Recovering from Gloom
Yard sale was a complete fiasco. I think our neighbours did all right, but most of the families who came had children no younger than Sprog, so all our baby stuff was wasted on them. We made a grand total of $10, and that was from some clothes. Not one of the large items sold, so we still haven't cleared the space.
I think advertising was our problem. I listed on Craigslist, and I made sure to mention the baby stuff, because I know people cherry pick yardsales that way, but we needed bigger signs on the main road (living at a dead end isn't helpful) and none of us actually put an ad in the local paper. While people certainly showed up, we needed more. I don't know. Maybe we'll figure this out next time. Or maybe we'll just stick to Craigslist in the future.
It's not the biggest disaster in the world, but after spending a week working on getting the things together, digging out manuals, etc, etc, all while letting the rest of the house go a bit and foregoing our usual outings... well, an anticlimax is over-rating it.
The one good thing is that the children were pretty well-behaved during the yard sale, mostly amusing themselves. Sprog practised on his balance bike up and down the drive, getting me to run races with him. After my husband got out his bike to demonstrate coasting along with his legs up, Sprog got really into the idea and became very excited with his brief successes.
So that afternoon, we went to a park with paved pathways and let him practice his bike with his friend while I pushed Sproglet on a tricycle. The kids played and we chilled and enjoyed the warmer weather.
It was even warmer today, but we spent a large chunk of the day in the front room (we left the windows and doors open) watching Felix Baumgartner's jump. I have been privately convinced that this was going to result in his death, so I was somewhat taken aback to discover my husband and son watching it live.
Sproglet had been subdued and clingy with a cold, and she melted down while I was getting the washing out of the machine because I wouldn't cuddle her (I had been cuddling her for ten minutes beforehand). She ended up putting herself down for an early nap and I went downstairs in time to watch Felix launch.
She slept for most of his ascent, then we had lunch. The television remained on throughout, with Sprog generally watching it in between playing with some toys. He was so excited about seeing the man go into space, and kept telling us that it was getting darker.
Finally, two and some hours after launch, we got the preparations for the jump which in themselves took ages. We were all glued to the television by this time, until the moment Sproglet soiled her nappy. I rushed upstairs with her, leaving my husband with the instructions to yell if the door opened. Fortunately, she was mostly done by that point, so I tossed the nappy on top of the washing machine, grabbed her and ran back down again.
I was in time to see him sitting inside the capsule with his legs out on this tiny ledge. We watched him grip the rails and stand up, and then came that vertigo-inducing moment, that overhead shot of him standing upon this threshold with the Earth so far below. That alone really felt like we were watching history being made (even if I'm a little cynical about these records), and I am so grateful that we did watch it live, all of us, even if Sproglet will never remember it. That moment, and of course, the moment where he launched himself forward into the void.
I felt really sorry for his mother (and the rest of his family) for having the camera trained on her during such a stressful time, but watching her reaction to the launch and the fall was also amazing. Sprog now says he wants to be an astronaut. I don't think I want him doing that kind of thing, but I definitely feel inspired to support him in his ambitions, however lofty or humble they might be.
Afterwards, we took a bike ride together, with my husband pulling the children in a chariot. I want to make this a weekly thing, a Sunday family bike ride. Both because it's a nice thing for us to do together and because I need the exercise. It's embarrassing how tough I find it.
We ended up at our usual playground where there happened to be a couple of families whose daughters I had taught during my time at school. It was a real pleasure seeing them (and the girls again). Though none of them have children at the school now, one has a daughter two months younger than Sproglet who will be joining the toddler class, so that'll be fun.
Sproglet remained clingy and tired, but we played for an hour just because it was so nice before taking ourselves home again. Dinner was had outside--we've taken so little advantage of our outdoor furniture this year. Must try harder in 2013!
So a lazy, peaceful weekend, helping to make up for the waste of Saturday morning. My parents are arriving in a week and a half, so it's time to start gearing up for that!
I think advertising was our problem. I listed on Craigslist, and I made sure to mention the baby stuff, because I know people cherry pick yardsales that way, but we needed bigger signs on the main road (living at a dead end isn't helpful) and none of us actually put an ad in the local paper. While people certainly showed up, we needed more. I don't know. Maybe we'll figure this out next time. Or maybe we'll just stick to Craigslist in the future.
It's not the biggest disaster in the world, but after spending a week working on getting the things together, digging out manuals, etc, etc, all while letting the rest of the house go a bit and foregoing our usual outings... well, an anticlimax is over-rating it.
The one good thing is that the children were pretty well-behaved during the yard sale, mostly amusing themselves. Sprog practised on his balance bike up and down the drive, getting me to run races with him. After my husband got out his bike to demonstrate coasting along with his legs up, Sprog got really into the idea and became very excited with his brief successes.
So that afternoon, we went to a park with paved pathways and let him practice his bike with his friend while I pushed Sproglet on a tricycle. The kids played and we chilled and enjoyed the warmer weather.
It was even warmer today, but we spent a large chunk of the day in the front room (we left the windows and doors open) watching Felix Baumgartner's jump. I have been privately convinced that this was going to result in his death, so I was somewhat taken aback to discover my husband and son watching it live.
Sproglet had been subdued and clingy with a cold, and she melted down while I was getting the washing out of the machine because I wouldn't cuddle her (I had been cuddling her for ten minutes beforehand). She ended up putting herself down for an early nap and I went downstairs in time to watch Felix launch.
She slept for most of his ascent, then we had lunch. The television remained on throughout, with Sprog generally watching it in between playing with some toys. He was so excited about seeing the man go into space, and kept telling us that it was getting darker.
Finally, two and some hours after launch, we got the preparations for the jump which in themselves took ages. We were all glued to the television by this time, until the moment Sproglet soiled her nappy. I rushed upstairs with her, leaving my husband with the instructions to yell if the door opened. Fortunately, she was mostly done by that point, so I tossed the nappy on top of the washing machine, grabbed her and ran back down again.
I was in time to see him sitting inside the capsule with his legs out on this tiny ledge. We watched him grip the rails and stand up, and then came that vertigo-inducing moment, that overhead shot of him standing upon this threshold with the Earth so far below. That alone really felt like we were watching history being made (even if I'm a little cynical about these records), and I am so grateful that we did watch it live, all of us, even if Sproglet will never remember it. That moment, and of course, the moment where he launched himself forward into the void.
I felt really sorry for his mother (and the rest of his family) for having the camera trained on her during such a stressful time, but watching her reaction to the launch and the fall was also amazing. Sprog now says he wants to be an astronaut. I don't think I want him doing that kind of thing, but I definitely feel inspired to support him in his ambitions, however lofty or humble they might be.
Afterwards, we took a bike ride together, with my husband pulling the children in a chariot. I want to make this a weekly thing, a Sunday family bike ride. Both because it's a nice thing for us to do together and because I need the exercise. It's embarrassing how tough I find it.
We ended up at our usual playground where there happened to be a couple of families whose daughters I had taught during my time at school. It was a real pleasure seeing them (and the girls again). Though none of them have children at the school now, one has a daughter two months younger than Sproglet who will be joining the toddler class, so that'll be fun.
Sproglet remained clingy and tired, but we played for an hour just because it was so nice before taking ourselves home again. Dinner was had outside--we've taken so little advantage of our outdoor furniture this year. Must try harder in 2013!
So a lazy, peaceful weekend, helping to make up for the waste of Saturday morning. My parents are arriving in a week and a half, so it's time to start gearing up for that!