little miss mel

On the move

2007-07-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

I've made WordPress my new home!

Come find me at www.littlemissmel.com

New RSS Feed.

See you on the flip side!

e

Domestic Goddess 101

2007-07-02T13:20:00.000-07:00

My first duty as newly titled Domestic Goddess, (thank you 180/360 AND Sizzle for clarifying my job status dilemma) will take place tomorrow.

In less than 24 hours, my carpets will be cleaned. by a professional.

I have hit the mother load. When it comes to running the show/household, you come to a decision that all things cannot be completed by you. Therefore, you do your research, use what coupons/gift certificates you have, and be creative. The outcome? A MAJOR cleaning of your entire house BY SOMEONE ELSE. What's even cooler? I don't have to move a piece of furniture. (of course, I will. This place is a pit full of toys.) I don't even have to be here when they get here. Hubs will be here to oversee, but since I have Rt with me, we would just get in the way, Too bad, so sad.

Actually, we aren't having every single room cleaned. You know up here in the burbs, every room except the kitchens and bathrooms have carpet. I am glad we have so much carpet. I am passed the "hardwood floors are so cool" stage. Poor Rt, until he was 5 months old, he lived on hardwood floor padded by a wool rug. Ouch!

If we did every room in this house, we would have to take out a home loan. So, we used a gift certificate we had and went a little higher to cover the two main rooms, (den and living room/dining room), and Rt's bedroom.

When we moved into our house almost 2 years ago, the previous owners, who happen to be our friends down the street, didn't have the carpets professional cleaned before we moved in. We were first time buyers and didn't know you could actually request for this to be done or written into the contract. So, there are some spots here and there that we can't wait to get rid of. Rt's room gives off some odd smell after some time spent on his floor. Whatever is in the carpet, has got to go!!! I have a feeling it's really old milk. NASTYYYYYYYYY! (not from us, I swear!)

Bottom line, I am thrilled that my first decision made while holding the title of Domestic Goddess was to delegate and have someone else do the dirty work. I could get used to this.....

e

Define "housewife"

2007-06-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

Taking a thought off of LVGurl on this one.

Hubs and I were having a conversation the other day, about who knows what, and he referred to my job as a "housewife". (He wasn't trying to be demeaning, just calling it like he sees it.) I immediately had a problem with this verbiage and called him on it. He was quite dismayed at my reaction. What was the big deal? You are a housewife. Yes, yes, I get that, but the picture that comes to my mind when I think of a housewife, is some chippy from the 50's with her dress, heels and apron on holding a tray of cookies and a cocktail for the man of the house as he enters the front door. Just doesn't ring true in my home.

That, I believe, is the issue with that term. I am not a housewife, but I do run the house and everything that comes with it. I manage all the finances. I am primary caretaker of our child. I am in charge and perform most household duties. I shop or oversee all purchases for the home. I do all of this while my husband works full time and makes it possible for me to stay home with our son. So, technically, I AM a housewife. BUT why the hang up on the title?

Does the "Stay at Home Mom" title even cover it? Is there another term that would nip all of this in the bud, and give our job a millennium face lift? Do tell...

e

Project Nin com POOP

2007-06-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

So, today's nap experience has been a joyful one. Little one fell asleep at 1:45pm, 45 minutes after being put down. Only "issue" is, he fell asleep with a big ol poop. Poor kid. He was too tired to care that he had a load in his pants. I can only imagine the odor that has percolated in his room. Yowza!

Today has been one of those glorious days you knew had potential, but wasn't going to bet anything on it due to the recent nap fiascos. I spent the morning at the doctor's office getting Rt's tubes checked. They are still looking fab and doing their job, so we are quite thrilled! After our quick doc visit, Rt and I headed to my book study. This summer, we are reading a book called Positive Discipline. It looks to be a great book and the class is a perfect summer treat. A chance to have adult conversation, learn something that is relative, and have a little break from Rt while he plays amongst his friends in the nursery. Saweeet!

Book study was followed by lunch, where I had P.F. Changs leftovers (way cool) and have been online and watching DVR'd programming ever since.

This evening will consist of a girls night out at the local Mexican cantina. I will be leaving in just over an hour, so I'm off to get something important done, (so it looks like I have slaved the day away. sigh. poor me.) and put on some chick clothes.

una mas cerveza por favor!

e

Project NoNap

2007-06-27T14:50:00.001-07:00

If any of you have been keeping tabs of my Twitter posts, you'll know that I have been having a minuscule issue with Rt and his "napping".

Yesterday was plain misery. He chose to play/whine/cry in his crib for over 2 1/2 hours. By the time it was 3:30pm, I decided to go with the "you snooze, you lose" tactic and got him out of the crib. If you don't nap within this time frame, then you don't get to nap at all. (Of course, there have been several times I let him fall asleep as late as 3:30pm, but I was tired of him staying up so late because of it.) I continued to be frustrated with him the rest of the afternoon, but had a hard time staying that way with him being quite cute and cheery for having no sleep. After a quick trip to Target and Chipotle, we settled down to an early dinner at 5:30pm.

Moving as quickly as I could, I had him bathed, dressed and in bed by 6:30pm. He began crying within 5 minutes. Motrin in hand, I went in and gave him a dose of "not sure what your problem is, but this should cure it" and went on my way. He was asleep by 7pm.

Rt slept 11 hours straight last night followed by 50 minutes of aquarium listening before calling for me at his usual morning time of 6:50am. YEEE HAW!

I thought my prayers were answered, my ducks in a row, the sun and the moon aligned, until Rt went down for his nap again today. I peaked in at 1:30pm, 30 minutes after putting him down, to see him rolling around with NO music on. I felt he was on his way to slumberville. I checked back in awhile later to notice a particular odor coming from his room. %##&*%$#! So, off I went to grab a diaper to nip it in the bud ASAP!

After a quickie diaper change, and another round of the whining game, "mommy, I need you, I really need you, NOT!, I told him I wasn't coming back into the room until AFTER he went nite nite. 15 minutes later, he was ASLEEP. At 2:45pm. Greeeeaaat. I am waking him up in 8 minutes, so he can actually have a "normal" bedtime tonight.

Dear "Phase",

Get your ASS and everything associated with it, and leave town. We are done with you here.

e

a mind is a terrible thing to lose

2007-06-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

My memory is at a loss. I know, it's all because I had a baby. I get that. BUT TWO YEARS AGO mind you!! I seem to be quite "with it" since all of that took place, but lately I have failed to recall the oddest of things. Things that back in the day I would shun to forget. Case in point:

#1 I went to Walmart the other day. I had so many things on my mind of what to buy because I hadn't been there in months. I was running low on "items ONLY to buy at Walmart". You know the kind, the good-for-you butter, the Hormel no preservatives deli meat, the YoBaby yogurt, the Amy's frozen meals, the raisins in the purple box that Rt always requests, ALL at total discount. The list goes on and on, but the whole reason I was headed there in the first place was to buy BROWN RICE. The BIG box that takes 7-9 minutes to make in the microwave. Having so many specific things to get at the store, I gave in and made myself a list. I so need lists in my life, but I hate the fact that I need one. Whatever. The very first thing on my list. BROWN RICE. What is the only thing I forgot at Walmart that day? yep, Brown FREAKIN Rice.

#2 I had thought about getting my dad a Father's Day card a definite week before Father's Day. Everyday I thought about it, but never got to the store. Then, on the Saturday before the big day, I jokingly asked hubs to get a card for me, from me. I was quite surprised to see hubs actually took the time to pick out a card, AND it was decent! My dad isn't the easiest card to buy, so I was very impressed with his mission. What happens next? NOTHING. My mind has gone awry and I have yet to mail the card that I didn't even have to buy!!!! I don't even know where it is at this point.

#3 Hubs was going on a local business trip overnight recently and I considered Rt and I tagging along. While talking to a friend who lived nearby, I mentioned the fact that we might be in town that week and if we could get together. I even said I would call her the next day to confirm our travel plans. That was over two weeks ago, and I just remembered yesterday that I never called her. Are you kidding me? I have turned into a lame ass and I don't even know it. I am a forgetful loooooser. Whaah.

So, if you ever feel the need to confide in me, tell me a little secret, get something off your chest, I am the gal for the job cause I will forget about it by the very next day. If that.

e

toe jam anyone?

2007-06-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

I seem to have a fascination with my son's nostrils and ear canals. If either one is polluted, I have no quams what's-so-ever about going in and retrieving the "foreign" substance/substances. This morning was no different.

Rt and I were relaxing on the couch, after just waking for the day at 7:00A.M! (it's about time, mister!) I had a good look into his left ear due to the piercing morning sun coming through the curtains.

After extracting a little somethin somethin, Rt pulled his head back and commented on my finding.

"Booger?"

"No," I said. "Ear Wax."

Rt looked at me puzzled, repeated what I said, "Ear Wax", but then decided I was wrong with my discovery and confidently stated,

"Taco."

in need of a good 'ol soap washin

2007-06-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

"oh, dam mat."

"Did you just hear what he said?"

"Hear what?"

"He just said D-A-M-M-I-T."

"You know where he got that from."

"Um, ya. That'd be me."

note to self:

If situation calls for a swear word, say under breath cause this kid is on to you.

e

Whizzing

2007-06-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

What is it about weekends lately? The ones that are completely busy seems o so satisfying and long, but the ones where you really don't do anything out of the ordinary fly by sooo fast that you wonder what the hell you actually did with all your free time.

What is it that I did all weekend? Watched golf. Of course all my dedication didn't pay off. My Tiger didn't win, but damnation, did you see him in his Sunday Red yesterday? He has got some nice guns, is all I am saying. Yowza!

Besides spending some quality time in front of the tube, I spent most of my weekend with Rt. Part of hubs Father's Day weekend was golfing an hour away with some of my mommy friend's hubbies. So, my Saturday, was just like my Tuesday, or my Thursday.
Come Sunday, hubs and I spent most of the day cleaning this pigsty we call our home. I swear, our pad can be spotless one moment, then destroyed by the car fetish wonder boy the next. I guess most of our cleaning was tidying up, but still, that can take time. (And this differs from any other day of my life? And joy, we get to do it on a Sunday! Lucky me.)

A major bonus over the weekend was I made a new dessert! Molten Chocolate Cakes With Sugar-Coated Raspberries. (You know, the chocolate cake that oooozes chocolate when you cut your first bite? This is it, just in cupcake form.) Hubs parents and brother's family came over for a Father's Day dinner. We were in charge of the meat while the rest of the group brought the side dishes. (Total score.) The dinner was a hit and the dessert was a smash. Well worth the effort, but boy, was I pooped after everyone left and the kiddo went to bed.

And now here we are on another Monday morning. No holidays, no nothing to distract us from a 5 day work week. Rats. Guess I should make my grocery store rounds and balance the checkbook. Ah, the perks of running the household.

Oh, and the toaster decided not to work this morning. WTF? Guess I can actually use my 20% off coupon at BB & B. Saweet.

e

bring it on oakmont

2007-06-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

Just got back from my whirlwind 24 hour concert extravaganza. It was a glorious time filled with $10 beers, sexy ass white tank tops that only Sting could pull off, and several gusts of pot-filled breezes that kept the night nice and cool. Hubs and I were definitely the youngest people in the entire stadium. What a trip.

I must go for now, though. Rt is down for a must needed nap. I bet he had oodles of fun with Gran Gran filled with little rest. I knew he was too exhausted for words when he had a major teary freak out when I turned off the car when we got home and his song stopped playing in the cd player. Good grief child! It's going to be o.k.!!

I don't know who it is I've become. I actually dvr'd the U.S Open from this morning and am thrilled to pieces to be watching the entire 1st day of play ALL AFTERNOON. I am a total geek.

Toodles.

e

The Fuzz

2007-06-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

And now as a follow up to my latest post, I will share with you all of Rt's birth photos and go into detail of my labor. Naaaaah, just kidding. I'm sure I will provide many photos, stories and play-by-plays of my next pregnancy and birth, so until then, I have........................ nothing.

What is it about coming home from a vaca? Everything settles, falls back into place nice and neat without any sort of rumble. Do I have anything exciting, educational or memorable to write about? Nope. Nada. Dream on.

The only thing I can think of is, hubs and I are going to a concert.

On a school night.
With other adults.
That are cool.

I am still amazed I am actually doing something "WOO HOO". At NIGHT, for that matter. I, honestly, haven't been to a concert since Rt was born. I lived in LA for 2 1/2 years and the only concert I went to was The Pixies at the Greek Theatre. It was totally hubs idea. He got the tickets for MY birthday and likes them more than I do. Nice work babe. My major run with the Pixies was during the Pump Up the Volume era, but anything after that, I didn't keep up with. At the concert, I was in my first trimester with Rt, so I couldn't even drink. Sitting there with all the other MAJOR YOUNG ASS peeps, sober as all get out, was truly not that enjoyable, especially when I could have barfed or fallen asleep on any one of them. I was a party waiting to happen, let me tell ya.

Point is, it's been a long time, my friend. I am assuming the crowd will be more my age, or older, since we are going to see THE POLICE. I am not a major ass fan, but, hey, any excuse to get out of the house, have someone watch the wee one OVERNIGHT, works for me. Sting is hot anyway, so that seals the deal. period.

Here's to being footloose and fancy free, even if it is for only one night.

e

Still got it.

2007-06-06T21:18:00.001-07:00

So, the last time I posted about this, I signed off from the local airport, day one of our 5th anniversary getaway. The flight to San Diego was relatively uneventful which makes it such a FABULOUS experience. Those of you who have small kiddies know that flying can be one of the most stressful parts of being a parent. Being stuck in a small moving space on total display in front of an audience that would rather be at the dentist than sitting by you and your potential nightmare of a kid. Well, hubs and I were no threat to anyone and it was a joy to blend into the masses. I actually listened to my IPOD and read my digital camera manual. I am now a professional photographer. Cough, Bullsshhhit. But, well on my way? Just a tad, maybe?

Anywho, the first day of our trip included checking in to the Estancia hotel and taking a dip in the heated salt water pool (oh my) followed by the hot tub (oh my my). We were going to go to the wine bar at the hotel before our dinner reservations for a introductory cocktail, but I was too gabby (who me?) with the other guests at the pool, so we had to skip the drink. It was really a shame, since hubs had to give me my anniversary gift, (the ring), in the bathroom as we were walking out the door for dinner. Greaaaaaaaat, I goofed up hubs efforts on the romance. Dinner at Roy's was just perfect, so the evening was a huge a success none-the-less. Hubs asked me across the table if I was buzzed and I said "yes" with a big grin on my face. Dude, I had one beer and one glass of wine. Total lightweight. Here is another photo documenting my state-of-mind:

strike a pose.

wishful photo shoot?

On to Saturday. Saturday consisted of hubs and I dropping in on my GIRLS from back home, whoorl and caroline. It was so great to see the little whoorlito and whoorl's main squeeze, but we three girls really know how to catch up and pick up where we last left off in a short amount of time. You should have heard our topics of convo. (loved every minute of it.) Luckily, hubs is really good at ignoring thing he shouldn't concern himself with. I believe whoorl is providing most of the footage from our shindig, but I'll add a couple to the mix:

3 Chicks, unite!

Made in Oklahoma. Awee Yeah.

(Back in San Diego) The rest of the day and night was filled with another dip in the pool and a short drive down into La Jolla Shores for a casual night's snack. It was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip. Something about the weather, the mood, and of course, the hot piece sitting across the table. To top the NY style pizza and caesar, we split the pear/strawberry crisp. (Dude, give me anything with crust, and
I am so set.)

Sunday started off with breakfast down in La Jolla at The Cottage. I had "the world's best" granola, which I personally do not recommend, (it had roasted pecans that I just couldn't get passed) but it wasn't that awful either. I just should have ordered my staple, eggs and bacon, and called it a day. I even got a piece of coffee cake to offset the wholesomeness of the granola. It was the size of my entire hand spread way out. We lugged it back with us and ate the rest of it over the course of a few days. That afternoon, we met one of hubs co-workers at the Coronado Bay docks and spent the afternoon sailing the bay with gorgeous views of downtown San Diego. Can we say relaxed?:

Chillin.

Sailing in Bay. Something is up with my hat, but whatever....

Later on in the day was spent at the hotel, I believe, in the pool again and at the local outdoor cafe on the property. What was going to be ONE cocktail and chips/salsa turned into a couple more drinks, shrimp quesadillas and halibut tacos followed by a group Salsa lesson. Who would've thunk it or planned something like that? Way cool. Since we didn't know what we were in for that night, the camera was not present......

Monday was our last day in paradise. We took a lovely morning walk on the beach and then headed back to Coronado where hubs left his sweatshirt on the sailboat the day before. We decided to tool around the area and made our way through the Hotel Del and ate lunch at a local 50's diner. It wasn't that sunny, but that was no bother. We get sun everyday back home, (so done with the sun), so fog and clouds are joyous.

wayyyy close up on beach near Scripps

Hotel Del Coronado

And that pretty much wraps up the much needed little getaway with the hubs. It truly is amazing how once the little one is out of view for just a few days, the moments and the magic with hubs is so on, (thank God, I was beginning to worry. Well, not worry so much as missed those moments. I guess kids can really kill the mood, huh?)

Thank you hubs for making this all happen. When's the next vaca?

e

eighteen hundred twenty nine

2007-06-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

I am technically still on vacation since Rt is with his grandparents. I have one more hour until I jump in the car and meet Gran Gran halfway btwn here and there for the toddler dropoff/pickup. Of course, I am sooo excited to see the little one, but there is a part of me trying to squeeze every last drop of free time out while I still have it. I am still in bed at 9:09am and watching Regis and Kelly. This is the life. My stomach is starting to rumble though. #$%@%^@$%

The number in the title of this post is how many days hubs and I have been married as of today. I know, I know, the things you figure out when you have nothing else to do or be responsible for. Cool, huh? I do have a post in the works of our entire anniversary getaway, but I need more time than I have this morning. So, until then, I'll leave you with a photo we took of ourselves in our hotel room after our big celebratory dinner at Roy's. We forgot the camera at the restaurant, so we set the timer and used the ironing board as our tripod for the hilarious photo shoot. Ah, the things that tickle our fancy after a bottle of wine. Vacation, I miss you already.

e

leavin on a jet plane

2007-06-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

Today is our 5th wedding anniversary.

We are currently sitting in the airport awaiting our flight to San Diego. I am eating a toasted plain bagel with cream cheese, a banana and drinking the best chocolate milk ever made. How cool is it that I am typing away on my new laptop in the middle of the food court. Rock it.

Yesterday, father-in-law picked up Rt for a weekend filled with swimming, cookie making/eating and tons of attention. I am sure he will miss us terribly.

I would love to chat more, but hubs just complained that I am not entertaining enough while he sits here eating his muffin from Starbucks and sips his grande house blend. As he just said, "none of that fru fru crap coffee."

So, I am signing off and heading to SoCal. It should be a fun-filled weekend of nice dining, sailing, shopping, movie watching, and dropping in to see my best friends from back home, whoorl and miss cocodrie.

awe yeah.

e

p.s. The chocolate milk I just drank has 400 calories and 60 grams of sugar. Oh my. At least I got my 22 grams of protein and 80 % of my calcium for the day. I think I am going to need it with all this free time on my hands.

Rt style

2007-05-29T21:37:00.000-07:00

abc's rt style from little miss mel on Vimeo
Best invention ever.
Ability to turn video screen around to subject while filming. Brings out the best in the talent.....

e

Nappy Schmappy

2007-05-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Rt has been in his crib for 2 hours now and on his fifth rendition of twinkle, twinkle. I mean I am thrilled beyond belief he is having a good 'ol time, but come on, NAP ALREADY. And, no, he isn't dropping his nap, but I do feel I need to look at the sugar content in the fruit spread he ate on his P B 'n J for lunch. Nah, I don't think there is a connection, but what gives people????

To update you from last week, Rt did go to sleep once the yappers quit yapping. I woke him up at 5pm after 1 hour 45 minutes of nap and he did go down somewhat normally that evening. Currently, I think the transition back to regular scheduled programming from the 3 day weekend is part of it. Maybe playing in the daycare at the gym for an hour, and a trip to the park this morning got him too razzed up. I think I'll go with freak occurrence and continue watching a new episode of SuperNanny. All I can say is, I've got it reaaal good compared to these people.

This post had a short delay due to continued nap negotiations. It is currently 3:30p.m. and I think he just fell asleep. That means he has already been in his crib for 2 1/2 hours and just now drifting off to slumber. Now what? I just told my gal pal I was getting him up or out rather, and coming over to play. Phoowie. I guess I can complete this wonderful substance post and move on to something more enlightening, insurance inquiries! I do have the dream life!

e

p.s. I do think the dogs are here to stay, but I did not hear them all weekend, so keep your fingers crossed for short term visitors.

Stick a fork in me

2007-05-24T14:21:00.001-07:00

I am currently stuck in between a child that won't nap and a freakin yelping little pixie of a dog. Calgon, if you are out there, take me away!!!! Hurry!

No nappin kid and yelping idiot dog go hand in hand. How can one fall off into luscious slumber when lame ass little turd is laughing like a hyena. This all makes for a momma who only wants to sit and chill for a brief moment of time ALONE, but nooooooooooo, the new neighbors who moved in behind us (renters) had to have little powder puff thingys called dogs. Here is the oddity of it all. They moved in at the beginning of May, but only in the last couple of days have I heard the yelping. Can they please, please, please be dog sitting for the long Memorial Weekend Started Early? Can that be the case??? Waaaaaah. I have been Waahing alot lately, but COME ON.

The last go around with the kid was moments ago. He plays for a long period of time, then begins this whine/cry thing, which basically means he will do nothing else but, unless someone comes in and lays/lies (whatever) him back down. Usually, it takes one entrance to do the trick. Today, I am up to three. First one included a poop diaper. #@%#%#^ That probably IS the first culprit. Second entrance was to reset him and put all of his things back in the crib.(Don't you just love being manipulated?) Third visit was much of the same, but with a little attitude from me. Isn't that so nice of me? Basically, I scared him into getting serious about taking a nap. Sigh. Is it the long weekend yet?

Hubs was gone all last weekend as you recall, so I haven't had a morning off, let alone a moment without this little one. Until I can regroup and hug him a little bit tighter this afternoon showing him mommy doesn't mean to fly off the handle and truly loves him no matter what, I'll have to stare at these sweet photos I took of him this morning. He loves to appease his mommy when it comes to photo sessions. "No, honey, put the hat back on"................

um, ok I had more than one photo to share, but tell me this, why are all my photos from iphoto coming out sideways??? Until I can correct the issue, I'll leave the one above.....This calls for a second diet coke. Grrr....

e

na na na na hey ey ey goodbye

2007-05-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

PC.

So, I did it. I bought my very own computer. It's a MAC Notebook. It's pretty. It's white. And it's MINE!

While it is just lovely to have a computer of my OWN for the first time in my life, I am having trouble navigating this lovely piece of machinery. How in the world have I lived as long as I have, majored in Electronic Media, AND worked for Yahoo! and not owned my very own computer?? I'll tell you why. It's because I had access to everyone else's.

Now, if you attended college back when I did in the early to mid-90's, having your own PC, let alone laptop was not required or even heard of. I think there were some computers up in the study lounge at the Theta house my senior year, but as I said, I was an Electronic Media major (Radio, TV, Film Production), so no paper writing for me. All projects, all day baby.

Working for Yahoo! came with access to a work computer. Laptop even! You mean I can take this home? You think our department is actual a Sales Group? (answering people's bitches and moans regarding our E-Commerce solution didn't come with a bonus people) And we can leave the building with this thingy? Cool beans.

I should have purchased a computer after college graduation. That would have taken quite a bit of fundage, which I had a limited supply of, so the big ticket items would have had to wait for a loooong time. Being a "floater" or lowest man on the totem pole in the advertising group of the city newspaper didn't supply much more than paying the rent. Once I moved out to CA and moved in with the future hubs, I just used his computer and then got the job at Yahoo! 7 days later......

Once the Yahoo! gig came and went (damn layoffs), I continued to use hubs computer when he wasn't working. Nothing better than sharing a computer. NOT!!! How can you do any web surfing, I mean job searching on limited time! Ughhh! Total lamo. Luckily, one day hubs got a computer upgrade through his work and let me use his older model. Awweeeeeeeee YEAAAAAAAAAH! (Imagine me churning butter.)

So, that is how me and Mac met. I believe you all now have a good idea of this momentous occasion of mine. Welcome o Mac o mine, o welcome to my humble abode.

#%$(%&$(^&!!!

Soooooooo, I am trying to spell check this fabulous piece of literature and the spell check button isn't doing anything? Why o why Mr. Mac are you making this switchover so painstaking? I need your ease, not your mutiny!!

I don't think reading the owner's manual is going to solve this one glitch. Guess I should read it none-the-less. Crap.

e

p.s. Solution to problem. Restarted PC and used Spell Check feature. Woah Nelly. Did I have me some typos. Poor BeachMama, she got to me before I made it to PC.

born to be a groupie

2007-05-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

hubs wrote and recorded this song during his "vacation".
Check it.

ryan's game

ryan's got his cars, yeah
so nice and neat in a row, yeah
lined up this way is what we call the game....

his favorite one's a charger, an orange 70's charger
with a hemi engine it's super fast insane.

from the ottoman to the tv stand,
he won't stop till it's perfect man,
don't mess it up or get in his way,
this is what we call ryan's game.

cause it's superfast insane, superfast insane,
superfast like an aeroplane,
this is ryan's favorite game.

he brings his cars to his parents bed,
at 6am it's his parents dread,
just 30 minutes more sleep is all they crave

this is ryan's master plan, to get his parents out of bed, oh yeah,
come take a look at the car display,
this is what we've come to know as ryan's game.

e

tagger smaggers

2007-05-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

Tag, you're it...

Thanks Girly Momma for making me walk down memory lane on this draggin Friday afternoon.

Here are the rules... Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

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1. The only place I have been out of the country is Grand Cayman on my honeymoon. I live such a sheltered life. My passport is invalid since my maiden name is on it. Greaaat.

2. I placed 2nd all around in the OK State Gymnastics Meet when I was 13 yrs old. I medaled in all 4 events. Damn chic from the Alta A'Ok's team. Just cause your dad was the coach and you had extra pointy toes....

3. I tore ligaments in my RIGHT thumb, (drunk) hyper-extended my RIGHT elbow (goofin off doing a pennydrop on the uneven bars) and broke my RIGHT ankle (trying to dismount the beam).

4. I shaved a "certain area" before I went in to see my pediatrician for a camp physical. WTF? I think I was trying to hide my maturing self? Was sent to get tests done to make sure I was evolving. How embarrassing.

5. I do not miss working ONE BIT, but I haven't found "my thing" yet either. This mother thing is pretty close. I think I need somethin somethin on top of it.

6. I was QUEEN of drive by stalking. One's self-esteem rises negative 100% after a good drive-by. What was I really wanting to see? The guy in the yard with a sign that says "Stop the car. I was wrong. I need you now."????

7. I once had a terrible case of toenail fungus on my big toe in college. I blame the sorority showers.

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Tag, you are weiner, I mean winner.

LvGurl,
180/360,
jane is dating,
lefty,
whoorl,
Dutch Blitz,
Metalia
and
Beach Mama

e

allergeeesssus!

2007-05-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

I am typing with a kleenex shoved up my left nostril. Hubs can't stand this look. Even Rt says in disgust,

"mommy, nose, out".

What can a gal do when her allergies are on the fritz? At least I am aware that my allergies are not too much to write about. Only when they turn into a sinus infection, would you hear me roar in whiny pain. Allergies are just a nuisance to me. To hubs, you would think the sky was falling, but only on him. He doesn't understand that you can actually take certain medicines to relieve the pain until the illness runs it's course. He thinks he can take Airborne and all of his troubles/snot will go down the drain.

As he stated today,

"Why is it that every time I go out of town, I get sick."

I follow with this response.

"No, the REAL question is, why is it when you go out of town, I get sick. I am the one that has to take care of a 2 yr old ALONEEEEEEEEEEE!!"

So, this benedryl I take tonight is a cheers to you hubs. While you sit and drink it up with your best friend not realizing you are inhaling tons of smoke, due to your stuffed up nose, I'll be falling into a deep sleep while watching Ugly Betty at 8:30p.m. cause I accidentally mixed my medicine with a glass of wine, or two.

e

Box cake is so last year

2007-05-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

Part of mother's day was spent making a cake, FROM SCRATCH. I had been watching The Rachael Ray show, not to be confused with 30 minutes meals or $40 a day, but her actually day time show. Her guest was the one and only Miss Paula Dean. She made a Banana Nut Cake that originated from her current mother-in-law. It looked somewhat feasible and damn tasty. That combination got my wheels a turning, so I made plans right then and there to make one for our Sunday M.D. bbq.

What the hell was I thinking? It was mother's day and I was going to whip out a REAL cake for the FIRST TIME EVER? I have made 4 whole cakes in my life and those started out from a box. (They did turn out just fabulous, but for some reason I thought I would challenge myself.) I had to be careful though. This wasn't the first time I went out on a limb during a big to do. I made my very first brisket for my very first dinner for my future in-laws back in the day. The recipe I had was my grandmother's and called for a beef brisket. The only brisket I found at the Safeway in San Fran was a Corned Beef brisket. Do you know the difference? I clearly didn't. Let's just say Corned Beef is naturally one salty piece of meat.

My mother was planning on coming to our bbq and hubs parents would probably be making an appearance as well. They had just flown back in town from a family wedding in Ohio and arrived at our door just as the meat was being taken off the grill. Luckily, we had planned for a full house.

Dinner went off without a hitch. Half pint went down without much of a fight, the dinner was yuuuuuuuuum and the wine flowed at a nice pace. I did have a fair amount to do with preparing the dinner as well, but it wasn't that hard, so I won't bore you with those details.

It was then time for cake. I think it was the first time I was able to actually cut a piece of anything and it stay intack all the way from the knife to the plate. The first bites came and went and the applause was overwhelming. Actually, there was no applause, but the consensus was: the cake was spectacular!

If I had as much time on my hands as you do Betty Crocker, you would have some stiff competition.

e

p.s. thanks coco on my grammer question...

la de da, ho hum, twiddle, twiddle

2007-05-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

Just sitting here on a Monday morning wondering what the heck I should be doing. I already have Rt watching Signing Time, so I have limited "free" time of what I can do.

*Pay bills online? (Which totally needs to be done.)

*Write blog post? (Well, I do need to whip one out sometime today.)

*Think about what to do with my life/time/day now that my path has been rerouted?

You know, it's a funny (not funny, haha, but funny, bizarre) thing being in this predicament. I go along with my day and think nothing of it, then all of a sudden, something reminds me of what once was and I feel bummed/sad/angry/pissed off. Then in the same thought process I think of what is to come in the next month or so and know it will work out, it will happen again and for the better.

But, really, what in the hell do I do about today? Drown myself in Diet Coke?

I am stuck in today. Can't it be a few weeks from now so I can be telling hubby to get his groove on cause I'll be needing his services later in the evening? But what about today? I'd be 9 weeks this week. I know, I know, don't do that to myself, but, shit, how in the hell can I not? I know it will demise as time passes, but that is exactly my point. What do I do with all of this "in between" time? Stay busy? How can I when all of my weekly activities have ended until Fall? WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. Playdate, playdate, are you out there?

I did put a call into my therapist who I haven't seen in over 6 months. The last thing I told him was I was going to check in on a couple of matters and get back in touch. Well, I had no pressing issues to return, so I never called back. I wondered what he would say when I spoke to him again. Would it be awkward? Via our phone call to set up an appointment, he said he was glad to hear my voice and looked forward to seeing me again. Ok, why when I wrote that does it sound like he is a big perv? He truly is not, he just likes me. And I like that my therapist likes me and missed me. Isn't that a tad twisted?? So, for any of you that think I am not "going there" with recent events, I am and will be. Yeah, bob.

e

me bity bling bling

2007-05-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

Breaker one nine, the ring has landed, THE RING HAS LANDED.

Now, I just have to wait 3 weeks to get my hands on it... or get it on my hand, rather.

I guess I can be content with a homemade
card for Mother's Day, then.

Is that a done deal?

e

Perspective

2007-05-10T10:05:00.001-07:00

IMG_2088
Originally uploaded by little miss mel.

Thank you little one for being you.
You make me giggle and every moment
we have together is more precious than the last.

an end, a beginning

2007-05-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure if I would ever write about this, but I have sat here at the computer the last two days and thought, what else in the hell can I write about? I am consumed by the latest happenings in my world and am looking for a way to come out of this fog. Maybe blogging about it will jump start the process.

Hubs and I found out we were having another baby on Easter morning. It was somewhat of a shock, since we weren't trying that month due to the desire to travel home to OK for Christmas this year. But, we weren't doing anything to prevent it either. A win/win, right? Travel or baby! It seems God blessed us with a child and we were thrilled to say the least.

I had found out rather early, before 4 weeks along, so sharing our news with others was put on hold for a little while. If anyone knows me, they know I am not good at holding in "my" secrets, especially ones this big, but I did manage to keep our news under wraps even from my mother (who was living with us) for two weeks. It was just too new for the both of us to share. Just needed some time to process this life changing event. (I attribute NEAR BEER as a huge helper in the caper.)

Days past, I felt pretty good and looked forward to a smooth pg road ahead. I mean, everything with Rt was a breeze and it's always like that, right? I only wish that were the case. A week ago Sunday, I started spotting. Nothing too scary, but enough to send me into a tailspin for several days before we could get in to see the doc for an ultrasound. To my surprise, everything was ok. We saw a heartbeat and saw no evidence the spotting had anything to do with the health of our baby. I was quite relieved, but still perplexed because I still felt so "off" while everything was supposed to be "ok". I had had lower back pain since before I knew I was pregnant, but after reading plenty of material online, lower back pain can be attributed to the hormone progesterone and ligament stretching. Everything I doubted, there is was a viable reason for it.

The weekend came and the spotting was still there. Come Saturday, it got worse. I talked to the on-call doctor and was reassured it could be anything, good or bad. He said to rest as much as I could and go in for another ultrasound come Monday. My back was still causing much discomfort, but remained on a heating pad and hoped for any of my symptoms to pass. Then, everything would be "ok". Sunday came, some issues remained the same and others got worse. I felt so wishy washy with emotions. I kept flipping my opinions on what was to come. It was all going to be ok. And if it weren't, I found myself trying to make good of a terrible ending.

Monday morning, the doctor called and told me to come in at 1:30p.m. for another scan. Hubs couldn't come with me this time. Someone had to be home while Rt napped. Even though everything around us was all up in the air, we wanted Rt to have a "normal" day and that meant napping when a nap was called for.

It was as if I was playing a part in a movie. Everything that happened that day was so surreal. It still is. And it seems like that day was months ago. The scan revealed the baby had passed. What I thought happened on Sunday, was indeed true. We lost our baby. 7 weeks, 4 days pregnant, and it was taken just as fast as it was given to us.

I have already moved to the anger stage of recovery. Why did this have to happen to us? What was so wrong that my body knew it wasn't the right fit for us? I am grateful for finding out it had already happened and didn't have to wait for something to happen tomorrow or a week from now. I am grateful. At the same time, I am tired. Tired knowing that when the time comes, we will have to start all over again.

I know a couple years from now, when we look at our children, we will say, if it weren't for this miscarriage, we wouldn't have "you". Right now, that is the only thing that gives me comfort.

I pray for peace.

e

hiiiiiiiiiiya!

2007-05-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

This could be a doozy of a day, but you know what I did to retaliate?

(funny how much I have already accomplished by 8:45am.
That's what happens when your child wants to get up at 5am for the day.)

-took shower

-blow dried hair

-curled hair

-put earrings and necklace on

-put new make up style on

-dressed in the tightest, hottest jeans I have

-put on not so cummfy heels but the look is tight

So, whatever the day may bring, I am looking like one smoking chic.

Take that you life!

e

Update: Life won today, but I still look hot.

token of my love

2007-05-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was driving all around town looking for a jeweler. I have seen them everywhere, but of course I can't find any when I actually need one. How do they stay in business? The competition is stiff. Brand name places I would think, would take away business, but these little "never heard of before" jewelers continue to survive, just like every pizza, mexican, and nail place around here. It is truly baffling.

Why was I looking for a jeweler, you ask? This coming June is our 5th wedding anniversary. Every since we have been married, I have been mentioning I wanted another band on the other side of my engagement ring. My mother had 3 rings, and I wanted the same. I saved every receipt from our wedding except the one for my wedding band. We bought it online through Mondera. We had my engagement ring custom made from a family jeweler in Carmel and really wanted something quick and easy when it came to both our bands. Luckily, we hit the jackpot and have been quite pleased with our purchases to date. All I needed from the receipt was the ring size. No receipt, no ring size. Therefore, the trip to the jeweler.

I happen to be talking to LVGurl while on my jeweler quest. She suggested I ask to get my rings cleaned and subtly ask to check the ring size. At least that way I had more purpose than to use their free services and split.

I took Rt in with me, (like I had another choice....) and found the chic in the back that looked in charge and had nothing else going on. (Did I mention there are like two people in the entire store? How do these people pay their bills?) I asked her for a ring clean and check the size while she was at it. Both requests were fulfilled in moments flat. Just in time for Rt to want to get down and run around the entire jewelry store. He had a rubber alligator with him that he placed on the glass with slobber. She said she didn't mind, it would give them something to do. (hello, is she that bored?) Anywho, I don't know if she was so impressed with the amount of lotion I collected in my rings or she felt sorry for me having to take care of a little one, but she gave me a bag with an entire bottle of ring cleaner, FOR FREE, and told me the ring clean was ON THE HOUSE! Now if that isn't service, I don't know what is. How long do you think it will be before a for sale sign is placed in the window?

Now that I have gotten my ring size answer, away we go online to buy my new ring! Free shipping, no tax and I found a 12% off coupon code on this band. I have to say, the Diamond Gods are in my favor. Me likey.

e

chasing laughing baby

2007-05-01T16:45:00.001-07:00

Video of Rt from last summer. enjoy.

makeover monday

2007-04-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

Mops group today was "spa day".

I came home with a full head of makeup (very tastefully done. my eyes were to die for) and an eye brow wax.

What did the hubs say when I returned?

"Did you do something to your eyes?

Nice response hubs. At least he noticed something was different.

I took a picture of myself, so one day, when I have oodles of time to apply makeup, without driving with my knee, I will have some sort of guide of "how it should be done".

It's monday and all, but I do look good.

update:

Here are two pics. Hard to tell that I am even wearing makeup, but I guess that is the idea, right?

days of bore......

2007-04-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

are soon fading.

All it took was a playdate at my humble abode to get this place back into some sort of presentable order.

Only issue now is, one of the moms just called to say her little one puked in his crib. He's the second one from the left.

God save us all.

(This photo was taking last summer.)

e

feeling like a chip clip

2007-04-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

I am not sure what is up with me lately, but I have been experiencing some major ass laziness. I find myself being sooo bored most of the day, but have no interest in doing anything to resolve my issue. It is actually extremely nice. I have no expectations, no goals, no nothing for the entire day, just to exist and hangout with Rt. (Well, only dinner for three, but my mom took care of that last night and brought home In N Out. Righteous.)

I think some of it is the fact my mom is here and graciously cleans my house (kitchen) the moment she returns from work in the evenings. I tell her not to (sort of), but I don't think she sees the mess as carefree as I do right now. (piles don't mean clean to her). I do make efforts to clean somethings throughout the day, (shuffle said piles) but in the end, who really cares? At least the laundry gets done. (some would beg to differ) Actually, I never take it out of the dryer, but at least it makes it to the dryer, right? Poor hubs, he has to fish out his clean underwear from the laundry room. (boo hoo) Who wants to fold clothes anyway? Then, you have to put them up somewhere. (hide them) My whole goal is to get the laundry basket empty. (for like a frickin minute) What happens to it after the fact is not so important.

Anywho...I have had no concrete plans this entire week. (I'm melting!) What scheduled events I usually do have are not in session this week due to one thing or another. (bastards!) (I am seeing a pattern here. no plans...... no shower.......... no teeth brushed.) I am taking great pride in my quest to just sit and chill (turn on video) cause you never know when you might not have this free time again. (or child who will forget that you exist and watch the same episode of signing time 3 times in a row.)

e

two and change

2007-04-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

So, the big day has come and gone, but the pictures of Rt's bday will always remind me of such a sweet little boy who really enjoyed spending the day with his friends and family and, oh ya, he liked that there were "pancakes" and presents too.

Besides one of Rt's friends busting open his chin while falling off Rt's rocket ship, all the kids really enjoyed playing outside with the sandbox, picnic and train tables.

Once again, hubs put together a video of Rt's 2nd year in the making. It was a major hit with the guests and mostly Rt himself. It is still being requested today. Hopefully I can upload it to YouTube soon and share it will all of you. :)

e

Green for pennies

2007-04-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

www.greentimes.com

Want to get rid of all that lame O extra crappy junk mail you get everyday of your life? All it takes is a measly 10 cents a day, for a total of only $36 a year, to be removed from junk mail mailing lists AND a tree will be planted once a month for an entire year just because you clicked an itty bitty button in your spare 5 minutes.

I watched my dvr'd episode of Oprah yesterday and got way inspired. It's hard deciding what action to take to keep this planet from bursting into a big flame ball.

I thought this was the easiest FIRST step to take.

I hope you do too.

e

Setting an example

2007-04-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have not heard, my mother received the job offer I mentioned way back when and has already moved out to Cali to continue her life's journey while being a professional business woman. She is currently residing with us until her lease begins at the beginning of May. Her full title is Director of Development of a Medical Center, Stem Cell Research and Transplant Division. Can you say kick ass? Kick ass!

You see, my mom had always been a SAHM ever since I was a wee little one, but continued her college education with a Masters Degree in Journalism while being at home with me and my older brother. It wasn't until I was in high school that my mom took a full time job at a University to help ends meet for our family after the market crashed in '87. No, my dad wasn't a stock broker, he was in Commercial Real Estate which was just as bad once the market tanked. Even through the hard times, I never heard her complain. I am sure on many levels, she was thrilled to use her talents on more than PTA meetings. Did I mention she was president of the Mother's Club? Let's just say I was voted to be President of the PTA when I was in highschool. Rock on.

After I left for college, my parents split up, my dad moved away and my mom was left to clean up the mess. My mom's job at the university was still gratifying, but did not pay enough for her to continue to live alone and keep the house. So, she looked for better employment which in the end moved her out of state. Over the past 14 years, my mom has lived in several places and has done what it takes to make it happen.

Since my mother has arrived in town, I have been nothing but difficult to be around. I tend to carry other people's issues, hopes, dreams, and worries on my shoulders. It makes me feel very weighted. It was easier balancing my plate while no one in my immediate family lived near me. That way, what problems or concerns I did take on, were far enough away to push aside as needed. Now that my mother is living within 45 minutes of me, and for now, down the hall on the right, I have been consumed with more than I can handle. It is so my doing. I have learned to survive this way, get by this way, be needed this way. But, I have also been conditioned this way to behave. I am not certain of the origin, nor wanting to point fingers. The outcome is what needs the focus.

The day hubs went out of town last week, I was able to move aside one member of my "plate" and have a heart to heart talk with my mother. I explained my annoying behavior and hoped she would understand why I was feeling so "underwater". I was extremely grateful for the honesty that was shared that morning, from both of us.

Bottom line is this: I am the one that needs to let go, and I do feel I will be able to accomplish this and have a wonderful experience raising my child with both sets of grandparents living near by, but in the same breathe, I need to be given the opportunity to change.

If neither one happens, I could lose myself and I just can't afford it.

e

interview e

2007-04-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks whoorl for keeping it real.

1. What is your favorite state fair type of food?

That would be the one and only Corn dog of the Texas State Fair, the Fletcher corn dog.

2. If you could have one wish granted by the end of this year, what
would it be?

Dude, I hate these types of questions. Argh. Decisions, decisions. Actually, I've got one, but being a tad bit superstitious, I'll keep it close to me for now.

3. What is the one thing you would change about yourself (physically
or emotionally?)

It has come to my attention I am very in tune with my emotional side. My therapist once called it "neat". Thanks for that one Marvin. I would want to be less affected by everything, anything. I would like to shake the need to be in control. I believe both of those go hand in hand. Freakin sucks.

4. If you could have any hairstyle (including color), what would it be?

Oooo, I would love to have long, black, straight hair. Too bad my skin color would veto that idea right off the bat.

5. You only can have one for the rest of your life....cheeseburger or
ice cream? Why?

Well, I only like cheeseburgers if they are grilled on an outdoor grill, something about the cheese being melted that way is totally killer, so I would only order hamburgers on all other occasions. I don't like ice cream that much either. I prefer soft serve frozen yogurt. So, if the question was hamburger or frozen yogurt, then the answer would be frozen yogurt.

There is truly nothing better than a soft serve vanilla cone from IKEA.
McDonalds ranks a close 2nd.

(Thanks lvgurl for the following verbiage. I am lazy.)

If you'd like to join in the interview fun, follow these directions:

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

peace

e

p.s. Happy Birthday Cocodrie!

New gurl on the block

2007-04-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

And last but not least.... (I swear, I know no one who is giving birth anytime soon.)

Congratulations to Janine and her family on the birth of their second child, a girl, on Thursday, April 5th.

Stats:

Halle Jane
4 lbs 10 oz
17 inches
4:03a.m.?

Halle was welcomed home by her big brother Harrison.

Oh no you didunt

2007-04-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

Trying to upload photos from Rt's big day. Will write a post soon, I swear.

Until then, Metalia recent post got me thinking about my own typo blunder.

Hubs and I received so many nice gifts when we got married. (almost 5 yrs ago) The only drawback to receiving any gift is those damn thank you notes. (which are still haunting me today due to the latest bday bash) Anything you write sounds so pasty, cause that is all you have to muster at that point, is paste. You're brain is fried and you have nothing much to offer besides typical thank you note verbiage.

One thank you note I wrote came off just a little too wrong. We had received tongs and other cooking utensils and I somehow portrayed a very genuine love for each and every "new toy" for the kitchen. Too bad I couldn't hit spell check because what I wrote started out like this:

"Thank you so much for the thongs and the............."

And the note was to my brother........

e

Detox

2007-04-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

Party was a huge hit.

I am still in recovery.

Be back shortly.

e

Ode to 1:20p.m.

2007-04-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

I have not been able to fall back asleep since the little one woke me at
5am this morning. This WILL be the longest day ever. Luckily, today is
Ryan's 2nd birthday.

Maybe this is the only way I can have the time and focus to jot something
down while no one else is awake. Lucky @#$%$^'s.

Having done this same type of letter last year, I can say it has been such a different ride. I am not sure what it is about THE first year of your firstborn, but whoah, that was nuts!!! I have never felt more out of whack than I did that year. Luckily, it's like a badge, I wear it with great pride and chalk it up to lessons well-learned. Dude, now I am a pro, right? Ha. Yes, I do feel I have embraced the joys and perks of having one child. Wait, you say it totally changes when you add another? Ya, right. (Dear God, please help me out with that one.) My point is, this past year has been filled with more focus on Ryan, than me, which has been completely satisfying.

I have said before the most "ideal" months with Ryan were from 9 months through 15 months. Those times were just sooo quaint. He was learning to be so independent, which I loved, and was able to explore his little world he had yet to truly know. Once the 15 month mark came and he was able to CLIMB up onto everything was when I said, OH NOOOOOO, you mean now he could actually HURT himself if I turn my back for one second? It definitely added a whole other element into the mix. Looking back, each month, each milestone was more precious than the one before.

There is something about that kid, I tell you. He is one of a kind. He amazes me everyday with his thirst for life and determination. He entertains strangers in stores by asking for high-fives. He says goodbye to every checkout person he sees whether we are ready to go or not. He calls out every number or letter he sees, no matter how far. He loves to read or have someone read to him the same 4 Curious George books all day and all night. He loves to line up his cars and his trucks in traffic jam type situations which is quite hilarious and somewhat meticulous. He calls every train he has "thomas", but he has never seen the cartoon. He could care less what is on the tv, but if I mention his signing video, he immediately runs to the couch and buries himself under the blanket ready for the show to begin. He loves to hear his daddy play guitar. He even loves to strum a few strings himself. Nothing compares to his desire to dance a jig every time the boy is naked. I sing a few bars of some little ditty and off he goes into his hoedown.
Everyday is something new and I would have it no other way.

Having Ryan in my life has made me so aware of who I am and who I want to be. I recognize my strengths and am definitely in touch with my weaknesses. I envelope that knowledge and only strive to be a better person for it. I am amazed at how detached some people are to the "bigger picture". This truth is what it is about. This truth is what matters most. Everything we all focus on, agonize over, mean absolutely nothing. I have made such strides in truly getting it. Now, what needs to happen is I need to live by this truth in myself everyday. I thank my son Ryan for leading the way to this discovery. I am truly grateful for this gift.

Happy Birthday Ryan. You and your daddy are the loves of my life.

e

2 years ago tomorrow

2007-04-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

My son was born.

I am currently writing my "ode to baby boy" letter, but I am having a hard time expressing myself. There might be two reasons why this is harder than it should be.

1) My sinuses under my cheekbones are starting to ache again.
Currently waiting for the Tylenol to kick in.

2) Hubs is watching a taped episode of "The Black Donnellys". The times I start to tear up thinking of my little boy, some guy in the background is threatening some body's life in an Irish accent. It's kinda killing the mood.

I've got some ideas down on "paper", so I'll save them for the official
"Hot damn, You're 2!" post. Until then, I'll leave you with a little bit of half pint at 8 months old.

e

P.S. Happy Birthday LVGurl!!

A year ago tomorrow

2007-04-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

I wrote this letter on April 5th 2006, the eve of Rt’s 1st birthday.

8 minutes from now, it will have been one year exactly when the birthing of my son began. It seems just like yesterday, but time ticked quite slowly in parts as well. Either way, it has been the most wonderful, hardest, truest time in my life. I write this to you in tears, thinking of my son sleeping peacefully in his crib. I am not sure where this emotion is coming from, but I am reveling in it. I have doubted myself many a time this past year, but I also know I have grown into someone I will always be proud of.

This time last year the first episode of Sex in the City began on TBS. I know the really good parts were deleted or dubbed, but it kept me sane during the most unsure and overwhelming moments of my life. The contractions started slightly, but were right on schedule. I kept this tidbit of information to myself throughout the first episode. 30 minutes of a wee bit of pain every 3-5 minutes lasting 30-45 seconds. Once the first episode came and went, I let my hubby in on the current happenings. We watched another episode while keeping time and the tightness came and went right on cue. It was time to call the doc and head in…..

I could go on and on in detail regarding the most memorable day of my life, (besides the day I married the man I love), but the real importance to this 1 year birthday of my son, is the journey my new family took to get here. I get emotional just thinking of all the times I was frustrated, angry, confused, sad and lonely wishing I could take them all back, wanting to change them all. I would replace them with times of pure joy and love. I know this is unrealistic, but it saddens me to know I wasted those precious times not knowing who I really was and what I represented. I now know I am on the journey to finding out who I am, what I want, but I do know that I am a mother to the most precious, beautiful boy in the world who loves me just for me being me. And that is enough. I am full.

e

Tomorrow I will write another "eve of your birth" letter to my little one.

S.I.

2007-04-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

Diagnosis: SINUS INFECTION.

Today's Accomplishments:

BLEW NOSE, POPPED A ZPACK PILL, FED KID, WENT TO DENTIST, BLEW NOSE, FED KID, WATCHED OPRAH WHILE KID NAPPED, RAN ANOTHER FEVER, TOOK TYLENOL, PLAYED AT PARK, WENT TO TARGET FOR THE 30TH TIME FOR BDAY PARTY SUPPLIES AND BLEW NOSE SOME MORE.

30 MINUTES UNTIL I AM OFF THE MOMMY CLOCK.

priceless.

e

p.s. Hubs got to spend the day at the Ballpark for Opening Day. Good times.

Sunday Surprise

2007-04-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday began early with hubs taking Rt in the car up to meet his parents at their country club 45 minutes away. Rt was dropped off with Gran Gran to spend the day together while hubs and Fafa played golf. What did I do with an entire day at my house ALONE???? Eat bon bons and watch the boob tube? Well, not exactly. Not even close.

Did I mention I am sick? Well, not sick, sick, but I think what allergies I had turned into a sinus infection, maybe. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon to find out the truth behind the phlegm. I had been taking Zicam and Airborne for a couple days trying to head off the incoming doom, but I don't think they could stand up to the mighty, mighty snot. I could go on and on in detail of the clouds taking over my head, but I don't want to gross you out with specifics of the color wheel of phlegm.

Anywho, yesterday was "all me, all day". Rt's 2nd birthday party is this Saturday. Basically, that means this house needs to be in some sort of order to be able to house the 30 people who are supposedly coming to the shindig. What lovely piles of junk mail are fine for me and the hubs, don't work well with many house guests some the size of martians. So, everything that isn't a necessity had to put back in it's "original" place, if there ever was one. So, what to do with hours on end alone in my house?

CLEAN, CLEAN, ORGANIZE, TAKE MEDICINE, SPREAD NEW DIRT IN GARDEN, CLEAN, CLEAN, EMPTY OUT TRASH IN CAR, TAKE LARGE BOXES TO DUMP, MAKE BROWNIES, BLOW NOSE, TAKE FOOD TO NEWBORN'S HOUSE, EAT TAMALE PIE, CLEAN, ORGANIZE GARAGE (WHY? WHY NOW?), START TO GET RT'S EASTER BASKET TOGETHER, PULL OUT HIS BDAY PRESENTS, CLEAN SOME MORE.

The one thing I can say I did do for myself yesterday was to get a pedicure on my way home from the dump. I was the only customer and the only one who spoke English. I know for sure they were commenting on how dirty I was. I had been emptying bags of dirt into the garden and got mixed up in the soil debris. Oh well. My legs got a bath. I just hope they didn't notice the dirt under my nails. Eww. Do they realize they need to have magazines that are more current than October '06? Yesterday's news people. Here is your $25. See ya.

What happened next shouldn't have been that surprising. I started to run a fever. While Rt watched his favorite show, I sneaked away to take the hottest shower known to man. I could have been there all night. The rest of the evening, I spent waiting to take my nighttime medicine. If I took it too early, it wouldn't last me the whole night, but if I didn't take it soon enough, the fever could get out of control. So, I took the stuff at 8:30p.m. and went to bed at 9p.m. And I slept ALL NIGHT. PHEWWWW.

All I can gather from this experience is this: Ask hubs if he and the kid can leave the house one Sunday out of every month for a free round of golf, some Gran Gran time, and the strength to take a little more "me" time for yours truly.

e

Pretty in Pink

2007-03-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is no joke people. Another one of my friends had a baby today.

Congrats to Allie and her family on the birth of their second child today, a girl.

Stats:

Isabella Grace
7 lbs. 10 oz.
19 inches
5:06p.m.

(She was thought to be 9ish lbs. whoops.)

Pic of Bella to follow. Until then, here is her big brother, Caleb.

A mere 3 hours and 36 minutes from the time they broke her water and started the pitocin. Incredible.

e

p.s. Allie was kind enough to watch Rt yesterday afternoon while I went to visit my friend Amy (see post below) in the hospital with her first baby. Allie knew she was having a baby today and still thought it was no problem to watch someone else's 2 year old for over 2 hours. She rocks.

Top 10 Target Best Bets

2007-03-28T07:14:00.000-07:00

Now, I know everyone has Target. So, this should be fun for all. Clearly, I have a thing for Target Brand. Bare with me.

Top 10

1) Target Brand Hand Sanitizer- As I have mentioned before, this stuff is literally all over my house and car. Total bargain.

2) Hot Wheels cars- 97 cents. Keeps the entire shopping experience a positive one. Rt loves getting a new car to play with while we shop. (No Rt, Lowe's doesn't have cars to buy for you. sorry)

3) Target Brand Children's medicine- Exactly the same as brand name. Did you know they have the Target version of Mylicon? Make a note of that one!

4) Target Brand Pearl Tampons- Dude, who wants to pay full price for these? These are the bomb. Believe me, I have tried them all.

5) Target Brand Sensitive Wipes- Just like Pamper's Sensitives, my favs, but way cheaper.

6) Annie's Mac 'n Cheese- 99 cents, Organic $1.99 (Actually, I found the organic kind at Cost Co for $11.99 for 15 boxes. score.)

7) Robeez kid shoe knock off's- Just as cute and half the price! Quite durable. Believe me, I know.

8) Storage Bin Toy Organizer- Fits all of Rt's toys. He loves having them on display and accessible. I love it cause it looks organized! Yee haw.

9) Lamps, Lamps, Lamps- Bought Rt's cuuute lamp for his room. Looks very Pottery Barnish, but me no pay PB prices. nice.

10) Batteries- When they are on sale, you can get a pack of 12 for $9.99 And when you are in dire need of a battery, it's nice not to pay an arm and a leg.

What's left?

e

p.s. um, I was just searching target.com to see if their tampons were for sale online to link to, and this is what I found from my tampon search. dude, that is weird.

I see blue

2007-03-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

It's a boy!

Congrats to my other friend Amy and her family
on the birth of their first child, a boy.

(Amy and her husband live near us in the burbs.
Amy and I worked at Yahoo! together and have
been good friends ever since.)

Here are his stats:

Name: Max Alexander
Date: Monday, March 26th, 4:00p.m. via c-section
Weight: 9 lbs 10 ounces
Height: 21 inches

Pic soon to follow.

e

Rama lama lama

2007-03-26T13:14:00.001-07:00

Hot Damn! My Max won the role of Danny on Broadway!! Laura won the role of Sandy, which is just lovely, but having Max win was major fab. I buried my head during the finale. I couldn't take the pressure. I am still so exhausted from the nerves. My hubby thinks I have offically lost it.

I dvr'd the show to watch it again. Gotta run.

In the meantime, take this Grease quiz!

e

mundane madness

2007-03-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

Can't wait till these day lilies bloom again. I'm in need of a Spring pick me up.

Hot damn!

2007-03-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

So, Rt and I went to Trader Joe's today after my book study. We picked up the usual and even some hot ticket items thanks to your recommendations! (Which pizza was it by the way? I think I got the wrong ones.) Also, I couldn't remember half of what you said, so next time I'll have to remember a list. Now, if I could only remember to make a list....

Anywho, I parked far enough away from the store, so I could escape the slew of shoppers easily once we finished our mission. We were hoping to blaze a trail since nap time wasn't too far away. After I loaded up the back of the SUV, I sat Rt in his car seat and proceeded to buckle him in from outside the car. I was leaning over the backseat with my ass fully exposed when I heard,

"Whooooooooah, Seeeeeexxxyyyyyyy."

Are you freakin kidding me? Some guy and his truck full of buddies gave ME, 33 yr old, mom of 1, ME a cat call? Hot damn!!!! Let's just put aside the fact the guy had a stash, was entirely too diiirty for my taste and I believe his posse's average age was 50 something. Still. Still people! When you live in suburbia, you don't get "the call" as often as you'd like (or hope for). I was starting to feel a little stale.

The major kicker was they most likely didn't see my KID in the backseat, just my ass........... and my designer jeans, baby.

Aweeee ya, still got it.

e

(please excuse my typos. my major was journalism.)

Night and Day

2007-03-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so my last post was a fluff piece. No, actually, it was just about things that are fluffy, like reality tv. But today, I am on to something much deeper. Talk about range ladies and gentlemen! Aren't you excited? Sizzle Says did get me thinking....

I grew up in a truly loving, supportive family. I felt like we were one of the "it" families. If fact, I thought we rocked. Hell, if your family was still together by the time you hit high school, you were considered a success. Most of my memories are filled with my parents and my brother doing this or that together. So, looking back, I truly have no regrets when it comes to my childhood. Well, there was that one haircut in the 5th grade, but other than that, times were good. However, once I went away to college freshman year, everything changed when I returned.

My parents split up, my father moved away and I was left to care for my mother and brother. They didn't ask for my help, nor were they incapable of taking care of themselves, but to me, the only way of coping was to care for others who "needed me". I spent a good portion of my college days staying distracted. (socializing, partying, playing cards, you name it, I did it with a smile on my face.) There was no way in hell I was able to handle my truckload of problems, so I pushed them down really far, along with the pizza and beer, and looked for others to save.

When you bring alcohol or any other addiction to the table, you are dealing with a different scenario entirely. Someone can be an asshole, just cause they are, but when someone is an asshole due to their alcoholic personality, then you aren't just dealing with the asshole, you are dealing with the disease, the asshole and what got them there in the first place. It is entirely confusing, majorly frustrating and no one can completely fathom what it's like to walk in your shoes unless you have been scarred by the disease as well.

Only recently have I been able to obtain something that resembles peace when it comes to this major downer in my life. Unless, someone recognizes they are an addict, and is willing to get help to recover and face all the crap they laid behind them, then there is no point in wasting your time hoping for a normal day. That sounds ho hum in itself, but it's really not. It shows me there is NADA I can do to fix this, it has to be fixed by someone else, the guilty party. And if they are unable to recognize their addiction, then I truly can LET GO and find another way to fill this void.

And I am ok with that.

e

Infatuation

2007-03-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

On Sunday nights, I rarely get the wonderful opportunity to watch a delightful show while it actually airs. Hubs is so far from being able to sit down and enjoy this fabulous fluff I yearn to watch, but last night, he was busy packing for his day trip to SD.

So........... while he was off preparing for his voyage, I embraced the remote and maneuvered my way through the lame selection of shows on a Sunday night to watch......

GREASE: You're the one that I Want!

All I can say is SWEET GAHGAH. It IS the mother ship! I have been a fan of this show even before it aired. I think they began running the previews during the dancing show.(name escapes me) Anywho. I waited and waited for this puppy to air, and man o man it has not disappointed.

But, I have never been able to watch it "live" (night of, etc) due to its lack of appeal to hubs. I usually end up watching it on Monday's during naps or if I forget to tape it, on Friday afternoons after it re-airs on Bravo. Let me just say, it's even MORE marvelous watching it "LIVE" (tape delayed. whatever)

This particular episode was quite luscious since they were narrowing down the contestants to the final two before America votes who will actually become Danny & Sandy on Broadway in GREASE. The two people they did give the boot to, I wasn't bummed nor surprised, but one of the Danny's that remains is a totally lamo. He has been on DAYS before. Let me see if I can find a pic of him from his run on the soap.
I guess he played Hawk back in '01-'02. Not that there is anything horribly wrong with him, I just don't care for him. I'd rather have the other dude, MAX win. He rocks my casbah. I even tried to vote for him last night, but my cell was acting up, so I never got through. Here's hoping he makes it. Please o please!!!!

Bottom line is this: I went to bed sooooo excited for next Sunday's reveal of who wins. I guess no matter what the show is, if it makes you that entranced and excited for what's going to happen next, that's mighty fine programming.

e

p.s. Did I mention I am a musical theatre GEEKOID?
I played some roles in high school and can't shake the dream. tee hee.

It's a girl!

2007-03-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Amy and Family on the birth of their new girl, Mallory.

Stats:

March 16th
7:55a.m.
10 lbs, 21 inches

This photo is a year old, but it's the only one I have handy.

Meet P n B.

2007-03-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

P n B, meet everybody.

my brother's boys....

16 months apart..........

Good God, my sister-in-law IS "Woman of the Year".

e

Must Delete Prom '90

2007-03-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those years where it was a "transitional" one? Well, for me, it was sophomore year. I was a "late bloomer" in all sense of the word, since I quit gymnastics in the 8th grade. I didn't even get braces until the spring of my freshman year. So, all sophomore year I spent being a brace face. I am sure my mom would attest I never had any transitional years, but I strongly disagree.

So, by the time Prom '90 came around, I was sporting braces and a recent body wave gone wrong. To top it all off, I had a job as a lifeguard and had spent my first 3 days of work getting my yearly sunburn. It wouldn't have matter much, but my dress was strapless! Oh, and it was light pink with ruffles. Good God. And if you thought I might be sporting the matching dyed light pink heels, you are correct. Give yourself a medal.

My date was actually a good guy. I can bet you money, he thinks of me on a daily basis. I was that good. NO! no. The night was just that memorable. Here, I'll explain.

The night didn't get too crazy until after the Prom itself. We pre-partied at his apartment with some couple friends. (His family lived 2 hours away and got him an apartment to live close to school. How freakin cool is that?) We made it to the prom, somehow, I don't recall. Actually, I don't remember anything memorable about the prom except getting some nasty ass party pics taken of the two of us. You know, the ones with the black and white checker board floors with the white column/plant positioned next to you. Vomit.

Anywho, after the dancing ended, we all piled into the van. I believe the girls were going to change their clothes at the after-party, but some of the guys thought it would be way cool to change their clothes in the car. One of those guys, my date, put on one of my girlfriends light pink mock-turtleneck tank tops as a joke. But the joke didn't stop in the car, he wore it into the after-party. Now, I told you this guy was nice guy, I didn't say he was a smart cookie. So, the night preceded on. I made my way out to the parking lot to find someone or something, who the hell knows, only to find my date sitting outside on the steps with a nasty bloody towel covering his shoulder. Apparentely, he had fallen through a freakin window. Nice. You see, he got in a fight with a fellow "friend" at the party and was pushed up against a window. There was a bar there that broke his fall, but also kept him in the line of the falling glass. Since he was wearing that damn tank top, the glass fell down and ripped up his exposed shoulder terribly. The ambulance came, loaded him up and whisked him away to the hospital. I tried to go with him, but they wouldn't let me. I WASN'T 18. Great. So, not knowing what to do then, I caught a ride with some other friends to the early morning breakfast, fell asleep in their van and woke up at 5am wondering where the hell I was.

I finally got a ride home and walked in the door only to see my mother standing there waiting for me. She wasn't too pleased to hear my lavish tale of my date falling through a window, being whisked away to the hospital, and me the one who couldn't go with him decide to lay down and take a nap, all without calling home.

It was a night not to remember, but poor John, he remembers. And it was all because of that damn light pink mock turtleneck tank top.

Your turn!

e

Top 10 CostCo Steals

2007-03-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

If you do not have CostCo, insert Sam's Club above.

1) 42" Vizio Plazma HDTV- Talk about getting our $50/year membership worth on this one. Yee haw.

2) Carter's PJ's- Best Pj's in town at bottom pricing. Love me some footies.

3) Entertainment Center- Classic and modern wood furniture for PENNIES. Also, ASSEMBLED. Major bonus.

4) Kitchen Trash Bags- Now I have purchased two boxes of trash bags in 3 years and still have half a roll left. Not the sturdiest of bags, but they get the job done.

5) Foster Farm's Mega Pack of Chicken Breasts- All the chicken you'll ever need at a fraction of the cost. Chicken is expensive people! I also am going to buy their frozen chicken nuggets for Rt. Heard good things about those.

6) Ziploc Bags- I actually wanted to get the freezer bags, but they didn't have any at the time, so I ended up with the sandwich bags. Dude, I have found so many ways to use these things and I haven't even gotten through the first box out of 4. Nice.

7) 10.2" Widescreen MINTEK Portable DVD Player- Can we say we are SO ready when the need arises for long plane rides and even longer ass car trips?

8) Sonicare Electric Toothbrushes- These things aren't cheap to begin with. You can also buy the replacement packs too. Now, if I can just remember to brush my teeth, let alone use the electric one, I'll be set. (I'm a mom, I forget, ok?)

9) Fillets- All you need is some freezer bags and you are set to eat steak all month long. Great price and good taste. Gotta have me some meat.

10) Bottled Water- We used to buy the gallons of water when we lived in LA and all we had was our puny filtered water pitcher inside the fridge. Now that we have filtered water from the fridge itself, the bottles are nice to have on the go.

Now, I know you can add to this list. Bring it.

e

Top 10 Trader Joes Finds

2007-03-09T08:07:00.000-08:00

1) Bag of Raw Almonds- Pefect for chomping on after lunch while watching dvr'd shows. The only ingredients in the almonds, are almonds. Nice.

2) Green Chili & Cheese Tamales- Ahh, my favorite quickie meal. Best on those nights when all I have to feed is myself and I have no energy whatsoever. Love me some chilies!

3) Microwavable Bag of Cubed Sweet Potatoes- Rt loves these! 4 minutes in the microwave and voila, ready to serve!

4) Jar of Peach or Pear halves in Juice- Perfect quick fruit for Rt. When I have no time to cut up 500 grapes or carve an apple, these are the best!

5) Frozen mini-cubes of Garlic- Who has fresh garlic on hand? I think I may have some from a month ago. Still able to use? I think not.

6) Cuties Ice Cream Sandwiches- Yum! These are half the size and taste just like the real deal, plus they're soy, so less bad stuff.

7) Cheap Butter- Love the pricing. Can't beat tons o' butter at bargain prices. ha.

8) Soy Vay Teriyaki Sauce- Major stir-fry staple. Plus, I use this in a ground turkey dish. mmmm. Love the added sesame seeds.

9) Pork Pot Stickers (Gyoza)- Even though the company went out of business, these still make the top ten. What are we going to do with stir-fry night? The replacements they have, a shrimp or veggie pot sticker are SO NOT the same. waaah.

10) Gnocchi with red sauce- Love, love, love to make this with steamed broccoli. Cook on stovetop in 7 minutes.

Ohhh, and I can't forget to mention their frozen organic fruits and veggies.

Have anything to add?

e

All in a days work

2007-03-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

I could have written this myself, but I didn't. Enjoy.

"If you have been secretly wondering what is wrong with me, I now have
the answer... Recently, I was diagnosed with C. A. A. D. D. (Child
Activated Attention Deficit Disorder)

This is how it manifests: I decide to do the laundry. As I start toward
the laundry room, I notice that there are cheerios all over the floor
and my car keys are in the cereal bowl. I decide to pick up the cheerios
before I do the laundry. I lay my car keys down on the counter, put the
cheerios in the trash can under the counter, and notice that the trash
can is full. So, I decide to take out the trash. But then I think,
since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash I may
as well pay the bills first. I take my checkbook off the table, and see
that there is only one check left, my extra checks are in my desk in the
office/playroom, so I go to my desk where I find a sippy cup full of
juice. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I decide I should put
the sippy cup in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the
kitchen with the sippy cup a vase of flowers on the counter catches my
eye - they need to be watered. I set the sippy cup on the counter, and I
discover baby wipes that I've been searching for all morning. I decide
I better put them back in the bathroom, but first I'm going to water the
flowers. I set the wipes back down and splash some water on the
flowers, but most of it spills on the floor. So, I get some paper towels
and wipe up the spill. Then I head down the hall trying to remember what
I was planning to do. At the end of the day: the laundry isn't washed,
the bills aren't paid, there is a warm cup of juice sitting on the
counter, the flowers aren't watered, there is still only one check in my
checkbook, I can't find the wipes, and I don't remember what I did with
the car keys. Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm
really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get
some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail. Don't laugh - if this
isn't you yet, your day is coming."

e

Beef of the Week

2007-03-07T13:19:00.000-08:00

Ever since Rt got his first tooth at 8 months, we have called his teeth, toofies. I have no idea why, it just sounded cute, I guess. He calls them toofies as well, so I guess it will be the going phrase from here on out.

Today's Topic: Toofies

Yesterday, I went back to the dentist to get 2, yes I said 2, temporary crowns. WTF? I am in my earlyish 30's and have fakies? What next? A rod for a hip? Why,why,why??
Ok, I am over it, but come on, where is the love? I do appreciate I was given straight teeth, but these deep grooves have been a pain in my side for most of my life. When I was young, during my competitive gymnastics days, I could eat anything I wanted, and believe me, I did. After school, before practice, we would hit the 7-11 in carpool and I used all the spare change I had to buy JUNK. I can't recall all the crap I bought, but the "buy two, get one twinkie free" come to mind along with Bonkers, Mambas, and Now 'n Laters. So, obviously I acquired a few cavities. Due to the deep grooves in my teeth, the cavities were deep and wide. So, fast forward to my 20/30's, these last couple silver filings are in dire need of an upgrade. The major flippin problem is, these silver fillings cracked over the years and made way for more cavity to seep down into my tooth. And the result is: CROWN my ass will ya? So, here we are now, or here I am now, in pain due to the harassment my mouth took over a course of 2 hours yesterday. I thought it was a good thing to use the rubber mouth guard to keep my mouth propped open, but I have never been this sore due to a trip to the dentist. PLUS, I don't think these temps are sitting right. I think I can feel them first when I bite down. Oh lovely, another trip to the freakin dentist. Ya, ya, not a big deal, but when you have a little one, you have to make last minute plans to have someone watch them. Luckily, one of my mommy friend's is already watching another kid, so adding Rt to the mix wasn't a huge burden. Hopefully, it won't take too long so I can make it back and help her with the herd of 2 yr olds.

Oops. Forgot to mention yesterday that Rt is now 23 months old!
One more to go till he turns the big 2!!! I can't believe it. :)

e

Death and Taxes

2007-03-06T08:07:00.000-08:00

The only certainty in life? Ahhh! The Today show even quoted Big Ben this morning as apart of their series on how to save money filing your taxes or something like that. I was having a hard time hearing over Rt pleading with me to watch his signing video. "Baby, Baby, Baby?". "Not now, sweetheart. Quiet now." "Baby, Baby, Baby??????". Anywho, both seem to be the going subjects out there lately.

Just yesterday, I was at my MOPS meeting (Mother's of Preschoolers)(aren't I kickass?) where an Estate Planning and Asset Protection lawyer spoke. Usually at our meetings, the mood is fluffy, the crafts are quaint, but useful, and the food takes the shape of a supposed egg casserole, but yesterday, it was MAJOR HEAVY. I even teared up during the presentation. No one wants to think about what will happen to your child if you AND your hubby dies. It literally makes my heart hurt. The whole point to the lawyer being there was to inform us, if we weren't "ready" for the worst to happen, then it could mean a lot of trouble for our offspring and family.

Here is what I thought you should know:

1) Make sure you have a list of FIRST RESPONDERS and their phone numbers given to ANYONE who watches your children when you/hubs are not there. These people are to be called in case you do not come home or something has happened to you. These people do not need to be the permanent guardians of your children. They should be people you trust who are local and can get to your kids quickly.

2) Give these First Responders Legal authority to take custody of your children. It must be giving in writing. (A lawyer should look over the document.)

3) Carry a CARD with you in your wallet under your driver's license to tell police how to reach your First Responders.

4) Name a PERMANENT guardian. If you don't, a COURT will do so for you and you will have no say in who raises your children.

5) Is there anyone in your family you do NOT want to raise your kids? If so, you should have an estate planning attorney prepare and ANTI-NOMINATION.

6) If you own a house or have more than $100,000 in assets, you need to make sure your property goes to your child in a LIVING trust. Without one, your loved ones will go to probate court which costs 5% of your gross estate and take 16 MONTHS to resolve. (IN CA)

7) Make sure your child never inherits anything from you OUTRIGHT. The best way is to us an ASSET-PROTECTED trust that last their entire lifetime. This trust will help protect your inheritance from being lost due to divorce, estate taxes, lawsuits, etc.

So, after reading all this, are you scared shitless? I know I was. The only MAJOR ASS kicker to getting a LIVING TRUST is, they are expensive. Now, not as expensive as how much it will cost in legal fees and taxes after the fact, but for anyone's regular budget, it can be pricey. I'd say somewhere around $1500 as a minimum would be about right. Ouch.

Now that I have made myself sick thinking of "what could be", I have to get back to filing our taxes online. Woo hoo! Let's just hope we get a whopper back from Uncle Sam, so we can actually consider getting us one of those live trust thingys.

e

Meow!

2007-03-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

Rt's girlfriend. Isn't she puuurrrty? hehehhehe.

Happy 2nd Birthday Miss A!

e

Beef of the Week

2007-03-01T13:37:00.000-08:00

Ok, I can't wait for you people. The BOW has to come out.
So, if you feel you have something to get off your chest, go ahead,
but I won't be sad if I don't hear from you. I'll just think:

a) You have nothing to add to my rant and rave.
b) You are stuck under something heavy and cannot reach the "publish" button.
c) You don't have anything to add AND you are stuck under something heavy.

Today's topic: Hair Salons

Do you recall my earlier post regarding my new hair color? It probably looked the same to you, but it was "new" to me. Anywho, I finally got used to it and even liked it, for awhile. But, since I was in the zone of buying $3 shampoo and conditioner to save some cash, I think the brown low-lights turned a little brassy for my liking. It's hard to tell since I don't have eyes in the back of my head, but I think it's not my thing anymore. So, off to the salon I go, again.

I am making a call this afternoon to a new place. Hell, I have been to 3 "new" places since I have lived here. I just can't find anyone who has what it takes. Such a big, fat bugger. I don't have all this free time and extra cash flow to get it wrong, you know? So, here's hoping to a better do.

As I was leaving the last salon I went to, the guy at the counter said that my $100 color job would need some touching up in only 6 weeks. 6 weeks???? That's it? I went darker to prevent going back to the salon for at least 2 months! Great. It was confirmed then that I was in the wrong place. No one was looking out for me, just themselves.

And that is the BEEF about it. I am a walking billboard for these people! If my hair looks good, and I mean, really good, people will ask where I got my hair done. If it looks like it took 5 minutes and $5 to get my look, then it's bad PR, people! No matter how often I speak up telling them to do it a certain way, don't cut it too short, or don't put in ANY hairspray after the blowdry, I always leave feeling like a big lamo. It never fails. I can't convey to them what it takes to get it the way I want it. Is it an intimidation thing? They have the power to really F'up my hair, so, don't say anything or they'll shave my sideburns? Who knows, but I am getting really tired of washing my money down the drain.

e

Something in my nose?

2007-02-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

Do I have bad breath? Toilet paper hanging from my shoe? Where's the love people?
I haven't heard from you in days. Was it something I said? Didn't say?

Come on peeps. Let me hear you roar, or reply, whichever you prefer.

Beef of the Week will be posted tomorrow, so the question is,

What is YOUR Beef of the Week?

e

All it takes is 5 minutes

2007-02-27T14:11:00.000-08:00

All it takes is 5 minutes for things to start heading your way. I am a believer because it just happened to me. Yippee kai a mo' fo'.

I have been sitting on a couple of freakin issues that were nagging me to pieces.

Case in point #1:

INSURANCE. Rt had tube surgery at the beginning of the month. Since we were in the "paying deductible" phase of our insurance, we owed $1200 for the ear procedure. Once that money was paid out, we then entered the "just paying 10%" on any future doctor visits/procedures until August. The insurance company doesn't have any co-pays, so everytime we see a doc, we walk right in, no moo la la to the system. It is soo nice and convenient. Therefore, we never owe anything upfront for any visit. Actually, our insurance tells us to NEVER pay for anything until an invoice has been sent to them. I get it, it totally makes sense. So, when we go in to get Rt's ears done, they told us we owed our deductible portion right then and there before the surgery could even begin! Well, shit. They said they called our insurance co and they said we DID owe the $1200. What the hell? I thought we weren't supposed to pay upfront, blah blah blah. We were so confused at this point, but wrote the check anyway. In the end, we did pay more than we were supposed to, so I have been on the phone with the insurance co and the surgery center trying to get my $$ back. All morning long, one side was saying this, the other that. BUT, I just got back from visiting my very prego friend AMY and got a message on my voicemail. The first thing the surgery center woman said was "Looks like we owe you some money. We'll get that to you on such and such date". Yippee kai a mo' fo'.

Case in point #2.

VIDEO TAPES. Rt is turning two in April. Last year, hubs made a video of Rt's first year to show at the party. It was a major hit. So, we decided we would do it again. One problem. Were in the hell were the little bitty teeny weeny ass video tapes? We looked everywhere. There aren't that many places to hide in this house. We have a kid, so nothing is just laying around. Everything is up somewhere. So, a week goes by and we still hadn't found the tapes. Hubs said we would tear the place apart on Saturday. Dude, that is 3 days from now. I am in distress NOW. Can we say trip to Hawaii, New York, everything Rt has done since he was 1 year old? GONE??? Did it get tossed with some of the Christmas decorations? The only evidence we had was the footage in the video camera began sometime in mid-December. The Christmas tree in the background was the obvious clue. So, where in the hell did one of us put the tapes sometime in December? Dude, I can't even remember if I took my vitamin last night. How can I solve this mystery? I am mostly a visual person. I can imagine seeing something somewhere and look and it's actually there. So, after I got Rt down for a nap today, I listened to the voicemail regarding the insurance refund, I had a conversation with hubs, told him I should find the tapes now since everything was falling into place in the past 5 minutes. As I was saying that, I visualized the tapes, opened the drawer to the butcher cart, (which has become my desk drawer, since my computer resides on top of said butcher cart) and the tapes were shoved back in the back with the rest of my important paperwork for safekeeping. OH MAH GAWD. Yippee Kai A Mo' Fo!

All I can say is, sawheet!

e

Rub a dub dub

2007-02-26T15:23:00.000-08:00

Rt and gurl cuz TR in the tub.

Britney, Can it be, P.P.D?

2007-02-23T14:49:00.000-08:00

It wasn't too long ago that I was wondering whether or not I was suffering from P.P.D, Postpartum Depression. I am still, to this day, unsure if in fact it really was ppd, but I have a pretty good idea I was dealing with something very overwhelming. What got me thinking about this again was the latest "happenings" with Britney Spears. Dooce posted about it today and it brought up a good point, why isn't anyone talking about ppd? Everything that is going on in her life right now screams something is really "off". Actually, it's her responses and actions to everything going on that are truly "off". I have started to really feel sorry for her, wondering how hard it would be to be in the spotlight, enduring what she is enduring, while suffering from something so massive.

Then, I thought about my journey again. I first questioned how "I" felt when Rt was 5 weeks old. I had gone down to San Diego with hubs to attend a work baby shower for Rt. We lived in LA at the time and hubs worked remotely. To celebrate the new arrival, we were asked to come down for a couple of days so his team could meet Rt. Hubs would be working most of the time, but it was to be a nice getaway for us. About that time, Brooke Shields came out with her book, "Down Came the Rain". I, of course, was so intrigued by her story on Oprah, I bought her book that day on Amazon. I had begun to read a little bit of it, but didn't really take a huge bite out of the book until I had some time to burn in my hotel room while Rt napped. I think back to that time and wonder, what the hell were we doing traveling with a 5 WEEK old in the first place? Talk about thinking I could do it all. What, you mean having a baby changes things? You mean, I actually should take some time to get accustomed to the biggest change in my life, before signing up for every opportunity presented to me? Much easier to see that now, but back then, no way, no how.

I recall moving Rt up to Size 2 nipples on his bottles and freaking out wondering why he was choking so much while feeding. I even called LVGurl in a panic asking the "been there done that already mommy" what the hell was wrong with my exorcist baby. Seems so silly now. 0 + 2 = 2, but in those days of no sleep and no recollection of who I was, I wasn't trusting anything coming from my brain. Which also included diving into the PPD depression book when I had a 5 week old. Let me just paint the picture. I was in a La Jolla hotel room, 10 stories up. This hotel is very narrow. Our room had a wide view of the ocean, but go out the door and there is a wide view of the parking lot way down below. I have never been too afraid of heights, but I was feeling some major anxiety and the height factor wasn't helping. I don't think I was ever in a depressive state of such magnitude as Brooke Shields, but I did ask myself, hypothetically, "Do I want to throw my baby off the balcony?" Once that fear set in on me, I turned on Felicity as quickly as I could and promised myself to really focus on how hot Ben was until the show was over and I could get back in the car and go pick up the hubs. If it hadn't kept my mind clear, I would have loaded Rt into the car, and sat in hub's office parking lot all afternoon until 5:30p.m.

Of course when something like this happens, you don't get on the phone and call all of your friends and tell them how f'ed up you are feeling. This secret, shameful disease doesn't scream acceptance. I think it's a good start that it's becoming more talked about and studied, but the hardest part about it is the internal failure that a new mother feels while battling something she has no chance of winning alone.

So, after many nights of getting more and more minutes of sleep, the days were more joyful and the nights were less feared. So, I really don't know if it was just a combination of lack of sleep, natural anxiety and starting a new job that I had no experience in or I did battle my own case of P.P.D. I think the true test will be when we have another baby. Will I now have enough mommy wisdom to recognize when it's time to take care of myself and when it's time to be Supermom? I am not sure, but I do know it's not going to stop me from doing it again.

e

Beef of the Week

2007-02-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

One word. EBAY

Mo fo EBAY. Actually, it's not really ebay this time, it's the chick that is selling her kid dvd's that is getting my panties in a whod. I ordered 3 of Rt's favorite signing videos from this woman on ebay. I could have just spent $5 more and purchased them on one of a trillion sites, but noooooooooo, I went the ebay way and look what I got: NOTHING.

Here is the detailed scoop. I ordered these dvd's sometime in mid-January. However, the order was put on hold for about a week until Paypal confirmed I lived where I lived, etc. So, after that mess, it was already Jan. 26th. The most annoying thing out of all of this is you don't get an email from the seller, EVER. Unless, you actually email them to inquire about this our that. I merely emailed this fine woman wondering when the videos were shipped, what carrier did she use, and what was the tracking number? My email went out on Feb. 7. Plenty of grace period if you ask me. I believe I got a response a day later, but wasn't "with it" enough to realize it was sent to "My Ebay" section, and not to my yahoo address. So, on Feb. 11th I saw her reply which was basically a stall tactic, "oh, you didn't receive the dvd's by now?, let me know and I will send a new shipment out immediately." Now, if that doesn't scream "oh shit, I forgot to mail those", I don't know what does. Long story, even longer, I wrote her back and what have I gotten since? a Paypal email stating a USPS mailing label was created on Feb. 12th, AND THAT IS IT MY FRIENDS. I have emailed her 2 more times since then asking for a reply, asking her for updated tracking information, asking IF SHE WERE ALIVE. I even threatened her with a negative feedback,(which you are not really supposed to do), but what other cards did I have???? So, today I left a "neutral" feedback stating I had not received my order. I had to go through this lame tutorial before I left the semi-kiss of death feedback. The real kicker to the seller is she is HIGHLY RATED. I think she has a 94% positive feedback rating.

In the end, hubs said I should get my money back from Paypal. BUT I HAVE COME SO FAR! I can't give up now. I want JUSTICE!! Has this happened to anyone? If so, do tell. I need Ebay support. Is there a meeting I can attend for this? EBAYANON?

Until then, Rt is thoroughly educated on what to expect when he gets to school. Do YOU know the sign for "Pay Attention"?

e

Partner in Crime

2007-02-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

Thank you little one for being such a sweetass sidekick today. I love days like these.
I feel like we can take on the world and laugh the entire trip. You rock.

e

Monday Meme

2007-02-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks LVGurl for making me think back to times well suppressed.

6 things that are bizarro about me.

1) I named my first Madame Alexander doll Jenny. I received another MA doll for Christmas the next year and named her Jenny 2. (I didn't ever play with the first one. Asked for a second so Jenny 1 wouldn't be lonely.) I had an imaginary friend a few years later. Her name? JENNY. She was from Orvel, Texas. (Don't think it exists.) Once I was through playing with Jenny, the imaginary friend, I told everyone she went to visit her grandmother in Horrible, Texas. (Don't think it exists either.)

2) My favorite candy? Gummy Cherries. I also have a major love for Cherry Starbursts, Very Cherry Jelly Beans, and Cherry Sours. Cherry Pop Tarts are also fab. Any other flavors? Maybe Strawberry, but anything else is NASTY.

3) I have to put my left sock/left shoe on first. ALWAYS. My father told me when I was little. "Left for luck and right for might". Ever since then I have NEVER put my right anything on first. THANKS DAD for making me OCD on this one.

4)I put my '88 thunderbird into reverse while going 20 miles per hour. Why? I have no idea. I was a sophomore in high school newly driving and trying to show off for my friends, I guess. Wow, what a smart cookie.

5) I shaved my side burn hairs when I was in lower school. (they were long, but for some reason, had to go.) I thought if I shaved them, they wouldn't come back. Why did I want them to go away? I have no idea. Let's just say it was a GOOD look.

6) I took someone else's birth certificate to the tag agency and got a REAL id. They asked me if anything had changed regarding my stats. (this gal was 5'9", brown hair and blue eyed. I am 5'6", blond and hazel eyed) I said I had put on 5lbs. That is all I could think of. Well, whatever I did say, it worked. Away I went with a real id with my picture and someone else's info. PLUS, this gal didn't know I had her birth certificate in the first place. Classy, eh? Anywho, I went down to Dallas, Texas for the OU/Texas football weekend. I had gone to a fraternity party (with a total knob) at the Hard Rock. The ONLY cool thing about the entire night was Punky Brewster was at the party as someone's date. This was pre boob reduction, so she was the hit of the party. Long story short, I lost my id that night. Somewhere. In. Dallas. I didn't realize it until my friend CeCe and I were driving back to campus. I called all the LA Quinta Inn's I knew in the Dallas area hoping someone had found my id. Finally, one lady said a housekeeper had found an Oklahoma ID in the parking lot and had shipped it back to the address on the id 2 days before. UM, HELLO! This gal doesn't know I had her ID!!! So, CeCe and I jumped into the car, drove 30 miles to the address and hoped something miraculous would happen when we got there. I rang the doorbell and waited not knowing what I would say when someone answered. Luckily, No one did answer. I noticed the mailbox was attached to the outside of the house. I went ahead and opened the lid, saw an envelope from La Quinta Inn addressed to "me" and took it. I ran as fast as I could to the car and drove away. While driving, I looked inside the envelope and what did I see? MY SWEETASS FAKE ID! Woo hoo.

e

A day late, but not a dollar short

2007-02-16T15:00:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day in our house was on Feb. 15th this year. Hubs was supposed to fly back from SD in time for some sort of dinner celebration on the 14th. (not that I was cooking anything or had anything prepared, he was just supposed to be here. I did, however, have a gift and a card) BUT his plane was delayed and he did not return home until a few minutes before 10p.m. So, our BIG Valentine's celebration began and ended with a goodnight kiss.

So, to make up for the missed holiday, last night hubs and I put Rt down, then sat down for a nice dinner of fillet, baked potato and roasted asparagus. Ohh, and there was wine. I think we ended up polishing off the entire bottle or close to it. It was just what we both needed, a quiet table for two after a long week. To end our intimate dinner, we exchanged cards. Funny enough, our cards had the EXACT same message. We must have been feeling the same vibe. Then, I told him he should open up his present. He had such a shocked and sad look on his face. I guess when I mentioned before we should be "cheap" this year, he took my suggestion literally. He wasn't that much of a slacker though. My gift to him wasn't rolling in dough. He received a shirt from Target, some Ghirardelli chocolates, also from Target, and a pail full of chocolate kisses and coupons good for activities to be used at a later date.

I told him we could share the coupons. That way, we both would get an actual present. He said he didn't want to share.(I think he really liked the "get out of jail free" coupon or was it the "free round of golf without any huffing from me" coupon that sold him?) He DID say he would make some of his own coupons just for me. Now, how many of these coupons do you think will have to do with a "freebie"?

e

ABC's

2007-02-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

[A is for age:]
33

[B is for booze of choice:]
Corona, mmmmm beer

[C is for career:]
Currently doing the mom thing, not sure what's around the corner

[D is for your dog’s name:]
no doggie

[E is for essential items you use everyday:]
chip clip/ponytail holder

[F is for favorite song(s) at the moment:]
Coldplay is keeping my ipod busy

[G is for favorite games:]
Asshole, card game in college, man was I good.

[H is for hometown:]
Houston, TX. lived there a whole 3 weeks. Oklahoma City for 14 yrs

[I is for instruments you play:]
Violin, piano back in the day

[J is for jam or jelly you like:]
strawberry, grape, blackberry

[K is for kids:]
Rt

[L is for last kiss:]
Rt when I was putting him down for a nap, great pucker face

[M is for most admired trait:]
dedicated

[N is for name of your crush:]
Brad Pitt always shows up in my dreams, but I am still trying to get he and Jen back together, so no lovin for me, ooooo Ryan Gosling is fab too

[O is for overnight hospital stays:]
Just for Rt's birth, I think

[P is for phobias:]
Any dead animal in my backyard. Damn bird.

[Q is for quotes you like:]
Yippie kai a mo fo.

[R is for biggest regret:]
Not going to OU my first year of college

[S is for sweets of your choice:]
gummy cherries

[T is for time you wake up:]
dude, whenever Rt decides. Anything before 6am is unforgivable

[U is for underwear:]
um, yes.

[V is for vegetables you love:]
roasted asparagus

[W is for worst habit:]
piles, piles and more piles

[X is for x-rays you’ve had:]
right ankle, right thumb, right elbow

[Y is for yummy food you make:]
tamale pie, caramel brownies

[Z is for zodiac sign:]
all i know is virgo

Thanks again LVGurl for keeping my blog current.

e

Oh Danny.

2007-02-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

To the man that would give in and dress up as Danny on Halloween for me.
You rock my casbah.

e

P.S. Do you still have that sweater? See you tonight!

I can see that...

2007-02-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

Your Personality Is Like Ecstasy

You're usually feeling the love for the world around you - you want to hug everyone.
And while you're usually content to sit back and view the world with wonder...
Sometimes you're world becomes very overwhelming and a little scary.

What Drug Is Your Personality Like?

Thanks LVGurl for the idea!

e

Beef of the Week

2007-02-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

Ok, I had mentioned doing this every week at the start of this blog, but I forgot it existed, so that is my excuse.

Today's topic is Cream of Wheat.

I am not sure where my taste for Cream of Wheat came from, but I just dig this stuff. I especially like to add some brown sugar on top. mmmmmm. I hadn't had it since I was little until I bought some not too long ago. Of course, now that I have a child, I never have time to eat myself, so using the microwave to heat my meal is the best chance I have. The problem with using the microwave is you have to check and stir every 30 seconds. If you decide you do not want to follow directions, forget there are directions to follow, or get distracted and once again forget to follow said directions, the cream of wheat WILL EXPLODE in your microwave. Have you ever tried to clean up explosive cream of wheat? It is so sticky and just EVERYWHERE, it pains me to no end when this happens. It has happened to me twice this week and it's ONLY TUESDAY. So, I am boycotting Cream of Wheat until I have forgotten how hard it is to clean the mess, and then, just maybe, I'll try again.

e

Go Lincoln, It's ya birthday

2007-02-11T19:46:00.000-08:00

I decorated my house in lights just for you.
Nah, I just wanted to show off my decorating abilities over the holidays.
I decorated the entire house IN THE RAIN.
(well, actually it was spitting, but it was still wet!)

Go e, it's ya birthday.

Leader of the Plaque

2007-02-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

Vroom, Vroom. Had my trip to the dentist today. Yea, bob. You know when you are supposed to go for just a teeth cleaning, you hope, deep down, they will tell you everything looks immaculate, you will never need a filling the rest of your life, and your teeth are so white, they can't believe you have never had them whitened. (actually, they said that once, I was so proud. I guess I brushed away all the diet coke stains just in time.) Well, that wasn't this trip.

The hygienist waltzed in making some comment about how Anna Nicole Smith was SO on drugs and thought Anna didn't actually know the father of her baby. (It's the other guy, come on people!) I was surprised to see she didn't have a poodle skirt on to match her blonde ponytail and sipping a soda pop out of a straw. Bottom line, she was a tad flighty and reminded me of Sandra Dee. Anywho, after her continual comments on everything that was airing on the flatscreen above my head, the doc walked in.

I wasn't sure who it was since she was wearing a mask, but she said she was the dentist, so I took her word for it. I still don't know what she actually looks like, but I have seen her husband. He happens to be the other dentist in the practice. So cute. Too much time with the hubs in my book, but yea team dentist. She proceeded to tell me some of my fillings in the top back section of my mouth are taking over and I am on CROWN WATCH 2007. WHAAAAH. What is happening? I turned 30 and all my beautiful half silver/half white fillings need some "updating". When they say things like that, they mean, um, can we whittle down your tooth to a stump and put a faky on top? Sigh. Did I mention I have really white teeth?

The good news of the day is Rt went down for a nap at 12:30pm (which is early) and fell asleep within 5 minutes. I guess he was pretty pooped from sleeping all night, then waking at 4:55am. I don't think he actually fell back asleep, and I am pretty sure I didn't either.........

e

You kiddin me right?

2007-02-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Rt,

I don't know what it is that is keeping you from falling asleep this afternoon. Was it too much stimulation at the nursery this morning, that keeps you from dreaming of bunnies, cars, and choo choo's? Were you not thrilled to hang out with the other toddling kids while mommy went to her book study? Did you eat too much pear and can't come down off your natural sugar high? Was it the rush to get you down for a nap that keeps you from winding down slowly into fluffy cloud slumber? Whatever it may be, WOULD YOU LET ME IN OUR YOUR LITTLE SECRET?? I'm slowly losing my mind here.

So far, you have been in your room for 2 hours with no nap in sight. Wait, correct that. You are now standing next to me telling me about the letter "P" you just found on the floor. Right before that, you mentioned something about "nite nite" and I asked you why didn't you nap. You stood there and said "ummmmmmmmmmm, car, cow". I am not sure why I even think for one minute I am going to have an actual conversation with a 22 month old. As you can clearly see, I gave up on the nap thing today. I mean for God's sake, he was in there for the entire duration of a typical nap, so all I could do was end the insanity.

I know this phase too shall pass, but come on! I yearn for my afternoon chillouts. It's not like this happens often. In fact, I can only recall one other time he boycotted a nap EVER. So, I will probably just go to Target or something and try to move past the non-existent break I got while Rt played, cried, and played again in his crib today.

All I can say is EARLY ASS BEDTIME TONIGHT MISTER. Just wait till your father gets home! Haha, actually hubs was out of town last night and will return this evening. Just in time to help my ass in case this lack of sleep carries into the night.

ah, the perks

PBK

2007-02-07T14:23:00.000-08:00

Not that long ago, I had no idea what these three initials stood for and I am sure there are quite a few of you that still don't today. Not to worry. It's a trap.

I am one of those moms who takes pride in finding the perfect deal when it comes to buying children's clothes, toys, etc. I am not one to keep my secrets to myself either. The better the deal, the more often I share my fabulous discoveries. Let me tell you, it ain't easy in this world today to keep a decent budget when it comes to your children. There are so many influences out there that make you want to compete with the rest of them to have what they have. It's human nature. I feel pretty good about where I stand when it comes to actually purchasing these $$$ items, but the wishing and wanting will always be in the back of my mind. And why not? This is the first time at this parenting thing. There are so many "new" things out there that seem just delightful. Since I am currently not bringing in a salary, it is my job to save money where I can to make our funds last longer. So, this makes for lots of passing by the $$$ and heading for the bargains. Luckily, I enjoy buying clothes for future seasons. So, what is on clearance right now, was 5 times more expensive 3 months ago. Who cares if Rt is wearing it next season. They're kids, they have no idea, YET.

Back to the initials. PBK stands for Pottery Barn Kids. Should there be music playing as I type this? It is one of those stores that just has the cutest infant/kids stuff that you really can't find many other places. Someday, I will save my pennies and buy Rt a bedding set for his big boy bed when he moves out of his crib, (maybe on EBAY, ha!) but until then, there's another solution!!

I live in a wonderful town for children. I have been so lucky to meet 5 great friends who all have kids Rt's age. Actually, Rt is the youngest, but they are all within 2 months of each other. 5 boys, 1 girl and 3 of them have the same name. (what are the odds?) Anywho, over the past year and a half we have all stuck together during these trying times of parenthood. We celebrate each other's birthdays, we go away on weekend trips without the kids, and even go out during the week for dinner and drinks. (well, I know I was drinking, I can't say I was paying attention to anyone else.)

Since the kids have birthday's so close together, it seemed more and more difficult to come up with a "cool" gift for each child let alone pay for all 5 gifts so close together. So, we came up with a solution like the one we currently use for our own birthdays. We all go in on one bigger gift to help ease time and finances. How cool is it to get a big gift for your kid of your own choosing?? This year, I told all the gals to go to PBK and find something under a certain price that they wanted for their child. Once the orders were in, the "buy" button was clicked and voila, we are finished birthday shopping until next year!

I am sure there will be many times in my life as a parent, I will have to bite the bullet and buy my children the thing that they just "have to have", (cause I am softy at heart) but while the decision is still ALL mine, I don't mind hitting Mervyn's on 50% off day.

e

Drain baby, drain!

2007-02-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

Just got back from Rt's tubes surgery. What a relief to be through with that. It was quite a non-eventful experience considering Rt had to "go under" for the procedure.

We had to get there an hour before the surgery to be prepped, etc. Rt came dressed in his pj's and was excited to get out and about with mommy and daddy. After playing with the toys in the waiting room, we all were asked back to the prepping area. A teenage girl next to us was commenting on how excited Rt was skipping down the hall. She said she wished she was that positive about her surgery. Rt continued to play with more toys while they took his pulse and temperature. After speaking with the anesthesiologist and surgeon, we wrapped Rt in a warm sheet and walked him back down the hall to the main door. He was placed in the nurse's arms and was carried away. The look on his face wasn't that of fear, just a look of wonder why we weren't coming with him. Sigh.

So, to keep busy, hubs took off to Starbucks while I made conversation with the rest of the waiting room. (how odd, right?) Anywho, by the time hubby came back and I ate my muffin, the doctor was telling us how well he did during the procedure. He was awake, but not happy about it. He said his right ear looked fine, but his left one had a good amount of fluid still in it. A final confirmation we were doing the right thing with the tubes.

Once we entered the recovery area, Rt was in the arms of a nurse crying hard with his eyes closed. She said he hadn't opened his eyes yet. She placed him in my arms as I laid down on the bed cradling my helpless child. It was so heart wrenching. My heart truly ached when I walked in and heard him so upset. They said he probably felt dizzy, out of it, and angry that he couldn't do the things his mind wanted him to do. Then, Rt wanted his daddy. It was so sweet to see how much he needed both of us. After some diluted apple juice and some chex cereal, Rt was back to his happy self. Once the paperwork was taken care of, we were lead out the back door and on our way home.

As I said, it was extremely gratifying to know we did the right thing for Rt and were even more grateful knowing he was in such good hands during our first and probably not the last scary surgery with our boy.

e

Where the wind comes sweeping......

2007-02-04T13:34:00.000-08:00

I am back from the funeral in Oklahoma. It was a tiring 48 hour trip, but I am so thankful I was able to be there for my grandmother alongside my family.

Will post more tomorrow once I have gotten a decent night of sleep.

e

Our Beloved Jerry

2007-01-31T20:04:00.000-08:00

My grandmother, Nonna, has lost her longtime companion Jerry tonight.
Jerry was my one and only living "grandfather" since I was 13 years old.
He was one of a kind. I will miss him dearly.

Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers.

e

Rt Free

2007-01-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

Rt is up at his grandparents house today. Gran Gran came and got him yesterday and they will return him tomorrow. Can we say, fabulous? I mean, what does one do at home without a child around? It has been so long, I can't recall.

Now, hubby and I have gone on two wonderful vacations and a few weekend getaways since Rt was born, but we have never been home while he isn't here. Here is a list of things I have done since yesterday:

watched tv
went out to dinner with hubby
woke up early, but stayed in bed
ate breakfast in peace
watched tv
paid bills
went on a walk with hubs
tried to install child proof lock in kitchen, failed
went to gas station, bank, grocery store, sprint store and cost plus
ate lunch in peace

and

after I write my post, I am off to the yard to prune the rose bushes.

and

tonight we are going to see a long movie.

and

tomorrow, the world is once again my oyster. let's just hope I can sleep past 6:45am

e

8 years ago today..........

2007-01-29T18:26:00.000-08:00

8 years ago today, I made the biggest move of my life.

8 years ago today, hubby and I got caught in a snow storm in Vega, Texas. (pop 880)

We spent the night on a floor of a church while our UHaul was stuck in the snow.
We spent our only $50 in cash on a tow truck.
We watched "The Postman" alongside the mayor of the town.
It was -2 degrees on the bank sign down the street.
The Baptist church was full, so they opened up the Methodist church just for us.

We sent the church a $50 check along with a picture of us in front of Alcatraz.
We never heard from the church, but our check was cashed.

We had only spent 12 days together before I moved to CA to be with him

8 years ago today.

e

Vanilla Diet Coke Please

2007-01-26T16:17:00.000-08:00

Rt and I got out of the house this afternoon after he got up from his nap. There is something about Friday afternoons that are so dragging. Whether it's been a great week or a trying one, Friday afternoons are the last lap to the finish line. Once his nap is over, there is a good 2-3 hour time span to find something constructive to do before the weekend starts in our home. So, today, I thought we should get out and drive around a bit.

First stop, Sprint. I got a BlueTooth for Christmas without realizing my phone is not compatible with BlueTooth. Could they have told me that when I purchased it last summer? That would have impacted my decision to buy the darn phone. Actually, BlueTooth wasn't apart of my vocab at the time, so big loss on my part. Anyway, since I bought my phone last summer, I didn't qualify for a discount on a compatible phone, so I spent $64 on an adapter for the BlueTooth which cost me more than the BlueTooth did. Do I feel cheated? YES! Do I have another choice right now? No. So Happy Friday to Me, I can use my BlueTooth now! Hey you! Call me.

To celebrate my hoe hum purchase, Rt and I went to the one and only Sonic drive-in in town. It's connected to a gas station, so you order in the back, then pull into the "car wash" to pick up your order. Definitely an odd setup, but I'll take it! I haven't lived near a Sonic in 10 years, so when this one opened, I was one of the first ones there. They are supposed to open one closer to my house, but they haven't even broken ground yet. So, for now, I will just get in the car, drive across town and have something constructive to do until I go off-duty.

Happy Friday!

e

Mites, Schmites

2007-01-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

Just thinking about them makes me cringe. I happen to catch a segment on Rachel Ray the other day regarding dust mites. The woman on there was talking about what you can do to prevent mites entering your pillows and mattresses. First off, she said you should only have a mattress for 5-7 years before it is deemed unhealthy in the mite department. For pillows, she said 2-3 years. She even weighed a new pillow at 3 lbs, then weighed the same kind of pillow, 3 years old and it weighed 3.8 lbs. 8 ounces of DUST MITE POOP! Vomit right now please.

Now, I have heard of these dust mites in the past. I have even had a terrible run in with bird mites. I'll have to save that for another post, but can we say they were on our phone (in our LA duplex), then got into our hair! Double vomit. Double shower. Anywho, I knew about mites. I have even vacuumed our old mattress before thinking it would actually make any mite that may have been in there disappear. Have you ever lifted a mattress and come to find the thing weighs A WHOLE HELL OF A LOT and it hadn't at purchase?? Well, it just might be the secret poop deposits inside your mattress.

Since moving to our house, we have been able to upgrade to a new bed. Woo hoo! What do you think we did with the old bed? Yep, moved it into our guest room. What, you don't ever want to come and stay at our house? The pillows are brand new, so don't freak out too much. I have no hard evidence that anything resides in there, but I can only imagine. Actually, I did a thorough check of our mattress back in LA when I was attacked by baby spiders on a nightly bases while sleeping. Did they ever venture over to hubby's side and bite his ass? Nope, just me, all of me. I ended up wearing bugs spray to bed to keep them at bay. Once again, another post. Point is, I was on the floor checking out every area or outlet those freakin spiders could have come from. So, I am quite familiar with the underside of our bed.

After watching this segment on mites I thought about how many times I washed my sheets, that I should be washing them on HOT in order to kill anything that happened to be clinging to them. I am usually a WARM washer doing my part to save the earth, but EWWWW! I also thought about how many times I washed my pillows. Um, can we say NEVER? Why haven't I EVER washed my pillows??? Down comforter, check, decorative bed pillow cases, check, good grief, NEVER! So, I spent all day yesterday washing my goose down pillows in COLD (label instructions) It was a disaster. The pillows retained so much water from the washer, it took me forever to squeeze the water out. Then, they took forever to dry. I have had to run the dryer twice TODAY just to get the wet feather smell out. Ugh!

Hopefully in the future I will have better luck at keeping things around here mite free. I should just purchase some dust mite covers and call it a day.

One great tip I did learn from all of this is to add two tennis balls to the dryer while drying your pillows. You are supposed to have fluffier pillows as a result! However, I wouldn't know this. Rt was by my side while drying the pillows, so the demand for the tennis balls won out.

e

The Double D

2007-01-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

Now, don't think I am crass. I wouldn't post a bra size as a title to a post, but it does look very suggestive, doesn't it? I am really taking about what I used to call the best invention or the best concoction in the world.

It all started back in college when most weekend mornings, and even some weekday mornings were a tad too hard to get the body moving. The one and only device that got me and a number of my friends back into the mainstream was the double d: Diet Coke and Doritos. mmmm. Just thinking about it makes me want a chip. I am currently finishing my one diet coke of the day, so I am halfway there. I don't know what made the duo work so well in the early/late mornings, but it was heavenly and might I add, REALLY GOOD FOR YOU. I guess we could have done a lot worse. Diet Coke, at the time, was like water to us and Doritos were just another thing you could buy with the change from under the sofa cushions.

Now, that reminds me of when my best friend CeCe and I lived together sophomore year in an apartment off campus. We would truly take apart the living room looking for loose change for a quick trip up to 7-11. We would buy the 'ol staples with a Ziploc baggy of change. And if I am not mistaken, GAS was also purchased with this same pile of loot. In college, I never bought more than $5 worth of gas at one time. What was the point? I didn't have much cash to begin with and where was I going to drive? Everything and everyplace we needed to be was right down the street. I swear, we could have closed our eyes and drove straight and hit every hot spot in town. Now, we didn't ever do so, but it was possible, I bet.

Speaking of cars and CeCe. One time in this luxurious apartment, CeCe's pimpin jeep was broken in to. They took the stereo, maybe some speakers, not sure what else, but it was truly devastating. The next day, she needed to head back home, all of 30 miles, to go to dinner with her parents. We decided she shouldn't drive her car due to the break in, but to take mine for safety reasons. So, off CeCe went, and off to our photography class I went. Not more than 50 feet down this same straight street, the WHEEL flew off the car and bounced its way down the road all the way to the 7-11. I wasn't that fabulous with a stick to begin with, but now only having 3 tires to work with and leaning down and to the left didn't help matters. Somehow, I managed to pull off onto the side of the road. (luckily you could only drive 30 mph anywhere in our college town, so I wasn't in too much danger) A nice man pulled over as well in front of me and said he thought I might need some help when he saw a tire whiz past him. All in all, the lug nuts or something like that had been taken off the car during the break in and placed back on without much tightening from our dear 'ol friend Jay.
Needless to say, one needs to use a wrench to tightened said lug nuts in order for the wheel to remain on the car.

Point to all this rambling? I thank the stars above I made it out of college with a continued love for the double d and several fabulous friends to remind myself that I once was a wild child.

Now if I can just prevent MY child from doing anything like his mother OR father did, then we should make out ALRIGHT! .....................................ha

e

If we all could pick our nose freely.....

2007-01-23T14:50:00.000-08:00

We all would be more open with each other.

If we all could trash the kitchen with a smile on our face...

We would all have a better frame of mind.

If we all had our own cubby hole.....

Life would be such a cozy place.

These are my cousin/cousin-in-law's twin boys. They are a hoot and such lookers.

efa

Sanitizer 'R Us

2007-01-22T14:07:00.000-08:00

How did we ever get by without this golden goop? I am not sure when they actually created it or made it available to the mass market, but it has come in handy in our homestead more than once. You see, germs are everywhere. Now, I am a firm believer of building up an immune system to help prevent major sickness in the future, but you have to protect yourself where you can. The amount of germs out there or the abundance of opportunity to obtain these germs is so easy. So, I to try prevent where possible. I even have one of those shopping cart covers for trips to the store.

What was it like for our parents when they raised us? How many playdates/playgroups did they attend per week? How many book studies and MOPS meetings were available back in the day? My family lived in NC for the first 7 years of my life. We didn't have any family around. I think I recall having a group of friends to play with, but most of our socializing was through my brother's sporting events. My point is, I don't think we were around as many kids as Rt and I are in a day/week/month. I can't imagine going through the winter "sick" season without actually getting sick and I don't just mean Rt, I am including myself as well. So, every time I can remember to do so, I give myself and Rt a squirt of sanitizer after each social outing just to be extra cautious. You never know when the kid is going to be eating something with his his hands, so you have to beat him to the punch.

However, there was this one time when Rt and I were in the docs office getting a checkup and he put his hand on the doorknob, licked his hand, then placed it back on the doorknob. I looked at the doc in disgust and he said "Worst case, diarrhea". And what sickness came of it? NADA NOTHING NO DICE. It must be due to his fabulous immune system...

Happy squirting!

e

P Poo Picasso

2007-01-19T18:15:00.000-08:00

Early morning surprise from nephew P. Seems he found his way into his diaper.
I am not sure he enjoyed what he found while he was there.

Happy Friday!

e

A Little bit of MySpace

2007-01-18T18:28:00.000-08:00

Thank you LVGurl for keeping me entertained while the enchiladas bake.

1. What is your occupation? Non-Profit (sahm)
2. What color are your socks right now? khaki
3. What are you listening to right now? Hubs watching tv about crater lake in OR
4. What was the last thing that you ate? chocolate candy
5. Can you drive a stick shift? yes, learned on a miata, ha!
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? no idea
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? hubs telling him i was picking him up to go buy beer, cause buying beer with a toddler isn't my fav
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? like totally
9. How old are you today? thirty-three
10. Favorite drink: diet coke, corona
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? OU football
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? um, did you read my last post?
13. Pets? No, still getting over the loss of my childhood cat Arthur
14. Favorite foods? mac n cheese. the box kind
15. What was the last movie you watched? Devil Wears Prada on dvd, Children of
Men in theater, blah
16. Favorite day of the year? Thanksgiving in Tulsa
17. What do you do to vent anger? call hubs
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? never owned a barbie, so i'd say lite brite?
19. What is your favorite fall or spring? FOOTBALL FALL
20. Hugs or kisses? hugssss
21. Cherries or Blueberry? i can eat a blueberry, so i guess that is my answer
22. Do you want your friends to email you back? a comment would be nice
23. Who is most likely to respond? um, one of 3 who have already commented
24. When was the last time you cried? AHAHA, I am a mom, so I can't remember
25. What is on the floor of your closet? Some push toy of Rt's. Shower distraction!
26. What did you do last night? Cringed while watching Idol. How can you people watch this?
27. Favorite smells? Whatever is cooking in the oven
28. What inspires you? Real people.
29. What are you afraid of? Everything, I am a mom
30. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? PLAIN, unless its on the backyard grill,then cheese
32. Number of keys on your key ring? 3
33. How many years at your current job? 21 months
35. How many states have you lived in? 4 - CA, OK, NC, TX
36. Favorite holiday? Wait, I already said this! Thanksgiving, 2nd is Rt's bday
37. Ever driven a Motorcycle or heavy machinery? hmmm, no
38. Who's your favorite NFL team? SF 49ers, (hubs is a died hard, have to support)
39. Do you have a house phone that is NOT cordless? i am in the market for one actually
40. 10 inches of snow or 100 degree weather? snow please, i get 100 degrees

e

Still haven't found what I am looking for

2007-01-17T14:17:00.000-08:00

Ok, phew. I am out of the poo woods. (so far) I brushed my teeth, ate both breakfast and lunch, got dressed for public, went to Playschool with Rt and even enjoyed a little section of a chocolate bar. AWE YA! Now, if I can just figure out IF this new hair color I got on Friday is going to be fab or not, cause right now I am kinda bumming on it.

So, here lies my present beef. Let's call it the BEEF OF THE WEEK! (echo, echo, echo)
What do you do when you get your haircut/hair colored and you don't like it? I usually come home from the salon not digging the current "do", but I am not one for change either. It takes me a bit to get used to anything new. It may take a few minutes on something rather minuscule, but if it's a big to do like my HAIR, then I need some extra time. For those of you that actually know me, which is probably the couple of you reading this, I have always had blonde hair and for the most part kept it long. (why did I pick college to go short? eeck! Bad timing and cheap hair color) So, anytime I ask for a little lighter, little darker, I always get more than I bargain for. But, like most of the time, the color fades and returns close to how I started out within a few washes. I have washed my hair THREE times and the "low lights" are taking over my head AND they look two different shades of "dark". Now, I know I don't live in LA or SF anymore, but the places I go to aren't shabby. They are the $$$ places in town. I just still haven't found what I am looking for (just broke off into song in my head) and continue to try more people for the first time. First dates with hair people is awkward to begin with, so this current hair saga is such a bummer. And these visits aren't cheap either So, I will give it a few more washes to see if my scalp returns to its natural color of pink and get back with you on the topic.

e

Well, that was interesting.....

2007-01-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

And when I say "WAS", I wish that with all my heart. I am talking about this virus thing that has basically kicked my ass in all the worst places.

I went to bed last night thinking and hoping I had seen the last of the porcelain, but I was RUDELY mistaken. Yesterday had gone so well. I took the "won't go anymore with this stuff" medicine early in the morning. Took it easy on the food intake and relaxed most of the day on the couch with a heating pad. (I forgot how good cinnamon toast was! mmm mmmm) I went to bed at 9:30. I was supposed to go to bed earlier but I had to see the Golden Globes. Anywho, Hubs had to get up at 4am to go to work, (can we say EARLY!)so, I drifted in and out of sleep until he left for the airport at 4:45am. I fell back asleep until 5:50am when the feeling of doom woke me from my slumber. Let's just say, I was back to square one. WHAAAAH!

As I was just telling my aunt via email, I feel pretty fine considering the events over the past couple of days. I haven't had a full nights sleep in over a week and have had no nutrients in my body to speak of in 48 hours.

I was talking to my mommy girlfriend about my illness. She said she had a small case of it this past weekend. The thing is, we didn't see each other last week. Her boy, Caleb, had a runny nose, so we kept the kids away from each other to avoid another trip to the doctor. The irony in this is I think we got the virus FROM THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE!!!! She took C in last week to have his ears rechecked from a previous ear infection as did we. Since the boys weren't considered "sick", we sat on the WELL side. Lovely.

I think the doc's office needs to wipe down the one area I believe all the kids touch while waiting for the doc to arrive: the computer power cord.

e

Sit 'n Spin, Sit 'n Spin

2007-01-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

Dear virus,

Sit 'n spin buddy. That is how I feel about you.

You attacked my son with the poos on Saturday and then beelined
your way over to me last night at 3:30 in the morning. Nice timing asshole.

I am not finished with you yet, but my heating pad is calling my lowerback's name.

e

Little perks baby

2007-01-12T13:11:00.000-08:00

So, last night before hitting the hay, my mom said she would get up with Rt while hubby and I slept in a little. I told her she actually said her statement outloud, so I would hold her up to it.
Luckily for everybody, Rt didn't stir till 6:40am (I was up at 5:15am using the "twalet" and am not certain when I drifted off to slumber before The Rt Alarm went off.) Anywho, hubby brought him into our room to chill for a sec, then Rt and I paraded down the hall to find "the one who is letting us go back to sleep, thank you Jesus". After the dropoff, hubby and I BOTH snoozed till 8:30a.m. EIGHT THIRTY AM PEOPLE! When was the last time we both got to do that on a weekday or ever for that matter. All I can say is, YEE HAW! I can't speak for hubs, but I think he could have something like "DUDE".

Now the perks didn't and don't stop there. Hubby and I have already seen a movie together. I went to yoga yesterday morning without having to put Rt in the daycare. I am getting my haircut this afternoon. We plan on going out to dinner with friends in a nearby city and catch another flick that I CHOOSE! Of course, the best part for all of us is getting to spend time with Mimi. Rt loves her and caled for her everyday this week when she wasn't in the room. It will be a sad day for many reasons come Sunday when Mimi has to go home.

We only hope she will return very soon WITH A NEW JOB! Not only would she have a KICK ASS career, she would be willing to spend what free time she had with Rt, oh and us too. :)

crossing those fingers Mimi!

e

One. Go. Wheeeee.

2007-01-11T14:44:00.000-08:00

These fine words were spoken by my darling son at 6:15am this morning as he was slowly sliding off our bed. These fine words were only following two "hi's" that were spoken at 4:15am and 5:45am. (hubby out of town last night, nice timing hubs!!)

We are heading to the doctor at 5p.m. today to have his ears checked from the ear infection he had 3 weeks ago. We have an appointment with the ENT next week, but due to his SLEEP SUCKAGE this past week, I have decided to make a quick trip to the doc of all ear docs, Dr. Moser (he's famous!) to take a quick peak. Several people have suggested I buy my own scope to view his little ears to see for myself if he has an ear infection, so I don't have to pay good money at the peds office. Problem is, every time I think he has an infection, he does, so the $28 scope wouldn't be saving me cash, it would only reaffirm my mommy instincts and my lack of sleep that this boy's ears are DRIVING US ALL BATTY!

One thing. I still don't know if these recent events are due to these LAME ASS canines or his ear.

I'll let you know the results when they come in.

e

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE: 21 month old has gained 1 lb in 3 weeks.
And no sight of ear infection anywhere, and doc says he sees a tooth coming in.............he thinks.

(lovely)

Guess who came for dinner?

2007-01-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

Last night hubby's parents came over to have dinner at our house. Since my mom is visiting, it was a perfect way to get all the grandparents together to enjoy some time with Rt. Oh, and we were there too. Since my mom currently lives in OK, she only visits when she can. So, getting everyone together had not happened in over a year. And back then, Rt just sat there, or laid there and didn't "entertain" as he does now, so last night was even sweeter.

I wonder if last night was bittersweet for my mom and/or hubby's parents. Sharing Rt is not the easiest thing to do, I can imagine. When we are up at hubby's parents house, "the lodge", they are the "Gee gee and Fa Fa" and when Rt is with my mom, she is the "Mimi". What is Rt to do with all of them at once? Who does he shine the most for? Who does he go to when he knows he can get something that we won't get for him? What do they do when they aren't the ones he goes to? Wouldn't that be a tad sad? I think if I were in their position, I would enjoy being around my grandson and those who love him, but having to share Rt would be an adjustment.

Has this happened to you? What was it like with both sets of Gparents/In-Laws in the same room together? Any friction? Smooth sailing?

I was too busy to really keep tabs on everyone the entire night since I was "hostess with the mostess". I made two Tamale Pie casseroles, salad and Strawberry No-Bake Cheesecake. I spent half the afternoon cooking while my mom cleaned everything I made dirty. I guess we were both so distracted, that by the time the doorbell rang at 5p.m., my hair was still in this funky chipclip do, my mom was on the floor ironing napkins and Rt was still in his pj's. Whoops. I guess I forgot to change clothes on the kid THE ENTIRE DAY. HA! I knew going to the store to buy groceries yesterday morning in his pj's was ok. It was freezing outside and his footed pj's could be the warmest clothes he has. And I chose to ignore the 4 to 5 times Rt watched his Signing Time show. I had so much cooking to do, it really kept the day running smoothly while he was preoccupied. All in all, it was a lovely evening. The dinner was fab and the conversation was enjoyable. The boy went to bed on time, fell asleep and didn't ask for our assistance till 3:30am. (wtf?) The beer (mmm) and wine (zzz) were tasty too.

Speaking of, does anyone else notice that our parents are enjoying the vino these days?
I swear, you buy a bottle of white and a bottle of red and it's not enough!
I guess it's the drink of choice for that generation.

And their parents were the ones having bourbon and water at 4:30pm.

e

The power of a car

2007-01-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

So, my mom is in town for a job interview. (cool, huh?) When MiMi comes to town, you know cars are in Rt's future. My nephew is close to 2 1/2 and can name where each one of his matchbox/hot wheels cars comes from. Target, Walmart, Target, Walmart etc... So, yesterday we went to my monthly trip to Walmart to buy everything I needed at the lowest price possible. (Hey, when you don't have any income, your job is to save money where you can. So, Walmart it is.) It was nice having my mom there as a decoy for Rt. He does really well in stores, but when you do any shopping right before lunch, you are asking for it. If you don't have a cracker on you, you are SCREWED! haha. Anywho, my mom was looking for a carrying case for all of Rt's cars. It seems my nephew has two of them and are very handy to hold all these tiny toys. Once Rt and I met up with her in the toy department, my mom handed me two 5 packs of cars and asked which ones Rt would want. I told her we probably were going to have to get both now that they have been viewed by the little mechanic. She said she thought that would be ok. I told her he just about doubled his car collection with one trip to the store with Mimi. No wonder he always says "Hi MiMi." then "car" everytime he sees her.

So, we head home for lunch with 10 unwrapped cars in the carseat. Lunch went well, he napped for about 1 hour 45 minutes, but woke halfway through. (Still waiting on those damn canines. Hurry up already, you are messing with his sleep!) Once the babe was awake, we headed to Nordstroms for "interview heels". One can only do their best with a new pair of shoes, right? Before we headed home, Mimi suggested we head by Toys r us to see if they carried this car case thingy. I told Rt as we entered that we were just there to look. Rt had two new cars in his hands, so I thought I was prepared for "just looking". Well, we stayed clear of the toy aisle, which I guess would be ever aisle there, but I mean the little bitty car aisle, the MECCA of toy aisle. Even standing in the middle of the store waiting for Mimi, Rt was getting a little impatient. Once Mimi found the case and brought it over to the shopping cart and even offered it to Rt to hold, he BURST into tears. A sad, LOUD breakdown of sorts. This has only happened once before in a store and it had to do with little bitty cars as well. Good grief boy! I tried to console him by asking him what was wrong etc, but nothing was working. So, I said we were leaving if he chose to behave that way in a store. (Luckily, we were ready to go anyway. I also know he probably didn't get the whole getting upset/must leave store bit, but I thought I would start at 21 months until he gets it.) Anyway, I blame all of this on his teeth. When in doubt, it's teeth. If his teeth hurt.... he doesn't sleep well, he doesn't eat well, which then leads to cranky, beside himself toddler.

By the way, I still don't see any toofies, but I don't think the power of the car can be so strong this early, or can it?

e

Ode to Pop Tart

2007-01-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

What is it about the Pop Tart? I am in my early 30's and still think the frosted cherry pop tart rocks the casbah.

I was wondering what to write about today as I reached down to break off my first piece of pop tart. Of course it was a crust piece with a little icing on it. The best part of the tart in my opinion.

It all started back in the day when I was a young gal and could not get my mom to buy pop tarts at the store. It was considered taboo, a big no-no. I am sure she just wanted to set some sort of boundaries in the sugar for breakfast department. I completely agree with her actions today, but back then, it was cruel.

The only time my brother and I EVER tasted such yumminess was at my grandmother's house.
You know the type of visit. You sit and sulk the whole way to grandma's house wishing
you were back at home attending your best friends slumber party. Your status diminished
within the ranks of your friends because you weren't there to teepee Dirk or Andrew's house and it was the coolest thing evah. It was a long ride to CeCe's house, but there was one gleaming hope. The hope that CeCe remembered to pick up that one little box of Pop Tarts. It really didn't matter what brand they were. (Toastettes do rock). The moment we walked into the smoky, creepy house, my brother and I darted to the kitchen and checked every cabinet to find the golden tarts. There was one time my grandmother forgot the box and we were crushed. I am sure we picked up a box sometime during our trip, but how could she have forgotten the one thing that made our time there truly fabulous? Funny thing about all of this is, my brother is 5 years older than I am. I may have looked childish wishing and wanting these treats so desperately, but it was quite hilarious that my brother felt the same way. I even remember heating up two tarts and setting them down onto my grandmother's card table to watch some TV on her black and white. Little did I know, the steam from the pop tarts made a perfect rectangle imprint on her prized piece of furniture. YIKES!!!

The lovely pop tart has weaved its way throughout my childhood and into my adulthood. I still love eating my cherry OR strawberry treats, but these days I can only eat one cause they are way TOO sweet for my palate.

e

2007 is no bunny bunny

2007-01-04T15:40:00.000-08:00

Fiesta bowl, bite me.
Health to family, bite me.
All right with the world, bite me.
Mysterious night wakings, sit and spin buddy.

Hubby was out of town last night in SD for business. Nothing new. He's been out of town before. Now that Rt is older, the nights alone are not too much of a burden. Ya, I am the only one to feed him, bath him, get him ready for bed after a long day of bonding. That in itself isn't fabulous, but doable. He went right to sleep at 7:15pm. WOO HOO, check. Peeked in on him at 10pm when I was heading to bed. Still sleeping, still breathing. WOO HOO, check. My cell phone and I snuggled together in bed for a long evenings nap.

4 A M He wailed.

Awe, what do you want little one? What is it? I thought.
Walked into room and said," Time for nite nite." and laid him back down. Back to bed I went.
20 minutes later......

4:18 A M He wailed.

WHHHHHHAAAAAAAAT is it???? I thought.
Walked into room and heard him say, "Hi". (oh crap, he spoke) I said, "Time for nite nite."
and started the music to the aquarium as a decoy. Back to bed I went again.

5:00 A M He wailed.

@$#%#%$^^&^#$@#$ I thought.
I have been awake since 4 A M! What if I don't go back to sleep EVER! WHAAAAH!!!!
Walked into room and heard "Hi." (crap again)

So, I picked him up, brought him to bed and we both slept till 7 A M.

Note to self:

Try to never do that again tomorrow
Tell hubby to take Rt with him on his next overnighter
Tell Rt's canines to make a move will ya?

Signing Times, I love you.....

2007-01-03T09:11:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard of these children's videos, then you are really missing out. Rt is almost 21 months old and really doesn't have any sit down interest in the tv. However, once I hit play on my dvr or pop in an actual dvd of signing times, the kid goes bananas. Just to give you an idea.........I am currently typing this post along with paying bills, etc. I look behind me and Rt is doing the sign for "helicopter". Just a minute ago he was saying and doing the signs for "smart" , "slow" and "fast".

I am definitely not here to sell these videos, but the utter amazement I have with Rt's vocabulary, I know, has something to do with his sign language. When Rt was around 9 months old, I would try to do the sign for "eat" before I fed him, or something along those lines. Just to remember to make any sign before I did something was too much for my mommy brain. I bought two baby signing videos and played them when I was in need of a few moments break. Then, we got DVR. My good friend Heather told me the signing videos were actually on tv once a week on Saturdays on a public tv station. So, I set my dvr to record and away we went!! Over the summer, we had acquired over 12. Not bad on the selection eh? Well, come Thanksgiving, they all disappeared. I forgot to save them when we went to Oklahoma for the holiday. I was heartbroken. Rt had no idea, but I was sad to see his favorite shows go by the wayside. Yes, yes, you can actually buy these videos, but the price tag is not in my budget. So, we have been waiting for more shows to air. Since the tragic Thanksgiving event, only two shows have aired. Hubby thinks the two we tapped are too over the top for Rt. What, you don't think he needs to know what scissors are, or how to sign for principal? Actually, he learned "smart" from this one, so I say it's a winner. What is really exciting is the show is airing the next two Saturdays so we should have a better selection in our dvr library. woo hoo!

Let's just say I am not an advocate of the tv. I personally love the darn thing, but I understand where all the panic is coming from regarding infants, toddlers, etc. However, I am a realist. The girl needs a break to go to the bathroom, pay the mortgage, etc. so I am all for doing what you got to do to survive and be happy. And along the way learn how to sign and say "backpack".

e