Author Archives: kiesa

Twitter: August 27

2009

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 27, 2009 5:55 AM
When I went in to get Calvin this morning he was laying on his side.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 27, 2009 5:19 PM
It appears that Calvin might be sick. He threw up at daycare and had diarrhea. Now he’s very subdued.


2011

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 27, 2011 7:07 AM
Calvin went to bed very easily last night but his 2nd half was extremely restless. I dosed him with ibuprofen again, not sure it helped.


2013

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 27, 2013 2:23 PM
It is way, way, way too hot!


2014

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 27, 2014 3:57 AM
Version 2.1 is still working on records. Threw up twice tonight since 3am. That’s not normal. Calling Dr tomorrow.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 27, 2014 3:58 AM
Contemplating if anything works better than ginger ale and saltine crackers . . . getting desperate.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 27, 2014 12:34 PM
My food appears to be staying down! First time since 3am.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 27, 2014 12:34 PM
Now I’m back to bed.


2016

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 27, 2016 1:43 PM
Julian still hasn’t had a nap today :(

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 27, 2016 3:30 PM
Apparently Julian is not going to take a nap today.

Twitter: August 26

2009

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 26, 2009 6:03 AM
Calvin usually wake himself up by coughing but this morning it seems like he coughed more than usual.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 26, 2009 8:04 AM
Grandma and Calvin are off for a walk while I work on money.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 26, 2009 9:54 AM
Since yesterday, Calvin seems to be rolling over to his side more and more.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 26, 2009 10:33 AM
Grandma is giving Calvin a bath. He’s having *great* fun. About half the kitchen has been splashed by his energetic arms and legs.


2010

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 26, 2010 6:15 AM
Calvin is throwing a fit because I won’t give him a big person spoon to eat with.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 26, 2010 6:42 AM
Calvin has been insisting that I hold him constantly this morning. It makes getting anything done very tricky.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 26, 2010 2:41 PM
When I heard contended silence I should have realized Calvin had dumped over the recycle bin and was plan in it.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 26, 2010 5:18 PM
Calvin at a reasonable amount of Mizidra for supper.


2011

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 26, 2011 6:35 AM
Calvin didn’t want to go to sleep again last night. I’m letting him sleep in just a couple of minutes.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 26, 2011 3:30 PM
From daycare: “Calvin liked playing “who’s missing.”

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 26, 2011 3:30 PM
In other news, he didn’t take a nap so maybe he’ll go to bed at a reasonable hour tonight . . .

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 26, 2011 3:32 PM
I have my new phone and T-mobile transferred my old account to it without any problems :)


2017

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 26, 2017 10:01 AM
I made Finnish Cardamom Rolls today: https://www.feastingathome.com/finnish-cardamom-rolls/
They taste very similar to what we had in Finland.

Twitter: August 25

2009

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2009 7:26 AM
Calvin woke up with a red eye again. I thought it was pink eye but the dr office says without goop it isn’t.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2009 7:26 AM
So, I went ahead and took Calvin to daycare so I can work this morning before picking mom up at the airport.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2009 12:33 PM
Grandma is now reading to Calvin.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2009 6:44 PM
Calvin has started to roll from his back to his side. However, he’s still not rolling completely over to his stomach yet.


2010

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2010 6:15 AM
Hm, I bought 2 lg cartons of yogurt Sunday and it looks like I’m going to run out.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2010 6:38 AM
Calvin wet his training pants today and then grabbed my hand and dragged me to the bathroom to change him. Progress perhaps?

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2010 4:02 PM
From daycare: “Calvin really enjoyed painting with friends today!”

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2010 4:05 PM
In other news, I was asked at the grocery store which carton of yogurt had the most calories. Both had the same serving size.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2010 5:01 PM
Calvin _loves_ his tomato bean soup and it’s so easy: http://bit.ly/9orwMd
[Archived URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20100626174704/http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/warm-or-cold-tomato-and-white-bean-soup]

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2010 5:02 PM
(Though I should confess I don’t use the low-sodium version of everything like the recipe specifies.)


2011

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2011 3:27 PM
From daycare: “Calvin had fun “talking on the phone.””


2012

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2012 12:01 PM
Yea! We made it to and back from church today (crossing Broadway) without running into any bike chaos.


2014

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2014 6:02 AM
I’m starting to wonder if the sole purpose of my first food of the day is to have something my stomach can throw up.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2014 6:17 AM
Ok . . . plan c, white grape juice for breakfast . . .


2017

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2017 6:00 AM
Julian slept through the night!


2019

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2019 11:39 AM
There’s a lot of reasons not to use Amazon. However, if I quit, it’s probably going to be because of how hard it is to reconcile my credit card statement with my order totals. Every Single Time I have issues with it.

[This is still true. My life is so much easier when I manage to avoid buying anything from Amazon. Target, on the other hand, is the gold standard for itemized online invoices.]


2020

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2020 9:34 AM
I will admit that I was initially a little dubious about unions. However, I was optimistically not imagining scenarios like this: https://www.askamanager.org/2020/08/our-library-staff-have-all-been-reassigned-to-do-childcare-for-county-workers.html

When I was first looking for library jobs, I never applied for a children’s librarian position because I knew I would be terrible at it. Daycare would have been a whole additional level of incompetence.

[I went into COVID mildly dubious about unions and I came out a convert.]

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2020 11:09 AM
Ummmm . . . Julian kindergarten teacher assigned him to listen to the baby shark sing.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2020 11:14 AM
Turns out that was kind of user error. These videos don’t play on the iPad so I’ve been typing in the URL on the computer. I typed a O (o) instead of a zero and an I instead of an l (L).

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 25, 2020 7:12 PM
Ready for my daily Easter egg hunt looking for packages delivered along the driveway.

Twitter: August 24

2009

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2009 6:28 AM
I’m getting better. Calvin just threw up some of his breakfast and I managed to keep most of it confined to his burp cloth.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2009 8:56 AM
Our walk today was a little hotter than it’s been the last couple of times. I need to feed Calvin but then it’s time for a shower.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2009 3:02 PM
Hah, according to the person who checked me out for my life insurance, I’m 5’4 at 145 lbs. That puts me just barely in “normal” bmi.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2009 3:02 PM
I told her I was 5’3 but her tape measure said otherwise . . .

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2009 4:34 PM
Calvin went through two outfits at daycare today.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2009 4:55 PM
Is there something that says “prick me” today? First a yellow jacket stings me then a mosquito bites me.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2009 6:06 PM
Dear mothers, I cooked okra tonight for dinner. Are you appalled? :)

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2009 6:07 PM
I think I should have been eating okra while I was pregnant. A 1/2 cup serving contains 16% of a pregnant woman’s folate requirements.


2010

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2010 2:12 PM
From daycare: “Calvin really enjoyed climbing on the mats today!”

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2010 2:12 PM
They also report that he was crankier today but he seems much perkier than yesterday to me.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2010 4:18 PM
It’s really amazing how little puree a bag of spinach makes.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2010 4:44 PM
I’m hungry yet not hungry and my head hurts :(

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2010 6:22 PM
Just went to Parent Info Night at daycare and learned that pretty much everyone is sick. That explains a lot.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2010 6:24 PM
(I also learned other interesting things such as Calvin will try to drag his mattress to storage to help pickup after his nap.)


2011

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2011 7:56 AM
My phone is still missing so just ordered a new one. Hopefully will have phone service again soon.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2011 6:50 PM
Just got back from Pajamarama storytime at the library.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2011 7:11 PM
From daycare: “Calvin had fun playing basketball.”


2012

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2012 7:24 AM
Calvin, “I’m so frustrated you won’t give me a _real_ sandwich” (we’re out of preschool-approved fake peanut butter).

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2012 11:17 AM
According to our air conditioner technician, we had an “emphysemic” air conditioner.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2012 11:18 AM
This continues our trend of negatively impressing any house contractor who visits our home.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2012 4:10 PM
We successfully made it to the pool today. Calvin had a lot of fun.


2014

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2014 1:36 PM
I am relieved to find out that, in spite of my mortgage provider going bankrupt and a weird payment “applied” date, it’s all good.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2014 1:36 PM
This took me way too long to figure out but on the upside I have a mortgage amortization chart that works in gnumeric now.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2014 1:38 PM
Also, for the record, I’m tired of our mortgage providers going bankrupt.


2015

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2015 2:39 PM
Just talked to Calvin’s new teacher. Reading between the lines, sounds like we’ve managed to get a reputation for quirkiness at BCD :)

[Not sure if this was referring to us or Calvin. However, today (2023) we just came back from high school’s Back to School night where one teacher was “oh, Calvin with the goggles?” so Calvin at least is still making an impression.]


2017

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2017 5:16 PM
Me to Julian: “You’re so cute!” Julian: “I’m not cute. I monkey!”

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2017 5:41 PM
I have disposed of ALL THE PAPER. Please stop sending us the corpses of dead trees. It’s morbid.

[This continues to be a problem. SO MUCH PAPER gets sent to us that I just throw away.]


2019

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2019 8:20 AM
I really love my roombas. They are by no means perfect but are so much better than other non-labor-intensive alternatives.

[I still love my Roombas.]


2020

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 24, 2020 3:12 PM
Our packaged show up in the weirdest locations at this house. Yesterday, USPS delivered a package at the first open gate (nowhere near the house but neither right next to the mailbox).

Today, an Amazon box appeared most of the way, but not completely, up the driveway behind a tree.
Gravel driveway in the background. In the foreground are two trees, one of which has an Amazon branded package leaning against it. The package and tree are not near the gate, the house, or a mailbox.

(I’m not really complaining. It’s amazing how fast we get packages delivered out here. It’s just a bit of a guessing game on where to look.)

Twitter: August 23

2009

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2009 6:42 AM
Calvin slept in really late today. He just woke up.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2009 7:42 AM
Calvin is interacting more with his books. Today he started patting all the baby faces.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2009 4:22 PM
Just got back from Rocky Mountain National Park and grocery shopping. Now to feed Calvin.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2009 7:14 PM
Calvin had a bowel movement and managed to get his hand dirty. Naturally the next thing he did was rub his face :S


2010

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2010 6:17 AM
I found a disemboweled cricket in the basement this morning. No doubt Willow’s fault.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2010 8:11 AM
Got both 9-grain and rye breads started as well as the beans in the slow cooker. I’m feeling productive today :)

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2010 12:12 PM
I put my 9 grain bread in and forgot to start a timer.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2010 12:13 PM
Now I’m taking thermometer readings on the bread’s interior hoping I can guess when it’s done.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2010 1:49 PM
Good thing I already got supper made. Calvin isn’t feeling well so he’s very cuddly.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2010 2:12 PM
Well, my bread ended up with a really thick crust but other than that seems ok.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2010 2:19 PM
Calvin loves the yellow pear cherry tomatoes I bought at Vitamin Cottage.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2010 5:16 PM
To me, fresh beets always look like Sentinels from _The Matrix_.

iesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2010 5:56 PM
Calvin is now cuddly with daddy (it sounds cute but it means he’s still not feeling good).


2011

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2011 2:07 PM
From daycare: “Calvin enjoyed drawing with chalk.”

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2011 2:08 PM
In other news, it appears they really do yoga at daycare as Calvin demonstrated Downward Facing Dog for me.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2011 3:37 PM
Today Calvin is learning how to use a computer mouse. This is definitely a practice in fine motor skills.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2011 3:42 PM
I spent last night configure “Calvin’s computer” so he could click on it and go to a white list of allowed internet sites.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2011 3:43 PM
Not surprisingly, Sesame Street is winning at the moment.


2012

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2012 7:06 AM
Calvin’s current favorite phrase, “It was a disaster!”

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2012 4:05 PM
Mental note, check the pool schedule _before_ you tell Calvin he can go swimming.


2013

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2013 10:46 AM
Calvin appears to be mistaking me for a horse. Again.


2014

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2014 8:16 AM
We’re going backpacking today and I just threw up. What could possibly go wrong?


2015

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2015 9:49 AM
We visit the new and improved Crestview park: https://kiesa.festing.org/wordpress/2015/08/23/crestview-park-boulder-co/

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2015
@version2_1
Oh good, it didn’t fall apart in terrible ways.

[Context: Calvin and Uncle Willy did a rocket launch together.]


2018

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2018 7:50 AM
I think I’m on the correct train . . .
[Context: I think this is when I took the train to a user group in Puyallup, WA.]

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2018 7:52 AM
Glad I had some familiarity with commuter rail. The signage is lacking (which was true of Caltrain also. I think they forget everyone has a first time at least once.)

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 23, 2018 7:56 AM
Also, going to Mountain View I had a reverse commute, but not nearly as extreme as this. I’m the only one is my section of the car. It’s weird but there’s plenty of room to lounge.

Twitter: August 22

2009

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2009 7:02 AM
Calvin was muttering off and on since 5 this morning. However, he didn’t really wake up till around 7.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2009 11:05 AM
Calvin likes to try to hold his bottle while I’m feeding him. Usually he just gets in the way but he actually held it today.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2009 4:48 PM
Today I held a 1 yr old who was just a couple pounds heavier than Calvin. I couldn’t really tell a difference between the two.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2009 5:02 PM
Calvin’s cranky and I don’t know why.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2009 5:50 PM
Well, still no idea why Calvin was cranky. He refused to take a nap. In desperation, I gave him food but he only ate 3 oz.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2009 5:50 PM
In spite of eating so little, eating did calm him down and he’s now happily playing with his activity link gym.


2010

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2010 8:05 AM
Just concluded breakfast with pastries from the Old Fashioned Bavarian Bakery. Yummy :)


2011

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2011 11:34 AM
Calvin is now signed up for 1 day of swimming lessons and 1 day of gymnastics a week in September.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2011 6:38 PM
From daycare: “Calvin had fun coloring a picture.”

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2011 6:58 PM
I’m getting a little confused using two computers side-by-side one with Dvorak and the other with Qwerty.


2014

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2014 4:22 PM
Calvin has been signed up for piano classes. I’m hoping this is a good idea . .

[In retrospect, no, it was not a good idea.]

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2014 4:24 PM
.@calvinsdad
points out that I’ve played piano longer than his new piano teacher has been alive. I’m feeling old . . .

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2014 4:34 PM
Speaking of old, I looked up my code for my genetic screen blood test. I’m not an advanced age any more, I’ve morphed into “elderly.”


2018

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2018 2:59 PM
Calvin requested a “Jokes for Minecraft” book and it arrived today. I foresee a lot of groaning in my future.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2018 10:32 PM
Willow is still going through the “I’m going to meow at you every 5 min while you’re trying to sleep” phase in retaliation for us taking a vacation.


2019

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2019
We’re at the “little playground” in Phoenix Park. I like this alternative to the tire swing. It’s much better balanced. I can make Calvin scream when I twirl him :)
In the foreground is a large tripod swing structure with a circular net to lay down and swing on (a tire swing replacement). In the background is another play structure.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2019
This is Julian’s turn. I did not try to make him scream.
In the foreground is a large tripod swing structure with a circular net to lay down and swing on (a tire swing replacement). Julian is knealing down on it and holding on to the ropes. Calvin is standing in front of the swing looking toward Julian.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2019
We saw this park by mistake, on the way to the zoo, and as I feared I’m now having trouble dragging them away.
In the foreground is a large tripod swing structure with a circular net to lay down and swing on (a tire swing replacement). Julian is knealing down on the swing with his back to the camera. Calvin is grabbing the edge to push the swing.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2019
Sign at Dublin Zoo, “Do not stand, sit, climb or lean on zoo fences. If you fall, animals could eat you and that might make them sick.”
Green sign on fence says Do not stand, sit, climb or lean on zoo fences. If you fall, animals could eat you and that might make them sick.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2019
The zoo has a really nice *covered* playground.

Jungle themed playground with a yellow metal roof on top but open on three sides. The back of the plaground has a fake rock wall that almost reaches to the ceiling. The playground equipment is mostly wooden. There's a wooden palm tree. The roof is supported by orange metal beams.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2019
Here’s a link with better pictures. I’m envious, I want one of these in Seattle (without an upper age restriction). https://web.archive.org/web/20171218003321/https://dublinzoo.ie/News/66-98/New-The-Play-Forest.aspx

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2019
It’s so busy it’s hard to avoid other kids.

Jungle themed playground with a yellow metal roof on top but open on three sides. The back of the plaground has a fake rock wall that almost reaches to the ceiling. Julian and Calvin are walking across a rope bridge.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2019
Julian is a penguin.
A penguin statue with a cutout around its face. Julian has stuck his face through pretending to be a penguin.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2019
Julian and Calvin.

Julian sitting on top of a penguin statue grinning at the camera. Calvin is using the penguin wings to stand behind Julian and lean over in a playfully menacing way. Women in pink shirt behind the boys staring at them clearly thinking they're acting weird.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2019
Calvin’s justification for eating ice cream when it’s not hot, “it won’t melt as fast.”

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2019
This meets the official Stone-Logan definition of a tree.
Calvin trying to hug a large tree. His arms circle less than a third of the tree. Julian is standing in wrong of the tree.


2020

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 22, 2020 7:39 PM
Willow is back!

(Long thread below.)

For context, we arrived at our new place early afternoon yesterday. In the evening it seemed like it was cooling down outside so I opened our windows, all of which had screens on them.

What I did not realize was that one of the screens was loose in the frame and could be pushed aside by a determined cat. So at our new house, in the middle of the country, Willow went on a nighttime jaunt. Except I didn’t realize it.

I woke up twice during the night. Once when I heard a cat yeow loudly and once when I heard an animal shriek. They sounded like Willow so I got up and stumbled through the house. I didn’t see Willow and assumed she was hiding somewhere under the couch.

It wasn’t until morning that I realized she hadn’t been in the house and the noises I heard had been Willow outside. My brain immediately jumped to the worst conclusion: She had either been injured/killed or had gotten scared, ran away and gotten lost.

I set out water and her favorite food in hopes that she would smell it. However, instead it attracted a huge swarm of wasps. I was able to get it away from the wasps but clearly that was a bad idea.

Every couple of hours I’d go outside the house and call for Willow. She never answered but 2 of the neighbor’s dogs did (they’re free roam over the whole property).

After supper, @calvinsdad
went out with a flashlight and took a closer look under the deck. (I had looked first thing in the morning but hadn’t seen her.) However, @calvinsdad
did find in scrunched up in a hard-to-get-to part of the deck.

I scrawled on my belly under the porch and held out my hand as I called to her. She got just close to smell my hand but was clearly traumatized and wouldn’t get close enough for me to get her.

Unfortunately, I had used up the last of the good cat food (more is suppose to come today but it hasn’t arrived yet) so all we had was her dried food. @calvinsdad
brought me a bowl of it and she was hungry enough she would scoot forward a bit to eat.

She’d take a bite, then look around me to the back yard and growl. Then take another bite. Eventually I was able to get close enough to grab her by her neck and now she is safe inside again.

Though this experience, combined with already being traumatized by the move, probably means we need to send Willow to cat therapy or something.

On the upside, I’ve learned to test the screens before letting the windows stay open.

Twitter: August 21

My last post on Twitter was on November 5, 2022. I downloaded my archive and stopped using it. Since then I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with my archive. After some thought, I’ve decided to do a “this day on Twitter” post. I’m going to try it out but may abandon it after a couple of days. We’ll see . . .


2009

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2009 5:32 AM
I can’t believe it. Calvin slept in till 6:30 today so he got 12 hrs of sleep.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2009 6:49 AM
Calvin has started trying to hold his board books.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2009 7:29 AM
Today I’m trying to go down from 2 pumps a day to 1. We’ll see how this goes . . .

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2009 9:27 AM
Calvin just spit up (threw up?) a huge part of his meal.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2009 11:17 AM
I just got back from a picnic at Calvin’s daycare. Now off to work.


2010

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2010 6:34 AM
For some reason Calvin appears to be really distressed by me wearing an apron.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2010 6:35 AM
He keeps trying to pull it off me.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2010 6:38 AM
Ok . . . now he’s distressed by the toaster.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2010 2:48 PM
Just got back from church and the library.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2010 2:49 PM
It’s very hot outside.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2010 4:26 PM
While I was preparing dinner and not watching closely enough, Calvin filled both sets of shoes with water.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2010 5:04 PM
Wow, Calvin likes his pasta tonight. (He did manage to eat some broccoli first though.)

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2010 8:15 PM
My menu and shopping list is done for the week!


2011

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2011 5:40 PM
Calvin is picking leaves from our basil plant and feeding them to himself and me. The flavor by itself is a little strong.


2012

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2012 6:13 PM
Calvin is singing “A Tisket A Tasket” in the bathtub tonight.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2012 6:18 PM
Now we’ve moved on to “The Farmer in the Dell.”


2014

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2014 5:33 AM
Last night I dreamed the protagonist from Weir’s _The Martian_ was the astronaut from _The LEGO Movie_.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2014 3:56 PM
Target, during college week, with morning sickness. Fun.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2014 4:02 PM
I think it’s time for me to curl into a little ball and ignore the world for a bit.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2014 5:07 PM
Calvin’s teacher reports he is “such a sweet happy boy.” Apparently he used it all up.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2014 5:38 PM
Well, I still have all-day morning sickness but it appears I’m starting to be able to eat vegetables again.


2018

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2018 10:59 AM
2 emissions tests, 2 vehicle, and a cat registration all before 11! I have accomplished all my goals for the day.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2018 1:38 PM
Also, I have completed school supply shopping!

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2018 1:34 PM
The upside to the outside air being unhealthy is instead of feeling like I need to take them to playgrounds, etc, I can stay home and clean house without feeling guilty.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2018 4:45 PM
Random thing I just discovered in my purse: a wrench.


2019

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2019 7:25 AM
It was probably inevitable that when I went shopping I only actually bought things in the bookstores (yes, plural).

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2019 7:53 AM
Related, we may have a luggage weight problem.

[@calvinsdad tweet “I only bought three books at the con. What’s the damage on your end?”]

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2019 1:40 PM
Well, your 3 books are about the same thickness as the cookbook I bought. Then there are the 6 other books . . .

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2019 1:41 PM
Just found another book in my backpack. I thought I had bought more.


2020

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2020 7:31 AM
Willow decided to punish me by meowing a good portion of the night.
[The previous day she was unable to crawl under the hotel bed.]

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2020 8:41 AM
There’s ash on the car. Not surprising I suppose but still odd to see.

[Context: Jaeger and the kids had moved to California ahead of me while I finished up my work. This was my second day driving down to California, past multiple major fires.]

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2020 9:31 AM
There is someone in Starbucks wearing a black coat with tails, dark round glasses, and an off-white mask that has a elaborately curled black mustache on it. Quite the polished look.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2020 9:36 AM
Upon reflection, I think the right word is dapper.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2020 9:32 AM
Also, kind of disturbed by the person in scrubs who has a mask on but it’s pulled under their chin . . .

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2020 1:40 PM
Wow. That’s quite the road.

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2020 2:20 PM
The first book Julian wanted me to read with him was Fire in the Forest! which seems a bit too appropriate at the moment.
Julian, dressed in green Minecraft pajamas, sprawled on a green sofa holding a 1st level LEGO book titled Fire in the Forest!

Kiesa @spreadsheetmom Aug 21, 2020 2:36 PM
Here’s a picture of what the car looked like.
View of the back of our Rav4 with its down open. The car top carrier is on top. In the car are boxes, garbage bags, trash car, cleaning supplies, and other random stuff. The back of the car is completely full.

Thoughts on Cleaning

I find it very soothing to read organizing and housekeeping related books. I’ve read many over the years. One of my favorites is Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson. I suspect I like it for the same reason Constance Grady relates in Why a manual by a control freak is the best thing to read when the world is out of control. My main regret is there isn’t an audio version available. Though, at 896 pages long, I can’t even guess how many hours that would take. As a result, the book I currently listen to the most is One Year to an Organized Life by Regina Leeds.

I particularly like listening to these type of books while I’m cleaning house. One day while browsing the library audiobooks I stumbled across How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis. This book is radically different from the ones I usually read. The book gives permission to do the bare minimum you need in order to have a house that is safe and comfortable for your needs. While it is very different from how I usually think about cleaning, the concepts discussed really caught my attention. I bought both the audiobook and ebook versions so I could listen and review again as often as I wanted1.

I am definitely happiest when everything in my house is perfectly clean and everything is in its place. This will probably come as a shock to Jaeger as early on in our marriage we had to have a discussion of what “clean” means. To me, clean means there is no dirt but for Jaeger it means there isn’t stuff laying around. So he would be upset about how dirty the house was and I would be very confused because the toilets had been bleached, the mirrors sprayed, and the furniture dusted even while our stuff lay around the house. However, when I pickup things, everything has to be picked up2. I lean towards an all or nothing approach when it comes to clutter.

While few things make me happier than sitting down to read in the evening in a perfectly clean and organized house, it’s not something I realistically have the time for if I want or need to do anything else. In my ideal world, I’d have a three day weekend that consists of:

  1. A rest day
  2. A house project day (paying bills, installing shades, organizing cupboards, etc) and
  3. A cleaning day

Sadly, I do not regularly get three day weekends. I almost never get three day weekends where I don’t have to account for how the rest of the family is occupying themselves.

These days even though it feels like I should have enough time to fully clean our house on Sunday, I don’t. At least, I don’t for the way I’d prefer to clean the house (in strict top to bottom order starting with the master bathroom and ending in the kitchen). This is true even though Calvin is responsible for the kids’ bathroom, our half bathroom, and the family room and Jaeger is responsible for all the floors3.

So, back to How to Keep House While Drowning. Since first listening to it, I’ve started tinkering more with my house cleaning routine. When I have a limited amount of time to clean, I try to focus more on what will have the most impact rather than going sequentially through my checklist. This is a hard shift for me but I’m slowly getting better at it. When I enter the bathroom I now ask myself what will make me happiest to have clean. While theoretically I would like to cobweb dust the ceiling every time, unless I actually see cobwebs, it’s usually not worth my time. On the other hand, the toilet and shower are two areas I want to clean every time4. My priorities in the bathroom are pretty consistent but I tend to have less consistency in the kitchen. One week I might really want to clean all the finger prints off the stainless steel appliances whereas another weekend I might choose to deep clean the sink5. The living room . . . well, it hasn’t been dusted in a while.

I feel this is a more balanced way to approach cleaning and, while it’s not prefect, I think it’s a reasonable approach for now. My Sundays still feel too full but when I sit down in the evening I feel better about the overall results.

  1. In completionist mode, I also want the physical book but I haven’t decided yet if I’m actually going to buy it
  2. This mirrors how I cleaned as a kid also. My room would gradually get extremely messy and every so often I’d stay up all night cleaning and it would be absolutely prefect for a couple of hours.
  3. An alternative option, which I have used sometimes in the past, is to hire house cleaners. However, I find managing everything that goes with hiring house cleaners to be even more stressful than cleaning myself. As Davis notes, another favorite suggestion people have is to clean while you go or to clean a little bit every day. This doesn’t work at all for me so I found the part where she talked about how it also doesn’t work for her to be very validating.
  4. Normally the shower wouldn’t be so high on my list except for some reason this shower starts growing mildew at an astonishing rate. Also, for the record, I really, really hate clear glass shower doors.
  5. Another hate I’ve developed is for built-in Corian sinks. Yes, there’s no annoying caulk lines to clean around and I do like that. However, our current off-white sink stains at an unbelievable rate. The only way I’ve found to deal with it is to take baking soda and hydrogen peroxide and leave it to soak for hours and even then it doesn’t always work.

Isolating

5/30/2023 Update:
Jaeger and Calvin and now both testing positive for COVID. So, we gave isolation a shot but clearly didn’t do it quick enough. I guess that goes under lessons learned.

Original:
Of the houses we’ve owned, our current one is one of my favorites (probably a toss-up with our Gunbarrel house). However, there’s one feature that has always baffled us. On the ground floor of our house there is a 4th bedroom with an en suite bathroom1. For some reason, this en suite bathroom has an exterior door that takes you to the side of the house. It’s not near the garage or laundry room and isn’t particularly near to where one would put a hot tub. Till this weekend, we could never figure out what you’d use the door for.

Partital view of the bathroom from the bedroom. There is an exterior glass door in the bothroom with a shade covering the window.

Unfortunately, this weekend Julian and I contracted COVID for the first time since the pandemic started. Jaeger and Calvin were both testing negative so we decided that Julian and I should try to isolate. After some thought, we concluded the ground floor bedroom was our best option. It’s primarily Jaeger’s office but doubles as our exercise and guest bedroom. We have a sleeper sofa and the room is big enough we could bring in Julian’s mattress.

Current bedroom setup. The bed part of the sofa has been setup. To the left, on the floor, is Julian's mattress which he is sitting on with his back to the camera. At the foot of the sofa bed is an office desk with two  monitors.  On the opposite bed from the camera is a white dresser with plants sitting on top.

We moved one of our air purifiers right next to the interior door 2 and are keeping the interior door closed. Julian and I enter and exit the room exclusively via the exterior door. I am still going into the main part of the house, primarily the kitchen, but for limited amounts of time and fully masked. We’re taking all our meals outside. The sky has been pretty gray but surprisingly warm.

Outside patio.  There is a square outdoor dining table with two chairs. Julian is in one with his back to us.  Several feet away is a green card table with another two chairs. Jaeger is sitting at this table with his back to us reading his phone. Julian is eating pizza and on that table is also a mug, a book, and a Kleenex box. Underneath the table is a trashcan. On the green card table is another mug.

One of the things this experience is emphasizing to me is how much we underutilized our outdoor spaces. I like interior design so I’ve thought a lot about how various spaces in the house are used and what we can do to optimize their utility. However, I still haven’t figured out how to encourage use of our outdoor spaces. I think if I came up with a plan I could keep an eye out on Craigslist for good furniture. I just haven’t come up with a plan yet.

Overall, we have a pretty nice setup and Julian is loving getting unlimited screen time. Rio seems to be the most unhappy about the whole situation. We discovered when my parents came over that she doesn’t like strangers at all. She mostly stayed upstairs for the brief time they were here and even when she did venture downstairs, she’d run away the instant she saw either of them. After they left, she had one normal night and then Julian and I moved downstairs. She clearly did not approve and spent a significant amount of the night meowing at our door. While the rest of us eat outside, Rio sits by the sliding glass door and mournfully watches us.

Rio, our black cat, sitting on top of a white bookcase filled with cookbooks and surrounded by plants.

I had a really bad cold about a month ago, probably brought home by Julian, which caused me to miss almost a week of work so I’m tired of being sick. However, so far I’m doing pretty well. I’m on Paxlovid and have the weird metallic taste side effect but none of the others3. Yesterday I wasn’t feeling great but still had enough energy to read a couple of books. Today my physical energy is a bit lower than normal, and I have a fair amount of coughing and runny nose, but I think my brain is back to functioning. At the moment, I think I’ll be working tomorrow.

One of the advantages of remote work is, as long as I’m feeling ok, I can work while sick without infecting anyone else. Today Jaeger and I swapped our office setup, with the exception of the monitors and desks, so we’re ready for tomorrow. I have four meetings tomorrow, which isn’t ideal with a kid in the same room, but I expect Minecraft will keep Julian suitably entertained. I’ll also have a great view.

Small three-tiered water fountain in front of a hedge surronded by outdoor plants including a very young persimmon tree and some California poppies.

A little to my surprise, our precautions appear to have paid off, at least so far4. Neither Jaeger nor Calvin have any COVID symptoms and Jaeger just tested negative again today.

  1. According to the permits, this bed/bath is one year newer than the rest of the house.
  2. We own four Winix 5300-2 Air Purifier purchased back in 2019 for wildfire season and I have never regretted their purchase. Normally, we have them running in auto mode but right now all of them are running at full blast in addition to having windows open during the warmer parts of the day.
  3. It turns out a piece of dark chocolate helps mask it.
  4. As a typical teenager, Calvin mainly lives in his room so probably had the least amount of exposure. However, Jaeger slept right next to me the night before I tested positive.

Hot Chocolate Tasting

My favorite winter activity is to sit in front of the fire with a book and a cup of hot chocolate. Which hot chocolate I choose depends a bit on my mood. However, several weeks ago I decided I should taste all the hot chocolate I had in the house and take notes about which I liked best. Calvin enthusiastically signed up to this idea and Julian seemed uncertain but intrigued. Jaeger clearly couldn’t figure out the big fuss but started the tasting with us.

I printed up little cards where everyone could take notes about how many stars they gave each hot chocolate and any comments. We ended up with eight different kinds of hot chocolate which, in retrospect, was too many. Each tasting was about 1/4 cup. Jaeger gave up after four but the rest of us persevered through the full eight.

Our results (out of 5 stars)1:

Hot Chocolate Kiesa Calvis Julian Average
Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix 4.00 4.75 5.00 4.58
Hershey’s Hot Chocolate Recipe 4.50 4.50 2.50 3.83
Nestle Chocolatey Memories Hot Cocoa Mix 4.00 3.25 3.50 3.48
Abuelta Authentic Mexican Chocolate Drink Mix 4.00 3.75 2.00 3.25
Evil Recipe Hot Chocolate 4.50 5.00 0.00 3.17
Starbucks Hot Cocoa Double Chocolate 4.50 4.00 0.00 2.83
LaMonarca Bakery Chocolate Mexicano 3.50 2.50 1.50 2.50
Guittard Grand Cacao Sweet Ground Chocolate 5.00 3.50 -1.00 2.50

Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix
This is a very safe hot chocolate that everyone enjoyed. Up until our tasting, I thought it was my favorite. However, I usually drink it with a cinnamon stick and for the tasting I had it plain. When it’s completely plain I found it a little boring.

Hershey’s Recipe Hot Chocolate
This is a recipe in the 1984 Hershey’s Chocolate Treasury cookbook. It’s made with 1 oz of unsweetened chocolate, 2 tbs hot water, 1/4 cup sugar, dash of salt, 2 cups warm milk, and 1/4 tsp vanilla.

Nestle Chocolatey Memories Hot Cocoa Mix
These are individual hot chocolate packets that I got for camping several years ago. I was a bit surprised how well it ended up rated. It’s probably the cheapest hot chocolate on the list.

Abuelta Authentic Mexican Chocolate Drink Mix
This is the hot chocolate I usually serve for breakfast. Many years ago my high school Spanish teacher brought in hot chocolate as a special treat. The teacher was bemused by how much our class loved it. This hot chocolate kind of reminds me of that, though it’s not quite as good as my memories. (I’m pretty sure my teacher made hers from scratch.)

Evil Recipe Hot Chocolate
This is Calvin’s favorite hot chocolate. To make it, you take a liquid measuring cup and pour in chocolate chips to the 1/4-1/3 cup marker. Then, add milk to the 1 cup line. Microwave for about 1:30 and then stir till it’s all mixed together. It’s extremely rich.

Starbucks Hot Cocoa Double Chocolate
This one also comes in individual packets. However, it doesn’t work as well for camping as it really requires milk to make it taste good. That said, with milk, it’s a decent, fairly dark, hot chocolate.

La Monarca Bakery Chocolate Mexicano
I bought this hot chocolate when I was looking for an upscale version of the Abuelta brand. We all agreed the flavor was great. However, it was very gritty. My hypothesis is it has a great flavor because of the cinnamon, which perhaps is not as finely ground as we prefer.

Guittard Grand Cacao Sweet Ground Chocolate
When by itself, this was my favorite hot chocolate. However, Julian’s -1 rating pulled this all the way down to the bottom of our list. It looks like I can safely hoard it for myself without anyone else complaining.


Sample comment cards:
Evil Recipe Hot Chocolate. 5 stars filled in. Reviewer: Calvis the Bold Comments: -rich -thick-excellent -evil (amazingly so)

Guirardelli Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix. 5 stars filled in. Reviewer: Julian Comments: 5 for taste 5 for coldness. Written on the left side in pencil it says 'best'.

Guittard Grand Cacao Sweet Ground Chocolate. 5 stars filled in. Reviewer: Gem Comments: Dark Good Fairly Rich

  1. Jaeger left comments but no ratings.