A Sprinkle of Old Water Slide and My Antibacterial Frenzy

I am freaking exhausted! Sorta. I was on a cleaning streak today. I woke up early today (James was long gone for work) and started coffee immediately. I screwed up and forgot to take my Claritin before bed last night and woke up with a monster of a migraine. I've learned that my allergies really only try to kill me in my sleep and if I forget to take it, I'm miserable the next morning. I downed a couple of my prescription strength Excedrin with my coffee this morning and I was good to go about a half hour later. I try not to have to take it though because it geeks me out. Bad!

Lena and Anne thankfully woke up on their own this morning without any prompting, we had stuff to do this morning so sleeping in was not an option. I'm always grateful when I don't have to chance getting my extremities bitten off by waking them up. I made the girls cinnamon toast for breakfast and when I asked Lena how her toast was, she responded with "Its good. Only one piece tasted like an old water slide." She said this as if it was the most natural response in the world and wasn't the slightest bit weird. I'm nor exactly sure how many water slides she's been licking but I think I'll be cautious next summer, just in case.

After the girls had finished their cinnamon sprinkled water slide, we packed into the car and headed off to my best friend's house for a bit. I would like to say that it was just to catch up, but it's because she just moved this week and needed a hand. She decided to move in with her long time on again off again boyfriend (mostly because she didn't have a lot of options... LONG story!) and with 3 boys there was a ton to be done. Not to mention the fact that she was moving into a bachelor pad. It may be a 3 bedroom house, but you can totally tell a single guy lived there. It was downright filthy and my girlfriend is a tad OCD. We were there for 3 hours before I had to head back and we didn't even make a dent in everything that needs to be done over there.

As I mentioned, my migraine meds geek me out, so when we got home I started on my own cleaning. Lena went off to the birthday party for her friend down the street and poor Anne got stuck with future step-mommy on overdrive. I did dishes, I vacuumed, I dusted, I scrubbed... There is not a corner in our house right now that is not clean. And sorry for Anne, but she got her's and Lena's room. Usually Lena is the one stuck cleaning up whatever tornado they've created over the weekend, so I didn't really feel all that bad about having her pitch in and assist me on my antibacterial frenzy. Thankfully, she's still young enough to think the vacuum is fun, so I didn't face any resistance when I asked her to pitch in.

I'm loving the clean house and the smell of my Scentsy burners wafting apple all around, but boy am I ready to crash! At least I won't have to do anything tomorrow when I finally come down.

Phase or Foreshadowing?

I have insisted for a very long time now that Lena will be the one and only biological child I will ever have. When she was younger, like 3 or 4, I really did want another one. The circumstances and the person that I was with at the time just were not right to venture into baby making territory. As time passed and she got older the idea of starting all over again from infancy just simply did not have the same appeal. Now that she'll be 11 in just 5 more weeks, the fact that I'm sorta feeling the baby bug lately just seems like all out insanity!

Ummmm... Maybe?

I'm not entirely sure who's Koolaid I accidentally drank, but I really think I picked up the wrong cup. This uninvited baby fever is making me feel several cards short of a deck right about now. I was so young when I had Lena, which honestly I think made me a better mom (I had the energy), and I've been looking forward to the fact that I will still be semi-young when she goes off to college. I have always had plans for when that time came.

I had a set idea on how the rest of my days would play out. Granted, I also thought I'd most likely be single for the rest of my child-bearing days as well. I never expected James to come into the picture and I certainly never expected that he'd be the kind of person I could see that sort of future with.

We dated a couple of times before and it just never worked out. When we entered into round 3 I found that he was a totally different person than what I remembered. See, I've known him for almost 8 years and after his divorce from Anne and Paige's mom he was a downright bitter and resentful person (not that I blame him, she did sleep with the neighbor). I could not handle all the negativity that he carried around with him and it just sort of fizzled out the first couple times. Since he learned to let go of his anger I've discovered that he's an amazing person. He certainly puts up with all my crazy antics and loves me despite the drama that comes in spades with my family. He knew what he was getting himself into and the fact that he didn't run screaming in terror from my mother sealed the deal on him being a keeper in my eyes.

It certainly doesn't hurt that he's a damn good father to both of his girls and mine either.

Now that we've been together over a year it has sparked an blitzkrieg from both our families. When are you getting married? When are you going to give me another grandchild? When, when, when??? Holy sh*t people, slow down! Speaking from two people both previously married and both previously divorced, neither one of us is in any particular hurry. We love each other and we will get there, but weddings are freaking expensive and damnit, I want a house more. Anne and Lena need to not share a room any longer than absolutely necessary for the sake of our sanity. We have plans, we have goals, and ultimately... We have a budget.

I have to admit though, since getting into the blogging community and seeing everyone else's babies that I'm feeling the long dormant yearning. When we went to Toys 'R Us today for Anne to spend her gift card, she wasn't the only one day dreaming about buying up half the store. We just happened to be browsing in a different section than her and Lena. While the two girls were drooling over the new DISNEY INFINITY Starter Pack Xbox 360 we were fantasizing about car seats, cribs, and the Lightning McQueen toddler bed.

I know how badly he wants another baby. He always planned to have more and the idea of trying for a boy is one that excites him to no end. It weighs on me that I'm the last hope for carrying on his family name sometimes and his mother certainly has no problem laying that one on thick every time we come over. His mom and his sister have already planned my baby shower, or at least that's what they told me a few weeks ago as they corned me in the kitchen with the when, when, when's.

But I don't feel it for their sake right now, I feel it for mine. Every time I see someone with a baby there is a huge part of me that is jealous. Usually I make myself think about everything that comes with it: lack of sleep, dirty diapers, bottles, baby bags, etc. And then... I think about the socks. Damn tiny baby socks, they get me every time. I just can't picture those itty bitty pieces of cotton and not melt.

Part of me is hoping this is just a phase that I'm going through and part of me is hoping I'm just crazy enough to do it.

Peaceful Morning

Saturday mornings are by far my favorite. The girls typically sleep in, which means that we get a blissful hour or two to sit and enjoy our coffee. Usually we sit out in the garage, at least while it's still nice out. We're both smokers (yes, I know, shame on us) and we don't smoke in the house. Since the garage isn't really big enough to put a car in, instead we have a mini makeshift living room out in the garage and I love leaving the door open, feeling the breeze, and watching some of my early bird neighbors go on their weekend morning walks. People around here are pretty friendly and they usually stop and wave, which is just kind of comforting.

There's really not much to our little town, so I was excited last night to see that the grocery store finally had stocked up on the Pumpkin Spice CoffeeMate. I wait all year for the seasonal creamers and the amount of joy it brings me to see them on the cooler shelf is nothing short of a kid in a candy store.

This morning is beautiful and I'm really looking forward to putting up all the Halloween decorations later. We have to run to the store in a little bit out in Merrillville, but when we get home it will be time to pull down the buckets and unleash the fall festivities.

I have amassed a decent collection, though I don't feel you can ever really have enough. I've got creepy trees, pumpkin lanterns, strings of Halloween lights for the house, glowing signs, and howling ghouls. Even though we're really the only house around that goes all out, when October rolls around, I'm ready!

I'm So Unreasonable Friday Link Up

Last week I did my first installment of I'm So Unreasonable Link Up. It doesn't matter if your child or children are toddlers, tweens, or full fledged teenagers at some point (or many points) your darling little demons angels will think your wisdom is meant to torment them and snuff out their independence.

This week I was unreasonable for the following reasons:

1. We went to my grandparents' house in Michigan over the weekend. Lena and my Gram play Dragon Vale together and were trading tips the moment we arrived. One of the tips Gram shared was that her and Aunt Jaye email each other gems (dragon currency). Of course, Lena wanted to get in on the action. No problem right. Wrong! She I couldn't remember the password to her email account. Which, by the way, I didn't create. I'm so unreasonable!

2. On our ride home from Michigan the girls wanted to watch a movie on their Kindles. Both Lena and Anne were extremely upset with me because I wouldn't provide them with headphones... That I didn't have. Evidently I was expected to wiggle my nose like Samantha and make them appear out of thin air. I'm so unreasonable!

3. Lena had a Social Studies test coming up Thursday and I told her she needed to be home from her friend's house by six to study. Coincidentally, when I asked how the test went last night I was informed that I had over prepared her. "I only needed to know two of the plains and two bodies of water, not all of them!" I guess I should have let her be under prepared and just wing it. Maybe she'll get lucky and get to stay in elementary school another year. I'm so unreasonable!

Last, but certainly not least...

4. I have insisted she wear her jacket in the morning. Yes, I know Luke doesn't wear his (her best friend). Yep, I'm totally aware that it will be a high of 75 today... Later today... For now, it's a whopping 52 degrees out and I don't feel like listening to you hack your brains out through the night or fighting with you about what medicine you will or will not take.. Again (see Parade and a Meltdown). I'm so unreasonable!

So here's the deal, add a link to your favorite post this week and leave a comment letting me know why you're so unreasonable.

Grab The Button and Link Up

<div align="center">
<a href="http://justcallmelorelai.blogspot.com/" title="We're Almost There & Nowhere Near It"><img src="http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx335/almost2nowhere/UnreasonableButton_zpsa4ce7a2c.jpg" alt="We're Almost There & Nowhere Near It" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Drawing A Blank...

I'm feeling a little bit at a loss today. Tomorrow's post for the I'm So Unreasonable Link Up is mostly mapped out. I have been keeping notes all week so I'd be ready for Friday. There are just so many things that happen in the course of week that I'd most likely forget them if I didn't document them on the spot. Thank goodness for cell phones! 

Since my brain is a tad bit empty foggy, I think I will share some of the posts that I enjoyed most the last few days and give some of the other lovely ladies out there some credit for making my days a little brighter.

The first shout out goes to Southern Mess Moms and her post Potty Remodel?. This little snippet is one of her video entries and her daughter had me laughing until I couldn't breathe! I shared the post with James last night and even he got a kick out of it. 

The next one goes to Home on Deranged and her husband's weekly installment of Chasing Rabbits: Licensed Lizard Hunters Apply Here. Each week her husband contributes a post and this particular one left a huge smile on my face. He hunts lizards with their daughter... In their home. Interesting.

And finally to my all time favorite blog Airing My Dirty Laundry for I'm Ready for my Deployed Husband to Come Home. Everything is Breaking. She has the all time patience of a saint from what I can tell and seeing her let her proverbial hair down made me proud. I've been following her blog the longest and it's the one I always look forward to. 

Well folks, that's all I've got for now. Hope you link up with these ladies and enjoy them as much as I do. Happy Thursday!

How to Get Your Pre-Teen To Do Homework

Irritating Surprise

Ugh. It's been a rough 24 hours over here. We got a bit of a rude surprise last night when we discovered $500 suddenly missing from James' account. The company he works for was recently bought out by Ecolab and it turns out that they completely screwed up his child support. Evidently they "forgot" to take it out of one of his checks so instead it was simply auto-deducted from his account without warning. It has been coming out of his check without a problem for the last 6 years, so we never even thought to make sure they were taking it. Certainly not what we were expecting when we were double checking the balance last night to head out to the store. A few weeks back they had messed up his overtime and failed to put it on the check it was supposed to be. By the time they added it on to the next check taxes took it all and then some. It was if he had never worked it at all. You would think that a multi-million dollar corporation could handle payroll, wouldn't you?

As a result, we will not be attending the wedding for my co-worker that we were supposed to this weekend. We simply cannot swing the gift after that. I'm not too broken up about not going really. I didn't particularly want to go in the first place. I'm not exactly a fan of weddings or this particular co-worker. But it is completely embarrassing to be the only person not going from my office. I had to make up a lame excuse of not having a baby sitter for Lena and Anne. I told her my sister can't watch them because she has to work now.  

This co-worker is already not exactly the nicest person in the world to deal with on a good day. So my telling her this morning that I was not going to make it to her wedding has resulted in a very chilly day. Lots of eye rolling, lots of dirty looks, and she's really not speaking to me either at the moment. I wonder just how long this will last exactly?

Spoiler Alert - I'm Such A Sap

I used to be the girl who hated happy endings. They always just seemed so predictable and I prefer to be surprised. I love a plot that I can't figure out the ending. I was the only one in the theater who stood up and clapped at the end of City of Angels when Meg Ryan didn't make it back from the bike ride. (Yeah, I was a twisted moody teenager.) But since having Lena I have certainly found, shall we say, my softer side. At least sometimes.

I watched the series finale of Dexter last night and came completely unglued. I cried through the last 20 minutes and still felt like crying long after it was over. It pulled at my heart strings when Debra ended up in the coma. I felt horrible for Quinn knowing that he didn't get to say goodbye to her when she died and Dexter sunk her in ocean. But the worst part was when he didn't go back to his son Harrison. That was more than I could take.

I know that he's a psychopath and I watched him murder plenty of people during the series and never batted an eyelash. I wanted so much for him to find a happy ending with Hannah and have the family he deserved. The moment that he left his son behind just killed me!

I looked at that little boy sitting at the cafe in Argentina and couldn't help but think about the fact that he was never going to see his father again and I literally felt my heart break for him. I could never imagine in a million years not rushing back to my child's side. I tease her constantly that when the time comes that I'm going to follow her to college because I just can't imagine a moment without her right there. I don't really have any intention of following through with that threat, but I mean it when I say that I'm going to be lost without her.

I look at her every day and most of the time I don't notice how big she's getting. Every morning that she gets out of bed she's a little older, a little taller, and a little less my baby. It is kind of like watching grass grow. One day you look out the window and suddenly it's right in front of you. Grown.

I dread the idea of knowing that some day in the not so distant as it once was future, I will be kissing my girl goodbye and sending her out into the world without her mother by her side every moment of the day. I won't be there to tuck her in at night or wake up her up in morning to hear her complain about wanting "just 5 more minutes." It's a sad and happy thought all at once, but leaving her is something I would never voluntarily do.

Frankly, I wanted to reach through the TV last night and shake Dexter violently. Shame on him for leaving his child! He was so close to being normal and being able to raise his son the way he always should have and then he just walked away. It makes me mad and sappy and thinking about it makes me want to start crying all over again.

I know it's silly. It was just a show. But after watching for so many years you really do form an emotional bond to the characters. I felt the same way when the Harry Potter books ended. I have an ache and I want more. I want it to end better. I want it to end happy. I guess that's what having kids does to you. It forever turns you into mush and even imaginary people can get under your skin because you relate them to yourself.

 

Proud to be a Tortoise!

I'm still exhausted from our trip this weekend. The morning came far too fast and there's just not enough coffee to make me feel peppy and energetic today. I'm going to have to pull myself up by the boot-straps when I get home though. I have bags to unpack, laundry to do, and I desperately need to go grocery shopping. I didn't bother to do it before leaving, because we weren't going to be home anyways.

I've spent most of today's lunch break catching up with everything I missed while being away. It's amazing how fast the reading list can build up if you don't stay on top of it. 

My first attempt at a link up appears to have been a bust (see: I'm So Unreasonable). Not a single person posted to it, which I admit was a little disappointing. However, that's not going to detour me from trying again. I've already started keeping notes for this Friday's post. There are so many moments with a pre-teen to be unreasonable, its hard to keep track of them all if I don't. 

In my excitement last night of being home and wanting to share all the great photos, I left out the fact that Friday I scored a major deal with Best Buy. I finally got the iPhone 5! (Doing a little happy chair dance). I'm a big advocate for email marketing and I always check the specials that are sent to me. Most of the time I just end up deleting them, but you never know when a true gem will end up in your inbox. 

Thursday night, Best Buy announced the pre-order launch for the 5S. Now, I'm an extremely frugal person. I do my homework, clip coupons, and make sure that where I shop price matches. I just can't stand parting with my hard earned money to save myself a few hours a week to not get the best deal. I've wanted a new phone for ages now, but simply could not justify upgrading when mine worked fine. I wanted a better camera. I wanted more memory. But these were not things that I needed and therefore I went without. Part of this launch for the latest and greatest upcoming version though was the markdown of the soon to be obsolete iPhone 5. Obsolete to many it may be now, but to me, it's a beautiful grown up toy that I've coveted for a very long time now. They were marked down to $100, but when you trade in your old smart phone you got an instant $100 in-store credit. All I paid for this brand new fancy fabulous piece of technology was $7 and some change. If I was more flexible and coordinated, I very well may have done a back flip right there in the store for everyone to see. 

For the past three days I've been patting myself on the back for this major score and going camera crazy! I know that a lot of people are complaining about the new operating system, but I have to say that I love it. The camera is great, the functionality is perfect, and I just couldn't be happier. Slow and steady wins the race and Friday I was certainly proud of being a tortoise! 

This post is not sponsored by Best Buy in anyway. The opinions (and excitement) are my own.

Weekend Family Trip

Ahhhh... Finally home and somewhat unwound. I have loved all of our trips this season up to Michigan, but wow are they exhausting. Three kids in the car for 3 hours is about all this mom can take. We left Friday night late, because James got stuck at work longer than expected. By the time we hit the road the kids were already starving and completely unruly. Every 5 seconds was "I'm hhhhhuuuunnnnggggrrryyyy!!!" We always stop at the same McDonald's on our way up and usually we don't have problems. It took almost 45 minutes to get our order. By the time we finally got back on the road it was almost 9pm. I don't mind the night drive though, it means an open road and sleeping children. Double bonus as far as I'm concerned. It's the afternoon trip back that usually wears away my patience.

We got in after midnight Michigan time after a quick stop in the middle at a rest station to switch drivers. (Not to mention the fact that my peanut sized bladder had been held long enough.) When we arrived, my grandparents were still waiting up. They always are. But of course the kids had napped and Lena was all too thrilled to show Gramma all the new things on her Dragon Vale island. It's a game they play together online, but it's so much better in person when you can trade tips.

Saturday morning after breakfast we all headed out to the apple orchard.

It certainly was a great way to wear out the kids...

And we got a sweet end to the weekend with pie.

The car ride home was the fun part though. They look pretty sedated here (except Anne) but don't let them fool you. It was 3 more hours of "Are we almost home?" "Hey, stop touching me!" and of course... "I'm hhhhhuuuunnnnggggrrryyyy!!!"

I'm So Unreasonable Link Up

I have never hosted a link up before, so I'm giving this a try. As moms, we know that it requires an incredible amount of patience and a damn good sense of humor to survive each day with our little bundles of joy. They are also a gold mine for stories though, so I guess it balances out.

Lena gift wrapped this idea for me last night.

This week, I'm an unreasonable mom because of the following reasons:

1. I asked her to put away her clean laundry. I collected it up from around the house (in between couch cushions), washed it, and folded it. How could I not just take that final step and put it away? I'm so unreasonable!

2. I insisted that she shower. "Mom, I showered a two days ago!" I must have ruined some science experiment she was conducting under her arms or something, because requiring her to shower every other day is met with venomous looks like I've just asked her to go clean the litter box with her hands. I'm so unreasonable!

3. I expect her to get ready for school in the morning. I know that the kitties are soft. I know that your dragons may just starve to death on their island if you don't get to check them on the Kindle when you should be brushing you teeth. However, I also know that you have to catch the bus and I have to get to work so I can do things like, oh I dunno, feed you, keep a roof over your head, and pay for the wifi so your dragons don't die. I'm so unreasonable!

4. I expected that she eat her dinner... That I made. Yes, I'm certain that you believe Fruit Loops is actually part of the food pyramid, however, I'm pretty certain they would be listed under the "sugar" section. I'm so unreasonable!

Last, but certainly not least...

5. I would not allow her to spend the night at her friend's house last night. It's a school night. There was no parent home, just an older sibling. Yes, the older sibling gets the younger sibling off to school most mornings because the other mom travels for work and is sometimes gone for days at a time. Shame on me for not trusting one child to get my extremely easily distracted child ready for school in the morning (see reason #3). I'm so unreasonable!

If you're unreasonable too, please leave me a comment and tell me why. I would love to hear stories of the other mean unreasonable parents like myself. 

Grab The Button and Link Up!
Here is my promise: If you link up, I will follow your blog and leave a comment on your page.
What I ask: Please do the same for me!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://justcallmelorelai.blogspot.com/" title="We're Almost There & Nowhere Near It"><img src="http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx335/almost2nowhere/UnreasonableButton_zpsa4ce7a2c.jpg" alt="We're Almost There & Nowhere Near It" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

An InLinkz Link-up

Over The River and Through The Dishes

Oh boy, what a long day. I was crazy busy at work (the last few days really) and the day(s) pretty much seemed to fly by. Those are the kind of days that I both love and loath. It's great to look at the clock and suddenly realize it's already time to go home. However, it leaves me feeling mentally drained and like there just aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that needed to be done.

My house certainly pays the price for days like those. My kitchen right now is a shameful disaster. Granted, I could be in there doing the dishes right now and making some progress, but I just don't feel like it. I haven't felt like it all week and so they've sat. It also results in my not cooking and defaulting like I did last night to a 12 pack from Taco Bell. I really try not to drive thru dinner if I can help it, but this week has been an epic fail in the wholesome meal department. That's just part of being a working mom sometimes I guess.

We're leaving for Michigan Friday night, so I'm looking around right now and I know that I'll have to buckle down tomorrow and just knock it out. The last thing I want to do is come home Sunday and have to deal with it then. I also need to get the laundry done and pack for our 3 day mini vacation.

I'm looking forward to the weekend though. My grandparents are snow birds and it's our final trip to Grand Haven before they head off to a warmer climate. They're only up north a few month out of the year these days, so I try to make a point to see them as much as possible while I have the opportunity to do so. My sister and my step-mom are also coming up and since I don't get to see them much because of the geographical distance (crazy schedules don't help either) between us. It should be a really great weekend for both me and the kids. They get two grandma's to fawn over them, who doesn't love that?

The Past Brings The Future Into The Light

From the moment Lena was born, she's been the center of my universe. Shows like 16 and Pregnant make me sick, because they make moms like me look like whiny, incapable, self-centered brats. I was 19 when I had her and there was never a single moment that I felt cheated by the "young life" I didn't get to live. Sure, it may not have been what I put in my "After Graduation" section of my senior yearbook and she may not have been planned, but from the second I knew I was pregnant, I knew that was what my life was going to be about. Raising that child to the best of my ability no matter what sacrifices that meant.

While I certainly haven't been the kind of Brady Bunch mom (Good Luck Charlie is more my style, less the extra kids) I give it my all. Sometimes I get it right and sometimes I think she's plotting to trade me in for a newer model or for permanent residence with Gramma... Probably Gramma, since she allows things like ice cream for breakfast. Damn that woman and her sweet vanilla breakfast bribes!

Okay, I'm getting off topic here... Part of trying to "raise her right" has included a fairly large amount of saturating her in all the things I grew up loving. My Little Ponies (the real ones), Rainbow Brite, The Dark Crystal, Billy Joel, Elton John, etc. It was the culture that my parents made sure I had and I am passing it on to her. Albeit, sometimes by force (like when I crank up New Kids on the Block in the morning). But mostly not. I'm proud to say my daughter knows which Piano God is which and can sing every single word to songs like American Pie at the top of her lungs.

James was out of town again last night for work and while I miss him, I do enjoy the opportunity to spend time with just her. We've been a duo for a long time and sometimes its tricky going from the two of us to the five of us. She was just not used to sharing her mom and I know that sometimes she wishes she still didn't have to. When these rare evenings come around I try to make the most of the time we have and shower her with attention.

Last night we snuggled up on the couch and watched Back to the Future. She's seen it a thousand times before. It is by far one of my all time favorite movies. But it was different last night. Last night, she finally got it! It was such an amazing feeling to lay there with her and hear her laugh. It gave me a case of the warm fuzzies that she is old enough at last to really connect and understand things like that now. I got to watch her fall in love with Marty and Doc Brown for the very first time. She really is growing up to be such an amazing young lady. I'm constantly in awe of this tiny person who really isn't so tiny anymore. My baby is starting to grow up and I'm excited for these upcoming adventures and the new things we'll get to share along the way.

Follow the link to snag your copy! This is not a sponsored post and the opinions are my own.

Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy [Blu-ray]

I Don't Like Cameras...

There Just Has To Be A Learning Curve!

I was never meant to be a softball mom. Truthfully, I despise sports. I think they're dangerous and they eat up an insane amount of time that could be spent doing other things. For example, Paige (our oldest) suffers from chronic pain in her knees from playing. However, since James has entered my life I have suddenly found myself wrapped up in all things softball. We now plan our weekends around games for his two girls. It's taking an extreme amount of getting used to on my part, because frankly, it's a foreign concept to me. Lena is in Nifty Notes and Mathletes. Singing and academics I understand. Sports though, I don't particularly get the point. But, I love Anne and Paige dearly and have found myself neck deep in dust and metal spiked shoes.

Friday as I was getting ready to leave work the girls' mom sent me a text asking if I had Anne's uniform. I didn't think I had it. I didn't remember seeing her in it last weekend. I've been very good about making sure I collect her uniform first thing, get in the wash, and straight into her bag. Turns out, since she's now playing for a different team for fall. It wasn't the uniform I was used to seeing. Oops! In my defense though, I did finally find it in her bed buried beneath her mountain of blankets where no mom in their right mind would have thought to look. She had it hidden like pirate treasure. I can only guess she thought one of the cats was going to make off with it somehow.

He does look pretty sneaky, doesn't he?

Due to this fact, we ended up going to Anne's game even though it wasn't our weekend. Typically we don't go to the games on the weekends we don't have them because they live an hour away from us. But if she didn't have her uniform, she couldn't play. Evidently travel ball teams have a much stricter code to follow than the summer team she played for.

When we arrived, I thought I had everything. I didn't. She was missing the matching socks. I didn't know there were matching socks. No one bothered to tell me. People forget that when it comes to this sports mom thing that I'm new to the game. Her mom even said she forgot that I didn't know what "uniform" consisted of. As it happens, I really believed the socks belong to Paige. I knew which one's they were once I thought about it. They were the pair I'd found lodged between the couch cushions last Sunday along with Paige's hoodie. (Note: Best not to hide all of your treasure in one easily discovered place.) Since both girls play, it never occurred to me that they belonged to Anne.

Thankfully, they let her get away with only missing her socks and allowed her to play. Her team was down literally the entire game though. They were getting completely stomped without any hope of mercy. I'm proud to say though that in the final inning we ended up with bases loaded, only one out, and one tiny little girl who smashed the ball all the way to the back fence. They managed to pull off 4 runs in one single stroke leaving the other girls in the dust! Now I may still have a lot to learn about what parts belong to who's uniform but I know how to scream and clap with the best of them. Numb bleacher butt and sore unsupported back aside, I was really proud of that game and happy that I got to be there to see it.

Total Overhaul

I am fairly certain that I will have a new callus on my right middle finger by tomorrow from swiping it around the laptop mouse pad all morning, but I'm really proud of the new things I learned today. I really did like the look of my old layout, however I wasn't very happy with the sizing of the columns or how they displayed on the page. Okay, so I guess the only thing I really liked was the coffee cup (self-admitted caffeine junkie here). So I ended up on a design mission. I refused to be thwarted in my efforts to get just the look I wanted. I'm nothing if not determined and no is not a word I take easily.

Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't edit an html code for a template. It can be done, provided you figure out which part of the code what you're looking for is hidden in.

I tried out several new skins today and finally found one that I love. You're looking at it. However, my header wasn't coming up in the right spot and it was just too darn big to fit. I searched, and searched, and searched again to see how I could change the size and placement. Every single sucking forum I read said that you just can't edit a template. Bull! I ended up combing through lines of code and until I finally found what I was looking for. I knew that it was in there somewhere, I just had to figure out the where. It's sort of like working with a puzzle, you have to have the right piece to make it fit. Through a little bit of trial and error, I accomplished my goal. For those of you who are looking to do this, leave me a comment and I will try and help walk you through it.

One Hairy Armpit?

It's been an interesting couple of days with Lena for me. She'll be 11 in a couple of months and has begun going through the transition. There have been moments where I have questioned whether or not she may be bipolar or quiet possibly that I gave birth to the spawn of Satan without realizing it. Simple questions like: What would you like for dinner? are suddenly met with an extreme amount of eye rolling and a sarcastic remark. 

If she knew I posted this,
she would probably trade me in.

So, anywho... We've been noticing small changes happening over the past couple months here and there like the Satanic possession, her leg hair is beginning to darken, she's starting to get breakouts, and strangely enough her armpits are starting to grow hair... But only one of them. However it seems that these changes are going to start rearing their ugly heads like an automatic machine gun from here on out.

On Monday she came to me, "Mom, I need to talk to you." It hasn't yet clicked that those particular words, in that particular order, mean just me. Failing to pick up on the word placement ques she's given me, I obliviously ask her what's up with James sitting right there. She looks at him, then looks at me, then looks back at him. "Not here mom! It's girl stuff..."

Ooooohhhhhhh..... I got it now.

She takes my hand and drags me into the bathroom and slams the door. I'm not entirely sure what to make of this just yet, because she hasn't uttered a word. Instead, she pulls down her pants and points to her underwear. Now I am very glad that she feels comfortable enough to share these womanly milestones with me, but I haven't invaded her private space since she was old enough to run her own shower and this leaves me feeling slightly like a creepy weirdo. But there's a little white smudge in the center and she wants to know if this means her period is coming soon. The only answer I have for this is yes, it's about that time. I tell her it's completely normal and that there's nothing to worry about. 

She's now been getting the smudge almost every day and seems to have a bit of an obsession with it. "Are you sure that's normal?" "Is this going to happen forever?" "Is there anyway to make it stop?" "How much time do I have now until I have my period?"

I don't recall asking that many questions when it was my turn. My family has always been very candid about things like that, so when it appeared, I just knew what to do.

I've gotten her into the habit of wearing deodorant every day. I suppose I should also invest in a razor for her. I'm sure eventually the other armpit will start sprouting and I don't really want to share mine. I also got her a zipper case and some extra thin pads so she can easily conceal it in her backpack without anyone noticing. The best I can do is make sure she has the tools for when the time comes. I'm not sure what else to do or what other conversation to have with her at the moment. 

The Walking Dead Has Made Me A Zombie

  When I moved last year I had originally decided not to reconnect my cable. Instead I had opted to invest in Hulu in the name of saving money. Not to mention the fact, that I admit, I was a bit addicted to my shows. I was a young single mom for a long time and instead of trying to pawn Lena off on my parents to go out all the time I put in cable and stayed home. Previously my DVR was packed full of shows. So much so, that sometimes a whole season would stack up before I got around to watching it. Hulu has a lot of my favorites, but not even close to half of what I watched really.

A few months back James finally convinced me to surrender and get cable. Let's face it, you can only watch so much on Netflix before you're bored to tears of low budget indie films and documentaries. My only requirement to this agreement was that we get the movie channels because I watch almost every original on HBO and Showtime. He had no problem granting me my wish because he's a movie junkie for one and he was not about to miss football season for two. This resulted in several different marathon sprees for me. Game of Thrones, Shameless, Nurse Jackie, Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, and probably a few more that I'm forgetting. I had soooo much to catch up on after not having access to them for a year! 

Dozens of hours and several wasted days pent up in my room later, I'm officially caught up. There was only one show left. The Walking Dead. I should mention that I now have James sucked into several of my shows with me. However, since we both loved Walking Dead and had both missed last season as a result of my over frugal craze, we have spent every night this week catching up together. 

Since it's not a show that I will allow Lena to watch, we wait until tuck in time to gear it up. Hence it has resulted in several late nights for the both of us. Now, I'm not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. Even with a good 8 hours, I still have to drag myself out of bed. I will mention though that my idea of sleeping in is 7:30 because my first alarm goes off at 5am. 

Yes, that's right, my first alarm. I set four every night: 5:00am - you have to get up soon; 5:30 - you really are going to have to get out of bed; 6:00am - okay, get out of bed now; 6:30 - oh shit, you're gonna be late!

Again, not a morning person.

I know that in order to not hear the "oh shit" alarm that I need to be in bed absolutely no later than 11pm. Hahahahaha.... That has not been the case this week. We've been on Walking Dead overdrive and "just one more" typically means at least two. This has resulted in my dragging myself out of bed every morning like one of those zombie corpses with no legs. My eyes all sunken in, maybe a slight dribble of drool coming out of the side of my mouth, and my hair the equivalent to Albert Einstine's famous fork in a light socket look. Me on little sleep is a far cry from a pretty picture.

I am proud to announce however that we finished the season last night! Go us! And thankfully, today is my one day a month where I don't have to be in until noon because of our manager's meeting. I usually try to enjoy those few hours of "me time" reading or getting stuff done that I know I won't feel like doing later. Today however, I spent it sleeping. It was downright a waste of a perfectly good house to myself morning, but downright beautiful at the same time. I have no guilt what-so-ever about sleeping in this morning like a teenager to 10am. I can say goodbye to zombie me for now and get back on track now that I'm caught up on my show and my beauty rest. It's off to the shower for me! Have a great day everyone!

And Today We Remember...

While most people are remembering those that were lost on September 11th, my family is remembering the man who celebrated his last birthday that year. I know it's a day that I will certainly never forget, not because of the attack, but because it was the last time we celebrating my dad being alive. He turned 39 that year, far too young for it to be his last. My dad lost his battle with cancer only 5 months later.

My dad was an amazing man. Even though my parents split up when I was 2 he was always a constant part of my life. I was lucky enough for my parents to remain friends and always put me ahead of whatever they had going on between the two of them. My mom tells me that she used to call him and wish him "Happy not anniversary!" every year because they had gotten married on his birthday when they were 18.

As any typical child would be, I had wanted my parents to get back together. But I'm extremely grateful that they didn't. I ended up with two amazing step-parents when I was 9 and am thankful for it every day. The woman my dad would spend the rest of his days with did something that being with my mom never could have. It made him happy. He told me once that he had never believed in love at first sight until he met her. She's my mom just as much as my biological mom is. I have a brother and sister from their marriage (I have a lot more from my mom's second marriage) and I wish they would have gotten to know to know him the way that I did. I am grateful that I can actually remember him. I remember his laugh, I remember the foods that he loved, I remember this lessons he taught me and the things that he told me. I remember when he struggled with addiction and I remember the courage he had to ask for help and walk away from it because he love me more than anything else.

I make it a point to talk about him all the time when I'm with my siblings. They're pretty grown up now and I want them to know what an amazing person he was and how proud he would be of them. My mom has done a wonderful job raising them without him, but I will always wish they had been as lucky as I was. Happy birthday daddy and I love you!

Domestic Training Desperately Needed

I'm pretty certain all of you ladies out there know exactly what this picture is. This "ideal" reared it's ugly head in our house tonight. I was completely unaware that frozen pizza is actually rocket science. Now, typically, we order pizza. I have an annoying allergy to basil that causes me to break out in a horrible case of of hives if one molecule touches my lips. I end up one red itchy bump for days and it's downright miserable. Knowing this, we tend to order mine special without sauce. In the interest of saving a little money though, we picked up a few frozen pizza's for those nights where I simply don't feel like cooking.

Tonight is one of those nights. I just wasn't feeling up to it, nor had I really remembered to defrost anything to make this morning before I left for work. I should also mention that Lena is at a friend's house for dinner. Now, back to the subject at hand. We were poking around the freezer and James decides he wants one. No problem. I grab it out and hand it over to him. Now normally, that would be what we call a hint. As in, feel free to make it yourself. If I wanted to make you dinner tonight, I would have pulled something out, correct? It evidently escaped his attention because he set the pizza on the counter and told me where to find the baking sheet to make his pizza.

Well evidently domestic skills can atrophy just like a leg or an arm. If you don't use it, you lose it. Apparently he has since lost skills like cooking upon moving in together. Now, keep in mind, this is a man who was on his own for 5 years prior to us cohabiting. He used to be perfectly capable of doing his own shopping, washing his own clothes, and even making his own food! We've been living together a year now and it's amazing how fast those skills fade away when you have someone who does this for you!

Um, how about not? I promptly handed him the pan and told him to put the garlic sauce in a bowl of hot water. Then I proceeded to make myself something else and left him to fend for himself. I think he got the hint now.

Affiliate Rave - Meijer vs. Walmart

Post sponsored by Meijer, however the opinions and statements are completely my own.

I'm excited for the acceptance of my latest affiliate! Mostly because I shop at Meijer all the time! Since it's right near work, I can't count how many days a week I run over there really quick to pick something up on my lunch break. The fact that they carry literally everything: groceries, home goods, clothes, cards, toiletries, DVD's, books, you name it... Is a big deal to me. I work full-time, raise kids full-time, and have to make the most of any precious "me time" seconds that I can snatch. Meijer helps me do this! 

I don't have to spend hours running around to different places to accommodate the million different things my family needs at any given point in time, to me, that is worth it's weight in gold! I also have to say that I love their mobile app. I'm a big coupon person. With 3 kids, you kind of have to be. I can simply click the coupon and it's waiting for me when I go to check out. No fuss instant savings. It's just beautiful!

Biggest bonus of Meijer though... It's always clean! No matter what one I walk into, it's clean. Even better, they actually have employees working there! I can't count the number of times I've "run into Walmart" (if there is such a thing) and stood in line 30 minutes longer than it actually took me to get what I need because there's only 2 lanes open and about 500 people standing in line! I hate that with a passion. I know that I make a terrible girl because I really find no joy in shopping. I want to get what I need, get in, and get the hell out... That's not even an option, even with self-checkout at Walmart.

So, thank you Meijer for taking me on. Thank you Meijer for making my life a little easier (almost daily). Now, if I could just convince them to allow me to click on my own link, that would great...

Family Filled Weekend

I had originally started this post last night, but decided I just didn't have the energy. By the time our house quieted down, all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch, watch a little TV, and then head off to bed.

Saturday we went to James' parents' house for his brother's birthday dinner. Since his dad has crones, we do it earlier in the day because he doesn't typically last more than a few hours with all the excitement that having 13 people over brings. I was incredibly surprised at how late we were there. We didn't end up leaving until after 8pm and we'd arrived around 2pm. Anne and Lena ended up going home with his brother and sister-in-law because they wanted to spend the night with the cousins. You can tell you're a parent when the fact that we got to go to the grocery store with no kids was exciting for us!

Saturday before we left my dad had called the house to talk to James about the upcoming Bear's game. My parents moved recently so they haven't bothered having cable put in just yet. What originally was supposed to be him coming over to watch the game turned into a house full of people. Now, I'm certainly not a football fan, but it ended up being a fun day anyhow. My mom and my brother came with him and then because the girls had spent the night we had his brother's family over too. We set out a bunch of snacks, cooked out on the grill, and let the girls bike ride all over the neighborhood.

I was really pleased with the way everything turned out. By the time it was done I was exhausted... I love busy weekends though, especially when they're filled with family.

Yesterday I Was "Nowhere Near It"

It's not even 7:30 and our house is already in full swing. James was off to work at 4am and the girls are getting showered and ready to head to the "Back to School Party" at our little POA. There are things I both love and hate about living in a little town. The little events our neighborhood hosts for the kids around here is one of those things that I love. It's never anything fancy, but it gives the kids a chance to feel independent. They get to hop on their bikes and leave the parental units behind as they had off for a couple of authority free hours (save the community volunteers) and just hang out with their friends. Best of all... Mommy gets a break on Saturday morning.

I didn't bother posting yesterday because I was down right crabby. James has been taking Nyquil to try and smoother the cold he caught from the kids last weekend and it makes sleeping in the same bed as him rather unpleasant. For starters, it makes him sweat like a leaking faucet. For the past few nights I've been waking up moist. My skin feels like I just ran through the mist of a sprinkler and not in a good way. I've also been kicked, elbowed, had the covers stolen, and my side of the bed has constantly been invaded by his wayward legs. He's also started talking in his sleep. I've always loved that he's hardworking and dedicated to his job. But this man is literally dreaming of work.

My serious lack of sleep set the stage for a "I'm not taking your sh*t today!" attitude at work. I'd posted before about a co-worker of mine and her tendency to get, shall we say, sassy with me. In all truth, personally speaking, I like her. I think that we could be great friends outside of work. Professionally speaking however, it can be a little like oil and water. If you shake the bottle, we'll mix. It's the perfect cocktail for cooking up some really productive ideas and actions for our marketing. But, after a little while goes by, we settle and separate. It was really rocky a couple months ago when our manager made the decision to put me in charge of the marketing department. I never wanted her job, but I got it. Even through all of the resistance I got, I think we make a damn good team. Last month was the first month since I've been with the company that all 7 of our stores beat last year's number at the same time. We've always had one or two each month, but never all of them. We really over hauled all of our traditional marketing. I won't take all the credit for it though. We did it together. We got side by side in the trenches and poured our hearts into it full speed ahead. Yesterday however, she pulled a 180 on me and it just wasn't the right day to throw a tantrum. I simply didn't have the patience. At the end of the day, it's my butt on the line and her withholding important information about the projects we have in the works just isn't going to fly.

By the time I left work I was completely in defense mode. We have a birthday lunch today for Jame's brother at his parents' house and we were put in charge of making the homemade bread. I told him Tuesday when he mentioned it that we only have one bread pan, to which he responded "Okay." Then as I'm driving home last night he tells me that I need to get two more bread pans because we need three loaves for today. Poor guy, I chomped his head off. I work right near Bed Bath & Beyond (and I'm my sister's shopping buddy so I get to use the 20% employee discount) and was fuming that he didn't tell me this while I was actually near the store so I didn't have to make an extra trip. This leads back around to one of things I hate about living in a little town. We're a good half hour away from everything. There's no quick trips to the store. It's a big part of the reason we'll be moving next summer. But I'm getting off topic here... All I wanted to do yesterday was go home, put on my jammie pants, be lazy, and decompress. Nope, no such luck. However, on a normal day, I would just have said "no problem hunnie, you get the girls and Lena and I will handle the bread pans." Instead I chastised him for it because he "should have mentioned this Tuesday when I brought it up!"

I did get the bread pans. I did "accidentally" stop at the mall for some retail therapy and get a new pair of jeans that I was desperate need of. Most importantly though... I did end up apologizing for being a GIANT Sebastian. Thank goodness that man loves me through thick and thin. I'm grateful for him every day and I don't know what I'd do without him. He's my rock in all the chaos that comes with the everyday life of a working mom.

Bring It On - Learning New Tricks

I have to admit... The blogging world has completely swallowed up the past several days for me. As if I didn't know already that this is quickly becoming an obsession, James asked the moment I grabbed the laptop tonight "What? Blogging again?" Yes, yes, I am.

What started out as a simple test for work, then just kind of a thought that was put on the back burner, has now blossomed into a full force research project. The more blogs I read, the more I want to know how they did some of the cool stuff on their pages.

Exhibit A: Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock at a Time. I now have discovered how to create a book for Kindle. I've always wanted to write a book, though I'm not sure that I will. But thanks to seeing it posted on her page, I now know how to go about it if I should ever decide to.

Exhibit B: Freelance Lady. By combing through some of her posts I was able to find www.cj.com which is an amazingly easy site to use for people who are looking to advertise on their blogs. You'll note to the right the new section labeled Awesome Affiliates. I added the Google AdSense, but at least with CJ it's companies I know and actually shop at. I feel much better promoting places I actually know something about.

Exhibit C: Mamamusing. I have officially joined my first link up today. Not sure what it will bring to my site, but it directed me to a couple cool new blogs to follow. In following them, it led me to www.BlogLoving.com which coincidentally allows you to link your Blogspot right into it. No double posting like I've found on the other directory sites like BlogHer.com.

I didn't realize when I first started this page just how evolved the Blogging world has become. Speaking as someone who works in marketing, these are things I should know. That I need to know. I'm just excited that I decided to give it a second look because there's so much to learn. To steal McDonald's tagline...

"I'm lovin it!"

When Germs Attack (Insert Horror Music Here)

Well, I'm 100% certain now that school is back in session (as if there was any doubt). Lena, who seems to be feeling better today has managed to pawn her grubby little germs off throughout the rest of the house. James just tucked himself into bed looking a very ghostly shade of white with sweat pouring down his head. I'm seriously considering sleeping on the couch tonight in fear of climbing into a swimming pool under the covers. Which, needless to say, I'd really rather not.

Last night, even I was in bed by 9:30. That's unheard of in our house, because I'm typically a night owl. Even when I know I'm going to regret it in the morning, I still tend to stay up late. Plus, my sister, who was over this weekend, has also come down with the lovely wet hacking cough that both girls were kind enough to spread around the house on various surfaces. Despite my Clorox wipe rampage, it appears it's a battle that I have lost. Oh joy!

It occurred to me this morning, that the same thing was going around our house last year at this time. The only reason I know this is because she was coughing her first day of choir... Coincidentally today was the first day of choir and again the same thing. I'm positive things like this are the culprit...

I'd Like to Work From Home, But How???

Lena ended up staying home sick today because she was running a fever this morning. I guess the fresh air yesterday didn't help like I'd tried to justify it would. I climbed up into her bunk this morning to give her more cough medicine and she just laid her head in my lap for a good 15 minutes.

It's days like this that I wish I could be a stay at home mom. Here my daughter is sick and I had no choice but to go to work. I know that legally she's old enough to stay home alone, but that doesn't mean that I wanted her to. I wanted to be home with her today. She's feeling icky and as her mommy, I feel I should be with her. Problem is, if I'd called in today, I wouldn't have been paid for the holiday and we can't really afford for me to not get paid. We need every dime right now.

I have been looking into how I find a job that I can work from home. I'd like to start out part time in the evenings and on weekends. Eventually I'd like to work full time from home, but currently I rather enjoy having that fancy thing called health insurance. 

I'm very comfortable with Microsoft Office and I fancy myself as pretty handy on the computer... Trouble is, it seems almost impossible to find something legitimate out there. I've found plenty of BS sites that basically just end up sending me loads of SPAM that I have to sort through and mark appropriately. In all truth, outside of Google and Craigslist, I haven't the faintest idea where to start. 

I was looking through a lot of "Mommy Blogs" yesterday where they referenced that they work from home... But how? Where do I look? How can I tell if it's real or if they're just trying to snag my email address? Any tips or suggestions would be greatly welcomed. 

I followed a link on Pandora today about creating a website to help launch a business, but again I don't know where to start. I don't have any products to sell. All I have is my geeky obsession with Excel, my newly acquired knack for social media marketing, and the fact that I can train people how to answer inbound sales calls. Does anyone know where I could find a market for that?