Resolutions

This week's spin cycle is about resolutions. I have a couple that I think I will try really hard to accomplish them!

My first resolution is to try to take a picture of the monkey every day. I saw the idea from another blog and then read about a 365 day resolution (where you do something everything day for the year) in one of my parenting magazines. I think that would be an amazing way to chronicle the life of my almost-3-year-old!

My second resolution is of course to eat better and working out, hopefully leading to lost weight. I have definitely been a lot better about the working out part but for the last couple of weeks I have slacked off (as I'm sure the rest of the world!). But the part I really need to focus on is the eating better.

And finally, my third resolution is to try to be a better wifey and mother. Just trying to stay not as stressed and let the little things go! I have a lot of things to look forward to in the upcoming year so I don't want to ruin it by being a bitch!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah (sp?) and if you don't celebrate either a happy holidays! :) And have a safe New Year. In the next couple of days I will be posting pics of the monkey's Christmas! And if you want to check out other resolutions check out http://www.spriteskeeper.com

Christmas time

We have finished our Christmas shopping except for one last thing. It is a Backyardigans hopscotch that the monkey saw on Nick Jr. and that is what he keeps telling all the santas we see that he wants. The problem with this...I can't buy it. I have to freaking make it. If you know me I am not that crafty. But my mom is. And she has vowed to help me. She even bought some of the stuff that I need because I wouldn't have even known where to begin. So for the next 2 days before we leave to go out of town I will be scrambling to make this hopscotch and all be damned if that kid doesn't play with this hopscotch game for a decade to make it worth my while!

Also, Vodka mom over at http://waitressbringmeanother.blogspot.com is having a giveaway for a $30 gift card. So go check her out and all the good stuff she does!

Too funny

I was watching Accidentally on Purpose (the show with Jenna Elfman) and her sister on the show had the most perfect line...

"No time to be distracted by a penis I have to much to do."

She was seeing her sister's baby daddy's by accident but I feel that is my life. Unfortunately the one I see way to regularly is my little boy's! And there is too much stuff I need to be doing instead of changing diapers. I can't wait for him to be completely potty-trained. We were hoping by the end of this year and that is not going to happen.

Lady Gaga, bad music and Christmas time!

It’s Tuesday again and that means a bunch of nonsense from my neck of the woods…

I am so sick of Lady Gaga. She annoys me and they are giving away tickets to a show that is coming close to Wichita. And so they play all her songs and they play commercials with her songs in them. Go away. To go with that though…I am sad to say that I do like ridiculously stupid music. I love that Tick Tock song by Ke$ha. I can’t quit singing it. I also loved a song that I heard one time awhile ago, Who’s Got Your Money by Tina Parol. Yeah, never heard another song from her. I don’t know what it is but I am sucker for crappy music.

I do also like good music though. I am waiting to see if I get a ticket to the Elton John/Billy Joel concert that is coming here in March. That would be super amazing. My brother waited in line for 3 hours to get tickets and he had a terrible time. He was the 9th person in line at the place he was buying them from and when he went to get them the ticket printer jammed. And because of the line they wouldn’t reprint the tickets right then. It seemed pretty scandalous but I am waiting to hear from him if he ended up getting the tickets or not. Hopefully so. If not, I guess I will just buy a music video DVD and watch it the night of the concert to make myself feel better!

I am a walking potty-training parent fail. I went to the monkeys daycare the other day and the teacher asked me if he was going to the bathroom at home. I told her no and she started laughing. She said that Leo had told her that he didn’t go at home and she didn’t believe him. She said he goes great at school. I think peer pressure is working at school but not at home. I even tried to bribe him with a present to go numero dos on the pot but he said no thank you. Even when the present (a Christmas present) was wafted under his little nose.

I also read a blog about a parent that has cut her children off from television. I think that is amazing. But I could never do it. Firstly because I love watching TV so I would set a terrible example. Also, because whatever cartoon is on, be Dora, Diego, Handy Manny, Mickey…the list goes on…it keeps the monkey out of my hair if I am trying to get ready for work, get dinner ready, clean up…again the list goes on. I feel bad but I don’t think a little TV is too bad. If it was on all day every day then I would start to get worried. Or if he stopped wanting to play outside in negative 20 million degree weather. I had to tell him that he couldn’t play golf outside because it was too cold. He then told me it wasn’t cold outside because it was sunny. He cracks me up sometimes with his intuitiveness (even if he is a little off-base sometimes!)

I am ready for Christmas! I am ready for the seeing of family. For the eating of ridiculous amounts of good food. For the presents (the giving and receiving!). Only 10 days away! Woot woot!

I hope this was random enough for you! Too see other random check out Keely at www.theunmom.com

Christmas Gifts in the form of food

This weeks spin was easy enough...a dessert. I got plenty of those but I will choose a family favorite. This was put into a family cookbook that was given to one whole side of my family and i make it on almost every occassion that I bring something.

First Layer-Crust (for a 9X13 cake pan)
In a small to medium size pan, on medium-low heat melt 1-1/2 sticks of butter (or margarine) and 3 tablspoons of sugar stirring constantly.
Add: 1 1/3 cups flour and
1/3 cups chopped nuts (optional)
Press into the cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees until crust is light brown, approximately 20-25 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes before adding the next layer.

Second Layer-Cream Cheese:
In a medium mixing bowl, using an electric mixer blend 8 oz. cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar. Cream together. Add half of a large (16 oz) carton of Cool Whip.

Third Layer-Pudding Mix:
In a medium mixing bowl (with mixer or by hand) blend the following:
2 small packages or 1 large package of chocolate* instant pudding mix and
3 cups of milk
* You can substitue any flavor of pudding that you choose. Banana is also a very delicious flavor!

Fourth Layer-Cool Whip:
Add the rest of the cool whip and spread over the top.

Refrigerate for about 3 hours before serving. Serve cold.

This takes awhile to make but while you are waiting for it to cool check out other delicious desserts over at www.spriteskeeper.com

Thanksgiving came in December

So the hubby really enjoys turkey dinners. I have never made a turkey but I figured I could try. I bought a turkey breast and it sat in my refrigerator for a week because that's how long it took to thaw. I got it out this afternoon and popped it in the oven for about 2 1/2 hours. Got it out and made mashed potatoes, corn, gravy and rolls. The meal turned out delicious and now the hubby is trying to sleep and I'm assuming because it's a turkey orgasm that put him to sleep. Or the triptophan(sp?). But whatever because we will be eating turkey for a week. Pure amazingness!

Meow

So I know everyone is jumping on or off the whole Tiger fiasco but I just have a few things to say about him. First off...to Elin...I feel sorry for you because I'm sure when you're not with him she's taking care of their kids. It would be terrible to be at home while your hubby is off galavanting around. We try to make it fair around our household. If one person gets a night out the other gets one soon after. Second...dear Lord Tiger. There are now 11 women (so far) that you have done the nasty with. And not even cute girls. You are married to a model for heaven's sake! Go home to your wife. She's way better looking. I don't care if you're tired of her. You signed on for the long haul. Isn't that why you had her sign that pre-nup?!? Third...from what I've heard (re: because I read the tabloids) you "had relations" with multiple women without using protection. The only thing I have to say about that is ewww. Fourthly...to all you gold diggers out there, in the US Weekly from last week it had one of the girls (the one that was on Tool Academy. I won't even dignify her with a name) showed a picture of her cell phone with the name Tiger W. Really? Do you know that many Tigers that you need to put a last initial? Seems like she wanted everyone who ever looked in her phone to know exactly who that was. And finally...I know you are only a human being and people make mistakes. I get that, I really do. But if you are going to do these things don't be surprised they end up in the tabloids. You are a much bigger star than Serena Williams but they have her frollicking in the sand with Common and talking about her penalty for her ugly outburst. You don't think they are going to run a frontpage story about your sordid affairs? Geta clue. People care about you, especially when you are representing many different companies that have good reputations. And when you are caught, just come out and say it because that will make you look more genuine in the longrun. You made your bed now you need to lay in it.

Hiding

I think the funniest thing that Leo has been doing lately is "hiding." He will hide from anyone. And he is not the greatest hider. He can be, like the time I lost him for about 15 minutes and he was in my closet the whole time. He never laughed...but I was freaking out! But it's usually like he covers his eyes or hides under blankets like a big blob. It's really funny. That's all I really wanted to say, because my kid cracks me up!

Random Thoughts

It's Tuesday and you all know what that means...Random Thoughts that no one really cares about!

I am having lunch with my "Little Sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters. She's a really nice girl but the things she says about her family is interesting. I'll give you a few tidbits:
"We were trying to help my aunt and uncle look for a house to move here and my dad saw a hose he liked and we accidentally took it home with us."
"My mom was going to be a bumblebee with me for Halloween but she decided to be a butterfly because the dress was shorter."
And now we all know why she needs a big sister.

Why is it that when you skip your exercises for 2 days it kills you for the next two when you start back up. Were those 2 days that detrimental (sp?) to Jillian's evil plan that she makes it worse to skip days? I don't know that I will be skipping any more.

The monkey has hit a bi-polar high lately. One minute he is hugging and kissing you and the next minute he is screaming like a lunatic. And even telling him that Santa is not going to come and visit doesn't work. The only thing that seems to work is the dreaded call to Grandpa. Unfortunately he is on a weeklong hunting trip and can't help up. Damn him and his much needed vacation!

On the note of bi-polar...I have spoken to many parents and before I have even said anything about it they have made mention of their children being bi-polar. I scolded my hubby when he first made mention of it but hearing other parents say it makes me feel a little bit better. Also, this is in no way being disrespectful of anyone with the illness. I just find it rather helpful to describe because of the extreme highs and lows.

The monkey has also moved into the next room and the teacher said he was sad because he didn't have pull-ups like the bigger kids. Couldn't she just have shown him the kids in underwear so he would want to progress to that? And in the new room they have show and tell. Really, what's my 2-year-old going to bring and be able to explain about "something green?" I don't know what we are going to do for tomorrow but my husband conveniently forgot "something red" last week. Hmmmm...

I don't understand how in less than 12 hours I can have 30 unread posts. You people blog way to much! And having 4 days off in a row I can see how you do it. I have blogged 3 of the 4. Most working weeks I'm lucky to get off 2. So well done!

That's about all I have time for right now. There is much more swimming in my head but that's all you get. I'm keeping some for myself! To see more head over to Keely's the queen of random at http://www.theunmom.com

The freezing abyss

I know it's December and all but dang it was cold today. Today was my grandma, my mom's and I's annual Christmas shopping day. We go every year shopping around town to help get Christmas taken care of for everyone. And today I must say was a success. I spent $85 and I took care of all the finishing touches on my list. The only person left to buy for is my father-in-law and I have an idea of what we are getting him if my husband decides that the tickets to the KU game are not going to work. HOpefully they will work and we can take the monkey to his first KU basketball game and he can chant Rock Chalk Jayhawk...but I don't know if it is gonna work. Anyways...back to the shopping. I was incredibly satisfied with the deals that I got today. I got a tie for my brosef for only $7! An amazing find! And I got his son a few New Orleans Saints items that will hopefully brighten his holidays! And rounding off the list were a few items for my sis-in-law who reads this sometimes so that will be kept a secret! I hope everyone's Christmas lists are dwindling down because according to our snowman calendar there are only 17 days until Christmas!

Spin Cycle...Dear Santa

This week over at the Spin Cycle is our wish lists. Now I should not be shallow in any way and say that all I want for Christmas is my family to all be together and that we have a safe and happy holidays. But I'm not going that route. I'll go with a few things that I wish Santa would slap underneath my tree. Some real and some wishful thinking...

1. I wish for about 20...oh what the hell, this is a wish list...40 pounds to be taken from myself. I don't care where it goes as long as it gets off of me.
2. I wish that when we spend Christmas Eve at my in-laws that they would let Santa come on Christmas morning and not have stockings filled on Christmas Eve. Last time I read Twas The Night Before Christmas Santa came when the kiddos were sleeping Christmas Eve.
3. I wish for lots and lots of money. And if Santa doesn't pay in cash then I can just leave my bills and he can go ahead and pay them for me.
4. I wish that Leo would be able to use the toilet without fighting me, stop fighting me over dumb things and also just still be a 2-year-old without the crazy terrible twos.
5. Now on to some real things...I would like the new Mario Brothers Wii game.
6. The new Harry Potter and Johnny Depp movies.
7. Giftcards to spend an evening out with the hubby
8. And finally I will say that I would like to have enough time to spend during the holidays with my family and that everyone makes it to all their places safely.

Please Santa. I have been a good girl this year so if you could even throw in a few of my items I would appreciate it! And please know that these delicious, fresh-baked cookies and this ice cold glass of milk is definitely there as a bribe to maybe throw in a few extras that you know I would like!

Sincerely,

Kendra

To see other Christmas lists from other good boys and girls check out http://www.spriteskeeper.com. I hope everyone gets what they ask for!

You know you're boring when...

The last posts on your facebook page have been about working out and the KU Jayhawks! I haven't had much else going on in my life other than a sick kid so I haven't had much to get excited for. I have been at home almost all week. Luckily yesterday he was feeling better (still not great) and we at least got to go to my sister in laws house for a delicious Thanksgiving meal where we got to spend time with family. And tonight we are headed back over there to watch the Jayhawks whoop up on Tennessee Tech. And I even went home and smashed it up with Jillian. On THanksgiving. I am very satisfied with the results I am already seeing. So I guess i can't quit now! Day 8 out!

Spin Cycle...the week of thanks

So this year I am actually trying to teach Leo that Thanksgiving is here so we can show our thanks for each other and the things around us. I told him that I was thankful for him, for daddy, for all of our family, for our food, etc. etc. But when I asked him what he was thankful for I got an answer I never expected...but fully should have. He at first told me he didn't know but then screamed CANDY! It was so funny. Kids make you think more about what you are thankful for than you probably thought you could. But here are a few things I am thankful for. Some shallow and some from the heart.

• I am thankful for my family. They are more help for my mental well-being than anyone else. My mom is my best friend so without her I would be a mess! My hubby keeps me sane by all his funny comments and just laughter is a constant. I am thankful for my monkey because he makes everything worthwhile!
• I am thankful for our DVD players! The portable one of course because it makes trips to the doctor so much more bearable.
• I am thankful for our roof over our head and the food inside. I know there are so many people out there now that are not able to afford such luxuries so even if I complain about wanting a bigger house or more bathrooms I am thankful I am able to provide for my family.
• I am thankful for cheese dip and pumpkin pie. NOt together but they do sound delicious right about now!
• I'm thankful for modern medicine because without it the monkey could be really sick, but instead we are able to keep a breathing machine in our house for his little flare-ups.

Those are just a few things I am thankful for. I hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

RTT

How does a kid on antibiotics get a fever and start throwing up. And no it was not the first day of the medicine we are on day 7. Also, this year had been really good with the lack of illnesses that the monkey had gotten. A few snotty noses here and there but the last 2 months he has had the stomach bug twice and a sinus infection which flared up his asthma. Lame.

I work at a bank inside a grocery store and they have started playing their Christmas music. It's not terribly bad because at least they are mixing it in with their other music. I don't know how I'm going to be able to handle Christmas music all day starting after Thanksgiving.

I am ready for Thanksgiving. The food, the family, the football. Ahhh yes...the 3 F's. And they are all words that can be repeated! The thing I am not looking forward to...the day after Thanksgiving. Cranky people from here until Christmas.

Also, Black Friday...you are stupid. Just wanted to throw that out there. I used to work at the mall (which I loved except for the holidays) and we didn't open until 7 on Black Friday. My sister-in-law works there now and they open at 5. OMG!

I am rocking out to some Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I am on day 6 and I have done it every day. I really appreciate all the support from my friends irl and in the bloggy universe! I hope to see results! And if I don't see results at least maintain currently through the holidays!

If you want to see other random check out Keely at www.theunmom.com

30 Day Shred

Rachel over at http://www.mominreallife.com/ has started 30 days of doing the Wii Fit. I commented that this was a great idea and that I should do it as well. Of course i didn't, but I did go out and buy Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. And let me tell you about it. It hurts. Every day. I wake up sore. I go to bed sore. Throughout the day my legs are screaming at me. But it is only day 5 now and it is getting better. I think by day 30 my body will have lost the 20 pounds. Right?!?!

I have done this for 4 days. Every day I have done the workout. I'm pretty proud of myself. It is only a 22 minute workout which I appreciate because I don't always have the time to waste doing that. I have more important things like blogging to do! And I have gotten a lot of motivation from the people around me. I have of course talked about it on facebook and it give me pride to just put it out there and have people positively respond! I hope that I will continue for the next 26 days. My main goal is to go back to Christmas and feel good about myself and how I look. So I will keep you posted on my journey!

Random Thoughts Tuesday

I want a Snuggie. Really bad. And I saw a KU one at Kohls. Yeah mom…this is a direct shout-out of something I left off my Christmas list! J

I went to the grand opening of our new library in Derby. It’s really nice and the monkey became a card-carrying member of the NRA. Oh wait…I mean the library. My dad would have been prouder if it was to the NRA! The library is so much bigger than the old one. You could barely walk through the aisles if there was someone else in it. And they have a few conference rooms and they have a pretty large area for kiddies. Except with the whole swine flu business I’d rather have my kid play with the puzzles we have at home than the ones that all the other kids played with. I’m just saying.

As much as I love my brother I think it is funny how different we are. He and his fiancée just moved into their new house and they just bought stuff for it. A LOT of stuff. Really nice stuff. And when we moved into our house 5 years ago we didn’t buy hardly anything. Just a few things we were missing. And we incorporated all the stuff we had together. I’m glad they are able to do that (and maybe just a hint jealous!) But after thinking about it we didn’t need all of that stuff. We still don’t need it. I have too much crap as it is and we’ve spent too much money on that stuff. But I’m still a little jealous about it! :)

Last week I was on vacation and I didn’t cook a single day. I felt extremely lazy. And we spent too much money on food. That is why I make grocery lists and stick to it. But it was delicious and we didn’t have hardly any dishes. In my fantasy world this is what would happen every day. I would also have a trainer so I wouldn’t become a beached whale. I also didn’t go to either one of my spin classes so yeah, the beached whale thing. Could have happened.

If you want to see other random check out Keely at www.theunmom.com

Random Thoughts Thursday?!

I missed Random Thoughts Tuesday because I was busy being on vacation instead of being on the computer so I am doing it today...and it's almost Random Thoughts Friday but whatever!

With vacation happening I really haven't missed work. At all. I miss my work friends but even they haven't been there because of sick kids. So even if I would have been there they wouldn't have been so it would have been pointless.

Bedtime has been a struggle for the little monkey lately. He doesn't want to go to sleep. I'm not for sure why but it is driving me nuts. When he goes to bed at 8:30 then that gives me a good hour to an hour and a half before I want to go to bed. When he doesn't go to bed until almost 10 i have no time to myself.

I have been obsessed with books lately. I just finished The Lovely Bones (again) and can't wait for the movie to come out. The hubby and I went to 2 bookstores on Wednesday and I picked some out in my mind that I want to get if I get a few gift certificates for Christmas...Jen Lancaster I'm looking at you! And I saw on her blog her release date for her new book is May 2010 I think! I'm so excited!

I'm even more excited that our new library opens this Saturday! We haven't had a library for a month and it kind of put a damper on my vacation. I wanted to get a few books but I couldn't. Lame.

I have been having issues with sleep lately. I can't seem to want to fall asleep at night but then all day I am so tired. I took almost a 2 hour nap today and just felt even more tired. And now i am not tired but know that tomorrow is pretty much my last day of vacation and I actually need to get stuff done. And by stuff I mean not sitting in front of the computer catching up on episodes I missed for whatever reason of Bones and Lie To Me.

The other hand of that is that the hubby has been extra tired and has been going to bed early. It's like we Freaky Friday'ed it and switched bodies, only not bodies but sleep patterns. Oh well.

Ok, this was too much random and not enough thought. Oh well! I just spent an hour trying to cath up on the blogs I haven't been reading this week.

hair today gone tomorrow

I got my hair cut today and I'm not sure how I'm feeling about it. It is really short. I wanted more of an angular cut where it was longer in the front and shorter in the back. Kinda like posh spice but not so Hollywood. Yeah, it didn't quite turn out like that. It is short in the front and a little shorter in the back. I wanted you to be able to tell that it was longer in the front and I don't think you can. I'm annoyed but glad my hair grows fast because it will grow out sooner rather than later. Oh well...nothing i can do about it now. Except to borrow those neon blue hair extensions from my neice!

I'm sure you wanted to know

Yay! I got an award! I got this from Heather over at http://bnhwelch.blogspot.com/. I'm not for sure how she came across me but I'm grateful for readers other than my family members! It makes me feel like my words aren't meaningless! It is a Kreativ Blogger award and the jist is to tell you 7-10 facts about myself. Without further adieu...

1. I sing in the car. A lot. I don't really like to sing in front of other people because I get embarassed really easily but in my car nothing can stop me. I will sing country, hip-hop, hardcore rap, metal, classic rock you name it.
2. I worked at Sam Goody for over 4 years and that is where I got a lot of my knowledge for the aforementioned songs I sing!
3. I hate car trips. Most people love them because they get to enjoy the scenery and all that other nonsense. Not me, put me on a plane anyday and get me to my destination quicker.
4. I am a car sleeper. I'm sure it is because I hate car rides but I can sleep pretty much in any position in any seat and sleep almost the entire way. When I say the entire way I am talking about the 3 hour trips that we make west and northeast. Yeah, we travel a lot huh?!!?
5. I want another baby but I want to make sure that we will be able to take care financially of both kids. I know that "they" say that you never have enough money to have babies, but "they" aren't the ones that could get evicted or not be able to feed the kids or pay the babysitter. I know they are probably right but still...I want to be comfortable with the decisions I make because I will be the one affected by them.
6. My kid has way to many toys and I want to throw them away almost daily. He is pretty good about picking them up but they clutter the house and they annoy me. I'm sure I had as many toys as he did but I feel he is quite spoiled. (Another post for many other days!)
7. I could probably eat 1 meal a day and be fine. Obviously not health wise but I am just not that hungry. I only make food because I know the boys won't eat unless I make something. And yes I have been told this by the hubby. Lame.
8. I wish that I could be a better friend. I just don't have the energy to be the bestest friend in the world. I'm wrapped up in my own messes to deal with than trying to have to deal with everyone else's.
9. Which is why my co-workers become my good friends. Because we have all day every day to learn about each other. And we can talk daily. Without interrupting my other planned activities. Now if only they won't stop working there and then we can continue to be friends!
10. Finally...I will probably work at the bank I currently work for until I retire (or get fired) because I hate job hunting. It is too stressful and I don't want to mess with that nonsense!

I am supposed to tag other people to do this but I just want to hear from everyone...what are some facts about you that you want to share. Get it off your chest!

Bite me

At what point do you believe your 2-year-old? I posted on facebook that my son told us that a little girl bit him and he does have a mark on his arm. It does not look like a bite mark and it is on the same arm where he took a dive earlier in the evening. It seems unbelievable that the fall could have caused the mark though as well. I'm not really sure if I should ask if this little girl did in fact bite him or even just grab and scratch. I really haven't had a problem with this particular child in his class but she is kind of a diva because her grandparents own the place. I don't really have much tact so I don't know how to ask nicely. And even when I'm trying to be nice I sound like a total witch. I don't know what to do. I wish they had cameras like at the bank so I could rewind and watch to see if the alleged incident occurred...or if my child likes to make up stories*.

* I will say that he told the same story hours apart to both me and the hubby.

All grown up

This is what I hear tonight at bedtime:

Me: Leo, it's time for bed. I already pulled back the covers. Get in!

Leo: Mom, can I get a book to look at?

Me: Just one.

Yep...I have a reader and I love it. He can even "read" parts of Go Dog Go and Toes, Ears, Nose. I'm not hyping him up or anything but one time when I was reading it to him he started reading along. They must read them a lot at school so he has memorized it by the pictures. I'm ok with it! I'm also a huge reader and he probably has around 50-75 books already and I keep buying him more. They aren't very expensive and he loves them! It makes me happy that I have made a positive influence on him! Books are the gateway to anything and I want him to have as much of an imagination as I had.

Random Thoughts about stupid stuff

You like how I only capitalized some of my words...yeah, that's how random I am. I took an editing class in college because I was so going to be an editor of anything and you capitalize your titles. But I didn't feel like it anymore. I also am pretty annoyed that I have over $25K in student loans and don't have a job in my profession. Not. Even. Close. Yeah, pretty awesome.

I'm pretty stoked because the Jayhawks are playing right now and kicking some ass vs. Fort Hays State. You read that right...Fort Hays State. They don't even matter but I don't care because as of right now my football team sucks so I am now officially ready for basketball!

In my last post I talked about a boy who wanted to potty train standing up. Yeah, still working on that. ANy advice?

I am still wanting to lose some weight but it was brought to my attention that when you give birth your hips can widen. I guess that is why the jeans I bought pre-baby but 20 pounds+ still fit. I'm kind of annoyed by that because honestly...if I lose 20 pounds after baby I kind of want to be able to tell. Because the last time I lost 20 pounds I was drinking almost daily and working 50 hours a week and going to school full-time. I actually did it the right way this time and I look worse than I did then. That is not right!

To go with that last random thougth I was thinking about getting the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I'm kinda afraid though seeing as I've read other blogs about how they have been killed doing it. I hope not for real because I haven't seen many posts from them since...

My hubby has been watching a lot of ghost story shows to get in the Halloween spirit and it is freaking me out. He keeps talking about how he "sees stuff" when he's watching them. In our house. Not cool dude. I get nightmares from reading R. L. Stine's GOosebumps series. So not cool.

I am done with Halloween and have been pretty proud of myself because I haven't really eaten that much of Leo's candy. He actually got almost all chocolate which is nice because I'm not much of a chocolate person. It makes it real helpful for the whole trying to lose weight thing.

On the other hand of being done with Halloween I am not ready for Christmas. I know I said this before but seriously...the Halloween stuff is marked down 50% and right across the aisle Christmas stuff at 100% markup. Awesome. Merry freaking Christmas.

To see other random thoughts head over to www.theunmom.com

Forgive me father for I have Sinned...

It has been many years since my last confession. Today, my confession is about children. My confession is based around the fact that sometimes I wish I didn't have a child. But before you go scorning me because of blah blah blah let me explain. And I will say all my reasons are very selfish reasons. You know...the I wish I could sleep in on the weekends and I would have more quality time with my hubby. But also I wish I didn't have to yell at a kid because he has decided he didn't want to pick up the mess he made. Or because he decided he wanted to kick me because I wouldn't give him a piece of candy. I'm sure every parent out there has thought about how there life would be different if they didn't have children. I also would base my confession on that it is just that...a confession, a secret that I don't like to share with other people. But I have decided to use my blog as an outlet for my feelings and not just things that I want people to think about me.
The other side of my confession is this. My life would be so empty in a way I could never know if I did not have a child. I also would say that my life has changed exponentially for the better since I have had a child. I don't only think of myself when it comes to things. I know how much having a child has brightened my life and the lives of my family members. I took Leo to my grandparents house on Halloween and their faces just lit up when they saw my little Batman! I wake up in the mornings with a smile on my face because my little man is smiling in my face asking to watch cartoons in the rigging room (the living room) or that he wants his monkey (to play Play-Doh with) and me just using my knowledge to try to teach him things. Like how to be a gentleman by saying please and thank you and making sure that he is nice to the little girls in his class and that when they give him hugs not to push him away. I am also trying to figure out the best way to potty train a little boy. Who wants to stand up. Yeah, still trying on that one. So as much as I sometimes think that my life would be better without the little pitter patter of tiny feet on our wood floors I know that it would be so much worse. It's like the grass is always greener...you know when you hop over that fence it is definitely not going to be. So I think my pennance should be 2 Old McDonalds and 3 Dr. Seuss books! Do you agree?

And if you want to see other parental confessions (hopefully some more light-hearted than mine...) head over to Sprites Keeper at http://www.spriteskeeper.com/

Edited to add: Another reason I wish I didn't have a child...today my bank branch got robbed. Luckily for me I was not there (I've dodged the bulled twice now...). But the man that got robbed lost his wife to breast cancer a few years ago and if the robber would have shot him (he showed the teller a gun and called it "id") his two little girls would have no parents. I would never want to leave my child without a parent because I would feel terrible. I guess technically I woudln't feel anything seeing that I would be dead, but you know.

Wicked Awesome

I went to see Wicked last night and it just was awesome! I went with my mom, my grandma, my sister-in-law and my aunt/god-mother. We had a wonderful time. I will say that I know I am a nerd but never have I thought I was this much of a nerd. I have decided I am a music theater nerd. Not the ones that want to be doing music theater but the ones that love it. I borrowed the soundtrack from my mom and I have been listening to it all week and then last night at the show my heart was just happy because the lights, the costume, the music, the voices all just made me so happy. I wish I could bottle that feeling because that is a vast difference from what I have been feeling lately. I'm not exactly sure why I'm unhappy but lately I just have been. It's like I got a case of the moondays without it always being a Monday. I don't know why...oh well. Last night more than made up for it! SO thanks mom for the ticket! It made my month!

Random Thoughts

Here is my latest random thoughts...they will be bulleted because I like the cleanliness of it all...

• The Redskins have been killing me lately. How do you call yourself a "professional" football team when you have 3 turnovers in the first half. All of them resulting in scores. Annoyed. Also, the whole smiling, slapping asses, etc. Yeah, you're losing. And you've only won 2 games all year. Probably not the best time to be jacking around on the sidelines. Just FYI.
• Work has been pretty good but I'm pretty sure that even though we work together 5-6 days per week that does not give you the right to touch me. I'm not a big touchy-feely person but we are in a work environment so either way not the right place to throw that down. So please don't try to give me hugs, poke my side, rub my back etc.
• I went to the tag office today to get my tag renewed because I waited to long to do it online. I don't know what all the complaining is about. I was in and out in under 20 minutes. And the lady that helped me was very friendly. It made the whole experience a lot better! But really...$96 for a 2001 Ford Escort...I'm not even sure my car is worth that much.
• The little heathen is getting prepared for Halloween. He has learned the phrase trick or treat and knows that this is the time for candy. So this morning when I gave him his options for breakfast he looked at me and said..."Ummmm gum?" and when I told him no he said..."Ummmm candy?" with the most cutest smile I've witnessed since yesterday. You wish buddy boy! I would say you would get enough in the upcoming days but we're really not hitting up to many houses so sorry! No candy for you!
• We have way too many toys in our house. It is ridiculous the amount of toys we have. So when I tell people that he doesn't need more toys and they give me the look like I'm a mean mom I guess I need to show them pictures.

I guess this is all the time I have for today. I have to get to work which I do not want to go but who does?! To see other randomness check out keely at http://www.theunmom.com

Spin Cycle: Fall Recipes

Ok, so I am going to be completely lazy but here are 2 super-easy recipes that I love to make year round but people think I'm weird so I'm gonna call them fall/winter recipes. They are super easy because I'm not a huge veggie person and I don't really like recipes with a lot of ingredients. Some people might call me lazy, I call myself practical. Without further adou (sp?)

First up: Chicken and Noodles

3(ish) chicken breast (with or without skins and bones)
a couple chicken bouillion cubes
1 package of frozen egg noodles
2 cans cream of chicken soup (I use Campbells)

Cook chicken (I like to put them in the crockpot so they are cooked when I get home). To season it toss the bouillion cubes in there. Cook the egg noodles ( to make them even tastier use the broth from the cooked chicken). Drain noodles, add cream of chicken soup and chicken. I like a thicker soup so I drain most of the water out from the noodles and the cream of chicken soup makes it thick.

2nd recipe: Roast
Step 1: Buy roast, carrots and potatoes
Step 2: Put all in crockpot with Onion Soup mix (the powder form) with about 3/4 cup of water
Step 3: Let it sit all day and smell its gloriousness when you come home from work.
Step 4: Enjoy!

See other delicious fall recipes at http://www.spriteskeeper.com

Random Thoughts Tuesday

Am I the only one that is not ready to see Christmas decorations? I was shopping at Target the other day and the Christmas decorations were an aisle away from the Halloween costumes and decorations. I am not ready for it. I am starting to Christmas shop because this Christmas we not be putting anything on credit cards because how stupid is it to put Christmas on the credit card and then pay for it until next Christmas. Uh uh! But even though I am preparing does not mean I am ready for my kid to see it all.

Speaking of my kid…I am excited to say that he has officially pooped in the potty. I never thought I would be this excited about potty training but look at me! I also never expected anyone else to care about his potty training as much as I did. But when he went to school and told his teacher about it she was extremely excited and started to tell all the other kids about. I thought streamers and confetti were going to pop out of the ceiling for a parade and party. I’m ok with that though!

Also, he got a “surprise” for doing his business in the potty. He chose a bucket that had 61 pieces of jungle animals and flora and fauna for said animals to play on. It was a great buy for only $10 (gotta love Target!) but on the package it said 5+ because of choking hazards. I’m not sure but Leo is not really at the stage that he is putting things in his mouth that I am concerned that he is going to choke on. Either my kid is a genius or this company is taking great lengths to keep all kids that are not 5 from choking. Now, as much as I would like to go with the first option I don’t think my kid is the only under 5 that is capable of playing with these toys without having a problem. Oh well. They still got my money!

I’m just gonna say this without much else, but Lady Gaga is really weird. I watched her on SNL and she was wearing that weird costume and she could barely sit at the piano with it on. Don’t you think she would have rehearsed that? Yeah, just really weird.

I am going on a date with the hubby this weekend. Nothing spectacular but we are going to watch the fights at the local B-Dub. I got a parenting magazine and it had a little survey that asked if it was important to still have date nights after baby. 90% of people said yes. As much as I agree with this, I think it is hard to have a set “date night.” Maybe we are just lazy people that didn’t really go out much before baby but we don’t really go out that much. It is also expensive. You have to pay to go out plus pay for a babysitter (if you don’t coerce a family member into doing it!). On that note, I have a cousin that is watching Leo this weekend for a few hours while me and the hubby will both be at work. He’s not that difficult to watch, especially on a Saturday morning, but how much do I need to pay her? I don’t really have people watch Leo that I have to pay so I don’t even really know what the going rate is. Anyone? Anyone?

To see more random thoughts go see Keely at http://www.theunmom.com

Super Heroing Ain't Easy

This weeks spin cycle was a photo essay. I had to look through all my recent pictures and I found the perfect ones...enjoy!

Being a super hero ain't easy. But I'll let you in on how I spend my free time...

I like to ride horses

And hang out with my friends. (Avert your eyes so they won't know your true identity).

But the safety of the city is worth it.

To see other people's photo essays visit Jen over at the Sprite's Keeper: http://www.spriteskeeper.com/my_weblog/2009/10/negotiations.html

M.I.A.

No not the ridiculous singer, me! I've been abnormally bored with my life lately and really haven't had much that I felt needed to be discussed. The Derb has turned abnormally cold making it miserable because it's almost too cold to play outside! I did take Leo to the high school football game where he lasted for about a quarter and a half. We also went to the pumpkin patch earlier in the week where it was really nice outside but my little munchkin was not the best behaved. He has really weird mood swings so it is very frustrating. I have been working out twice a week at my spin class and I feel like it is improving my spirits if not at least improving my waist line a little bit. I have been trying to eat healthier but it makes it difficult when it is 40 degrees. No one wants to eat fruit at that ridiculous degree IN OCTOBER! So that's been my life in a nutshell lately. I don't forsee it getting any better but I will try to bore you with my everyday shenanigans! I hope this sees all of you doing well! To cold weather and crappy football!

Holy Terror

So lately I have had a holy terror for a child. I think I may be Rosemary because I may have the spawn of satan. On Sunday I really wanted to go for a walk while the hubby was golfing. I didn't figure this would be a huge deal because we would be outside, and I even told Leo he could play golf when we got home. He agreed to this but when I went to change his diaper and sit him on the pot so he could do his business he totally flipped out. He told me he didn't need to go to the bathroom. I told him that was fine but we still needed to change his diaper and then put pants on. It was a nippy 50ish degrees. As I was taking him into his room he promptly started screaming that he needed to go potty. So I took him back to the bathroom where he proceeded to throw his basketball seat that sits on top of the stool (so his tiny buns fit in it) at me and screamed he didn't like to go potty. This continued for a good 5-10 minutes before I bribed him with just putting regular underpants on. This scared me a lot since we would be gone for at least 30 minutes and he had not gone to the bathroom. He finally calmed down and I got him in those and we got on our walk. We got home with dry pants and he went inside and went to the bathroom and then he got to outside and golf. He continued to have dry pants until his dad came home and he unloaded a giant deuce in his nice new-ish underpants. I sat him on the stool so I could go get some wipes and I came back and he had poop. ON. HIM. It was disgusting. Not like on his buns, but on his chest and his shoulders. He had touched it and then put it on him. I immediately ran bath water and put him in it where he proceeded to throw another fit about how he wanted to splash water on me and then the hubby and I got into it because I was yelling because he was splashing water all over the bathroom and i was tired of dealing with a devil child and if he wanted to golf then he could deal with the kid. I wouldn't even claim him. I think I even said that he could stay in the water as long as he wanted and I hoped he got pneumonia. Yep. Parent of the year right here! Oh wait...nope that was a giant ass sign saying parenting fail. Oh well. He did not get pneumonia and he got to watch football with mom and dad all afternoon. Yep...that's how my life has been the past few weeks. And the lady that comes and does in-home visits for Parents as Teachers (an organization that gives learning ideas for young kids through the school district) said that kids like to throw fits for attention. All I was doing was showering this kid with attention. I just don't get it sometimes...sigh.

***Note to all readers: No children were harmed in the writing of this blog***

Halloween and Fall

I love fall. Fall is definitely my favorite season of the four. Fall, Winter, Summer and then Spring. I love fall and winter because I can wear sweaters. Yep...I am basing my favorite seasons on clothing. Anyways...I love everything about fall. The leaves changing, the cooler weather, the football, and of course being able to go outside and enjoy playing with Leo. In the summer we are attacked by mosquitos and apparently they are laying low this fall. Some more things about fall I love are pumpkin patches! We have a favorite pumpkin patch around our town called Walter's Pumpkin Patch. And my mom, my (future) sis-in-law, my niece, Leo and myself are all going there this Wednesday. I am so freaking excited! THey have a huge pumpkin patch but they also have a lot of other really awesome things there such as an inflatable pillow, an underground slide, a corn maze and even a barn filled with useless crap I don't need but really feel like buying. So yeah. Amazingness will ensue!
I also love fall because of Halloween and Thanksgiving. I really like Halloween but I don't really dress up. We have the past few years at work, but nothing too crazy. ANd now that Leo is able to make decisions I have been letting him tell me what he wants to be for Halloween. The things he has told me so far have been: an elephant, Spiderman, a cricket, a white person (apparently he saw a "white person" on a cartoon. We are not a racist family all decked out in our KKK stuff but my boss did tell me to let him know he could never be white, you know since he's a halfie! :), Spiderman, a pumpkin pie and Batman. He has talked about Batman because a friend of our families told him a story about how his mom made him a Batman costume when he was a little boy. So now Leo has really been into the idea of being Batman like Mike was. So we went to a few costume stores today and he saw a Batman costume. And it fit. And it was only $20. So Leo will be Batman for Halloween. And he looks adorable in it! Awesome!

Why Disney is better then Nickelodeon

So in the last few years I have become a connosieur of children's television. I am one of those parents that lets my kid watch TV. I don't really care. I watched tv as a kid but I was also very active. I was not overweight (that came during college!) and I did not spend every waking minute in front of the television. So I really don't see the problem in watching a few shows if they are age appropriate. So back to what I was trying to say before I rudely interrupted myself!
We watch childrens tv in the morning when Leo and myself are trying to get ready for work and then again for a little bit in the evenings when I am getting dinner together. I have decided that I like Disney much better than Nickelodeon. The main reason is because Disney does not over-run their programming with commercials for products. Adult products, kids products, toys and food. I really don't want my 2-year-old to become a gimmie gimmie kid. And just when we were watching Nick while he was sick he saw a commercial and was like I want that. And he's not like that unless we are in a store and he sees something exceptionally cool. So I will give most of my tv watching time to Disney. And that's all I have to say about that.

It's my party

So my kid has been a little baby lately. And it's driving me nuts. I'm not an emotional void when it comes to things but seriously. Crying over the littlest things? What, are you 2? Oh wait, you are. I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean that. I just don't get it. ONe day he is a super boy who is captain of the place and the next day he decides he wants to be a cry-baby. Just give me peace for a moment. I even think I would take overly-aggressive boy to weeping willie over here. Nothing big going on in my house. As you can tell by my post. I'm sure for the next week the time not spent doing some exercising or working you will find me holed up in my bedroom watching the new seasons of all my favorite shows!

Fun weekend

So this weekend we went to Kansas City and it was great. We went to the movies, to the mall, watched a fight at Buffalo Wild Wings (on Pay Per View, not in the restaurant!) and went to the Raiders game. Nothing too ridiculous but things that we don't usually have a chance to do together when we have the monkey with us. One thing that made this weekend especially good for me was the time in the car that we could just talk. We don't usually have a lot of time that we just sit together and talk and it's not like we talked the whole way there and back but still enough time to talk. And I got something off my chest that I've been wanting to talk about with him and we had an actual conversation. No jokes were made (and if you know my hubby you know this was a big step) and even though it wasn't completely resolved we made forward progress and I think this will make us a better team. Nothing too exciting, just stuff that if you don't work on it will just fester and then turn sour. So all in all a fabulous weekend! And we saw the movie Extract. A little weird, but I thought it was pretty good. Very dry but good.

All the haters in the house

This weeks spin cycle is about hate. What do I hate? I hate a lot of things. I think in light of football season though I will talk about my hate for football fans. Now I LOVE football! I've talked about it on numerous occasions. But we are going to the Kansas City Chiefs game this weekend and they are playing division rival the Oakland Raiders. Now my hubby is a die hard Raiders fan. I have slowly become a Raiders fan (they are now my new second favorite team behind the REDSKINS!) just because I want to know about what is going on with his team. Anyways...my mom got us tickets to the game for the hubby's birthday. And now he doesn't know if he wants to wear Raiders clothes. Why you may ask? Well because drunk football fans are the worst! (here it comes)

I hate that a person that has no bearing on the outcome of the game feels that it is their place to make other fans uncomfortable and be as rude as possible because they are not going for the same team that you are. And I'm not even talking about the rude, obnoxious fans for the other team that are jeering and cussing and just being rude. We went to a Redskins/Cowboys game in Dallas a few years ago and being the Redskins fan that I am I was cheering for the Redskins. I was not even being obnoxious yet the Cowboys fan a few rows behind me started heckling me. Telling me I was white trash and that my engagement ring was cubic zarconia (sic). I was just cheering for my team and this douche bag had to go and ruin my good time by personally attacking me. I have been to a Chiefs game that I didn't really care who they were playing but I saw numerous people get into fights because they were cheering for the "wrong" team. I really don't know how this weekend will turn out. I am planning on wearing a black t-shirt (Raiders colors are Black/Silver) and I'm sure I will get yelled at but honestly people, it's a game.

And just to be fair, this does not only happen at football games. I went to a baseball game (Royals vs. Cardinals) and the hubby was wearing a Royals shirt at Busch stadium and he got heckled. I just think it is ridiculous. And I think it is even more ridiculous when these people personally attack you. They don't know you. What if it was their mother and you were doing that to her, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't enjoy that. Let's just take some advice from Rodney King and let's all just get along. I hope my weekend is uneventful and if you want to check out other people's hates go to http://www.spriteskeeper.com

2 going on 10

My little man is growing up and it is breaking my heart. Breaking it with love, breaking it with pride, breaking it with sadness. I just can't believe that he is such a big kid now. Today we had such an enjoyable afternoon together and we didn't even get on each others nerves! We went shopping at Target, visited grandma and my cousin who is expecting a baby and we hung out playing! The grown up part came tonight after we ran all of our errands. Leo was able to (almost) ride on his bike all by himself. He could almost reach the pedals but he could make it go by scooting his feet. Then we came inside to play his new game he got. And he understood how to play. Without much supervision. Tear. I couldn't believe it. My hubby and I just watched in amazement as we watched our little boy, who I swear was just a teeny tiny baby just a little while ago, run from animal to animal picking the correct one out by listening to the giraffe. It only lasted for about 15 minutes but I still couldn't believe it. Seriously though...check out these pictures and you can see all the transformations my little man has gone through in the last 2 years...

February 2009
February 2008 (1st birthday!)

Halloween 2007

Chilaxing at Grandma's

First Easter (March 2007)
My pictures are obviously not in the right order, but you get the picture! He is all grown up! :)

contamination and other random Tuesday thoughts

So our house is contaminated. I have now been contaminated by the mutant 2 year old that is spewing green out of his nose and hacking up a lung every night. I was diagnosed with a sinus infection and bronchitis. The doctor told me the good news was that I didn't have pneumonia or H1N1. Really? That's the good news. the good news would be you have a miracle pill that heals me before my weekend rendezvous with my husband sans 2 year old. Oh wait...you do...that's amazing. It better work before Saturday or I will be out to get you. Also, said 2 year old is still fighting off the same stuff and he has the same medicine I do only in liquid form so hopefully he will be better so he doesn't spread the infection to grandma and grandpa.

I am going to get Leo a new game before this weekend with granmda and grandpa. It is a game that the giraffe talks and tells you to find the other animals by different clues. There are 5 levels, so they go from color to sounds to other stuff. I think he will really enjoy it because he loves animals and he has been really good lately about comprehending what we are talking to him about and having fuller conversations with us. It is so weird to see him like a grown-up kid.

Also a huge story on the front...Leo has been doing pretty well with the potty training. We even got him some spiderman underpants. He puts them on over his diaper but we are teaching him that he can't go to the bathroom in his diaper when he is wearing his underpants so he has been letting us know if he needs to go (after we ask him about 15 times if he needs to go.)

I am pretty excited to go to Kansas City this weekend. Even if all we do is hang out in the hotel watching football it will be nice because I won't have to be cooking or cleaning or caring for a 2 year old. I'm pretty stoked actually. And as for going to the Chiefs vs. Raiders game, after watching last nights Raiders game I have a pretty good feeling that the Raiders will be able to overcome the crappy Chiefs and mark a victory making my husband a happy man!

And this is definitely not the year of the celebrity. Everyone keeps dying. I'm not really for sure what it is but I think it may be global warming. Yeah, I'm gonna go with that.

To see other random thoughts check out Keely over at http://www.theunmom.com/2009/09/i-didnt-use-sniper-rifle-on-mouse-but.html

Fall is upon us

How do i know this? Well because professional football started this week. DUH! I love football. I know I have talked about this before, but seriously. I.Love.Football! I spend my week waiting for Sunday to just sit in front of the TV to watch it. I even told Leo this afternoon when the Deadskins (oh I'm sorry, the Redskins) were playing that he needed to leave me alone because I was watching my team. Parenting fail. BUt I don't care. You know why? Because the football season only lasts 20ish weeks. Depending on if I like any teams in the playoffs, which usually I do. But he also needs to learn how to play by himself...so I'm kinda giving him a life lesson. Are you ready for some football?

Music as a Weapon

I now know what this means. Last night we got Beatles Rock Band (it's amazing by the way) and I was playing with the hubby. Of course little man needs his guitar so he gets his out and sits next to me on the blanket. We start jamming and I must say that I really get into it. Swaying along, bobbing my head, singing along...anyways...and then all of a sudden BAM. I nailed Leo in the head with my guitar. It was on accident but I felt so bad. Not bad enough to pause the game though. I continued the song (100% I might add...) and then checked on him. He was fine. A little peeved that I didn't stop to nurse his wounds but whatever. On to the next song. Help! I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody. WAAAAAHHHH. Oh what now. Oh yeah, just poked Leo in the eye with my guitar. He was fine but my score was not. We only got 4 stars when we had gotten 5 on all the others. Bite me Beatles...I will get revenge on you and your little killer guitar too! Bwah hahahahaha.

New Old Favorite Thing

My new old favorite thing to do: Coloring.



I have always loved to color. But now being a mom, I actually get to do it again without feeling ridiculous. And I'm not talking grand pictures, I'm talking about the 5-in-1 Dora coloring book that I got to color Dora and Boots and I loved it! It was a little different being directed what color to paint what, but I managed! I may sneak in a little coloring time later tonight after Leo's in bed and I can have the coloring book all to myself! Ahhh...the joys of being a mom!

What's that sound

Question of the day: What do you not want to hear/see when you are awakened by your child in the middle of the night?

A) Crying
B) Coughing
C) Sleeping
D) All of the Above

My answer last night was D. I heard a crying and coughing kid in the next room so I went to go get him to give him either a breathing treatment or cough medicine or both and I arrived to see him still sleeping (or at least trying to) when I went in there. It was the most pathetic thing I have ever witnessed. It broke my heart. I went and got the breathing treatment machine and brought him into our room and got a movie for him to watch. He was hysterical and if anyone has asthma out there, they know that crying only intensifies the coughing. So I finally got him relaxed watching the Incredibles and then I turned the machine on and he flipped out. He's usually ok with the machine but last night he was not having any of it. So I waited for him to go to sleep to try to run it while he was sleeping. Apparently this machine was made by people who don't care about noise because it is so freaking loud. So of course it woke him up and he started freaking out again. Plan B...derailed. So I just got kicked and slept on the rest of the night. Oh well...who needs sleep.

Coming home to gloriousness

I came home last night to a glorious sight. The hubby had dinner ready and he had cleaned up the kitchen. It was pure amazing-ness. I had worked a 10 hour day and the night before had not had a very restful night. I was so happy I sat down, ate dinner and went to bed. Awesome. Sometimes it's the little things that are the best! I don't need flowers or candy (Lord knows I don't need candy!) but just little gestures like that just make me swoon! :)

My upcoming 4-day weekend

I am pretty stoked about having a 4-day weekend. It has made it pretty easy to come back from vacation less than a month ago to now have another mini-vacation. And then in about 2 weeks the hubby and I are going to KC for a trip to a football game and a weekend sans child. That will be fabulosity in itself! THe weekend should be pretty fun too! ;)

So I don't have any huge plans for this weekend but I am off Friday and I am meeting my bestie that used to work with me for lunch. I haven't seen her since she got back from her honeymoon in June and that is just ridiculous. I am excited to see her! I am also going to take Leo to the zoo. He loves being outside and going to the zoo and with the stupid awesome weather we have been having a zoo day is in order!

I originally thought that we should go to see the in-laws this weekend if they don't hit up the ICT (why I am writing ridiculous things I don't know...Probably because I am up at 3:15 hopped up on allergy medicine, but don't judge me monkey!) but the hubby didn't agree. He doesn't really like going home because it makes him sad when he leaves (don't tell him I told you this...) so I guess we will be hanging around the Derb. My dad wants to take Leo back to the lake so I think I will tag along. It will be nice because that means I can hang out at the lake while my dad and Leo play like 2 children. Leo loves him so much..it is really cute! Dad took him to the lake a few weekends ago and then my dad went back last weekend by himself. When I told Leo that grandpa was at the lake he asked me why Leo wasn't at the lake...cue the awwwws. It made my dad so happy! Other than the zoo and the lake I don't think much else will be hap-a-lapping. (Again, I'm sorry) So it should be a pretty good weekend all in all.

Wii Fit, more like Wii Monster

Oh. My. God. I woke up this morning so freaking sore. I can not believe that one 30-minute session on the wii fit has made me this sore. It is ridiculous. But I am getting back on the horse and either going for a walk tonight or dragging the ol' Wii Fit to confront my sore legs again. Yay me!

Day 1 of my new life

So this morning I was able to sleep in until 10 AM! Wow! That is the latest I think I have slept in the last 2 1/2 years. It was amazing. And then like I said...today I am officially turning over a new healthy leaf. So I got up, made the peanut butter brownie truffle (what it was for my family get-together, and I didn't even lick the bowl. I did however lick the beater) and worked out hardcore on the Wii Fit. Good lord I am out of shape. I was dripping sweat after running the 3 minutes for the solo run. Disgusting! I hate running as it is, but running on the Wii Fit and sweating? Ridiculous! Oh well...it is a start! I worked out for 30 minutes on the wii fit and then got ready for the family function I am going to today. It has been a good start! Yay Me!

I wish we had a bigger house

As I am sitting here at 12:12 AM typing this I am waiting to take a shower to wash the stink of dirty bar and stale cigarettes. Unfortunately my hubby wanted to do the same so I am waiting since we only have one bathroom. Just adding an extra bathroom would make me happy. How do I put that on my Christmas list...Dear Santa Claus...please leave me an extra shower for the occasional times this happens. I've been a good girl all year. I promise *with fingers crossed behind back*. Thanks! Love, Kendra.

T-minus 10 months

10 months until my brother's wedding. 10 months until I have to look gorgeous in a bridesmaid's dress (but not more than the bride of course!). 10 months until I am done being fed up with what I look like in pictures, the mirror, etc. Starting tomorrow I am Wii-fitting it up, eating healthier and getting on an exercise routine that will work for me. I am waiting until tomorrow because I am going out tonight, not because I'm a procrastinator. Ok, well maybe a little! Anyways...I am starting another spin class mid-September where I will go twice a week for 30 minutes. So that will only leave me 3-5 days that I need to fill with other sorts of exercises. I am going to take more walks since fall is swiftly approaching. I will get my money's worth from the Wii Fit. And I will not use the excuse of being too tired to not work out. This is where my bloggy friends come in! I want your feedback and I want your support! I know there are many others of you out there that want to exercise more. Not just to lose weight, but just to feel better about yourselves. Tell me what you do to accomplish those goals. Tell me what sort of exercise programs or videos, or whatever you are doing. And keep my lazy behind motivated! If I see other people are meeting their goals it will make me want to work even harder! My goal for the next week is to work out 4 days next week. I just want to get going and that is the goal I am setting for myself! To you and to me...GOOD LUCK! :)

Spin Cycle: Books for everyone

This weeks spin cycle is about books. Our favorite books, books we read, etc. I really don't have a favorite book or type of books. I like a little bit of everything. I think at this point of my life my favorite types of books are memoirs. I have read Jen Lancaster's books (I need to check out her newest one...Pretty in Plaid) and loved them. She is me, except much richer and has a better job! But I love her snarky ways, how she fits with her husband and just pretty much everything about her that she writes. I wish I lived where she was touring so I could stalk her! :) I also have read Lewis Black's memoir, again bitingly funny. I wish I had their ability to articulate how I felt most of the time! My blog is pretty lame if I do say so myself and as much as I think I'm witty, I am no writer!

Back to books though...I recently read 2 books in a trilogy by Kay Hooper. They are part of the Blood series...books about psychics in the FBI. I have written about them before so I won't go into it again, but check them out! Great books!

I also got hooked on the Harry Potter books. I started reading them in high school when they first came out. One of my Christmas presents a few years back were the books in hardback (ok, more like 7 or 8 years ago, but who's counting?). I'm a nerd. I was pretty excited about that! Also, since probably book 4 I have either been at the opening of the book store (before they had the midnight opening) or at the stores for their midnight sales and got the books! I will say, I did not participate in any of the shenanigans that were going on though. Those were for the small children I had to push out of the way to get my hands on a copy! And I won't deny having my husband wake up in the middle of the night and see me, clutching my Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and my book light sobbing because of the end of the book. Don't judge me!

And finally, I am a chick lit fanatic! I love all things chick lit! I like the light, fluffy reading material that I can finish in 24 hours. I also like the good (ususally) story lines that then lead to a good roll in the hay in the books. Because honestly...that doesn't happen in real life. As much as I wished it did real life does not usually have the sugary-sweet ending that most of these books do. But it is nice to transport myself in a world that usually has a happy ending!

If you want to see what other people are reading or like to read check them out over at http://www.spriteskeeper.com/my_weblog/2009/08/spin-cycle-book-em-dano.html

Corner office please

It's days like today I wish I had an office. I am holed up in a small bank branch located inside a grocery store. Space is limited to say the least. Today was my first day back from vacation and I just holed up in the back room, wedged in between the cash and coin vaults and stared at the computer almost all day. My vacation was great but it also felt nice to get back to work. Not having an extremely emotional 2-year-old was nice, but today I got to deal with extremely emotional 20-somethings. Sometimes I wonder which is the better choice. At least my son really doesn't understand how to behave 100% of the time. But back to my hole...I had to deal with all of the drama that happened in the 9 days I was gone since somebody still feels the need to be on maternity leave! I had to figure out schedules, put away the supplies that had been delivered last week that no one felt the need to put away, ditto with the travelers checks that were received. (I swear...no one does anything around there unless I specifically tell them too. It's kind of annoying...again, going back to the which is better, 2 or 20 year old.) Listen to people complain about their schedules that haven't even been made...I'm pretty sure no one bothers to see that I'm working a 7:30-8. Yeah, an 11.75 hour day. Pretty fabulous. Gotta love those! I'll just complain to you guys! You are my refuge away from work! those people...I'll continue to call them that. One person said they missed me, but just a little bit. I definitely did respond to her and said that I only kind of missed them. I get no respect I tell ya! Well that was my Monday. I don't really have much going on the rest of the week. I will be posting some pictures from my vacation so you can be jealous of all the fun times I had! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

MIA

Missing in action...not the crazy pop singer. Sorry I've been MIA this week. Vacation has been fun yet crazy at the same time. And today I am semi-celebrating my 5th weddding anniversary. (only semi-celebrating because we are going out to dinner tomorrow!) 5 years ago today I married the love of my life. Even though we argue, scream, punch (no, I'm just kidding, just punch! ;) ] I still can't wait to come home and talk to him at the end of my day. I'm still glad that he gives me butterflies in my stomach when I've had a crappy day. And I'm definitely glad we're great in the sack. I'm just kidding mom. We don't have sex. It was totally an immaculate conception! :) Anyways...here's to 5 years of a great thing and about 45 more to come. I'm saying 45 because I really don't want to live past 70. Too many tubes, surgeries, weird ailments...more on that on a different day! :)

I don't think I should have done that

Do you ever do things that you probably know you shouldn't have done but you did it anyways? Yeah, I did that today at work. Well, I wasn't even at work but I had someone do something for me under my name and I hope it doesn't come back to bite me. I kind of just want to go back in time with a rewind button and fix it. Oh well...stuff happens. What can you do?

If I could live in a different time...

I went to music theater last night and saw the Drowsy Chaperone. It is a new(ish) play that originated in Canada and then moved to Broadway. It is very funny and I think everyone should see it! But...it is about an older gentleman who is alone and has the blues so he busts out an old record and it transports him back in time to the 1920s where he is seeing the whole tale take place in his living room. It made me think about if I could have lived in a different time when would it be.
I think living in the 1920s would have been fabulous because they had electricity but it was a more relaxed time period (I think!). They also had fabulous clothes and just the way people behaved (you know, I'm just basing this off of what I have read about in books and seen in movies...real educated!). I also think the 60s would have been great. Free love, peace, awesome music. Yeah...also the 60s had a time where there were actually politicians that believed in what they were saying. Just seeing how people reacted to Martin Luther King, RFK and JFK...their speeches, their deaths...just amazing how you could see them and felt like there was something to believe in. I wish we had that now. No one screams to me, hey listen to me...I'm saying something important. Yeah, not so much. Anyways...I was going to do a murder-mystery dinner thing for my birthday, which sadly passed 2 months ago but I think I am really going to do it soon and I will probably get a story based out of one of those 2 eras so I can dress up and pretend for the night that I am living there! I'm a nerd...whatever!

Funny feelings

So for the spin cycle this week we are supposed to intro our favorite post. I don't know that this is my favorite one but I still feel like this sometimes and I'm sure everyone else does too...so here you go...a previous spin for a new spin!

So as I was laying in bed trying to figure out what to write about in conjunction with this weeks spin from Jen over at Sprites Keeper when I heard a knocking sound and my dog growling. So my heart started to race a little bit. And the sound just kept happening. Then I heard the wind rustling the trees. And then my mind started to wander. It went to the place where I rolled over in bed and saw an intruder standing in my living room. I scrambled to get out of bed and push my dresser and bed against the door happy that I had my cell phone so I could call 911. The intruder goes into the kitchen and grabs a knife and is trying to open the door with the knife. Why? Who knows! But then reality sets in and I realize my imagination is a funny thing. I go let my dog out and what a shock...there are people hammering on my neighbors shed. Maybe I should be a fiction writer! Except the only material I would get would be about 5 pages. Not much more.It's funny how your mind can turn a mole hill into a mountain.
Working at a bank, we are supposed to "practice" what we would do in case of a robbery. I don't think the bank would appreciate me wetting my pants once a month just to practice what I would do. We all have scenarios in our mind what we would do in case of a fire, or in case our kids or family members are in serious trouble but my mind always takes me to a place where they are always rescued but the scenarios are outrageous. Nothing like, oh Leo fell off his bike and broke his arm. They were when he was a baby and the house was on fire and I had to run through the burning hallway and then jump out of the window with him hoping he would safely make it from a 7ish foot drop. I guess maybe our minds are helping us because if we can survive that we can survive the little things.

Friend or Foe

Isn't life funny? I think it is. Just thinking about growing up with an extremely annoying older brother who was 3 years older than me. I couldn't stand him and him me. We fought constantly and our parents yelled at us to stop yelling at each other constantly! I think the funniest (and moment I will never forget) moment was when my brother and I were arguing with each other in the backseat. I'm sure the argument went something like this...

Me: He's touching me

Brock: I'm not touching her, I just have my finger right by her face.

Me: Mom, tell him to quit...he's touching me...wah wah wah.

And then the most ridiculous thing happened that shut us the heck up. My mom slammed on the breaks and dropped the F-bomb. Now, my mother is a woman of peace. She does not cuss, and is usually the pretty calm one. When this happened we just shut right up because the ish was about to hit the fan. I don't really remember what happened after that. If we got in trouble when we got home or if we just quietly skirted to our rooms to make sure that D-Day wouldn't happen that day.

But this is where it gets funny...my brother and I are very close now. Not close where we talk to each other daily or anything like that but the big stuff that matters we actually talk about. Have normal conversations. I watch his kid and he can watch mine. I'm going to be in his wedding next summer as a bridesmaid (obviously for his fiancee and not him) but still. He has respect enough in me that he wants me in it. And he of course was in my wedding. Funny how a few (10-15) years ago we hated each others guts but when something goes down he will be one of the first I call or email. It's nice to have him and his family close by so if I want to see him I can. Or if I have something to give him I can swing by. It's just nice that we don't have to have our mom screaming at us to get along. Maybe we should be thanking her for not pushing us together but letting us come together. Whatever way...he is definitely my friend!

My family (Brock, dad, mom, me and little man Mothers Day 2007)

If you want to hear other people talk about their friends head over to Sprite's Keeper www.spriteskeeper.com/my_weblog/2009/07/spin-cycle-friendship-friendship-just-the-perfect-blendship.html

I've got baby fever

But I can definitely hold out on my baby-making mindset. My boss just had a baby and we are friends in real life so I actually get to see him and play with him. Well, at least when she lets me! And I just found out today great news that one of my dear cousins is going to have a baby. So that will give me a good year with boss baby and then another year with new family baby! You know since I like to steal babies it's all good! :) Well only for a few hours because then my two year old gets all jealous and decides to dogpile his cousin to get all the attention. Probably wouldn't work for a small child. That will set me up perfectly for the great baby-making plan of 2011. No people...I'm not crazy. Just well organized. I have to be! I figured, if I get prego around February of 2011 I would have said baby around November. This works out perfectly because in my line of work as a banker we are considered "retail" even though we don't sell jack diddly. So, of course November and December are not times that we are really allowed to take vacation. So no holidays to play with family! SO, if I had baby in November then I could save my sick time, plus use 2 weeks of vacation from 2011 and stay on leave until the end of the year plus if I really wanted to I could use 2 weeks of vacation from the next year to extend my leave even further! That would be totally awesome! Ok, you can now call me a dork or even creepy and I don't care! I'm just hoping I can hold out that long! :)

On a side note...I did see my boss today and her cute, sweet baby boy. I held him and cuddled him. Then I smelled my hand (not on purpose...I'm not that creepy!) and the first thought that popped in my head was, oh my gosh, my son is going to be just like a pet, smell the new baby smell on me and think, where the hell has she been holding other kids. That is so not cool! Ok, yeah, now you can really call me a dork!

Small child...might harm

Anyone that has ever been not living under a rock has heard the phrase terrible twos. You always think that this will be something that you can handle. And I'm sure people do. Obviously that is how little kids grow up. My child has now entered the phase of his terrible twos. But they aren't every day all day things. And I think that is what is killing me. If I had a child that was terrible all the time then I would not find it so alarming when he just comes up and kicks me in the spine while I am watching TV. Or when I try to punish him by sitting him in the corner and whatever is closest to his grubby little paws comes dangerously close to giving me a black eye, broken nose, broken face, etc. And I definitely wouldn't mind if I had a small child that would just sit quietly and play with his toys, or color or watch a movie for longer than ten minutes. Right now I am listening to peace and quiet and I am more than a little worried because he is not sleeping so I am wondering what he is doing. (Obviously not too worried if I am still blogging! )

The thing that kills me though is that he is the perfect angel 70% of the time and the other 30% is what drives me bonkers and makes me want to drop-kick the little runt! He tells me when he is getting in trouble...I be nice...only to not be nice in the upcoming 5 minutes. I know he is just trying to get out of trouble for the time being, but that cute little, innocent face just stares at me and I can't keep him in trouble for too long. Also, as a 2-year-old there is only so much discipline or bargaining you can do. I can tell him he won't get to go to storytime if he misbehaves, but if he is misbehaving the only thing I want to do is get him out of the house because he almost always behaves in public. I know that is not the right way to look at things but if he's out of the house he will behave and he won't be grating on my last nerve.

What do you people think? Are 2-year-olds honestly responsible for their behavior? Do you think you can reason with them? If so, does anyone have any extra room for a little munchkin for the rest of the summer? :)

Can you be one way without the other

So, lately the hubby has been on a cleaning tear. And not like, oh hon, we need to clean out the garage, or pick up our mess. He just decides he wants to clean and then gets pissy because I'm sitting on my lazy behind watching tv. Well I understand why he gets mad but I am not always in a cleaning mood. On the other hand, I like a clean kitchen. I'm not talking Stepford, with counters clean and shiny trash always empty, etc. I'm talking no dirty dishes left out, etc. I'm trying really hard to keep it clean. So tonight I told hubby, 2 choices: Give the monster a bath or clean up the kitchen. We both got off early so dinner was done and finished eating by 6:30. He chose neither. I got to give the bath and cook and clean up the kitchen. Very frustrating. Especially when I worked just as long today and have to work just as long tomorrow. Just help out a little even when you're not in the mood. We all do a little give and take! :)

an answer for everything

So, this week has been crazy busy. I have worked 4 open to closes and have to go in for 2 hours today to cover a couple of lunches. I'm annoyed, but ok with it. Next week I am working an open to close and then one day I have a meeting in the morning so I am working 7:30am-8:15pm. Again, I'm ok with it because for 2 of those hours I won't be doing anything but pretending to listen to people talk about stuff i don't care about. The thing that does annoy me is when a customer asked me what my hours were on Monday and I told him 10-3 he made the comment about only working a 5 hour day. I just responded that was how the schedule worked out, but what I really wanted to shout was to stop being such an a-hole and look at the rest of my week. But I didn't. Because customers are always right. *snort*

Monday already?

Oh sweet weekend? Where did you go? Oh yeah, you reared your ugly head and told me to have a really lousy weekend because apparently I needed the added stress that is manager going and having her baby a week early. Right in the middle of a play that I was thourougly enjoying!

Yep, you heard it here! I was at music theater and during intermission I was getting on my phone to check out Olive Gardens menu since I would be dining there later that evening when I saw I had 4 text messages. All from said boss. She told me I jinxed her because the night before I asked her how she was doing and she responded saying G2 was doing as he was supposed to. Little did we know fate would intervene and Nolan Gillen was born yesterday. My second half of Kiss Me Kate was ruined because my head was running over possible schedule scenarios trying to replace her in our schedule. I did still end up going to the Olive Garden to eat dinner with some girls I graduated college with and my life is going infinitely better than theirs (knock on wood.) One of them, her dad just died last week and the other one told us she got a divorce (or that her husband divorced her). You could tell the pain was still there. Those stories are a different post in themselves though. So, I left dinner refreshed yet pained by my friends pain. I ran home, got my son and skedaddled up to the hospital to meet the little bundle of joy. He has a head full of dark hair (funny because his brother probably din't have that much hair until he was almost 2! And he is blonde!) She is dark headed and her husband is blonde so they now have one of each! Anywho...then after the hospital we stopped by the grocery store to pick up Band-Aids and Benadryl because my 2-year old is covered in mosquito bites. I actually made him wear a coat in 97 degree heat because he wouldn't quit scratching them. Poor little thing. And then my husband made me completely paranoid because on the bottle of Benadryl it says not to give to 2-5 year olds without talking to your dr. and I told him my mom said it was ok but then I had to google it because I'm crazy like that. Then I stayed up until almost 11 trying to find the best possible scenarios for the week!

Then this morning I woke up and said mosquito bites were no better and I had a text already telling me that someone was calling in. Fabulosity! Happy monday! I hope everyone elses weekend was great! And I also hope everyone has a great week!

Am I weird or am I normal

So, this weeks spin cycle topic is about routines. I don't feel like I have that much of a routine to get my day started because my times that I go into work are different most days. But one routine that I follow is how I make dinner. If I get off work early enough that I am home by 5 or 5:30 I pretty much have a routine. I will start the meat (either preparing it or actually cooking it) and then E-O and I will sit down and watch a little Dora on Noggin at 6. Then about 6:15 I will usually start preparing the rest of the meal so that way it will be ready when the hubby gets home from work around 6:40-7 (depending on how busy his day is). I feel that way, when he walks in the door we are ready to sit down and eat. And depending on what I made I will try and have the kitchen cleaned up as much as possible so after dinner I can just sit on my butt. I just feel like sitting down to eat dinner together is an important thing I want to share with the monster. Even if most days we will sit in front of the TV because he can't really discuss with me what he did that day! If you want to see other peoples routines and quirks check out Sprites Keeper at http://www.spriteskeeper.com/

Friday...already?

I am thankful it is Friday but then it puts me in panic mode. One week from today my boss will be leaving us for (at least) 10 weeks to go and have a stinking baby! :) That puts me in charge of two branches. And I feel like EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. there are situations I find myself in that I have no idea what the heck I'm doing. And the last time she went on maternity leave and left someone else in charge other mangers thought she asked too many questions and has not been promoted. So that makes me feel even more anxious to see how I will do. I feel like I have a lot of people in other departments that I can rely on to help me transition into "manager" mode. But I also think that the staff that is surrounding me doesn't really treat me like a superior and I don't want to have to make them understand that. I was told that I could write employees up for offages, insubordination, etc. but I really don't want to do that. And I have to do reviews for a few employees while she is away. Yikes! So if I come back and rag on here about what a crappy mood I'm in for the next 10 weeks you will understand! :) Hope everyone else has a great weekend! Mine will be pretty busy with work and music theater!

Scary nights

Leo in his big boy bed

So Monday night we got my monkey a new "big boy" bed. And he was so excited! And we put the baby gate in the hallway so he couldn't escape. First night went off without a hitch. He didn't get up all night long. He slept in his bed and he was so proud of himself. Second night...not so well. I put him to bed about 8:45 and I went to sleep around 10. What felt like hours later I heard Leo screaming his hed off. The hubby went and got him (I don't know if he had still been awake or if the screaming woke him up). It turned out it was only midnight but felt much later! Anyways...I laid in bed for a little bit and he just kept crying. I finally went into his room to see what was up. I still don't know what was wrong with him but even after we brought him into our room (which normally calms him down quickly) he continued to cry. I even fell back asleep and woke up not much later to him laying down with his eyes closed crying. I don't know if he was having like a night terror or what, but he was pretty much asleep. I tried to rub his back and he went all exorcist on me telling me to stop. So weird. So we will try again with the big boy bed tonight and hopefully it goes much better. If anyone has suggestions or ideas as to what might have been causing that, let me know, cause I was more than just a little freaked out!