Sunday, October 31, 2010

Another Thing I Never Thought I Would Say

Me: You took a sucker to the bathroom with you?

Leo: I wasn't finished with it and I had to go.

Me: Well let me have it and when you're finished going you can have the rest of it.

Yep...my son took a sucker with him to the bathroom when he was doing his business. Ridiculous!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Fierce Competition

Why does life seem like one big competition? I don't know what the deal is lately but I feel like I am in a competition and losing. Whether it be work or parenting or wifing (is that even a word? But I figure if I add -ing it makes it real!).

At work it feels like I am on a giant hamster wheel and even though I try really hard I am not getting anywhere. And I know the feeling is mutual with other employees. And there is nowhere to go. There are not really jobs in the area that I feel would give me the same benefits I am currently receiving. The pay might be the same but I have 3 weeks of vacation accrued and I can carry my sick leave over from year to year so I have quite a bit of that accrued as well. So even though there is not a lot of satisfaction (currently) at my job I don't want to leave. So I guess that is more of an internal competition with my mind!

As for the parenting I know it shouldn't be a competition but it always will be. Sometimes it's the competition between me and other people. People that shouldn't matter. But I read about the things they are doing with their kids and I think I wish I could do that. Or I should be doing that with Leo. Or I wish I could get that for Leo. Even though I know that I do a lot of with Leo and he has more than enough STUFF. And then I have the thoughts of competition of parenting with the hubs. I know I do more things with Leo than he does and that is fine. My work schedule is more accommodating to allow me the time to get home and still have the energy to take Leo places. But the time they spend together seems like Leo is getting so much more out of it. And he seems to enjoy that even more. And it's like...hello?! I'm the one that is almost always doing stuff with you. Why are you wanting to spend time with him? But then I'm sure it's because I spend a lot of time with him and so he wants to spend even more time with his dad. And again...I complain about him and his dad not doing enough together so why do I even care?! But that's just my brand of crazy coming out!

And then finally the competition for being a wife. I talk to other people that are married and it seems like the spark is alive in each one of them. And even though I don't think our spark has been lost I sometimes wish that it was brighter. I don't know if I'm explaining this right, but it's like when you watch a movie or a TV show and you see someone kissing passionately...even though I think it's really dorky I want that. But only sometimes...because I'm picky! I don't want that all the time. That would be annoying. Haha! But at the same time I know I need to be better at making an effort. Not walking in the door and changing into sweat pants and a tank top. Or not being crabby and naggy about stupid stuff. But then if I change I want something in return. And them sometimes the girls talk about sex. And even though I definitely do not talk about sex...hello...I'm blushing just typing this! But sometimes I want to think about my sex life and blush while they are talking about theirs and I think to myself, "lalalalalala I can't hear you!" (what?! I'm a prude!)

Lots of competition and most of it is self-inflicted but seriously who doesn't think about stuff like this? I just need to find the balance in my mind to know that I am doing (pretty much) the best of my ability and of course acknowledge the places and things I can work on to make the internal stife fall by the wayside!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Great Pumpkin (Patch)

When I was a freshman in college my friend introduced me to this awesome pumpkin patch about an hour away from where we live. It is Walter's Pumpkin Patch and they have so many awesome things that even as a college student we found so much stuff that we could do. And even though I was unmarried and childless at the time I vowed that I would take my future children there. And take my child there I have! For the past 3 years my mom and I (and then my sis-in-law and her mom and baby girl tagged along the past 2 years) have taken Leo there and we have had such and awesome time! This year was no different and it actually is getting better each year because Leo is able to interact more with the attractions at the pumpkin patch. I love taking the day off and just spending an entire day with my mom and Leo. This year we even hit the local McDonalds and let him run off even more energy in the Playplace! This kid has energy for days!

Here are just a few pictures we took of our awesome day at the pumpkin patch!



This pumpkin is too big!
Very thoughtful on they way out

Searching for the perfect pumpkin

Not this one...it's funny looking!

Our giant wagon full of pumpkins

Leo's perfect pumpkin

My perfect pumpkin

Leo loving the corn filled sandbox.
He could play with his diggers!


Jumping on the pumpkin pillow

Our finished pumpkins


And then them as jack-o-lanterns!



So as much fun as you think you see in these pictures multiply that by 100! We had an amazing time and I hope to take Leo (and any future Fernandez babies!) there for as long as it is around! It has definitely become our Halloween tradition! To see other spins about Halloween go check out Sprites Keeper.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

What I Love

I've been really bad about blogging lately but I have a few days off so I should be better this week! And I saw this on my friend's blog and so I decided to play along. To see more of what other people love check out What I'm Loving Wednesday!



I am loving that my little monkey has been telling me all weekend that I am just too darn cute and that I am the cutest girl in town! Sometimes it is to stall but I'll take what I can get!

I am loving the fact that the temperature has dropped but not enough to make me feel like we skipped fall! It's nights like these that a nice pot of chili or a crockpot full of roast would be awesome!

I am loving the that last weekend I spent with my boys and we had so much fun! We did so much fun stuff together that it doesn't matter how much money we spent because we were in unison as a family!

I am loving that this upcoming weekend is filled with Halloween activities. Friday night: Trunk or Treat at Leo's daycare. Saturday: Costumes and fun at Exploration Place and Cowtown. And Sunday: Halloween carnival at the church and then trick or treating with Leo's favorite cousin Chloe!

I am loving that I am on vacation until Monday! Woo hoo!

I am loving that I already have the kitchen cleaned up and my laundry almost finished so that way I am not wasting my entire vacation cleaning. It is extra enjoyable to see the counters and our kitchen table not covered in paper and mess!

Friday, October 22, 2010

No Fun League

*This is just a rambling post from a football fanatic that is a rant about the proposed changes in fines/suspensions for head shots and “devastating” hits in the NFL. It is by no means correct but I need to get it out there.*

I am a huge football fan. I have been ever since I was a little girl with an older brother playing football and a dad who coached peewee football. I was a little baby cheerleader. And every Friday we went to the high school football stadium to watch the high school kids and every Saturday we made our trek to wherever the boys were playing. And then of course on Sundays we would plop in front of the TV to watch our favorite team play. And it never seemed to cause any outburst except for the occasional, “oh crap” when a monstrous hit was blasted in our vision. And now…apparently it is a horrible thing to happen. Yes it is not cool when people intentionally injure other players. And no one wants to see a player get injured in the course of the game. But I never have thought that the players should change how they play to insure that the offensive players do not get hurt. A few years ago when they made the Brady rule (seriously…the dude is not a god. He is not even that good-looking, but that is neither here nor there) I thought it was the most ridiculous thing. Who cares if the quarterback takes a hard hit? Not me. I thought the league was taking it one step too far. My husband (even though he agrees with me) always says that the quarterbacks are the faces of the game and the league doesn’t want them to get hurt because people tune in to see the “big names.” I call bull because I could give a crap less about the quarterbacks. Well I could care less about them as much as I care less about the receivers and the linebackers. I am not an individual player kind of girl. I’m a team girl. And so I don’t think that any one person playing a team sport should be favored. I also think that if it were a linemen that went down and hurt himself the league would not have made a special rule to protect them.

So then this past weekend the league was overwhelmed with a number of hits that caused concussions. One of the hits looked pretty nasty and the player could have done it on purpose but I’m not sure but the other hits came in the course of the game. And the players that administered the hits did not receive penalties during the game because the officials did not deem them illegal hits. So why, on Monday or Tuesday did the league decide that the players needed to be penalized. To the tune of $75,000 for one player. He even left the team for a few days because he didn’t know if he wanted to continue to play. He has since returned to the team but I’m sure as a player it would be hard to know that what you did was not wrong but you are being penalized for it. And now the league has instituted a rule that you could be suspended for multiple games if you make a hit that is considered a helmet-to-helmet hit or a “devastating” hit. I don’t know what I would even consider a devastating hit. From the TV in slow motion and HD a lot of the hits that going on during the games look pretty devastating to me. But the players get up and most of the time they play in the next play. I would of course say a devastating hit would be one that seriously injures a player, whether it be head trauma or bodily harm, but that is usually unintentional. Players are taught and usually lower their heads for a tackle so I would assume (seeing that I’ve never played) that if their heads are lowered they can not see when another player suddenly changes direction and they drill into them. If they are going to penalize the defensive players then maybe they should penalize the coaches for running routes making it possible for their players to get hit that way.

So after hearing about all the nonsense that was being issued to change this my first thought was that we would be watching flag football in a few years because the people that don’t want to see hits like that will be in control. I also thought that these are grown men choosing to partake in a GAME that they are making hundreds of thousands of dollars and of course most people are making millions of dollars. While watching sports shows throughout the week I have heard similar comments being made by ACTUAL players. They feel the same way I do. So I am definitely not alone in thinking this. This is definitely a very controversial subject because people have views on both sides but I just wanted to put this out there on the slim chance that maybe the NFL will see this and take my advice! Which is to back off and let the boys be boys and play the game. At least this isn’t the 70s where the Raiders players are out there spitting in people’s faces!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Something had to go right, right?

So God must have been smiling at all my hard work lately because even though it's only the 3rd quarter and KU is getting killed (seriously...the score is 52-0) by our in-state rival K-State I got on to the Children's Place website to see if they had gotten any more coats in stock for Leo. And lo and behold they had. And since they didn't have any in store they had given me a free shipping coupon AND I had 20% off of a purchase. So I was able to order his coat and after tax it was under $30! Woo hoo!

Lost week

I am coming up into my bad days this week. The full days. The 9:30-8 days. And my week will be over. Just have to get through 3 days! Come on Saturday at 6! I can make it can't I?! If I can make it then I will have one day to rest, recuperate and get everything ready for another week! But that is when the fun begins. I think I can...I think I can...I think I can. Choo-choo!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Funny Bunny

So not much going on here but I wanted to give you some funny stuff Leo has said lately because he has been cracking us up!

I had told Leo that he needed to get outside before it started raining and pick up some of the toys he left outside. His response to me: "Mom, that's your job. Those are your toys." Seriously?! Where does he get this stuff. Ok, probably from me!

In some situations Leo will get really animated and when he thinks someone should be doing something that they aren't he will put his hands up in the air and shrug his shoulders and just yell come on man!

He also has gotten into the habit of asking for food and then when we give it to him he decides that he doesn't want it. I have gotten to the point where I tell him if he doesn't want to eat it that's fine but he won't get snacks or any other food the rest of the evening, breakfast, whatever eating situation we're in. So he knows that he needs to eat all of his food. And when he asks me if he can get down from his chair at the table or if he can have a snack I ask him if he is finished and his answer is always yes. If we aren't sitting right by each other to where I can directly see his plate he will 100% of the time fib to me about it. And when I tell him I'm going to check to see he always tells me, "No mom. Don't come. I was just playing with you!" This one also happens when I ask him to clean his room.

And the grand finale came tonight when we were sitting in the living room and I was reading a book and he was finishing up with Phineas and Ferb and he thought I did something funny and he called me a cheeky boom-monkey. I just started cracking up. I'm sure there are some funnier things he's said lately but I need to get a notebook so I can write them down!

Hope this made your Wednesday a little brighter!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

RTT: Baby needs a new coat and The Hunger Games

Happy Tuesday! Yesterday was Monday and I was off so it makes Tuesday just like Monday. Boring! But at least I have a short day at work today. It will let me finish my errands after work before picking up Leo. And the errands seem to be never-ending lately!

I was going to order a new winter coat for Leo online from Childrens Place and get him a few new pairs of jeans also but the hubby wanted me to have him try on the coats to see if we could go a size up without it looking tacky to hope that it would fit for 2 years instead of 1. (Where he all of a sudden came up with the idea to try and save money is beyond me but whatever!) So instead of ordering Saturday night I took him to the store on Sunday. They didn't have any in the store to try on for boys so I found a similar girls jacket and tried the 4T on him. It was too big so I decided to just go ahead and order the 3T online. So when I ask to make sure they didn't have any hidden in the back and when they didn't they gave me a coupon for free shipping. Woo hoo! But I go home directly and try to order and just 1 day later they are sold out of the coat that I was going to buy. I was so annoyed. So now I'm going to have to get a coat that wasn't on sale AND I had a 20% coupon for. So lame.

I started reading the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. It. Is. Amazing. I read the 1st book in about a day and a half but then I got the 2nd and 3rd books on Sunday and I finished the 2nd book by midnight Sunday. I couldn't put it down. I even had a headache and I couldn't stop reading. It is such a good series. There are a few things that bother me though...1) These are young adult books? Really?! Some of the things in them are difficult for me to read because of the violence. I definitely wouldn't want to be talking to my 11 or 12 year old about some of the themes presented in them. One person gets killed by another by getting a rock crushed against their skull. And it's presented in detail. and 2) I just want the main character to choose who she wants to be with. I know she's only 17 but she is much above her age-level thinking wise so I think she needs to just choose. If she doesn't she is just leading the other on. But note to myself...it's only a book! I can't take these things too seriously but when I get swept up in the books it seems like I am there!

I can't believe it's already October 12! This month is flying by and I have a lot of stuff lined up in the 2nd half of the month and so I am getting really excited! We are taking a day trip to a local pumpkin patch next Tuesday and so I am on vacation next Tuesday. Then that Thursday I don't have to close and I get to go to a local community event and then that weekend is when we are going to Kansas City for the Chiefs game and then I am on vacation 3 days that final week in October. And of course all of the Halloween related activities that last weekend. Holy cow! I'm tired just thinking about everything going on. But I am so looking forward to it!

Well that's all I got for today. Check out Keely and other random thoughts!

randomtuesday

Monday, October 11, 2010

Columbus Day

So another weekend has come and gone and I'm not quite sure where it went! But thanks to Christopher Columbus who sailed the blue I am off today! I actually am not getting my holiday this week but I am working my 40 hours from Tuesday-Saturday so I was still able to sneak today off. Unfortunately my hubby who used to get all the pud holidays off now works in a branch that is not closed on the holidays so he is at work while I am not. These were the days that we still took Leo to daycare but then did like a date day for cheap. So sad that this year we can't recreate those days. Oh well. I have a lot to get done today anyways. And I have already started. The grocery shopping has been done for the next 2 weeks. Meals have been planned and laundry has been started. I pledged to make more meals and I am on my way to a good start! So happy Columbus Day to everyone!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The Cooking Blues

I don't know what it has been lately but I have just not been in the mood to cook. We have a go-to list of dinners that we rotate throughout the month and I don't know if it is the lack of change that is having me going ho-hum when it is time to try to decide what to make or if it is just my lack of motivation. But in the last month I could probably count on both hands the amount of meals I have made. That is sad. We have a budget that I stick to pretty well when I go grocery shopping so we don't buy lots of frilly stuff. The only extras I buy are chips and pop (diet for me!). And if the hubby is lucky I'll buy the cookies he likes but that maybe comes once a month. It's not that we can't afford the extra stuff but we just don't need it. But lately I am feeling extra want-y and so when I look in our cupboards and fridge and freezer and I am left feeling unsatisfied. So I'll make something that I don't want and then I don't eat much and then we have leftovers. Which means that I get to eat what I don't want again. It's a vicious cycle. And you would think I'm losing weight but I'm not! So as I'm procrastinating deciding what I want for dinner I am really not sure what I want to make! We have lots of chicken in the freezer so I'm sure it will be something chicken-y! Hmmmm what to do what to do!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Really?! Another Tuesday? Well grab the really pretty ham-full button from Keely and let's random.

randomtuesday

Good news. The dishes have been done. And not by me! Woo hoo! I won!

It has been really chilly here lately in the mornings and I am loving it. I am excited that our air conditioner never comes on anymore and so hopefully my next months electric bill will be almost non-existent! It has almost made all the mosquitoes disappear as well.

The weekend trip to KC went very well. The trip was pretty uneventful but on the way home Sunday morning Leo slept about half the way home and I can say I almost fell asleep a few times. I just couldn't wake myself up. I can see how the people who have really long trips actually do fall asleep. Scary.

I did get to jam out to some Laurie Berkner Band. She is a kids singer and her music is really catchy. And it's not terrible to listen to. Well some people wouldn't like it I'm sure but it didn't bother me at all. And we even had a dance party before bedtime and Leo went straight to bed when we were finished. He was probably all tuckered out from all the awesomeness!

The only downside to the weekend was we went to go see "You Again." It was a horrible movie. I am not even exaggerating. It was like "Oh, this girl was so mean to me in high school and now she's marrying my brother." And then horrible comedy ensues. There were a few funny parts but overall the movie was not great. At least my aunt lives near a movie theater that only charges $6 for a night movie. So cheap! And I couldn't complain too much because I was getting to stay for free at their house and they fed me delicious chicken enchiladas and a rice bake for dinner Saturday night and then chocolate chip pancakes and bacon for breakfast on Sunday!

I don't have a lot of exciting stuff going on this week just mainly work but I do get to go see Daniel Tosh tonight. He's a comedian that has a show on Comedy Central and he's coming to Wichita so the hubby and I are heading out on a date to go watch it. I've been looking forward to this since July!

I got nothing else so I guess that means I have to go get ready for work. O happy day!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Fall

Oh my goodness! I can't believe it is the first of October! It's crazy how fast the time flies when I don't have anything but work keeping me grounded with the days. I know there are so many people who have blogged about fall and what they love about fall but I just can't believe fall is already here. It seems like when I was in elementary school fall always took so long to get there after summer vacation was over but then school seasons always seemed to drag out. I'm sure it seemed like it was taking forever because I was looking forward to all of the upcoming holidays that fall would bring. Now as a parent it doesn't really matter if I'm looking forward to anything or not because time just goes at a speed that I didn't even know existed. My baby boy is almost 4 and I've been married for 6 years. So crazy. I don't have many things to look forward to specifically in the upcoming holidays other than the fact that I will get to see my families and that is always an enjoyable time. And my little family is going to take a mini-vacation to Kansas City in a few weeks to catch a Chiefs game so that to should be really fun. Then come Halloween/Thanksgiving and Christmas time I am excited because Leo is finally getting to a point where he can actually understand what the holidays are for and what they stand for. It's just nice seeing him come in to his own as a little boy. So although I am very excited about fall being here and all the awesomeness that it brings I am going to ask for a reprieve against time. I would like for it to slow down just a little bit so I have a few more minutes/days/hours to spend with my little man before he's not so little anymore! (which if you asked him now would be now because he's a big boy!)