15 December 2009

Taking A Break

I'm taking a blog break. I have been very slacky (it's my new word) with posting and so instead of putting more pressure on myself and not being able to get to it which then puts me in a crabby mood because I feel overwhelmed because I can't do everything, I'm taking a break until next year.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your friends and family. Find joy in everything and remember what the season is all about.

I wish you a safe and fun New Years.

And I hope you come back and read next year.

I'll be back!

09 December 2009

Losing My Multi-Tasking Touch

I used to be good. I mean good at multi tasking. I could do multiple things at once and keep up with them and know right where I left off of one when I moved back to it. But now yeah, um not so much.

Now I become a scatterbrained mess and as I'm sitting here I have to stop and think 'what the hell was I just doing'.

I have a difficult time remembering what day it is.

I think I can max out at 3 different things going at once. Pitiful compared to my previous stats.

I blame it on kids and getting old.

And I think it's time to stop working in the IT world and find something slower and more enjoyable. Maybe I can't multi task anymore because subconsciously I don't want to anymore. I've been there, done that and kicked it's ass. Now I need something less intense to focus on?

I like this answer better than blaming the kids and the fact I'm in my mid-30's.

I'm thinking this will be on the resolutions list for 2010!

08 December 2009

One Heck Of A Storm

You know I love cloudy, rainy, cool and in winter snowy days, and yesterday I got my wish here in Arizona. Oh it was a perfect Danielle day! I opened up my blinds in the office and the bedroom to let more light in because it was that dark still even at 9 AM! Awesomeness! I got to listen to rain hitting the window as I worked.

It actually made me not want to work work but instead do things around the house. And then cozy up with the kids and watch some TV.

So we had a nice evening and had a good dinner, which included the kids making their own tacos. And we even made cupcakes! Yummy!

And we headed to bed early to watch Monday Night Football.

And all was good.

Until about 11 PM when HOLY CRAP it sounded like we had a freight train coming through the backyard. It was so freaking windy. Things were blowing around our backyard like crazy. And the rain, OH.MY.GOSH. It rained so hard. I was happy about it until I couldn't go back to sleep. Then I was like please let up, I just want to hear the light pitter patter of raindrops on the window not what sounds like a firehouse being pointed at the window!

So the entire state got rain and the high country (Flagstaff) got craploads of snow. They even closed the freeway for a while. They had a blizzard warning. Good times for everyone I'm sure, especially those STUCK on the closed freeway!

And we're supposed to get more on Thursday!

07 December 2009

The Geriatric Bowl

We took the kids to their first pro football game last night. We saw the Cardinals and Vikings (which we affectionately refer to as the geriatric bowl). It wasn't supposed to be a night game when we originally got the tickets. They changed the time, which caused me some anxiety because we would be at the game in the middle of our normal bedtime. It could become a witching hour situation with two devil children. Thankfully for us, it really didn't happen.

Little Man had a blast as did Leo and myself. Sweet Girl not so much. A giant football stadium with thousands of people screaming is probably not the best place for a child who is easily overwhelmed and highly sensitive. I kept trying to tell them they could yell as loud as they wanted here. But that didn't work until about the 3rd quarter and then Little Man joined me many times in cheering and yelling. Sweet Girl did liven up after some Cracker Jack (which I am convinced was laced with crack). Both kids were doing pretty good at this point, which made me happy even if it was caused not by excitement of being there but by the crack laced popcorn.

Our trip was not without injury (not surprising to me) during the evening we experienced the following:
  • Feet and partial legs were stuck in the back of the seat (this happened to both kids...).
  • Little Man nailed his eye on the arm of the seat.
  • I got poked in the face by a flag that Little Man was waving like a nutcase.
We did leave about 5 minutes into the 4th quarter which was fine with me. I didn't relish the thought of trying to get out of there with two kids and an assload of people. And of course we also had to purchase a foam finger AND foam claws...

I really had a great time, I would like to go to another one and get there early and actually tailgate a bit. I bet that would be a blast. I might even sport a Cards jersey...

04 December 2009

Hey It's Friday

It's Friday. I am always happy when Friday rolls around. It means we can sleep in tomorrow and we can hang out as a family without feeling rushed.

Last weekend I made a good dent in the cleaning out the office of it's various piles of papers that either needed shredding or filing. Now I have new piles that need to be put away or thrown away or moved around (to create yet another pile somewhere else!). And maybe I can get around to cleaning out some toys. I have to do this when the kids are not around obviously or all of a sudden they have a new found love for something they haven't looked at or touched in six months.

My goal for the playroom is to have all toys have a place and to move all the kids art stuff in there. They have tables and chairs in there now they need to be put to good use. Unless it's paint, that can stay in the kitchen. But paper, crayons, markers, scissors and other assorted items can all be moved in there.

Well it's off for more tea, my hands are freezing because it's a balmy 66 degrees in my office! It feels good to snuggle in a sweater while working. However I don't like cold hands while typing so a nice cup o tea will warm them up.

Have a great weekend.

03 December 2009

Coming Up With The List

Now that I'm older coming up with a Christmas list is difficult. The problem is I don't really need anything. Sure I have lots of wants, but they are not easily fulfilled from a Christmas list. And some of the things I do want are not cheap. Say for instance laser hair removal. I want laser hair removal but who is going to want to get that off a Christmas list? I would also like liposuction, again strange gift for a list, yes? I also want my parents to move out here so maybe I should put 'buy my parents house' on my list. Whoever fulfills that gift will GET something AND GIVE something. Win Win for everyone.

And really only a few people actually need a list, thoughtful gifts are always the best. Unless maybe you're going way off the reservation and think that I might enjoy some rainbow colored leather coat or something. Thoughtful? Sure. Practical? Ah no. Would I still show appreciation for it? You betcha. And I would even suffer some slight guilt as I shoved it WAY in the back of the closet. Or thoughtfully gave it to Goodwill.

So I have racked my brain trying to come up with some random things that I could always use like new shoes, purses, socks, books, etc. And since we'll be travelling gift cards are always a good option. They make for light packing!

And on top of that I have to come up with a list for the kids. Do you know they really don't NEED anything either. We are own toy store. We don't need anymore toys. Sweet Girl still thinks she needs more barbies, the kid has 29. 29 barbies. Anymore and we'll need another tub to store those things in. So my poor kids have new sheets on their list. Can't you imagine THAT excitement when they open those suckers up?
I'll have the camera ready.

If you're making a list (and checking it twice) good luck to you!

30 November 2009

Ahead of the Game!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We had a great meal in Flagstaff, we saw a movie and we went on a hike (we call it a hike for the kids sake but it was really a walk). We had great weather and it was an overall good time. We came home on Friday which was nice considering we still had two more days off! YAY!

We have our Christmas tree up and stockings hung. We put up our small tree this year because we donated our big tree to Leo's new office. We will get a new one next year. We have random Christmas decorations around the house as well. We've have some decorating changes going on too. It's really coming together! And really feeling like home.

We even saw Santa yesterday. The kids were so excited until they got in front of Santa. Then they froze up like little mutes. Suddenly silenced by fear of being THAT close to Santa. Our picture is really great (insert sarcasm), Little Man has a blank look on his face, nothing near a smile. And Sweet Girl has a slight smile but the reflection off her glasses makes her look like she has one eye larger than the other. I guess maybe we should start a tradition of those kinds of pictures with Santa. None of those cute smiling ones where they look excited, but ones that look like we've tortured them by sitting on his lap. I think that will make the crappy pictures much more exciting to buy. I'll be the only one in line telling the kids to make the worse face you can instead of smiling. I really like this idea!

I am really in the Christmas spirit this year. I am looking forward to the holiday and seeing the kids joy on Christmas morning. And being with all our family. I am excited to do our countdown calendar where I will put some candy treats and little "activities" we need to do each day.
I hope my feeling and spirit don't start waning as Christmas day gets closer!

25 November 2009

Thanksgiving

It's Wednesday the eve of Thanksgiving. We're staying in Arizona for Thanksgiving and really I have to tell you I'm happy that for one holiday I don't have to drive all over the place to visit people. Not that I don't want to see family because certainly I do. I'm thankful though this year will be a low key holiday for us. We're going to brunch at a hotel and it looks so yummy. And then we might try to hit up a movie.

As far as thanks go, I have so much to be thankful for, it's kind of unreal. And it would take forever to list them all, so some highlights of thanks:
* I have a wonderful husband and wonderful kids. I am thankful he is able to provide so much for us, this move to Arizona has given us so much. It took me a while to get to this point but wow is all I have to say, when I think about all that we have because we made the move. I'm thankful we did.

* I'm thankful for my family. I can't wait until my parents are closer and I do wish my sister might move out this way too, it sure would be great for Sweet Girl and Little Man to hang out with their cousin on a regular basis they seem to get along great. I'm thankful for all they do for us and the support they provide.

* All my great friends, I don't want to name names because if I accidentally forget anyone they may be offended. And I don't need any drama just because I'm losing my memory. I miss most of them as they are still in Tennessee. But I am thankful for every visit I have with them.

* I am thankful for the fact everyone in my family is healthy.

* I'm also thankful for all my blog readers and friends I have met because of the blog. I love the diversity of everyone and the comments you leave. I am thankful you read and leave comments because it does keep me going and posting more (even though the past two weeks have just not been there!). Keep coming back!

I guess these are the usual ones, the ones I am thankful for the most are the ones that are most often taken for granted.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

20 November 2009

Week In Review

Again, I have to say I'm surprised it's Friday. The week blew by like last week! I haven't posted since Monday. I am a slacker! Here is a quick recap of some of our highlights from the week.

1. We had Sweet Girls b'day party at the park on Sunday. It was a great day. Everyone that RSVP'd actually showed up! Amazing. We had a bounce house and the kids had a great time. She scored some girly loot and all was well.

2. Just in case you didn’t know I was informed by my son the other day that I am a beaver. He says to me: “Mommy you’re a beaver because you like to eat wood” . This caused Leo and I to laugh so freaking hard. And Leo then tells him “Not as often as I would like Little Man”. Nice. And you wonder why I think my kids are weird sometimes...

3. Never let Toys R Us put your bikes together. We had "professional" assembly and ended up having to take it back. What a cluster. The brakes didn't work, the tires were flat and Little Man's seat fell off, etc. Even with unemployment at like 10% you still can't find good help...Good times. And it was like torture to the kids to see their bikes and have to say sorry you can't ride them. But now the kids have been riding their bikes like crazy around our cul du sac. And the weather is great now so we can sit outside and enjoy it as well.

4. To go along with my kids being weird (and really I would expect nothing less, considering are in fact MY children and I am myself weird and not normal. You can't say you haven't noticed). They have been OBSESSED with potty humor. Where the humor is in adding the words pee-pee and poo-poo into the ABC's is beyond me. However I did have to laugh at something. When Sweet Girl puts her hands on her hips and says "I'll get you with my pee-pee power". That is some funny shit (oh yeah pun intended...cracking myself up here). But then maybe you had to be there...

5. And lastly, I'll end the week with the fact that I'm wicked tired. Some girls and I camped out for 5 hours waiting for the midnight showing of New Moon. Yes I did it again, laugh if you must I really don't care. I have to say this time it was more than the actual movie, it was a fun girls night out doing something you don't normally do. I think I was really drawn to the energy and excitement that was around there. It was fun. And the movie was MUCH better than the first one. I will admit I thought the first movie sucked ass compared to the book. I just didn't get why when you had such a following and attraction to the book you would change up SO much stuff but I digress. This one was better. I had fun, good laughs, good friends and food and warm drinks. I also met some nice ladies. We laughed at making up potential movies for Lifetime or the Hallmark channel.

This weekend there isn't much on tap. We need to movie some items into a storage unit just to get them out of the house. We'll be saving them for my parents when they move out here. Which needs to happen soon, I think that's all I want for Christmas. So if you know someone looking for a house in south middle Tennessee, you let me know I have a great house option for you!
I need to go through the kids clothes, file some bills and assorted items that are in piles around the office.
Happy Friday!

16 November 2009

Holiday Wish Meme

I get a newsletter from ArizonaMama every week, this week they are having a giveaway of some pretty cool stuff. So I'm playing along. You can too!

Mama’s Holiday Wish List MemeTodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
  • A treadmill (so I can literally walk or run my butt off)
  • A heavy bag (need to get that aggression out)
  • Kindle books
  • Flameless candles with timers
  • My home decorating completed
2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
  • My grandma's handmade nativity set. I love it.
3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
  • I've been wanting to learn to knit so maybe a scarf?
4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
  • An authentic Red Wing sweater (aka jersey)
5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
  • Ah they want EVERYTHING. Sweet Girl looks through a catalog and says I want it all.
6. What is your favorite holiday food?
  • My mom's cut out cookies
7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
  • Jury's still out on that one...
8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
  • A tie between It's A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story
9. Favorite holiday song?
  • I have lots of them, but the #1 is Joy To The World
10. Favorite holiday pastime?
  • Opening one present on Christmas Eve

13 November 2009

No Complaints for Friday!

I have no complaints that today is Friday. But to be honest I have no idea where the week went. I really don't remember most of it. Or maybe I blocked it out? Who knows.
I know I haven't posted since Tuesday either. I suck, I know. I am slacking on the blog entries. So I'm doing the Fill - In's today because they are fun and easy!

1. The last band I saw live was U2.

2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is being with lots of family and sweet potato's, however, this year it will just be me, Leo and the kids.

3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is going to be done mostly online and shipped to TN.

4. Thoughts of how to build Sweet Girls self confidence and Little Man getting potty trained fill my head.

5. I wish I could wear a smaller size!

6. Bagpipes usually make me cry when they are played.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Sweet Girls fall recital, tomorrow my plans include a birthday party and Leo's office Christmas party which is a benefit concert and should be lots o fun and Sunday, I want to have lots of fun at Sweet Girl's birthday party at the park and enjoy the cooler weather!

10 November 2009

The Bad Dream

It's 5 AM, I am sleeping peacefully. Dreaming. And then I am rocketed out of my dream by screams of terror and screams for Mommy. Little Man had a bad dream. Leo and I run in there and poor Little Man is trembling. I take him back to bed with us and try to get back to sleep. I do fall back asleep but just as the alarm goes off. Ugh.

After asking Little Man if he remembers screaming and if he had a bad dream, he replies Yes. But doesn't remember the dream. That is until Sweet Girl asked him. Then I found out, he was terrified of giant scorpions crawling on his bed. And really I would probably scream in terror myself in that situation. He went on to show Sweet Girl where they crawled up on his bed and where they were in proximity to him on the bed. She was grilling him about the size of the scorpions. It was an interesting conversation.

And this was his first bad dream, at least the first one that resulted in full on screaming in absolute terror. That is not a scream I wish to hear again!

06 November 2009

The Friday After

We had a good birthday dinner at our favorite local restaurant...Oregano's. We got our favorite server and had an enjoyable meal and even sat outside. Sweet Girl cleaned up on some toy loot, and I am so excited Leo got me a Kindle! Yay!!

And now it's time for the fun Friday Fill - Ins

1. Plans and schedules make life easier but should allow for quick changes if needed .

2. I'm happy when things are in order and everyone is happy .

3. The last thing I drank was water!

4. One of the most valuable things in my life is my family.

5. I like cheese, pepperoni, and onions on my pizza.

6. Dear November, can you please send me cooler weather?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to doing some home decorating changes, tomorrow my plans include going to a birthday party and hanging out with the family and Sunday, I want to enjoy some time with Leo and and an early anniversary dinner to celebrate 13 years of wedded bliss...

05 November 2009

The Best Birthday Present Ever

Five years ago I got (well actually I birthed) the best birthday present ever. I had Sweet Girl on my birthday and I doubt I'll ever receive anything better. Although the a big lottery win would be a close second!

In the five years she has grown to a shy, smart, funny and bright little girl. No longer a baby or toddler, she's reading on her own and sharing her thoughts and opinions. She is one of the best joys of my life. She is quite the gift to our family. I cannot imagine my life without her. Even though she knows how to push my buttons and drive me batty at times, she is learning to exert her independence and learning to be her own person.

I will do my best to prepare her for the world ahead of her. It is my wish for her that she continues to grow as a smart, funny and bright girl. It is my wish she knows she can do anything she wants, she may have to try a few times but she will succeed. It is my wish she always loves herself and has the confidence to walk with her head high in everything she does.

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Girl.

And Happy Birthday to ME too!

04 November 2009

Medical Annoyance

I am annoyed at my pediatricians office. I am annoyed that they did a blanket diagnosis of Sweet Girl by telling me she had the beginnings of H1N1. We had to go to the doctor last week because we were all sick and Sweet Girl was complaining of a tummy ache and her legs hurting. This usually indicates she has strep. She had a low grade fever of 99-100. Nothing major.

They do the strep test, the quick test is negative. So then the ASSUMPTION that she has H1N1 flu is given. This was all because she presented with a low grade fever and a tummy ache. They tell me her temp could spike up to 105 and she may not have a temp and then take a nap and it's up to 104+. They tell me they see 30 kids a day with H1N1. Sure they do because they are assuming that's what it is, they are not doing any real test to determine that.
I am totally in shock by this and my initial reaction is no way does my kid have the flu. She is not acting THAT bad because before I even took her temp I thought she was faking it because she didn't want to go school.

Shockingly enough by Friday she was fever free. No H1N1 here.

I am annoyed by the hysteria the media is causing about this. Do I want my kids to be sick? No of course not. Do I want them to get the flu? Obviously not. Do I want to be thrown into excessive worry because OMG the swine flu can kill you? Duh, no. But guess what the other flu strains can kill you too.

Rest assured any swine flu/H1N1 "stats" are totally skewed. Especially if everyone is diagnosing just on the fact you MUST have it if you have a fever and body aches. No it couldn't be a cold or another flu strain. It HAS to be H1N1.

I am happy to report that everyone here is on the mend. Yay!

03 November 2009

A Day In The Life Of ME!

San Diego Momma has a writing exercise called PROMPTuesdays. I will participate today because well I can easily drone on about all my daily activities. While I could easily put the highlights of my day into bullets, that would defeat the purpose of said exercise.

Here's the dealio: For PROMPTuesday #80, please write about your day in specifics (yesterday counts). What happened (or didn’t happen more like)? Tell me the details. Did you wake in a bed of crumpled sheets and wandering pillows? Who was next to you? What did you have for breakfast? Where did you go? What’s the weather like over by you?

And so let's learn what a day is like for me...hopefully you're still awake by the end...

I woke up around 6:10 AM. Ugh. It's still dark out at this hour. I hate getting up when it's still dark. Leo turns the shower on and goes to get the kids. I request to shower first because I need to wash my hair AND shave my legs. I try to alternate these so I'm not doing both in the shower each time. It's just too time consuming. Anyway, uneventful shower time, hygiene completed.
I get dressed.
I log into my work PC, log on to the VPN to start my day. Open my email, try to check some of it before I have to get the kids ready for school. Sweet Girl is not happy about going. She says her tummy hurts. She's faking it now because she was totally fine on Sunday. Her nose is running a lot, I do give her some sudafed (yes I still use REAL sudafed on my kids, it works and they are happier).
Leo doesn't feel good, I guess maybe he's not the germ carrier I originally thought. Or maybe just not THIS germ carrier. He is of all others. He proclaims he'll probably see me early. Buckle kids in carseat, give hugs, kisses and love yous.
I get back to my desk, check in. Do a quick stop to make the bed and blow dry my hair.
Now reply to emails, get work started. Attend meetings, oh the meetings. I hate meetings. And all mine are over the phone today because I'm not going into the office. I have four meetings, and I work in between.

I had a protein shake and fiber bar for breakfast. I laugh to myself as I eat the fiber bar because my friend Michele and sister in law Liz both make fun of me because of my fiber obsession. It's good for my health at least!
I make myself some hot tea too. I set the timer on the microwave since I am notorious for over steeping. I aim for 4 mins of steeping, it's good. I have two cups, one black one green. I love tea.
I eat lunch next in between working and meetings. Nothing exciting. I made a sandwich and freaked out because I didn't notice the cheese I picked had mold on it, very weird. I just took it off. But I had a hard time finishing that meal. I ate a banana, apple, and a tomato. I had some grapes. I needed to add more veggies, but obviously failed at that part today.

Around lunch time Leo comes home. He lays on the couch. He's such a man when he's sick. He gets in bed before I am done with work and closes the blinds in the bedroom. I like them open a bit so it's not cave like dark in the office.

It's 3:15 work is over so I head out to get the children. I talked to my mom on the way over to the school. Go in get the kids, they are in good moods. It's nice when they are in good moods when I pick them up. I asked them what they did, and they gave their standard answer of 'I don't know'. Sweet Girl tells me her nose ran and she sneezed a lot. I give them their after school snack of fruit snacks. Sweet Girl falls asleep in the car on the way home.

At home, Leo is still in bed. I foresee it will be me alone tonight making dinner, giving baths, bedtime, etc. I am somewhat annoyed by this because last week when I was sick I still helped out. Oh well. Sweet Girl and I did her homework. I unloaded the dishwasher, loaded it back up. Attempted to clean up the kitchen a bit. It still looks messy.

I made an exciting dinner of pasta for Sweet Girl and me and waffles for Little Man. It's what he wanted and I didn't have to do much so I was good with it. Leo made himself some soup. It was a nice evening really with the kids and I. I enjoyed their company. The kids played on the computer and of course had a fight over it. Nice. Didn't I just say I liked their company, I should add when they're not fighting.

Bath time, pajama time, TV time, bedtime. We watched Dragon Tales. Again. We watch the hell out of that show. It annoys me. I check my gmail account, respond to a birthday invite and get the kids drinks for bed.
I read to Sweet Girl, then go lay with Little Man. After changing a poopy diaper. Always a pleasure.

After the kids are in bed, I get my workout clothes on and pick up a book as I wait for my trainer to come over.
She arrives, I work out and feel OK about it. It was an OK workout. I hate when I can't do stuff without stopping for a break.
I help her take all her stuff out to the car, the neighbor stops over to tell us our house looks great. We had it painted. It does look good I have to agree. He invites me to their churches rodeo or something. I tell him I'll talk to Leo. I like the neighbors they are very nice. But they kind of make me uncomfortable sometimes. I think I feel like I'm being evaluated as a possible second wife or something.

I come back in the house, take a shower, read some more and then head to bed. After I am comfy in bed and asleep for a while, Sweet Girl comes in and I walk her back to her bed. And then back to sleep for me.

So there you go, the exciting details of my day. Real exciting, eh!

02 November 2009

I'm Honest, How About You?

I am beyond honored to be given an Honest Scrap award from one of my favorite bloggers. Stephanie over @ Bad Mom was the first blog besides my sister in laws that I read and followed on a regular basis. If you haven't checked her out, you really should. So I am thrilled she actually reads this blog and leaves witty comments too! Getting an award from her is quite an honor to me. Thanks!!

Now I must pass on the love and tell 10 honest things about myself.

Let's see, there probably isn't much you don't already know...

1. I really don't like my nose. But I don't dislike enough to get a nose job.

2. I like to collect office supplies.

3. I sometimes regret choosing to go back to work after having children.

4. I don't like coffee.

5. I have weird issues with odd noises, they drive me nuts.

6. I am terrified of fire.

7. I feel I need a lesson in shopping, I always revert to jeans and t-shirts and then feel frumpy. But I don't know what else to buy or what would look good on me. I keep telling myself I'll have the "cute" clothes when I lose weight.

8. Not a huge fan of reality TV, but for some reason can't change the channel if Real Housewives of 'Somewhere' is on. I am amazed at how these people live. It's like a train wreck that I can't turn away from. I'm ashamed to admit I am looking forward to the Real Housewives of Orange County that starts on Thursday.

9. I do love shows like Ghost Hunters, A Haunting, etc, but if any of that happened in my house I wouldn't stay there 5 more minutes. I would get the hell out of dodge.

10. I miss my Grandma Jean, I wish Sweet Girl and Little Man could have known her. She was so awesome.

Rules to my fellows:
  • Say thank you and give a link to the presenter of the award.
  • Share “10 Honest Things” about yourself.
  • Present the award to 10* other bloggers whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design or to those who have encouraged you.
  • Be sure to tell the 10* bloggers chosen that you are giving them the Honest Scrap award and provide the guidelines for them.

*Or a number that you can reasonably accomplish in whatever mental/physical state you're in.

The honorees for encouragement and brilliance are:

San Diego Momma

Because My Sister Has One

Raising Little Women

Adventurous AZ Mom

A Day In the Life of The Basha's

My So Called Life

30 October 2009

Happy (day before Halloween) Friday!

1. It was a dark and stormy night, which I love so I sat outside to enjoy it.

2. They were afraid of the creepy old library at night, so I offered to take the books myself.

3. Rushing out, I totally forgot my costume.

4. Holy crap, what was that...I think I heard a howl!

5. Shhhh... don't tell the kids I took all their snickers bars.

6. I'll be coming over for dinner so you better give me something good to eat!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing at home and hoping Sweet Girl is better, tomorrow my plans include hopefully fun and excitement of trick or treating with friends and Sunday, I want to enjoy some good family time!

29 October 2009

Sickness Invasion

Well we are starting the cold and flu season with a cold that is affecting everyone in our house but Leo (who is the alien virus carrier since he never seems to get sick).

That's all I got for this week. Sickness.

Arizona has been great for us in just about everything. I am happy to be here (yes finally), and it really was the best move for our family to make. Except we all seem to get sick more often here. I guess nothing is ever perfect!

On a happier note, today is my sisters 30th birthday. So Happy Birthday to Deanna! Love ya and welcome to your 30's... :)

27 October 2009

I Have No Complaints About The Weather For Once

Our weather as of late has been fantastic. It's been in the mid 80's but in the later afternoon after I pick up the kids from school it has been awesome to sit outside and let the kids play in the front. We are one of the odd ones on the block that actually come outside, the rest of the block are reclusive and don't leave their house.

The kids have been playing on their scooters, and playing with the scarecrows. Sweet Girl walks around with one of them like it's her best friend. It's about as tall as she is. The other day she was singing to it and talking to it. It was really cute and funny. Hmm...maybe that's the reason people don't come outside when we're out there, they think our kids are weird because they talk to scarecrows. Actually I doubt it, I never see anyone out. And as soon as they are in the garage they immediately close the door. People here are so strange.

And tomorrow the high is only 62-64!!! I will get to wear long sleeves, socks and open my windows! Woohoo!!!

Hello cooler weather!! I've waited so long for you to get here!

21 October 2009

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Leo and I went to the U2 concert last night. I have to admit I was disappointed. I am disappointed to be disappointed! I was expecting so much more. It lacked the energy I expected. Boo.
And first it took us TWO HOURS to get to the concert. TWO HOURS. We used a car service to get to the concert so Leo nor I was driving but OH.MY.GOODNESS. The traffic, it was bumper to bumper for a long long time. I was so tired of being in the car, I was ready to have some sort of breakdown. We left at 5:30. Obviously we should have left at 4:30. And I was STARVING.

After finally we got there, after our 2 hour car ordeal. We didn't have any interest in seeing the opener, the Black Eyed Peas for this leg of the tour. It couldn't have been one I actually like I wanted to see like The Killers or Muse. No we get the Black Eyed Peas. I really only cared to see the one song that was in my post a couple days ago. Ironically that was the last song they played as we were getting to our seats. Lucky me.

When U2 came on, it was kind of blah. No energy, people were sitting. us included. There were these people in front of us, they were like the U2 couple. They were annoying as hell. I wanted to kick them down the seats (please excuse my irrational anger towards people I don't know, but lucky me I also started my period at the concert so let's just blame those feelings on that wonderful fact.). Leo said they would probably be having sex on the seat before the concert was over. They were really into the concert. Ironically half way through the concert she was sitting down, almost deflated. I determined she must have had a pretty good buzz at the beginning of the concert and now she was crashing and feeling like crap.

I was also not looking forward to Bono's political rant and saving Africa blah blah blah. Luckily it was not as much as I expected. Since we were paying to see them perform not listen to his political ramblings.

At the end of the first set, they hadn't played what I was wanting to hear. I was pissed. And of course they did the whole encore process. And then they did it. All I really wanted to hear was 'Where The Streets Have No Name'. And with that song, the stadium had energy. That was what I was looking for the entire concert but it just wasn't there. At least I got one songs worth.

Overall, it was just OK. And I wasn't looking for just OK. I was looking for awesome.

20 October 2009

Slave To Convenience

I have become a slave to convenience. It's just easier, obviously. And it has made me lazy. Convenience is good but not all the time. I don't think it's the best thing for our family. And with regards to dinner it's really not the best thing for our health. There are good healthy convenient foods, though. Like most fruit, apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, you get the idea. But it's the actual dinners that are a bigger pain in the ass.

I think I need a dinner kick in the pants. I need to push the laziness aside and do what's best for my family. And I think that's dinners at home together. But coming up with ideas, yet another pain. And ideas everyone will eat. Sweet Girl would be content with plain noodles EVERY night. I think I'm going to start getting input from the kids and make them help with dinner. Maybe they'll be more excited and will eat. At least that's what I've read is supposed to happen...

Convenience has it's place, just not all the time like we've become. I want to enjoy cooking for my family. I want everyone to enjoy eating the food and have good family conversation around the table with little fighting. I actually think deep down I want to be like Martha Stewart, minus the scandal and her weird outfit choices though. I want to cook good food, I want to bake wonderful things (I find baking so therapeutic, I really should do it more), I want to do crafts with the kids and enjoy it, I want to work at the kids schools and be a part of their education. I think what I want probably seems out of place in our current times. I think I want my life to be like a 50's sitcom...a weird dream to have. I have all the pieces of my dream. A wonderful, loving husband and best friend, great kids with funny senses of humor and a desire to be around us, a wonderful house with a kick ass kitchen. The only problem I have is when I'm at home I'm working, I'm not cooking or baking or crafting. And when work is done, I'm tired and worn out and ready to sit and do nothing, even though I want to do something (see the laziness is rearing it's head, it knows how to push my buttons!). [insert: sigh]. I really need to add this to the top of my 'Making a Change' list.

It's back to the balance game. Balance life/work. Balance convenience/effort. Balance Balance Balance. It's like working out on a bosu on one leg!

19 October 2009

Why? Why? Why?

Little Man's favorite word: Why?
Little Man's favorite phrase: Why Mommy?
Usage: Constant

The kid is WEARING me out with this. I mean it's constant. It is a constant non stop barrage of 'Why Mommy?' to anything I say or he sees on TV or outside.

It's a real joy to watch a movie with him.

I try to give him meaningful answers that actually answer his questions, which then results in more Why's. And sometimes we go in a complete circle with the answers and end up right back at the original thing that caused the first Why. And he doesn't like the answer 'I don't know', but sometimes I REALLY don't know! And if I make stuff up, my luck that will be the info he'll go to school and share with all his friends and teachers.

SOMETIMES if I'm lucky I'll answer and he'll say 'OK Mommy'. But that's rare. REALLY rare!

I don't want to squash his inquisitive little mind because wow is it inquisitive, but jeez I need a break from the Whys. And I tried the trick my friend Kelly suggested by replying to his Why, with 'What do you think', that worked for about 2 days and then he caught on. Now he says 'I want you to answer'.

I will probably wish for this stage to return when the kid is a teenager.

16 October 2009

Fill Er In

Welcome to my good friend Friday! I always love it when you come around.

1. So are we going to get this finished or what?

2. Fun times over the holidays is what's up ahead.

3. I love to hear my children laughing.

4. I can always eat sweets of some sort.

5. I walk a fine line some days.

6. Family and friends close by is the true elixir of life!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to enjoying being at home, tomorrow my plans include a birthday party and more home time and Sunday, I want to move some pictures around and enjoy being at home!!

15 October 2009

A First: I Agreed With Oprah

Not really a big fan of Oprah, but I do have to admit I agreed when she said this was cool. Maybe not the coolest thing ever but I do agree it's cool that all these people coordinated dancing.
And the song is pretty upbeat too. I like it.

14 October 2009

Sleepy Boy

I think it's been quite an adjustment for the kids with getting back home and back in the groove of our regular routine. They've had a difficult time this week so far with getting up and going to school. And also going to bed. Little Man is having a difficult time staying in his bed and going to sleep. Not sure if this is because of their erratic bed times while we were not at home.

Last night was no different, but at least he stayed in his room. Not in his bed, but in his room. When Leo went to open the kids doors before we went to bed, he hit Little Man. That was because Little Man was sleeping in front of the door. He had his little butt in the air and his head at a weird angle against the wall.
The best part was he also had his crocs on. I'm not really sure why he put them on.

Hopefully by this weekend everyone will be back to normal.

13 October 2009

Bibbi Bobdi Boutique

Glitter. Oh.My.Goodness. The glitter that we had from our wonderful time at the Bibbi Bodbi Boutique, it was EVERYWHERE! For DAYS!
But it was a highlight of our Disney adventure. The kids, yes even Little Man, got to experience a day of being a princess. We arrived early at the castle for our reservation to get all done up in full on princess style. Dresses, shoes, wands, nail polish, makeup, hair cement, and glitter (x100). Our party covered most of the major princesses:
Belle
Snow White
Cinderella
Aurora

We were one good looking group!

Sweet Girl was a beautiful Belle. She looked great in her fancy yellow dress, and rainbow sparkle shoes, all her beautiful makeup and her hair cemented on her head in a pretty crown. She was really impressed when she saw herself as they turned her around to face the mirror. She was so beautiful.

Little Man made quite the handsome Snow White. He declined the hair and makeup though, and only opted for the dress (while REFUSING to take off his clothes underneath), PINK sparkle shoes, and a wand. He did end up with glitter in his hair but that was all and he was NOT pleased with it at all. We got some looks, and questions about why "SHE" didn't like to have long hair. They were surprised when I said 'HE's a boy'. Oh the looks. They didn't stop all day. Some were looks of understanding, acceptance and the occasional horrified look of that boy is IN A DRESS, WHAT KIND OF MOTHER ARE YOU? I ignored those looks. I mean the kid was outnumbered with three GIRLS. He had to fit in somehow and he was quite PROUD in his Snow White getup. He did look cute and did provide us with some wonderful blackmail pics, he will certainly not enjoying seeing when he is 16. I was fine with my Sweet Little Man in a dress.

The other two girls were very beautiful in their Cinderella and Aurora dresses. We were difficult to miss with a party of 4 decked out princesses!

We then headed over to the BEST character meal of our trip. It was at the Auckerhaus in Epcot's Norway. Where each princess visited us at the table for autographs and pictures. Snow White was the best (or so I was told since I was up getting food at the buffet line...I am disappointed I missed it), trying to get Little Man to talk or take a picture with her. We did get some shots of him being all shy though. Sweet Girl enjoyed the day meeting all the princesses and did great taking her picture with them.

The weather was LOVELY this day as well. It was cooler and not nearly as humid. And I gotta tell you, if you're in France (at Epcot anyway) you MUST stop and get the Grand Marnier frozen drink. Holy Smokes was it good. And maybe you'll also be traveling with another family and you too can enjoy the pretzel rod with cheese from Germany that results in weird and perverted comments.

And as with all our trips where someone has to get hurt or sick. Epcot was the scene of Sweet Girl falling off a ledge. Luckily she was not badly injured, a small scrape and bruise on her arm. A lot of tears and thankfully no ripping of that beautiful Belle dress.

This was by far our longest day out and about. We started at 7 AM and didn't get back to the hotel until almost 8. But overall a wonderful day. Dress up, adventure, food, fun, drinks and great friends. It was pretty much perfect.

12 October 2009

Wonderful World of Disney

Ok, so I better get this down before I forget all our wonderful times we had at Disney. It was a great trip. And I am really really happy we traveled with another family. It really made the difference.

We arrived at Disney on Friday and checked into our hotel and got settled. We then decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom for a bit. On our way out, we ran into our friends that were just arriving, they hung out at the hotel to get settled.
We got into the park just a parade was going on, it was so cool. I think I was on the verge of tears more than the kids.
We rode some rides in Fantasyland and tried to head over to the Haunted Mansion. I loved this ride as a kid. We got in and Sweet Girl has a breakdown and we have to leave. Leo rides alone as we wait by the exit for him. One of the ushers asked if we wanted to ride by going straight to the ride, I thought Sweet Girl would go for it but no such luck. Little Man and I headed in and he enjoyed it and then we got stuck. For a good 5 mins, the ride didn't move...good times.
We headed back to the hotel then and met up with our friends for a nice evening before hitting the sack for our first "official" day at the Magic Kingdom.

Saturday at the Magic Kingdom was a little hot and very sticky - we're are not used to THAT kind of humidity. Ugh. But it was great. We were there for a while and then headed back to the hotel for a nap before we were to return to the MK for dinner in the Castle at Cinderella's Royal Table. We got a photo with Cinderella and saw the Fairy Godmother and some of the mice. It was a good meal.
The park was open until 11 that night so we headed back around after dinner, got stuck in a bit of rain which was actually fun. The stroller was drenched. We rode Pirates I think twice that night. I think we got back to the hotel at 11, only to get up the next morning at 7 again. We wore those kids out!

Sunday was Animal Kingdom day. By far my least favorite park, but ironically where we had the best meal and they had the best roller coaster. We took advantage of their rider swap program by finding a nice little loophole (oh the benefits of traveling with another family!). The safari "ride" was the best of that place. And it really did feel like we were in Africa with the heat. It was the hottest day I think.

Monday was Hollywood Studios. We got a little later start this day, and met at 9 instead of 8. The extra hour of sleep did the kids some good. I didn't think we would spend as much time here as we did. It was a GREAT park. I really liked it. Sweet Girl rode her first thrill ride by going on the Tower of Terror with me. It was really cool, basically we dropped 13 stories and shot back up. We saw Beauty and the Beast on stage and it was great as well. Some stunt shows and that completed our day at the Studios.

Tuesday was water park day. We had fun at Typhoon Lagoon. The kids enjoyed the slides and even rode by themselves on a tube slide. It was really fun. I had a moment of panic as I lost Little Man at the kiddie play area. Then there was the wave pool. The kids LOVED the 6 foot waves that were pushed out of that thing. We would go about middle of the "pool" and ride that wave. It was really fun. The pool was pretty wide and then opened wider at a certain point where the kiddie slides were at the "shore" of the pool. Even though this was far from the waves coming through it would create a little bit of force so much it knocked Sweet Girl out of my hands and pushed her so she was wrapped around some poor ladies legs. I was thankful she was there, it was kind of funny because she was just swept away. One min I had her hand the next I look down and away she is going.

Wednesday - This was Bibbi Bobdi Boutique day and this deserves it's own post. We had a beautiful Belle and a very handsome Snow White....

Thursday and Friday - We hit Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom again. It was great.

I'm sure I missed a lot of details here, I will have to do another post as I think about it some more!

Overall it was a great trip. We learned that Sweet Girl exhibits traits of being a highly sensitive child. She had a lot of crying breakdowns, I felt bad for her. And was a little embarrassed since we were traveling with others. But after some quick reviews online mid trip, I found a new tactic to handle that worked a little better. Sweet Girl loved Big Thunder Mountain at MK. We wore the kids out, had great food, great company. And spent an assload of money on souvenirs. I'm ready to go back!

08 October 2009

Airplanes and Steroids Don't Mix

I hope you never have to fly with a kid that is coming down from a steroid high. It makes plane travel very interesting.
Little Man was coming off his high as we were flying to Tampa on the first stop of our journey. I was fearful of his behavior and while it wasn't as bad as I anticipated it wasn't his normal flight behavior.
Aside from only watching a movie for say oh 10 mins and then basically DEMANDING another movie, and the moment he screamed NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO with fists flying in the air and kicking the seat in front of him and wanting more 100 calorie packs of the Oreo thins, the flight was fine. He actually feel asleep as we were taxing for take off. And would have slept longer if the pilot hadn't talked really loud indicating we had reached our cruising altitude of 39,000 feet. I want to curse him but since he was really in control of my life at that moment I didn't say any bad things about the wonderful pilot that flew us from Phoenix to Tampa.

After arriving in Tampa we headed over to our friends Craig and Doris' house for a while. We were happy to see them and all their kids. They have cats and dogs and poor Little Man is allergic to both of them. Our friends were nice and put all the animals outside and did a vacuum run before we got there, it helped until about 2 hours in. Then it was time for us to go.

We headed to Clearwater Beach the next day with Doris. All their kids were in school so Doris, the kids and I went to the beach. It was nice, I had a wonderful time watching the kids in the sand, watching the ocean, and having good conversation with Doris. And a word of advice if you have a boy and he has a bathing suit that is prone to sag, you should apply sun screen down his pants to account for said sag. I get the good mother award (not) for failing to do this and pool Little Man ended up with a giant red stripe (I could have drank one that point) on his back. I felt horrible. He woke up the next morning complaining his back hurt and when I carried him he asked that I put my hand on his bum instead of his back. Oh the guilt!

Sweet Girl was convinced she saw two stingrays in the ocean. A mommy and a baby. She has a good imagination, as I didn't see any rays and if so I would have gone running out of the water like a nut. I did see a lot of fish though.

And then it was on to Disney, more on that tomorrow!

06 October 2009

We Survived!

We survived our 8 days at Disney World! It was crazy, fun, tiring and worth it. I haven't posted in two weeks I think.

I will get highlights out soon. I am at work in TN right now, and am trying to play catch up.
Stay tuned for more!

22 September 2009

Really? Croup? Now?

I gotta tell you our luck with vacations and sickness make for great blog topics. I get a call from day care about Little Man. I kind of figured I would actually. Sunday we took him to the pediatric urgent care because he sounded really chest congested and had a random bark cough. I knew that cough, but it wasn't consistent. He only coughed once on Sunday but still in an effort to ward off anything bad we headed out to the urgent care. And of course by the time we get there he sounds fine, no congestion nothing. I probably looked like an idiot going in there.

Yesterday morning he wakes up the same way. So I knew the call might be coming. And it did, right after nap. They call to tell me he can't breath and he is making horrible noises. I call the doc and make an appt and head to the school to get him.

So he has croup, and he had the stridor part so bad during the day he got a shot of steroids at the doc. He didn't like that. And steroids cranked him all up, he was running around last night at 9:30 and trying to help me pack. So now we have some of Leo's socks in kids bag. And Leo has ALOT of socks...

But he slept good and is at home with me today. He sounds better so that's good. Hopefully by the time we get to Disney everyone will be sick free.

21 September 2009

Happy Birthday Leo

Happy Birthday to my main man Leo!
He's 38 today.
He's older than me.

He's a great husband.
A wonderful father.
He's my everything.

Happy Birthday Leo!

Packing Anxiety

I spent the weekend doing last minute shopping and packing up for our trip. It's causing me some wicked anxiety.

I made a list of what I need to buy.
I made lists of what to pack, broken down by each family member. And a list of toiletries that will need to be packed. I have set the toiletries out on the counter, they are categorized by their type (first aid, medication, etc.).

I'm not really sure how I ended up this anal about packing. I'm going to blame it on having kids because I used to be the morning we were leaving packer. Now I'm starting DAYS before we leave. It's a little insane. Maybe I need help or medication, I sure could use some anxiety medication right now. I feel it in my stomach, the anxiety build up. It's mixed in with some excitement and fear. The fear I'll be vomited on. Again.

And as my friend Kelly reminds me often, we are NOT going to a third world country and I can buy stuff I forget there. Yes I know this, but I also have been on enough trips with Leo who always comments when I say "We need to get this or that" with "Don't we have that at home? Why didn't you pack it?". And yes we can do laundry but I don't want to have to keep up with my clothing count every night to make sure we all have fresh underwear for the morning. And then have to do a load of laundry at 2 AM to make sure someones not wearing yesterdays underwear inside out in an attempt to feel "fresh". I'm trying to avoid the stress by getting it out of the way BEFORE we're there...
At least that's what I'm telling myself!

18 September 2009

Friday - You've Taken Awhile To Arrive!

Finally you are here my dear Friday! I've been waiting for you!

1. My car looks like a library on wheels on the inside.

2. Leo's birthday and our vacation is coming up next.

3. Lately, things seem still a little warm.

4.The bathroom is one of my favorite 'hiding' places.

5. What happened last night?

6. Snow in Chandler is not impossible!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to a gathering at Leo's new office building, tomorrow my plans include doing last minute vacation shopping, interviewing a potential new babysitter and Sunday, I want to pack and maybe go see Inglorious Bastards!

16 September 2009

Mommy, I Want Crabs

This is not something you generally want to hear from your children. As I immediately think of the "crabs", those lovely little bugs that invade certain areas resulting in serious itching. At least from what I've heard, for the record I've never had crabs, except to eat. And that's the truth. And even if it wasn't the truth, which it is, this post isn't about me. It's about Little Man. And he doesn't have "THE" crabs either. And that's the truth.

So last night Little Man screams at me "MOMMY! I WANT CRABS!!!!!!!!", "I want CRABBBBSSSS on my legs!!!!!' He was very adamant about this.

And he was referring to his pajamas. He wanted the ones that had crabs on the bottoms not the single crab on his shirt.

I was laughing, it was funny. Maybe it was one of those you had to be there and you would be laughing too...or are you laughing anyway?

14 September 2009

Who Wants To Be Cinderella?

You might think the answer is obvious, of course Sweet Girl wants to be Cinderella. And in fact yes you are right. But we also have a Little Man who also wants to be Cinderella. This is a current on going fight in our house as to who gets to be Cinderella when we're at Disney World. We have a morning at the Bibbi Bobdi Boutique. The mecca for girls who want to be a princess. They fix your hair, nails, makeup, and you can even select the dress up package. And there is a barber shop for the boys to get snazzy hair (amazingly it's only $7.50 compared to the AT LEAST $40.00 trip for a girl, up to $200 if you're going all out).

So Little Man also wants to be Cinderella. He wants his nails painted and the dress. He wants to go all out.

Does this bother me, not really (other than possible cost), so I envision we'll have two "princesses" from the BBB going to the princess breakfast. Oh yes, Little Man will be sporting some nails, makeup and a most likely a dress. And I gotta tell you, he's got lots of practice walking in the plastic heels. He's a pro and actually walks in them better than Sweet Girl...
It is possible he could change his mind (it happens at a rapid pace these days) and want to be a prince. Or Captain Hook. Or possibly even Tinkerbell...

He's just taking the lead from his sister, who was ecstatic when she got "makeup" in the McDonald's happy meal (another reason to avoid the stupid McD's). It was just lip gloss but I heard numerous times Little Man requesting "more makeup" "I NEED MORE MAKEUP!!!!".
He just wants to be accepted by Sweet Girl. He loves her so. It's all good and if we end up with two decked out princesses well there will be some great pictures to show his future girlfriends...

11 September 2009

I Think Some Have Forgotten

On this day in 2001 ironically Leo was in Arizona and I was in Nashville (this was from our first round of living here and my insistence to move back which left us living in two different states for a couple months), and I was at work when all hell broke loose. I called Leo at what would have been 6 AM in Arizona to tell him bad things were happening and then from that point we were both watching the news. Him in Arizona and me in Tennessee at work. Our entire company sat and watched the horror unfold. A day I shall never forget.

And the days that followed, the rallying of Americans and the patriotism that flowed was great. Flags flew everywhere. But now years later, it's been a while since it happened, people forget. Obviously too long ago for some people to still have that patriotic feeling that everyone had the days following 9/11/01. It's sad we lost that rally and most people shoved their patriotic feelings aside. I don't get that. Even now, I hate looking at the clock and it happens to be 9:11, I always take a moment and say a prayer for all those people. I don't sit there and dwell on it, but I do always see the images. While it's not fun, I do think it's imperative that we remember the day. I'm a lucky one, I wasn't in NYC or DC or PA, I didn't lose a family member or close friend on that day, but think about those people who did. They CAN'T forget and I'm pretty damn sure they WON'T forget.

So today I honor all those who were lost on September 11, 2001. I honor all the civil service workers who helped on that day and the many after cleaning up the aftermath.

I haven't forgotten.

09 September 2009

License Plate Pet Peeve

I have this thing, one of many weirdo pet peeves I possess, I can't stand personalized license plates. I don't know why they bother and annoy me so, especially considering they aren't even mine so really why should I care you're driving around with a license plate that states "Da Wifes" or something else that is equally as stupid.

And unfortunately for me, Arizona seems to have an abundance of folks that find creative ways to express themselves using the license plate. I roll my eyes when I see them, and make snarky comments if Leo is with me. What can I say they just annoy the crap out of me. Sometimes they are a challenge to figure out what the hell they are trying to say. It's like a mobile brain teaser. And to some extent I enjoy the challenge until I figure it out and usually my reply is 'That's just dumb'.

And since there is no way for me to ban seeing them, I have one small request. For the love of pete man, use proper English on them. I don't care if you have to get crafty and use GR8 to spell out great, not a big deal in fact I might give you some creativity points. But you get no points if you have a plate like the following (I saw it this morning) 4MEKID. Maybe their Irish? Or MAYBE they're just a flaming idiot.

I guess probably now that I've shared this with you, they won't bother me as much. And if you're a reader who has a personalized plate well, I hope for your sake it at least has proper English on it.

08 September 2009

I Know It's Wrong to Covet and Even Worse When It's Your Kid...

Yes I am admitting I am coveting my almost 5 year old daughters abs. That kid has a wicked six pack with little fat to cover it. I'm envious, not that I really want to be 5 again but I would take her abs.

She often runs around topless (don't ask, it does run in the family though) and wow she is ripped! It must be all those times she pleads to be held upside down and then bascially does crunches while we hold her by her ankles. Who knows.

Whatever it is, I hope she keeps them. She should be proud of those things!!! I'd like to say one day I would have a matching set of ripped abs, but I think mine would require some sort of liposuction for them to really show...Liposuction sounds better and better each day...why does it have to cost so damn much??

05 September 2009

Basket of Freshness

We participated in a local co-op bountiful basket program. You get a bunch of fresh veggies and fruits for a mere $15.
So this week was the first time we did it. I was amazed at how much stuff we got for the price.
Here's a list:
7 avocados
1 head of lettuce
1 bag of apples
1 bunch of bananas
8 pears
8 peaches
4 grapefruit
1 bunch of broccoli
1 watermelon
1 bunch of radishes
5 potatoes
3 huge green peppers

That's a pretty good loot for only $15. So now we've challenged ourselves to eat all our natural stuff this week. Nothing goes to waste. We also had a Costco run where we also bought a container of apples, strawberries, more bananas and peaches, and 2 cantaloupes. We are SET on the fresh/fruit veggie front.

Here's to being fresh!

04 September 2009

The Comfort of Thunder

I love the look of rain clouds, the dark big puffs in the sky that signal an impending storm. I love the way the wind blows the leaves of silver maples so that the silver side of the leaf if in contrast to the deep blue of storm clouds. Ah just thinking about it makes me peaceful. I love a storm during the day, because you can see it in all it's glory. Alas, in Arizona we don't get many storms like that during the day (and unfortunately there are not many maple trees either) so I have to enjoy a storm like that at night.

And last night we had a good one.

The lightening here in Arizona is AMAZING. It is sometimes so bright it hurts your eyes. But it does sure put on a beautiful show since most of the storms take place at night it makes it easy to enjoy the show.

The problem I had last night as I was in bed listening to the rain and thunder I was being lulled to sleep. But I wanted to stay up and listen and watch the show. The sounds were so peaceful, yes I know how can thunder be peaceful but when you don't hear it that often it is comforting. And just as I got to the point where I couldn't stay awake any longer the storm was passing. It was perfect timing.

It was an enjoyable event until I woke up at 1 AM because Sweet Girl came into our room and as I walked back to my bed I was kind of warm and lo and behold the air conditioner on the bedroom side of our house was not working. So maybe the beautiful lightening zapped our unit.

Nothing like a good storm to knock out my other favorite thing...the air conditioning!!

03 September 2009

Counting Down

The countdown to Disney has begun. We'll be there in 3 weeks time and I really cannot wait. I can't wait to see the kids and how much they enjoy being there and the fun they will have.

Thanks to my friend Kelly, I wised up and rented a stroller. Sometimes the kids are a little whiney when they get tired and I don't really feel like having that added stress while at the happiest place on earth!!

The couple days before Disney we'll be in Tampa, I'm hoping to visit the beach while we're there as well. It will do wonders to see the ocean. And feel the sand. And play with the kids in the surf.

I hate to wish away days but I would really like to leave tomorrow.

02 September 2009

Longest Day Ever

It is only 2:03 PM Arizona time but feels like it should be about 11:00 PM, this day has lasted FOREVER. I feel like I've been moving in molasses. Ugh.

I will be happy when it's time to leave work. I am going to dinner with a friend and then hit up Macy's to hopefully find some new jeans. I haven't bought any new jeans since after Little Man was born so we're looking at 3 years and they are getting a little worn!

It's now 2:12 and I swear I can't believe only 11 minutes have passed.

Why do days like these last forever and fun days end quickly??

01 September 2009

Me and My Wild Ideas

Leo and I have been working out together and it's been really nice. So I thought maybe we should take it a step farther and plan something for our 15 year anniversary in two years. Something BIG, HUGE, even BEYOND HUGE a monumental achievement to celebrate our marriage and life together. Something that would bring us closer together during the training and the achievement. I thought and figured it out. We should climb Mt. Everest together.

Yes I really said that. Am I nuts? Probably. Would it fit what I was looking for, yes! Would the training bring us closer together? Yes! We would have to rely on each and work as a team. Would it be HUGE, yes (and possibly deadly but I kind of ignored that factor) and a totally cool accomplishment for ourselves and the kids, and how cool would it be for the kids to say their parents climbed Mt. Everest? Pretty damn cool I think.

And yes I figured there would be some smaller climbs. I wasn't going to go whole hog and just go straight to the mack daddy. I did consider others in there to build up to the big one.

It fit everything I wanted, until I did the research. And found a reputable guide to do this would run us a cost of about SIXTY (that is 6-0) THOUSAND DOLLARS and yes that is PER PERSON. OK, I love Leo but we'll have to find some other way to celebrate our 15 year partnership, something that doesn't cost $120,000 AT LEAST. And that didn't take into account travel and all the other "smaller" climbs I factored in.

So now I'm back to my search. Maybe I'll scale back and suggest a hike through Europe or something...Or maybe we'll win the lottery and go for it! But the odds are not in my favor for that one!

31 August 2009

So...It's Monday....

It's Monday and I have nothing exciting to write about. My creativity is lacking on the blog front lately.

I guess I'll use a random thought from an email I got from my dad. It was one of those long ass lists of just random thoughts. Some are pretty funny and it's amazing how many I've also wondered.
In light that it's Monday and I did an assload of laundry over the weekend, I will pick this random thought from the email:

How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

Do you know? I sure as hell don't and I think they are a royal pain in the ass to fold. The fitted sheet is all neatly folded and then you have this jumbled mess of the fitted sheet underneath it. I can see why people just roll it up, it's easier.

If you have any tips on folding that stupid but useful sheet, please leave it in the comments.

30 August 2009

When Did Bowling Get So Damn Expensive?

When the hell did bowling go up to an outrageous price?? Lord have mercy I was shocked. I guess I didn't expect the cost when we decided to go bowling this morning. I didn't expect one game of bowling for each of us and shoe rental to cost us $40. Holy crap.

I guess they have to charge that much because you have kids "bowling" (basically bouncing) balls down the lane and it causes them to warp since a six pound bowling ball is really not supposed to bounce.

I'm going to say it...I remember bowling with my friend Jackie as a kid for 99 cents a game. I guess inflation has kicked in big time in the bowling alley!

But it was fun to watch the kids "bowl" and Leo did great with teach them. And thanks to bumpers they did pretty good.

I think next time we'll opt for the Wii bowling, it's free and easy to stop in the event they want to walk away after 5 frames!

24 August 2009

A Vomit Free Weekend! Woohoo!

Yay! The weekend was vomit and sickness free, well aside from a small case of pink eye on me...yes always something.

We went to the city pool yesterday. I'm sure you're wondering WHY we went to a pool when we have our very own in our backyard. Well we don't have a snazzy zero entry with a play structure that is in 2 feet of water. We don't have water slides or a big blue bucket that dumps 762 gallons of water on you when it tips over. There were two kids water slides and two bigger water slides. Sweet Girl loves a water slide so she was happy to hit the big ones. This was much more exciting then the plain pool and waterfall we have at our house!

We met some friends there and the kids had a ball. They were pretty spent when they got home but it was a great day. And it was only about 100 degrees out. So it was very nice to sit around, let the kids play and not have to follow them around the entire time. It might have even been considered relaxing...

Take a look at a few of the pics of this place. It was really a fun time. I think we'll be going back before we head off to Disney (which I might add is in 31 days!!!).

20 August 2009

Not So Lucky Victim #3

That would be me. I was victim #3. It all started at 1 AM on Tuesday morning and went downhill fast.

I'll spare you the details except that I lost 5 LBS in ONE day. If I could sustain that weight loss it would be great, but I'm sure as soon as I eat or drink anything it will be right back on. But honestly if I could legitimately lost 5 LBS of weight a day like that, I would suffer through 8 days of it to achieve my weight loss goal. Sad and somewhat sadistic I am sure but hey it worked and it worked fast!

So anyway, I am back to feeling somewhat normal today. I still haven't eaten a great deal and if I do eat a lot my stomach starts to hurt. It's a good deterrent to scarfing down a lot of food. And so far I'm enjoying the applesauce and toast.

I am also sure that Leo will NOT get it. I am convinced he is the carrier of all the virus' and bugs that the kids and I get.

17 August 2009

Hopefully Only Two Times a Charm...

We seemed to have developed a new weekend trend. Puke.

Yep Sweet Girl had the weekend puke bug on Saturday. I must say she is the most efficient puker I know. She actually somehow waits to puke in the toilet. Even though I followed her around with a puke bucket she always went to the bathroom. No complaints there, especially since she doesn't puke ON ME. Of course, I have just jinxed myself with that one.

She was not happy with this situation at all. She would say over and over "I just want to stop throwing up". Hey do you blame her, I sure don't. It's not one of my favorite past times either.

And during her vomit episodes she also requests that you hold her hair back. She kind of demands it, "HOLD MY HAIR back!!" But again, don't blame her. Nothing worse then puke in your hair, trust me I should know.

But by Sunday she was her normal self. Thankfully this bug only lasts 24 hours. I just hope that the next two weekends don't' result in myself and Leo getting this great weekend treat.

16 August 2009

A Tribute To The King

On this day in 1977 Elvis Presley died. It was a dark day in Rock n Roll and especially in our household. Elvis was quite loved by my Father and my Grandma Jean. I wasn't even two when Elvis died, but he played a vital role in my childhood. We listened to a lot of Elvis, I have fond memories of Blue Christmas and I can still see the album cover when my Father put the album on the player. But aside from his music which as I said was played alot, he also dished out some discipline via Heaven.

Oh yes, I was disciplined by Elvis via a phone call from Heaven. I really am not sure exactly HOW this came about but basically here is how it went down. I would misbehave and my Father would say to me "Do I need to call Elvis in Heaven?". Sometimes it would work and my behavior corrected. But sometimes, I got THE CALL. My Father would pick up the phone and "call" Elvis in Heaven, explain what I was doing to Elvis. He would hand me the phone and go to the other room where he would talk like Elvis to advise on corrective behavior.

I didn't tell a lot of people about this until I got older, as you can imagine the ridicule I would receive in grade telling people I got to talk to Elvis in Heaven last night. Hell I'm sure even when I told people as an adult they were probably think I was on the loony side. Are you??

But oh well if you are, I turned out OK. I guess thanks to good parenting and an Elvis in Heaven intervention every once in a while.

I was kind of expecting to have some good Elvis feelings when we went to Graceland because I had of course "talked" to Elvis in Heaven. But unfortunately, I had no paranormal experience at Graceland. No channeling, no sightings, no feelings. I was just a regular old visitor amazed at Elvis' taste in rooms like the "jungle room".

My children have not had the pleasure to talk to Elvis in Heaven yet, but they can recognize him and his music. Give it time, I'm sure he'll be calling soon enough.

14 August 2009

Sweet Sweet Friday

Ahh...sighing with the sweet knowledge I do not have to get up and go to work tomorrow! So let's have some fun with Friday Fill-Ins!

1. When will the high summer temps be over?

2. True Blood Series was the last good book I read AND tv show I watched.

3. Everything has its beauty but brussel sprouts.

4. Kung Pao Chicken is what I had for dinner.

5. I'd like your energy to rub off on me.

6. Somewhere cooler than Arizona is where I want to be right now.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a gym shoe shopping excursion for the kids, tomorrow my plans include not anything planned and Sunday, I want to do whatever the heck I feel like!

13 August 2009

A Nice Break

Today it's raining, well at least this morning it's raining. It probably won't continue all day. But right now I have all the blinds open so I can view the glorious clouds and rain falling from the sky.

It's also cooler. Another thing I love. I'm over the 100+ degree temps. Too bad we have another at least three months of them. Maybe it will cool off earlier this year by some weird twist of nature? I can only hope.

But today I'm enjoying the clouds and rain and I'll even take the humidity that goes with it today!

And hey it's Thursday which puts us one day closer to Friday! And the weekend! It's like the hat trick of goodness.

12 August 2009

The Little Condiment Family


Meet our "Little Condiment Family". Mr Ketchup, Mrs Mayo, teenagers A1 and Grey Poupon and Baby Tabasco. The kids were so fascinated by the small bottles at the resort...

11 August 2009

I'm An Excellent Driver

I am just being sarcastic. Apparently I suck. Leo got a new car after our Passat's air con crapped out on the way home from Little Man's surgery. That was a fun ride. 110 degrees outside with no air. Love it. So instead of fixing it, we just got a new car. We had been debating a new one anyway so it we took it as a sign.

And now I have tainted the car.

I hit the car.

With the Yukon.

While pulling into a parking spot.

I grazed the fender so it has a few nicks. Nothing major but still the car is new and I christened it with damage. And it's not like I haven't been parking the Yukon for over 2 years now, so I'm not a rookie at driving it or anything.

It was a GREAT feeling let me tell you. AWESOME, it was a great end to a wonderful day.

And while Leo didn't say it I'm sure I am now ranked in the 'women shouldn't drive SUV's' group. I guess that's fair.

10 August 2009

Lucky #90

We took Little Man to his 3 year well visit. He was a very shy boy and refused to have them check his blood pressure or answers the doctors questions about colors, shapes, even food! He wouldn't even tell her his favorite food. And he HAS to have a favorite or he wouldn't be in the 90th percentile for weight and height. Yes you read that right HEIGHT too.

I'm sure a lot of you don't know Leo and me personally but let me assure you we are not tall people. We are short.

And to have a kid that is in the 90th percentile in height is kind of weird.

Wonder where he gets it?

Wonder if he'll tower over me when he's 10? That would be kind of weird too.

So the kid is healthy and tall. A good combo!

I wish I was taller.

09 August 2009

The "Staycation" Adventure

I had the get away bug last week. I wanted to be anywhere but home. I wanted a change of scenery and a break from temperatures in the 110's plus. I just wanted to get away. After debating on going to San Diego we decided to stay close to home and hit up one of the local resorts in Scottsdale. And Mother Nature was good to us and dropped the temps to the low 100's over the weekend. Aside from the vomit that filled the weekend, it was pretty much perfect.

On Friday we checked into the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa. We had a yummy dinner and then hit the pool. We drifted in the lazy river, Sweet Girl went down the water slide but Little Man was denied because he was 2 inches too short, and the kids ran into pool from the zero entry pool area. We roasted marshmallows for s'mores, the kids were good and behaved. We played a bit more in the pool while they got everything setup for the "Dive-in Movie" (obviously a movie shown at the pool area that you can watch while sitting in or around the pool or if you were lucky like us from your room balcony). Then we headed back up to the room because the movie they were showing was not up our kids alley...High School Musical.

We were in a room with two double beds and we ordered a roll away that fit right in between the two. Sweet Girl had that bed. We ordered some room service for a snack of fruit and a sandwich. The kids sat on the balcony to watch the movie for a bit. Then we all crashed about 10:00 PM from our day of fun. It was a great day.

Now for normal people the night would have been uneventful and you would wake up rested, since you were at a resort and all, to go about a good time on Saturday. But we are not normal...Oh no.

2:00 AM Sweet Girl sits up, comes to my side of the bed for some reason I cannot remember now. I walk her back over to her bed, I set her down on the end of the bed because she has requested me to get her duck and penguin. I guess she assumed she was IN the bed and went to lay down. Well that didn't work out too well, as she laid down and fell backwards on to the floor. We're not talking far but you know when it's 2 AM who wants to fall out of a bed whether it's 1.5 feet off the ground or not. She's of course crying, I calm her down and she's back asleep. Not me.

5:30 AM I am sharing a bed with Little Man. Leo and I were going to switch off having a bed to ourself. I think I had just gotten to sleep when I am awoken by the sound of Little Man getting ready to throw up. And throw up he does, I get him far enough on the bed to get it on the comforter. Bad for the hotel but better for us. EVERYONE is up now. It's 5 freaking 30 in the damn morning. I haven't slept good. Leo helps me with a towel, I clean up the bed, take off Little Man's pajamas, lay down a towel under Little Man and now everyone is back to sleep but me. Again.

When everyone wakes up for the morning, it's about 8:30. Little Man seemed fine, so maybe it was just something he ate the day before is my thinking. He's acting just like himself, and I'm thinking this is good. I'm thinking that but I should have KNOWN better. We go to the yummy breakfast buffet which has THE BEST bacon I think I've ever had. Damn it's good. Little Man has a bout of dry heaves. Shame on me that I cover it up to look like he's coughing/chocking. See I should have known better to think he would be fine, but I was still hopeful.
These hopes were completely dashed after we had been at the pool for about 1 hour. The kids had played in the pool, Little Man acted normal until we went to sit on our pool chairs to debate lunch. This would be when he heaves all down the front me. He has a special talent that enables him to puke right in my cleavage that acts like a funnel to move it down the INSIDE of whatever I am wearing. So now I have hot puke running down the inside of my bathing suit, pools of it sitting in "bra shelf" area of my suit as well. I AM IN HEAVEN. OH YES, MY FAVORITE THING HAS HAPPENED AGAIN. How am I so lucky?

I try to clean as much up and wrap myself and him in a towel and head back to the room. I am praying that he doesn't spew in the hallway. We make it back. He goes to sleep and Leo and Sweet Girl head for lunch. I order room service.

We attempt to try dinner, Little Man looks pale and says he wants to go to the room. It is a beautiful night. The weather is good, the temps are tolerable and I have to admit I was disappointed to go back to the room while Leo and Sweet Girl enjoy dinner outside and hearing the bagpipes being played. I again prayed that I would make it back to the room without a hallway puking incident. We made it. Little Man was in his pj's and asleep within 10 mins. I clean up the room a bit, read some of my book, and I am actually enjoying a stupid Lifetime movie and really am enjoying the time pretty much alone and the silence. That is until Little Man wakes and says 'I want something to dri..." and then power hurls whatever liquid is in his stomach. Apparently there was a lot. My precautionary towel measure was no match for that much liquid. I have to call for maid service to send up another set of sheets. I politely tell them my son threw up in the bed, can I please get another set of sheets? Almost 40 mins later I still have no sheets. I am glad at this moment it's only liquid puke and not some horribly chunky mess that I would have had to sit with while I waited. Finally after a second call they come in and give us new sheets and even make the bed for us. That was nice of them.

Now it's time for bed again, I have to admit I am not looking forward to sleeping with Little Man. Especially if we are sleeping face to face. I wake up every time he moved a bit. I again slept like crap. And thankfully we made it through the entire night puke free.

So overall, I had a great time. It was so nice to get away from the house. I am however really kind of freaked out as to what will happen to Little Man when we go to Disney World. I am hoping he doesn't have some weirdo anxiety disorder about going on a trip near or far!
Let's hope this fun weekend is a nice segueway into a good work week!