Silly Semantics

Most of my friends will tell you that I am fffffaaarrrrr from a "high maintenance" person. There are a few areas, though, that I would beg to differ. One of them being the area of semantics. I'm a little freaky about which words I select at which times. Enter: the beginning of a new series on my blog: : "Silly Semantics."

I'm not always in line with Mr. Webster. I'm more of a connotative person. So, here's today's lesson:

Poor vs. Broke

Poor is a state of mind. Broke applies to having no money in one's wallet.

I am not poor.

I am broke.

Anyone think this sounds familiar? Yes, I agree with Mr. Ramsey on this one. Thought it would be a great way to start Silly Semantics. More to come. :)

Not Me! Monday

No intros...let's go:

• I do not still have a dog with dried up yogurt on her. This is not the same yogurt from my Not Me! Monday post TWO weeks ago. Spilled milk has not been added to her head two days ago. I did not try to wash her three days ago only to have her freak out when I pulled the shampoo bottle out of the cupboard. I did not do an about-face, put the bottle back in the cupboard and write a note to my husband to remember to wash the dog.
• I do not love the fact that Colin is ridiculously ticklish. I do not use this to my advantage when he's throwing a fit. I do not usually get control of him after a good tickling.
• When said tickling does not work, I do not throw gently place Colin in his crib and zip the crib tent shut, turn out the light and shut the door. I do not have a toddler that is head strong and throws frequent tantrums. I am always proactive and would never let him get to the point of loosing control.
• I did not cram my week full of activities that I have little to no time left for myself, my family, or (most importantly) my work. I always have a firm grasp on where my priorities should be, and now understand that my paycheck is completely responsible for Adam's upcoming tuition payments. I am supermom, and always completely on top of it all.
• I did not clean my shower this past week, complaining the entire time about how much I had to scrub it - only to realize that the last time I cleaned the shower was.....was....was.... well, it has not been a while.
• I do not let the boys play in Dave's work truck while we're outside. I do not love the idea of having the boys confined to a small space so I can get some things done in the garage. I am aware that our outside time is so the boys can stretch their legs and get some needed exercise.
• I did not bring Adam to vbs the first night with a temperature of 102.5. I did not notice he was lethargic all day only to blame it on him wanting to be lazy and watch tv. While I did notice that he was warm, I did not blame it on the fact that we had no a/c in the house and I was 95 degrees out that day....we were all warm. I did not stick around for 20 minutes just to see how he did and leave only to have the vbs nurse call me 10 minutes later to come pick the poor kid up. I did not unknowingly expose over 100 kids to Adam's virus. I am not THAT mom.
• I did not purchase Adam a foam DIY treehouse at Joann Fabric's the other day. I did not pretend that we were putting together a doll house. I was not totally excited when he wanted to put Colin's DIY foam people in the treehouse. My dream was not totally busted when they all started fighting each other with pretend swords.

And a few things I did not say this week:

• "Sorry, kiddo, we've already paid for it, so you're just going to have to suck it up and have fun at camp next month."
• "Adam, at this rate, Colin will be riding a two wheeler before you will!"
• "no, Adam... the corn plants in the garden aren't supposed to be laying flat on the ground. I guess mommy just isn't that great at growing corn."
• "Adam, you're not supposed to do that! That's dangerous! No, there's not a maybe here...there are no shades of gray. It's a black and white situation- mommy is not a shades of gray kind of girl."
• "Hey, Adam...can mommy have a little lick of your ice cream? ...yes, ice cream is made of milk, and no...mommy isn't supposed to have it. ..... Well, there are shades of gray here." (I did not totally regret the lick of ice cream the next day)

Friday week re-cap

This has been one of those weeks.
Crazy schedules = crazy kids
To top that off, the boys had some sort of bug at the beginning of the week.
But anyway, I did accomplish a few list items this week. So, here goes:

#3 - Find bunkbeds for the boys for under $100.

This is probably the one that I'm most excited about this week! Some friends from my old church were moving into a house, and saw a set of bunkbeds (with tags still attached!!!). She remembered us and our quest for bunkbeds. So, she got them with the house, and we purchased them from her for a whopping $75!!! They were delivered today via the Behm-delivery service. They're really sturdy too! I'm even more excited to finish the boys room now!!!

#6 - Clean out broken toys from the sandbox.

#9 - Add more sand to the sandbox.

These two naturally go together. Along with the bunkbeds, the Behm -delivery service brought three more pails of fantastic sand! In order to get the sand in the box, we had to clear out all the toys. I took that opportunity to throw some away. One broken toy is staying, though. It's a giant excavator that Adam will play with for hours out there. I'm sure if I threw it away, he'd adjust to playing with other toys, but I just couldn't get rid of it yet.

#52 - Find a summer hat Colin will keep on his head!

It doesn't look like I'll have to search very far for this one! (Thank goodness!) We got this hat free from Toys R Us when Adam was little. When we were leaving on Saturday for an event, Colin saw it hanging in the closet, and put it on himself.

It was quite a windy day, so Colin did end up chasing it around the parking lot a bit, but he always put it back on his head. I think we have a keeper!!! Apparently, my off spring likes giraffes as much as I do!

And, here's an update on our garden. I know that list item was crossed off some time ago (expand the garden), but the heat and humidity has really done it a world of good! The veggies from right to left are: corn, tomatoes, green beans, squash (back) and lettuce (front). The corn looks a little sickly, but I'm hoping a little fertilizer will perk it up! A wise old man once told me they had to be "knee high by the 4th of July." Here's hoping!

The pit of despair

Cue: Wierd troll guy from The Princess Bride

"You're in the pit of despair. Don't even think about ...don't even think about trying to escape..."

This is one of the window wells in the back of the addition.

How many toads do you count?

We have always had our wealth of toads in the back yard. The boys really enjoy this. It's also fun to watch the scurry when the lawn mower heads their way (don't worry, Dave's only hit one). This year, we've found quite a few...but not as many as previous years. Now we know why. They're hiding out in the window wells. Last night, I pulled 8 out of two wells. This morning, there were four in this well and two in the other. You'd think they would know to steer clear of entrapment once they've been released from the Pit of Despair. But..nooooo, they just keep jumping back in. One of these days, I'll let Adam know just where they're all hiding. Then they can be his captives. Until then, I'll just have to keep setting them free every night hoping that some day they will learn their lesson.

The Blooper Reel

Until I had more than one child, I never - in a million years- thought it would be THIS difficult to get a good picture of both of them. My strategy? Line them up, talk to them, give them directions, and take as many pictures as I can in the smallest amount of time possible. Then, load them up and pick the best one of the lot. If I wait a few days, I can actually get myself to laugh at the blooper reel (I'm not as quick to laugh if I'm still sweating from the ordeal). Here's a little of my story for our Father's Day post via the blooper reel:

Hey Adam, stop watching Syd the Science Kid and look at mommy.

I'm going to need you two to sit a little closer, mmm k?

Ok, thanks for moving closer.

How about sitting *next* to each other?

Can we keep our hands out of our mouths?

Thanks, buddy.

How about we move it up onto the couch?

Ok...Colin...Colin? Where are you?

Adam, where are you?

I need to see eyeballs, boys!

Hey, Adam...let's turn Syd the Science Kid off.

Colin, leave daddy's hat on your head, please!

Adam, where are your handsome eyeballs?

Colin, I can't see your hat in the picture?

Can you put it on your head like daddy does?

Ok, Adam...almost done.

Eyes open, PLEASE.

Colin, can you touch your knees with your hands?

Adam- hat on your head.

Colin, look at mommy......

ugh, please!

Getting closer, guys...I need to see eyeballs, though.

Where's my handsome smiles and eyeballs?

Whew. D.U.N.

We gave Dave this picture inside a "God {Heart}'s daddy and me"

And I burned about 300 calories getting the pic. Double whammy!

Colin's musings

Adam loves when I post videos. He'll scroll around on our blog to find them and play them over and over...so, big boy, here's one for you to enjoy.

By the way, yes.. my boys do watch Sponge Bob. While that wasn't my first choice in "educational entertainment," they enjoy it and the cartoon itself opens up some dialogs as to what is nice and not -so- nice. I felt much better about it when we had a local pastor's wife watch the boys the other day, and I overheard her tell Adam that her kids watched Sponge Bob too. Apparently, the pastor's wife was all the validation I needed. :)

My babies' daddy

In light of Father's Day, I thought I would do a posting honoring my husband, the father of my children (my babies' daddy). So, here's a few things you may or may not know about Dave.





Dave:

• is a self-starter, full of integrity, motivation and entrepreneurial spirit.
• is the most honest man I know...really, honest.
• also knows when to keep his mouth shut
• is gentle and firm
  
  
  
  
• loves all kids, but especially loves babies
• has great compassion for mentally handicapped people
• likes to save money
• works his fingers to the bone (sometimes literally) to put food on the table
• has his mother's passion and his father's compassion (great blend!)
• is hot. :)
• loves wearing baseball caps
• drinks beer
• puts our needs above all others
• has a servant's heart at church (and in the community)
• loves going for walks
• leads us diligently where we should go as a family
• likes to have a schedule
• is a staunch conservative and has little tolerance for liberal agenda
• is ridiculously intelligent (see previous statement)
• wakes up during thunderstorms to check on the house, the trees outside, and the boys to make sure they're safe (even though they sleep right through them).
• is debt free
• has built our house with his own hands...and some help from friends and family.
• has a meticulous attention to detail (which makes him an incredible carpenter)
• loves to dance to "Footloose" at weddings (sometimes I think he secretly wants to be Kevin Bacon)
• goes to fix the 94 year old neighbor's mailbox post when he has an hour to spare.
• loves time with his wife and boys- and prefers it over time with any others
• thinks a romantic evening is the two of us sitting by the fire pit on a clear night just talking the night away
• feels he was born in the wrong decade
• is NOT obsessed with material possessions or name brands
• believes in the importance of reading to the boys, and is always up for some Little Critter books
• watches the History Channel and PBS
• continues to buy me hanging baskets for Mother's Day even though he knows I kill them
• loves sciency things- Nova, Apollo 13, NASA etc.
• would love to take me back to New England- where we honeymooned
• loves to teach Adam things like driving, carpentry, fishing, etc.





• hardly ever complains about my cooking (except when it tastes too manufactured)
• enjoys deer hunting with my dad
• has the BEST belly laugh...which makes funny movies that much funnier
• needs new walking shoes
• loves that I know how to garden vegetables, but hates that I forget to water them
• remembers to water the garden for me.
• always greets us with a smile on face at the end of a long day
• is incredibly patriotic
• stands by me...no matter what
• has been the one to tell me both times "It's a boy!" when the boys were born
• is a man's man
• prefers salt over sweets
• figures out how to fix our vehicles himself instead of taking them to the shop
• is a great example of what I hope our son's grow up to be
• is worthy of my admiration, love and respect
• is a fantastic father, husband and friend

Happy Father's Day, my love!

Thank you for being such a terrific father to our sons. I'm so grateful that God chose you and I to be parents together, and that he gave us these two boys to raise. I love how the boys get all excited when you come home every night, and how they save things during the day to show you when you get home. The other day, I asked Adam what he wanted to be when he grew up and he said, "my dad." Thank you for being you. Love you tons, Me.

The adrenal and digestive system..and possibly tmi

Well, this is more of a health recap than anything else. I went to the Dr. today (a different Dr.), and received the results of some more tests that my new Dr. performed. Here's basically the gist:

1. I am type 2 hypothyroid. I am a "peripheral non-conformer." This means, I have enough TSH and T4, but no T3. Long story short, the pituitary monitors the amount of T4 in your blood. If there's not enough, it puts off TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) which stimulates the thyroid to make more T4. These things are fine for me. Here's my hiccup- THEN the body converts it to T3- which is what it actively USES in order to maintain daily living, moving, adrenals, hormones, etc. This is the start of the problem. This will be helped by taking non-radioactive iodine for the next few months to see if it comes up naturally. **Side note, the Dr. believes that this could have been an issue for me since puberty...yes, these kind of things do go back that far!!!***

2. Since my body is GROSSLY deficient in T3, it has caused a state of "adrenal fatigue." Basically, my adrenals don't work like they should. The tests showed results that I'm essentially in "hybernation mode." With two boys 5 and under, a part time job, and a crazy house-situation, my life is a far cry from hybernation! In addition, I do not make enough estrogen, progesterone, serotonin, or cortisol to be thriving on a daily basis. The only one I make enough of is melatonin. I don't ovulate regularly(sorry, tmi), and the Dr. stated that he was surprised I was able to carry the boys to term without miscarrying(thank you, natural progesterone cream!!!). With some supplemental support, we're hoping to keep me off prescriptions. The Dr. stated that I'm not "that far gone" and with my younger age, I should be able to recover quickly. By quickly, I mean within 14 months. This also explains the debilitating fatigue I get and why I have never had an endorphin rush after exercise- and why I passed out on the treadmill in February. Once my hormones are stabilized, the healthy eating habits I've already been on should start to show weight loss.

3. While I still struggle with digestive issues, another issue has come to light. The Dr. thinks I may have a sensitivity to gluten. Celiac hasn't been brought up, but instead of trying to go in and do a biopsy (cha-ching!!!), I'm to avoid gluten for the next 30 days to allow the villi in my stomach to repair themselves, and reintroduce it to see what happens. Believe it or not, approximately 80% of people with ulcers/ulcerative colitis/Crohn's have a gluten sensitivity! So tonight, while the boys had pizza (it's pizza/movie night, after all), I had PB&J rice cakes. Mmmmmm. Seriously, I had NO idea how much stuff gluten is in! Even the lemonade we give the boys has gluten!

I keep thinking of the Dave Ramsey line, "beans and rice, rice and beans..."

Yep, that's me for the next 30 days.

I'm actually very ok with it all...I'm looking forward to expanding my culinary horizons and eating a little fresher ingredients for a bit. Thank goodness this is happening in the summer when I can hit farmer's markets some in-season yumminess!

4. I still have a vitamin D deficiency. So, for the next month, I'll be taking a "loading dose" to get it up in the optimal range. Apparently, a vitamin D deficiency is dangerous for your heart. So, we're getting it back up. Welcome to Michigan...:)

Seriously, I really feel like we're on the right track to wellness. I'm actually excited to have some real and potential answers, and I'm even more excited to have a Dr. who is treating Me, the patient, not the medical chart. Dave is on board with all of it, and is really being supportive of this new lifestyle...even looking some recipes for bean salad, etc. He said that he's not going to "watch dog" me (because he knows I'll kill him), but he's willing to try some gluten free dinners, etc. I think he's excited to get his "old" wife back. But then again, tonight he said "no...you're perfect just the way you are." Awhhhhh, how sweet is that!?!?!

I wonder what he wants. :)

Friday week re-cap

Seriously, I have had a crazy busy week. Funny thing, though...I accomplished nothing on my list. Nada. Zilch. It's a funny feeling because I know I did a lot, but there's nothing to cross off.

To be honest, though...there's a few things cooking that will be doozies when they do get crossed off. So, I'm thinking like a republican (long term) knowing that it will all pay off in the end.

In the meantime, I'm on the lookout for a new hairstyle. I wouldn't mind a new color as well. Anyone have any ideas? I could really use some input in this area. ***note: Before anyone says "reverse bob" just know that I'm really opposed to that idea.*** I like to see pictures too! Perhaps I can post them on here and have a vote. Hmmm...now there's an idea.

Have a great week!

Anatomy of a tantrum

Adam threw tantrums, but not like this.

Colin is my head-strong, I-want-what-I-want-when-I-want-it, short- tempered child. He's also the easiest to please, and the child that is eager to laugh out loud at just about anything.

My response to said tantrums? Haul out the camera...document.

And, Yes, these will come back to haunt him when he starts dating :)

Here, he's running after me into the kitchen trying to tell me something. Yes, the photo is blurry...he's just that fast.

The meltdown begins

That's his mad face.

On the floor...realizing that I'm not giving in...trying to find solice in his thumb.

I think I'll rejoin the land of the living...

Oh, look...a tie. Pretty cool, eh?

Just thought I would share the fun.

All optimism aside

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!

Normally I consider myself to be a pretty up-beat and optimistic person - able to see the silver lining to almost any cloud. Well, apparently, today I'm not myself.

Let me paint you a picture- my husband is self-employed. While that makes him an awesome person, full in integrity, motivation, entrepreneurial spirit, etc. there also comes the hassle of one's lifestyle. Many business owners are not well-off. More than a majority of them are just squeaking by. Part of this reason is ....

insurance

Stupid insurance.

Can't live without it, but sometimes I just want to try.

Liability Insurance

Workman's Comp. Insurance (which is no more than a dummy policy, but he needs it to be a subcontractor)

Homeowner's

Car

Life

Health

Don't get me started on that last one- what? I'm already started???? Let's go then!
We got a notice that our premiums (which were already high and covered zilch) were going up by 26%. Seriously!!! Going up by more than $110!!!

What, over a 6 month period? That wouldn't be too bad...

OHHH NO, per month!!!

In a budget with VERY little wiggle room, how the heck is this going to work?!?!?

So, I called our "agent" and was given a bunch of sales jargon and slick talking. He said he would call me back either yesterday afternoon or this morning. End of morning. No call.

So, last night I started shopping on the Internet. Within 3 minutes of submitting a search on a web site, I had a phone call from an agent (mind you, this is at 9 at night!). We talked for 45 minutes. She was actually very nice and not sales-y at all. She's going to put together a few quotes and get back to me.

This morning, I had 3 more emails from various agents all wanting a piece of the action. An additional two phone calls later from other agents...I feel like a beat up carcass that the vultures have descended upon.

deductibles
maximum out-of-pocket
preventative policies
immunizations
limitations
exclusions
riders
Dr. visits
Hospital visits
Ambulance and air transportation
Out patient procedures
Hospital stays
Transplant programs
Sterilization
Pharmaceuticals
premiums

My head is spinning


In the meantime MY agent has yet to call.

Not Me! Monday

That's right, friends...another week, another Not Me! Monday. Believe it or not, I'm actually enjoying these. It really helps me keep some perspective about the fun in the imperfections of motherhood- since we all know (at least, we moms know) that there are MANY.

• I did not wait until after we planted our vegetable garden to get my yearly pedicure. I do not go to the beauty school knowing that my feet need to be *sparkling* upon final inspection from the instructor- thereby guaranteeing me pretty feet. I do not care that it takes the poor beauty school student more than 20 minutes to buff the dirt out of my callouses. I most certainly am not *that* customer. (And I certainly do not do this every year!)


• I did not give Colin yogurt with his lunch and not give him a bib...and leave him unattended to clean some dishes. I always remember that this is my Kamikaze child, and cannot be trusted. He did not dump some yogurt on top of Molly. The following picture was never taken.

• Furthermore, Molly has not been walking around with dried yogurt in her fur for the past 4 days. That would be just plain gross and secure my spot in "negligible pet-owner" Hall of Fame. I have not refused to wash the dog because she's difficult to wash (especially with two boys trying to help), and "that's Dave's job." Not Me! Dave and I are a team and we are always willing to pick up some slack when the other is too busy or sick to complete daily tasks.


• I did learn my lesson from the yogurt incident (that never actually happened) and did not give Colin applesauce two days later. I did not forget to give him a bib, again. Again...the following picture was not taken. Note in the picture, Colin's fantastic use of utensils! I do not allow my children to eat like cavemen, and we always set out the very best china at every meal- it's the only way to teach the boys proper etiquette.

• Adam was not overly emotional in leaving the park at his end -of-the-year party for school. He did not refuse to have a picture taken with his teacher, Miss Lauren. I did not trick him into a picture with her by asking him to pose with his friend from school and then having his teacher move in after they posed. The following picture was never taken.

• We did not skip church yesterday due to my waking up with a nasty headache. Dave did not graciously bring me water and Tylenol in bed. After the Tylenol kicked in, I did not sit in bed for an additional hour to finish a book due back this week. I did not hide said book under the covers when Dave came in to check on me. I was not secretly grateful for some alone time - with the monitor off. I always put my kids and my husband's need ahead of my own.
• I am not working on my Not Me! Monday post while Adam sits writing out my grocery list and Colin plays "quietly" in this crib. I am always attentive to my boys, and would never think to work on my silly blog while they are in need of attention.
  

And a few things I did not say this week:

• No, you may not get a toy in this store...... Oh look, a build-it-yourself foam tree house! Well, *technically*...that's not a toy. Sure, we can get this.
• What, Colin?...... You need something too?............. Oh look, foam build-it-yourself people! We can make these kids to play in our tree house! We'll get this too. (Just don't tell daddy.)
• What's that, Colin?.............. You want to go pee on the potty?............. Wow, I'm so not ready for that! Sure, you can sit on it...but I'm not putting you in big boy underwear yet! (really, I did say this! Can you believe that?)
• What? You guys want to go for a meaningless ride in the car? Normally I'd say no, let's go for a walk, but we're driving Grandma's car this week...and using her gas...so let's go!
• What if Adam does need surgery? Can we really afford it? Why do we need to have integrity and stand on our own two feet with private health insurance? Why can't we sponge off the government? He can live with apnea, right? Lack of oxygen has no side effects, right? (Those of you that know me know I used an extremely sarcastic tone when not saying this!) (This is actually a good prayer request. We have a Dr. appt. on June 29 to get him checked out- more postings to follow on that front.)

• I most certainly did not abuse parenthesis in this post. (Not Me!)

Serious, Unbelieveable YUMMINESS!

This was served on our formal MOPS good-bye breakfast, and ever since I have brought this to any "please bring dish to pass" affair. They always are a hit! I just had to share...

Start with Dutch Cream Curls and a container of strawberries

While strawberries are washing, use non-serrated blade to cut creme curls into slices.

Dry Strawberries thoroughly and cut into slices.

Place creme curl slices on their side on a pretty dish and match up strawberries to them

( they will vary in size)

Garnish with uncut strawberries. Enjoy!

Weekly recap and The List

This week was an interesting one. Full of fun, craziness, and whatever else you want to stick in the spaces with the commas.

Here's a recap of things from the list. I think my momentum is slowing. That's ok...I do have 2 whole years to finish it!!!

#12 - Meet or exceed weekly audit goal for 4 weeks straight.
I'm two weeks into it, and today at midnight marks the end of the third week. While I do have some audits to finish today (5), I'm confident I'll make this week the third straight week that I've either met or exceeded my weekly goal.

#15 - Set up schedule for working this summer and stick to it.
This one feeds into the previous goal. I've noticed that having a schedule for daily activities with the boys helps us have a better day and get more things done. The same holds true for work. A big HUGE shout out to my mom who has been giving up a lot of her summer to watch the boys. They love spending so much time her her and my dad, but I'm afraid we're going to tire them out! Now that they're on a cruise, I suppose I need to get on the horn to find a sitter for the next week. Oye...why do I put these things off?

#41 - Assemble Adam's computer and load educational games.
We received this computer as a hand-me-down from the custodian/ IT guy at St. John's. He cleaned off a computer and gave it to us for free! He had everything except the monitor- which we had an extra of. My mom had left over games from her Kindergarten classroom...and vwa-laa! Free computer!!! Adam loves it!!! We're out of room in the Love Shack, so it sits on our lateral file. Not exactly the most ergonomic conditions...but we'll work on that in a year or so.

#62 - Reconnect with an old friend I've lost touch with.
When I started this one, I wasn't sure which friend I would reconnect with. There are a few that I'm either no longer in contact with, close to, or just moved on from. Actually, a particular friend is never really far from my prayers, and I knew that I would reconnect with her someday and was praying for God to tell me when that would be. This is a friend who helped me through break ups, bad jobs, even worse bosses, etc. But, I was also with her on a few traumatic days in her life...which have both blessed and scarred me. After I got married, we got distant, and after Adam was born, I just had different priorities - as she did too. We went down to "Christmas list friends." Then, 4 years ago in early spring, she sent me a letter- which I accidentally lost. In my quest for organization last week, I found the letter (figured it was God putting it on my heart to get in touch with her) and dropped her an email- hoping that the address she posted in the letter was still current. It was! My, how things change. She's currently homeless, living out of her travel trailer...but enjoying the adventure for now. They're going to church, and the kids seem to be doing well. We're enjoying emailing back and forth for now.

#87 - Find a pretty collar for Molly
Molly lost a lot of weight this last year. She went from 103.5 to 85.3. That's almost 20 pounds! The vet was ecstatic- apparently, labs have a hard time loosing weight since they are sooo orally focused, and I have two little ones that enjoy making her jump for food. He old collar was falling apart, so I grabbed one out of the closet- which was pretty snug. The vet suggested getting a larger one. Last week, the AKC brand was on sale at Target...so off I went! I got her a green paisley one- which wasn't my first choice, but close enough. All the others were pink-polka dotty - which doesn't suit any female in this family. She was very excited about it...and I swear she was prancing around when I told her she looked pretty.




Oh, and to comment on a previous post...I'm thoroughly enjoying the tea from my NEW iced tea maker!!! I love tea!!! Have a good week everyone!!!

C, where are you?

"Momma, I pahee"

WHAT?!?!

"Momma, I paheeeeee!"

29 Hours!

I recently had 29 hours without the boys. My mom dropped them off not that long ago. She's such a huge help when I need to get work done! Without her...well, frankly, I'd probably not have a job! Thanks mom!

Anyway, it was such a change of pace from my normal routines, I thought I'd include you in on the peacefullness differences of the past 29 hours.

As soon as they picked the boys up, I headed to meet a bride for a wedding consultation. (Not before I ran over my dropped cell phone and smashed it into a bunch of muddy little pieces!) Then, on the way home, I saw that the beauty school was open and stopped in to see if they could fit me in for my pedicure. They could! (just barely, but its done!) This is another example of the phrase, "you can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig." Yep, my feet are Ugly - with a capital U. But perhaps a little less ugly now. (By the way, this is #86 on my list!!!)

On the way home, I stopped by Nextel to discover that our repair insurance covered the damage to the phone! I love that we have insurance on our phones. Seriously, this is the third time this has really come in handy- and saved hundreds of dollars!!! Now I have pretty little phone, and since they didn't have the old model I was using, I got an upgrade! How do you like them apples?!?!?

Once home, I worked so efficiently it was crazy. Then I stopped to make dinner. I left the knife on the edge of the counter (total rebel, I am!), and I proceeded to make a meal that the boys wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole. Sauteed shrimp with artichokes, olives and red peppers on top of whole wheat angel hair pasta. Whoa. Yum.


Then, that night after finishing up on work, I folded what seemed like the never ending mountain pile of laundry. The difference, I could put it away right away in the boys rooms instead of sticking it back in the basket only to have Colin destroy it the next morning.

This morning, I slept in....until 7 am! Then I took my dear sweet time waking up and ate cold crunchy cereal along with hot tea(instead of the warm soggy cereal and cold tea I'm used to.) I was able to watch 10 minutes of morning news and take a nice long shower without having to lock the door!!! This morning I worked incredibly efficiently again, and even found myself with an hour or so to kill before my next set of appointments...so, off I went.

I visited the bank (walked in even!), made a huge deposit of left over garage sale crap treasures at the Salvation Army(see pic below), shopped at Target, and treated myself to Fuji Apple Chicken Salad at Panera...all in under 59 minutes! Seriously?!?!? Can you believe that?!?!?

And while I'm grateful for the time away from them, and I'm so grateful I had extra time to work, and they had a great time with grandma and grandpa...I'm even more grateful to have them home. For all the inconveniences and headaches...I wouldn't trade it for the world! I really love being a mom.

My latest obsession

I hate to admit this, but I am a gizmo girl. I love the gadgets and gizmos...you know the ones that promise to make our lives so much easier?!?!

While I normally do refrain, I think I may have to cave on this one. I've been eyeing it every time I go into a store! I'm hoping to see one on sale sooner or later.

Want to know what it is?!?!?

Ok-

It's an iced tea maker!!!

Yes, I am a gizmo girl!!!

This is really coming from necessity- no, no...really! (see me starting to reason it out?!?!) Since I have GI issues, I can no longer drink coffee. (oh- how I miss it...) And I cannot drink any caffeine- so that leaves out the instant iced tea mixes. Those that are decaf are either sweetened with sugar or have tons of aspartame in them. Not for me. I just want plain jane decaf green tea. I know, I know..I could just get a glass pitcher and make sun tea like all the old bitties...but being the thirty-something generation that I am- I'm all about instant gratification. Am I willing to pay an extra $10 for instant gratification? Oh...you betcha!

Now, I just need to convince my husband. :)

Week recap/ List update

Ok, ok...this is a day late...but hey, at least its in the same week, right?!?! Let me start by saying Whew!... This has been a long week! I am horribly exhausted, and hope that the weekend provides some restful relief.

I'm just going to get on with the list recap- since there are many:

#1- Have a garage sale.

Well, it actually wasn't a garage sale, more like an addition sale. Since we didn't want to have to move all the tools and boxes in the garage and we had a gaping empty space in the addition, we stuffed everything in there. It was nice to be able to go back and forth with when people came. However, the sales were a total bust. I made about $25 on the entire three days- don't spend it all in one place, Sandy. I know, right? But it was on the list, and now its crossed off. There are a few things that I'm sure I can list online...which is another list item- so that would be a bonus.

#8 - Purchase a light fixture for the front porch.

Done and installed. :) I think Dave was excited to have it, because as soon as he got the box (it was a special order), he installed it. There's no electricity going to it right now, so its strictly ornamental...for the time being. But it's a pretty little ornament. :)

#18 - Clean out SCRIP boxes.

Adam had kindergarten visitation on Thursday night. I took that opportunity to head to Horrocks in search of treats for the school picnic and teacher gifts. When that took a fraction of the time I thought it would, I found myself with a little time on my hands at school. So, I started to clean and organize thescrip box. When I got home, I took it a step further and cleaned out the one I have here. done!

#19 - Organize work projects into folders.

While I was working on the big stack of papers in/around/near/under my
desk for scrip, I just kept going. The picture below is the fruits of my labor. I don't even want to tell you how long it actually took (a long time!), but its a pretty little box filled with folders I use on a weekly basis. All others are resting comfortably out in the garage.

#36- Give up pop for 3 consecutive weeks.



As of last Tuesday, this one is Done! I think I'm going to keep going with this one. I'm liking the not feeling "blah" that pop was giving me.


#38 - Surprise my kids once a week for 4 weeks.

Dave's parents are actually helping me with this one! They are taking Adam camping this weekend! I figured that this would be a nice surprise for him! I didn't tell Adam when Linda first approached me because this is Michigan and weather patterns aren't quite predictable. I spent most of the morning (when not tending the garage sale and auditing and mommy-ing) ruffling through the mountain of laundry downstairs trying to find enough clean clothing to keep him warm/cold enough. It's hard to pack his suitcase when he's not in-the-know. I'm sure he's having a fantastic time! He LOVES his grandparents, and he LOVES the RV!

As a surprise to Colin, I think I'll just take him out to TCBY tonight- he loves any kind of destination..and he LOVES ice cream!

Have a good week, everyone!