Where's Waldo?

Learning to say no

2012-01-27T20:38:00.001-05:00

I happened upon this little nugget the other night when I was postponing my bedtime and playing on pinterest.

It kind of sums up my life right now. I REALLY need to work on saying no.
Here is what I have on my plate right now: Mileage club co-coordinator, Book Fair co-coordinator, Box Tops for Education contest coordinator, helping with science night, VP for PTA next year- which includes throwing the first 2 events of the year... first day of school parent breakfast AND the ice cream social open house (all in the first month of school), active PTA mom, parent chaperone for field trips or anything needed in the classroom, United Way volunteer, mom of 2, wifey and friend. So.. yeah. I think this might be the limit where I have to start turning down things. Remind me of this the next time I start talking about taking on another project.

I need wine.

Back to the grind

2012-01-09T20:50:00.001-05:00

School is back in session. I survived having to get up early, but just barely. The holidays are over and so are my excuses for not being in better shape. That means: it is grind time. I have this friend who goes to the gym 4 times a week plus does a yoga workout... it makes me feel like I am a shlub. In effort to make myself a super hot mama once again, I will be attempting to complete the 30 day shred. Every day for the next month, I will be shredding. 30 minutes, I can handle that. I mean if Rob can lock himself in his office for hours at a time working, I can probably sneak in a 30 minute workout. I already know that Jillian is the devil, my body is going to hurt.

I survived 2011

2012-01-03T00:31:00.001-05:00

I have pretty much sucked on keeping the blog updated lately. I am calling it my holiday hiatus. Well, hiatus is over and here I am.

2011 was a decent year. No major complaints. I have a home, a family that is healthy and we are pretty damn happy. I am hoping 2012 will be even better to us. :)

Christmas seemed like it snuck up on me and then came and went as quickly as possible. I feel like it has been a whirlwind 2 weeks of vacation. I could honestly use another few days before I have to get Em up and around in the morning.

We crammed 4 christmas celebrations in 3 days. It was a flurry of wrapping paper, bows, gifts, family, food, and drinks but I wouldn't ask for anything more. I know that everyone is just dying to know what we got...

Emma & Arabel:
bunk beds
room makeover
3D horse and unicorn that you color yourself
Easy bake Oven cookie and cakes kit
DQ blizzard maker

Emma:
iPod shuffle
LalaLoopsy doll (if you haven't seen these... get on it, they are freaking adorable!!)
VTech InnoTab
InnoTab games
clothes
iTunes gift card
Toys R Us gift card
coloring stuff galore- activity books, markers, crayons, paint
color your own messenger bag
friendship bracelet kit
make your own beaded necklace kit

Arabel:
Littlest Pet Shop treehouse
Littlest Pet Shop walkables
More littlest Pet Shop stuff (she is obsessed)
LalaLoopsy doll
clothes
VTech MobiGo
MobiGo games
Toys R Us gift card

Kimm & Rob:
framed picture of Rob and his brothers & sister
framed picture of the 2 of us
gift cards to Applebee's and BW3
Visa Gift cards

Rob:
Arcardia Brewing Co. variety pack
slippers
new pens
electric pencil sharpener

Kimm:
laundry baskets
KEURIG!!!!!
Keurig k-cups
Ugg type boots
coupon book (all sorts of awesome stuff in there for local businesses)
variety pack of beer
MSU pullover

*I am sure that I am forgetting a ton of stuff. I will be back to update and add more links. I am running on battery power and laying in my comfy bed now. I feel like I need some more motivation for that. HA!

Resolutions:

I don't know that I really love the idea of resolutions. Last year, I didn't have a set resolution but I knew that I wanted to be healthier. Well, I quit smoking in August so I feel like that was a huge step in the right direction. I don't drink as much as I did before (not that it was a ton to begin with) and in general I feel like I did alright at being healthier.
This year, I would love to save money and continue being healthier. Who knows, maybe I will even start running or something. (HA!!!! Who am I kidding... I HATE running.) I am ready to move to the next level in my relationship with Rob... seriously, 2012 HAS to be my year right?? I am ready to have another baby and be on our way to the next phase that awaits.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and I wish a prosperous new year to all.

goings on

2011-12-02T00:02:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-14T01:47:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-08T01:52:00.001-05:00

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'

2011-11-01T12:18:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-06T00:32:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-04T00:49:00.000-04:00

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.

2011-09-15T23:52:00.000-04:00

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

2011-09-05T03:45:00.001-04:00

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

2011-08-31T22:35:00.000-04:00

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

2011-08-24T22:36:00.000-04:00

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.

2011-08-24T13:49:00.000-04:00

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

2011-08-24T02:02:00.000-04:00

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

2011-07-17T22:21:00.000-04:00

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

2011-06-17T02:36:00.000-04:00

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...

2011-06-10T19:14:00.000-04:00

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

2011-04-18T15:54:00.000-04:00

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

2011-04-11T13:30:00.000-04:00

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

2011-03-30T21:29:00.000-04:00

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

2011-03-17T01:09:00.000-04:00

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

2011-03-16T22:49:00.000-04:00

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

2011-03-08T20:49:00.000-05:00

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

2011-02-12T22:37:00.000-05:00

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.

2011-02-11T20:15:00.000-05:00

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...

2011-02-11T19:02:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-30T22:41:00.002-05:00

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.

2011-01-25T19:12:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-22T21:12:00.000-05:00

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.

2011-01-20T00:06:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-18T19:55:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-18T19:47:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-13T22:17:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-01-02T22:44:00.000-05:00

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. :)

many thanks...

2010-11-25T19:19:00.002-05:00

I have many blessings to be thankful for this year. Some of them are family, some of them are friends, some of them are strangers, some of them are events. You know who you are, and I can't even begin to tell you how much you mean to me. :)

I hope today brought you many smiles when you thought of all you have to be thankful for, many laughs with family, and a very full belly of delicious food. :)

Happy Thanksgiving to my wonderful friends!!

sheer hope

2010-11-18T19:35:00.001-05:00

I think my visitor is coming into town. Lets just all hope that she is here for more than just a quick little trip. :)

so lonesome...

2010-11-17T23:03:00.002-05:00

Rob works from home. BF (Before the Fire) his "office" was in the livingroom. Even if he was working he was around. Now, his office (no quotes this time... he actually has his own room with a door) is upstairs. He has been working his ass off lately for us. The major downside? I feel like I live here alone with the girls. He comes down for dinner and maybe a little at night, but other than that, he is holed up in his office. He came down to take out the trash and move the containers to the cub, but other than that... I haven't even seen him since dinner. I am kind of lonely...

Ugh, I feel like a bad country song.

anxious...

2010-11-17T15:57:00.002-05:00

I applied for another job. The waiting part is what sucks the most for me. I can barely handle it. It isn't just the job... I am awaiting a visit from a monthly visitor and I am pretty sure that she is late. Ugh, the stress is killing me.

blah

2010-11-12T03:12:00.002-05:00

As much as I love this not working thing... it is taking its toll on me. I am getting stir crazy. I am used to getting out and about and conversing with people that are not under the age of 6 or Rob. Rob is driving me bonkers, we really need a little space from each other from time to time. I HATE not having money. I am used to cash in hand after practically every shift. I could buy something silly or frivolous things if I wanted. Right now, I feel bad for getting a pop at the gas station. It is annoying. That whole rejection thing is starting to get me down too. Meh. Suck it up sista.

something better will come along...

2010-11-09T21:55:00.001-05:00

I got a rejection email. On to bigger and better things right?

interview- done.

2010-11-07T21:11:00.004-05:00

I had my interview on Friday at 1. I think that it went well, but it is so nerve wracking to actually go through the process. I should know something by Friday on whether or not I got the job. Fingers are crossed. :)

called and scheduled

2010-10-30T00:26:00.001-04:00

I got the call that I passed my testing. Friday at 1:00pm is my interview. I have a couple friends that work there and they gave me some pointers. I am going to learn about the process that they use to interview and hopefully will know it out of the park.

Oh... and not working today was AWESOME!

dee. oh. nee. eeee.

2010-10-27T23:17:00.002-04:00

My days at the bar are over and done. (Well, until I sit on the other side of one for a much needed happy hour trip.) My last nights went really well. I felt very loved. Some of my regulars got me a card. A couple girls got all teary eyed. I even got a cookie cake and baked Alaska. :) It is surreal. It doesn't feel like it is over yet. Ask me how it feels not to work on a Friday. It is going to be amazing.

I went for my testing today. I don't like to do things half assed, so I didn't have the best feeling in the world when I left. I think the typing test threw me off. I am used to my little laptop keyboard and I had a desktop keyboard... ok, I am basically just coming up with excuses. lol I have to remind myself that I normally type around 60 words per minute, so as long as I hit the 35 mark I will be happy... and will pass. I am just really hoping that I hear something soon. I will hear something either way, but I am really hoping that it is the positive end of things. My nerves are through the roof. I mean I haven't done this whole interviewing process in forever.

one more down.

2010-10-25T17:06:00.003-04:00

Tonight is my last night at work. I am happy to report that the work situation has improved greatly. I am excited and nervous to be done. It is hard to believe that the end of an era is approaching for me.
On a happy note, I had a phone interview today. We scheduled testing for Wednesday. I hear that the testing is pretty easy so I should be fine in that regard. After that is a face to face interview and wait. :) Keep your fingers crossed for me. :)

getting it off my chest.

2010-10-14T17:35:00.002-04:00

I interact with more than a handful of people on a regular basis. I have a job where it is the same staff and the same group of regulars. It is really sad when one of those people turn on you. I had a friend, a really good friend at a point in time. Somewhere in the last few months something changed. That person started getting short, snotty and rude with me. I can't pinpoint what shifted the change, but it has gotten ugly. So ugly that she is one of the main reasons I quit my job. It had gotten to a point that strangers were commenting whenever there was any type of interaction between the two of us. I was (and am) bound and determined to not let others know how I am truly feeling about the situation. (Well, besides the very few people that I have very close personal relationships with, and the owners of the company.) When I put in my notice, I felt that as a person in a management position that it was imperative that I voiced my displeasure, as this person is technically above me. I probably should have just shut my mouth and let her find out some other way. My time at work has been gut wrenching. I physically feel like vomitting when I walk into work. The first week, I was completely ignored. COMPLETELY. I would ask a direct question, or make a statement and get met with a blank glare or have her walk away mid sentence. Any communication was done through a third party. I mean seriously, how old are we? We are both about to be 30 and I am getting the silent treatment. Week 2 was even worse, she was making small talk. I think that it was worse because she would say something to me and then walk away giggling with someone else. It is a total mind fuck. I can't wait for my remaining days to play out. Oh did I mention that her significant other works there too? It is just a walk in the park. Ugh.

Step 1

2010-10-13T23:43:00.001-04:00

My resume has been sent to my friend that works at the company I am hoping to work for. Next step, application, testing and interview. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

ugly, no good, rotten day

2010-10-12T03:55:00.003-04:00

I am officially over Mondays. Today has been not good. Work is trying to say the least. I want to scream, vent, yell. It won't do me any good, so I just suck it up. 13 more days... 13 more days.

Just a typical Sunday afternoon

2010-10-11T03:31:00.001-04:00

10/10/10 just another day right? Well, sort of. I spent my Sunday afternoon meeting Stevie Wonder, musical legend. :) No big deal.

pardon me...

2010-10-08T02:20:00.004-04:00

Pardon me for a second while I am an asshole.

I understand that we went through a really traumatic event. Maybe it hasn't even hit me fully. Yes, I cried. I was a basket case for 2 days. Then, I just stopped crying. I haven't cried once since about the whole thing. I snapped out of whatever it was and have been moving on. Yes, I have had anxiety issues, but I do the best I can and move on. With that said... dear boyfriend of mine, I am so tired of hearing about your lack of sense of smell/taste since the incident. I am not blowing it off, but if you refuse to do anything about it. I refuse to hear about it anymore. You had a panic attack when we were cleaning out the storage unit. You were in a closed up van and the smell got to you. I get it, I really do. Your body's way of coping is to shut down your sense of smell. I am not a doctor of any sort but it seems pretty damn logical to me. The options you have to fix it are going to involve medication and/or therapy of some sort. I am just losing my ability to be sympathetic to you if you won't do anything about it. There are only so many times I can listen to you talk about it before I lose it. The topic is wearing oh so thin with me right now.

The details.

2010-09-30T21:55:00.003-04:00

I was unhappy at my job. I was tired, really, really tired. So, I did something about it. I quit. I quit because I am ready to have a big kid job. I am ready to get up in the morning and be a contributing member of society. I am ready for a steady paycheck and benefits. I was tired of being treated like I didn't matter. As the fact that I have quit has sunk in, I am really, really happy with it. My decision was made purely for me. I finally stuck up for me. Granted it took me having a near breakdown in Walmart to realize it. It took a sick baby with a fever and a mishap at the pharmacy to realize how much I couldn't handle it anymore. It took screaming and crying to realize that my happiness is not worth a job. I shouldn't have to cry about my job. A shitty paying job at that. I haven't ever gotten a raise, in the almost 7 years that I have been there. I work terrible hours. I am over it and done. Oh and that shittiness that I was expecting because of it. Yeah, pretty sure that my last few weeks are going to be terrible. I am already dreading going in and dealing with it. I am better than it, so I will grit my teeth and bare it. At the end of the day, I still did it. :)

one big step...

2010-09-29T01:27:00.003-04:00

I quit my job. I should say that I gave my notice, I gave more than 2 weeks to be nice but I did it. It had gotten to a nasty point. I hated every second that I was there. I hated being disrespected and treated like crap. So, I quit. No I don't have a job... yet. I am working on my resume and have a job to apply to. Please keep your fingers crossed for me.
When I gave my notice to the owner I also let them know why, specifically. I have a feeling that this will cause my last weeks there to be very uncomfortable. I am on the verge of a panic attack and there is nothing that I can do about it. I am not the greatest with confrontation, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I am going to have to defend myself/try and ignore a barrage of comments and heckles. I know what I did is the right thing, but that doesn't make this feeling in the pit of my stomach go away. The kicker is that I am not the only one that felt this way, but I will be targeted. In fact as I was writing this it started. I am trying to remain professional, but it is really hard when I feel like I am being bullied for doing what I thought was necessary.

I guess that I am a photographer.

2010-07-08T16:04:00.004-04:00

I started a Flickr account so that it would be easier to share pictures with everyone. Well, I guess that it has paid off. I received an email yesterday that a photo that I took (and can be found on my Flickr account) is on the short list to be included in the twelfth edition of Schmap Chicago Guide. You can check out the eleventh edition here. It doesn't pay anything, the guide is free... but, if my picture is picked I get my name below a picture that I took.

Here is the picture that may be included.

This is the view out of our window while staying at the Doubletree. Lake Michigan can be seen between the buildings.

(This is the exact blog post that I used for our family blog too.)

facial update

2010-06-28T17:09:00.003-04:00

My lip is back to normal size. Hooray!!! I have a couple days of antibiotics left and still have a little knot in my lip. Any ideas on how to get rid of this??? A friend told me to massage it, but I honestly have no clue. It is affecting (effecting?? I can never tell the difference of those two.) my smile and makes me look like I have lost the ability to control some muscles on that side of my mouth. I am just vain enough to be bothered by it. Any ideas would be helpful.

What's been up

2010-06-25T02:08:00.003-04:00

Nothing much new on my end. Too much working, too little sleep. I feel like I am constantly tired and could sleep hours upon hours and hours if uninterrupted.

The biggest deal in my life lately?? Another stint in the ER. Friday night Rob and I were hanging out in the kitchen. (For some reason this is the place we hang out and talk... weird.) I was sitting on the kitchen counter, I jumped off the counter, lost my footing and managed to smack my face. No, I was not drunk. Honestly, this would be a much more entertaining story if I was. I am pretty graceful, not sure if you knew that or not. I split the inside of my lip with one of my teeth. No broken face bones or chipped teeth, so I would say that I was more than happy to deal with a teeny bit of blood and the probability of a fat lip. The next couple days it is uncomfortable, but not overly swollen. I had a minor bruise below my lip, but I managed to cake about 4 pounds of make up on it and no one was the wiser. Fast forward to Tuesday, my lip is big. Like legit fat lip big. I am popping ibprofen and icing the thing ALL DAY long. I was googling remedies to reduce swelling. I was doing everything that I could. Wednesday morning was even worse. In a matter of a couple hours my lip had doubled in size. As a last ditch effort I took a couple Benadryl in case it was allergy related. After waking up from my Benadryl coma (that shit knocks me out... like watch out, bitch needs to sleep) my lip was bigger still. I simply told Rob he had to drive me to the ER. I wasn't about to deal with the kids in the ER, so I was going to have to brave it myself. I was all super strong until the nurse starts messing with it. She is poking and squeezing. I am 29 and was crying like a teensy little baby. The doctor told me that they were going to need to drain my lip. I had an infection and they were going to get as much out as possible. Then, he explained to me that they were going to shoot something into my mouth, with a needle (YIKES!!) and then dig around in my lip to get out the infection. Hi, my name is Kimm and I am freaking the fuck out at this point. As soon as he left the room I called my mom. I was playing it off like I was keeping her up to date on the situation. She asked if I was OK and I lost my mind. God bless her wonderful soul, she left work (which happens to be across the street from the hospital) and came right over. She held my hand as I cried hysterically because I was panicing about the shot... in my face. I was nervous. I sobbed like a child and had to be talked down by my mom and an EMT that just wanted to make sure that I was OK. (She had noticed that I was alone in the beginning, she wanted to make sure that there was someone there with me during this shinanny.) The lady who did the digging... just thinking about it makes my skin crawl. There was a point in time where I just wanted to scream at her to leave me the fuck alone for a minute. Turns out the shot that they gave me numbed a nerve that runs the whole bottom half of my face. Problem was, I was still in some serious pain from them squeezing, etc. The EMT told me that the numbness isn't able to work past the infection, which is why I was still in pain. The discharge nurse made sure that I got a couple vicodan to take right then and there before I left. :) God bless that wonderful discharge nurse. As I left the ER my lip was bigger than it was when I got there, plus it had split open on top and was bleeding from the pressure, oh, and I have a nice little bruise under my lip. Plus side??? I had a Rx for tylenol 3 with codine and an antibiotic, my face was numb, I had taken 2 pain killers, my mom was there to make me feel better and she bought me a shake on the way home. I haven't really moved from my bed since then. Emma makes a mean ice pack and gets water at lightening speed. Arabel is fantastic at cuddling with me. Rob has made sure that I have food, and runs errands that needed to be done, and wakes me up to take my medication. Rest was a strict doctor's order. As of very early Friday morning (2:15am ish) my lip is almost back to its normal size. There is still some swelling but it is feeling better. Please note that I am not some crazy pain killer addict... before I went in to the ER I had spent the last 24 hours in serious pain from this. At this point, I am not ready to let my medication lapse to see how bad the pain is, I know what they did to me... I am no super woman.

*If you want to see what it looked like... let me know. I will post a picture, I just don't want to offend anyone.

minus 1

2010-06-01T22:40:00.002-04:00

I weighed myself today. I am down 1 pound since I wrote my post that expressed my want for a better me. I am totally OK with any progress, even though it is 1 pound in 2 weeks. (Plus, pretty sure that I am retaining a mass amount of water due to my impending shark week.)

I have drastically cut down on my pop intake. I have been drinking iced tea when I feel the urge for something other than water at work. I haven't cut out pop completely, but it is one of my vices. Plus, fountain Coke and Dr. Pepper make me swoon.

We have gotten out of the house, we walked to the park today. I drastically underestimated the amount of time that it would take us to get there. So much so, that Rob picked us up at the park rather than making the trek back. I also chose to eat another ear of corn and some extra watermelon when I was still hungry and in need for a snack earlier.

gold star for me

2010-05-28T01:30:00.002-04:00

I am feeling good. These changes I have wanted to make are falling into place. My cleaning projects are being completed. I am so proud of myself for keeping on track. Just needed to give myself a virtual pat on the back for keeping with my goals!

Feeling good

2010-05-27T01:32:00.002-04:00

My new goals are going... I mean I haven't given up completely yet so that is one score. :) The house is slowly getting cleaner. (It was kind of really bad, so I didn't expect it to be perfect overnight.)

Today, I spent a couple hours (yes, hours) cleaning the girls room. Holy crap people, my kids are spoiled to death. They have soooo much stuff. It wouldn't have taken me so long if I wasn't lazy about keeping up on it, well, that and if my kids weren't little piglets. All that I have left to do is clean the carpets. Which is going to be quite the task. Those girls have ruined beige carpet. I will NEVER ever put carpet in a kid's room if it were my choice. Hardwood floors and area rugs WILL be in my future. :)

Arabel was sick yesterday. I don't know how to deal with sick kids. Random, but I don't know what to do. My kids don't really ever get sick. Yesterday was a test for me. I mean I cleaned up puke, like a lot of puke and didn't even wince. I bathed the sick one quickly, redressed her, and then cuddled her while cleaning up said puke in 3 rooms of the house. She is perfect as pie today. I got to cuddle her all day, and it was great. She is so on the move that I don't really ever get to spend hours cuddling her. Cuddles, a banana and a good nap made a world of difference. :)

I even took Emma for a bike ride yesterday. I was like super mom. Except for the part where I let Emma fall over and scrape her knee. At least she was wearing her helmet.

Arabel is also officially out of her crib. I think that I may be a little crazy for doing it, but she seems to like it so far.

I think that I just died

2010-05-27T00:38:00.002-04:00

of happiness. Mint Green with Envy just posted this giveaway. Look at this purse!!

I have been searching for the perfect yellow purse. :) Morelle may have just answered my prayers. *sigh*

I would like to introduce you to...

2010-05-21T00:28:00.003-04:00

my new best friend. (It is not a great friendship to form when you are trying to lose weight.) I love him. His name is Micro S'Mores.

Yup, I said it. My new best friend is a handy little gadget that makes my most favorite dessert in the microwave. No open flames, no burnt marshmallows... just melty, yummy, gooey goodness.
It even came with a recipe book. Who needs a recipe for a S'More? Well, my darling readers... it was full of amazingly delicious sounding variations. I decided to be adventurous and try it out with an Almond Joy instead of the typical chocolate bar. Holy moly, it is my new favorite thing ever.

I wouldn't suggest using more than one marshmallow, it kind of oozes out of the graham cracker and makes a bit of a messy dessert.

*I didn't get compensated in any way for this review. Just my humble opinion.

so far so so.

2010-05-19T23:12:00.002-04:00

I have been doing OK with my new goals. I have been in bed on time, so that is great!!! I am watching calories (well, sort of) and have majorly cut down on pop. My new best friend is iced tea. My cleaning routine is coming along. I feel like I am playing catch up but so far, I am not disappointed. I haven't exactly started exercising, but I am OK with where I am at so far.

I had to take Em into get her shots for school today. That was ummm.... fun. She freaked when it was time to get the actual shots and had to be held down by 2 nurses and me, all while kicking and screaming. As soon as the nurse was done, E politely apologized for screaming in her ear. I wiped our tears and went to the car and immediately called my mom. I was terrified of needles as a child and I remember being held down by multiple nurses to get blood drawn. I knew that she would sympathize. She did, as I was telling her that things like that make me feel like such a bad mom, Emma pipes up from the back seat. "Mommy, you are not the worst mom in the world. In fact you are the best mom in the whole world. I know you had to do that to keep me healthy. That is why you are the best mom ever." I have never gotten a better compliment ever. The fact that it came from tear stained 5 year old made it even better. We treated ourselves to some coffee type drinks as a reward for making it through. It wasn't the most ideal way to spend an afternoon, but it worked out in the end.

To make today even better, I made E's favorite dinner grilled cheese. We had grilled cheese and applesauce on the deck as a picnic. It wasn't the world's most nutritious dinner but it made her happy. Dessert was s'mores in the microwave. It was a good end to the day.

My glass is half full.

check this out

2010-05-17T15:16:00.002-04:00

I know some talented people!! Little Bug Jewelry is on one of my mom boards. She is ridiculously talented!! I have been drooling over everything in her shop for as long as I have known about it. I learned that Mint Green with Envy is hosting a giveaway. I HAD to jump at the chance to get entered. :) Check it out!!

On my way to a better body.

2010-05-16T15:59:00.003-04:00

Here is it. As of today 5/16:

Weight: 150
pant size: 8/10

I will be posting periodic updates on my progress!

the glass is half full

2010-05-16T15:45:00.002-04:00

I have always thought that I was an optimist. Lately, I have noticed that I am much more of a Debbie Downer than I have ever been before. This is going to change. I am going back to my happy go lucky self.

I am tired of being tired and seemingly always crabby. I am tired of having a dirty house. This is going to change. I am tired of feeling like I am not spending enough "fun" time with my kids. This is going to change.

I made a schedule... Every day there is something cleaning wise that will HAVE to be done. If I force myself to do the things that I have planned, then they will more than likely get done. We aren't a very scheduled family, and I feel like we kind of need the structure, for me as much as the kids.

I am going to go to bed at a normal hour, when I can. Midnight at the latest will be my goal for those days that I am not working. On nights that I do work, I will give myself an hour of unwind time and then it will be off to dreamland. Hopefully, this way when the kids get up I will not feel like a zombie. This should also help the "fun" time dilemma. We are going to have at least one day per week that involves getting out and about. We have a membership to the local children's museum, why not take full advantage to it?

Emma is going to start getting an allowance. She will have a list of tasks that she is required to complete in order to earn her allowance. This will include things like: be kind and polite & follow directions along with her daily chores (put dirty laundry in basket, pick up/ put away toys, etc.) I am struggling on how much a kid should get these days? I was thinking that $5 a week would be good. Let me know your ideas.

Rob and I are also going to have to be on a better budget. I am going to figure out exactly what bills are due when and how much they are. From that we will figure out how much wiggle room we have for eating out, etc.

I am ready to be healthy, like really healthy. I am ready to make the commitment. I am going to start getting into shape. I am not getting any younger and the longer I wait the harder it will be. I want to be a super hot mama!! I am kind of jealous of those facebook posts about taking a run. I WILL be one of those people. I would love to lose some of the leftover baby weight and tighten those abs back up. I figure that if I stick with it I will reward myself somehow, maybe a new iPod so I can listen to a kick ass work out mix with it.

Writing it down will now keep me accountable. Bug me about it, guilt me into working out if I haven't. I may need the push. lol

a year older

2010-05-13T01:54:00.002-04:00

I am officially 29 now. It was less than exciting. Next year I am hoping that Rob does something awesome for me.

Mother's Day=awesome. I slept most of the day and was awakened with lettuce wraps and a coke from McD's. The kids got me a throw blanket and a bigger memory card for my camera.

Bday= kind of lame. Mom made me cupcakes, I was surprised with a cake at work. I am guessing that I don't get presents anymore... which kind of sucks. I take that back, one of my faves at work got me a pretty kick ass present, that consisted of Dollar Spot items from Target. Seriously, it was a Disney Princess explosion and it is awesome. (I am currently rocking one of my princess headbands.) I did get a nice framed picture of me and gfs too. I guess that I should stop bitching... I did have like 100 (not exaggerating here) people wish me happy birthday on facebook.

Other than that little update, there is NOTHING new going on with me.

Pissing and moaning to commence

2010-04-02T00:16:00.004-04:00

You have been warned, a pity party for me is in session.

It seems like we can't catch a break. No house after being strung along for 3 weeks. We can't find anything else right now. We have needs and nothing is meeting those needs that we have found. I am frustrated and annoyed. Not to mention the fact that I would like to punch that seller in the gut for stringing us along for so long and then... boom, psych!!! You can't have it. Blech.

The J.O.B. sucks my ass. I got screwed into taking different shifts and essentially losing serious cash every week. Not to mention that now I am management again, which just means more headache. This reminds me why I quit 2 years ago. Trust me, the idea of a regular ole job is super appealing to me right now. (Minus that whole, not being at home with the kids thing.) A job that offers insurance!! The idea of having health care would literally make me scream with joy. No worrying about how much this is going to end up costing me. Did I even mention that we are open regular hours on Easter??? Tomorrow, I get to break the news to my kids and my mom/family that mommy can't do anything, I have to work. What a joke. Is Easter that big of a deal to me as a holiday? Nope. The point is that it is a freaking holiday and holidays are meant to spend with family. I instead will be with a bunch of girls at work while they are all bitching about the fact that they aren't able to be with their family. Sounds super fun huh? Anyone want to trade?

well...

2010-03-18T22:01:00.003-04:00

No house. We just got the email. I pretty much quit today. Plus, with Vandy effing my bracket... March Madness isn't looking so hot for me either.

Over and out.

just a bit of a smile

2010-03-14T00:18:00.003-05:00

I am smiling... slightly... we have unofficially gotten the house. We are awaiting official confirmation that the offer was accepted in the next few days. Keep up your positive thoughts for the next few days for me. I really want this and hope that this happens. Time still will tell. I can't express how much I appreciate the positive vibes that everyone is sending us. I have the best friends ever.

I talked with my BFF, she is going to move home!!!!!!! OMG I am so excited I could just pee my pants!! Her and hubby are currently looking for jobs back here. I can't wait to have my BFF back in the same state. Also, she is off birth control! Skweeeeeeeee!! I can't wait until I get a phone call that I will have a niece/nephew!!!

I got a promotion... well, sort of. I am back to managing again at work. I have been filling in as a manager for awhile now. Except now I have 2 manager shifts a week. Which is great and sucky at the same time. I was basically forced into the position. I am forced to give up a very lucrative bartending shift... which doesn't make me happy. But, I guess that it means that they trust me enough to run the place... again.

I posted a kiddie update at the girl's blog.

no news is good news???

2010-03-06T21:36:00.003-05:00

Let's hope that the no news is good news theory. I haven't heard anything on the house. Oy. I will most certainly have an ulcer if this takes too much longer. Thank you for your positive thoughts, prayers and hopes. You continue to keep me positive about the situation.

Also, thank you for reading that last blog. I was very frustrated, worried, anxious... every possible feeling under the sun. I know that only a couple few of you actually read this and those that read are those that I trust with those type of feelings. I can't express how grateful I am to you. <3

Enough of the mushy stuff.

I read about an idea today. A bucket list of sorts, except it is 30 things to do by the time you are 30. Do you have any ideas on what I should include on my 30 by 30 list?? Just remember that I only have 1 year, 2 months and 3 days until I am 30. No pressure though... right? lol

Where to start??

2010-03-03T02:02:00.003-05:00

First off, let me say that I miss my mom forum. I once had a forum that I poured myself into. I made it run when the "owner" was gone. I kept things going. I had a moment of clarity where I felt that I was being used and not appreciated. The forum has since then went under. I don't miss the BS that went along with it, but I miss the fact that I don't have a way to talk to all of my friends on a daily basis. (Yes, Kristin, I am talking to you.) I miss the fact that I could post any random thought and get support and ideas on the subject. Yes, I understand there is facebook, but it is not the same. I am not about to post the same things there that I was comfortable to post at the private forum. I am very thankful that it really has shown me who my friends are though. I am a part of a local mom forum, but I feel like I am infiltrating a group of women that have been friends forever, and I am an outsider. Nothing like a ego blow to try and make friends.

This is what brought this whole thing on:

I put an offer in on a house on Sunday. I, me. Not us, me. No, nothing is wrong between Rob and I. In fact we are fantastic. He was talking about booking a special trip for us to NYC, because he has something special in store. (Not getting my hopes up though....) Here is the back story. Rob's dad called him on Saturday and said that the govt had revised the first time home buyers tax credit. If you close before 5/1 you can amend your 2009 tax return by 7/1 and get the tax credit (up to $8000) back immediately rather than waiting the whole year. He had a major bug up his ass and wanted us to find something NOW, and get it done. Here is the deal. We, as in neither of us, have the credit to get a mortgage at the moment. Our option is a land contract. We, and when I say we... I mean Rob, found a house for us. It was a house that he had looked at 10ish years ago. House specs: listed at $140,000, built in 1993 (new in house standards), 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, 2 car garage, full basement with egress windows (which means bedrooms could be built in the basement), 2 tiered deck on the back, yard.... (my little addition is the fact that there is an adorable little railed in white porch on the front.) It is cute. It is also like 3 blocks from the best elementary school in the district. The middle school is across the street from the elementary school, the high school is only a couple blocks away. Everything in the universe is screaming that this is the perfect house for us. We need at least 3 bedrooms. The basement gives us the option of adding more if we need it, or turning it into an office.
Since Rob's dad has been so gung ho on the whole thing, we told him to make it happen. He was the one who told us to do it, so we decided to have him do the wheeling and dealing. He is an attorney, and will be acting as Realtor anyway. So he calls, finds out there has been a low ball offer for $115,000. Supposedly, the seller counter offered, which we now find out is untrue. I write my offer for $135,000. My offer is submitted on Sunday. On Tuesday we find out that the seller "may" have another offer coming in so he wants all of the possible buyers to submit a best and highest offer by Wed. at 4pm. We look at our offer and the ton of research that has been done and realize that to get this house, it will be in our best interest to cover some of the back taxes owed and to lower our offer in the same amount as the back taxes that are owed. I fully trust the people that are in on this deal. My future FIL is the broker, my future DH is a guy that owned his own mortgage company. We have very good friends that are appraisers. I am in good hands. I am just now awaiting a word on whether we get this house or not. Honestly, it is killing me. I have been sick to my stomach for days. I just need a yes or no and quick or I may develop an ulcer. (So not cut out for this high stress shit.)

Rob and I realized that it would be in our best interest for me to put the offer in without him involved which is why we are doing this. At the end of the 3 year land contract the hope is that we will be married and we will go in for a mortgage together.

Tonight, he then mentions that I need to take some days off work. I mention that the days he is mentioning conflicts with a friend of mine's bacheorlette party. He seems bummed and wonders if I would miss it. Apparently, he had a weekend planned for us to go to NYC for a weekend. He also said that there was something important for me planned that weekend. (He basically told me that he was planning to propose.) I am torn. I want the proposal to happen, but don't see it needing to happen in NYC. If we are looking at buying a house, I don't want to have to take the extra time off work and lose that income. I said this to him and he said that he had looked into flights last night and had found some great airfare. After saying this he mentioned that anything that he could save in airfare would go to my ring fund. So, basically... I know that he is dying to go to NYC anyway. But, I would be thrilled to get proposed to, in NYC... shit anywhere. I would honestly rather him propose to me at our own house (assuming that we get it) and getting a pretty ring. I have been burned too many times before about him having big plans to propose. I just want it to happen, plus I think that anyway or anywhere that he does it will be special. Trip or not.

I got the info that kindergarten round up is in less than a month. Oy. Belle is showing her temper lately. I am drained. My job has been using me as a manger but not exactly paying me for it, and I am not sure how to breech the situation.

Thanks for reading. Any and all comments are appreciated.

I think the time has come

2010-01-21T14:30:00.002-05:00

As I realized that 30 is approaching a little bit quicker than I anticipated... it is time to become a big kid. Time to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. It is high time that I go back to school and finally get a degree. The big question that is weighing on my mind is.... what in the heck do I want to do? I have no clue what I want to do with my life. Event planning is a possibility, the only issue there is that I have no idea how to get started. I don't even know where to begin. I would like to think that getting a job in the field would be ideal, but finding jobs are far and few between right now. (At least in Michigan.) Don't get me wrong, I like my job enough... for a job. I am getting older though, and bartending isn't exactly something that works well when you become old and moldy. People don't want their beer served by an old lady, they want hot, young, perky girls. I am already on the old end of the spectrum where I work. I am surrounded by 22 year olds. Tangent aside, it scares the crap out of me. I need to take this next step though. The idea of stepping back into a classroom and going that whole college route really makes me want to squirm. I didn't really like it in the first place, I doubt that will change. Well, I guess that I will just have to suck it up and deal. Another problem... what do I go to school for? I mean I am committed to event planning? Like committed enough to go pay for a degree?? I have no idea. Seriously, I am indecisive as it is... let alone about something that will impact the rest of my life. Oy. What kind of degree does a planner get? Comm? HR? Management? To be honest all of those degrees sound SUPER boring. I bet that I will want to stab myself in the face multiple times during those classes. My first worry should be getting pre-reqs out of the way though. I am hoping that I can do the rest of the pre-reqs I need at the community college and then transfer to Michigan State. But, if I am going to do this I want to be sure. I don't want to repeat my past and take a bunch of classes for something to realize that I want to do something completely different. That is part of the reason that I haven't gone back yet. I don't feel the need to go to school and waste money on classes when I am not even sure what I want to be. Any advice?

are we ever getting out of here???

2010-01-19T13:27:00.003-05:00

Rob and I are dying to move. We are literally chomping at the bit at the idea of no longer living in this apartment. We have looked at places... we found a great place. Then, the landlord rented it to someone else. For some reason we are stuck here. We need more room. The girls need space to run and play. We need space for storage. This place is making me claustrophobic now. I need out.

depressing day

2009-12-09T17:44:00.002-05:00

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

2009-12-08T23:34:00.003-05:00

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.

2009-11-30T02:00:00.002-05:00

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

2009-11-27T00:12:00.002-05:00

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?

2009-11-07T18:29:00.002-05:00

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

2009-10-14T17:43:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-11T21:32:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-04T00:55:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-01T00:40:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-25T00:47:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-16T16:58:00.004-04:00

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.

2009-08-09T04:23:00.002-04:00

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?

2009-07-22T04:26:00.004-04:00

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

2009-07-10T16:04:00.003-04:00

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.

2009-07-10T00:22:00.001-04:00

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

2009-07-08T01:57:00.003-04:00

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

2009-07-07T19:51:00.004-04:00

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

2009-07-03T00:05:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-25T23:35:00.004-04:00

A couple pictures, just because.
Emma then:

Emma now:

Arabel then:

Arabel now:

It amazes me how big they are.

Never a dull moment

2009-06-25T15:15:00.002-04:00

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

2009-06-17T01:53:00.002-04:00

My little Popeye

growing up

2009-06-16T03:39:00.004-04:00

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

2009-06-04T17:26:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-28T12:46:00.003-04:00

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.

2009-05-26T15:03:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-20T01:43:00.005-04:00

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

extra, extra... read all about it.

2009-05-16T13:43:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-10T17:50:00.004-04:00

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'.