Away from my desk . . .

I am presently in the middle of a big stretch of lots of working. All this is good for the pocketbook, of course, but I miss Lars and the kids. Mostly, I want to spend time in the new house and pretend I'm a stay-at-home mom. The rest of this week is very busy and it's all a bit overwhelming. Lars and I discussed me cutting back to one-less workday a week starting in October, simply because my job is extremely physically demanding and I get lots of contractions and occassionally bleeding. Don't wanna mess with the placenta.

Kids are all well. They have Camp Cooking With Karah this week, school starts next week. Soren will be off to kindergarten this fall. Wild, huh?

I have a few things that I need to get off my chest, here's my list:

Kelly's First Ever Things That Irk Me List
1) You're driving behind a big truck, you can just barely make out the word "WARNING" posted on a sign on the back of the truck, underneath it you can see there's something else written but the font is too small. Finally, you pull up behind the truck at a stop light, out of curiosity you scooch forward until you're about 25 feet away (where you can finally read the sign with your perfect (corrected) vision, and learn that the sign says "WARNING - stay 300 feet behind this vehicle."
2) In response to the energy crisis, certain politicians jump to off-shore drilling and further destruction of the Earth in lieu of approving funding to develop more efficient ways to fuel our cars, homes, etc.
3) When you tell people that your goal in life is to be a stay-at-home mom and then they say the stupidest, most offensive thing "well, YOU might find it harder to be at home." As if I'm so hardened to the professional world or as if the double duty I've been pulling since my children's inceptions makes me incapable of staying-at-home? For crap's sake, I just want more time with them! Anyway, this sort of comment has to be the one that irks me and offends me the most (just so YOU know and NEVER say it to me).
4) When one of the best parts about not being a stay-at-home mom is that you've consistently made more money than your husband (your average white-collar, white male) until recently when he comes home and tells you he got promoted and now the two of your will be neck-in-neck in your subtle salary war. Tell me please, fellow feminists, what's the point now (I know there is one, just can't remember)?
5) Shaving legs.
6) When people give me pregnancy advice. I go to a handful of people for preggo advice, if your name isn't Jess, Jodi, Jen, Dr. C, or your credentials don't end with CNM then I will put my fingies in my ears and say "la, la, la, la, la, la!"
7) When annoying busy-body types, both strangers and non-"strangers", discipline MY children. This really bugs me when I'm standing right there. My kids are very well behaved when out and about, as many of you can verify, so there is no reason for intervening.
8) Parenting advice.
9) When you desperately need a Werthers, but the wrapper is stuck to your yummy little candy so you either have to give up or eat both.
10) Long waits for medical appointments.
11) When my pregnant teenage patients tell me that I look "too young" to be having baby #4.
12) When people out here in SoCal find out how much we paid for our house and say "what a steal!" Really? If you only knew . . . which you won't because it's a secret.
13) When you have a very old digital camera, but other purchases are more pressing at this time so you have to wait to get a new one. This is very irksome because you believe waiting is a waste of time and have never fully grasped the value of deferred gratification and now have to use your birthday as an excuse to get a new one when you'd rather use your birthday as an excuse to get an in-ground pool in your backyard. Ya know?
14) When you review your text and realize that you've referred to yourself, alternately and without rationale, both in the 3rd person and in the 1st person.

I will put up pictures when my sleazy camera gets it together or we get a new one (09/08).