goings on

So here is what has been going on with me.

I am going to the first B1G Ten Championship football game on Saturday, oh and Michigan State is playing. That alone is amazing... but, I will be sitting in a suite on the 50 yard line. I will be screaming my lungs out in the comfort of a suite. (HUGE thank you to my wonderful mother in law for that! She is the one who got us the tickets and hotel!) Early Saturday morning we are meeting my in laws and driving down to Indy. The hotel that we are staying at is a surprise(!) but we were told we should get there a little early to enjoy it. *SQUEEEE* We have dinner reservations and we were told to put on our party pants. :) I am so excited it could scream!!!

Rob is contemplating a career change. I should say that an opportunity has kind of presented itself, and Rob is very familiar with the industry it is in. More than likely his IT stuff will go on the back burner a bit to go back into the mortgage industry. Rob used to own his own mortgage company, obviously when the housing market when in the crapper... he decided to go back to his IT roots.

All I know right now, is that I am excited and happy. :) Happy December everyone.

P.S. I also got an email that I am now part of the She Speaks Blogger society. :)

30 days of thankful

I am sure we have all seen the November trend of posting something you are thankful for everyday. Well, I am going to go ahead and post them all right here. Some will be serious, some will be silly... they are all things worth being thankful for.

1. My parents. They always seem to take the girls when I need a break the most.
2. The internet. I am pretty sure I would go a little bit crazy without it.
3. My daughter's elementary school. I feel blessed every single day knowing what an amazing place that it is.
4. Benadryl. I don't think that I would be able to be out and about without it some days.
5. Coke (as in Coca-Cola Classic). It is my go to "drug" of choice. Nothing better than a fountain coke. :)
6. Emma. She truly is another version of me. We drive each other crazy but I wouldn't have it any other way. She makes me want to be better.
7. Arabel. She is one of the funniest children I have ever met, she never fails to make me laugh.
8. Friends. The new friends that I have made at school, and my old friends who have stood beside me for years and years. I would be a puddle of mess without you.
9. Rob. He works his butt off to support us. He supports anything that I want to do and doesn't complain too much when I make a terrible dinner or don't clean the house.
10. Vinegar. White vinegar has single handedly changed my cleaning ways. With all of my allergy issues, going chemical free was the way for us to be. It is cheap and works better than any cleaner I can buy.
11. Pinterest. Where else would I put all of the recipes, crafts, decoration ideas I find online??
12. American Eagle jeans. I was so excited to be back in a size 8 again, plus they look killer on my butt. :)
13. DVR. I get so annoyed when I watch live tv now. I am a spoiled little brat.
14. The lack of snow. Seriously, it is mid November and we don't have the dreaded white stuff on the ground. We have seen our first snow but it was gone as quick as it came.
15. GLEE. The amount of joy I get from that tv show is silly.
16. Julie Andrews. She makes the most amazing musicals that my kids love (me too!) and they aren't so annoying that I want to stab someone when I have to watch it for the 8 millionth time.
17. Sleep. I think my ideal vacation would involve a ton of sleeping. My bed is just so darn comfy!
18. Our home. We were able to find this place in record time when we needed a place. It has been perfect for us, and we couldn't be happier.
19. Food. Whether it be fresh mozzarella or a McMuffin, I am thankful that we have the nourishment that we require, and then some. Fresh baked cookies are a definite plus. :)
20. Our cats, Oscar and Zoe. They have been through the ringer over the past year and half, they are old and still kicking. Not to mention that the kids may terrorize them on occasion and they still love us.
21. The family. I covered my parents earlier, but the rest of the family deserves a shout out too. I happen to have pretty decent in laws. They dropped what they were doing to come here and be here for Emma's haircut.
22. Quitting smoking. I am thankful that I was able to quit my nasty habit and not look back. I am getting healthier by the day. :)
23. Pandora. Kidz Bop Pandora has become a staple in our house. We have nightly dance parties. It reminds me to turn off the tv and watch my kids be silly.
24. Kisses. Hugs and other forms of love that I receive from my kids all the time.
25. Norwex cloths. My mom and I stumbled upon these babies last week. They have done wonders for our terrible skin! No soap, these microfiber cloths are antibacterial and they exfoliate without being rough. Emma's poor skin is looking better than it has in awhile thanks to these.
26. Social networking sites. facebook, twitter,  pinterest, tumblr  I have an issue huh? They have allowed me to connect to a number of people that I don't know that I would have without it. Follow me, friend me... whatever. :)
27. TV. Phineas and Ferb is right up there. :)
28. The fact that I still got "it". I still get flirted with and whistled at. Hey, I am 30, I will take what I can get. :) Some of the guys are even pretty hot.
29. Our school parent association. I have been lucky enough to have the time and ability to be very involved this year. I am even more thankful that I have been asked to be next year's vice president, then the president the year after. I couldn't be happier to be a part of an organization that is so wonderful.
30. Victoria Secret underwear. I don't own many pairs, but holy cow... they are so comfy.

proud beyond belief

Halloween came and went. Honestly, I was a little let down. Arabel wasn't 100% healthy yet and was over trick or treating within a couple of houses. Emma had fun, but it was nothing to write home about. It was very ho hum. I was slightly disappointed because I spent so much time on their outfits. Oh well, I guess that is part of the deal .

Emma cut her hair. That is the understatement of a lifetime. She cut off 16 inches of hair to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths in memory of her schoolmate. 16 inches. I had minor heart palpations while they chopped off the ponytail. I was so afraid that Em was going to be pissed when she saw short hair. She hasn't ever had short hair. I think she looks adorable, and a few years older now. (sob) My life has been made loads easier... no more 20 minutes spent washing and rinsing or 15 minutes spent detangling and combing. 2 minutes tops is what it takes now. Proud is the understatement of my life. She made a selfless decision because she knew that it would help someone else. I also found out that the random acts of kindness done in Adie's name is one of the things that is keeping her parents going on the bad days. We will continue to do random acts of kindness, if only to help her parents grieve.

I really enjoy doing things with the PTA. I volunteer for everything that I can, I just really love being involved. I was actually asked to consider being the vice president next year, which would then make me the president the year after. It is a huge honor to be asked, and I think that I am going to take it. I am excited about it to be completely honest.

alive and kickin'

I am alive. Tired, exhausted, drained, beat, pooped... you get the idea. It has been one of those type of months.

I had an allergic reaction on my face. AGAIN. (This exact thing happened last year at the same time, only it was so bad I had to go to the ER.) I was all hopped up on benadryl and pepcid. I am still undecided if my Burt's Bees face wash had anything to do with it. *I don't think so, but I am afraid to get another reaction.

I decided to take on yet another thing and made the girls their halloween costumes. They were princessy pirates. Honestly, I thought they looked adorable, though I can be pretty biased. I freaking painted stripes on shirts because I couldn't find what I wanted.

Sickness has hit our house. Em was out of school twice last week, then of course, like clockwork Arabel gets it. Arabel had a nasty high fever for what seemed like forever. She didn't feel great so she only trick or treated to about 5 houses. I haven't slept for more than 2 hours at a time in a week.

I had to address death with Emma. A little girl at her school passed away from cancer a couple weeks ago. It is definitely a subject that I am glad I haven't had to address with her beforehand. It is not fun. E is sensitive, she was upset, I was upset, it just wasn't fun. AT. ALL.

E is cutting her hair. This is serious business... so serious that she is cutting off 11 inches (!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and donating it to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths (think locks of love, but free) in honor of her schoolmate. Do I have the best daughter in the entire world or what?

homemade cleaning products

I wanted to update everyone on our homemade product excursion. I have finally run out of washing soda... 6 months after buying the box. I have made 6 months worth of dishwasher detergent and 12 weeks worth of laundry detergent with the one box. We are beyond happy with the quality. So happy that we are looking to see if we can buy Borax and washing soda in bulk. :) We haven't bought any all purpose cleaner in about a year. I have started making my own Febreeze and dry sheets too. I am going all sorts of green. :)

Side note: I am not sure if my product review of Burt's Bees new sensitive line will be a go or not... I woke up this morning with a face full of itchy, red hives. There is a possibility that I am allergic to it. I will be spot testing over the next week or so to see if that is what it is, or if it was a fluke. I tend to be allergic to very weird things.

first things first

Here I am, one month into school and I am still alive. I haven't strangled anyone yet and I still love what I am doing. It MUST be a miracle. :) I am finishing up all of the paperwork I needed for the Girl Scouts. I love being super involved with the PTA and all of the new relationships that I am forming through that. I am getting to be one of the cool moms. Which honestly, is pretty much the top of the totem pole when you are 30 with 2 kids and no job.

All of the activity has taken its tole on me, in the form of my body telling my face that I am apparently a 14 year old girl rather than 30. I have never been a girl that has battled with pimples. The worst bout I had was when I was in my first trimester with Arabel. My normally great skin has made me a crater face lately. It is so bad that I even took a picture to use as a before... I am trying a new line of products by Burt's Bees. I wanted to see if they really work. I promise that I will be posting an update. Yep, I will even show you all my naked, pimply face in the name of research. So you have that to look forward to. (I am going to try and do more product reviews. I have a couple lined up... let me know what you think about that.)

Have you met Pinterest yet? No? Well, meet my current internet obsession. Those are my boards... if you need an invite leave your email in the comments and I will shoot one your way. Be warned though, you will most likely be addicted. It has been known to happen on more than one occasion... just ask my friend, Kristin.

Follow me on twitter, tumblr, and pinterest.

so yeah.

I think I work more now than I did when I got paid.

I spent ALL day yesterday out and about. I was doing work for the United Way, then I came home made dinner (chicken wraps and green bean fries) and went off to the parent association meeting.

Today, I set up for the school open house/ice cream social. I made dinner (chicken/asparagus/bowtie pasta with vodka sauce and garlic bread) and went to said open house. I even popped in before the ice cream social started and ended up scooping ice cream for the event. 450 bowls were scooped. I will likely have multiple blisters, I had to get a bandaid in the middle of the event because I started to bleed (ice cream scooping related injury- hardcore stuff), and I will be lucky if I can lift my right arm tomorrow.

I will be at the school Halloween party, and whenever they need me in the classroom.

Did I mention that I am a daisy troop leader now? Yeah, I have no idea what I am doing, or kids that I will have. Nothing like going in totally blind. :)

Oh and... I decided to take over the school book fair. Yeah, I might be over my head a bit. Thank goodness I get to shadow this year before going out on my own next year.

I have spent 10+ hours on mailings alone this week.

I pretty much rock at volunteering.

random thoughts for the night

I wonder who is in Russia that reads my blog. I am not sure who you are Russian friend, but hello! (This is one of the reason that I like having the little tracker on my blog.----> over there... on the right. Too bad most of the visits are from me. Ha!)

E is about to start school again. I am really excited for her to go back. I can't keep that kid busy enough. I hope she gets back into the swing of things quickly.

I was looking at her first day of school picture from last year. She has changed!! My girl had lots of baby fat last year. She has slimmed down a ton!

I took a 5+ hour nap today thanks to benadryl. Stupid allergies have been terrible. My (self diagnosed) asthma has been acting up a ton. Last night I got a whooping 2 hours of sleep. This morning I felt like I was going to die. A nap made all the difference in the world.

I am so ready for my shows to come back on. The only downside of that is Big Brother will be over. I should totally try out for Big Brother.

The kidlets are gone again. They are with R's parents getting spoiled ROTTEN. To take advantage of our kid free night, we went over to a friend's house and played board games. Cranium is so fun!! We have had the game forever, but never played it... We never have at least 4 people around when we want to play. I think we may have to start having a game night with friends. We all had such a blast. Oh, and apparently, I am super good at drawing with my eyes closed. Who knew? Paige and I dominated the game and won. We are amazingly good at it.

I can't believe that I waited so long to start making my own laundry and dishwasher detergent. Seriously, I have ZERO clue why people still buy the commercial stuff. Do yourself a favor... STOP! Make your own, it take all of maybe 2 minutes and less than $10 to get all the stuff you need. Borax, washing soda (not baking soda), lemonade Kool-Aid packets and a bar of soap. (I used Ivory soap because we have super sensitive skin. Fels-Napa is what I would use otherwise.) I have been using my homemade stuff for awhile. It is CHEAP! (I still haven't run out of Borax or washing soda.) I also started soaking half of a hand towel in fabric softener and letting it dry. I throw it in the dryer instead of dryer sheets... oh and it lasts for 40 loads. I am totally kicking ass in this whole deal. If you have questions about it.... let me know. :) We don't buy basically any cleaning products at all anymore. I have to pick up some ammonia and I can make my own windex.

I will not be bored

Rob hasn't heard anything on the job situation as of yet.

I am taking on lots already.

I am working the welcome breakfast at E's school. I really want to be more involved with our PTA, so this is step one. I will be working in her classroom as much as possible. I won't know what I will be doing or how often until after she starts next week.

I am taking on another role with the United Way. I will be attending the volunteer kick off breakfast next week for training. I will be an account volunteer. This way I will have direct contact with businesses and be involved in the campaign.

Have I mentioned that I might be a daisy troop leader this year too?

So there is that.

So here is what is going on with me

As promised... I said that I had a huge blog post to write up. Here is me attempting to write it.

Check out the latest blog post over that the Waldo-Horvath girls about our recent trip. As we were on out way home Rob brought up the idea of possibly looking into jobs there. He was testing the water because he knows that I kind of lose my shit at the idea of leaving my happy little bubble here at home. I don't have an automatic knee jerk reaction to the idea, so that is a major plus. We are talking about Chicago here, still the midwest, still within 4 hours of home and totally do-able. Little did I understand that since we had a pretty productive talk about the possibility that Rob was planning to put a plan in action. The next day he revamped his resume and sent it to a huge recruiter in the Chicago area. By Tuesday, he had received 7 phone calls about jobs. He had an interview with the recruiter in our area, but is primarily working with the office in the city.

Here is what we are likely looking at:
Rob will most likely be offered a contract position for a short(ish) amount of time. His longest time he is willing to go for is 3 months. He will end up staying in the city Monday thru Friday and take the train home to spend time with us on the weekend. If he gets a permanent position offer that is monetarily worth it, he will take it. The girls and I will most likely stay here until the end of the school year. (I am very against the idea of E being pulled in the middle of the school year.)
We are looking at having insurance, having a financial cushion and more responsibility.
I am looking at essentially being a single mom 5 days a week. Am I freaking out about it? Not really, oddly enough. I guess my new motto is "just keep swimming." I will most likely be a little crazy, but I WILL get through this. WE will get through this.

Hell, we don't even know what will actually happen.

something I just noticed.

Does anyone happen to think that

Crazy Harry from the Muppets

looks an awful like Gru from Despicable Me?

I guess I should say that Gru looks like Crazy Harry.

randoms

I have a huge blog post that I need to write up, but honestly I am not in the mood at the second. I am currently sitting on my couch, watching Sex & the City reruns on style, and waiting for my benadryl to kick in. You have be forewarned that this blog post may start getting funny... benadryl has a way of doing that to me.

I am watching reruns of Sex & the City, as stated like 2 sentences ago, what a fantastic show. I heard a rumor that SATC 3 or a prequel may be in the works. Hey, as long as it is better than 2, I will be happy. A prequel would be fun. Along the same line of thinking... the current episode that I am watching is the one where Viktor is being so romantic that it makes Carrie uncomfortable. You know, I am THAT girl. I am the one that if Rob were to propose with roses, candles and champagne in a chocolate box I would probably throw up. We will never be that couple that sits on the same side of the booth. If a guy wrote me a poem or tried to ballroom dance with me in the middle of the park... I would either puke or punch him. My idea of romance is holding the door for me and letting me get the surf and turf for dinner.

Shit, I totally just forgot what I was going to write here. Oy.

Look for a new look for the blog soon-ish. I am bored with the current look so there is that.

I had major intensions of making this post much longer, instead I have spent a majority of the time using spell check. I think the allergy medicine has started to take over. Nighty night for now.

Around town and back again

We have been all over the place lately. The family and I were in Northern Michigan for a fabulously fun wedding. The girls were the flower girls and they were probably the cutest flower girls ever. After driving back home 4 hours, I unpacked and then promptly repacked the girls. They left to go camping with my parents for 6 days. Rob and I decided to take the opportunity of having the kids gone to take a mini vacation, just the two of us. On Wednesday evening, we left. First stop was the casino for a couple hours, then to check into the hotel. After the hotel we hit up Bell's Brewery and a local place for dinner. Thursday came and we headed to the west side of the state. Lunch was had at Founder's Brewery, and it was delicious. An early dinner was spent at New Holland Brewery, after that we walked around the downtown area. Lake Michigan was next on the agenda for sunset. It was a simple couple of days, but it was exactly what we needed. Our trip reaffirmed that we really are so very in love, and are truly the best of friends. :)

Braggy Braggy

There are times in a mom's life that you are literally bursting at the seams with pride. Today was one of those days for me. Emma (who recently requested she be called Emmy now- specifically EMMY, because she likes having 4 letters in her name) had her last report card mailed home. I received her report card today. I was like a little kid on Christmas, I couldn't wait to tear into it. Report cards aren't just for the kids, it is more for the parents. I need the moment where I have the teacher back up that I am doing something right. (If you don't have kids, you have no idea... get at me when you have them.) Emmy's report card made me want to climb on the roof and exclaim from the roof tops that I rock as a parent. She literally aced everything. Every time there was some thing she could get a "4" (meeting or exceeding expectations) on, she got the 4. Every single math/writing/reading questions she nailed. Oh, then throw in that she was reading at a first grade level pretty much all year... and ended the year at a beginning second grade reading level... jesus, I need CPR. I just died, my kid is THAT awesome. My kid that could barely write letters 9 months ago is writing and reading at a second grade level now. I WIN!! Well, I rock as a parent and she had the most amazing teacher known to man. (I love the woman like she was a part of my family... I had to tear down the hall on the last day before I burst into tears when I said thank you and good bye.)

P.S. When in the hell did I become a sap? I was in tears writing my thank you note to Em's teacher. Good lord, I never thought that I would be that person. EVER.

oh hai there...

Yeah, I pretty much have sucked at blogging lately. No really good reasons, just utter laziness on my part.

My dishwasher detergent is working smashingly. I love to be able to whip up a new batch whenever we are out rather than having to run to the store.

Emma finished kindergarten today. I broke down sobbing when I was writing her teacher a thank you note. The end of the year really snuck up on me and I was rather unprepared for it. I have never been one of those moms that cries when their kid starts school, or loses a tooth. I was a fricken mess today though. Watching my girl grow so much this year really pulled at my heart strings. Her teacher is a saint, and she adored Emma. I actually had to get out of there before I started bawling, as they were saying their goodbyes. She is growing up entirely too fast for my liking. She is 6 1/2. When in the hell did that happen?? (Yeah, yeah, I know... that past 6 1/2 years.) Emma is truly becoming a young lady. She is courteous and kind, friendly, sensitive, too smart for her own good, and just a joy. We were incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful teacher this year. I can only hope that they will maintain a relationship for years to come. Emma is lucky enough to have found a kindred spirit at school as well. Watching her form friendships is amazing. I have already arranged weekly play dates for the two girls for over the summer.

Emma lost her first tooth last weekend. See what I mean about this growing up thing?

Arabel is hysterical and trying. She refuses to fully potty train though she has been halfway there for months. She gets her stubborness from her father. :)

The girls are flower girls in a wedding next month. I am super excited to see them all dolled up and looking like the little princesses that they are.

I spent 2 whole days at Em's school this week. It was incredibly hot and I was exhausted by the end of it, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I love that her school is close enough and invited parents to participate in many of their activities. Plus, I got a pretty sweet tan too.

homemade dishwasher detergent

As I posted before, we have decided to make our own dishwasher detergent. Well, I did it! I found a recipe online that needed washing soda (different than baking soda, it is in with the laundry stuff by the borax), borax, kosher salt and citric acid. I couldn't find citric acid, so I used a package of Kool Aid Lemonade. *I read lots of recipes online to find the perfect one, many of them used a kool aid packet instead of citric acid. It is the first ingredient listed. Plus, at $.10/packet, the price point was perfect.

Price breakdown:
76 oz. Borax- $4.29
55 oz. Washing soda- $2.79
packet of Kool Aid- lemonade- $.10
kosher salt- already had it at home

I used 4 oz. of washing soda and borax in my mix. (I made a half batch to start.) I could make over 13 batches of dishwasher detergent with my ingredients. *I will have to find/buy citric acid or buy more lemonade, but I can handle it. :)

Oh yeah, that is about $.52 for dishwashing detergent. Green wins again!!

I know that people are wondering... does it really work as well? It really honestly does. We use 1 Tablespoon of mix per load and I filled my rinse reservoir with white vinegar. I am already telling everyone I know. It is sooooo simple and cheap! I don't know why anyone would pay $2+ for detergent when you could make your own in a couple minutes.

Up next is laundry detergent. My Borax and washing soda are used in that recipe as well.

going green-er

Rob and I have been trying to live a slightly greener life. Since we moved here last July, we have a recycle bin. Our trash output has gone done by almost 75%! I recently found out that MSU recycling center takes even more, and it isn't far so I am now saving the landfills from all our plastics & styrofoam. Psst... we are almost done with diaper here too. :) I really want to get into cloth diapering for the next one... whenever that may be. We have been using homemade cleaner (50/50 water and white vinegar) instead of chemical cleaners. The simple (and super cheap!) mix works better than your standard store bought cleaner. We will be trying our hand at making dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent. We are planning on a garden this summer... planting here in the mitten can't happen before Memorial Day, or we risk losing every thing. In order to give ourselves a little pat on the back for doing the fiscally responsible thing (as well as the best thing for the environment) we concocted a plan. We are opening a joint savings account, that requires 2 signatures with no debit/atm cards. Every time, over the next year, we would have bought detergent, dishwashing liquid, cleaners, produce (that is grown the garden), we are going to put the price of the store bought stuff in the account. Since we will have to purchase some products to make our own stuff, we will take that price right off the top. I can't wait to make our own products and let you all know how it goes. Who knows... maybe I will even end up doing my own how to post!

A day in the life

I have been busy. I am volunteering at the United Way still, but get this... they like me so much that they are paying me for this project. :) I am basically quality checking campaign pledge forms. It is slightly boring, receptive and not glamourous, but I like it. I seem to be very quick and accurate. Who knew? I am still working reading groups in Em's class. (Which by the way her teacher told me that to start getting her harder books- level 1 readers are too easy... Level 2 here we come!) On top of that I was dealing with a sick Arabel for like a week. Poor kid had something and just couldn't get back to 100%. I think she is finally back to like 95% which I will take after she was so pitiful. Though, I love how cuddly she was. Dinner still had to be made, the house still needed to be cleaned. On top of everything else, my one aunt was admitted to the hospital for a week due to being sick. My other aunt had very invasive stomach surgery a couple days ago. We have all been on pins and needles, the surgery has a 25% of the patient aspirating during surgery. My aunt was boarderline for needing a heart catheter prior to surgery. I am happy to report that she made it through surgery and was up and moving around today. My mom and I will be going to the hospital to visit her tomorrow. Oh, and spring break is next week. I seriously need a vacation. For realz.

relapse

I have dealt really well with the fire, at least I like to think. 9 months ago our lives were in limbo. Sure, I have my share of panic attacks but I feel like that is something I can live with. Tonight, I was looking for a shirt. Then, I can't remember if we got it from the fire. I got sad, like really sad. The shirt then opened the flood gate of things that I am unsure of getting. Did we get my baby blanket? The blanket I slept with every day as a child, the blanket that was a stand in lovey for when the girls' blankets were in the wash. Now, at 1:00 in the morning I am sitting here with tears in my eyes. They are material things, I understand this which is why I feel so stupid about being upset about them. Still, I feel like I have a little bit of a right to be sad about the things (only things) that we lost. Tomorrow WILL be a better day.

the random duties of a mom

I always knew that being a mom wouldn't be glamourous. I knew it would mean sleepless nights, eating cold dinners, being covered in puke/spit/pee/poop/insert any other bodily function here, cleaning up said puke/spit/pee/poop/etc. Never once did it ever occur to me that as a mother I would be bent over the tub shampooing a 3 foot tall Rapunzel doll's hair. I actually bathed a doll, shampoo, rinse and condition. Then, I got to spend the next million and a half hours to brush that tangled (ha, you see what I did there? Tangled, Rapunzel... I am hilarious.) mess of a2 1/2 feet of hair. I did it because I am a mom. I did it because A was crying like I cut off her arm when she couldn't play with Rapunzel, due to Emma unintentionally puking in her hair. I mean who doesn't want to spend a majority of their Wednesday night picking dried macaroni out of a doll's hair. I am living the dream man.

randomly random

A couple of random things on my mind....

Kind of obsessed with this song at the moment. Also, Darren Criss is freaking hot & uber talented. I kind of love him.


Emma rocks my socks.

Kimm-1 Germs- NADA

As I am ever so tired of dealing with sickness, I decided today was the perfect day to declare war on the germies. I armed myself with a brand new bottle of white distilled vinegar and 2 bottles of lysol. If you don't use vinegar to clean, you should. Natural and a million times cheaper than the "green" cleaners. Just mix it 50/50 with water. The smell is slightly overwhelming in the beginning, but now I kind of like it. I think that you can add lemon juice to make it all lemony smelling... but I don't need it. Every towel in the house has been washed in hot water, every piece of bedding (including pillows) has been washed in hot water, every surface of the bathrooms and bedrooms have been doused in Lysol. I swear if someone gets sick I am going to lose it. :)

it is the little things.

I am an obsessive blog reader. My days are not complete without reading every single blog in my bookmarks. Sometimes I am even brave enough to comment on their blogs. I am the type of girl that gets giddy when I get a reply/retweet/reblog on twitter/facebook/tumblr. You can only imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon this little gem on Barefoot Foodie's blog. If you don't read it already... do it. Daily dose of hilarious all wrapped up in a purple little package, follow her on twitter too.

I am alive...

I thought that I would be able to escape the sickness. I was very, very wrong. I got the crud a couple days ago, at about 3:30am. I was having trouble getting comfortable and my stomach hurt. Next thing I know I am sweating and groaning. I spent a majority of the night in the bathroom wishing I would feel better. My insides were rejecting everything. If this is how my kids felt, I feel absolutely terrible that they had to go through it. I slept for about 20 hours yesterday. No exaggeration, I was conscious long enough to catch snip its of conversation and would pass back out. I watched Grey's Anatomy at about midnight when I had a "burst of energy". My bed has a permanent indent of my body. I was able to get up long enough to shower today. I went and picked up my new glasses. I even decided that eating sounded like a good idea. (I am currently wishing I hadn't... my stomach feels as if it will be rejecting my sandwich.) 7pm on a Friday and everyone is in bed. Rob is dealing with the crud too... he actually apologized to me when he realized how terrible this sickness really is. Kids are watching a movie in bed, Rob and I are snug in our bed with our MacBooks and the Food Network playing... not the most exciting way to spend the weekend, but at least we are alive. I have to get my strength up, Emma and I have 26 valentines to make.

call me butter

Call me butter, cause I am on a roll. I have gotten so much taken care of in the past couple weeks. I am making 2011 my bitch. :)

Whew.

E is back at school... which is a very good thing. I honestly don't know how I wasn't admitted to the crazy house with her here all.the.time. before. It is exhausting. A on the other hand is a piece of cake, most of the time. E is feeling much better. A is the one with the bug now and spends most of her days watching movies and laying around.

I have been logging some serious hours at the Capital Area United Way. It isn't glamourous AT ALL, but I feel good about doing it. Apparently, I am an amazing volunteer, I get massive praise when I go a little above the expectation or catch an error. I also am the fastest person there ever... allegedly. My supervisor gives me stuff to do and it is done in record time. At least I feel appreciated. :)

just breathe

I am happy to report that the whole being adults resolution is going well. I got our insurance cards in the mail today. I figured out our monthly budget for bills. (yikes... I know why I hadn't done it earlier.) My calendar is filled with bill amounts and due dates. I did my taxes and have been figuring out where the money will go. I AM getting a new MacBook Pro, so I am pretty excited about that. My current MacBook is dying slowly... I have a feeling that it getting drenched with fire hoses didn't help. R & I shopped around for a better car insurance plan and ended up switching to Geico. (seriously.)We added on our renter's insurance there too. We have been on an insurance buying binge!!

Both kids are now sick and I am about to lose my mind. E being home from school for 4 days last week (they had Monday off for MLK day then, sick for 3), has made me crazy. B caught the bug yesterday and puked today. Both kids are whiny, tired and clingy. I am about to lose it. R has been working like crazy, and was gone half the week. He is holed up in his office 90% of the day. I am left to deal with the sick kids, meals- of course the kids don't want anything the same, they are sick, drinks, whining, giving medicine, cleaning up puke and snotty tissues, laundry, bickering, the list goes on and on. I am one tired mama. I need a break. Next week at this time I will have money in my bank account (thanks to taxes), I am getting my hair done and going on a kid free shopping trip. I am going to buy stuff for me... because I can. :)

we are insured.

Rob and I did it. We met with an insurance agent last week and signed on the dotted line. I can't believe it, but we will ALL have medical, dental and vision insurance by the 15th of February. Now I get the really obnoxious task of finding doctors and dentists that will work for us. I am pretty excited that I will get to head to the dentist, get my eyes checked (glasses here I come) and get an actual check up at the doctor. I am excited to get allergy testing done. (What in the hell is wrong with me?) The peace of mind I will have will be worth the pretty penny that it is going to cost us.

E is sick, she has a NASTY, barky cough. I am not a parent that runs off to the doctor with every little thing, but it would be nice to know that if I wanted to take her... I wouldn't have to worry about the huge bill that comes with the ER or redi-care. *For those that care... she has a slight fever, isn't eating but I am pushing major fluids, pretty lethargic though I think the not eating thing isn't helping at all. I made the decision to keep her home again tomorrow. She is going to be super bummed but I need her to be healthy. Plus, it is like 15-20 degrees here and the last thing she needs to is be hanging out for recess in this freezing cold.

CoverGirl

Have a moment? Yeah, I thought so. :) Check out all the fun stuff available over at the COVERGIRL facebook page! You upload a picture and it turns you into a COVERGIRL! It even takes little tid bits about you and adds them into a magazine style layout. Plus, COVERGIRL is giving Make a Wish a donation of $1 for the first 50,000 girls. You can't beat that!! There is a chance that you are one of the first 1,000 and end up with some free Lash Blast Mascara. If you aren't quick enough to be one of the first 1,000, keep checking back. They giveaway new stuff every month. Next month is Lip Perfection Lipstick.


*Have I mentioned that I am BzzAgent? I thought so. :)

full disclosure

I am a Bzz Agent. I am SURE that I have mentioned that time or two or a million right? Well, just in case the answer is a negative. I am most certainly a bzz agent. Please tell me you have heard about this program... for realsies people it is amazing. I have been a member since April 2006. (whoa, that has been awhile. Baby A wasn't even a twinkle in my eye at that point.) Do yourself a huge favor and check out the BzzAgent site. A BzzAgent is a person that likes to spread the word on cool products. I am definitely one of those people. I am also the type of person who likes FREE stuff. Seriously, free. No shipping, no handling, no nothing... just free product and coupons delivered to your door. All you do... fill out surveys so the powers that bee (get it? bee... buzz... I slay myself) at Bzz can figure out what you like. Fill out said surveys, enjoy free swag and tell your friends. Simple right? I thought so. Also, you are welcome in advance for the introduction. :)

adulthood... here I come

I am rapidly becoming a real adult. :) Tomorrow I start volunteering with the United Way. I am planning on continuing with volunteering there until I get a job. The job search isn't panning out like planned, but it is OK for now. I am really enjoying being home right now. I have been cooking and cleaning and being a human being during daylight hours, it is amazing. I volunteer at E's school for reading groups. As much as I feel like drinking a gallon of vodkas after dealing with 24 5&6 year olds, I still really love being there to help out.

I am taking care of some business that needs to be taken care of... It has been weighing on my mind for far too long. Time to bite the bullet and just take care of it.

The other big step is... R & I have been looking into getting health insurance. Which is a hefty deal. R is self employed and I don't have a job currently. It is time for us to step up and get medical (and dental and vision) coverage. We are meeting with an agent tomorrow afternoon. It is scary, but we are both excited about something so boring. I guess that means that we really are becoming adults huh?

Whew!

The holidays are over!! I loved all of the excitement and seeing everyone, but I am one tired lady. We managed to get all of the Christmas get togethers done in 3 days. It was super busy, but I would much rather knock them all out at once. The girls were adorable and well behaved, which helped. The video I got of A opening her Santa gift is priceless. (Check it out on my facebook.) I am most excited about the sewing machine that my mom got me. :) Rob got me a perfume set from Victoria's Secret and I love it.

One of my resolutions is to blog more, so I am really hoping to stick to it. :) Other resolutions include: being healthier (eating better, less pop, more exercise), be more domestic (more cooking and cleaning) and to save money. I would like to learn how to use coupons more efficiently, and learn how to sew. Both of those could fit into the domestic/saving money categories.

I will write more soon. Soooo tired. :)