Being a list person

I am such a list person! Some people would call it obsession, I call it sanity.
My life is a huge "to do list". I have a list for grocery shopping (ok, not such a huge stretch), a list for chores in the house (and who does what), a list for Christmas presents (done well in advance), a menu list for each week (keeps me sane as I do not have to figure out what to cook after a whole day at work), a list of things to do at work, a list of things to ask my doctor when I have a visit, a list of things to ask my mom to bring when she comes to visit, a list of things that we still need for the nursery... you get the idea! My husband A will attest that there is always some sort of a list attached to the fridge in our house. I like being able to check off things that get done! It makes me see the progress!

Lists make me feel sane! Lists make me feel in control (yup, you could argue that I am a control freak!). For years I wished I was more of a spontaneous person. I always thought it's cool and "in" and artsy to be spontaneous. But at the age of 30 I have finally accepted that I like order and that living my life with no clear plans stresses me out. Now, don't think I am so completely boring. I like doing things: I like going to the beach, I like being at the zoo, I like hanging out with friends, I like having cook outs, I like lots of things. And I think A and I do lots of things. I just have to prepare and know about what we are doing in advance. Is that good? Is that bad? I don't know, I guess you could argue it both ways!

Have fun today! I have to run now and make a list of things I need from the grocery store this weekend! :)

PJs in public

I don't know, I guess I will have to file this one under "relaxed American tradition", but I just don't understand why some people wear their pjs in public. Today, on my way to work, I saw this woman on the bus who was wearing green stripped pjs (top and bottom) with an inscription that read "sleeping like an angel". Honestly, a skirt and a tshirt is the same amount of pieces that you get to wear and I am sure it would look less disturbingly in public.

I will never forget one Friday night about 6 months ago, when A and I went to have dinner at TGI Friday's (yeah, funny!). By no means, do I consider that place high scale or anything, but this guy came into the restaurant wearing black silk lounge pants that have huge all over red lips on them! Now, why would I want to eat my dinner looking at this guys pants (trust me, it was impossible not to stare!) Though in my country the sweat pants are for the gym, even that would have been better than what he was wearing.

So, my conclusion? Well, if you are going to be out in public, please make an effort! If not for you, at least for the people that are forced to see you!

Cheers!

Can't pull that off anymore!

I was thinking last night of all the normal, regular things that I used to be able to do before I got pregnant. And I came up with a list of things that at 31 weeks I can't pull off anymore. Here is comes:

1. I can't tie or put my shoes on anymore. Nor can I put any socks on. Thank goodness for summer and whomever invented flip flops and slip on shoes
2. I can't wash my feet
3. I sure can't bend down to pick up anything
4. I can't shave my legs properly since it involves some degree of bending and balancing your whole weight on one foot as the other one is propped up on the bathtub
5. I can't get up from the couch without some assistance (granted our couches are soft and cushy and you kind of sink into them, especially when you gained 18 lbs!)
6. I can't see my belly button! Trust me, I tried
7. I can't walk and talk in the same time! And not because suddenly I became stupid, but because I would huff and puff to the point where you can't really understand what I am saying
8. I can't stand the sight of roast beef or any other very pink cold cuts (you should see me at the store at the deli counter closing my eyes when the guy hands me the bag!)

I am sure things will return to normal, but my point is that nobody tells you that once your pregnancy advances, normal things became something that you need to plan around if you want to accomplish!
None the less, as much as I am scared to death and excited as well, I would not trade this stage of my life for anything!

Cheers!

Strange!

I know, I know, keeping up with the blog has not been my forte in the last 10 days or so! I have just been so busy at work and so tired afterwards, that I could never muster enough energy to actually write anything once I got home!

Over the past few weeks I have noticed a very strange phenomenon: people reading books while they walk! While I am all for reading, doing it while you are walking the streets can't be that safe. Only yesterday on the way from the train station, I saw thins guy almost getting hit by a car. He was so emerged in his book (I could not see what he was reading, but I hope it was good!) that he never noticed he was crossing the street and the cars were coming. Scary!
I guess I will keep my reading stationary... at least for now!

Cheers!

It's been 6 years!

Yesterday was our 6th wedding anniversary! A and I kept talking about the fact that time flies so quickly! I still remember the day he asked me to marry him in December of 2001 when I though May of the following year would not come soon enough! (that's when we actually got married). Here we are 6 years later, expecting our first child!

Life as a married woman has not been by any means perfect! I think we are just a normal couple, with ups and downs (yup, we do fight about stupid things too, just ask my friend K). We go thru good times and bad times, but at the end of the day we are always together. Has it been always easy? Goodness no, but I would not trade it for anything. Moving here for good 6 years ago has been a difficult decision, but I would still do it today in a heartbeat!

I am just amazed at how quickly 1 year, turns into 2 and then 3 and so forth! I am looking forward to write about our life in the following years and see what the future brings!

I can't be Martha Stewart

Not that someone specific asked me to, but I realized that society kind of expects us, women to be a Martha Stewart type!

Why do I say this? Yesterday I was asked (again) at work what my plans are for coming back after maternity leave. No matter how many times I say that I don't want to do a full time job anymore, no one is listening (at least it feels that way!). In a way it feels good to know that people value what I do enough to want me back, but in another way it's annoying to have to say the same thing over and over again.

Walking to the train station last night, I realize that society expects you to be a superwoman: have kids (working thru the whole pregnancy), take care of them but still hold a full time job, cook and clean the house and in your spare time decorate and do arts and crafts just like Martha Stewart! Yeah, it all sounds wonderful on paper, but reality is different, at least for me. I can barely drag myself thru a whole day at work, and though I like to cook, there are days when I ask my husband to have cereals for dinner because I could not muster enough energy to even stick a frozen dinner in the microwave! And don't even get me started on cleaning the house. That is a lost battle already!

So, my decision, is to do what I can, when I can, and forget about what society says I should be doing as a mom/woman/wife!
Easier said than done!

Fashion forward or just teenager strage?

Yesterday was such a gorgeous afternoon. The birds were chirping, the sun was out, the flowers are booming. I was all excited about walking to the train station (1 1/2 mile of huffing and puffing). But instead of enjoying the walk, I was completely puzzled by these 2 teenager girls (probably around 16 or 17 years old) walking in front of me. The both wore identical outfits (I am pretty sure they were not siblings) of very short shorts (short enough that I do not think bending was a possibility) with spaghetti straps half shirts, ugg boots (yup the furry ones!) and hats (the type you would wear during a winter storm!) Now I am not even going to touch on the fact that wearing the same outfit as your friend is a little far fetched for me, but come on... ugg boots and short shorts? It was way too warm for ugg boots and a little too chilly for shorts and tiny camisoles!

So for the whole way home I kept thinking that I must be getting really old since I could not wrap my little head around that outfit!