depressing day

Today was supposed to be a good day. Today was filled with Christmas things. Getting the girls pictures taken (by me) for the Christmas card, going to a tree farm where they have a train ride to see Santa. It was supposed to be the day that helped me remember where my holiday spirit was. This day did none of that. This day has been filled with disappointment and tears. I had signed us up for a family night out at a local tree farm. Rob begrudgingly went with us. We were there for a whopping 20 minutes before Emma full out peed her pants. Like soaked down to her socks. So, no train ride, no reindeer, no Santa. I know she was finally excited to see him... so she was already really upset. I was upset because the trip was ruined and there was no way for us to stay. Emma just kept saying sorry in between sobs. I feel like a complete failure as a parent. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. I should have had extra clothes, just in case. I should have thought ahead. But, I didn't... now my kids haven't seen Santa.... we haven't had a fun night out as a family... it was just ruined and I all can do is cry.

now the panic sets in

It is that time of year. You know the time where you feel so strapped in every way... financially, emotionally, time-wise, creatively. It runs the gamete. To be honest I think this year is worse for me than in the past. I feel a wave of panic just waiting to crash over me.
Financially, I decided that we aren't going crazy for Christmas. The girls will get one joint gift from Santa along with stockings and a couple things from Rob & I, and from each other. Emma will not be getting a ton for her birthday either. I guess that I will let the grandparents to spoil the kids again this year.

Rob is finally graduating this weekend. I couldn't be happier. It is over. :) Guess, that means the pressure is on me to figure out what in the hell that I want to be when I grow up.

I am feeling zapped. No ambition, no holiday spirit... I am still feeling like a shell of myself. I was hoping that the holidays would come around and I would feel all warm and fuzzy and back to normal.

She did it again.

Allison from Petit Elfant is hosting yet ANOTHER giveaway. Check out this post about the fantastic giveaway from Freshly Squeezed. I have been drooling (literally) over the gorgeous designs. Can you imagine my family/friends reactions to theses beauties when they got them?? I would be the envy of all I know. Fingers crossed.

Another great giveaway

Again, Allison over at Petit Elfant has yet another fantastic giveaway for Cinnamon*Sticks Boutique. You have to check it out, she has tons of great custom necklaces. Yet another link I can send to Rob in hopes that he gets my non subtle hints on what I really want.

Oy! Where to begin?

First, sorry for the lack of blogging. I have probably started a post about 50 times. I get half a paragraph in and can't get any farther. I will be better... for the 2 of you that read this. :) (Hi Kristin.)

The most exciting news that I have is... my BFF is at the hospital RIGHT now and she is getting induced. Today is her due date but her OB is concerned that the baby may be getting too big to deliver naturally. She is a TINY gal, and baby's head is getting big. Either way, I am dying to get the call that Evan Daniel is here. :) My first "nephew"!!!

Halloween went well. Emma banished me to the sidewalk this year. She is soooo old now. It is stuff like that, that really makes me realize it. She was super polite and I got lots of great compliments on "what a joy" she is. :) She complimented every single house on something, the pumpkins, the decorations, the lovely sweater one lady was wearing. (Yes, she really said lovely sweater. I almost fell over laughing.) As she walked away she told everyone to have a great Halloween. It is was adorable. She chose her own costume this year too. After 45 long minutes in the costume aisle at Target she was down to Wonder Woman and a fairy. Guess what she chose? Yup, my girly girl went with the fairy. It worked out because Arabel used E's costume from a couple years ago that was also a fairy. I opted to not take B trick or treating this year. She can't eat any of the candy and the weather was TERRIBLE. Next year she will be all over it.

I can't remember if I posted about it or not, but the baby shower that I threw went well. We ended up with the perfect amount of food and the guests of honor were happy. Honestly, that is all that really matters.

Rob has been bringing up getting engaged again. I am not holding my breath, but... that means that the date that I really want to get married is possible. Come on August 13, 2011.

Don't tell anyone but I have got some SERIOUS baby fever. I actually want a baby boy. (Weird, I am so not a boy mom. lol) I have the perfect name picked out and I want to use it!! Plus, if I were to get pregnant in the next few weeks... I would have an August baby. Which would space the kid's birthdays out by 4 months each. It is very tempting. You have no idea. I am hoping that holding my "nephew" will help quell those urges for a little bit. But, oh man are my ovaries aching. I mean it would be perfect to have an August 17 baby. (All the kids on the 17th, 4 months apart.) Plus, it would leave me a year to get my body back before the wedding. Are you noticing all the dreaming that is going on right now? Geez.

That is all for now. :)

the never ending sickness

I am still not feeling better. In fact, I think that I am actually worse off than I was before I went and saw the Dr. and started taking antibiotics. My ears are getting worse rather than better but I am not thrilled about heading back to the Dr. and spending $80 to have them tell me to finish out my antibiotics first. I am waiting it out, being basically completely deaf. Rob has even turned on the closed captioning on the tvs. I guess the incredibly loud volumes I had to have it on to hear it was obnoxious.

Sarra has been discharged from the hospital and is back on base for the next 2 weeks. Apparently, getting out of the military is a pretty big to do. We are all hoping that it will be an easy couple weeks on her stress wise. Hopefully, the Navy will do the right thing and cover all the medical bills and medication she will be needing. She will be taking medication for life as of this point. My brother got home late last night. I am proud to have such a good guy to call my brother. :)

Under the weather

I have been under the weather a bit lately. It started early this week with a terrible sore throat and cough. I was exhausted all week barely getting out of bed to fall asleep on the couch an hour later. A shower was so exhausting it required a 3 hour nap. Of course I had to work this weekend, I work every weekend. And, I never call in. Like, ever. (I think I have only missed like 2 days of work in the past 6 years and I was actually in the hospital.) Friday night kicked my butt, I felt like I could crawl into a booth and pass out. Saturday morning was worse. My ears were pounding and I felt constantly sick to my stomach. I broke down and went to Urgent Care. Turns out I have 2 very ugly ear infections (both on the verge of rupture) which was making me basically motion sick. I slept for 16 hours (and that is no exaggeration either) and started antibiotics. I felt like a new woman this morning. I am still practically deaf, but I didn't feel like I was going to heave all day. Thank goodness I have a good boss. She made sure that I was sitting down and resting when I needed to. :) I am actually off to bed here pretty quickly. My body is still yelling at me for being too active.

On another note:
Sarra looks like she will be released from the hospital early this week. :) She has not had surgery yet and may not have to. Time will be a major factor here. She is being released from the Navy, but that is a whole other bag of worms.

Parker also went home to be with his family yesterday! I can't be happier for Kristin, Howard, Kenzie, Maddie and of course Parker. :)

scary

I am scared. I am very scared for my brother and his girlfriend, Sarra. Sarra enlisted in the Navy reserves and is currently in bootcamp in the Chicago area. Her recruiter was a shady SOB and just signed off on everything. I am angry at this selfish SOB, but at the same time thankful for him. -Sorry, let me get to backstory.
Sarra was in bootcamp and wasn't feeling well. Blood tests showed that her iron level was at a 2. (Normal is around 115- though, I am not a dr. and haven't googled it. Either way, it was dangerously low.) She was finally sent for more testing. A colonoscopy revealed a multitude of polyops. They were so bad that the doctors didn't want to even go forward with the upper GI. My huge problem is that no one was notified of her condition. Sarra was finally admitted to the hospital. Her family and mine have been worried sick about her. After 3 days we were able to get some information. She was transferred from a VA hospital to a public hospital and has been placed in intensive care. Yesterday, the future was looking very grim for her. The possiblity of her losing her entire colon and having a colotomy bag for life was very probable. Jason (my bro) left for Chicago last night. I am happy to say that after being surrounded by her family and loved ones Sarra's condition has improved. She is reacting well to antibiotics and has been down graded to stable condition. We were informed if they had punctured the colon during the colonoscopy it could have been fatal for her. She is facing surgery on Monday to remove parts of her colon.
While I think her recruiter is a complete jackass for signing off on her physical and everything else, I am almost thankful. Had she gone through her physical they may have noticed her iron level and she may not have gotten it checked out further. I am thankful that she is getting the treatment that she deserves now. I can only hope and pray that she is OK.
I just want her to be OK. I want my brother to have the strength to help her through this and know that his family is there for him through anything. If you are the praying kind keep them in your thoughts. It is incredibly scary to think that she is 19 and going through this.


I also wanted to ask for thoughts for my dear friend, Kristin's, newborn baby boy Parker. He was born 5 weeks early and is currently in the NICU at a Children's Hospital. He is making incredible strides and I hope that he is able to come home on Monday as slated. He has a wonderful family to come home to. :)

omg, I am in love

First of all, I love Allison from Petit Elfant, I want her to be my IRL friend. She has the best taste ever! Hence, this amazing giveaway she is hosting from Dillon Rogers.

I have been coveting a necklace like this since I have had Emma.
I have been perusing the Dillon Rogers website for hours trying to narrow down what I love more. I could only cross my fingers and hope that I could just maybe win this giveaway. :)

sucking

I have been sucking at updating lately. I am fully aware of it, but couldn't get myself to write...about anything. My life is all super boring and semi-depressing as of late. Nothing exciting has been going on. Well, I mean life has been happening, but infortunately nothing is very exciting.

We took another trip. It was a wedding a few hours away and got to stay in an amazing condo. Yes, a condo for one night. Hey, I wasn't picking up the tab so I will take a gorgeous condo on Grand Traverse Bay anytime one happens to fall in my lap. The kitchen in the condo made me want to cry from happiness, and I don't even cook. It had a farmhouse sink that made me want to find a way to pack it in our suitcase and hope housekeeping wouldn't notice. This place was so swanky that we had to sign a rules and regulations contract. They expected a certain type of behavior you know. Well, it is a damn good thing we had the kids with us or those rules and regs would have been right out the window. Ha. Not really. Rob and I are getting old and boring. Oh and cynical, don't forget cynical.

MSU is sucking at football at the moment and that makes me sad. But, hey we always have basketball right? When does b-ball start again? Sigh.

My MacBook is sucking as well. My darling, beloved MacBook spent a week at the Apple store a month ago. They were going to charge me to fix it last time, but Rob talked to them and I got my bill for $0. I paid for Apple Care so everything should have been covered. Well, it is acting up again, not wanting to charge so my baby is back at the Apple store. I am awaiting some phone call to let me know what is going on. Though, I have been compulsively checking the status on a PC desktop. Ugh, kill me now. This sucks. I hate this dumb keyboard and this dumb computer chair. I like my Mac keyboard and the couch. I hope it is fixed soon.

I have been party planning. (Please remind me of the following words when I am a super star party planner and I am dealing with a mega Bridezilla.) The couple of honor.... RIDICULOUS. I can say that, she is one of my best friends. She has made throwing her a baby shower the most impossible task ever. I will have to post pictures of the invites I slaved over for HOURS. (That will happen when I get my laptop back. The party is this Sunday and I am just hoping that is goes off without a hitch.

Other than that, I am just sitting on facebook and playing mafia wars. (oh.em.gee. that sounds dorky. My life in a nutshell.)

Vacation update

I posted a blog about our vacation including pictures at the girl's blog. I ate entirely too much delicious fast food and had a great time. The car ride was LONG, but the girls did great. I haven't had 2 seconds to breathe since we got home. I have been working all weekend, and can't wait for Tuesday to get here to have a bit of a break. I will post a better blog later... I am off to work for the night, once again.

Exhausted with no sleep in sight.

I have T minus 23 hours and change until we are on the road to North Carolina. Do you think that I have everything ready? Of course not. I need to leave the house by 7am (which would be in like 3 hours) to head toward GL to get our oil changed. My brother is saving us some cash by doing it himself, but requests that I am out there at like 8am, so he can race. Whatever, I will survive/suffer. I have to close the bar tomorrow night, combine that with last minute packing before/after work... yeh, that sleep that I want. Sooooooo.not.happening.

Really?

Could thing be going well? Honestly, I am asking because it always seems that I am looking over my shoulder and wondering when will shit hit the fan. Rob has been busting his ass lately making money. He hit the craigslist listings across the country and is doing well. I mean, fantastic. :) My computer dork is making a living being a dork. He actually had a company based in Brooklyn call him. He was one of TWO people they called. He is also the front runner after they talked to him company that would fly him out there to meet with him. A company that would help pay the bills in a big way... a nationally (if not internationally known) company. This could lead to a great business venture for him... if it pans out. Here is my issue... he is a man of many big dreams. I can't fault him for that. I just once would love to see his big plans happen. I know that he CAN be THE go to guy. I just haven't seen it happen. I am tired of having hopes to see them gone when he gets another great idea. I sound selfish right now, but after 5 years (almost) of hearing of all of these great opportunities, and seeing nothing... I am a bit sceptical. I am 28 with 2 kids, I have wants/dreams of my own. (Am I realizing them while working as a bartender... yeh, not so much... ) I realize that I could be going out and getting my degree... or starting the business that I want to, or getting a steady 9-5 job, and I am not. I am not doing those things at the moment because #1 it is scary as hell and I am a wimp. #2 I am not willing to let my kids be brought up by someone else at the moment. I love the fact that they only times they have been away are with my parents. #3 He likes being the provider. #4 I don't mind where I am at right now. I just wonder if by me stepping aside and being afraid to take the leaps that I should be taking will effect my dreams in the long run. (My dreams being: owning a house, getting married, having a degree, having my own event planning business, having another baby/babies.) Fingers crossed...

so much for being responsible

I was trying to be responsible. I meet with an AFLAC rep last week and bought 4 policies to cover me and the girls. It just so happened that Arabel ended up going to the ER with an injury. I am trying to make a claim... which is the idea of supplemental insurance. I get paid when an injury occurs. Well, an injury occurred and I am trying to get paid. The stupid hospital will not give me the information that I need. WILL NOT. I was very short with the lady on the phone... Rob spent hours yesterday getting transferred around and 13 different numbers to call. When he thought that he just might have finally got someone who could help, he got hung up on. I waited on hold for 35 minutes before I spoke to someone. They told me, "Sorry, we don't use that form. Oh and since she has Medicaid, they won't give you what you need." What in the hell do you mean, too bad?? Anyway you look at it I am pissed. I was pissed about the fact that I am getting money taken out of my check for something that I am not going to be able to use. Then, I calmed down and called my rep. He told me to send in everything that I have, he is hoping that AFLAC can work some magic and get me what I need. Fingers crossed.

a tisket, a TASKet.

Rob so kindly volunteered me to do some work for his dad. Neat right? I thought so, until I realized that this TASK (see what I did there with the title... clever right? I thought so. HA!) blows donkey nuts to put it lightly. Rob thought that he was negotating a better price for this job. (Going from $20/hour to $1/minute of phone call.) Basically, my crap-tastic job is to transcribe all of these bajillion phones calls to an excel spread sheet so there is written record. Sounds super easy right? Yeh, well it isn't the brainiest (wow, I am pretty sure I just made up that word) thing that I have ever done... but it sucks. Sucks, sucks, sucks, sucks, sucks... really bad. Did I mention that it sucks? I started with a 24 minute phone call. 24 minutes=$24. Yeh, I have been doing it for like 3 hours. There are kids in sweat shops in China making more than I am. I already told Rob that he needs to re-negotiate my "contract". This dollar a minute thing is for the birds.

Family blog

If you are so inclined... I have a started a blog for our families to keep up with pictures and stuff with the girls. http://waldohorvathgirls.blogspot.com/ :)

not cut out for this

Monday was not my favorite day this week. Arabel woke me up by screaming in pain. I figured it was teething but was exhausted (I closed all weekend, so I was lacking in the sleep dept.) I rocked her and held her for hours before calming her enough for us to grab a tiny nap together. She woke up screaming again. I checked her mouth and she had gotten another molar that morning and had another one ready to pop through. (For those keeping tabs, that would be molar #3 ready to surface.) After she stopped wailing, she just laid on the couch. My vibrant 14 month old just laid there. I had noticed that she was babying her left arm, but upon my inspection there was no swelling or bruising. I head to work and get a frantic call around 7:30. Rob says she needs to go to the ER... NOW. I can hear her in the background screeching in pain. He fills me in that Emma had come to him and admitted to jumping up and down while holding her arm, she thought that she had hurt Arabel. I am at work and officially in a panic. Our friend Dan was at the bar eating dinner. He grabbed the keys and took off to our house. He stayed with Emma while Rob took Arabel into the ER. They went to the new-ish peds ER and it was a short visit (well, short as ERs go.) Arabel had what is called Nursemaid's elbow (or for those med students subluxation of the radial head) which is a partial dislocation of her elbow. A very quick pop and she was as good as new. I was VERY relieved to say the least when I got the phone call that they were on their way home and Arabel was laughing and back to her normal self.
I am soooo not cut out for my kids being hurt. This was the first ER visit needed since I have been a mom. I am however very grateful that I signed up for AFLAC supplemental insurance last week. My plan went into effect on Sunday and here it is Tuesday and I am filing my first claim. I am even more grateful for the fact that Arabel is now fine. Whew. Let's not do that any time soon.

updates on everyone

I feel like I have been unconnected to the world lately. (Which is funny considering most of my day is spent online in hopes of connecting. Ahhh the irony.) Here is what is going on in our lives.

Rob: He is officially done with his hellish first summer session of classes. He actually managed to pull out a 4.0 for the semester. Not that I am surprised, he is super studious and smart. He has a total of 4 classes left and he will finally be a college graduate. I couldn't be more proud of him for it. I can only imagine how tough it was to pick up and go back to a major university after a 10 year hiatus. He was in classes where his professors were younger than him (and me for that matter).

The kids: Emma is getting too smart for her own good. I bought her this awesome Leap Frog fridge phonics thing. I got it on sale at Target for $15 and I can't rave enough about it. Seriously, this thing is amazing! Emma went from knowing none of her letter sounds to being able to put words together! I will be getting this for her next. I am incredibly proud of how far she is coming with her letters/reading. It is hard to believe that she is almost ready for school. (We have another year to get everything in order.)

Arabel popped another tooth through this morning. She now has 9 teeth, her newest one is a molar. I am baffled by how fast she is growing up. Her personality has blossomed in the past few months. She has a fantastic sense of humor and laughs all the time. Just recently she has started to enjoy dancing and has quite the moves.

Me: I am still trying to decide what in the hell to do with my life. I have a dear friend who was recently laid off and she took a wedding consultant job. I realized how incredibly jealous of her job I was. Rob and I have talked about what I could do to remedy that situation. Looks like I will slowly be starting to build my database about vendors in the area. That will be the first step in me starting a career that I would love. It will be a very long road ahead, but maybe this will help me feel like my life is getting on track. One day maybe you can say, "you knew me when" this was just a dream.

Just admiring

A couple pictures, just because.
Emma then:

Emma now:

Arabel then:

Arabel now:


It amazes me how big they are.

Never a dull moment

This is a tale of a mom with 2 girls who wants to take a shower. Seems simple enough right? Riiiiigggghhhhttt. Yesterday in the early afternoon I throw Arabel in her crib and Emma is watching the best babysitter ever, the Disney channel. I decide that it is time to clean myself up and jump in the shower. Emma "checks" on me when I am in the shower multiple times. I guess she thinks that is protocol because I yell, "you OK in there??" multiple times when she is in the tub. Shampoo is in and rinsed, Emma has checked on me twice, conditioner is in my hair and then... I hear the sound that scares the bajeebus out of any parent... the smoke alarm. I jump out of the shower like flash. No smoke can be seen or smelled. I grab a towel and start fanning the smoke detector to get it to quit screeching. It is not working so I have Emma grab her little stool (thanks Ikea) so I can reach the stupid thing to yank out the batteries. I had realized at this point that Emma had left the bathroom door open and the steam from the shower set it off. Finally, after a couple minutes of me flailing around like a crazy person, I manage to get the stupid battery out. Then, it hits me. I am NAKED. I am also jumping around like I belong in the loony bin. I am also in prime view for my elderly neighbor lady and her 2 grandkids to get a show. I turn around and who do you think is staring at me? Yup... old lady and the grand kids. Neat.

Wordless Wednesday

My little Popeye

growing up

It is time for me to decide what in the hell I want to be when I grow up. Rob will be done with school in December. That means that it is my turn to go and get my degree. I was originally going to prestigious community college for Elementary Ed. After having my own kids... I am not sure that I want to spend my days with a bunch of children. I want to spend time with my kids, not necessarily other people's. (Now, that I sound like a total child hating dick...) What in the hell do I want to do with my life? I am at a dead end with no ideas. Any thoughts?

Maybe the whole idea of me going back to school will help with how lost I have felt lately. I mean I am 28 with no house (still effing renting and throwing money away every month), not married or engaged (if that ever happens), no college degree, a job that I hate, etc. I feel like I have nothing to show for my 28 years on the planet. (Well, nothing aside from the two gorgeous girls that are my little clones.) I go through these patches every so often. This one just seems to be lasting longer than normal. I feel like I am stuck.
I am already itching to have another baby, but would really love to actually be married for this one. The whole idea of a wedding is starting to be a distant thought. I am starting to give up on it, which is completely sad. I just can't foresee a point where we have the money to get a ring and have a wedding where it happens. There will always be a trip that we could take instead, or a new car to get, or a house, or this or that or any other thing. So, in order for us as a family to get the things that we want and need... I will be the selfless one who gives up what I so badly want. (That doesn't mean that I am happy about it. It means that I am incredibly bitter and sad. So bitter and sad that the idea of it makes me tear up a bit.) I am being realistic, no sense in continuing to look at bridesmaid dresses, invitations, flowers, bridal gowns, and favors planning something that will never happen. I should start letting myself down easy. I guess this way if it ever happens... it will be a happy surprise. *Please don't suggest that we just go to the JP or something of that nature. I understand that it isn't all about the wedding, it is about the marriage. We are NOT JP kind of people. I know that if we did that I would resent the fact that we didn't have "the" wedding. OK, now that I got that off my chest... I feel a bit better.

Eye opener

Today was a fantastic day. Rob decided to skip his 4 hour Irish Lit class and spend the afternoon with me and the girls on an adventure. We needed to go downtown to get Rob a couple textbooks. We were going to grab something for lunch and head to the Children's Garden at MSU. Instead, we decided to grab lunch on campus. So we walked and walked... and walked. We ended up halfway across campus. It was a perfect day for our cross campus hike. Emma walked the entire way and Arabel was enjoying her ride in the mei tai. (So much that she fell asleep half way through.) We walked back to the car after lunch (2 hours after the beginning of the journey). We hit up the MSU Dairy Store HOLY FREAKING YUM! Emma decided on a Mint Chocolate Cookie chunk, I got Honor's coffee toffee and Rob picked strawberry shortcake. Arabel throughly enjoyed them all. :) After an ice cream fix we decided to check out the 4-H Children's Garden. Emma loved the Alice in Wonderland maze. We will definitely be doing this more often.


I have been feeling not quite like myself lately. I read this on a friend's facebook page today and it made me take a breath. Then, I smiled. I knew that if reading this could help me smile that I must share it with my friends. (Or Kristin, who I am pretty sure is one of the only people that reads this. God bless her. :) )

*Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer,
Cleveland , Ohio

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer
rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.
Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry;
God never blinks.

16.. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no
for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.


25 No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In
five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone for everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31.. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of
anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw
everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

FML

I need a new job, yesterday. The owners treat me like ass. Today a friend of mine walks into the office to speak to said owner about a rumor that was going around about her stealing. YUP, STEALING. Guess what got glossed over... oh yeh that whole stealing thing. Somehow, this turns into Kimm doing everything wrong ever. Seriously? We jump from stealing to me talking. TALKING! I asked a mutual friend of ours, so what is up with so and so. There is talk that she is stealing. That was the extent of it. Friend B says something to friend A and next thing you know. Friend A is in the office crying and worrying about her job. This turns into well, if Kimm wouldn't breathe the world would be a better place. I am tired of getting shit on. I have been at that damn place for 5 1/2 years. I used to be a damn manager. (Not anymore due to my choice. I took a much needed hiatus when I was pregnant with Arabel.) I am not saying that I am perfect, far from it. However, I DO NOT deserve the shit that I get. This isn't the first time... recently, another bartender was caught giving away the bar- literally stealing money from their pockets. She gets pulled from the bar and put on the floor. What happens? Owner starts bitching that she would rather have Theify behind the bar than me. Whaaattt? Am I the only one who doesn't get this logic? She comes up with all sorts of elaborate (and false) stories about how everyone hates me. Really? Well, they all hide it very well from me then. So basically my day started by getting a phone call from my friend and manager there giving me the heads up about what went down. She defended me, which she always does... it just gets obnoxious. I shouldn't have to have my friend/manager standing up for me all the time. I shouldn't be getting shit that much. I have once again been reduced to tears to getting crapped all over. I have no idea what it was that I did to wrong owner so bad, but geez. I am now looking for other options job wise. Perfect economic timing huh?

So now I will sit here feeling sorry for myself.

Happy news for a friend.

I posted about a friend of mine back in December who lost her sweet baby Noah at 23 weeks. I am very happy to say that she found out that she is pregnant again. They found out about the new bundle on Noah's due date, which in itself is very special. She is due December 30th. I wish her a very happy and healthy 9 months, that results in a happy and healthy baby.

(Though, I am still hoping for a boy.)

Wordless Wednesday

Enjoy, I couldn't choose just one. What can I say, she really loves ravioli.

extra, extra... read all about it.

So I have lots of news. Prepare yourself.

First of all Rob has decided to take the LSAT and go to law school. He has been researching and it is a very good possibility that he could get a scholarship to U of M law. (I would forever have to taunt him about being a Wolverine.) He could have a slew of offers. His grades since he went back to college after a 10 year hiatus have been great. He is pulling a 3.78 in his last 50 credits. He has taken a couple practice LSATs and has scored very high. Looks like there is a real possibility that I will be a law school widow, and maybe one day married to an attorney. *shudder*

We looked at a house today and it was a shit hole. Like such a shit hole that if you looked up shit hole in the dictionary (or wikipedia) it would have had a picture of this giant piece of crap. It was dirt cheap and that is why we entertained the idea. It wasn't worth the 12 hours we invested in it.

I think that is it for the moment. Now, off to work... again. I am exhausted.

The big 2-8

Today is my birthday. Happy birthday to me. :)

I was lucky enough to be born on Mother's Day. I was given the present of a baby brother on my 4th birthday. We had plenty to celebrate today.

I slept in today... PAST NOON! It was amazing. We went over to my mom's house to have pulled pork, potato salad and all the fixings. It was delicious. I do have to say that my mom totally rocks. She still to this day makes my brother and I separate cakes. We are 28 and 24, and completely capable of sharing. I secretly like that we get our own cakes. We always have, it is a tradition now. My cake is always yellow with chocolate frosting and Jason's is funfetti with white frosting.

My step dad got me flower boxes to hang on the balcony and filled one with impatients and one with basil, parsley and chive seeds. My brother bought me a gorgeous pot of yellow dahlias. I think that I will have to work extra hard to keep all of my new plants alive. :) My mom bought me new bath towels, and I couldn't be happier! Emma and Arabel got me a sock monkey, which pretty much ROCKS.

Tonight I am going out for drinks with the girls and just may have a taste of Cristal. That is what I call ballin'.

Creeping up on me

Arabel is officially walking now. I say officially because she has been cruising since about 7 months and I am pretty sure she has just been perfecting her skills until they were up to her standards. Today she stood up in the middle of the room and proceeded to walk to one side, turn around and walk to the other. She is quick too!! I know that she has been completely capable yet unwilling to walk for months now. She has been stubborn since she was in utero. Little booger.

Another Arabel milestone... I washed and sanitized all the bottles and they now have a new home, in the closet. *tear* I have struggled with her growing up and this was something that I was struggling with. I figured that I couldn't have the crutch of the bottle laying on the counter when she was whining. It is all cup all the time now. Though, it did break my heart a little when she saw that her bottle was gone. I just saw the disappointment in her face. Ugh, nothing like a guilt trip from a 13 month old.

I did want to mention that I am craving and iced coffee and a snickers blizzard (freeze, flurry, whatever you call it) like it is going out of style. I just saw a Sonic commercial (which I also think is cruel considering the closest one is 40 minutes away) and I had to wipe the drool from my chin. Does that officially make me a fat kid? Either way, I think that I am OK with it. (I won't mention that our late night snack last night was mini corndogs and fried green beans/zucchini.)

Rob is done with school for the semester. Which now means that he has one whole week off before the first summer session starts and he hates his school life. Which brings me to the fact that he is a total drama queen. He threw a tantrum about his professor taking off a point on a project. A POINT! Guess what? He still has like a 98% in the class. Pretty sure a 4.0 is a 4.0 is a 4.0. Get over it. :) Though, I am super proud of him. I can't wait to watch him walk across that stage in December. *Note to self: get a baby sitter for that day... the last thing I want to deal with is 2 kids during commencement at a Big Ten University. *shudder*

The big 2-8 is quickly approaching for me. T- minus 2 days until I am in the late 20's club. I have noticed that when someone asks me my age, I reply, "almost 30." Wow. I can't complain though. I was noticing how I am down playing it this year. I love my birthday. This year, I kind of feel like it is lost. It falls on Mother's Day this year, which is nothing new to me. I was born on Mother's Day and it continues to happen every 6 years. My mom is the sweetest person ever though, she called to see what special dessert I wanted. I told her cupcakes. Delicious cupcakes. I guess I feel like it isn't a big deal because I don't have tons of people calling to see when and where we are going to get wasted. I will frankly be lucky to enjoy any type cocktails with friends. Here's to hoping though.

I realized that I couldn't write a post like this and not include an Emma gem. I told her my birthday was coming up and she said, yeh, I know. (Smart ass kid. Wonder where that came from?) She told me that I must be turning 17. When I told her I was turning 28 her mouth dropped open. I asked her if she thought that was old she said, "Well, yeah. But, I can only count to 30." I love that kid. She is my little buddy. She loves to cuddle with me all the time. She even told me that she thinks growing up with be fun (which is a very good thing, she has been very against the entire idea for a while.) When I asked her why, she explained that she gets to grow up with me. Talk about a melt your heart moment. Then, I am sure she ran around in circles and refused to quit talking/making noise for the next three hours.

Sonic

Rob was working out of the house today. I can't remember the last time I was so happy to see him when he walked through the door. Especially that he woke me up at 6am (!!!!! He must have had a death wish.) to iron his dress pants and shirt. I could have choked him, but I didn't. Instead I told him to shut his trap and go away while I ironed his stupid crap. (Did I mention that I am not a morning person?) He was out of the house by 6:45 and then of course Arabel woke up, almost an hour and a half earlier than normal. I somehow coaxed her back to sleep and enjoyed the rest of sleepy time while I could. Emma was full of piss and vinegar all day. Rob calls me around 6:30 and tells me that on his way home he saw one of those highway signs that said "blank-1 mile". Then, he asks me... "Do you know what the blank was??" I say, Sonic??? I was correct. Though, he ended up making a 4 minute trip to get food, last like 60, but I digress. We have never had Sonic before. The nearest one is 40 miles away (aka the one Rob was getting food at). We all had Sonic (that was still decently warm might I add) tonight for dinner. Oh, I heart strawberry limeades. We are already planning out a family trip for lunch.

Wordless Wednesday

Yesterday in her new polo dress. (Thanks to Rob's dad and dad's gf.)

Today


I love my kids! :)

Stormin' Norman

It is currently pouring buckets in Mid Michigan. Can I tell you that I am absolutely loving the fact that it is so humid that I am practically choking?? It means that it is warm enough to be humid!!! (Please remind me of that statement in the middle of July when I am hating the idea of leaving air conditioned bliss. Nothing seems like a better idea than curling up on the couch with the girls and watching bad movies. Will I be doing that? No. I won't. Instead I will be bartending the night away. Is it bad that I am crossing my fingers for a power outage? I mean I worked through one before, it was a giant pain in the ass, but I really don't feel like working. Story of my life.

Enjoy the rain!

Sardines

Picture this: 1 queen sized bed with a fluffy down comforter. Now, picture 1 30 year old man and a 28 (well, almost) year old woman laying in that bed. A perfectly comfortable nights sleep if you ask me. Well, that perfect little picture only lasted until about 3:30. Arabel started fussing around, she has been only wanting to sleep ON my due to being stuffed up. Since, I know what she wants, it is 3:00am, and I don't feel like dealing with it... I pick her up and bring her in bed with me. She is out like a light in a matter of seconds. (I have a very good chest for sleeping apparently.) I was back to sleep shortly after. I was sleeping, until a little body decided to crawl into bed next to me. Yup, Emma decided that for some reason she must climb into bed. Did I mention that she never ever sleeps with us? Ever. So, now my comfortable bed has been turned into the family bed, with me and the girls squished on one half. (What you thought that Daddy-O would wake up or realize what was going on? Pfft.) I didn't mention that both of our cats felt like snuggling last night, did I? I didn't get much sleep. I was too worried that I would move a quarter of an inch and kick one of the kids out of bed. I contemplated moving into Emma's bed, but I figured they would all just follow me, and that is no way to treat a twin bed.

We are all battling an allergy/cold combo with is less than fun. Emma started out stuffed up and has moved into a raspy cough. Arabel has a runny/stuffed up nose. I think that I got the worst of it. Itchy eyes, stuffy head, sneezing like crazy and my ears are killing me. I am living on Benadryl right now. Good, because it works... but not so great when it knocks me on my ass. I have been taking Benadryl induced naps every day this week. I am hoping that the warmer weather is here to stay, so it stops messing with us. I can't take this much longer.

Sad news: A regular of ours at the bar (and a friend I have known for 10 years) passed away this week. Last Friday, a few of us noticed that Chris had been MIA for a few days. On Monday we were informed that he was in the hospital, and it wasn't looking good. He passed away Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. I hope that Chris is at peace now, and no longer fighting or in pain. He will be sorely missed by a great deal of people. Thank you for being a friend.

Hooray for me!

As I posted before I was having serious issues with my blog sig. Well, I am very proud to say that I went through every line of the html myself, and figured it out!! I think even Rob (who is a programmer) was proud! Now, to figure out the header crap and I am GOLDEN!! :)

Wow.

It is a good thing that I live with a computer nerd. I was getting very frustrated that my blog sig wasn't posting. Then, Rob's bright idea was to check and see if it would work on a new post. Low and behold... the code shows up on the new post. Anyone have any idea on how to get it to post without the code showing up at the bottom of my post? I know last time I changed blog sigs, I messed around in the html. (Not that I would prefer that by any means... I just feel like it is cleaner that way.) Anyone know how to do that?

I can do it!

I can follow directions!! Yay me!! I managed to change html and css (which Rob told me what css meant, but I don't remember) to customize my title fonts and colors.

OK, with my font/color changes I decided that I would update my blog signature. The tutorial that I used before has been updated and I am having problems actually getting it to change. Ugh.

customize...

I feel like I want to customize my blog a bit more. I am loving my background currently... but I am in dire need of a header. Anyone want to help?? I downloaded some super cute new fonts from fonts for peas (the blog just may be a new addiction, seriously!) I will be following a very detailed tutorial to spice up my title fonts and stuff. I have to admit that I am insanely jealous of how freaking amazingly cute their blog is. I just may be addicted to the fonts too. Just what I needed another amazing blog to read on a daily basis.

Happy Birthday Arabel Grace!

Today my sweet little peanut is ONE! This year has flown by and I can hardly believe it. I am truly blessed with fantastic girls in my life. I couldn't ask for a better, more happy go lucky baby.

I have been having a very rough time with coming to grips with Belle turning one. (Which is odd because I never felt like this with Em.) I feel like it isn't time for her to be a year old yet. She is my tiny girl, still wearing 6 month clothes. I am waiting for her to take off running across the room, I have a feeling that she is waiting until she has walking perfected to show off for me. I have gotten a couple steps out of her, but nothing crazy yet.

One year ago, I was 50 inches around and waddling into the hospital. A bouncing 8 pound 8 ounce baby girl was born. She was a mommy's girl from moment one. I will never forget the look on Emma's face when she met "her" baby for the first time. Or the proud grandparents as they held the new addition to the family. Or even the way Rob interacted with his new daughter.

Now, that bouncing baby is on the verge of toddlerhood and terrorizing her sister and the cats. I couldn't be happier.

It is hard for me to believe that one year ago today, I looked like this:

and only hours after that picture was taken, I had this:


That tiny (OK not tiny... 8 pounds 8 ounces tiny) little baby was growing up before my eyes.


Now, I have a vibrant, beautiful sweet girl.



Happy Birthday sweet Arabel!

Tourney time!!

I love March. I love the dance. Watching basketball for days on end makes me a happy gal. I love filling out a bracket(s). Watching and pulling for random teams is fun for me. Though, nothing tops pulling for the Spartans. I am a basketball junkie. The problem with tourney time... I have to work during games. Nothing pains me more than having to serve d-bags during a State game. Yes, I say d-bags because some people are just honest to god douches. Yes, I get it, I am a server. That doesn't mean I am stupid, or below you. It means that you should be nice to me, I am touching your food and drinks. No, I don't mess with people (or their food/drinks), though TRUST me it is a tough call sometimes. Btw, thank you Wake for sucking ass and screwing my bracket. I knew that you were overrated but for christ sake, a first round ass kicking. Geez. Until Sunday I will be praying to the basketcall gods for State to pull off another victory against USC. Final Four... we need this. Izzo has a reputation to uphold.

General annoyance

I will not get into specifics on exactly what I am annoyed at, but I must vent. You have been warned. :)


I am so tired of taking care of things while others are MIA for extended periods of time. When the other people come are back in "action" for the short bursts of activity that we should feel so lucky to be blessed with their presence, I get shoved to the side. Nevermind the fact that I take care of things as they come up. I get an occasional "good job" and a "thank you", though I don't know that it was cutting it anymore. I am not a quitter per se, but you know I am really starting to wonder when to end a good thing. I really hate confrontation and would hate for things to end on a sour note. (Which is totally possible if something doesn't change a bit.) I feel like I am I getting used and stepped on. Other people have the ability to do what I do, but it is normally up to me. What is the point if I just get shoved aside like I don't matter? Though, I really do wonder if it would make that much of a difference if I wasn't there.

Part of me wonders if I am just changing my views on people and situations as I get older. I would have went on like this years ago, just being bitter on the inside. Now, I just don't know that I have the patience to deal with it. Maybe I am in a spring cleaning type of mood, and I am looking at areas of my life to clean up. Maybe it is just late and I am a tad crabby. (Which is possible, but I don't feel like I am crabby.) Watching a friend get treated like crap lately has really opened my eyes. I don't want to be that person that keeps going back time after time. I wonder if maybe I already am.

I guess the real question is how to you know when to call it quits? When do you take the high road and go out on a good note? How do you know when it is time? I am so very torn.

Burgers without incident

My friend Doug pulled up at my house around 4:30. I got the carseats in, loaded the kids and we were off. That is right, we took a road trip for burgers. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I was very nervous/anxious about the ordering process. We got there before the couple that we were meeting so Uncle Doug took Em up through the line to order her some food first. While they didn't send him to the end of the line... he did get a "that's not my area" comment a couple times. Emma comes back to the table with a grilled cheese and bag of chips. Hey, that is what she wanted for dinner. As soon as Em sits down with her food Arabel (aka Grabsy McGee) snatched up half of her sandwich and starts eating it. Good to know that she likes grilled cheese (and fried zuchinni and french fries) though. Time was up for me to hit up the line. It was truly nerve wracking. I am proud to report that I ordered correctly, and no anti-anxiety medications were needed. The food was good. It is not the type of place that we will take a 45 minute road trip to get (unlike Zingerman's Deli *drool*) but good none the less. Plus, it was on triple D and we all know how much I love the Food Network.

Other news:
While in the car on the way to Ann Arbor we were discussing the Lion King. Emma has watched the movie at least 4,000 times since Monday. No I am not exaggerating. I asked her "Emma, what is your favorite part of the Lion King?" Em's reply, "I love the part where the king is killed and then the little lion goes 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'" Yep, my kid's favorite part is when Mufasa is trampled to death. I couldn't make this up if I tried. I wonder if I should have her looked at... sadistic little kid.

Emma and I along with my mom are going to see Playhouse Disney Live tonight at Breslin. Em is pumped and to be honest, I kind of am too. I think that somedays I enjoy the Disney channel as much if not more than her.

nervous about a burger

A friend and I are hitting up Blimpy Burger this afternoon to meet up with a couple friends, Savannah and Pat. Blimpy Burger is in Ann Arbor, so we are making an hour (give or take) trek for these delicious burgers. I am pretty pumped about the idea of fried veggies to be completely honest. Yum. Here comes the nervous part. They are like the Soup Nazi of burgers. If you order out of order, or incorrectly... they send you to the back of the line. I am pretty sure that I may have a panic attack just thinking about it. Hopefully, I will be able to make it through dinner without a Xanax. I am hoping Sav is feeling like taking some pics too. :)

loves

Name at least 20 inanimate objects that you LOVE- in no particular order.

1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Cheese
3. MSU Basketball
4. Crabby cheese dip from the Blue Gill
5. knitting
6. high heels
7. the color pink
8. root beer (a recent love)
9. fountain Coke from McDonald's
10. reality shows on Bravo
11. my bed (oh soooooo comfy)
12. extra dirty grey goose martinis
13. wedding planning
14. iced coffee
15. green beans
16. silence :)
17. The Little Einsteins (I really do love that show.)
18. the smell of clean babies
19. pedicures
20. crafting

I don't really have anyone to tag... :(

Wordless Wednesday

These are pictures of both of my girls at the same age, wearing the same shirt. I think the genes speak for themselves.

Case of the Mondays.

I am so blah the last couple days. I think that work is taking so much out of me. I feel exhausted almost all the time. Today was an internal power struggle to make myself get up. I am pretty sure that I could have slept for 15 straight hours, if not more. Taking Friday off this week (so Em and I can go to Playhouse Disney Live) is forcing me to work Wednesday. Wednesday is one of my typical off days. Can you tell how effing thrilled I am to have to work again on Wednesday? Blech. I have even contemplated quitting, though I like the people that I work with... well, for the most part.

I honestly don't have much else going on lately. Em has stopped being the DEVIL. Which is a nice break for me. After last week I was looking into boarding schools that took 4 year olds. You think that I am kidding? Try getting strawberry syrup out of the carpet.


I did have a bit of a panic attack yesterday. I realized that Arabel will be ONE in 6 short weeks. Seriously, when did that happen? I am very not OK with the idea of my sweet little peanut being one. I have to start figuring out what in the hell I am going to do for her party. Theme ideas anyone?

Bad, better, worse

Today started out terribly. Emma has been horrific lately. Her morning behavior is well... the worst I have seen in a long time. I have spent hours cleaning up her mess today and I am not even close to being done. As far as she knows, I am throwing away her play kitchen. (Really evil mommy me is putting it in the laundry room until a later date.) If anyone knows of a way to get strawberry syrup out of the carpet, please share. Yes, you read that correctly... strawberry syrup. 8am this morning was the wake up call for that hot mess. At least it is primarily sugar so the sheets, crib, walls and both girls came clean without much effort.

My state refund did hit my account today, so that was nice. Yay for the day getting better. Rob and I decided to run some errands. Shopping always make a girl feel better. Right? Too bad the purchases were basically toilet paper and toothbrushes. I was really hoping for something for me, but I will be satisfied with the Glade Plug In for the moment I guess. I happened to spy Guitar Hero III and BOOM! I realized I want Guitar Hero. I got Guitar Hero III and Aerosmith and a kick ass Les Paul guitar. So, I was pretty pumped about that.

Which brings me to the second part of better. My friend, Tamara, emails me and asks if I would be able to grab a drink with her. She had a rough day at work and I was having a rough day. We were going to hit a couple craft stores so I could get some yarn. Yes, yarn has the ability to make me happy at the moment. We set up for 6pm.

6:00 comes and goes and I hear nothing, I get no answer, I get nothing. Know what I got? Stood up. Awesome. Today this is not what I needed. Now, I am sitting here with a severely bruised ego and am pissy. I really needed out tonight. I needed the friend to hang out with and to pick out yarn. Yes, I am fully aware that I could have gone to the craft store myself. *whiney* I don't want to go the store myself. I wanted to hang out. *end whine* I need to get a sandwich and a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Maybe Karamel Sutra will make me feel better.

He's Just Not That Into You

I watched the movie. The only comment I must make is... after waiting almost 5 years, Rob better not NOT propose. Seriously. He better not bitch out now. I better be the exception rather than the rule. Also, totally love Gennifer Goodwin and Justin Long. I think that Gennifer Goodwin is one of the reasons that I am still watching Big Love.

Want to hear a secret? He did spill the beans to me the other night that he has been looking at rings, he even picked one out. He told me that he wants to take me to NYC for my birthday this year. I am hoping it will happen in NYC. Though, it better not be a ring in a chocolate box at dinner in front of the whole place/ horse drawn carriage ride. That is soooo not us. Though, honestly I couldn't tell you what exactly is us.

Wordless Wednesday

Belle's favorite toy from Aunt Kelly.

Oh yeh....

I am loving my new layout courtesy of cutestblogontheblock.com!

Also, check out my rocking new hair. I need to take some more cute pictures of it.


That's all for now.

Grace in the Small Things

I have been slacking the last couple days due to me working a ton. I feel the need to share some positives that have been happening, no matter how small they may be.

1. Grand Traverse Select Sweet Traverse Red, it is soo yummy and local!
2. Pulled pork sandwiches.
3. Napping with Emma today.
4. Getting the cutest little valentine from a girl at work.
5. Emma writing "I love you" on a piece of paper for me.
6. Belle's curly little mohawk.
7. My kicking new haircut.
8. Getting a double tip from the d-bags that walked out on me.
9. Rob telling me that he is planning a trip to NYC for the two of us for my birthday. (That includes yummy food and a show!)
10. Sleeping in.
11. White chocolate chip macadamia nut oatmeal and dried cherry cookies that my mom makes. They were warm when I had the first one.
12. Grilled lobster.
13. Dead Like Me- the movie. I loved that show. (Minus that new Daisy, I liked the old one.)
14. The light in Em's eyes when I got home from work. She was the happiest girl ever.
15. A $12 tip on a $28 tab. Those people ROCKED!

In the Dark & Grace in the Small things

Last night I worked. I am normally not a Wednesday night worker. Either way, I was there and was making money. There is a couple different things going on so we were busy. Well, we were busy until the power went out. I always thought that it would be cool to be at work and have the power go out. Wrong. The first thing you do is scramble to make sure that all your customers aren't making a beeline for the door. Which sadly some did, including a couple of mine that skated out on a $140 tab. Who does that you say? Assholes, that is who. I am choosing to not serve them again, so I could give 2 shits about them. I only deal with shit like that once before I write people off. I don't take it lightly, that is my livelyhood. Anyway, after about 2 hours the power comes back on and there is a whopping 2 people in the bar. It was fine, I still had a good time and I guess that is all that matters. Though, I wonder if I can just have an uneventful night at work. I will let you know how Saturday goes.

I got home entirely too late to write my grace in the small things. I will just go ahead and do 10 again today.

1. Getting my hair cut. I chopped off almost 6 inches and I feel lighter and renewed. (Oh and hot too.)
2. Telling Emma that we are going to see Playhouse Disney Live. I thought that she was going to pass out she was so happy.
3. The happiness that a 4 year old has for a happy meal.
4. Fountain Coke from McDonald's.
5. Snuggling on the couch with Emma watching her shows.
6. Durbulls- Jager and Root beer. (Again with the root beer) Delicious.
7. Songs from the Imagination Movers. I really do love that show and their songs.
8. Getting a cookie cake from Quality Dairy from a friend. It is chocolate chip and looks amazing. I feel loved.
9. Getting to go pick out Valentine gifts. I am going to go get some stuff for the girls later. I am excited.
10. Knowing that you are loved, because of the small things.

Grace in the Small Things 6

I took the day off yesterday because I was in a less than positive mood. I had a bad day at work, and I should have been able to find 5 little things to be happy about.. I was definitely the glass is half empty yesterday.

1. Extra sleep.
2. Root beer. (That is the second time that I have used root beer... I have an obsession.)
3. Arabel saying her sister's name for the first time. The pure delight on Em's face was priceless.
4. Reusable shopping bags.
5. Watching Belle eating deli sliced turkey. That kid was in heaven.

adding a couple to make up for my craptastic mood yesterday.

6. Typing the word craptastic. It made me laugh out loud... in a room by myself.
7. The Real Housewives of Orange County. I may not be rich, but damn I feel good about my life.
8. Kalin Lucas. He makes me happy to be a Spartan.
9. The realization that Rob will really be done with school by the end of the year!!!!
10. Looking at houses. I love house hunting.

Too nice

Can you be too nice? Yes. The definitive answer is yes. I am a good person. I help people out when they need it. Tonight, I helped a co-worked who was hurting in a female way. She was scheduled to close, and I was scheduled to be first out. (Which tonight would have had me out of there close to the girl's bedtime.) Instead, I say, "hey, I will stay for you." Why? I have had those female issues and I could list at least a hundred things that I would rather do than kiss ass to a bunch of a-holes to make a couple bucks. I like my job, no matter how minuscule it seems to many. I have fun, and I am good at it. I make decent money, I wouldn't keep doing it if I didn't. Tonight was just one of those nights. By one of those nights, I mean a night from hell. Seriously. I was pulling out all the stops and couldn't make a buck to save my life. It was infuriating. So irriatating that I had tears welling up. I am not one that cries at work... ever. In all the years I have only ever cried once. (To my defense I was also pregnant and verbally assaulted by a regular.) Tonight was almost the second time that I have ever cried at work. I am too nice. I smile and do favors, yet I never seem to ask for ANY favor to be returned. I should really work on that.

Grace in the Small Things 5

Still keeping this up! Yay me!

1. Starting the day off with a blueberry muffin and a Coke.
2. Southwest eggrolls at work. Yum.
3. Keeping it extra real all day. One of the funniest conversations ever.
4. Laying on the big couch. I have missed my big couch.
5. Knowing that I am going to make someone feel loved on V-Day that isn't my significant other or child. (Or related in any way.) A big stuffed animal and a card can go a long way.

Grace in the Small Things 4

1. Hanging out with my mom. I love her.
2. Arabel's crazy hair. It makes me smile.
3. MIL packing up to go home. (Do you hear the chorus of angels singing???)
4. The minor heat wave in Mid Michigan! Hooray! (Mini heat wave would be the 40's.)
5. Toffee made in Michigan, it is delicious.

I am doing a pretty good job keeping this up!! :)

Grace in the Small Things 3

1. The smell of Brown Sugar & Fig body cream from Bath & Body works.
2. The fact that my four year old asked for salad for lunch.
3. A nap in the middle of the day. Belle was sleeping, Emma wanted to cuddle up with me and we all caught some zzzs.
4. Emma telling me when she grows up she wants to be a princess, do ballet and have babies.
5. Buttered white toast. Yum.

Favorite mommy products

I just realized that since becoming a mom, I have drastically changed my shower gifts. No more receiving blankets. (I cut half of mine up and covered an old bulletin board. Yup, I am crafty like that.)

So here is my random list of my favorite products. Enjoy.

Hylands Teething Tablets- seriously the only reason I have lived through 2 kids teething. Seriously.

Munchkin Mesh Feeder- I am a big fan on homemade baby food. I love this because I got to introduce grapes and blueberries without freaking out that my little baby will choke to death. The best part- it is available in a two pack. That means one went to Grandma's house and one stayed home.

Nuk pacifiers- After 2 babies these were the only ones my kids would take.

Playtex Vent Aire wide bottles- I used the regular Vent Aire bottles with #1, and this time around I discovered the wides. I love these bottles. I hear that they even have a BPA free bottles now.

Bordeaux's Butt Paste- This stuff is magic. I have even used this on very chapped noses and I stand by my claim. Magic.

Gerber cloth diapers- No, I am not a cloth mama. (Yet. I really want to be but, haven't taken the plunge financially yet.) I have heard that the Gerber prefolds aren't all that great as actual diapers, though they make amazing burp cloths.

Grace in the Small Things 2

I know that it is only day 2 but I am really liking this so far. :)

1. Putting on a pair of pre-baby jeans, that not only zip... but make my butt look GOOD!!
2. 2 hours of Grey's/Private Practice.
3. Finishing my first knitted project. (A scarf... and it is pretty kick ass, if I say so myself.)
4. Watching my 9 1/2 month old slurp up noodles.
5. Freshly of out the dryer towels. Especially if they are folded the correct way. (See of a couple posts ago.)

contests galore

I have run into a ton of fun contests lately. I am really excited about this one though. Emma love Build A Bear. The idea that I could win her a $25 gift card would be awesome!! The turtle, the penguin and the elephant are calling my her name.

Check out http://www.keeperofthecheerios.com/ and enter to win yourself. (Or not... more of a chance for me to win.)

Grace in the Small Things

I was recently reading on another blog about challenging yourself to find 5 things a day that are positive. I figured that I could always afford to be more positive so here I am.

1. Root beer and turkey pot pie.
2. Watching the excitement on Em's face as she walked into her room and saw her little sister's crib.
3. Top Chef is on tonight, and I am able to follow Spike and Andrew on Twitter during the thing. :)
4. My super cozy MSU sweatshirt
5. MSU basketball :)

Wordless Wednesday

25 things all about me.

These are different from the ones I posted on Facebook. Well, most of them.

1. I am hilarious. Though, sometimes I think that I amuse myself more than anything.
2. I miss my best friend more than anything. She lives too far away and it sucks. Even though we won't be sleeping in bed together with no pants on.
3. My friends and I have the funniest inside jokes ever. Seriously. I could randomly think of them at any random time and laugh out loud.
4. I love bad reality TV, and good reality TV. OK, reality TV in general.
5. I hate confrontation. I will avoid it at all costs. (Check my posts on my MIL.)
6. I talk to my mom everyday. If we don't talk we end up calling one another by the end of the day just to check in.
7. My mom is one of my best friends. I didn't realize how awesome she was until I grew up and had kids.
8. My mom is an amazing cook. I can't cook very well, which is pretty ironic. I usually have dinner cooked by mom once a week. Thank goodness that Rob can cook.
9. Cheese is definitely my favorite food. I keep eating bleu cheese, even though I don't like it because I really want to like it. I am an equal opportunity cheese lover.
10. I hate showering. The idea of getting wet and then being wet and cold sucks. Not to mention all of the work I have to do post shower to become presentable.
11. Some of the best women I have ever met have been over the internet. I wish that I had the money to be able to meet most of them. They know more about me than people I see day to day do.
12. I wish that I had more close friends that live around here. I am afraid to reach out because nothing would be worse than feeling unliked after trying.
13. I have 2 of the most adorable girls. I really do think that they are beautiful.
14. I can't wait until Rob proposes. I want to get married so bad it kills me. At the same time I worry that he will never propose and we will just live in sin forever. (Not that I actually have an issue with living in sin. I just really want to get hitched.)
15. I now have to sleep with the TV on all night. I get weirded out if it is off.
16. I have an irrational fear of horses. They scare the shit out of me. You will never catch me riding one ever again.
17. I love Arabel's name. I am very happy that we didn't pick something more ordinary. Looking back I wish that I would have chosen something different for Emma. Though, she is totally an Emma.
18. I like working, but wish that I made more money so that I didn't feel so guilty leaving the kids for $35 in tips.
19. I just learned how to knit (just the knit stitch) and I am pretty good at it. I really enjoy it.
20. I would love to be a wedding planner but lack the ambition to get there.
21. Monday nights at work are hysterical. I work with 2 of the funniest guys ever and they make my night every time that I see them.
22. I love musicals. In fact I was one of the leads in my high school musical. Many people don't realize that I can actually sing because I screw around so much.
23. Nothing hits the spot like an extra dirty grey goose martini with extra olives. I just salivated a little.
24. I try and not get my hopes up about anything anymore because I have been disappointed so many times before.
25. Guys that cry on TV annoying the piss out of me. I seriously wish that I could reach through and slap them.

Say Whhhaaaaatttt???

OK a disclaimer: I am a really nice person, most of the time.

The MIL is a thorn in my side. I really can't wait until she is gone from my livingroom. I have already bitched enough about her in my previous post, but really it is that bad. I promise. You are more than welcome to borrow her if you want. I will totally let you. One upside: she is doing the laundry. Hey, I hate laundry. More power to her. Here I go bitching again. Remember how I am a creature of habit?? Well, I still fold my bathroom towels the way we folded them when I worked at Target. (And, I didn't normally work in the part of the store that had to fold towels. I worked in softlines which is clothing. Can you see where this is going??) She folds all the clothes wrong. I know, I know, I should be greatful. It literally eats at me, and I contemplate re-folding all the clothes, because I am anal like that. I totally do re-fold all of the towels, because that shit bugs the hell out of me.
Rob is getting annoyed because I am bitching about her. He wants me to start bitching at her. Guess what?? I hate confrontation so that is so not going to happen. Instead, I will come here and bitch until my face is blue. Good thing that that I have good friends that I can call and vent too.

I really do love Playhouse Disney

Rob's mom has been here for a couple weeks now. I am annoyed. I am really trying not to be, but I am. She needs help with the microwave all the time. (Seriously??? It's a damn microwave, not rocket science.) I have 2 kids already, the last thing that I need is someone else to make meals for. She watches weird shows (normally involving killing and crime). I am a creature of habit. We turn on Playhouse Disney in the livingroom and leave it on. The kids don't sit and watch hours of TV, but at least this way I know that they are watching kid friendly/educational stuff. She has taken over the couch (the big couch) so Rob and I are stuck on the tiny ass love seat together. Cozy right? No. I am used to having the big couch and he has the little couch, that is just how we roll. We are starting to get on each others nerves because we are practically on top of each other all of the time. Emma won't even come out of her room if I am not in the livingroom. She has been soooo clingy lately. All of a sudden she wants to sleep with us and the whole deal. She has never, ever slept with us. To be honest that is not a habit that I would like to start at 4.
Emma has been sick the past couple nights. Can you believe that I had lived the past 4 years as a mother without having to clean up puke. That streak ended on Monday night. The poor girl was covered and unhappy. She is finally feeling better. I am so relieved because I hated when she felt like crap and there was nothing that I could do.

Is this allowed?

Know how I mentioned that I was doing kinda of crappy on my resolution of taking a random picture everyday?? Well, I kind of went and took a bunch of randoms yesterday. That's fair right? It is kind of fun to take pictures of random ordinary things.

E sole purpose in life is to irritate me, I am positive of it. She has regressed majorly in the potty area. She was doing awesome, no accidents, staying dry at night. All of a sudden she is wetting her pants multiple times a day and even having the dreaded poop accident. (She never had poop accidents, even while training.) She is wetting her bed everynight, which leads me to washing her sheets every single day. I don't know what to do anymore. I feel like I have done every thing that I can, I don't know what in the world to do anymore. Guess the idea of school is out this year. Ugh.

That is all.

Serious update and wordess Wednesday

I realized that it has been a hot second since I have blogged. WTH is wrong with me?

Update on the resolution: the picture thing (taking at least one picture a day) is totally tanking. I am sucking up up big time. I should really step it up. Hopefully, I will get on it. I really would love to have a whole boatload of random pictures at the end of the year.

I get to learn how to knit at my next MNO which I am super psyched about. Seriously, I am way too excited about learning. I get to make a scarf I guess. I will let you know how it goes.

Rob's mom is staying with us for a month. I guess that you could say that I am... neutral about the whole thing. She doesn't tend to get in the way, if anything she helps out around the house and with the kids. Well, except today when I woke up and the heat was on 90 (no, I am not kidding), and then she was too incompetent to make a bowl of oatmeal for herself. I am sure that everything was overly irritating for me though as it was first thing in the morning. So, after I turn down the heat to a normal level and make her a bowl of oatmeal... oh and listen to her slurp the whole thing down (as I am telling Emma to eat quietly, no slurping, etc.) she decided to unload the dishwasher. Good right?? Yeh, it was kind of nice, but the fact that she didn't know where half the stuff went so it was me following behind her. Terribly annoying.

I have been a reading fool lately. My latest love is the Sookie Stackhouse series. It is 8 1/2 books long and I was sucked in. I just finished and wish I wasn't. Now, I have to wait until May to read the next one.

Wordless Wednesday portion:

random thoughts for today

Working is good. I actually like getting out of the house and being known as Kimm instead of mom. Even though it has been painfully slow lately, coming home with $40 is still $40 we didn't have before. I will take it. :)

Emma has entirely too much energy for her own good. It is cold out and she refuses to try on her new snow pants let alone wear them. At least I have finally managed to get her to wear pants now and then. I really can't wait until it is warm enough for her to run around like a crazy person and get some of that energy out. She is also too smart for her own good. The stall tactics that she has come up with is amazing. She will wait to poop until bedtime, clever huh?

Arabel is getting soooo big. She has been saying Dada since Christmastime and we have been coaxing her to say Mama. Well, she has!! Rob said that she was yelling "mama! mama!" last night. He tried to record it, but then she would stop and stare at the camera. lol Smart kid. I did finally get to hear it though. Granted it was at 6:30 this morning when she woke up and was hungry and wet. I can stand getting woken up with squeals of mama!! (Remind me that I said that in a couple months.) Next on the list is Emma. I know that Em will DIE if Bellie starts saying her name.

want to know when you are old?

I felt old today. Like a middle aged married couple. My whole day was looking forward to a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond. Seriously. I was so excited about the prospect of new sheets that I was practically salivating. It took me almost 2 hours to convince Rob that he really did want to brave the mall on a Saturday afternoon. Might I add that he was firmly planted on the couch in his pajama pants and slippers. He kept making Old School references about how maybe we could hit Home Depot too. After I pried his dirty ass off the couch and made him shower, we hit BB&B. We managed to get a new set of sheets that quasi matches our current duvet. (Yet another reason why I know that I am old. I own a duvet. I even know what a duvet is.) The rest of the afternoon was spent playing with Arabel (Emma is at my mom's for the night) and watching Food Network.
Which HOLY BALLS did anyone see that crazy special on adult picky eaters? Holy effin' shit batman, I was floored. There are people that are sooo picky that they refuse to eat things due to color, or texture. (I get the texture thing... but this is seriously an extreme.) There was a chick on it that only ate peanut butter and bread products. Seriously. I have no idea what happened to those people to give them such food issues, but it is crazy extreme. I thought that I was nutty because I have issues is my food touch, but at least I eat vegetables for god's sake.
After, the crazy eater special, I watched this thing on deli's. Holy hell, it is a good thing that I didn't have access to a deli at the moment. If I did, I am pretty sure that I would be morbidly obese at this very second. Then, it was on to MSU basketball and then the MSU basketball special. It was a night of Spartan awesomeness.
Now, here we are watching movies. Nothing like being old. :)