Sturm Haus

I itch, you itch, we all itch for... itching

Yeah. If you're not someone who suffers from seasonal allergies - well, thank your lucky, lucky stars.

After our busy, outdoorsy weekend, I woke up yesterday feeling awful. Itchy, scratchy, achy from head to toe -- I couldn't wait to get in the shower, where I scrubbed and scrubbed what I imagined were layers of pollen off myself. Didn't help as much as I'd hoped.

Normally I'm a late-summer/early-fall allergy sufferer. Ragweed season is when I go off the rails. Sunflowers make me itch just to look at them. But spring/early summer has never been a problem time for me. Evidently the mild, wild winter we had allowed stuff to bloom early or something -- heaven knows what happened, but it sucks.

So I've been on my zyrtec regimen for a few weeks already (normally the earliest I start is July). Before that I was taking the occassional benadryl. Now I'm taking the zyrtec in the morning, the benadryl at bedtime, and sudafed and advil PRN to keep the swelling down. Joyous. Jon's on a couple of meds too. We have the central air running despite the gorgeous temperatures, because I can't sleep with all that pollen floating through the open windows and landing gently on my sheets, pajamas, towels, and self. Imagine a giant powder puff gently and constantly patting you all over and depositing a fine powder - that's exactly how I see it.

I got to work yesterday and someone said "do you feel OK?" Well, sort of. I was functional. I had a big meeting yesterday evening, so calling in sick (not that I felt I needed to) wasn't an option. Meeting! Must prepare! Despite swollen face!

Around 3:30 I realized it wasn't just the allergies making life hard - I was trying to have a mild panic attack about the meeting. Not over anything major, important, or even specific, but still... I had to take a break, drive around a bit, and make up an escape plan* in case my overactive internal alarm system turned out to be right after all.

In the end everything was perfectly fine (as it usually is). I came home to find everyone in bed, spent some time telling Charlie to get off the couch and OUCH no bite and sit and lie down and OFF that do not climb up on the end table to get the cat, and had a beer. And some benadryl.

Tonight I remembered to take some sudafed, and now suddenly I can hear out my right ear. Funny how that works. I think I'll go to bed now and enjoy the sensation while horizontal.

Itchingly yours,

H

*I find well-thought-out escape plans useful when panic attacks are imminent. I imagine the worst-case scenario, decide what I can handle, what I can't, and how fast I can leave the premises for good should it be deemed necessary. I find the plans extremely comforting, and have never used one. Yet.

sweet day

First, press play: 

Today started with soccer - 9am for Annabel, 10:15 for Otto. It was almost 70 degrees when we left the house - the warmest we've been here for ages, and definitely the warmest day they've had so far to play. All blue skies and sunshine, and Bel wisely wore a pair of shorty pink shorts.

no pigtails today

After Otto's game, he and I headed to Kroger. He got excited when he saw that pork chops were 2 for 1, so we stocked up on those and sweet corn - lots of sweet corn. And strawberries. And other stuff, but those were the big items.

was he thinking about lunch?

Shortly after getting home the carpet measurer showed up, and I let him into the house without even trying to apologize for the crazy mess he would encounter in the kids' rooms. He seemed to get by OK. We stayed downstairs and ate lunch while he measured upstairs - starving! - and when he made it downstairs he complimented Charlie on being a really nice-looking mutt.

Charlie was remarkably GOOD today. He took a couple of naps in his crate, played outside in the sprinkler, and mostly chewed on his own toys instead of Annabel's. Progress!

Jon and I took naps like the kids did, and followed up by cleaning out the garage while the kids headed next door to play in the water with friends - slip and slide, sprinkler, baby pool, water guns, they had it all going. When I finally shooed them indoors I herded them straight upstairs to the shower, liberally applied aloe vera gel, and got them into jammies.

We made Otto's favorite dinner of all time - pan-fried pork chops and corn on the cob - with sides of macaroni salad for the grown ups and mac and cheese for the kids. They ate like gangbusters, then crawled off their chairs to lie on the couch and watch a little Star Wars. The next thing Jon and I knew, they were all sound asleep (Charlie included).

crashed

Such a gorgeous, summery day - like that first bite of a really good, in-season strawberry, I realized I'd forgotten just how sweet it is.

crazy town

Well, it's not really that crazy around here - it's just end-of-school-year, almost-summer crazy.

Otto did a nice job on his science fair project last week, and was still willing to talk about it this weekend with grandparents, so I count it a success on multiple levels. He's also advanced to Wolf Cub status in Scouts, which he's quite proud of. He should be - he and Jon have worked hard on that this year, with an occassional assist from Mom.

Tonight, he and I talked about how he only has 4 more weeks of school left. He's now counting the days left, and I'm wondering how we got to the end of the year so quickly.

Soccer is going OK this spring. Otto is still a bit flaky on the field, but he enjoys it and tries hard. He's improved from last fall, and we're thinking about putting him in an indoor league over the summer to work on both skills and confidence. He's #7 in the red t-shirt:

 

Bel is turning out to be a pretty lively footballer, running and kicking and enjoying herself. Plus she's looking cute in her pigtails:

Annabel has also been testing boundaries and pushing buttons lately. Gee, three is fun... She's still my chatterbox and we're deep into "why?" question territory, which I'm sure is related to the boundary pushing as far as developmental phases go. She got into trouble on a field trip a couple of weeks ago -- she was in a booster seat on the bus, and decided to unbuckle herself. She's still in 5-pt harnesses in our cars and I imagine the opportunity to exercise her freedom was irresistable. Which explains why she's still in 5-pt harnesses in our cars.

The punishment was that she had to miss a field trip, so Friday she didn't get to go with her class to see the caboose in Depot Town. She was pretty cool about it and understood why. But tonight she popped up in the kitchen while I was clearing the table after dinner and went off on a 5 minute rant about how she does not like rules and directions. "I do not like rules and directions!" she announced while pacing the floor, pouty face on.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing, and we talked a bit about actions and consequences. "Would you have unbuckled your booster seat that day if you knew that it meant you would miss seeing the caboose?" I asked.

She thought about it. "No," she said.

"Well, then, you need to think about the consequences before you decide to break a rule."

She just looked at me and went off to blow bubbles on the front porch. We'll see how that goes, then.

Charlie gets a bit better every week - this weekend I read through most of the Tao of Puppies book, which covers puppy development as well as training, and I think he's really doing very well. He was pretty little when we got him and had been in a foster home even before that, which means he was very young to leave his mom and littermates. Considering that, he's doing great. We've stated training - voice/hand commands for the basics, and some 'tricks' and new-to-us commands using a clicker. He likes training, since he earns treats! And he's not so little anymore (though not big, either). He's growing nicely:

Happy almost-summer, and toodle-oo for now!

May the 4th...

...be with you.

I think we'll celebrate Star Wars Day by making Wookie Cookies this evening and watching the original Star Wars (at least part of it). And, of course, we'll be listening to the Imperial March on repeat. It's Otto's favorite.

 

refreshing

Yesterday, Annabel and I went to the Apple store to get a new power charger  for the laptop (Charlie ate through the old one the other evening - oops). We finished our transaction, played on the iPads for a bit, then walked back out into the mall. I was ready to go home and make dinner, but Bel pulled me to a stop.

After a short discussion, she whispered "but I want to stay for another hour."

Me, confused: "To shop?" She nodded. "What are we shopping for?" I asked.

"I need a swimsuit," she said.

When we were at the hotel pool a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that her old suit wasn't fitting so well. We casually discussed getting a new one. We've looked at a couple of mail-order catalogs. But we're still getting freeze warnings here, so it's not like it's an urgent need.

"OK," I said. "We can look. Let's start at The Children's Place, OK?"

We looked at the suits there - no dice. Mostly they had bikinis with rash guards to wear over the top, and Bel wasn't interested. She tried on some sunglasses but didn't like the way they fit. After browsing a few minutes, I asked if she'd like to try a different store. She agreed, so we crossed the mall to the Gap, and she promptly fell in love with a pair of lavendar flip flops. We tried on 5 or 6 swimsuits -- all of them had to coordinate with the flip flops -- and after some trial and error found a cut and size that she said was comfy.

Mission complete, we checked out, and she proudly toted her shopping bag out to the car. As she predicted, the whole thing took about an hour.

She's done this before, but I tend to forget that she not only enjoys shopping, she's good at it. She shops with a goal, knows what she likes, and when we find what she needs, she's done. This is completely unlike her brother, who is happiest when I surprise him with LEGO Star Wars t-shirts, socks, and swishy pants from Target -- and unlike her dad or even me. So I'm always kind of amazed when she leads me off on a shopping expedition like an expert little shopping sherpa.

How long do you think I have to wait before I can hire her to shop for me???

When we got back from the mall, we found Jon and Otto had returned from an afternoon birthday party. On the kitchen counter was a Nerf water pistol. Otto has a big Nerf water gun, and while looking for a gift yesterday, he spotted the little version. It's got the same style and pump-action water shooting feature as his, but is sized better for a little sister's smaller hands. So he and Jon decided to buy it for her. She loves it. And it's the perfect accessory for her new swimsuit.

Today she was admiring her new flip flops and talking about where she'll wear them this summer. To the water park. To grandma's house. In the backyard. Swimming with Hallie. Etc. Summer ahoy!

Summer is also when we begin a new fiscal year at work, and the budget keeps getting tighter and tighter. It's completely expected given the economy. We're getting good at requesting (and getting) grants for programs, so that's a bright spot. A couple of weeks ago I read a post at Door 16 that resonated, though - Anna quoted Chuck Close, who said "Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work." I'm not anything like an artist, but I can and do get stuck in that "there-must-be-a-better-way-to-do-this" trap. I keep thinking if I was better at everything - from fund raising on down - the situation would be better. But in the end, I don't think there's one perfect way to manage having the budget cut significantly year over year. You do what you can and keep moving forward and work on the things that count the most.

So, instead of beating myself up, I'm going to adopt Annabel's approach. We have a mission, and within a reasonable amount of time we're going to find a solution that fits and feels right. Then we'll settle up, leave the store, and get set to enjoy summer.

Charlie, in non-cord-chewing mode.

five for friday

Articles! I likes 'em. Here are a few to make you think:

The Rush of Battle by Hunter Hillenmeyer at ChicagoSide
When he was playing for the Bears, Hillenmeyer was a class act - smart, savvy, played hard but with integrity. This article proves he's still all that. And hey, you've gotta love an NFL player who compares football to The Hunger Games. You can follow his Twitter feed (I do) @hthill.

The Way They Work by Linda Rorem at Herding on the Web
I've been reading about herding dogs this week. This follows Jon and me noticing two distinctive behaviors in our new pup; he tried to herd the cat one evening (good luck with that), and he did the circle-and-lie-down move that I've seen herding dogs do when they're gathering animals. Only Charlie was circling the kids in the back yard. Jon said that evening, "yeah, we might be those people renting time on a sheep farm so the dog can work." But, you know, Charlie also kind of sounds like a beagle when he barks, so...

She made Gotye somebody we know by Patrick O'Neil at Stuff.co.nz
Wow. There are about 500 million covers of the billboard hit Somebody That I Used to Know - from church choirs to Glee. Here's the original video - go to the article to see a compilation video of all the covers.

Burying a Romance by Sara at SBTB
Sara met someone at a conference who told her a story about putting her grandma's favorite romance novels in the coffin at the funeral. I'm liking the idea of being buried with books. Plus it's a sweet story about how much readers care about what they read.

Drastic Downsizing: When Times Got Tough, This Family Built a "Tiny House" at Hooked on Houses
Our house definitely feels smaller these days, what with 2 kids and their stuff. I sometimes wish we had more square footage (we live in a little less than 1500 sq ft), but then I read something about tiny houses (it's quite a movement these days), and realize our space is really very workable. I think I would go nuts in the itty bitty house these people are so admirably inhabiting.

heh

So, Jon and I are watching Red.

I'm wondering how Bruce Willis stays so Willis-y, year in and year out.

Jon says, "Oh, look. Of course! Look where they go to save the world - the LIBRARY."

Me, raised eyebrow, silent of course.

Then he went on. "And if there's a scene later in the movie in a shipping container yard, something BAD will happen. Something bad always happens there." (he's right)

Well, he's right unless Jason Statham takes his shirt off.

Or maybe that's just a matter of perspective.

happy friday!

and here's a great little video about reading to kick off the weekend

things Charlie has learned in his first week at home

• leash = walk walk (play!) walk
• it's more fun to sit in the back seat between the kids than in the front seat by mom
• go outside and pee -- come inside and get a treat!
• grabbing the cat's collar makes it easy to drag the cat across the kitchen floor
• Annabel has the best toys (aka stuffed animals)
• Mom makes breakfast; Dad makes dinner
• car rides are a good time to take a nap

He's starting to ask to go outside, which is progress, though we're not accident free yet. Sigh.

He sleeps like a champ though - goes to bed with me, gets up with Jon. Rarely needs to go out in between.

He's met most of the neighbors and practiced being adorable during introductions.

He and Annabel are getting to be really good buddies -- she goes out and runs with him in the back yard, and likes putting his leash on him to go for walks. Otto is warming up to him, especially when I give him specific tasks like holding his leash when they're all in the back seat.

I created a safe-cat area for Lilly in the laundry room. Her food and water are now up and out of the dog's reach and there's a soft rug up there for sitting/snoozing. She's more relaxed, and doesn't seem to mind being hauled around by the collar as much as I think she should.

Between evening schedules and work-from-home Thursdays, Charlie isn't having to spend that much time in his crate. And the two days that have been more normal 9-5 days, he's gone to work with me. I work with dog people so he gets lots of love and understanding. Today he was walked several times by different staffers, exclaimed over by a few library visitors (and it's really kind of cool how many people get down on the floor to talk to him), and took some great naps hidden back behind the circulation desk. Tiring day for him, but he actually likes all the activity -- wouldn't settle down in my office after our morning meeting was over, so we headed downstairs. He even likes riding the elevator.

The best thing about having him with me so much right now is that he's getting good about leash training and starting to learn to go to his place (his bed).

His vet visit Friday went well. He got a swag bag full of nifty things like toothbrush and toothpaste, treats, and so on. We go back in a few weeks for another visit, after which I think we can sign up for puppy classes. I'm really looking forward to that part - dog school! I always liked dog school when Lady and I did obedience classes.

Fun!

papa was a rolling stone

This is pretty much how Jon and I manage change - I do the prep work, he executes.

It's how we do meal planning.

Trips.

Puppies.

So yes - this is Charlie.

He's 2 months old, just barely 10 pounds, black and white with floppy ears and brown eyes and a white whip of a tail.

I spotted his profile at the humane society web site and sent it to Jon, and we decided we'd like to meet him.

The kids liked him, and so did we. He has a nice disposition - inquisitive, not timid but not full of frenetic energy. Seems bright. Does a little puppy mouthing, but no jumping or excessive licking. Jon was the one who gave the final nod and said "let's take him home." So we did.

And yes, I know, I know - puppies are work.

And yes, we will have to find a dog sitter (until then I will flex my schedule a bit, we will ask neighbors to check on him, we will get by).

But I think we've made the right choice for us for this round. He's small enough that the kids aren't afraid of him, and they're old enough that they can learn how to give basic commands and treat him well. Annabel calls him puppy and likes to pet him. Otto picked out a great toy for him and likes to give him treats. Lilly has taken to him as much as a cat can, I think -- she plays with him, anyway, and the claws haven't come out yet.

He has a crate, which we've set up in our bedroom for the first 2 nights. He likes it so far - he napped in there this afternoon while I napped, and likes having his own space. He's also found a spot in the living room that he's decided is a good home base. I put an extra bed there, and he drags toys over and lies there and takes naps. He's been suprisingly mellow today (yesterday he was pretty excited about everything). When he stretches out and gets ready to sleep, he makes funny little moaning groaning noises. And he likes to sleep on top of a toy.

So we'll crate train. He's already pretty good at going out on a leash, so we can take short walks. We'll do obedience classes later in the fall, when he's older and has had all his shots.

And we'll see what kind of dog he grows into! He's a mystery mutt, an All-American. Probably mostly lab, but there's a lot of patchy black and white going on, which could be border collie or just about anything, really -- it'll be fun to find out. He was shipped up here from Tennessee along with 4 siblings (they were all adopted by the end of the day yesterday). Evidently his mama was unsocial and couldn't be rescued, and the people who took in the puppies said his dad was another homeless dog in the neighborhood.

I felt bad walking past the adult dogs - so many of them, all of them bright eyed and hopeful in their runs. But the humane society is careful, and smart. If they don't know a dog's past, or if there's any hint of a problem, they're quick to label her with "kids 12 and older" or "no cats". You'd be surprised at how many dogs that takes out of the running for us.

So here we are - puppy Charlie and all. He's a nice pup. A bit different than what I expected for us, but he'll suit where we are right now. And still a rescue, though not an adult rescue.

My mom visited for the weekend and we've had a really nice time. Today we had a little egg hunt before church, then church, then a big lunch (ham! au gratin potatoes! asparagus!) followed by naps. She heads home tomorrow, and we head into a busy week. Tomorrow it's back to school for Otto (he was on spring break last week), and soccer practice starts Tuesday. Hmm... I think he needs new cleats. I work late tomorrow night and Friday evening (probably Wed. too), and Saturday most of the day. Somewhere in there I'll schedule an appointment at the vet for Charlie's meet-and-greet.

Speaking of which... time to walk the puppy, then head to bed.

Happy Easter! Happy spring!