7 quick takes

I decided to jump on the bandwagon, and also I don't have the brainpower to create a whole post on one topic.

1. It's been raining for days, off and on, and even though it stops for PLENTY of time to allow us outside play time, I've been distracting Olivia in order to avoid outside. Normally, I love outside, but combine wet grass and mud with the havoc that pollen has wreaked on my head this week, and I have decided that inside is preferable for the moment.

2. I was just considering allowing Olivia 20 minutes of outside play to keep her from falling asleep, and the sky darkened up. See? I'm SUPPOSED to stay in today.

3. Olivia's nap today lasted exactly 30 minutes, which is the amount of time it takes to get home from the grocery store. Yes, we DO live that far from the Big Department Store. She's been fairly good, but clingy, and I'm determined that she WILL NOT NAP anymore today. I want her to go to bed on time. I don't want to repeat last night's two-hour STAY-IN-YOUR-BED-OR-ELSE routine.

4. It may rain all weekend, further delaying the Great Outdoor Project of 2009. Actually, our calendar is filling up fast, so it may be July before we get even close to being finished. Such is life with a toddler.

5. Tomorrow, my husband is attending a funeral and Olivia and I are attending a wedding. The week after Mother's Day, Olivia and I may be spending most of the week with my brother's kids (5 hours away) while he and his wife are in the hospital birthing baby #5. The following week, my husband will be gone on business most of the week. Our schedules seem to be conspiring against us ever doing anything together again!

6. Have I mentioned Olivia's attachment to pacy? Well, it doesn't bother me much except that she drools so much when she keeps it in all day. My sister-in-law suggested getting a bigger pacifier. She still uses the 0 month size. So we bought the biggest size we could find. She rejected it, saying "No new pacy. Old pacy, please!" We tried the middle size...same thing. So we're back to teeny pacy and lots of drool. Oh, and drool stains on her shirt. I didn't even know that drool would stain. Weird, but she was never a drooler before.

7. We are making tentative vacation plans for late August/early September. We want to do something inexpensive and within driving distance. We are thinking of going to Michigan. We did this a couple summers ago and enjoyed the cooler temps. Any Michiganers out there? Where should we go? What would you recommend?

More quick takes here.