New Years Eve

I could do the typical NYE post about resolutions and what the past year has meant to me...but I don't feel like it.

I am on my couch, in my PJs and half watching The Last Airbender with 3 boys while HH plays DS. Yep, we are a rockin' good time on NYE. Really though, I wouldn't have it any other way. I made a feast of junk food, I have adult beverages and I'm surrounded by my favorite guys...life is good.

I should also do the usual post Christmas run down but I'm kind of a lazy blogger right now, and I don't feel like doing that either. Plus, all my pictures are on a different computer and I don't feel like switching right now. So, Christmas was good...everyone was happy, the boys have even more toys I have yet to find homes for. We did manage to avoid large pieces of plastic crap. We still have plenty of small pieces of plastic crap, but at least it takes up less space :)

Oh...and on the status of the crazy, it's good. I wasn't TOO bad this year. Although, I was right. The first thing Aiden noticed on Christmas morning was the BIG boxes and thought for sure they had to be his. He was perfectly happy with what Santa brought, but I was right about the boxes :)

Happy New Year all!

Merry Christmas, let the crazy begin

Here's the deal, I love Christmas. I enjoy shopping, I LIKE buying gifts for people. And honestly, I have just as much fun watching people open what I bought them, as I do opening my own gifts. Actually, more fun because I hate opening gifts in front of people. It's weird and awkward and you are forced to say you love it while the other person is saying things like "isn't it adorable, if you don't like it, the receipt is int here, but don't you just LOVE it?!". Sure, I've always wanted a wooden boot candle holder. It's great. So yea, I'd much rather be the person on the other end...and damn it you'd better pretend to love it! :)

Maybe I'm getting old, maybe I just don't care anymore or maybe I've finally realized that crazy or not, HH isn't going anywhere...but a lot of the things I would silently think through, stress over and generally get all neurotic about, I've been sharing with him. He's so lucky.

Last night we discussed at length the fact that I'm worried because Ian will have 2 very large boxes under the tree and while Aiden over all has more gifts, nothing that comes in a big box. Yes people, these are the things I worry about! Look, I'm not all about everything having to be exactly equal. I know I spent more on Aiden and I know he has more gifts, I get that. Ian won't give a damn, he'll probably want to put the gift bags on his head and shove ribbon up his nose because he's special like that. Fact is, at almost 8, Aiden's toys are smaller and more expensive. All of that aside, as a kid, the first thing you see when you walk downstairs are the BIG boxes and you spend the whole time opening gifts wondering who the BIG boxes are for. So yes, this is what bothers me. I don't want him to feel slighted or disappointed in the least on Christmas morning. Even if it's just for a few minutes until he realizes that his legos and remote control car kick ass and are WAY cooler then his brother's Thomas blocks and plastic work bench. (although let's not kid ourselves, they'll still fight over all of it because that is what they do)
HH thinks I am totally insane. He thinks that I am stressing over this for no good reason. He's also concerned that I started in on my Christmas Crazy a little early this year and fears that it does not mean it will end early.
He's probably right since the whirl wind of cleaning because my parents are coming over on Christmas morning and ohmygodweneedtocleanthehouseandmakeeverythingperfect* (even though they have seen my house a thousand times when it's been a disaster)crazy has not even begun.

*It was really hard to type that without spaces. That's all.

Happy Holidays
Merry Christmas
Happy Hanukkah
...you get the idea...

Oh, it's going to be an interesting 16+ years

My boys are 5.5 year apart. That's a pretty decent gap and you'd THINK they wouldn't fight as much as siblings closer in age...but o.m.g. They are going to drive me to drink, more then I already do. (Because let's not kid ourselves, I love me some margaritas)

All.day.long I hear screaming from one and whining from the other and 90% of the time, it's the almost 8 year old that ends up in tears since Ian has decided he wants a role on True Blood as the youngest vampire.

Today they were being boys, which basically means full body contact wrestling in the middle of the living room. I'm not sure what happened but I turned just in time to see Ian attempt to whack Aiden up side the head with a toy. I told him no, he looked at me, looked at Aiden...looked back at me, smiled, and then threw something at Aiden's head. Aiden grabbed his eye and turned all "omg I'm dying" dramatic on me. Don't worry, he was fine. Ian then walked over to me.

"Mommy"
"Yes, Ian?"
"I'm out" (Time out for those of you that don't speak 2.5 year old)
"Time Out?"
*shakes head*
"Do you need to sit in time out?"
*shakes head and plops himself on the step with a grin*

I guess it's time to find a new punishment for hitting/biting b/c time outs? Yea, they are SO 6 months ago.

I see many trips to the ER in my future with this one.
Also? I see a few trips to the police station because I can just see the wheels turning in his pre-delinquent mind. "hmm, sure I'll get in trouble but damn will it be a good time"

It's easier to ask forgiveness then permission, isn't that how the saying goes?

Must.Stop.Shopping

I'm not a big spender, I usually weigh my purchases and buy what we need. Well, except for my crack Starbucks addiction. I love finding good deals and saving money. Seriously, it's orgasmic. Especially when it's something that I normally don't find on sale.

And this my friends, is the reason my eldest child has SIX new lego sets put aside for Christmas. That doesn't even include the ones my mom picked up for him. Honestly, I'm just thrilled he's requesting something that actually gets played with and won't end up in the bottom of the toy box the way last years "must have" pile of plastic crap toy did.

I'm a big fan of Christmas but I'm not a big fan of buying every single "hot toy" out there. Aiden makes a list, he chooses 3 things from his list to ask Santa for. Usually one bigger item and 2 smaller things. This year it was a remote control car, Wimpy Kid do it yourself diary and legos. The problem with the legos, aside from randomly finding character sets that they clearance off they're rarely on sale. Except at Christmas. Oh, Christmas and the sale of Legos. I haven't paid full price yet, and damn those Amazon Lightning deals for sucking me in!

So, what are your kids asking for this year?
What's the best deal you've found?

I didn't do black friday but I was all over Cyber Monday. :) I am officially finished shopping for my kids, I need 1-2 small things for my parents, a GC for my brother and his girlfriend and that's it. I'm D.O.N.E DONE. On December 3rd.
If you hear that I'm shopping, slap me or something. I really do need to stop, damn those sales...and that extra 15% off the Kohl's sales this weekend. Ugh. Going to be the death of me!

Family Dynamics

For whatever reason there is a lot that isn't talked about on my mom's side of the family. I think this is probably where a lot of my "bottle it up until I explode" issues come from. They just aren't big communicators and they like to sweep everything under the rug. Don't talk about it and it doesn't exist!

With my grandma's funeral service last weekend the WHOLE family was together. My aunts, uncle, distant relatives and friends of my mom's that I hadn't seen in ages.

It was interesting, to say the least.

Through this, I started talking with my cousin. We're 10 years part so it's not like we really grew up together. We shared grandparents but well, her story was a bit more complicated then mine. Her parents split up when she was young...and her biological father was my mom's brother...except, well, he's now a woman. Yep. Imagine how well that went over 35 years ago. So, my "uncle" was never spoken about by the time I was born. I didn't even know there was another sibling. I know I had this cousin but with so many cousins and distant family on my dad's side of the family, I never questioned it. I didn't figure it all out until I was a teen. She's now back in our lives, she lives with my aunt and my grandparents (well, my grandpa now). She's...um, well, she's different. Not someone I could deal with on a daily basis, but she's family. So you know, I have to bite my tongue and smile and keep quiet...b/c that is what we do.

My cousin and I had some time to really sit down and talk...and share memories...and while some were very similar, others were very different. Needless to say, she has her own set of issues...as we all do...but I think she may win the prize.

Regardless, I'm hoping that we can keep in better touch and talk more. I'm curious about a lot of things and it seems we can fill in a lot of blanks for each other. I have no idea why there are so many secrets, so much that isn't talked about...but man does it help explain so much about my own family and what makes them tick.

Thank goodness for my kids being as crazy as they are, they were a great distraction for everyone last weekend! Talk about a reminder that life goes on.

Did I tell you about my kick ass birthday?

I don't think I did!

Okay, so my actual birthday was a bit emotional. I cried a lot, I was irritated and cranky and well...just call me a drama whore queen. It wasn't all about my actual birthday, it was just a lot of things all at once and well, I needed a good cry.

Saturday I woke up feeling a ton better.

Saturday night my fabulous husband and amazing friends surprised me. Hubby and I were supposed to be going out for drinks and dessert after a super yummy dinner at home (that I didn't have to cook!). We pulled in to a local bar which I thought was a bit odd since we were supposed to be headed to a restaurant, but I really didn't think too much of it. Just figured he decided to go there since the drinks are cheap and they have pool tables. All of my friends had done a pretty good job of making themselves unavailable....but surprise, there they were.

So yea, they pretty much rock. I drank way too much and got to hang out with some of the best people I know. I cried again, happy tears. I am a lucky lucky girl, for real.
Took a few humorous walks down memory lane.
Did a few shots.
Was showered with gift certificates for crack Starbucks and then shocked in to tears again with this:

There is another "egg" charm that is adorable, but I can't find a good picture of it. Regardless, I'm still...just...wow...speechless.
Was still in bed before 2am.
Had breakfast made for me in the morning while I lounged around and recovered.
30 isn't so bad after all...but damn does it take longer to recover!

30 RAK: Week 1 + 3

11/1: Gave the table next to us my coupon for a free brownie sundae. The 2 year old appreciated it the most, I think :)

11/2: Paid for the car behind me at Starbucks. I hope it started a chain reaction.

11/3: Left a reusable bag for the car next to me at the grocery store.

11/4: Read and left blog comments for all the new posts on my blog roll, along with some blogs that I stalk and rarely comment on.

11/5: I need to make this one up, it was a pretty rough day and honestly, I didn't do a damn thing all.day.long. unless you count curling up on the couch watching Private Practice and crying. Oh, and reading the Little People Farm pop-up book 140000 times. 

11/6: Let the mall kiosks people give me their speeches, and smile and didn't try to run away.  Took a picture of a family at Build A Bear. The little boy was 1 and just so cute, even if it took a few tries for him to look at me instead of Daddy!

11/7: I made a donation to Voices Against Brain Cancer in honor of my uncle.

**My original post was scheduled for 1/8 but for some reason it never posted. So, here are 3 more days! :)

11/8: Took a treat to the board meeting, granted most of them didn't get eaten but I let one of the moms take the left overs home.

11/9: Took steak and potatoes to my dad who has been a bachelor for the past 3 weeks with my mom in FL. I also stayed at his house all.day.long to wait for his tv to be delivered.

11/10: Sent a check to donate 2 signs that are being put in for a family in my home town who has a little boy battling cancer right now. It's a small town and he goes to school with a few of my friends kids. Sad sad sad :(

What have you done lately? Any ideas for me? So far, I am LOVING this.

High School Randomness

I have a ton of people from HS on my facebook, I'm still friends with the same group of girls I've known since 7th grade, so obviously they're on there. There are a few people I've come across that I really was curious as to how they were doing...but for the most part, I just felt bad denying their request. I've often considered weeding out the ones I haven't talked to since graduation and have had on my FB and yet have had zero contact with. It seems silly but I don't, I leave them there because in true HS fashion I'm worried of what they'll think. I'm worried I'll hurt their feelings.
So tonight a girl that I graduated with sends me an IM to say Happy Birthday. We weren't close friends back then, we had a few classes together and she was always kind of quiet but super nice to everyone. We chatted a bit, turns out she lives out of state, was drunk and missing home. She told me that she remember me as being down to earth, classy and smart.

Um, I realize most of you didn't know me in HS but classy and smart were not two words I would use to describe me. I wasn't a heathen, but I wasn't exactly "classy". As for smart, eh, I got by.
I guess it's funny to me because, well, you just don't see yourself the way other people see you...no matter how old you are. And no matter how long you've been out of HS, it's nice to hear that people thought GOOD things about you, since chances are you didn't always feel good about yourself.
So, the next time a random person from HS pops up in your news feed, maybe send a kind word or two. Sometimes that's all it takes. (This coming from the girl that still hides in the cereal aisle if she sees someone at the grocery store because I A. look like hell and B. am worried they won't remember me. Yep, that's me)

Huh

The other night Hubby was talking to Aiden and asked what he wanted to get me for my birthday. He thought about it and wasn't sure, so Hubby suggested he really think about what I would like.

Aiden: Well, she likes food, maybe we could get her a piece of food.

Hmmmm.

Aiden: Or, she does a lot of dishes, we could get her a cup.

Again, hmmmm....

Hubby just left to take him shopping, I'm a bit concerned with what they will come home with.

It's killing me

Apparently I am a control freak.

Stop laughing at the fact that I am just now realizing this.

Seriously, stop.

When Hubby asked what I wanted for my birthday I had just spent weeks trying to figure out something fun yet inexpensive for us to do on our anniversary. I was so over it. I told him that I didn't know, I wanted to do something but I didn't want to plan it. I was over the planning and the figuring out baby sitters and money and all of it.

A few weeks ago I sent him an email and suggested a new lens for the camera but after doing some research realized that we really need to save up and spend a good chunk of cash on one and it wasn't in the budget right now. I didn't give him any other ideas.
Monday evening he walks in and hands me a folded up Halloween tablecloth. I was making dinner and dealing with the kids and I just stared at him like he had two heads and told him to just put it in the box with the other stuff. He just kept handing me the stupid thing, so I took it and wrapped in the middle was this:

I think maybe he was tired of sharing his...but I don't care, YAY!

Now, on to the part that is killing me. He asked me today if I'd like to go to dinner on Saturday. I reminded him that our sitter is out of town and that we are supposed to be on a spending strike.

He says he will find a sitter.

Um, what? I'm not sure he has ever called a sitter in the almost 8 years since Aiden was born. For real. Fact is, it's kind of killing me not to plan this. I always plan date night. I ask where he wants to go or what he feels like doing...but I call the sitter (my mama), I pack the boys up, I drop them off...I set the time and if we need reservations or tickets, I handle them. It is taking every ounce of willpower I have not to text him and ask who he's going to ask and what time he's planning on going and all the other little things that go in to attempting a dinner out sans children.

It's all just so complicated!

30 Thirty

It's November 1st, which means in a few short days I'll be turning 30.
Yikes.
I'm not sure WHY this is such an issue for me, but it is.

My friend Natalie posted about Robyn and how she celebrated her 38th Birthday. I loved this idea.

Of course, I don't have any illusions about being able to do that in one day. So, starting today...for the 30 days of November...I'm going to complete one totally Random Act of Stacy each day! :)

No, I won't be posting daily about it...you should know better then that....but I will update.

Wish me luck!!

I clearly have Trick or Treat issues

I don't normally hand out candy for Halloween, we go to my parents house and my mom hands it out while Hubby and I take the kids around. This year I went to help my cousin out while her sister and brother in law took their kids. (our ToT is tonight)

I was amazed at some of the RUDE kids.

And here are my issues...or as I like to call them:
The Rules of Halloween
that everyone should abide by because I said so.

1. You must wear a costume to get candy. I will give you a single tootsie roll if you are not in costume. I don't care how old you are, you can be 25 and if you are in costume, I will give you candy. If you are 14 and are too lazy to throw a mask on or some face paint? Too bad.

2. You do not drive to houses. Ever. If you want to trick or treat, you walk. I don't care where you live or how cold it is. If you can't walk it, you don't go. So help me if my kids ever ask me to drive their asses around.

3. Trick or Treat and Thank You. Yes, I will be the bitch that makes you say Trick or Treat before I give you candy...unless you are tiny and cute...in which case you will probably get extras.

4. If you trick or treat, you give candy. I may let this one go if you really can't afford to hand out candy but don't want to deprive your child of Halloween. I'm not totally unreasonable.

5. When given candy, you do not request something else. (oh, I really wanted a kit kat. I don't care, take your butterfinger and move on)

6. If you leave your light on but aren't home, you are an asshole. Please check your trick or treat schedule and be sure to turn outside lights off if you aren't participating. Do not make me walk my 2 year old up your long ass drive way only to realize there is no candy. Annoying.

The End
Happy Halloween!! It's going to be a cold one here, but it's all good. I love how excited the kids get for Trick or Treat! Despite my rules, it really is one of my favorite holidays. I just don't think it gives kids or adults a free pass on forgetting manners and common courtesy (and really, common sense).

I understand remembering the good

What I don't understand is why death makes people want to rewrite history.

My grandmother passed away last night. It's sad, I'm not denying that. She was in her 80's and had some pretty serious health issues. Recently she caught a virus that they simply couldn't fight off.

I loved my grandma, I did. I spent many weekends with her as a child, I was thrilled when she and my grandpa surprised me on my wedding day. They are my grandparents and I love them.

That being sad, my grandmother was not the nicest person. She was funny and sarcastic but she was also down right cruel and hurtful. The older I get, the more I try to understand what makes me the way I am (the good and the bad) more and more goes back to my mom, and with that comes understanding what made her the way she is. Aside from some pretty tragic events in her childhood, a lot of it comes down to the way my grandma has treated her.

Now, I'm not going to speak ill of the dead...but I'm not going to be all rainbows and sunshine about her either. I have a lot of really fond memories of her. She taught me to play Rummy, she used to cut HUGE pieces of watermelon for me and we'd sit in her living room and eat while we played. She let me stay up late to watch movies. In the one bedroom of their house they had at least 10 layers of paint, you could see all the many colors in places where it had chipped. There are a lot of very good memories...but why is it that when someone passes, those people who know better want to suddenly make everyone believe that they were some kind of saint? She wasn't, and I don't think she'd want people to rewrite history to turn her in to one. I'm not saying now is the time to air all of our dirty laundry...but let's at least keep it real. Remember her for the good things that really were good and let go of the rest. She's at peace now, probably yelling at some poor kid for not wearing an undershirt and slippers and stocking up on Vernors.

Oh, and as a side note. I was 30 seconds from finding out that she passed away via Facebook. So, for anyone reading this, if you have news (good or bad) do not post all over Facebook at 4am before you've notified the important people in your life (immediate family in this case). It's wrong. Facebook status updates are a great way to get info to a lot of people at once...but there is a thing called tact...and consideration of others feelings. Luckily, my dad called to tell me the news just as I was sitting down to log in....I'm not sure the rest of the family was so lucky. :/

My boys

Have I mentioned that I LOVE October?? I am a total Summer girl at heart but being that I live in OH, Summer just doesn't last all that long. Luckily...Summer goes in to Fall and I adore Fall. I like the smell in the air, pumpkins, sweaters, hot apple cider and Halloween. I wish I could live in a constant rotation of Summer and Fall all year long.

We've been crazy busy this month, I think we've had stuff on the calendar every weekend. I know for some people that is completely normal, but not for us. We're home bodies...and I don't like to cram one thing after another in to our weekends. I want time to curl up on the couch and watch a movie or take a nap...or just sit around and not bother changing out of our PJs. For us, that's a good weekend!
Of course, that is exactly what I am doing today...but by default. I have a sickly wee man, so we're hanging on the couch watching Dora (yes, while I blog...a girl can only handle so much Dora)

I'm going to be that mom that shows you all of the adorable pictures of my kids. 1. Because, um, they're cute and 2. Because I'm pretty proud of myself for some of these shots. I'm not professional (and really, I don't want to be) but I do like that I can take pictures of my kids that don't look like crap. Poor Aiden, he really got screwed in the picture department. I know it's usually the second child that this happens with...but not in this case. Oh well, Ian gets his fair share of neglect. Like the fact that he doesn't get the cool toys because we already have them...so he ends up with books and clothes. Oh well, sorry kid, play with your brothers toys.

Okay, here ya go: (and only a couple of my faves, I swear.)
Ian:




Aiden (and OMG, he is starting to look so OLD)

 

Get the swag

I'm not normally all about these internet schemes. I don't have time for all that nonsense, but this one actually pays off.

Here's the deal. Today is referral day at Swag Bucks. What does that mean? It means if you sign up, we both earn bucks!

CLICK HERE, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!

What the hell are swag bucks? Virtual dollars you can turn in to gift cards (or other junk, but really, it's only worth it for the gift cards)

Does it work? Yep, it does. Granted, I don't search stuff I actually want answers for...that would be cheating on google, and that's just wrong. What I do is just type in random crap...or instead of going directly to a website, I pop over to swagbucks, type in the website and go from there.
If you search and don't hit, change a term in your search and try it again. 80% of the time, I hit doing that. Right now I have 1100 swag bucks. I have $70 in $5 Amazon gift cards just waiting to be used for Christmas.


Okay, don't get TOO excited. That's not normal. I had to do some shopping for work and checked out through the shop/earn tab. You earn 2 SB for every $1. It adds up...but only do this if the store isn't offered through Ebates. You should ALWAYS check out via Ebates when shopping online. You're ordering anyway, may as well get cash back. Don't have an Ebates account? Click Here.
I've earned $11 through Ebates but I rarely (as in almost never) shop online.

Okay, that's my infomercial for the day. Enjoy.

Wake up call

I'm over weight.
My cholesterol is high. Well, not high...but borderline
I had an abnormal pap and have to go back on Nov 1st to talk to my dr.
I finally had to admit to my husband that I can't fit in to the majority of my clothes, which is why they've just been sitting in piles on top of my dresser.
I turn 30 in 20 days.
I have no physical reason for the way I feel. Thyroid is normal, no anemia, sugar is good. In all honesty I was hoping my bloodwork would show something was wrong with me that I could fix...and then the rest would be fixed. I realize that's not the way it works, but it's what I was hoping for. So, in addition to discussing what we're going to do for this abnormal pap on Nov 1st, I'll also be discussing what I can do to be a happier more balanced me.

I'm accepting the fact that I can't do this on my own. I owe it to my husband and my kids to be the best me possible and right now, I need help to do that.

I also need help getting my ass in gear and working out. Do they make a pill that can do that? literally kick my ass out of bed to go to the gym...and slap my hand when I reach for a kit kat? Damn that Halloween candy just taunting me!!

Best comment of the weekend

We went out of town for our anniversary. Maybe I'll get around to a full review, some day....but for now, I leave you with the following conversation that happened while I was marveling at home much space we had in a King bed. (we have a queen at home)

M: wow, I feel like I'm on a different continent over here.

HH: Well if I wasn't so tired, I'd come over there and discover America.

M: Really hun, REALLY?!

HH: What? Lame?

M: It's a good thing you already have me. I'm so putting this on the blog.

HH: No you won't, you won't even remember what was said.

hahahaha, sorry hun, you should know better!

Guilt

HH tells me I'd make a great Catholic. I have guilt issues.
Basically, I feel guilty about pretty much everything, all the time.
House is a mess? I feel guilty.
Spend all day cleaning? I feel guilty because I should be working...or doing something with the kids.
Working? Oh yea, guilt. Should be doing something else.
If something doesn't get done, if I don't cook dinner, if I forget a birthday...I feel guilty. The problem is that with the guilt is a feeling of being completely and totally overwhelmed by everything.
It also means when I do accomplish something, if it's not perfect, I get really upset. If I make a new recipe and HH doens't like it...I take it personally.
I HATE this...because I know this is where it started with me and I do NOT want my boys to end up feeling this way. If I didn't LOVE something my mom did/bought me, she'd feel bad. She'd blame herself...and thus, no matter what it was, I always pretended to love it. I could never really be open with her because her feelings were hurt so easily. I'm hoping that knowing this, will help me avoid creating the same cycle with my boys. I want them to feel like they can tell me what they are thinking, I want them to feel comfortable in their own opinions and not feel like they have to walk on egg shells around me for fear that I'll breakdown.

I want to be better, I want to let go of the guilt and just accept that life isn't perfect. Sometimes the house will be messy, the kids will act out in public, work will be put off to do something fun and sometimes I'll have to tell the boys no so that I can get something else accomplished.

In my head, I know all of this...I just need to figure out the best way to let go. It's hard to break old habits.

We really should learn to check the stairs

M: Go brush your teeth, it's bed time.

A: but I'm playing my game

M: I don't care, don't make me get up

A: *sigh* ugh.

M: Kid, you'd better get up there and brush your teeth

A: FINE! but you need to come up with me and tuck me in.

M: Just go upstairs, I'll tuck you in when you finish brushing

A: UGH! I don't want to have to come back down

M: *deep breath* GO!

A: *stomping up the stairs*

HH: You're such a mean mommy

M: Yep, just sign me up for mommy dearest

HH: Just wait until he's 16 and calling you a bitch

M: I'll still..

A: DADDY! What the...I heard that!

HH: *sigh* Go upstairs!!

M: Thanks daddy

HH: Well I didn't know he was there

M: As I was saying, I will STILL wash his mouth out with soap!

Yep...we really need to start checking the stairs.

Weekend Randomness

What a weekend!!

Saturday morning I got up and took the boys to a Dr Seuss storytime at Borders. It was a really cute way to kill an hour with the kids. They read a story, decorated bookmarks, handed out coloring pages and then gave all the kids small milkshakes (cake batter flavored...fabulous!). Both boys had fun, then we checked out the clearance books, mommy got coffee and we headed home for naptime.

That evening we had a BBQ to go to, it was absolutely beautiful out and the kids had a blast. It was at this BBQ that I was introduced to Caribou Lou. Have you heard of this? It's a deceptively delicious beverage consisting of 151, Malibu and Pineapple juice. I am a sucker for malibu and this tastes like malibu and pineapple...but oh my dear lord, that 151 knocked me on my ass!! I didn't drink at the BBQ b/c I was meeting the girls out for drinks after. My wonderful husband was nice enough to drop me off while he went home and put the kids to bed. (yea, he's a keeper)

I started the evening off with my drink of choice, a blue margarita. My friend Karol makes fabulous blue margaritas and I can't go visit her when she's behind the bar without having one. Once the other girls showed up, I decided to have her make us some Caribou Lou's.

2.5 drinks later...(and let's not forget the margarita) it was time to head home. Luckily I had a DD and while I was fine the whole way home, got in the door and checked my FB/email, brushed my teeth and changed my clothes...I was still feeling pretty good. Of course I also decided to jump my husband. It wasn't until after the big O, that the 151 decided to sneak up on me and knock my on my ass, literally. So while hubby was waiting for his grand finale, I was on the bathroom floor wishing I would just get sick already....but, I didn't. He eventually realized it so wasn't happening for him and went to sleep. I, being the oh so klassy girl that I am, decided the cool tile floor on the bathroom felt nice...and once my head stopped spinning I passed out right there, with a my head in the hall and a towel for a pillow. Good thing that kids didn't wake up!

I was in some pain today, I so didn't feel like doing anything but since hubby would be watching football it was either leave the house or deal with 2 kids while wishing I could sleep. I decided it would be a good day to take Ian to his first movie. I took Grandma for backup.
We saw Despicable Me. It was cute...and Ian did really well. He got antsy towards the end and I had to go let him run the halls a bit, but considering it was nap time...I'd say it was a win. Unlike me partying like a rockstar...FAIL.

Over all, it was a great weekend!

That time my husband was hanging out with hookers

Friday night my husband was hanging out with hookers. Yep, hookers. Honest to goodness ladies of the night. I'm not sure if there was a red light involved, but possibly. There was some screaming, one girl getting put in to a cab, a guy running a poker game where he thought he would have a bunch of guys in suits and girls serving drinks (and other services) while he took a cut of everything.
It resulted in one pissed off guy because apparently the girl didn't get the memo on what services a hooker was supposed to supply (and I ain't talkin' no kissing on the lips either), a bunch of liquored up cable techs and the "house" paying people to just shut the fuck up.

Oh yea, only around here.

Now rest assured, my darling husband was just hanging out watching all of the drama unfold while eating some chicken and drinking a beer (or 5). He just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time for all of this. I was at home sleeping, although I did get woken up by the screaming when they had to put the first girl in a cab. I just figured it was another domestic dispute. For some reason people around here like to go out in to the middle of the road to fight, making sure to stand at least 2 driveways apart, so that everyone on the street can hear them.

Have I mentioned that I need to move?

In other news...things I didn't think I'd have to say.

"Aiden, please put your brothers balls away"
"Keep your hands on your own slinkies!"
"Stop dippin' in our conversation"

Wish I had the rack to go with the weight

I've been putting off the whole diet and exercise thing for WAY too long.

I NEED to get my ass in gear.

I occurred to me yesterday though, that I could be happy at the size I am now if I had the rack to go with it. Seriously. While the girls have grown, they're not nearly proportional enough to my tummy (tummy, that makes it sound so cute.) and thighs. It makes it really difficult to find clothes that fit right. If it fits up top, it's too tight around my middle and vice versa. But rather then get a boob job to fix the girls, I guess I'll have to just start trying to deflate the inflatable tube that resides around my middle section.

Right after I finish my white mocha that is.

The kinky tooth fairy

First of all. My oldest son is 7, his name is Aiden. My younger son is 2, his name is Ian. There, now it's out there for all of the internets :)

On the way to school the other day Aiden decides to start questioning the Tooth Fairy. Some of the kids at school told him it's really just your mom and dad that take your teeth and leave you money. Apparently 2 of the kids in his class found their teeth in their parents room. Can you imagine? I mean, before the lightbulb goes on as to WHY they have a ziplock bag full of tiny teeth....can you imagine trying to figure out what in the hell your parent are doing with...TEETH!? Anyway, I ask him what he thinks and at first he agrees with the kids at school but then he remembers that the tooth fairy left him money and took his most recent tooth when nobody was even home. You know, b/c that dumb fairy "was sick" the night before and didn't make it. So, he's still on the fence.

Why didn't I just tell him the truth? Well, here's the thing for those of you with small children that don't yet question the ways of the universe and everything else in between. They like to ask the hard questions while you are driving...and usually before you've had your coffee. This way, they catch you off guard while you are rocking out to a little Daughtry and trying to wake up. They don't have to look you in the eye either, major plus when they are confessing to something they think they'll get in trouble for. Problem is? They never ask when hubby and I are both in the car...just me, and just me when I am barely functional. So, we sort of left the topic of the tooth fairy unresolved.

Fast forward to this evening.
Hubby is in the living room talking to the U-Verse guy (Buh Bye TWC!) and Aiden comes downstairs and says, not very quietly "Mommy, why do you have handcuffs in your room?" I look to see if the guy noticed, but they seem pretty engrossed in their conversation so I try to quietly ask Aiden what he is talking about. He proceeds to tell me that he found handcuffs in our room "you know, in that drawer by your bed". And asks again, not catching the hint that I am using a very quiet tone and trying to move to another room, "Mommy, why are there handcuffs in your room?!"
At this point, I'm pretty sure the technical conversation stopped and the U-Verse guy was politely trying to ignore us. I eventually told Aiden to just go upstairs and play legos.

It turns out, he wasn't in "that drawer", he was in our cedar chest...and he did find handcuffs, actual metal ones that I think we left behind at a halloween party at some point. Or maybe I bought them as a gift for Jared many many childless moons ago. I'm not really sure...not that we have other handcuffs or anything that he could have stumbled upon.

At any rate, I am fairly certain that he was looking for teeth...and now he will probably have a whole other set of questions for me on the drive to school tomorrow. Maybe I should get coffee before instead of after...

Happy Family Outing

We decided to go to an art festival this morning. A friend of ours had a booth and it wasn't far so we thought it would be a nice way to walk around, support the local art scene and spend some qt with the fam.

Yea.

We have a 2 year old.

The morning went something like this:

M: Let's get dressed
T2: Ahhhh blah blah blah you are evil ahhhh. (in coherent screams)

20 minutes later...dressed.

We arrive at the art fair, our happy little family, and instantly the 2 year old wants to run in to the pond and has to be carried away screaming. The 7 year old? Yea, he wants food and to find his friends.
We walk around the circle, attempting to appreciate quilts, jewelry, pottery...all the while I am just trying to keep the 2 year old from breaking something or swiping something off the tables. We find the kids tent with the fake snow, of course the kids don't want to leave...and after 20 minutes, I'm the mean mommy and I make them...but no worries, I bribe them with lemonade.
Then we have the melt down over wanting to touch the $400 paintings with the dogs and the tigers on them. Screaming, kicking...strange women giving Jared tips on how to hold him so that you can't feel the kicks. The fun never ends on our happy family outing. 7 year old pouting over the fake snow and wanting to go to the play ground.

Oh yes...this is exactly how I envisioned our afternoon of strolling through the park and looking at art going. Yep.

You'd think I would know better.
2 year olds should only be taken out in public when absolutely necessary....and then, only with out toddlers so that yours isn't the only kid screaming incoherently at you and kicking. Oh, and let's not forget laying in the middle of the walkway and turning to jello with lots of parents who were smart enough to come without their children walking by and "awwwing" or giving us looks of "oh yea, been there".

I came home and took a nap. Did I mention that I skipped coffee this morning??!!

Oh yea, and, I'm back

I know, I've been such a blog slacker. Work is busy right now since we're in full wedding season swing...so if I'm on the computer I'm usually working or checking my facebook. Plus, me home with 2 kids = losing my mind piece by piece. I love them, but oh my dear lord, all.day.long with the don't touch your brother, leave his toys alone, no! he had that first, don't lick his leg. What? You don't have to tell your children to stop licking each other? Come on, I'll bet you do...

Anyway, I've missed my bloggy friends. I do stop over and read most of my regulars, but I haven't been commenting as often as I normally would. Hopefully once school is back in session I'll be better at keeping up. I am going to attempt some kind of real schedule...with actual work hours, play hours, housework hours...etc. While working from home seems like the perfect situation, I constantly feel guilty. If I'm doing work, I think I should be cleaning or playing with the kids...and vice versa. So, I figure if I have designated times for everything, no guilt. All in a perfect world, right?! Talk to me in September and I'll let you know how it's going.

The funk is gone, and no not just because I showered (which, I did). I still have my moments but I'm better at managing them. I know I have issues that are hormone related...but I'm hoping in the next few months when HH gets the old snip snip, I'll be a bit more sane. Not totally sane, there is no hope of that...but I'm okay with that. I like keeping people on their toes.

He may not talk, but he's no dummy!

Do you see this adorable face?


He's 2 and he doesn't talk.
Well, he doesn't talk much. He has few words but he pretty much just screams. If you ask him to use words, he just walks away...and then he'll just figure out a way to get what he wants on his own.
Yesterday he wanted new batteries in this dancing Brobee, when we weren't jumping to his screams he went over to HH's desk, found a screw driver and attempted to fix it himself.

Tonight? He wanted gogurt, he got it out of the fridge and waved it at me. I put it back. Later, after dinner, I was in the kitchen loading the dishwasher and the little bugger had climbed up on my desk, got the scissors and opened the fridge to get the gogurt. He'd seen me use them to open our frozen gogurts, so apparently he figured if I wasn't going to help him, he'd do it himself.


Ah, 2 is so much fun.

On a side note, check out these handsome boys:


And now let's hear it...AWE...

Slipping and sliding

HH commented the other night that I've been rather crabby lately and that I seem to be annoyed by him all the time. I think all the time is a bit extreme, but I am crabby, a lot.

I feel myself slipping, I know it's happening, and yet, I can't stop it.

I WANT to stop it, I don't like snapping at my kids, I don't like looking at my husband and having the urge to throw something at him for no good reason. My kids are amazing little boys and my husband is a wonderful man. Hell, he puts up with me which pretty much makes him a saint in my book.

The thing is, I don't have a lot to be unhappy about. My life is NOT that stressful, it's not that complicated...and yet I find things to get pissy about. I take everything personally, I cry over the littlest thing and I feel that urge to throw things.

Last night I actually ordered my husband to NOT do the dishes. Not even kidding. I was melting because it's a freaking sauna in my house. I told him the baby was in bed and the other one had 10 minutes to finish his show. I was going upstairs to hide in the a/c. He said 'fine, I'll deal with the kitchen'. At that point, normal people would have said 'fine, I cooked dinner, you do that' but oh no, not me. Instead I snapped and told him I would do it because now I feel bad that I was going to go relax. It went on from there until I basically made him promise not to touch the dishes. Seriously people, what is wrong with me?!

Regardless, if I'm quiet, I'm sorry. I just don't have a lot of positive things to say lately. If you know me in real life and I'm acting like a bitch, I'm sorry. I'm usually pretty good at the whole fake it until you make it...but it's getting harder and I'm snapping more then usual.

Now you find out just how spoiled I am

My mom has been visiting the crazy people my family in FL. She left last Tuesday and won't be home until next Tuesday. This is no vacation, trust me. I wasn't at all happy about her going down there but she had to do what felt right...and she'd feel way too guilty if she stayed home. So, off she went.

What does this have to do with me? That leaves me with 2 kids all day, everyday. You see, usually once a week I could drop one or both of them off and go run errands, meet a friend for lunch, do work or just sit at home and dick around on the computer doing nothing for a few hours. It was grand. I'd take her a McD's Frappe (YUM btw) and she'd be a happy camper. She loves those boys, hanging out with them makes her happy...getting a break makes me happy.
So, we're on day 8 and I'm going a bit nuts. Okay sure, I spent Friday and Saturday night drinking it up and hanging out with friends while HH was home with the kids...but so what?

Yea yea, like I said, now you find out just how spoiled I am.

My mommy needs to come home so I can have an afternoon of productivity. Not that I don't enjoy playing 14 games of Uno and rebuilding the Thomas track 150000 times a day while trying to clean, do laundry, figure out dinner...and oh yea, work...but you know, it would be nice if a simple task wouldn't take 3 hours to complete.

::points finger at self:: spoiled rotten, right here.

I went to a wedding

Do you have friends that you don't talk to often and see even less...yet when you get together it's like you talk every day? Those are my Canadian girls. I love these girls. They're just GOOD people, ya know? Their families are awesome, and I know if I needed something they'd be there to help me out however they could. 6 years ago they made the drive down to come to MY wedding and it's something that meant a lot to me. So, when the one we call Moo decided to go and get herself hitched it was only natural that my BFF and I made our reservations and hopped in the car for a road trip. Kids and hubby left to fend for themselves!

First, let me give a quick trip review. We used priceline to book our hotel. It was cheap, we weren't expectly luxury, just a bed to sleep on. When we checked in to America's Best Value Inn (yes, on the Canadian side) we were first shocked at how far it was from the actual Falls. Not a huge deal for us since we know the area and weren't there for the tourist stuff, but calling this Niagara Falls was a bit of a stretch! Then, the lady with the broken arm at the desk wanted to charge us an additional $15 per night in order for us to have 2 beds instead of 1. Yep. My BFF hasn't learned that you catch more flies with honey...but I did sweet talk in her to $10/night extra. Still, annoying. I won't be staying there again...those beds, definitely NOT worth the extra cash.

We started the day with an afternoon ceremony but before we left, I had to play on the fun swings outside our room.

Notice the shoes? I make every excuse possible to wear those shoes.

Here is our signature picture


And this is what happens when I am left unattended.


And one more because I can't end this post without showing you how absolutely beautiful the bride and groom are! And well, the rest of us are pretty cute too :)