheesy, and I'm sure you're all laughing right now...but thought I would post something about it.

Job Interview!

I heard about an editing position with BYU Independent Studies a few months ago from a co-worker (it's a work from home job), but I had been so busy with selling the house and settling in to our new place that I never sent a resume. Once Andrew quit his job, though, I thought it wouldn't hurt to send out my resume to a couple of places. I only heard back from one--the Independent Studies one. They emailed me back right away. I had to submit a cover letter, writing sample, and then take their test (which I did yesterday). I was pretty nervous because it has been a long while since I've done much editing. I thought I did okay, but thought too hard on some of the questions and went against my initial instincts (always a bad idea!). I sent a follow-up email to the supervisor, and she called me within a couple of hours to set up an interview for Friday. YAY!!

I don't want to get my hopes up, though. But this job would be absolutely perfect for us! Not to mention great experience for me. Andrew wouldn't have to get another job and could just focus on getting done with school. And I could get a little brain stimulation while Kate is napping or after she's gone to bed. Of course, that would mean less time for cleaning...and blogging. But it would really help us out.

There's one problem, though. I agreed to baby-sit a family of four kids this weekend (Thurs, Fri, and part of Sat), which of course, overlaps with the interview. Andrew will be at school, so I will have to find someone to watch a bunch of kids for me for a couple of hours. Hmm...

I'm sure it will work out somehow. I'm excited/nervous for the interview. We'll see what happens. Wish me luck! :)

The Bean Museum

I've been asking other mothers what they have found to do with their kids in Provo. I kept getting the same response--"The Bean Museum." Probably most of you in Utah Valley with kids already know about it, but it was new to me. It's two floors of stuffed animal exhibits--FREE. I finally decided to check it out today. It was really cool! Kate LOVED it. I wish I had had our camera to get video of her. She'd go right up to the animals and roar as loud as she could. It didn't matter if it was a lion or a bear--she would growl just as ferociously at a rabbit or a duck. She is going to love the zoo! But in the meantime, I think we'll be going back to the Bean Museum often.

On the second floor, there was even a landscape/nature photography exhibition going on. Andrew will have to enter next year.

I would definitely recommend it to everyone in the area!

Spreadin' the Love

When Kate was really little (0-6 months), she really didn't seem to like being held all that much. I was worried she wouldn't be a cuddler--but there was no need to worry!

Kate loves to hug everything--my leg, my arm, pillows, DVD cases, stuffed animals, and even pictures of animals. She'll lay her head on whatever it is and give it a good pat. It is so cute!