Don't quite know how.

I'm alive and well, and the mother of a kindergartener, a first grader, and a 19 year old who has her driver's license and is pretty self-sufficient over at grandmother's house. Where does the time go? And the baby two posts below? He's 8 months old, has several teeth, and is the king of drool.

I've switched jobs - I found out I'm not a consultant. Back to DOD contracting. Husband is now also a DOD contractor, so we're weathering the economy okay. Currently, funding for our jobs is not an issue, nor is it likely to be for the next five to ten years.

Not knitting so much, but the house is getting a little less cluttered. Slowly.

I'm on Twitter as kaplooeymom, and I've been trying to post a bit each day, but it's nothing big.

I will be trying NANOWRIMO this year, seriously. I have a story that won't leave me the heck alone, so I'm trying to keep it under control until November 1. Whether it will go anywhere once it's written remains to be seen.

Seriously, I’m wearing gloves right now. I’m having a good diet day, which means I’m freezing. I haven’t cut the tips off the fingers yet, since I seem to be doing okay. Programming is 50 percent point and click click click click click right now, anyway.

We’ll see if knitting in gloves is possbile later on.

Baby Xander (as opposed to Xander from power rangers mystic force) was born on Feb 3. He weighed either 7.5 lbs or 7 lbs, 5 oz, I don’t remember which. My sister is fine – going back to her teaching job next week. Below is Xander at 2 hours old.

I’ll get a new pic this weekend, and you’ll be able to see how much he’s grown.

My sister’s water broke about 1:30 this morning. She’s at the hospital. Her last child took 24 hrs of labor though, so this one won’t be easy. As soon as I get more news, I’ll post it.

Okay, if you didn’t watch cartoons in the eighties, you may not get the reference.

Anyhoo, on my daily read list is the Yarn Harlot. Last Friday, she wrote an entry hysterically funny about editing her latest knitting book. Well, she reminded me of PBW, who’s at the top of my daily read list. So I ran down the list of PBW entries, to where she gave her email, and I sent her the link.

Lo and behold, not only do I get a reply in my email, today’s PBW entry comments on the Harlot, and references my name. I’m famous! I have affected the blogisphere! I have the Power!

To be fair, I haven’t kept up this blog, and I’d get more readership if I did, with links to others, for it is with trackbacks and comments to others that one builds their own blog, but still. For little old me to have such an influence, tiny that it is, on such a highly read and respected blog, it boggles the mind.

And I’m still recovering from the birthday party at Chuck E Cheese’s. Luckily, the charge goes on next month’s bill, and since it was the Husband’s idea, I can say I told you so when he yells. 2 hours of screaming kids, lousy covers of pop songs, keeping track of 12 kids and making sure they and the parents they brought all ate and drank satisfactorily, and got enough tokens, then hauling the presents home, the list as she opened them, the baths, the attempt to calm them down for Sunday night bedtime – oy! It’s a good thing I had a quiet work day today, or I might have come across as the witch my kids think I am sometimes.

Time to enforce 8 pm bedtime. Witch practice. Yes, that’s “Witch” - with a W, not a B. I’ll hear that later, in about five years, I expect.

20 pounds. As advertised. However, it would have been more, but I had some bad days at the beginning of last week, so that slowed my rate down. I kept my cal count down, but the food choices on the bad days weren’t the best.

This week, I’ll be adding in the walking, as recommended by Medifast – 20 minutes 3 times a week. Don’t know when, just yet – possibly at lunch time at work.

On the knitting front – can’t find the camera, so you’ll just have to imagine in your mind – I’ve got the triangle blanket halfway done. I bound off the baby sweater torso, only to determine it’s too short, so either I have to go back and add about 6 rows, or scrap the whole thing. Nephew is due on valentine’s day, so I need to decide soon.

Today is the six yr old’s part at Chuck E Cheese. Ugh. But, this is her first big, non family party, with invitations and thank you notes and everything. So, I’ll be listening to screaming kids for two hours. I’ve warned the husband that if he’s home when we get home, I’m going to take an hour off to recover my sanity. He has to work today (maintenance weekend for the govt computers), so he’s excused from party duty.

I had my first off site client visit last week for the new job. I’m definitely out of practice, but I think I did okay. I was pretty nervous, so I told the 4.25 yr old at drop off that I needed to hurry because I had my first big meeting with the new job. So, at pickup, the first thing out of her mouth was “Mom! How did your meeting go?” That made my afternoon.

After 3 weeks on Medifast, I’ve lost 15 pounds. I seem to have settled on 3 lbs a week after the water loss. So this is the real work. Medifast recommends getting used to the program before starting their exercise for sedentary folks (walking) program. So, next weekend, I will begin that. That should help as well. That may increase the 3 lbs a week, or may just help with inch loss.

The 5.95 turned 6 on Tuesday. I’ll have pics from the big Chuck E Cheese party which is next weekend.

The 4.25 has recovered from her cold and has spent the last 6 nites in her own bed all nite. Yes! Remember, this is the child who’s also called the Klingon. (Cling on, for those not aware of Star Trek).

The knitting – well, not so much. New Nephew is due in 4 weeks. Hat is done. Sweater needs sleeves. Still need to do booties and matching blanket. Other blanket (to match nursery) is almost half done. 18.25’s sweater – supposed to be done for christmas – needs sleeves.

I have my first on-site client visit on Tuesday with the new job. I have to make sure I can present a professional enough appearance. Also gotta remember to take my business cards to hand out.

I’m doing some personal coding, but time is short.

I’ve got a new story idea wandering around in my head, so I’m putting some of the stuff on paper, but I haven’t been really writing in ages. I guess I’m not as serious about it right now as I used to be.

We’ve lost the TV Remote (my fault – I put it somewhere, and now can’t remember where) so now I’m off to clean in hopes of finding it under the clutter.

Update: Found the remote. It was in a box I had thought I’d looked in before.

Excuse the housekeeping, but I need to check this from many PCs.

14 girls invited.

3 Cousins accepted

1 Sister accepted

1 Non class mate accepted

4 Class mates accepted

-2 Class mates declined

We have to pay for 11 kids (Chuck E Cheese), so this helps my math. I may send out a bugging email to others.