I recently picked up a copy of the No Cry Sleep Solution. We'll see if it works, I'm hoping mainly to get some tips from it to help me with the KittyCat and her lack of desire for bedtime. Or the I'm Not Sleepy stage... We had a lot of fun at the library this afternoon. After we picked out some books, we sat on the grass in the little park outside and I spent a fascinating few minutes watching her watch bugs. Then she needed to individually pick up stalks of grass. Then we had a discussion about the things that Mommy wants her to put into her mouth. I have the feeling that 'nutritive value' is a phrase that's going to come back and haunt me in later years.

Sitting here in a pretty pink cami, and I'm thrilled beyond belief that I managed to take a shower today. Who knew? I must be some sort of motherly miracle in the flesh, cause I managed to take a shower, wash my hair, and rinse out a week's worth of underwear in the sink so I can avoid a trip to the laundromat before Friday. Yes, I occasionally get desparate enough to hand-launder my underwear. The sucky thing is that I don't have a drying rack anymore, and the bathroom in our apartment has no windows. If I expect the stuff to dry before Thursday I'm going to have to move ahead to my next trick- which is almost as bad as hand-laundering underwear. Heat will dry most wet clothing. An old trick is to iron it. My mother used to tell me about hanging out the laundry to dry in the winter, and while this might at first seem like just another walking through the snow for five miles barefoot to get to school story, it also smacks of good old practicality. You need to launder. You need to get the wet stuff dry. It's going to drip and mostly dry in the cold air outside over the course of the day, but come nightfall the residual moisture is going to freeze. It's still getting the wet out of the clothing. The trick is to smack it sharply against your knee, bring it in, and iron it all right away. On the bright side, that way doesn't require starch.

Well, off to iron my panties. Then I'm going to curl up and go to sleep. My Sister-in-law arrives tomorrow afternoon, so that's going to be a real treat.