Catching Up

Today feels like one of those catch up days. You know, those days when you know you've let things go a little and suddenly there's this "Oh, Shit!" moment that drags you kicking and screaming back into reality. Lots of little things to catch up on today, and my blog was one of them, so here I am. My updates will be in no particular order; if I wander aimlessly, I accept it and admit it wholeheartedly. 1. The Experiement Update: It's been about two weeks since the start of my great "limit TV" experiment. A few of you have asked how's it turned out. Believe it or not, we're still going pretty strong. The weekends are hard, because there is just so much for time to plan around; so Jon and I are working on fixing that. However, during the week, I must say that the girls are watching about a 1/4 of the TV they were before school started. Between their lessons, and the other things I've been planning, they just don't have the time to watch it. But, when they do, they truly enjoy it now. (as do I, for the break). They are also a lot more subdued than they were when they were just sitting in front of the tv all afternoon. Could some of those studies be true about how tv affects kids? I'm not jumping fully onto that bandwagon, just yet, but I do notice some changes in the girls. This is especially true at bedtime. Before, the girls would watch tv right up until bedtime, and then getting them down to bed was a chore because they were bouncing all over the place, didn't want to turn the thing off, etc. But, now, the tv goes off a 1/2 hour before Erin's bedtime and what a difference it's made. Oh, there are still some nights that are a challenge, but overall (I'd say about 80% of the time), Cailyn and Erin settled down much quicker than before, and are getting to sleep a little earlier--which makes them less grumpier in the morning. Thank heaven for small miracles. I have been running ragged, though, by keeping the girls entertained and not giving into the temptation of letting them watch what they want/when they want it. So far, then, I'd have to say the Experiment has been rather successful. Who'd a thunk it? 2. With all of this work being a mom, I haven't had a lot of time for writing. Jon was gone most of last week, so that left precious little time. And, once I get out of the habit of doing something, it can be so hard to climb back in the saddle. Still, I'm determined to keep at it. 3. I've been taking Ambien for quite a while--when I started my antidepressants, actually, it's been almost a year. Insomnia runs in my family like a race horse, and since I became a mom for the second time, it finally caught up with me. After a couple of years of suffering with little sleep, I caved in and got some help. The Ambien has worked well, but lately, I've noticed that I'm very groggy in the morning and it takes me a long time to bounce back. So, I quit taking the meds--cold turkey. Supposedly, this is supposed to make me do some wacky shit. While I have had some wacky dreams, and some up and down nights, overall, I've been fine. I'm pretty tired right now, but last night was the first decent night's sleep I've had in days. Maybe I can do it without the drugs. The antidepressant, well, that's another story. Let's not be hasty about that ;) 4. More pictures from me: As I was coming home from an interview/photo shoot over the weekend, I drove up a hill in the "extremely nice" (i.e.: rich) part of Auburn. As I crested the hill, a sight caught my eye that I just had to stop and get: This is a view of Lewiston, Maine, Auburn's "twin city". I can say with relative certainty that those who live (or have lived) in this area would tell you that Auburn is the nicer of the two, for a variety of reasons. Lewiston is trying to make a comeback, though, both economically and visually. Still, when I saw this view of Lewiston, I couldn't believe how beautiful she looked from my vantage point. Guess it goes to show that beauty is all about from where you look. Looking at this shot, I think the city has some potential... Maybe I need to go around to other places in my hometown and see what beauty is out there. It's so easy to take things for granted. Ok, enough soapbox from me...I gotta get busy! Have a great day all!