I'm going to have a NINE year old

Nine people, NINE!

that is one year away from TEN...which means I will have been a mom for a full decade.

That is just crazy. It is. I'm not sure I can wrap my tiny little brain around that. Let's not even talk about what happens in just a few short years. EEK!

I suppose we're not doing too bad of a job, he has manners and people seem to like him. He does okay in school, has friends, picks on his brother and at least once a day makes me want to pick him up and throw him. Of course he also makes me smile, laugh and want to just hug him tight and never let him grow up. It all works out.

I'm in birthday party planning mode. I'm going to have 7 of his friends staying the night at my house on Friday. Send wine. Send coffee. Send vodka.

It's going to be a Steelers party, much to my Browns loving husband's dismay. In true tween fashion, he loves to rebel against everything his parents like and in this case, he's taken it a step farther and has decided to cheer for the enemy. I may or may not encourage this nonsense just for sport and driving my husband crazy. ;)

So far for the party we'll have pizza, football shaped cake (yellow cake with chocolate frosting, of course), assorted popcorn flavors, training exercises, and movies. I need a good football themed kids movie.

Generally with his birthday being two weeks after Christmas he gets the shaft on the party planning, I'm trying not to suck this year by planning all of a week in advance. Go me.

It's getting to be that time of year

You know, the time that everyone says "This year will be different!"

Ya know what...this year won't be different. My kids will still drive me crazy, I'll still snap too fast, I'll still do something that I'm sure they'll talk about in therapy later and I'll continue to move forward. We'll have some really awesome days and we'll have some days that suck. Hopefully we'll pay off some bills, put some money in the bank and work on getting in to a better house.

If I have to set a goal for 2012, it's to make it the year I don't have to apologize.

I'm a people pleaser by nature, I like to make people happy and sometimes in doing so, I apologize even when I really don't have anything to be sorry about. It's a guilt issue...I have serious guilt issues. I'd like to let those go, not just for this year but for good.

I'm not sorry I had to throw away the toy you bought my kids, they're kids and the toy was broken...it was played with and now it's time for it to go. I'm not sorry that I don't feel like meeting you tonight because I'd rather sit on my ass and watch Netflix. Sometimes, I'd just rather sit on my ass and watch Netflix. I'm not sorry that I'm not available every.single.time you need me to be. I'm not sorry that my kids, my husband and my marriage come first. I'm not sorry that my parenting isn't the same as yours. I'm not sorry that my house is a mess, I have Netflix to watch and games of candyland to play. I'm not sorry that you are an idiot and I can't be bothered to deal with you anymore. I'm just not.
On the flip side, I'd like to improve so that I don't *have* to say I'm sorry. This mostly applies to work.

So while no, I'm not making resolutions for the year here is my list of things I will not be doing this year (in no particular order)

*picking up running. I don't run...unless someone is trying to snag the last bottle of Mascato at the grocery store. Then, maybe.
*taking a picture every day
*blogging on a regular basis
*keeping my house company ready every day
*

A product review? Me? REALLY?

So the folks over at Pictures on Canvas contacted me about doing a product review. I'm sure you are wondering why on earth they would choose a blog such as mine, that gets updated once in a blue moon. Trust me, I wondered too. My friend Andrea posted a blog hop awhile back about siblings. It's actually one of my personal favorite posts here on the ol' blog. It apparently caught the attention of this company and they asked if I'd review their product.

Well, of course I will. Am easy.

After taking forever to order, totally my own slacker-ness, I chose an image that I just love. It reminds me that this is my life and that THIS is what it's all about. It's not about matching clothes and smiling for the camera. You don't need to have a perfect setting and lighting that is just right to have an image that makes you smile.
Oh wait, you guys probably recognize it from up at the top. Yep.

Now, you'll have to excuse the crappy picture. My camera is dead and the charger is MIA. This is as good as it gets right now. The canvas (that was FREE!) is an 8x10. I probably should have upgraded to the 11x14 but regardless, I love it. Good quality and it came ready to hang on the wall (with super fast shipping to boot)

BTW, we've been busy around here. I promise there are updates to come and pictures to show off.

In case you were wondering

I don't have baby fever.

At. All.

Ian is 3 now, he's fun and crazy and adorable and I am actually loving the stage we're in right now. I hate the fighting with his brother, the constant screaming over toys makes me want to walk out and just hide on a daily basis but 90% of the time...we're good. Am I bummed he's getting SO big, SO fast? Of course....but I have zero desire to have another baby in the house. I like cuddling other newborns for short periods of time, but then I'm good. I like handing them back and going back to my 2 kids that can talk to me, climb in their own seats, choose their bedtime books, play in the bath tub and run around the park without mommy being on their heels every second.

Why am I telling you this? Well, it's simple, for whatever reason there are people that just can't seem to figure this out. My mother, for one.

Also...while we're at it, we did not decide to stop at 2 because Ian is insane. Yes, he is going to be my wild child but we were 98% sure we were done while I was pregnant. I was the hold out on that 2% and it was just the hormones. Hubby had the ol' snip snip...we are not having another baby. So please PLEASE stop asking. Stop making comments about trying for a girl and on the flip side don't act like my 3 year old is such a terror that we couldn't possibly want to do it again. Both scenarios are wrong. We decided to stop at 2 because our family is complete. I know my limits, I know what I can handle and this is it. HH feels the same...

That's my rant for today. Pictures and updates on my crazy kids soon. We're having a whole lot of fun in the sun this summer!!