i miss you, blog!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

well, here i am...many months later...writing another blog. oh how i have missed you! i couldn't resist getting back to writing about the little things in my life. i should be folding laundry, working or at least killing the spider crawling across the floor in front of me. but alas, i'm typing words onto the computer. words that likely i will be the only one to read. or perhaps my husband. he told me he missed my blogging the other day. that, my friends, meant the world to me. made my heart flutter a bit. sigh.

to start, let's talk about monster. yes, my sweet little boy is growing up so quickly. i don't care how cliche it sounds - it's the freaking truth. and it hurts!

the other day we went around the block - monster on his bike and me hoofin' it. he found my old olympic kid cabbage patch doll in the guest room closet just before we left and wanted badly to bring her. so we did. monster held her in his lap while riding but he was unsteady on the bike. after some trial and error, he held her by her hair while gripping the handlebars. it was hilarious. i'm sure our older neighbors gasped when they saw this (especially because "little girl" wasn't wearing any pants or undies) but i didn't care. i just giggled at how he talked to her and cared for her.

this weekend was one of the greatest of my life. dare i say, it was the best 3 days in a row i've ever had. friday, tj got to sleep over at bondi and poppy's while we went to cedar point with friends. we had a fantastic time and also realized just how old we actually are. i couldn't believe how sick i felt after rides and how badly my lower back felt after awhile. i'll tell you what though - i was giddy with excitement and had an incredible time. it was fun just playing and not thinking.

saturday, we spent 3 hours at a fall fest just tim, monster and me. there was trick-or-treating, games and crafts, hay mazes and inflatables. the best! after two hours of fun, we started to head back to the car and stopped for a minute to watch a magician. a minute turned into 50 and we stayed until the end. it was funny and impressive - what a fun ending to a great afternoon! in the evening, we went to watch the ugly osu game with friends and tj was super! hyper ... but super! we really enjoyed ourselves and totally relaxed.

sunday, we skipped church (needed a morning in) and got our running in early. next, we headed out to the east side to spend the day with tim's sister and much of the family for another ugly game. but we had a great time!! it was my sister in law's birthday and we just relaxed. again, tj was a saint which really made it enjoyable. i had the greatest time playing with him in the driveway - rolling a pop-up hot wheels car back and forth. brilliant! seriously, i know this isn't a great 'read' but i want to remember how easy and fun this weekend was when i look back on this blog one day.

of course there is more fun to come. but lots of work travel for my husband and also a big knee surgery for him. i think i'm more disappointed for him than he is...but i'll save that story for my next blog. peace out!    

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i will no longer self destruct in 30 seconds

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

i left the house this evening around 9:30 pm for my run and, boy, did a lot happen. in my head, that is. i took off down the street while the heat of the day settled into the darkness. i made it through the park for a few miles before i was forced out by the night. with my ipod singing in one ear (oh yes, my left headphone is broken which makes the whole experience a little dizzying) i ran among the fireflies and just marveled at their glow. i couldn't help but fall in love with the night. the summertime heat. and while i was loving this night, i realized a lot. i realized that i'm tired of tearing myself down and disliking me. i've got 9,000 reasons to criticize myself but i won't be heading down that path any longer. my life is more than i ever dreamed and i am so lucky! that's nothing new - i've known that for quite some time. but i've decided to work on myself. to drop it all. all my negative thoughts and comments about myself will be squelched mid-thought or mid-sentence. i'm done and i plan to make this a clean break of the habit i've held onto for 32 years now. gross. goodbye self-destruction! hello somethin' else.

i plan to race a 5k this weekend. it'll be my first race since the marathon i bombed just over a month ago. i'm extremely nervous but looking forward to it too. yeah, i may run much slower than i hope to, but i'm elated to be out there right now. i may be my heaviest, my slowest. my most sleep-deprived. my most stressed. my least organized and my least confident. but i'm also my most fulfilled, most loved and most content in all my life. i live with the love of my life who takes care of me like no other. we share the greatest little human being of all time as well. our son is the light of both our lives and for that i am so very thankful. i could go on and on about my mom and my dad, my sister and my friends. but i'm going to leave it at this: i'm gonna like myself if it kills me. hehe. and i will no longer self destruct in 30 seconds...

whew. that felt good. well, here i go!      

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Continuation...

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

...and then I walked in the door and the craziness went away. I got a huge hug from my boy, a phone call from my love (in Scottsdale right now) and, after changing into sweatpants, walked right out the door for a walk down the street with Monster...poking sticks into the mud on the sidewalks. Bliss.

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The Day That Sucked. Bigtime.

I have a great life. Superman for a husband and the fantastic Ironman (“the big one”) for a son. I’ve got a new house, an insanely wonderful mom and dad…brother and sister…and the greatest in-laws (totally including mother-, father-, sister-, brother-) anyone ever had. But the hectic chaos that has become my life is slowly driving me insane. I have got to get it together…and need to start living according to an Excel spreadsheet. I’ve only just begun…

Working 2 days in the office and doing the rest of my hours from home sounds delightful…and in some ways it is. But sooo not what I was expecting. More on that later.

Today just turned out to be a sucky day - mostly because I'm missing my husband and my son more than I ever have. Ever.

My lovely sister-in-law (http://melissasinger.blogspot.com/) came to TJ-sit again today from noon-5pm while I went to the office. From there, my sweet sis and newest sister-in-law took the remaining two hours (back to back) that I’d be away. It was a decent handoff when Melissa came this afternoon, but my little Monster has become quite moody boy when it comes to protecting his Mommy and his home – needing to hide when people come in and not wanting them to look at him. Is this odd? Please tell me it’s not odd for a 3-year old. Well, he got over it quickly and they started fun time before I was out the door. Lucky for me, my sister-in-law can handle Monster's silliness and games...and doesn't take it personally like I would. Whew!

Once at work, I started up my computer, took 4 calls that came to me within my first 30 seconds in the door and pulled my materials together for my meeting across campus – in, tick tock tick, 45 minutes and counting. I got to the meeting right on time, and sat there to learn a completely new system (which I will live by from this day forward) for 2.5 hours before leaving 5 minutes early to drive several miles down the road to CCC for a scheduled visit.

Over the next 11 minutes in the car, I returned 5 phone calls, ate half a sub, avoided two accidents, and nearly saved a senile old man’s life by allowing him to finish running across the middle of a major intersection without plowing him over.

When I arrived, I noticed my packet didn’t include the usual parking pass, so I had to park, then cart my suitcase (on rollers, thank goodness), 2nd bag o’ materials, computer bag and purse just under a mile to the building and my destination. I then purchased a parking pass, dropped off my materials and walked back to my car (remember, nearly a mile) to put the pass on my dash. I couldn’t leave my computer or purse at the desk so I brought them along with me again. My back hated me for it. So did my feet. I made my final walk back to my station and set up for the evening.

On my third trip into the building, I realized I was pretty thirsty. I was in luck! I had exactly $1.50 in my wallet to play with so I made a mad dash to the vending machine to buy a Diet Dr. Pepper. Yes, I did quit my addiction but I still need one from time to time. I was worried about how much it would cost…maybe I’d be 10cents short, but I wasn’t. Hooray! Money went in…and I gleefully hit the button for my thirst-quencher. Then the machine read “not available – make a new selection.” I told it (out loud, mind you) that I didn’t want another selection. I wanted Diet Dr. Pepper. It didn’t care…and it showed me that it didn’t care by not responding. Stupid machine. I got my money back and tried for my second choice but they were out of that too. I pouted for 12 seconds on my way back to my table where I sat down in defeat. Thirsty. Whine, whine, whine.

I got some work done, spoke with some great people…

And then I lost internet connection…in the middle of 4 emails and a 2 file downloads. Ugh!

Next, the fire alarm started going off. Sweet! I told myself they’d have to drag me out before I was going to leave…but it only took some police officer saying, “ma’am, we need everyone to evacuate this building” to get my booty out of the seat. Of course, I had to bring all my crap with me – computer and purse…but I left my work materials there to potentially burn. Which they didn’t.

17 minutes later, we were allowed back in the building with a lecture that we shouldn’t smoke near the fire alarms. Really?

Now I’m finally back at my work station…waiting to get my internet connection back…and writing this blog in a Word document in the meantime. The worst part? I’ve got to freaking pee. So here I go again, packing up my belongings to lug down to the bathroom with me.

Okay, so maybe not a suck day…but definitely a fast-forward tiring day. I can’t wait to go home and see my sweet little boy who becomes more and more grown up every single minute. I’m terrified that the next time I get home from work he’ll have a mustache and ask for the car keys. Please, little Monster, stay a little Monster for a long, long time.

Have a good day, friends!

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Marketing to Kids

Monday, March 15, 2010

Congratulations, toy marketers, on a job well done. My little Monster was looking through the Target toy catalog this weekend while Tim and I were at the table looking through mail or something. Monster started yelling out things like, "AWW COOL! Dinosaur Hunters! Oh Mom Look! Lego Atlantis! OH Doddy! Doddy!!! Snerf or nothing!"

Snerf or nothing? Yes, not only does my 3-year old know the exact names of toys like Lego Atlantis and Dinosaur Hunters....but he knows Nerf's tagline -- "It's Nerf or nothing". Personally, Tim and I like "Snerf or nothing" better, but who's counting.

We listen to a lot of music in the car...all kid music. Some days I can't get "Do Re Mi" out of my head at all and I go to sleep thinking about jam and bread. But today I got a great laugh out of Monster's interpretation of another song. We were doing a policeman puzzle (thanks, DiagnosisUrine) and he was singing under his breath. To my delight, he sang "How Great Is Her Guy" to the tune of "How Great is Our God". Thank you, Veggie Tales...my boy likes your songs. Isn't that sweet?

Don't you love kid's interpretations of things? For instance:
               *Monster calls Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teen-agent Turtles
               *He asked me what "this sigh no" means (Jesus Loves Me song) and what a Bibe-bolt is. I guess
                 I slur the words "Bible tells me"
               *My brother insisted a song (way back) was called "Sheet Like the Wind" and "If She Would
                 Have Been Paid For" (she's like the wind...and...if she would've been faithful)

Share some others with me, people!!

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back up off me!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

i hate to ruin the 'nice' blog post i just wrote, but i've got to throw this one out there too. lately i've noticed more and more people invading my personal space! every line i've stood in the past few weeks includes someone who is practically sitting in my purse on my shoulder.

at the dollar store the other day, this enormously tall man scooted closer and closer every time i tried to slyly slink toward the cash register and away from him. and we were the only other people in line! if they were trying to steal valuables out of my purse, they'd be thoroughly disappointed in their efforts. holy cow - get up off me people! unless you're my friend...then you can tackle me in love.   :  )

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we be home!

well, this weekend brought a big move to our new home sweet home...and my little bugger had a double ear infection & 'disgusting' cough. he's been pretty miserable and sweetly pathetic. a few of the days, he wouldn't even walk on my own and didn't talk much either. he just wanted to snuggle and be held which my husband and i really liked. he had an allergic reaction to my medicine this morning with welts and hives...so no more medicine for my sick dumpling. let's hope he can fight this on my own without a different kind of med!

this big move has worn us out! but i think we're more moved in than most people would be at this point. it's a blessing and a curse, but my husband and i are a little overly motivated in some areas. more he than me. but we moved and cleaned and have just a few more items to bring over before a final cleaning and the fun of giving the old keys back...and hangin' on to the new ones. we had SO much help on the moving weekend and are forever indebted to those who contributed. THANK YOU, everyone, for bringing us home.

it is so light and cheerful in this house. our house. i loved waking up the first morning...and feeling like we're staying at someone's summer home. it's a little unbelieveable. i love the boys who sleep in the beds. the creak on the 5th step. the man cave bathroom in the basement. and the carpeting. i love the carpeting! wrestling and tickling matches are so much easier with carpet covering the floor. woohoo!

 ooooh the memories we will have in this place!!!

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Shoo Fly!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Why on earth is there a fly buzzing around my head tonight? Seriously, I'm trying to get some work done and can't think a whole thought without getting bopped in the head every few seconds from an idiot fly. He should be DEAD! There are about 7 inches of snow on the ground - take the hint!

* * * * * * * *

Got a hot new company to design me a sweet-lookin' blog. You like? Let me know. Want one for yourself? Let them know! Check Mousetrap Marketing out at http://www.mousetrapmktg.com/

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dream houses and flat chests

Thursday, February 18, 2010

I never had Barbie dolls when I was growing up. I played with my friends' dolls and such, but never had one of my own. My mom wanted to make sure I had a good self-esteem and didn't want the Barbie body-image to get to me. I'm sure she had other reasons too. (Sorry Mom, my body image and self-esteem are pretty bad but I'm still with you on the Barbie thing.) I had lots of Skipper dolls -- Barbie's flat-chested cousin, maybe? -- and Flower Kids and Cabbage Patch kids and every My Little Pony accessory known to man...or woman, but no stick-figure Barbie. And, except for one or two occasions, it didn't seem to bother me.

My favorite accessory to all of my dolls and toys was the pink dream house for My Little Pony. I move into my new dream house a week from today. One week. Whew - I am so excited! My mom is excited too because she finally gets to rid her attic of old toys like, well, Skipper. Skipper and I go way back and share the curse of flat-chestedness, but we'll walk into that new house together....Only she'll be at the bottom of a box somewhere and I'll be holding the hands of the two most important boys in my life. Let the fun begin...or, shall I say, continue!

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Come on in, the ice is nice!

You could literally host the Olympics on our driveway right now. Curling, the interesting sport that it is, could easily be held right next to our house. The ice that covers it is laughable - it's a huge danger zone and you risk your very life every time you step out of our side door. We're snowed in through our back door and we can't use our front door because the steps are painted and you'd break your neck with just one step.

I love the Mentalist. I know that came out of nowhere but I'm watching the adorable Simon Baker right now. Second random topic of the day: I need a makeover. I'm banking on winning a free makeover at my mom's group next month. I don't play the lottery and I've got a slim shot at winning but a girl can dream, can't she? No more writing for now...need to concentrate on my big girl show for the day.

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monsterous surprise!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

my husband surprised me by coming home a day and a half early from his business trip. yahoo! the greatest part is that he surprised me at work by showing up and bringing monster too. i was so surprised that i got a little dizzy.

so after marathon works days for both of us and a very tired little man who hit the bed hard tonight, we snuggled in for a long winter's night on the couch. i took the middle, tim got the right side...both with our work laptops sitting on our laps. we couldn't have been more settled not to move for the next several hours UNTIL (bumm bumm bummmm) we saw the tv remote sitting neatly on the shelf. and clearly out of reach for the both of us. we both saw it and realized it at the same time. guess who got up to retrieve it? yep, and i've never used so much energy in my life to walk 2.5 steps for something. how sad, sad, sad is that.

today, some of my student workers were discussing in depth what they were giving up for lent. this conversation lasted 8-10 minutes or so. there was a short break in their conversation and then one of them said, 'what is lent anyway'? snot nearly flew out of my nose, i laughed so hard. (isn't it hard to stop laughing when you really need to? or to conceal it completely?) thank goodness my phone rang as my laughter nearly erupted and i was snapped back to reality. if it means nothing to you, why do it? i'm talking about anything in life, including religion. i just feel like less and less people think for themselves these days. maybe it's always been this way but i'm actually seeing it now. i'm not saying i'm not guilty of the same thing sometimes. just noting something.

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Dread and Brilliance

Saturday, February 13, 2010

It's nearly time for my husband to leave on another business trip and I'm secretly and quietly starting to dread it. Tomorrow, I'll show outward signs of dreading it and then come Monday, the whole world will know of my sadness. Wahhhhh! The first few hours are the saddest...and then I morph into survival-mode momma. I've got some stressful days at work ahead and it's days like that, that cause me to worry for a split-second that I forgot to put my pants on as I'm taking my coat off at work. Does anyone else have that thought come into their mind at odd times during the day?

 Switching subjects completely, let's talk music. I was listening to a CD my husband made me back in College - back when he was still trying to impress me : ) Every song brought back a flood of memories and I laughed out loud pretty much the whole time I listened to it. We were such babies back then. Wow - how time flies. That is so cliche, and yet so true.

My sister made a CD for me a few months back, and then a very close friend of mine gave one to me last week...both of which made my day. I can't think of a more fun, personal and thoughtful gift than someone putting music together with you in mind. Brilliant! Thanks, girlies!!! I love my new tunes - now if I can only get TJ to let me listen to them when he's in the car (which is 99% of the time). Then the world would turn a little bit more smoothly.   : )

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Series of Fortunate Events

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Unfortunately, when things start happening like crazy around here - it makes for great content to write about, but no time to do it in! My mental notepad doesn't have a backup drive and I end up forgetting half of what I was going to write about. So here I am, trying to be a scavenger and fill it all in.

Our household has been insanely busy as of late. Our neighbors must think lovely thoughts about us as we pull into and out of our driveway about 80 times...before noon each day. Or something like that. It's times like these that life literally gets in the way of housework and I start playing games like "stack the dishes" and "guess who hates to dust". I'm not at all complaining about how busy we've been. Just stating. This past week has been a very happy busy, actually. We've just bought ourselves a house.

Oh yes -- and not just any house. My dream house! I can't even begin to describe the series of fortunate events that has led up to this. So much waiting, and worrying, and wondering, and asking, and telling and worrying and thinking and well, yes, more worrying. But praying and believing really took over my insides and I knew there was only so much my husband and I could do. We had to let God do what He does best...and He changed the way I look at many things. God used so many people to help us; to give us signs of "c'mon, it's gonna happen! just be patient". Oh we definitely felt tested and confused, but there were so many times when a little miracle hit me in the face from time to time and I had to laugh. I had to laugh because it was so evident that God was in it. And thank goodness He was. So this past Monday we found out we got the house. (Sigh) I can't believe it. It is SO exciting to be going home.

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Tim Tebow & Washington Post

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

It's no secret that I'm pro-life with every fiber of my being...and while I'm not usually the one to bring up the subject, you'll never find me wavering about the subject. I take the horrific act of abortion very personally and, unfortunately, I get very emotional about it. I'd love to be the calm person who can debate it, but I get to upset. Sad...then mad and my whole insides get fired up. Whew - that's all I can say about it right now!

I bring this up because my sister passed along a cool article to me today. It's about a specific ad during the Super Bowl featuring Tim Tebow. I'm definitely not a fan of Florida at all because I love those Buckeyes, I definitely appreciate Tim Tebow and his strength of character.

Please take a few minutes to read this article written by a pro-choice sports columnist at the Washington Post. She has some great points...and I appreciate her honest commentary about the ad Tim will be in during the Super Bowl.

Ciao friends!

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Thanks, Shaq!

I'm not on Twitter because it's just too much! However, my husband is addicted and he just read me Shaq's latest 'tweet'. Until now, my favorite palendrome was the word 'racecar'. But, thanks to Shaq, it's become the phrase 'was it a cat i saw'. Okay, take a second to read it backward and then pat yourself on the back. Cool, huh! It's the little things.   :  ) 

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i can sleep tonight!!!

Sunday, January 31, 2010

EVERY single time I see the commercial for Lincoln MKZ, I start dancin' in place entranced by the music. I've been dying to know who the artist is and the name of the song. I had no clue if it was an actual song previously unattached to Lincoln or if it was just created for the commercial. Until now. Yes, folks, I know the people responsible for my being hypnotized by Lincoln~ it's Shiny Toy Guns performing Major Tom. Man, I love this song! Am I out of it since I've never heard of them?

If you've never heard it, click www.lincoln.com/music Prepare to twirl!
(Sigh) Another one of life's mysteries solved. G'nite y'all!

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Sushi anyone?

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Let me begin by saying that I've never had sushi in my life and will continue that trend for as long as I live. However, today I made dessert sushi for my sister's birthday...a day late since she was in the car 12 hours on her actual birthday. Ugh - been there and done that for TJ's second. Anyhow, she loves sushi and I found a cool article in a magazine and decided to try it out.

For your viewing pleasure, I've added some pictures of my "work". It's amazing what a little pound cake, icing, coconut and fruit leather can do when put together correctly. Yay me! : )

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what i think about on a treadmill

Friday, January 29, 2010

Alright, so since I'm a wimp about running in the freezing cold lately, I've been spending more time on treadmills at the rec center. Monster loves building and painting and playing there so I take advantage of that.

Well, the treadmills are on the second floor and overlook a pool on one side, and basketball courst on the other. Today, the only tv I could see had The View on and since I can't watch a second of that show without getting angry and jaded, I decided to watch, again, the old, gray and wrinkly men playing basketball. It's a weekly club for them and there are always at least 9 guys sidelined waiting their turn to go in. That's pretty big! And oh yes, they play shirts vs. skins.

It's amazing to see how competitive they still are in their late 60's and 70's. You should have seen the pick the little round man set today. Hammered the skinny, sweaty guy pretty good! Almost funnier to watch are the old ladies that watch them. They've got their matching sweat suits on and their long hair up in pigtails or a pony tail. (I never understood long hair on old ladies. Never will. It's kind of creepy to me.) You can actually pick out the ones who were the popular ones in high school. And the ones who are lookin' for a date these days too. You should see the tans they sport ... and the hot pink, fake nails. Fascinating. I am not looking forward to the day when I'm one of the old ladies that a thirty-something mommy is watching from afar. I wonder what she'll think. (I'm pretty sure I won't care.)

Lastly, I need to share about the smell, yes the smell, of men both young and old. Did you ever notice that when they smell bad...they all smell the same bad. It's a collective old-sneaker-meets-stale-underarm-odor which meets sweaty socks smell. Every locker room I've ever passed...every gym I've ever walked into...and every treadmill I've stepped onto next to a dude, I've smelled that smell. Take a whiff next time and let me know if you agree!

It's the same with good smells. When guys smell good, they smell the same! There's nothing more gorgeous than a good, clean smell on a guy. I don't care if it's soap, aftershave or cologne -- when a man smells good, it automatically makes him have stronger muscles. What does that mean? I have no idea. But that's what I think about when I'm running on a treadmill. What you just read really only took up about 4 minutes of my run time though. The rest of the time I thought about other stuff.  : )

Check out these pictures my little monster took with his camera. I love these shots! First one is of tulips my mom got me for no reason (which is the greatest reason to get flowers, by the way).   

This next picture is of a lighthouse...but I'm not sure where that is in our house. You'd think I'd know, right? Ha. It's either that or a Barbasol can of shaving cream...
The last snapshot is of Monster's 3rd birthday party. I love the randomness and the colors.

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Tea Time

Monday, January 25, 2010

Running and blogging are a lot alike. You have to do both of them consistently to be any good. To build any base or earn credibility. Maybe that's why I've been failing at both lately...

After 3 days without pop, soda or bubbly stuff of any kind, I can say it's been a fairly easy habit to break. Let's hope it continues to be...

I've grown to love drinking hot tea over the past year or two, and maybe having tea has made dropping the pop habit easier. Who knows! I used to think tea was a weak, tasteless drink. And coffee, shoot, I've had about 6 cups of the stuff in my entire life and that was during my first year out of college. Definitely don't like it. But again, tea has definitely grown on me.

My mom is the queen of finding things I need. She still takes care of me in a big way...and I'm 21! (I mean 31, but writing 21 looks better.) Out on the town the other day, she came upon an herbal store that had Be Well Red Teas from the Republic of Tea. Now, neither of us are into herbal stuff but I've been dealing with pretty ugly stomach issues for about 15 years. Having my son just threw my body for a loop and I've since developed greater stomach issues as well as hypothyroidism (which has pleasantries of its own). So when my momma called me with a specific tea called 'get relief' for digestion, I was as intruiged as she was...so she bought it (thank ya, ma!) and I tried it. First of all, it tasted great - made up of cinnamon, anise and peppermint. The cinnamon was the most delicious of tastes! Secondly, it delivered. It calmed my belly and got rid of some bloating as well. Overall, I was pretty impressed with how a few cups of tea soothed my tummy.

Now, it's definitely not cured me in any way and my issues have a long way to go as far as getting better. But, I was happy with the relief I got with such a tasty product. Hey, Republic of Tea, want to send me more of your teas in exchange for a write-up on each one? There's a 'get gorgeous' flavor I'd really like to try.   : )   

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my most focused post yet...

Mother's Day should be once a month.

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when the little things aren't so little...

Thursday, January 21, 2010

this morning marked 3 days without hot water in our home. the bottom of our hot water heater rusted out and that was that. my husband was traveling and little monster was draped over my lap for most of the day with a 104 degree fever. so by the time i realized what had happened, it didn't really phase me. just another thing. it would get fixed. however, it took longer than we thought.

one day is an inconvenience. more than that really, really stinks. and i mean this literally. i had just finished up the laundry when this all happened so i wasn't concerned so much about that aspect. at first. but laundry piles up quickly when your husband returns from a 10-day business trip. and your little one has the flu and your changing clothes and sheets more often than not. the dishes began to take over the kitchen and, in my house, that is just NOT DONE. i started to twitch as i had to let the dinner, breakfast, lunch, snack, snack, dinner dishes stack up. pretty soon we were eating off of baby spoons and forks, then leftover plastic utensils from wendy's and mcdonald's that we kept for emergencies - like this. not showering...or packing shower things and clothes for myself and monster was a challenge in itself. ugh! but this afternoon, life went on as usual WITH the luxury of hot water.

on a day to day basis, i don't jump up and down every time i turn the water to warm when i wash my hands. but i should! the horrible things that are happening in haiti...and many other places around the world...make me think twice about what we consider 'the little things' here in the u.s. i am so thankful. moreso than ever.

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Trash bags, candy hearts and bubbles!

You get what you pay for is definitely true for garbage bags. Don’t you agree? This won’t be the subject of my entire post today but I just had to say it. I bought the cheap bags last time and am paying for it in holes and frustration. :) Would’ve been worth the few extra bucks but you’d better believe we’ll use each and every bag before buying a box of the better ones. Hefty, here I come!

I’m really looking forward to February 14th! Not because I love cupid and the whole Valentine’s Day festivities. Oh, it was incredibly fun when I was a kid and my mom made us pink milk and filled plastic lacey hearts with conversation candies and decorated the house up right. That will always stick in my mind as part of my fun growing-up-hood (my new word). And no, it's not because my husband is the most romantic man in the world who plans a whole day worth of events. We have our own, low-key way of celebrating silly, love holidays like that. He's so incredible to me on a daily basis so it's hard to top that on a Valentine's Day. He's not quite Mr. Perfect, but he's Mr. Perfect For Me! (To my sister: if you're gagging about that last statement, I'm sorry!) Anyhow, I'm excited about February 14th because I begin my marathon training on that date.

It's amazing how much easier daily running can be when you have a plan. Yes, a plan! Right now, I'm just running to get my base back, to keep from growing out of my jeans and for a little sanity. I ran my 2nd marathon in November and plan to be ready in a big way for another in May. The plan makes all the difference. When you can see what you need to do for the day or the week ahead of time, you just do it! You don't think about it or mull over it. You don't have to use your brain to get past the door. Nope, you just run what the plan says to run. (Another reason I adore my husband...he's always the creator of the plan!) So, Feb 14th brings on another common theme to my blog.

And here's another:

Today began my journey to quitting my addiction to Diet Dr. Pepper and Diet Pepsi. I hope to give a p.s. in my next few posts about how it's going. Since this is my 71st try at quitting, I'm sure it'll be an interesting read.

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Zombies in the Frozen Food Aisle

Friday, January 15, 2010

After a very long weekend (last) and week, my husband has finally come home from his business travel! To celebrate his coming home, we ... went grocery shopping together! Yes, the three of us went to shop for food and toilet paper and had so much fun on our voyage. The week of single parenthood, work stress and literally sleepless nights (not gonna go into it in this post) took its toll on me. I was also out the door this morning before 6am to get to a work function. My husband, on the other hand, was up before 4am in order to turn in his rental car and get to the airport after over a week of work travel and meetings with bosses and clients. Now, back to the grocery store...I can tell you that we were so exhausted walking up and down the food aisles that we both nearly fell asleep. We might have even fought over who was going to push the cart - only to use it as a walker. Whew - but we made it through to check-out and didn't lose our son along the way. (He's a super shopper.) 

Later in the evening, Little Monster was hyper with excitement...and so was I! Having dinner together (albeit it was after 8pm by the time we ate) was amazing and I just couldn't stop smiling. I am proud of my incredible family and when we're together, it's just hard to describe. I guess 'perfect' is the word. Welcome home, Love! Now we have a whole day and a half before he leaves for the warmth of another southern state. Bring on the family time!

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Guilty Pleasure

My guilty pleasure in life is the OMG! page of Yahoo's website. No, I'm not really into Hollywood or celebrity stuff. I have no fashion sense and I couldn't tell you the last time I saw a show on a channel other than Nickelodeon. (Well that's not true...my husband and I are addicted to House. Hugh Laurie just does it for both of us. What can I say? ha.) I digress. Anyhow, once a week I have to check the "Week in Photos" on OMG! The week of Christmas and the week after, they didn't do the week in photos at all. And I admit; I panicked a little. Even though sometimes I have no clue who the people pictured are, I still need my weekend update.

Anyhow, a week or so ago I came across an article about Kate (from Jon and Kate Plus 8). I've never seen the show, but have heard enough about it in conversations or  have caught pieces of the drama on a morning show while running on the treadmill at the rec. Seems like quite a mess was made on the show, and it's just plain sad. The article I read was about Kate and her new hairstyle. My first thought was WHO CARES!? But, yes, I read on. Apparently, Kate spent $5,000-$7,000 on hair extensions and was referred to as Kate Clean Slate. Really? Wait, seriously? It's sickening to me to think that she's glorified for spenting mad cash on her ridiculous hair calling it a clean slate. You can't just start over and pretend like you haven't hurt your kids and your reputation and ruined your marriage. You don't just get to wipe the dry erase board of your life and start over with no consequences. I am definitely not saying that I haven't made selfish decisions or screwed things up. I've hurt people by saying things or by not saying things. I am as guilty as anyone; we're all imperfect. We're all in the same boat. But I'm wondering why some people care about that and realize it...while others don't. Read the article and let me know what you think. Am I way off?

I guess I can be the devil's advocate regarding my own post. Thankfully, God lets us start over with a clean slate all the time. And forgives us when we ask. Geez - I can't write all this and then leave that out. I'm thankful that I can start over and try to do better. And ask for help in trying to do better. Maybe I'll change my tune in the middle of writing this by saying that I hope Kate does well with her new slate. And asks for help. And does right by her children. I do hope that for her. And I hope that her new hair extensions help too. (Okay, okay I know that was mean, but I had to get that in there.) Sorry, Kate!

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monster, i am not a ladder!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

as you may have read, i work in the office 2 days a week, and from home the other three. i am at home today and preparing some goodies for my husband's birthday. monster was helping me make a cookie cake.

during clean-up, my boss called. here is how the conversation went:

me: hi! yes, of course it's a good time to talk. (lie #1)

pause - as i listen to her update for me on a few students i am working with...

me: (interrupting) i'm so sorry, can you hold on just one second? (covering the phone with my hand) baby, get that bag off your head! dude, we don't put plastic bags on our heads! bud, NOW! okay, i'm back. sorry about that, go on.

pause - as i listen more then begin to add my thoughts and updates

me: (interrupting again) I am so sorry, can you hang on for just one more second? no, i promise, i'm not in the middle of anything. it's a fine time to talk! (lie #2) buddy! get down please, you're gonna hurt your chin. stop! no! oh, please don't pound your hammer into the cookie batter!

i'm not sure where the conversation went from there, honestly. i already forget. but i do think i exchanged ideas and insights with my boss while my son turned into curious george and climbed up my body and nearly over my head. i'm almost positive my entire chest was exposed at one point and possibly a portion of my booty too. question: what prompted my 3-year old to pull at my clothes and wreck havoc on my kitchen, crack an egg on his head and then slime the counter during a 7-minute conversation on the phone with my boss? answer: simply the fact that i was on the phone and unavailable to him at that very moment. the second i hung up, my little monster was on to bigger and better things. and quiet! yes, quiet. oh i love that little boy. and he knows i do. : )

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confession

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

sometimes i add things to my calendar planner...or my to-do list that i've already done, JUST so that i can cross them off. is that weird or wrong in any way? things are just so crazy at times and i'm a huge list-maker. the ultimate good feeling comes when i can glide my pen across something on my list to indicate that t h i s i s d o n e ! ! !

ahhh, admitting i'm a weirdo - another thing to cross off my to-do list. CHECK!

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