On the way to work today, I passed a really hot guy running with his dog. The dog was a standard white poodle with a really stylish (not) poodle cut. You know the fluffy head, tail and paws. The dog wasn't galloping like most dogs do while running. It was kind of prancing. I had to look twice to be sure I had in fact seen a hot guy with a girly dog. Hot Dude – lose the dog. It does nothing for your hotness.
Don't make a chocolate cake and put the utensils and bowls directly in the dishwasher without rinsing them first. It turned the water brown and everything looks dirty. I'm rewashing for the third time to get the dirty film off all the dishes. I read in the Earth Day stuff not to rinse dishes if your dishwasher could handle the it. My dishwasher if fairly new and about mid-range in terms of quality so I figured it could take it. Guess what? It can't handle chocolate cake batter.
I hate hate hate to wait. I need to know now so just call and tell me already!
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I'm totally grossed out by my kid constantly messing with his barely loose tooth so Ed stepped in. Did he just tell Sam to stop? Oh No He Didn't. He told Sam that he'd give him $5 to stop. WTH? Are we trying to start a bidding war with the Tooth Fairy? Oh wait, we are the Tooth Fairy. WTH Ed!?!?!?
Last Thursday, Sam lost a tooth. In the absense of cash, I ran to the ATM late night. Smallest amount you can get is $10 and I had no shoes so I couldn't get change. Oh yes, I gave the brat $10 from the Tooth Fairy.
Fast forward to today, he comes to me with a spool of thread and asks if we can pull out some of his other teeth that are starting to get loose. Oh yes, he wants to ho his teeth to the Fairy for video game money. Ed says that he'll be giving blood for cash before he's 10.
Damn that I forgot to bring shoes on my cash run. Now my kid is selling his body parts.
Smashbox Cosmetics.
I've converted from Clinique to Mac and now from Mac to Smashbox. Love them. I can't believe I spent almost $50 on foundation, but it was worth it. I got a few other things but not a complete makeover. Ed would die if I dropped $300 in one day for makeup.
and up a lot last night with him. Sam has a fever and a headache. No other symptoms and happy as a clam on Tylenol. Hoping this break soon because a headache and fever are miserable for him.
This is one of the bad things about being parttime. I'm only there a few hours a week so missing a day is really hard. I'm trying to work but Benjamin has other plans for me, like "go ot-side."
While trying to watch what I eat in hopes of losing/not gaining more weight, I've been researching snack and dessert recipes because these are the hardest things for me to give up.
I found an idea today that I'm trying right now - Diet Coke cake. It says to use a chocolate cake mix and a can of Diet Coke, but you can use any type of diet drink/cake mix combo. I'm doing a strawberry mix with Sprite Zero right now. The batter is yummy. I'm just waiting for the cupcakes to bake. Each cupcake has 90 calories and only 1.5 grams of fat. I could put some fat free whipped topping on them with a fresh strawberry, but this time I just put some sprinkles on them to make them a bit more festive. Stand by for the final taste results.
Taste Results - They are a hit!
1. Could only eat one. Still sweet even if diet, but that's a good thing. Don't know if I could eat it frosted. Maybe Diet Sprite would be better than Sprite Zero. Will have to try the diet next time.
2. Didn't have cupcake papers and really needed them. They stuck to the greased pan so I only have 3 whole in tact cupcakes.
3. Directions say to cook 18-22 minutes. Could probably go 24-25 to get a nicer texture. They were really moist at 20 minutes. Not raw, but still really moist and a tad sticky. Might not get any better, but next time I'll cook a little longer.
4. Would be really nice with a tart fresh strawberry on top. Will try that next time for sure.
In honor of the new movie, I just ordered this for myself.
I'm really more of a cross between Miranda and Charlotte, but I'm a Carrie wannabe.
I just saw a teen at the gas station with a ring of hickies around his neck. All the way around his neck. Like a necklace. Gag.
A couple of weeks ago I ordered tickets for Sam to go to the Fox Theater to see the movie The Robinsons. He's never been to the Fox and I love the Fox.
Yesterday ed mentioned that he'd take him and he was so excited to go with Ed. So no me.
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A cheese burger happy meal is 30 cents more than a hamburger happy meal, but a cheese burger is 10 cents more than a hamburger.
What's up with that Ronald?
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He is giving me a hard time in the steak and shake drive thru so I'm getting revenge by telling the whole internet that he is a putz.
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Aquarius
July 7, 2007
It may seem like neither side of the bed is the right side to wake up on, dear Aquarius. The only solution you may be able to come up with today is to just go back to bed. Focus on your heart, because it is trying to tell you that it needs some attention. Emotions may be running quite high, so be extra careful of how you treat yourself and others.
I have it in writing that I should just go back to bed!
out of the grocery store plastic bags. Check it out.
Cool huh?
Working on my contributions for tomorrow. I'm going to Home Depot later to pick up 5 engery saving lightbulbs, I'm calling to get recycling service (the service our neighborhood uses doesn't offer it), and I turned down our hot water heater.
I switched to washing clothes in cold water a few weeks ago and so far so good. I also try to never wash without a full load. That's not a difficult thing to do around here with this crowd.
I went around the house and turned off the stuff we weren't using like DVD players, DirecTV receivers, printers, rechargers, stereos, etc. Things that aren't being used, but get left on. This will require some ongoing effort on my part because we're bad about leaving stuff on. Did you know that laptop, game, and cell phone chargers left plugged in use energy? I didn't know that, but now I do and I won't leave them plugged in when not in use.
Our biggest waste is the shower. We're bad, bad, bad. This is our family challenge. I'm going to check into a water saving shower head today and possibily a timer to keep us in check. This will cause great resistance from my family I'm sure, but I turned down the hot water heater to 120 so they may be forced to shorten their showers.
There is a video clip here about paper taming - reducing the unwanted mail that comes to your house. This website lets you opt out of credit card offers. This website helps you to opt out of marketing offers.
I also read what you can do to be Earth conscience at work. I'm bad about using disposable cups and spoons so I'm going to take a spoon and cup to work to use and wash. I set up a profile for my computer at work to conserve ink a few months ago, but honestly I haven't been using it enough. I'll try to be more diligent about it.
Gas prices have conditioned me to combine trips, stay home, and buy a gas saving car but we can all use work conserving gas right? I stole this from the MSN site -
Driving Best Practices -
Driving technique has a lot to do with your fuel economy. Avoid sudden starts and stops and go the speed limit.Not only does speeding and herky-jerky driving kill your MPG, it's dangerous. And even if no one gets hurt in a fender bender, how green is it to get a new bumper or have your car re-painted? As a general rule of thumb, keep your engine speeds between 1,200 — 3,000 RPMs, and up-shift between 2,000 — 2500 RPMs. Also, drive wise and minimize unnecessary miles by doing errands in one trip, getting good directions, and calling ahead.
Unexpectedly, a tooth fell out today. Some sort of accident with the stylus from the Nintendo DS around 5. Fast forward 4 hours and I just realized that I have no cash. I guess I'm off to the ATM in a few minutes, but I'm watching the final episode of the Biggest Loser season III on the Style network. I'm not a loyal fan or anything, but there is nothing on TV so I got sucked in about 4 hours ago because they are showing episodes back to back. Now I've got to see who won before I fulfill my Tooth Fairy obligations. Mother of the Year? No, but I'm not the Biggest Loser either ;-)
Wanna know what we did to celebrate?
Nothing. Zip. Nada. And it was Heaven.
But I'm still not into working today. Go figure.
Ben loves this song. I don't know if he's seen the show, but I showed him this clip and he says "HOUSE, HOUSE" to play it again. Enjoy!
So Ed and I have been over the price of gas forever. We talked and talked about getting a third car for my commute with the hope of cutting down on our gas expenses. Saturday, he headed over to the Toyota dealer and bought me an 07 Corolla. Its a five speed, very basic (think Air and CD and nothing else - not even power windows - gasp) and gets a whopping 41 mpg.
So I drove it to work today and I felt so Earth friendly in my compact gas saving machine. Not at all like the gas monger I was commuting with last week. The Pilot gets 17 MPG on a good day. Me, all alone, in my 8 passenger car that used $10-15 in gas a day. The guilt was overwhelming. My Corolla is so totally chic. I feel like I need a World Peace bumper sticker. Me and Brad Pitt in our gas saving Toyota's. We are so hip.
I'm thinking about getting a personalized license tag. Something like "SAVNGAS" or "41MPG". I want everyone to wish they were saving as much gas money as me.
I'm in love with my basic car with no options that is so gas conscience. But I've got my loaded out gasaholic SUV parked in the garage when I need a bit of luxury. Maybe I'm not as Mother Earth as I think I am ;-).
So I'm testing it. Will this bring more entries? Only time will tell.
On Friday, we went to the Starlight Six drive-in on Moreland Avenue. Ed was leery because it isn't traditionally known as a safe area, but a couple of people assured me it was totally safe and tons of fun. We got there early to picnic and goof around before the movie started at 9:15. It was a nice crowd and it was a blast. I had never been to a drive-in but was dying to go. $7 for adults and $1 per kid and it was for a double feature of first run movies. A bargain!! Benjamin did OK with it all and Sam had a blast. We only stayed for The Fabulous Four, but the second movie was Spiderman 3. The second movie started at 11 and that was just too late for this crowd. We'll definitely go back and tailgate again. Hopefully the new Harry Potter movie will be playing there.
A happy meal is no longer enough to fill up my oldest child. He wants to order value meals. Ouch. My wallet just screamed.
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School ended, Sam, Ben, and I went to Cincinnati for Jordan's graduation, I went to Orlando for Microsoft TechEd, Sam went to baseball camp and vacation bible school, and Ed FINALLY finished up the school year this past Tuesday. Its been a whirlwind around here, but we'll slow down for 2 weeks then Ed starts working again! The kids are already really tan even with 30spf! Ben's hair is really blond from the sun. I bet it turns white by the end of the summer. Its wild with those big brown eyes.
Sam is as crazy as ever and this will be his first week home all day since summer vacation started. Ben is talking up a storm and he hates going to the pool. I'm working like crazy while Ed is home to bank some spending money. And Ed is enjoying a few days off before Summer School starts. Madeline is as snippy as ever and has incidents with Ben every few days. And Lucy is doing much better do to a simple change in cat litter and we're hoping this is the answer for her!
So that's it in a nutshell. I'll try to come back sooner for a real update.
You guys said that I never update so I'm doing it right now from your backyard.
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Say it isn't so, but it really could be. Highly (and yes I'm biased but truly he is) intelligent child who wants to do all kinds of stuff with a bank of about 100 or so words and what does this get you? Frustration. Plain and simple F.R.U.S.T.R.A.T.I.O.N. On my part? No. For me it is higly entertaining and fasinating to watch him grow. For him? TOTAL FRUSTRATION. Knows what he wants, communicates it to some degree, and doesn't always get what he wants. For now, he's too young to compromise, but still young enough to distract. I am so in for it over the next year or so.
My child got a perfect attendance AND an honor roll award today. The honor roll thing he totally gets from me, but the perfect attendance thing must come from Ed. The Brown's are smart, but we don't always show up ;-)
I just found it looking for something else. Blogger has this neat posting app for docs so I might post a few others too.
So I slack sometimes, but 100 posts is somewhat impressive I think!
Real Life Moment -
Sam gives us his best muscle man pose and proclaims himself "A Green Bean Fighting Machine"
Ed and I busted out laughing and Sam said, "What?!"
For all my fellow Momobile Drivers and for their husbands who can't understand why the family car is always such a pit!
This morning while in the shower, I had this flashback of Ed's Mother's funeral and my miscarriage. And it dawned on me that literally hours after his Mother was buried, in my own turmoil of the miscarriage, I said to him that I wanted to go home to my Mom. We left the very next morning. It never even dawned on me until this morning how hurtful that was for him to hear. His Mom was gone and all I wanted was my Mom. I know the whole thing was a difficult situation and I was scared of having a miscarriage away from my home, my doctor, and my comfort zone, but still did I have to cry about going home to my Mom?
We got Sam an athletic cup over the weekend. He wore it to practice yesterday and complained about it. I kept telling him to talk to dad about it and not me because before yesterday I'd never even seen one so I have no idea how its supposed to fit obviously.
Ed and I take turns going to the game or staying gone with Benjamin. Today is my game day. Sam complained on the way here and I tried to tell him that he'd get used to it.
Second inning he tells out to me on the way out of the dugout with his hand on his crotch in his loud voice, "Mom, I'm getting used to this cup." I managed to smile as I melted into my seat.
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You put on a pair of pre-pregnancy jeans and they fit really well.
AND you put your hand in the pocket and pull out $5.
Life is good today.
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Lord knows I don't have the answer but does anyone?
I know that we can't just walk away, but is more troops the answer? I want to believe this will work, but everyday Americans are dying.
I just want peace. Pray for peace.
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| You Probably Look Younger Than Your Age |
 You live a healthy lifestyle and know how to take care of yourself. You'll probably have a youthful glow for many years. |
It was a month late, but whose counting?
He got 4 shots, including a flu shot. He is doing great all around and proclaimed to be verbally advanced. We're not around too many babies so I've forgotten what's norm and what's not. I guess normal at this age is 3 words. He's got a ton and he sings three songs. He cried a good bit of the time that we were there. He's not much for being touched by strangers. And who can blame him? He got held down a couple of months ago for stitches and shots this time. He was 25-50% for height and weight and 95% for head. Right about where Sam was at this age. I need to find the sheet with the height and weight. I think he was about 30 inches and 22 pounds, but I'm not certain.
Ben's Birthday Pictures
Singing Happy Birthday!
Checking out the cake.
Realizing that its cake!
Total mess. The water turned orange when I gave him a bath. I ordered a cake for the party and they said that they'd throw in a cake for Ben. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagined they would use Orange and Turquoise frosting. It was interesting, but he LOVED it.
Hated the hat, but he sure was the cutest Candy Corn ever. Luckily it was super easy to make because he fell asleep about 1/3 of the way through Trick or Treating. Not too many people got to see it. I'm so BAD. I made Sam take his bucket to the door and ask for candy for his brother that had fallen asleep in the stroller. Like Ben was going to eat candy. Um, no. It was all me.
My Jedi. This picture doesn't do the whole thing justice. It has breast armour under the cloak and was really cool. He was so excited and loved it. He got a couple of comments on it. I may actually get an honorable mention at the Mother of the Year banquet for making this for him. Hopefully, he'll be willing to wear it next year too!
I can't show you the real one because it would ruin that "Awww" moment when you open it, but I can share these. These two are so funny together. L.O.V.E.I.T. Watch out World.
For my SIL -
I use Alton Brown's version. Click here.
Simple to make, but highly addictive. Make it, package it up, and get it out of your house ASAP.
so I'll do a quick update.
I'm down to the last 9 minutes on my Ebay auction for a TMX Elmo. I've put in my absolute maximum ridiculously overpriced bid for the furry thing so I'm trying to practice some restraint. I'm willing to pay about $20-25 over the retail price not to kill myself looking for it. Crud. I was outbid. Now I'm bidding on another one. Seven minutes to go on this one. Shoot outbid again.
Now I'm eating my words. After being outbid at the last minute for like 10 of these things (note I'm been working on this post for 30 minutes now), I paid $30 above retail. Crazy. The kid is 12 months old and I'm already doing this to myself. Before you know it I'll be knee deep in Jedi costumes, the perfect cupcakes for school, and boxer briefs. If you know Sam, you know exactly what I'm talking about. He knows what he wants and its almost impossible to change his mind.
Well, I used all my free time in my pursuit for Elmo and Ben's now bored. If only he knew how happy Sam and I are he is going to be on Christmas playing with Elmo. I'll try to get back here tomorrow because I've got new pictures to upload.
WOW! Its been two weeks since I last blogged.
Don't have time to do a full update, but mostly I didn't blog because the biggest thing going on was Ed's Surprise Party and I couldn't put anything about it in writing. Now that its over, I need to get the World caught up on all that is Wagner. Can't do it now, but I'll return over the weekend to catch up on the Party, my now ONE year old, and Halloween. Its been a crazy two weeks!
Let's see...
1. Ben fell at my sister in laws on Tuesday and hit the coffee table on the way down. Four stitches. Yes. My 11 month old has four stitches. Just one of those things.
2. This week is conference week for our school system. On Thursday, we met with Sam's teacher for a Sam love fest. She loves him, he's doing well, and all was great. Luckily for him, he saves all his bad behavior for me. If he misbehaved for her, it would be all over for him.
3. Benjamin is taking more and more steps. He'll be totally on the move any day now. He is so much more cautious than Sam ever was, but he's the one with the stitches. Go figure.
4. Yesterday was Ed's 41th. He's grouchy and depressed. It seems 41 is way worse than 40. And we did nothing for him because he doesn't like to make a fuss. W.H.A.T.E.V.E.R. If you read this Ed, W.H.A.T.E.V.E.R.
5. It was a crazy week at work. Lots going on there and our QA guru was on vacation so I did his job and mine. Yes, two jobs in 20 hours a week. I am Wonder Woman. We released three products and have about 6-7 more ready to go. I love my team.
6. Lots to do before Ben's party next week. Crap. Crap. Crap.
7. Sam's last baseball game for the season is today. Glad its over. He's over it because he's really not that good compared to the older kids on his team and he realizes it.
Tons of other stuff, but nothing worth blogging over. Don't know how much time I'll have this week with the upcoming party, but I hope to post some pictures tomorrow. No promises though.
Sigh....I just found this picture. Here's Sam at 18 months on vacation in Key West. The quality is bad compared to the more recent pictures, but I love it.
And a recent picture. He's hanging upside down on the swing.
Two Sphynx cats look picture perfect Wednesday during the press preview of the Fourth Annual CFA Iams Cat Championship. The competition will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Sam came home really disappointed because he got 90% on his spelling test. He put the apostrophe in can't in the wrong place. He spelled it cant'. That's a hard one and was the first conjunction of the year. Try explaining why you need an apostrophe. Hats off to teachers because I don't know how they explain some of the stuff they've got to cover.
No
Car
Go
Mommy
Dada
Sam
Tickle Tickle Tickle
Twinkle Twinkle
Kitty
Dog
He's really, really chatty. I'm sure there's more, but this is about all we can understand ;-).
We took Sam to Six Flags last night for what we termed "Sam Fun Night." My Mom watched Ben for us. We had a good time hanging out with Sam alone and we rode tons of rides. It was Fright Fest so it was an extra good time with tons of Halloween stuff. There were no lines, but it was a bit cold. I hadn't been there in years and I was so lost in the dark. I think we saw everything but honestly I have no idea. He was tall enough to have his own Bumper Car and I think that was probably the highlight of his night. I topped off the night with Funnel Cake. Its always a good time when there's funnel cake involved.
So it seems that he's as greedy as she is crazy. They really should get back together because they are damn near perfect for each other.
Runaway bride sues former fiance
I shouldn't read the news.
much less have children.
Mom accused of swinging baby as weapon
This makes me sick to my stomach. How could she?
He's been calling me Maaaa, but today he said Mommy. He's only said it once, but once for enough for now. It really got me through the day.
Sam brought home his 5th 100% on his spelling test. WooHoo. My frig is plastered with 100's and I like it.
It came yesterday because he fell on the playground and hit his head. He was acting fine and she gave him some ice. She checked on him a couple of times and everything was OK. She just wanted me to know how he got the knot so I wouldn't be startled when he got off the bus.
Did I see a knot? No. Call two - check.
I'm not really very proud of some of my fellow Americans these days. This stuff is totally disgusting. I don't care if you're sorry. Quit. You don't deserve to represent anyone.
Hastert says he won't step aside over Foley scandal
I realize the Onion isn't always for real, but why would they even make this crap up?
And there are days like today -
::Baby got up at 4 and didn't go back to sleep
::broke a heel
::bad traffic
::barely beat Sam's bus to our house
::nearly had an anxiety attack at the thought of Sam getting off the bus and I wasn't home
::Ben's never took an afternoon nap so he was whiney
::got chewed up and spit out by someone at work who is not so nice
::sent this blog entry to Blogger before it was complete
::almost ran out of gas because I was so tired I didn't notice
::paid 30 cents more than the local going rate for gas because I was desperate
I stayed home on Tuesday to recooperate and forgot that it was Tuesday so I didn't take Sam to prep. Oh well. There's always next week.
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I need to go run some errands and Ed has gone to a football game. So I'm going to drop one of the kids off with my Mom so the whole shopping thing will go smoothly. Which kid you ask? Sam. No, not Ben. Sam.
Sam and I are constantly butting heads lately. Everyone keeps telling me its the age and it will get better. But it irks me to no end that its easier to take Ben with me than it is to take Sam. It just doesn't sit right with me.
I tried to run these errands yesterday and gave up after about 30 minutes. He's that bad lately. Sweet as all get out and well behaved when he wants to be, but for me he's so rotten.
He better get over this sassy, drive me batty, he'll be lucky to live to 7 stage quickly because I'm losing my patience. I had to tell him 4 times to get in the shower this morning. The fourth wasn't in a nice tone and every time he had a rebuttal to my request. Give me strength.
Uh huh. It is.
I've got tons of home improvement todos this weekend so I don't know if I'll make it back here before Monday. Wish me luck.
Imagine me behind on this blog?
Kid Recap
Sam's bus stops at the end of the enclave (new widly popular fancy Southern term for one street subdivision with 12 or less houses) so Ben and I walk down every day to meet him. We sit at the end of the street and watch the cars go by. Yesterday, I said "car" as one went by and then the next car went by and Ben said "car." It was clear as day. In total disbelief, Sam and I waited at the end of the street until we could get him to say it again. He did and Sam agreed. It was totally clear. Ka-har.
Ben's still only taking 2-3 steps at time and dropping to his knees to crawl. He's a really fast crawler so it may be a while for he really gets the walking thing going. He's got callouses on his knees so I'm looking forward to him walking a bit more. But he doesn't care much for shoes and it will be cold soon so maybe crawling a bit longer isn't too bad.
Sam is Sam. And let's just say that I haven't blown my top at him this week, but I've really wanted to. Baseball is tiring him out because the rainouts cause some weeks to be really hectic. He's whiney and generally irritable, but only at me. I seem to be the cause of all his unhappiness. Whatever. I'm the one who forces him to do his homework and read so of course, I'm the worst. Some day he'll thank me. If we're still speaking to each other when that day comes ;-).
10 times on my mind (going for broke and doing a total catch up)
1. I'm now working on the trim paint on the never-ending stair project. All the staining and the coats of polyurthearane are complete. By this time next year, I might actually be done - thpt.
2. This weekend, I cleaned all of the front windows inside and out. What a chore. I said I'd do one side of the house every weekend, but darn that was hard work. The two sides don't have too many windows so maybe those will happen on time. But the back is another story. Three stories and tons of windows. Any one got of the number of a good window washer?
3. I've decided to paint my kitchen on Friday. Like I don't have enough going on. I've taped half the trim so hopefully I'll be able to complete it in one day. I'm doing the same color. It just needs a fresh coat. Sam lives in this house. Need I say more?
4. I still haven't posted about my camera. Nor have I used it as much as I'd like. Someday - maybe after all the house projects are done.
5. I got out voted on Ben's candycorn costume. He'll be Yoda. I'm not making it. I ordered it online on Monday. I told Ed if I don't like it that I'm returning it. He may still be candycorn yet.
6. I finished the curtains for the playroom. I've got to hang them and then I'll take some pictures to post. I'm still loving that room. If there weren't so many toys in there, I'd be tempted to claim it for myself.
7. I'm learning the Star Spangled Banner on the piano. When I play it, the husband stands at the door with his hand over his heart. Buthead.
8. I ordered Connect 4 to play with Sam. ToysRUs had it on sale for $6. I can't stand Monopoly so I'm hoping I'll like this game. I feel so bad when he asks me to play a game with him and I say no. Sitting still just isn't my thing.
9. I'm starting to think of how I can wean Ben from bottles of breastmilk when I'm at work. He's almost 11 months now and I'm T.I.R.E.D. of pumping. I made it - no formula. Yeah for me, but its time to wean off the bottle. I'll still nurse him a bit longer but the pumping has got to go.
10. I'm looking around here desperately searching for number 10 and I'm not seeing anything that is giving me any ideas. My cat is sitting between my face and the monitor so I'm having to look around her to read this. If there are tons of typos, its Madeline's fault.
Til tomorrow (or whenever I get 10 minutes to myself)...
(I think I may have already titled a post with this tagline, but when the line fits use it and reuse it.)
With 75% of the downstairs having hardwood or tile, why do the accidents, barfs, or tracking from the outdoors always, always, always HAVE to be on the carpet?
Seriously kids/cats/husband, given this statistic the carpet should stay clean. You five are disobeying the law of mathematics. Get with it and start spilling, tracking, and spitting up on the easy to clean flooring. Just because we own a carpet cleaner does not mean that we must use it weekly. We got rid of all the carpet in the main living areas to prevent this type of constant cleaning. Good dog, we've never even eaten in the formal dining room so why the heck do I have to clean the carpet in that room on a monthly basis? Yes, I can be a bit anal about keeping the carpet clean, but you five aren't helping the cause. As in drinks and food aren't allowed in the formal living room, but yet there is right now a red spill. Hmmm, makes one wonder doesn't it?
And while we're at it, why when I go to the grocery store do I come back with easy to clean shades of Gatorade, but the husband always comes back with bright red? And why do we never spill the easy to clean shades of Gatorade, but the red flavors are 75% more likely to hit the off-white carpet?
An update on the kids later after they go to bed.
My baby took three steps tonight. I worried with the whole parttime working thing that I'd miss it, but I didn't. BUT, I was still sad as I watched him do it. He is growing up too fast. He's now 10.5 months. The last year has just flown by and the reality of this being my last baby hits me harder and harder with each milestone. So in typical nut job fashion, I'm happy but so sad at the same time. Bittersweet is the term for that right? I'm sure this is a totally normal reaction but I'm left wondering if I'll be weepy at everything this child does for the next 30 or so years.
So anyway, he's really on the move. I'll try to grab a movie of it to share. No promises though because the Touchdown movie is still on my camera.
My answers are in RED!
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink - yes, but there were only a couple of people in the bar
02. Swam with wild dolphins - as close as I would have liked, but within a few yards
03. Climbed a mountain - does Kennesaw Mtn and Stone Mountain count?
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive - I wish.
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid - on the todo list
06. Held a tarantula - not on your life.
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped - Not even interested in trying
11. Visited Paris - on the todo list
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea - and been in a bad storm at sea.
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise - last time was the day I went into labor with Benjamin
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game - Thanks to Ed I've been to several big events.
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa - on the todo list
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables - does a watermelon count?
18. Touched an iceberg - an iceberg lettuce LOL.
19. Slept under the stars - not in a while, but love to do it at the beach
20. Changed a baby's diaper - yeah like an hour ago.
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne - and still remember the headache
24. Given more than you can afford to charity - sadly, I haven't done this lately
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment - OMG on a weekly basis
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse - and a winning dog
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day - I'm way to straightlaced to try something like this
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country - three times (Grand Cayman, Bahamas, and India)
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign - not a street sign, but a for sale sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing - on a rock wall
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them - actually a couple of times.
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow - Rosebud was her name
56. Alphabetized your CDs - seriously people do this?
57. Pretended to be a superhero - pretending w/Sam
58. Sung karaoke - sadly yes
59. Lounged around in bed all day - not lately, but I'd love to
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played DVD for more than 6 hours straight - anyone with a kid has done this
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie - not a cinema movie but a high school movie for a PolySci class
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced - no but I lived through one
76. Gone without food for 5 days - yes in India, but only because I felt like crap
77. Made cookies from scratch - just last Sunday
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice - in Vegas, but not the real Venice LOL.
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River - no but rafted something in Tennessee.
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"- thankfully no.
83. Got flowers for no reason - yes!
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark - and went shark finishing.
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house - three
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently - I wish.
95. Performed in Rocky Horror - I'm trying to block this one.
96. Raised children - raising.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Had to put a pet to sleep
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge - walked under it at the park.
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery - yes but it was to prevent a scar
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication - yes and I'm a published
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours - seriously who hasn't?
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read - Hemingway
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions - there's only been two so far, but I've skipped both
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
Today, another friend told me that they are getting divorced. This is the second friend in the last three months to tell me this. I'm really sad. This kind of stuff hits me at my core and I wonder why them and then wonder will it happen to me. The news from both couples totally shocked me and I ask myself how I could be so clueless. The first couple didn't say why and I didn't ask. Today, my friend told me that her husband was having an affair. These friends are a bit younger than me. These friends are 28 and 29. How do you already have an affair at 29? How could you possibly be at some kind of crisis or crossroads at 29 and stray in your marriage? I'm trying not to judge, but from the outside looking in it all looked a-okay. Guess you never really know people like you think you do.
Neither marriage had kids. Good, but then that makes me wonder if without kids its easier to opt out rather than work it out. I hate it. I hate it for my friends. I am just so sad today over this. I wonder if my life could possibly take some turn like this someday. And I wonder if we work hard enough to keep our marriage strong or will we drift apart. It does make me want to hug my husband a little tighter. This really isn't about me, but it sure does make me feel so vulnerable.
or between known in my head now as "Oh Crap. This is harder than it sounds."
1. I started this on Tuesday, got distracted, and I'm finishing this on Wednesday.
2. Sam had a game last night and another game tonight. Fun.
3. Because I'm part time, I think of every hour I work as a dollar amount. Like do I want to do this tonight? Well it is worth X dollars to me. Like is it worth it to my company to do this? Because it does cost them X dollars if I do it.
4. Lucy, our seal point Siamese, is allergic to her own cartilage. I've found a specialist in Roswell so after I work X hours at X dollars, I'll be taking her in for the bazillion dollar appointment to see if they can do anything for her. Ed freaks a bit about the ton of money I've spent on her, but what can you do? Our regular vet just gives her steroid shots and that just doesn't seem like a long term solution.
5. On Tuesdays, I make my team go down stairs to the cafeteria to have mandatory nacho day with me. I eat with them before I leave and they seem to like the idea. We call it Not Your Day in jest, but it is great to spend a few minutes with them each week in a non manager kind of way.
6. I'm almost finished staining and sealing the staircase. Actually, I've got all the staining done and about 7 of the stairs completely finished. Then I have to paint all the trim, but it is getting closer to done.
7. I had a raspberry ginger ale on the way home from work. I can't believe I used to like that stuff. Good grief it is sweet. Like liquid candy.
8. Sam is bugging me to finish up so we can read. He's obsessed with filling up his reading log. Not to learn or anything, but to get a prize.
9. Ben got up for the day at a little after 4am this morning. Yawn. Yawn. Yawn.
10. All of the laundry is done except for my clothes, but it isn't that the Mom's life?
Till tomorrow...
Sam brought home another 100 on a spelling test! And he's really starting to read like crazy. He can read Green Eggs and Ham from cover to cover with no help. He had a game on Saturday and got the game ball. They lost miserably so I think the coach used that opportunity to reward one of the hard workers and not necessarily one of the stars. He's two years younger than most of the other kids, but he is holding his own so far. I tried really hard to talk him into being Darth Vader for Halloween so that Benjamin could be Yoda. He was willing, but really wanted to be a Jedi Knight so that's what he's going to be. I stopped by the fabric store tonight and picked up a pattern for a tunic and cloak. Looks easy enough. We also ordered a pair of boots to round out the look. They are girls swede boots but he's thrilled. He owns several light sabers so we're all set there. Because Ben's party and all the fuss of his first birthday is coming up, I thought I'd go a bit overboard on Sam's costume to be sure he feels special too. He mentioned something about a pony tail, but he might be pushing his luck with that one. I'll post pictures of the progress as it unfolds.
Ben starting saying Uh Oh this weekend. Its hilarious and the object is so deliberately dropped. Sometimes he says Uh Uh Ohhhh like whatever he dropped that time was even more valuable. His hair is coming in like crazy. He's got the cutest curls on the back of his head. I need to take a few shots of those as well. He also adores the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. He's starting to say Twinkle Twinkle, but its so close to tickle tickle tickle that its hard to tell. The only thing that really stands out is that he's usually using a soft voice and he'll only say twinkle twice and tickle is always three times or more. He's such a text book baby. Loves balls, will sit and play with toys by himself, and loves songs and games. Sam never sat still for long enough to enjoy any of those things. Sam was always on the go and still is. Their personalities are so different, but they are so much a like already. Weird. We're starting to plan his birthday party which means I'm in full house in order mode. Definitely a costume party. I love Halloween so its really exciting to put the two events together. I adore candy corn and only allow myself to have it the week before Halloween because it makes me feel like crap. While shopping for Sam's pattern, I found a pattern for a baby candy corn costume. Ding. Ding. Ding. We have a winner.
This morning on the cover of the Sunday Living section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is an article entitled "Jot gripes down, keep breakup at bay." The gist of the article is that a journal can help couples stay connected by allowing them to jot down happy thoughts or vents. I can't say that I disagree and find that I don't necessarily write it down, but I vent about or praise my husband to my sister-in-law who is the world's best listener. She knows that my husband is for the most part a really great guy so I can vent and she doesn't hold it against him. So in absence of a trusted friend, a journal makes perfect sense. Get it out, figure it out, act on it, and move on. Simple enough.
I often say that the secret to our marriage is tit for tat. He wants something. Fine, but I want something to. He wants to go somewhere. Fine, but when you get back I'm going out. You don't want to unload the dishwasher. Fine, but while I do it you've got to put Ben in the tub. It works perfectly for us. Sometimes, I find that we're in constant negotiations and sometimes, I'm tired of the whole song and dance that it takes to get us to that harmony. But, for the most part, it works well. I've always referred to it as tit for tat until I realized that tit for tat isn't necessarily in harmony. It is a strategy where one tries to out do the other. There's even a game called tit for tat. So I've decided to call it Quid Pro Quo instead because each are equal players and receiving what they ultimately wanted. Ed and I had always said that we live in tit for tat land. Maybe we do. Maybe we're always trying to out do the other one, but whatever it is it works for now.
But I don't think blogging is a good venue for husband gripes. Maybe you don't know him personally and after a while you might think that he's all evil. I belong to a group of mom and if one would say something negative about their husbands, a few would start acting as if he's the worst guy on the planet. You gotta be careful who you vent to so this whole journal thing might not be a bad idea.
And I want a pair of patent leather pumps for Fall. Wonder what the husband wants in exchange?
I'm usually in bed by 8:30 or 9 most work nights. But here I sit at 10:48 still on the computer. Go to bed already you nut.
Gotta think of a theme for tomorrow. Hmmm....
1. Again, I'm trying for the Mother of the Year award by hoping really, really hard that it starts raining any minute. I really want Sam's game to get rained out. Usually, I'm not such a downer, but Ed has PTA tonight and I'm dugout Mom. Two whammies. Going at it alone and I've got to bring snacks and make the little darlings behave in the dugout. Not fun.
2. I love my new camera. I haven't posted about it yet, but I will soon.
3. I love my husband for giving me the extra cash to go buy said expensive camera. That's not the only reason I love him, but it is toward the top of the list this week.
4. I'm at odds most days with my boss. Today, I flat out asked him if he thought I wasn't the right person for the job. I think I floored him a bit, but it did make him talk a bit nicer to me.
5. I'm reading everyday. Granted it is mostly children's' books, but I am reading everyday.
6. I just looked out the window and I see drizzling. Bring it ON!!
7. Ed is trying to help me break Ben's nighttime wakings. If I get him, he expects to eat. When Ed gets him, he goes back to sleep for a few hours. Hoping a couple more nights of Ed helping out will earn me more sleep. Good for Ed, but also good for me because I'm learning to give up control just a bit.
8. Sunday night, I watched Wallace and Grommit Curse of the Warerabbit. What a hoot! I had no idea I would love it so much.
9. I'm thinking that 10 things is a bit more difficult than I thought it would be.
10. There is one plus to baseball night. No cooking. Happy Meals anyone?
Till tomorrow....
In some ways, September 11, 2001 feels like yesterday and in some ways it feels like a life time ago. Over the weekend, I watched hours of specials on the WTC, the firefighters, the air traffic controllers, and those lost. It is so painful, but yet I feel like we must never forget the pain of that day. We must always remember what we lost. We must always remember how proud we were to be Americans in the days, weeks, and months after the attacks. Many heroes were made on that day and the days that followed. We must strive everyday to make those heroes proud. We must learn from the mistakes that were made and we must be tolerant of each other. We must always stand united.
Today, I find myself sad and still overwhelmed. I don't think this day will ever get easier and in some ways, I hope it never does.
Trying to start some daily themes so I've got some thing to blog about more frequently. So Monday will be the Kid Report - the what's up here with the Boyz in the Wagner house.
Ben says Tickle, Tickle, Tickle. It cracks me up. I say that to him when I'm tickling him and now he says it back. It isn't exactly Tickle. Its more like Ticwel, Ticwel, Ticwel, but I'll take it. He also says Am for Sam. Its too darn cute. He's got the bye-bye, the Dadeeee, and the Maaaa things down. And he's starting to give Ed the touchdown sign and he loves to wrestle with Ed. He'll be walking any day.
Sam is really starting to read. Some days he loves to read and some days I have to force him. Either way, its starting to happen. He's doing really well in school and brought home a 100% on his first spelling test. Its hanging on the frig. Love it. He's still a total video game addict. We're limiting his time to an hour a day or else, he'd play all day every day. He's really good and he should be because he's obsessed.
So that's the Monday Kid Report. Maybe Tuesday will be the Tuesday 10. As in 10 things on my mind. Hmmm, maybe so.
The game was a tie - 10 to 10. It was exciting and he got three hits in his three times up to bat. Fielding? Well not much came his way, but he's a hitter for sure.
And he scored the tying run. Slid into home. I didn't get a picture of that, but the coaches wife did. If she shares it, I'll post it.
So when I returned to work part time after my maternity leave, we had to pick up Ed's insurance. It was comparable in price, but it definitely isn't comparable in quality. I work for a Fortune 100 company so the insurance was top notch. Well top notch in today's terms. And Ed is a state employee. You know, educating our young. A professional who is totally underpaid and definitely under benefited. This insurance is crap.
Ben was running a 105 temp a couple of weeks ago, and Tylenol wasn't touching it. He was miserable and inconsolable. So I took him to the children's ER because it was late and my doctor was closed. I didn't even think about cost. He was crying and had a high temp. No question. We were going to the quickest place I knew to get after hour care. Upon leaving, I paid $100 copay. Wasn't too surprised at the time. Even my company's insurance had a $50 ER copay so I figured we didn't make out too bad. That is until the bill came.
On top of the $100 copay for ER care, Ben had a $500 deductible so we got a bill from the hospital for another $400. Yikes. $500. Um, yikes. The insurance paid nothing. Zilch. Nada. Zero. We fit the whole bill.
So what did he have? Roseola. A common infant virus that causes a high temp for 3-7 days followed by a lacy rash. For $500, I found out that it is OK to alternate Tylenol and Motrin. And that helped and he was much less miserable the next day. But ouch. I'd do it all over again today if I had to. Nine months old, crying inconsolably, very high temp. What's a Mom to do? Good thing we can afford to supplement this lousy insurance. And we get the high option no less. I can only imagine what the lower option is like.
Or maybe its gullable?
Last night, he presented me with a piece of paper on which he had written down an 800 number.
Me - What's this?
Sam - Its the number to order Baby's First TV. It will make Benjamin smart so we need to order it.
Me - (chuckle)
Sam - No Mom. It says that it has educational shows that will make babies smart. He'll need to learn to read one day.
Me - That's not quite how it works.
Sam - Mom I learn all kinds of stuff on TV.
Me - Yes dear and that's why we're not going to let Benjamin watch TV. (chuckle)
Sam - But Mom, Benjamin needs to be smart. We need to get this for him.
Me - Talk to Daddy about it.
This child kills me. He probably thinks I don't want Benjamin to learn anything. LOL.
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Ben has started biting my shoulder and arm. I can feel him start to bite and I tell him no. He usually listens and won't bite.
I've been worried that he might bite someone else. He isn't around other babies regularly, but he could bite Sam or his cousins.
I never thought about him biting himself, but this morning he did. He was sitting quietly and then all of a sudden he was screaming. After I calmed him down, I saw it. The bite mark from his two little front teeth on his arm. Hope he doesn't make a habit of this.
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Cover the ears of our younger listeners. I may curse a bit.
Sitting in traffic on the interstate - imagine that. And some jacka$$ in a 325i with a big dent in the back pulls in the emergency lane and zips by all the traffic to get to the exit quicker. Whatever dude. First off, you're not more important than the rest of us. And second and most importantly, obey the freaking rules.
The crazy thing is that it is my exit too. So when I patiently wait my turn and arrive at the exit, imagine who's in front of me? Yes, it the (rhymes with trick and starts with p) in the BMW. Didn't save a whole lot of time did ya there fellow? And when the light turns green, he zips off and proceeds to weave in and out of cars to get wherever he's going faster than the rest of us.
Next light, he's in front of me again. Are you catching on yet dude? All this nonsense isn't getting you anywhere any faster than me. And I'm obeying the law and not putting any one's life in danger. Grow up you moron.
Now back to our regular family programming.
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that my husband is a nut?
A few weeks ago at Meet and Greet for Sam's school, there was a table set up for Boy Scouts. I never did the Girl Scout thing, mostly because of the expense and my Mom worked so transportation was always an issue. So I inquired at the table thinking that if Sam was interested, we'd check it out. Ed kind of frowned at me in that "No Way" kind of way that made be believe he wasn't all that game, but I filled out the information just in case Sam wanted to give it a try.
So weeks go by and I forget all about it until yesterday when an email comes from the Pack. I look at the schedule and see that almost every month has a campout. Ding. Ding. Ding. That's why Ed doesn't like the Scouts. He's not much for camping. Well, I say that without even asking him because he's never said let's go camping. So I'm assuming he's not into camping, but I do know that he loves going out on the ocean. So maybe camping on the beach would rate high, but an all boys camping trip in the woods wouldn't.
So I jokingly say to him yesterday that I know why he didn't want Sam to join the Scouts. It was the camping trips he'd have to take. And he quickly says back that it wasn't the camping but the predators. Predators, what? You know, child predators. He says the Scouts are full of child predators. Whatever.
**No offense to the Scouts. He is truly a nut.
Obviously, I'm a bit chatty today ;-)
Ed stayed home with Ben and I came to practice with Sam. Poor kid moved up to the next level this year and he looks like the little kid. The bigger kids are really good. He was really good last year and it is like he's starting all over again.
He tries really hard and that's all that matters, right?
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Sam uses an old digital camera of mine to take pictures. I was cleaning off the compact flash memory to free up some space for him and I found this picture...
Not too bad for a six year old amateur.
Yesterday, Sam had his first visit to the school nurse for the year. He was sneezing "a lot." He had several visits to the nurse last year - mostly after Ben was born. I'm not saying that he's a hypochondriac or anything, but what I am saying is that the boy likes special attention. And maybe being the big brother of the world's cutest baby makes him try to get that special attention whenever and wherever he can. I tolerated it a bit at the end of the school year last year because Ben turned his world up side down. In one week I got three calls from the school nurse. Two were kind of legitimite. He got racked one day and then fell on the concrete the next. I had to stopped by to check out his privates because no one is allowed to look there but your parents or the doctor dontcha know. The scrapped knees call was just to alert me to the sheer volume of bandaids that the kid was wearing. The third visit and call was to alert me that they were reapplying the bandaids - um, whatever. And I should mention that the nurse is a total nut and so afraid of being reprimanded, fired, or sued that she'd call the parents of a kid with a paper cut to cover her butt. Now yesterday was the first call from the nurse for the year, but it was only the 12Th day of school. I asked to speak with him but I had to wait for her to Purell him before he could touch her phone. He said that he was fine, but he couldn't stop sneezing. I offered to bring him some medicine for the sneezing and he was fine with that solution. So Ed dropped by the school (he's school is 5 minutes from Sam's school) and gave him a dose of Claritin and that was the end of it. Today, no call but I do plan to track the number of calls I get for the year. Call One - check. Any bets on how many days, weeks, or months it is until Call Two occurs?
Sitting in traffic on the interstate next to a truck full of cute pink pigs. They are so clean and they look so sweet. Its making me glad I took chicken out of the freezer this morning. Don't think I could eat pork chops without thinking about Wilbur tonight.
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Yawn. Benjamin has gotten up between 4 and 5 the last three days in a row. Add that to the fact that he doesn't sleep through the night and you can only imagine what a zombie I am around 7. I also starting running again this week. The irony of the two events coinciding this week might actually be funny to me if I could muster up the energy to laugh.
So I'm tired, what's new right? I think there are several posts here about my lack of sleep so nothing new. New kiddo = lack of sleep. I get it, but with no sleep and chores to do, I find myself wondering what I could do to ease the burden. Maybe some household help? I don't know. I'm Ok with the laundry and actually picky about it so that's a no go. There isn't much to vacuum because we've got wood floors in all the high traffic rooms. Dusting isn't so bad. I'm kind of a sloppy cook so either Ed or I has to clean the kitchen on a daily basis. I think my two least favorite chores are cleaning the bathrooms and cleaning all these darn hardwood floors. Think I could find someone to come once a week to scrub my toilets and mop the floors? Wonder if they get requests like that? "I don't need you to clean my house. I just want you to do the chores I never get want to do.," said the lazy woman who wanted to pick and choose her domestic duties.
Or better yet, I think it would be nice to have someone pick up my house on a daily basis. Right now, I'm staring at two Power Rangers on my desk. I'm certain that I didn't put them there, but two guesses who's going to be putting them away and it isn't Sam or Ben. Having someone come in after I go to bed and put the house back in order would be awesome. I usually do this after the kids are in bed and it takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to get it all straight and everything lined up for the next day. Putting away the books on the table, putting the shoes away, hanging up the backpack, straightening the pillows on the couch, laying out clothes for the next day, packing the lunchbox...I could go on and on. Wouldn't that me a treat for any Mom? Maybe that's my million dollar idea. House Fairies. You go to sleep and we do it for you.
Anyway, back to reality. I think I'm going to have someone come once a week to clean. I did this before when Sam was smaller (probably about the same age Ben is now) and I think I need it now.
School starts tomorrow!!
Sam is so ready. He doesn't think he is, but he is. If school started around 10, maybe 11, he'd be psyched. He is so NOT a morning person and that is his only problem with going to school - getting out of bed. Can't say I blame him because I'm right there with him on this one. He and I are total night owls.
We met his teacher on Thursday. She's nice but seemed really quiet. I think I might be old enough to be her Mother or at minimum, her Mother's hip younger sister. She looked really young, but looks can be deceiving. After all, I look much younger than 35 and if I don't, don't tell me. We'll have to see how it goes. I had reservations about the three teacher situation last year, but it turned out to be fabulous. So at this point, I'm holding all reservations until the year gets underway. Hopefully, she'll realize really quickly how wonderful he is and then we can just get on with the year ;-).
I am so excited about tomorrow. I've got his backpack ready and his clothes are laid out. I feel like a MasterCard commercial -
$90 in school supplies
$35 for new tennis shoes
$262 for new clothes
Knowing your kid is getting back in a routine and laying off the video games for a bit...
PRICELESS!!!
And I don't think I'll cry this year. Last year I was a bumbling idiot. All pregnant with the raging hormones and in total denial that my baby was going up. This year, I'll be a bit more together and he knows the drill so we'll both be fine.
Oh and watch out - There's definitely going to be some homework this year. Let the afternoon battle begin.
Why is it that whenever I leave the house, the "When are you coming home?" calls start within 30 minutes of my departure? I don't call him every 1/2 hour when he leaves the house. If Ben so much as whimpers, he'll call me asking how much longer I'm going to be gone. Two weeks ago, I put Ben to bed and ran out to Michaels because it was the last day of their sale and I wanted to get some poster frames for the playroom. I literally stepped across the threshold of the store when he called to tell me that Ben was awake and I needed to hurry back. Like he can't put our 9 month old to sleep by himself? What the heck did he do over the Summer? He got that kid to nap while I was at work somehow. The frustrating part is that he didn't even try. He just called me and claimed himself incapable because it was bedtime.
I don't call him when he's out. Never, ever, never. Ask him and he'll tell you that I don't do it. I'm good that way and he knows it. But he does it to me every darn time. Then he wonders why I act like he can't handle it alone. He's all, "I know what I'm doing. Just go." So I do, and then the phone rings.
He did this to me prior to Ben, but with a baby it is a bit worse. I'm just venting a bit. No need to kick him to the curb over this, but can't I go to Walmart and just browse alone with no call just once?
Testing to see if the email posting works. If it does, I might post more often. No promises though.
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