Days of My Life...

 

 

After running my 2 miles this morning (which should have been 3), I got home and let the dogs outside.  Once back inside the house I did some quick push-ups (I can actually do BOY push-ups now!  Yay me!!) and stretches to finish out my morning routine.  As I was fixin’ to head upstairs to get ready for work, I noticed something gross on the floor in my living room.  Here is the conversation that followed…a conversation I had with myself…

 

Did someone (dog) throw up on my floor? 

 

Or potty?? 

 

Little bastards! 

 

I just took your little bastard-asses outside!!

 

At this point I was forced to inspect further as H was upstairs in the shower and the kiddos were already at school….

 

What in the hell is that???

 

Ewwwwwwww!  Are those little rodent feet I see?

 

Oh, you poor little fella....you’ve been dead for awhile, haven’t you...?

 

How in the hell did you end up on my living room floor?!

 

Oh no!!!  Mousey?  Is that you??

 

Oh Dear God, please don’t let it be mousey...

 

Poor, poor mousey....you never had a chance in this f’ing household full of killers....

 

KILLERS! 

 

Damn you, killer cat!!

 

Or dog!

 

Whoever killed mousey, DAMN YOU!

 

Ummmm.....you can’t be mousey....you’re too big! 

 

And too dark in color!! 

 

But maybe that’s just because of the decay...?

 

Damn, that thing has been dead awhile....

 

Omg, that is so gross...!

 

Is there seriously a dead, decaying rodent laying on my living room floor right now?

 

W. T. F?!

 

At least it’s not mousey!

 

Thank you Jesus!!

 

Oh look, he has a long, skinny nose...

 

He must be a MOLE!

 

I’m so smart....do I know my rodents, or do I know my rodents...

 

I know my rodents, dammit.

 

I have a dead, decaying MOLE laying on my living room floor.... in all his glory.....

 

That is so f’ing  jacked up...

 

H!

 

H!! 

 

AAAAYYYCHHHH, g’dammit!!!

 

Since I got no response from H, I ran upstairs totally freaking out and then had this conversation with him:

 

Me:  There’s a dead mole on the living room floor!  Hurry!!  Go get it!!!

 

H:  There’s a dead what?

 

Me:  MOLE!  There’s a dead MOLE on the living room floor!  Hurry and get it!!

 

H:  How did a dead mole get into the living room?

 

Me:  How in the hell am I suppose to know?  Hurry up and go get it, PLEASE!

 

H:   Why do I need to hurry?  If it’s dead it’s not going anywhere....

 

Me:  OMG!  You can’t just leave a freakin’ dead MOLE on the living room floor!  That’s totally disgusting!!  And I have to disinfect the carpets....and I don’t want to be disinfecting dead-mole-infested carpets after I take a shower!  That’s freakin’ GROSS!!

 

H:  (laughing) Then why don’t you go get it yourself?

 

Me:  OMG!  Are you freakin’ kidding me right now?   I don’t DO moles...hello?!

 

The mole was finally disposed of and the carpets were cleaned.  I still don’t know how the mole got into the house, but I’m guessing Tink probably killed it and left it somewhere outside and Tiffany Suzanne picked it up (disgusting!!) and brought it into the house and dumped it on my living room floor.  Therefore, Tiffany Suzanne was disinfected along with the carpet.  Gross.

 

Until next time, these are the days of my life.  Stay tuned for more!

 

Be great!

 

 

Eleven years ago today I received the most precious gift of my life ~ my daughter.  I couldn’t believe how much I loved her when I finally got the chance to meet her.  She instantly became my everything and continues to be the core of my existence.  I am thankful beyond words for being given the opportunity to be her mom.  It is what I was put on this earth to do. 

 

 

 

Today I celebrate the day God entrusted her to my care.  

 

 

 

 Today I celebrate the blessing of her life.

 

 

 

Today I celebrate the amazing little girl that she is.

 

 

 

And the young lady she is becoming.

 

 

 

I pray for continued health, love, and happiness in her life.

 

 

 

Today…

 

 

 

 

And always…

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!  Mommy loves you more than the whole entire world. 

 

 Until next time, these are the days of my life.....

 

Be great!

 

 

 

 

My trip to Perdido Key was fabulous!  We had a sweet little condo right on the beach with a heated pool for the kidlets and a workout room so I could keep up with my triathlon training.  The weather was a little on the cool side a few days, but we enjoyed time on the beach and at the pool everyday.  We took walks, looked for shells, flew kites, swam, played beach baseball, built sandcastles, and sea turtles, and seahorses and even a crab!  We went night-crawling, ate some delicious seafood, and drank a few cold corona’s, ahhhhh.... J  H and Belle went deep sea fishing one day and came home with some fresh fish that we cooked up one night, yummm!  And we went out for oysters three times.  Love me some oysters!!  Ah, my kids ate oysters too for the first time!  How cool is that?!  It was a very nice, very relaxing vacation.  It was very difficult to come home and get back into the swing of things here! 

 

So we got home late afternoon on Saturday, unpacked the car, picked up animals from pet-sitters, packed up again and headed to my mother’s house for Easter!  We spend every Easter Eve at my mom’s house with my oldest sister and her family.  The kids color eggs and my sister and I drink wine and assemble baskets once they’re all in bed.  It’s so much fun!  Luckily I did all of my Easter shopping before I went on vacation so the “Easter Bunny” was totally prepared.  One year I forgot to do that and I had a hell of a time shopping for Easter goodies the night before Easter!  Easter day was spent with my family…big dinner, egg hunt for the kiddos, etc…  The kids had a super fun time!  I have no idea how I managed to reel them back in from a week at the beach, a late night at Grammy’s, and a crazy, fun-filled day with way too much sugar and running wild with cousins, to be ready for school the next morning… J  We’re *so* ready for summer around here! 

 

Speaking of which, my first of two triathlons is coming up in 6 short weeks!  Oh joy!!  While I’m sorry to say that I didn’t keep up with my swimming/biking/running as I should have these past 6 months, I am happy to announce that my ass has become reacquainted with my bike seat (ouch!) and I’m running and swimming 2-3 times a week again.  I rode my bike at my favorite park the other day and managed to eat about 7 bugs during my 9-mile ride.  Well, maybe not 7.  Maybe it was more like 9.  Or 10.  I don’t know how many, I just know that it is so gross to accidentally ingest multiple bugs!  There are certain parts of the trail where swarms of these gnat-flies hover in masses.  I started ducking my head through these parts in an attempt to escape accidental ingestion and massive pelting of these disgusting gnat-flies, but still my glossed lips (yes, glossed lips even on a bike ride!) acted as fly paper, and my mouth ~ like a venus fly trap.  Seriously, I choked on gnat flies, spit them out of my mouth, and picked them off of my glossy lips while riding!  My lips, by the way, were no longer glossy by the end of my ride…I spit/wiped it all off by the time it was over and done with.  So yeah, training is going GREAT!  Love me some gnat-flies, blog people.…. J

 

Other than that, life continues at break-neck speed.  Been super busy with baseball games and lacrosse, all of which have been lots of fun!  Took the boys and friends to the lake this past weekend.  We found a nice sandy beach where the boys played football and kickball, swam, climbed rocks and trekked through the woods.  Me?  I did what I do best.  I lounged.  It was glorious!  Oh, while there I also got a look at the bike path I’ll be riding during triathlon #1.  It is going to kick my ass.  I’ll leave it at that. 

 

Until next time, these are the days of my life….stay tuned for more!

 

Be great!

 

 

 

Well, not really on 34^th Street, but a miracle nonetheless.  Isabelle Rose, my bug-girl extraordinaire, lover of all things fury and/or creepy-crawly, signed up for cheerleading this past weekend.  What’s up with that?!  Don’t ask me, I haven’t a clue.  As you might remember she cheered for 1 year in 3^rd grade.  That was the year I got back into coaching and coached her team.  She spent most of her time climbing trees, digging in the dirt, catching bugs and then scaring the other girls with them.  I know, I know, she’s special like that.  J  Anyway, my little darling of a cheerleader (and I use the term lightly) determined that she “hated” the sport (a word not even allowed out of my children’s mouths!) and never wanted to do it again.  So what’s with the change of heart this year?  Again, I’m not sure.  It’s not because she loves the sport or even likes it, because she doesn’t.  I’m thinking it might be because she’s started running around with some new girls at her school and some of those girls are cheering.  Whatever the reason, I was happy to oblige her request.  She knows that once she signs up for something she will see it through to the end regardless if she loves it or “hates” it.  This should be interesting…  I will be coaching her team again this year.  This will be my 4^th year coaching this particular group of girls.  Wish me luck!

 

Speaking of my cheerleaders, in the wonderful world of facebook, I have recently been reconnected with many of the girls I coached years and years ago.  Along with my bestie, Renee, I coached a group of girls for several years from about the time they were 10-13 years old.  In all of my coaching experience this was one of my favorite groups of girls ever.  Parents too!  Just awesome.  We had some incredible experiences with this group and while we kept in touch with several of them over the years, eventually we pretty much lost contact.  Until technology stepped in…  Thank you, facebook!  We have been reunited!!  Holy cow, these “little girls” of ours are now all grown up.  Unbelievably so!  They’re beautiful.  And smart.  And successful.  Some are now engaged.  Some are already married!  Some went on to cheer in college.  Most have already graduated college.  One is going for her Phd.  One is traveling the world…!  It’s amazing.  Especially to hear them remark how much they loved cheering for Renee and I and that we were the best coaches they ever had.  Sweet.  Coaching is a beautiful thing when you know you have something to contribute to the sport.  Helping to mold an athlete is a glorious thing.  Watching these girls grow up into happy, healthy, successful adults and knowing that we helped influence the person they are today…priceless.  We’re planning a reunion sometime this summer with them.  I can’t wait!!

 

Beach trip in 2 days.  Yay!!  I’m looking forward to it, but I have a bit of…oh I don’t know, I’m just feeling a little funky about it.  Ridiculous, I know.  Who in their right mind feels “funky” about going to the beach?!  I need my head examined… 

 

Went to therapy today.  I mean I had girls lunch today with my triangle girls!  Good therapy session.  I mean lunch!  The girls are helping me through the “funkiness” spoken about above, putting me on the path of non-funk.  I’m sure I’ll get there soon…it’ll just take a little bit of time.  Isn’t life all about getting to the other side only to be faced with another mountain to climb?  I don’t so much mind the climb as long as I don’t encounter dumb-f*cks along the way.  And I will gladly face that next mountain.  Just as soon as I dust this one first…  Wish me luck. J

 

Before signing off I’d like to make an announcement….  I am going to be a bridesmaid!!!  I know, that announcement sucks.  I have a much better one to make…  My beautiful friend Renee just got engaged to the most amazing man.  She will be married sometime later this summer or fall in a quaint ceremony on the beach…  I am happy for her beyond words.  She’s one of the most deserving women I know and her future hubby is very lucky to have her ~ as she is to have him.  They’re a match.  Each other’s puzzle pieces.  Peanut butter, meet jelly.  Yes, that kind of a match.  My heart has been smiling since I heard the news and will continue to do so until the moment she becomes his Mrs.  Congratulations, Nay!  I’m so happy for you, words could never convey.  Love you lots and I’m totally looking forward to planning this baby!  Owwwwwwwww!!!  [insert rock-star hands here]  Triangle girls ~ ACTIVATE!  /\

 

 

 

 

Until next time, these are the days of my life. 

 

 

Be great!        

 

Tuesday was my birthday.  Happy birthday to me!  My kidlets made 3 of the sweetest birthday cards for me telling me how much they love me and that I’m the best mom in the whole world.  I love them…J  Tuesday we did an early dinner out before Belle had her lacrosse practice.  Then on Wednesday, we went bowling to celebrate my special day.  That was the kids’ idea, although I must admit since becoming addicted to Wii bowling (as in the video game), I’ve been dying to go real bowling.  I’ve come to the realization that I should stick with Wii because I suck at real bowling!  But it was a fun time ~ the kids had a blast.

 

I am a week away from my beach trip!  I cannot wait!!  I’ve got 5 million things to do before we leave, however, and I’m just trying to figure out how I’m gonna get it all done.  Of course cleaning, organizing, and rearranging my entire house is on my list of things-to-do.  Why do I always do that to myself before a big trip?  I think I have issues…

 

Speaking of issues, in addition to my latest Food Network addiction, I’ve recently become addicted to ebay as well.  I know, I know…ebay has been in existence forever.  How did I just now jump on this most wonderful bandwagon?!  Oh ebay, how I do love thee…let me count the ways…  Isabelle’s birthday is coming up at the end of April.  She’s asking for a Vera Bradley bag.  This is the funny thing about Belle ~ while she’s the most tom-boyish kind of a girl I know, she’s got this other side to her that is slowly starting to emerge.  That would be the side of ~ the finer things in life.  At Christmas time, she insisted on the most expensive pair of shoes.  Actually, she started asking for those suckers months before that.  I just made her wait until Christmas and yes, I got them on ebay for a fourth of the cost I would have paid at the mall.  So now it’s “Vera Bradley”.  Well, for what she’s wanting, a Vera Bradley would cost close to a hundred bucks if I went out and bought it brand new.  So I decided to check on ebay.  I so totally scored the cutest bag AND matching clutch for 40 bucks (including shipping) whereas I would have paid at least 3 times that if I went out and bought the bags locally.  But it’s not just getting good deals on ebay that totally rocks, no, no, no!  It’s the game of the bidding wars.....  It is a very powerful thing, my friends, and once engaged, I cannot lose a bidding war!  And after winning something (“winning” ~ as if I’m not paying for the stuff…), I feel the need to jump up and down and sing and point fingers at those poor souls whose bidding skillz are inferior to mine!  I know, I scare myself.  Perhaps I need to take a few days away from ebay.  Right after I win that queen-size down comforter…J

 

Not much else to report so I’ll tell a quick kid-story.  Yesterday I took the kids to the grocery store with me to pick up a few odds and ends.  One of the things we needed to get was a tomato.  Noah’s class is doing the play, “Stone Soup” and he needed to bring in a veggie to contribute to the pot of stone soup they were making the next day.  So we make our way to the tomatoes and I tell him to pick one out…and after several minutes of him picking through tomatoes (what in the hell was he looking for?!), I told him to pick the one he wanted and put it in the bag and to meet me in the next isle over.  I left all 3 kiddos there at the tomatoes and went about my shopping.  A few minutes later, Belle came running up to me and said:

 

Belle:  “Mom!  Noah went behind the counter where only the workers are allowed to go and he asked some man, “Can I help you sir?”  And Ross…Ross just laid on the ground and rolled around on a tomato that was on the floor.  Now he has tomato seeds all over the back of his shirt!!”

 

Me: (I am left speechless, trying to figure out exactly what just happened…forget that Noah accosted a random shopper behind the worker’s counter…did she just say that Ross ROLLED AROUND ON THE FLOOR IN TOMATO?!)         

 

At this point I just wanted to get out of the store as quickly as possible.  I caught a glance of Ross and yes indeed, the back of his shirt was covered in tomato juice and a few seeds.  Wth?!  I also noticed that he had his shirt on backwards.  I guess he wore it like that all day?  Weird kid…  So I continued my shopping and saw a man coming up the isle who was riding on one of those motorized shopping cart thingys.  Then I noticed Noah staring at him so we went through the conversation of why it’s not nice to stare at people…and that no, not all “old guys” have to ride on motorized carts…and that no, he was not allowed to ride on a motorized shopping cart…etc, etc…  Onward with shopping and I‘m about halfway down the next isle when Noah’s tomato and it’s plastic bag go flying through the air past me and end up on the ground about 30 feet in front of me!  Wha?!  Why are my boys rolling around in and throwing tomatoes?!  Where did they come from??  Apparently he was swinging the bag around in circles and he lost his grip and the thing went flying.  So of course he got reprimanded and I made him put the tomato in the buggy.  Onward once again with my shopping and I was near the finish line of this most unusual and a bit disturbing grocery store trip.  Noah was walking behind me (which is why I didn’t notice that he had taken back possession of his tomato) and motorized cart man was coming down the isle headed towards me.  It all happened so fast…something whizzed by me and all of a sudden motorized cart man GETS NAILED IN THE CHEST BY A FLYING TOMATO!  Am I dreaming right now, because I really don’t want this to be my life…?  I couldn’t speak.  I just stood there looking at motorized cart man who looked as stunned as me.  Then I turned around to look at Noah whose eyes were bulging out of his head in shock, hands over his mouth.  Still, I couldn’t speak.  Or move.  Noah went rushing over to retrieve his tomato and told motorized cart man that he was sorry, then hanging his head, he made his way over to me and put the tomato back in the buggy.  I then told motorized cart man that I was very sorry.  He just looked at me for the heathen mother that I am, still a little confused I think as to what just happened, then scooted his way past us.  I could have hung Noah upside-down by his toes, I was SO mad!!!  

 

I recommend boys to everyone out there contemplating having children.  I *really* recommend having them in pairs of two….

 

...because two is better than one!  

 

Thank goodness y’all are so dang cute...otherwise I’d have to give you away to the gypsies.... J

 

Until next time, these are the days of my life…..stay tuned for more!

 

 

Be great! 

 

 

 

 

If this was a red flag...

 

 

 

Then this should have been red flag #2...

 

 

 

 

Poor Pippy Squeak can’t catch a break…first Tiffany Suzanne and now Tink…  It’ll be a miracle if that poor mouse lives to see next week!  The cat had Pippy’s cage turned upside down the other day with the water bottle spilled out so that a huge hole remained wide open and available for an escape or attack.  Luckily H discovered mousey’s predicament before an atrocity occurred.  Dear God, if someone eats that mouse…..

 

 

From the mouth of Noah ~

 

 

The other morning Noah and Ross climb into bed with me for some cuddle time, my two little sweetums… J  Then Noah asked me this:

 

Noah:  “Mom, when you were born, were you black or white?”

 

Me:  “Well honey, I was white.  If you’re born white then you stay white.  If you’re born black then you stay black.”

 

Noah:  “Well…what happens if you’re born red?!” 

 

As I’ve written before, my boys are slightly obsessed with color ~ as in the color of people.  They’re also obsessed with people’s ages.  And sizes.  They love them some old people…and big people…but I digress…  I just think it’s their curious nature and the fact that they’re excited and maybe a bit perplexed to know that people come in so many different shades and colors!  They often refer to a person using a color to describe them ~ as in “that white lady” or “that brown guy”.  Since they just got done celebrating black history month in school, they’ve been particularly curious about white people and black people specifically.  They’re most confused by the fact that segregation existed not so long ago and it’s a hard concept for them to grasp.  I believe this explains why Noah’s first question above was followed up by this…

 

Noah: “Well, when were you born?”

 

Mom: “I was born in 1971”

 

Noah: “Well, when were you a kid…like when were you 12 or something?”

 

Mom: “Ummm, sometime in the 1980’s”

 

Noah: “Could you play with black kids?”

 

Mom: “Oh, of course, honey!”

 

Noah: “Well, in the 1980’s, would you have Tiffany Suzanne?” [note: Tiffany Suzanne was also in the bed with us…joy!…]

 

Mom: “Well no, baby.  Tiffany Suzanne wasn’t born then so I couldn’t have had her…”

 

Noah: “Noooo, I mean could you have black pets like Tiffany Suzanne?”

 

Mom: “Ohhhh, yes...  People could always have whatever color of pet they wanted.”

 

(How could you not love this…)

 

 

Also from the mouth of Noah….while sitting at the dinner table at a restaurant last Friday night, Noah tells his grandmother very matter-of-factly…

 

Noah: “My friend, bad-kid [obviously his name is not bad-kid, but he is one so we’ll refer to him as such], had to sit out of the game on Saturday because he got in trouble at school for kicking some white guy in the nuts…he kicked him in the nuts and got in trouble.…”

 

I guess he didn’t think we heard him the first time…  Please note that he referred to the kickee as “white guy”.  In Noah and Ross’ world, all boys are called “guys” and all girls are called “ladies”.  I’m constantly reminding them that little girls are not ladies…ugh…!       

 

Last night at the dinner table while having our round-table-discussion, Noah says this…

 

Noah: “My friend, broken-ankle-boy, spent the night at so-and-so’s house…and stepped in crap when he was there…”

 

Nice.  All I can say is that at least I’m in good company.  My brother has a little boy who just turned 3.  Allow me to relay some of their recent conversations with said baby….

 

            Baby: “Is butt a bad word??”

 

            S-i-l: “Well, it’s not a very nice word…”

 

            Baby: “Yeah but, is it better than ass?”

 

So the baby’s been sick the past few days and as a result ended up on breathing treatments a couple of times a day.  My brother was giving him his breathing treatment yesterday when the baby had this to say…..

 

            Baby: “Am I done yet?”

 

            Bro: “Not yet, buddy.  You’ve got a few more minutes”

 

            Baby: “Dammit!  I’m just want to be done already!!”

 

            S-i-l: “Where did you learn that word???”

 

            Baby: “Well…my daddy says dammit all the time…”

 

Ah Well, I guess he comes by it honestly, eh?

 

If this doesn't look like trouble, I don't know what does... J

 

 

In other news, I’m in a bit of my own personal hell these days for reasons I won’t go into here.  Suffice it to say it’ll take a little time to climb out of this funk.  That’s why you’re getting this random stuff in this blog entry today, lucky, lucky blog-people… J  So for my own randomness…..

 

Since becoming obsessed with the Food-Network and all things Rachel Ray and Paula Deen, my fingers and hands smell like garlic all. the. time.  And I kinda like it.

 

WTF?!  I am *so* over getting these bullshit email messages and invites from random creepies out there in blogland and beyond.  Just yuck!  Here’s one of the latest…

 

“hello Georgia, I am 44 Male from Istanbul. I am looking for msn girl friend like you to make some fun on the net like to get lover on the net. I see your picture and you are really so sexy woman. Write to me.”

 

Oh yes, BRING IT Istanbul man!  I’ve always wanted to make some fun on the net…like to get lover…  I was going to post his email addy for anyone who might be interested, but I was afraid he might hunt me down and kill me, so I declined.

 

A little bit of happy ~ I had lunch with my triangle girls last week.  Have I told you how much I love them?  Because I do.  We are indeed a triangle, connected by some invisible force that gives us *superpowers* so that we are able to see into the deepest parts of each other’s souls…  There are no secrets between us.  Impossible!  I don’t think I could keep one from either one of them ~ they literally have the ability to suck everything right out of me and lay it out in the wide open to be examined, dissected and put back together again.  Needless to say, it was wonderful getting together with them.  We laughed, we cried, and we laughed some more.  J  It was good, just what I needed at that time.  Hopefully we’ll get back onto a regular schedule for our lunches together!

 

A little more happy ~ It’s been sunny and 70 the past two days after 3 days of constant rain and cold temps.  I’ve been able to wear t-shirts and flip-flops.  Does life get any better than that?

 

Apparently it does…just look at this happy!

 

 

It’s the best kind of happy ever… J 

 

 

Until next time, these are the days of my life….

 

Be great!   

 

 

Where did I leave off….I think I ended my last post talking about Isabelle’s release from the hospital and the fact that she’s been doing well ever since.  So Sunday rolls around and I’m just hoping and praying that she doesn’t remember my promise to her that we’d go to the pet store and get her a hamster that day.  That “sleepy medicine” they gave her was crazy!  Poor girl, she was so confused.  There were all kinds of things she couldn’t remember and I was desperately hoping the “hamster promise” was one of those.  Not so much.  As soon as I got up that morning one of the boys bombarded me…

 

Boy:  “Belle is getting a hamster today?  How come?!” 

 

Me:  (looking over at Belle who is wearing a big eat-shit grin) “Dangit!  You remember that?!”

 

Belle: (still grinning) “Ummm, yeah.  That was before the sleepy medicine…”

 

Me:  “Dangit!  I thought for sure you’d forget that…”

 

Belle: “Nope!  When are we going?”

 

Boy: “That is NOT fair!!!  Why does Belle get a hamster?!?!”

 

There was no getting out of it.  I was stuck.  H was ready to kill me.  I don’t think he actually thought I’d go through with it.  But I did.  Mama totally buckled under the pressure, I couldn’t help it!  Oh, and in the middle of a snowstorm I might add.  Well, a “snowstorm” for Georgia anyway.  A hint of snow is considered a blizzard around these parts, it’s comical… J  Growing up in Pennsylvania the first 11 years of my life, I know what real snow is like.  I have to admit though, I’m just as crazy as everybody else around here whenever we get a snow report.  Which is why I immediately made a grocery list for H and sent him to the store (zoo) so that he could pick up (battle it out for) the last gallon of milk and loaf of bread on the shelf with the other shoppers (crazies).  Meanwhile, Belle and I made our way to the pet store.  Thirty minutes later we were leaving with a new pet.  A “robo dwarf” hamster named Pippy Squeak, because all the pets in our house must have a minimum of 2 names…;)  It really is quite cute, but still, it shouldn’t be living in my house…

 

 

Monday was a snow-day for the kiddos.  How fun is that?!  We just don’t get those very often so it’s a *really* big deal when it happens!  My kids played outside in the snow Sunday and Monday up until the time it all melted away.  They had a blast!  Complete with snowball fights, sledding, and snowman building.  I don’t know how many loads of laundry I did between Sunday and Monday.  Obviously we don’t have “snow clothes” so every time they came in and out of the house from playing in the snow they had to strip down and put on a new set of clothes to go back outside in.  It was never ending.  Being that it was a snow day for the kids on Monday, I decided to take the day off from work so I could hang out with them.  So I was eating lunch in the living room watching Belle and her friend play with Pippy.  One minute they’re playing, the next minute Pippy falls onto the floor where Tiffany Suzanne promptly picks her up in her mouth and attempts to run away with her!  My lunch plate went flying across the room as I attempt to capture Tiffy.  The girls are screaming, and all I see are a set of little rodent legs hanging out of Tiffy’s mouth while Belle appears to be beating/choking Pippy out of her mouth.  Thankfully, Pippy escaped seemingly unscathed with body parts all in tact.  Thank God.  I can only imagine the devastation that incident could have caused.  Belle now knows that Tiffany Suzanne must be put up in her cage whenever she handles Pippy.    

 

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful as was this past weekend.  We did lots of running around with lacrosse and baseball games, which I positively love on the weekends!  Weather-wise we went from snow last week to temperatures in the 80’s this week.  I’m loving it!!  The flip-flops came out this weekend and I couldn’t be happier.  Hoping this awesome weather is here to stay!!

 

On the agenda in the upcoming months ~ a family beach trip planned for the kids’ spring break the week of April 4^th to Perdido Key.  Also going on a girls’ trip the last weekend of May with my sister, lifelong friend since 3^rd grade, and her sister.  I grew up with this particular friend while living in Pennsylvania and we’ve stayed in contact over the years.  She’s temporarily back in PA until July (she normally resides in Colorado) so we decided to take advantage of her time on the east coast and take a trip together.  We’re going to West Palm Beach.  Pretty cool, eh?  I’ve never been so I’m really looking forward to it!!  After that trip I have my first triathlon the following weekend and my second tri two weekends later.  Oh yeah, my birthday is at the end of the month and Noah has requested that I have my “birthday party” at the bowling alley.  How funny is that?  I think I’m gonna do it, just for fun. J  I’m crossing all my fingers and toes that I get a new camera for my birthday.  I need a new one desperately!  Speaking of birthdays, Isabelle Rose will be 11 on April 28^th, and the boys will turn 9 on May 11^th.  Holy cow…time passes way too fast with them.  At least I can honestly say that I cherish each and every minute with them along the way.  They are and always will be my everythings…

 

Hope everyone out in blogland is fantastic!  Until next time, these are the days of my life. 

 

Be great

 

 

 

Belle and I left for the petstore with reports of snow on the way, to get this.....

 

 

We returned home to this.....  (watermill at the front of our neighborhood)  It really does snow in Georgia!!

 

 

Isabelle Rose + Pippy Squeak =  Happy

 

 

Enjoying their snow day!

 

 

Happy boy (Noah)

 

 

Rossy, haulin' ass down the neighbor's hill on his sled

 

 

The house covered in snow.  Such a rare sight!

 

 

Can you say red flag???  Less than 24 hours after Pippy's arrival, Tiffany Suzanne attempted to eat her!

 

 

 

And this doesn’t even cover our “snowstorm,” new addition, or the fact that Tiffany Suzanne attempted to eat our new addition!  All in a weekend…but I’ll cover all that in a later post!

 

Let me preface this post by telling you about Orphan Annie’s birthday party which Belle attended a few weekends ago…..  I walked Belle next door to the party to drop her off and speak to Orphan Annie’s mother, reminding her that we were right next door should she need anything during the course of the evening/night with a houseful of girls.  When I left Belle there, I almost had a meltdown!  See, Orphan Annie is a year older than Belle.  She’s in 6^th grade and in middle school where as Belle is in 5^th and still attends elementary school.  Orphan Annie just turned 12 where as Isabelle Rose will be turning 11 in April.  Belle was the only 5^th grade, non-middle-school-age girl at the party.  This sounds fine and all, I know, except for the fact that the “girls” at this party looked more like…. freakin’ adults!  Not only were they ginormous in size, they also had the hair, makeup, clothes, and bodies…with curves!  Gasp!!  Who looks like that at 12, 13 years old?  I looked through the sea of adult-party-girl-look-alikes as I was talking to Orphan Annie’s mom, searching for another pip-squeakish, rug-rat’ish kind of a girl who looked to be more on Belle’s level.  I found none.  I wanted to cry.  Aside from Orphan Annie herself, the other BIG party girls towered over my sweet little munchkin and accentuated her tom-boyish ways even more so than usual.  When I got home I was beside myself.  I told H that I felt like I had just thrown her to the wolves!  He thought I was overreacting, of course, and convinced me not to worry so dang much.  Apparently, none of the big girls attacked her and she ended up having a fabulous time at the party.  Whew!  I still couldn’t help but be bothered by the fact that little girls today look way too grown up these days, but moving on with the rest of my story…..

 

This past Friday night, we went out for Mexican and margaritas as we do most Friday evenings.  Now, I am a people-watcher extraordinaire.  I pay attention to everyone and everything around me when I’m out and about.  I can’t help it, that’s just what I do.  So I observed a large table full of adults and kiddos.  Couples it appeared, out to dinner with friends and kids.  Fun!  Looks like something we’d do.  So I commented to H about how cute I thought one of the “moms” was with her blonde hair and her cute jeans and boots and red shirt.  He took a quick look-see and although he didn’t respond to me (he doesn’t like to encourage me to be “down with opb” ~ other people’s business), I could tell he agreed with me about her cuteness factor.  He even got caught looking!  Don’t you hate it when that happens?!  Anyway, five to ten minutes later, the kids reappeared at our table from the play-area in the restaurant.  We continued to chit and chat at the table when Belle pipes up and says, “Hey, that girl over there is a friend of Orphan Annie’s!  She was at her party!!”  “Oh really,” I responded, looking over at the table in question.  Realizing she was pointing to cute-mom’s table, I perked up a little.  Asking her which girl it was, she started pointing to and detailing the “party girl”….blonde hair, cute jeans, boots…and yes, red shirt….  You have got to be kidding me.  Yes, blog people, “cute mom” wasn’t a mom after all.  Rather, she was an Orphan Annie party-goer.  Shocked?  Me too.  Ewww, and H got caught looking at her!!!  I think I need another margarita…..

 

Moving right along…when we left the restaurant that night, H pulled the car up to the front door for me and the kiddos because it was raining outside.  When we drove away we had to pass back by the parking space where H’s truck had been parked.  H quietly instructed me to look over to my right at the car that was parked in front of his just moments ago.  As we drove by, I thought I was seeing things…one too many margaritas maybe?  Were my eyes deceiving me or was there seriously a woman with her ass up in the air in the front passenger seat of a car?  In the middle of a busy parking lot?!  Really?  Who does that?!  Dear God, I’ll take a pitcher….to go!!

 

Saturday…  Our day started off busy as usual.  Noah had baseball pictures at 9am.  Belle had a birthday party to attend (please, please, PLEASE let this party be filled with little girls instead of those big, scary party girls!) so she and I did some running around before hand to get a gift and get some girl-time in.  Have I mentioned how much I adore this sweet girl of mine and how I treasure our time together?  Just making sure.  J  After Belle was off to her party, I hung out at home with the boys and a few of their friends.  Ross had baseball pictures later in the day and the kids pretty much came and went, mostly playing outside all day.  Evening came and everyone started winding down.  At about that time, Belle started complaining about an unidentified “bump” that inflicted her earlier in the week.  On about Wednesday or Thursday, she came to me complaining about some sort of a painful insect bite (spider, I thought?) on her inner left thigh.  It looked like a really nasty mosquito bite.  It concerned me as I thought it might be a spider bite and told her that we would keep an eye on it and take her to the doctor if it didn’t get better in a few days.  She didn’t complain a whole lot after that and we looked at it daily to make sure it wasn’t growing out of control.  When she complained again Saturday evening, I told her to let me see it.  Oh. My. God.  The thing had quadrupled in size.  A spider bite for sure, I thought.  It looked awful!  I called my sister who is an RN to ask her what I could put on it until we could get to the doctor on Monday.  After describing the “bite” to her, she told me that it sounded more like a staff infection and that I needed to take her to the ER immediately.  Long story short, I took her and we spent about 6 hours there Saturday night into Sunday morning.  It was indeed a staff infection, likely the MRSA strain.  They had to give her an IV port in her hand so they could administer “sleepy medicine” in order to do a procedure to drain the abscess.  It was quite an experience.  Belle did much better than me.  I suck at medical emergencies.  Totally.  Any time they did something to her that hurt her, I cried.  And I couldn’t be by her side during all these little procedures because I have a history of fainting in emergency rooms.  Yes, I’m one of those.  I had to sit in a chair in the corner and silently cry along with her.  There is not a more helpless feeling than not being able to do something to help relieve your child of pain or illness.  At one point she was still crying 10-15 minutes after getting the IV port in her hand, so I told her we would go to the pet store the next day to get her a hamster.  That seemed to help.  J  She’d been asking for a rat/hamster for years and we’ve emphatically told her NO over and over again.  That all changed Saturday night…  Anyway, since being released from the hospital, Belle is doing well.  We’re taking extra good care of her with lots of meds and warm baths to treat the wound.  It was a scary experience, but she’s doing fine now.  We followed up with her pediatrician on Monday and things are progressing and healing well.  Lacrosse and horse back riding are out for at least a week, but she’ll be back to all physical activity soon, I’m sure!

 

Never a dull moment at the H household, that’s for sure…J  I must end this post here, but stay tuned for more days of my life…..

 

Be great!

 

 

(Please forgive the poor quality of the pics.  I was using the camera on my phone)

 

Belle, after her procedure....

 

 

 

Her poor little hand.....

 

 

 

Still coming out of anesthesia.  She thought I had 2 noses and 2 mouths...;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I suffered from the flu for about 2 weeks.  Hacking cough, sore throat, stuffy head and nose, aches and pains…  I had to visit the doctor twice, the first time getting put on 5 days worth of antibiotics, and the second time having to get a shot in my tush!  During the time of my illness, I could not smell.  Or taste, as the two go together.  You have *no* idea how aggravating it is not being able to smell!!  I could almost deal with the illness, but I could not stand not being able to smell anything!  It’s one of those things you just take for granted, but once it’s gone, you realize how important it really is!  Anyway, I rejoiced the day my smell returned by cooking a Rachel Ray dish.  J  Have I told you lately how addicted I am to the Food Network?  Well I am.  Very much so!  Heck, I could pretty much be my own show at this point.  I am quite the badass in the kitchen these days! 

 

So life has been good aside from being sick for a few weeks.  Thankfully, no one else in the house got sick.  I was so worried about the kiddos, but they’re all fine.  The boys have started baseball practice and they are both loving it!  They totally dig being on different teams this year.  They just got their schedules and found out that they play against each other later in the spring.  They’re so psyched!  I dread that ride home…;)  They’re quite the competitive little guys so I can only imagine how that game will play out.  But overall they’re both doing well.  They continue to kick butt in school too, which makes this mama beyond proud!  We had 2 great conferences with their teachers earlier this month and I can’t help but smile when I see how good they’re doing with their school work and how darn good their behavior has been.  I’m not one to reward my kids for grades and such.  That’s pretty much something that is expected in my household and not deserving of rewards.  But they really have done an extraordinary job this year (especially considering our struggles in years past) so I think we’ll do something special to reward them at the end of the school year.  They really do deserve it!

 

Isabelle Rose…oh, that child… J  On one hand, she is a total doll baby.  On the flip side of that, she can be hell on wheels.  Her emotions/moods seem to be all over the place lately and I understand that this will only worsen as she inches towards the teen years.  Wonderful!  I can’t wait!!  That being said, she still has a sweet side, which I adore.  I make it a point to have “girl time” with just her and I whether it’s a pedicure, dinner out, a little shopping spree, or even a simple visit to the pet store.  I cherish these one-on-one moments with her and just watching her and listening to her talk, I feel like my heart could explode from loving her and everything about her so much!  God, I love that child… J  But moving on from her awesomeness (despite her not-so-pleasantness at times...;), she has started playing lacrosse this spring for the first time.  Lacrosse required that she have a physical completed.  During that physical, we were told that she ranked in the 19^th and 17^th percentiles for height and weight, respectively.  In other words, my daughter is a pip-squeak.  I don’t know, but it seems to me that kids just keep getting bigger and bigger.  Mine have always been average or below average with height and weight, but to hear that Belle is so low in comparison to girls her age, well it really surprised me!  Ah well, her small size doesn’t seem to affect her on the lacrosse field.  She had her first game last Saturday and she was AWESOME!!  Seriously, I know I’m mom and all, but girlfriend kicked some serious lacrosse ass out there!  Holy cow!  She did really, really good and ended up being the high scorer on her team.  She is so aggressive out there on the field, I absolutely loved watching her play!  Her team ended up winning 13-4.  We’re definitely gonna love lacrosse this season!!  Other than lacrosse, Belle continues with her horseback riding lessons as well.  The owner of the barn has asked that Belle come to the barn as often as possible.  When she gets new lesson horses in, she has Belle ride them so she can gauge what level riders will be capable of handling them.  Also, she’s got a new horse of her own that doesn’t get ridden enough apparently, and she told me she wants Belle to be the one to ride him.  How cool is that?!  I love watching her ride.  She’s so beautiful on a horse.  Of course I know nothing about horseback riding either, but I do love watching her interact and ride the horses at the barn.  She’s really in her element there.  OH!  Almost forgot to mention…a few weeks ago, Belle got glasses.  I’ve been having her vision checked since she was 3.  She has two different color eyes and apparently that can signify vision problems (or so I was told by the eye doctors my Mother works for).  Belle told me a few weeks ago that she was having trouble seeing things far away and she was almost due for her yearly check up so I went ahead and took her in and yep, she needed glasses.  She’s so cute in them!  I’ll post a picture when I can.  My digital camera recently broke (dammit!) so I’m waiting for a new one ~ hoping to get one for my birthday soon!

 

So that’s about it as far as the kiddos go.  Me, I’m trucking along as usual.  I registered for 2 triathlons this week, both taking place in June.  I feel more committed since registering.  Also in recent Georgia news…we’re heading back to the beach for spring break in a few short weeks!  Yay us!!  Oh my gosh, have I told you how I adore the beach?  Love it.  Love, love, LOVE it!!  We’re going to Perdido Key this year.  I’ve never been there, but it’s on the gulf, which I prefer.  Okaloosa Island, which is where we regularly go for spring break vacation, seemed to be really pricey this year so I ventured out a bit with my search for a rental property.  From what I’ve read and seen on the internet, we will thoroughly enjoy Perdido Key.  And I found the most precious condo for us ~ oceanfront, pool for the kids, and even a workout facility, which will be awesome since I will be full force in training.  I’m excited beyond words for this vacation!  We’re heading out April 4^th and will be staying for the week.  I am counting the days…  Speaking of vacation, remember my plans for Africa this fall?  The trip for which I must save beaucoups of money??  Yeah, that one.  Wouldn’t ya know it, the minute I attempt to save money for something like this, all hell seems to break lose in regards to money matters.  Let me recap…not including Christmas expenses (which is right about the time I started my savings), we had mechanical issues with my vehicle.  Yep, right after we paid that sucker in full.  $3,200 later…the spring on the garage door broke.  Had to get that replaced.  Oh, and then H discovered leaking in the garage…coming from the hot water heater…  Luckily it ended up being something else, but still another unexpected expense.  And while the plumbers were out, we went ahead and had 2 toilets repaired.  Then our homeowner’s fees were due at the beginning of this month…another $800…and don’t let me forget the cost of lacrosse for Belle ($200 registration + about another $150 for gear…) and baseball registration for the boys…another $300 or so…ummm, what else…  It seems like there’s more, but this is all I can come up with at the moment.  So I’ll just have to wait and see what my savings look like come May.  That is when the money is due for the trip ~ not including airfare.  Wish me luck! 

 

Okay, I think I’ve typed enough for one entry so I’m gonna head out.  I’m not even going to bother apologizing for my slackness in blogland anymore…it is what it is.  It looks like I’m lucky to get a blog or two in per month these days and guess what, that is quite okay with me!  I’ll write when I feel up to it and that’s all I can offer.  I do hope that everyone in blogland is just swell and I thank you for stopping by from time to time!

 

Until next time, these are the days of my life….

 

Be great! 

 

 

* Isabelle Rose leading the pack here with the ball, getting ready to score.....

 

 

 

 

* She plays the front center position (#1 in white) and has to do the "toss up" to start new plays.  She won the toss every time...:)

 

 

* In the center here after winning a toss-up, running towards the opponent's goal with the ball

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is just a little something I posted on my "facebook" page.  Copying and pasting it here.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

In no particular order….

 

My boys are scared shitless these days!  And I’ll tell ya why.  My ignorant, nosey, bitchy neighbor (aka Mrs. Kravitz ~ as in the character from the show “Bewitched”) had the insane nerve to inform my boys that “there has been a report of two black men who are going through the neighborhood peeking in windows and snatching kids!”  WTF?!  Are you freakin’ kidding me, woman?!  The real story is that there have been reports of solicitors in the neighborhood.  Solicitors who have been going door-to-door and aggressively trying to sell magazines for apparently bogus companies.  We live in a big community/neighborhood for which there is an online message board where people post important happenings, classifieds, etc…  The “solicitation” message has been circulating for a few days now.  Amazing how this woman turned the story around to scare the shit out of my kids!  So for the past few days I’ve been trying to convince my kids that these people soliciting the neighborhood (they know what a “solicitor” is) are NOT trying to snatch little kids!  They’re trying to get money from ADULTS by pretending to sell magazines.  I’ve been telling them that this issue is being handled by adults and the police (people have been calling the authorities) and that children have no part or involvement in the situation whatsoever.  I told them that Mrs. Krazitz was WRONG in what she told them…that it was NOT true and that NOBODY is going around our neighborhood snatching kids.  They know she’s nuts from past run-ins with her, so they’re slowly coming around…  Three nights this week I’ve had a baby in my bed.  Both boys have waken up in the middle of the night scared to death, telling me in pitiful little voices that they’re scared to be in their room because of the windows (even though they’re on the second story), and they’re scared that the “black guys” are gonna get them.  Belle has also had a bed-buddy 3 nights this week.  Good thing she’s been happy to oblige as I can no longer accommodate 2 extra boys in my bed!  Yesterday at the breakfast table, Ross recounted his dream from the night before.  He dreamed that two black guys (note: reports included white, black, hispanic, and oriental nationalities.  For some reason, Mrs. Kravitz decided to go with “black guys”) kidnapped him, Noah and their friend next door (Mrs. Kravitz’s son!) and took them into another neighbor’s garage where they then proceeded to shoot people.  Nice, I know.  I’m so freaking mad at that woman I could spit.  If you knew some of the stories involving this lady, you’d pity me for having to reside next door to her. 

 

The boys have baseball evaluations this weekend!  Yay!!  I’m so ready for baseball season to start.  This season will be new in that H is not coaching (he’s coached the boys since their first t-ball season at age 4) and we’re giving the league permission to place them on different teams.  We think it’s time.  It’s tricky when dealing with twins.  You have to be careful to encourage individualism and allow them to be their own little people.  It’s harder than it sounds, trust me!  Meanwhile, the boys are psyched about this!  They can’t wait to play against each other, competitive little buggers. J  Very much looking forward to the season!

 

Isabelle Rose will be starting her lacrosse practices on Monday as well!  Go Sissy!!  Her coach has been practicing with the girls on the weekends and he’s informed H and I that Belle is a “natural lacrosse player”.  He said she’s one of the best on the team.  I hate to say that without knowing anything about the sport, but I’m just repeating his words to us, and hey, I rather enjoy bragging on my kiddos!  He said she’ll be playing an “important position” on the team and that he’ll need her to be at all practices.  This was in reference to her horseback riding lessons possibly causing a little conflict with her lacrosse practices.  Needless to say, we’ve got that all worked out now so she’ll be able to do both.  I’m so excited to see what this lacrosse thing is all about and watch Belle in action in something other than horseback riding!!  She loves it, which is most important of all.

 

TGIF!  Mexican and margaritas are calling my name…J  We usually go for Mexican on Friday evenings.  Nice way to wind down from the week!  H has tennis tomorrow morning and then the boys have their baseball tryouts in the afternoon.  I plan on getting an early bike ride in tomorrow and then Belle and I are gonna have a little outing together!  She had to get a physical yesterday for lacrosse and unexpectedly had to get 2 shots.  Not a happy camper!  Poor girl…  So I told her that we would do something special this weekend.  We got some coupons in the mail to one of her favorite stores (where I seriously never shop) so I told her we’d run to the mall and check out the deals.  We’ll also hit the pet store for crickets for her beloved Mohawk (her albino gecko) and play with the rats.  If she had to choose between the mall and the pet store, she’d choose the pet store hands down.  She’s so funny like that and I love that about her!  Speaking of which, she’s been quite the little moody-monster these days.  We’ve had talks about this and at times I can tell she’s trying really hard to be sweet.  Then she’ll turn and be mouthy or emotional or just flat out nasty.  Her mood swings are in full force these days!  Strange, because mama is nothing like this…  No siree!  J  So the other night after she got out of the shower, she called downstairs to me and said, “Mom, can you come up here please so I can talk to you in private?”  My head started spinning…if you’re a mother to girls, you know where my thoughts were going…  I freaked out!  I ran upstairs as fast as my shaking legs could carry me and we went into her bedroom and I asked her what was wrong.  She was looking *so* nervous and scared…then she said, “I accidentally broke your perfume” and held up the remains of the broken bottle.  I kissed her and hugged her and told her that everything was just fine!  Peachy, in fact!!  It was just an accident and mommy doesn’t get mad about accidents!!  I’ve never been so dang relieved!  Whew!!  My brain can’t even go there with her…my little girl growing up.   Nope, not happening.  I’d like to remain in my little bubble with Isabelle Rose in her little bubble right next to me…J

 

I don’t really have any other plans for the weekend, but I know we’ll be busy doing something.  It always works that way on the weekends!  I hope everyone is doing great out in blog land.  Thanks much for keeping up with me even though I’m a lousy poster and even lousier visitor and commenter!  I suck, I know, but I hop on here whenever I have the time and energy! 

 

Until next time, these are the days of my life…

 

Be great!

 

 

 

Once again, I am long overdo for a blog entry.  As I’ve seen with some of my fellow-bloggers on some other spaces, I too am kind of at a loss with my writing these days.  Plenty going on, sure, but not so much the energy or desire to put it all down into words.  I decided to give it a try anyway and see what I come up with.  Be forewarned, I’m not so sure where this is going… 

 

Quick recap from the end of 2008 ~ First let me say that I’m just glad we’re into January and the start of a new year!  Last year wasn’t one of my finest and I’m always game for fresh starts and new beginnings.  With that being said, Christmas and the following weeks were good!  The kiddos were super excited with all of the goodies “Santa” brought them and we had a wonderful time with family and friends during the holidays.  H’s mother spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with us this year for the first time since this is her first Christmas without “Grandad”.  I loved having her and the kids loved it too.  She’s a super special lady who’s shown incredible strength and courage through everything she’s dealt with in the past year, but she’s also allowed herself to lean on H and I when she needs to.  H is her only child and while she’s got her mother and siblings close by too, sometimes she just needs the strength and closeness from him and I and I’m glad to be there whenever she needs us.  We also celebrated Grandad’s birthday earlier this month.  We had a nice dinner at home, played games and watched American Idol (my kids’ favorite!) and did the same “balloon-release” for Grandad that we do for Grampy.  Only this time, we threw in some fireworks too for good measure!  It was very sweet and H’s mom was touched to say the least at the messages scrawled on the kids’ balloons to their Grandad.  It was a special evening and again, I’m glad she was there with us.  After the balloon release, she got very emotional.  I hugged her and told her that Grandad would always be a part of the kids’ lives and I promised that they would always remember him and keep his memory alive.  It’s so very difficult as many of you know, losing someone so close to you like a spouse or a parent or grandparent.  I’ve learned a whole lot since losing my own father and I know how difficult it is getting by day-to-day let alone having to face “firsts” without them; first holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc…  But we’re getting by and that’s all you can ask for at this point.  Hopefully there will be more happy moments than sad in 2009 for us all…J

 

As noted in my last post, I have lots of stuff planned for this year!  Yay me!!  Just to touch on a few of those things, I’ve already picked out two local triathlons that I plan on participating in, both in the month of June.  I have also recruited several friends and family members to participate in these with me!!  So far on the bandwagon are my triangle girls ~ Val and Nay (yes, calling you all out!), H, my sister and her hubby, and both of my nieces.  Still trying to convince my mother to commit to doing it too.  She turned 69 on the January 3^rd and she’s in great shape.  I think this would be an awesome goal for her to set for herself and yes, I totally think she could do it.  The two events we’re looking at are a little bit easier (about 5 miles less) than the triathlon I did in Savannah.  These are advertised as being beginner courses so I would say they’re right up our alley!  I myself am so excited about getting back on track with training.  Less than 5 months and counting!

 

What else…oh yeah, the whole jumping out of an airplane thing.  Crazy, I know.  Especially considering how deathly afraid I am of heights.  Just thinking about jumping makes the palms of my hands sweat!  Not quite sure how I figure I’m gonna pull this one off exactly, but that’s not gonna stop me!  Planning on doing this one with my girlfriend Val, hopefully sometime this spring.  We have the facility picked out already ~ now it’s just a matter of booking the jump.  We do want to wait until it’s warmer, so stay tuned for updates!

 

Travel…so my mother has done a lot of traveling since my father passed away.  I think it’s great!  It’s something they always planned on doing together after retirement, but unfortunately dad’s illness made that impossible.  Two years after losing him, my mother took her first overseas trip.  She went to Spain!  Since that first trip, she’s been on several other excursions, which brings me to her newest upcoming adventure.  She’s going to Africa in September with my sister!!  The more I heard about their travel plans, the more and more interested I became…and then I started thinking…I would *really* love to make that trip with them….oh, but the money…how in the world would I be able to pull off a trip like this…  Anyway, I have decided that I’m going to attempt to take this trip with them!  I have lots of saving ahead of me, which I’ve already started working on.  Every week or so I give my mother a check and she’s putting it into an account for me.  Like, can’t I keep up with my own savings??  Sure I can, but I think I’ll do better this way.  It’s almost as if someone is holding me accountable.  Plus, I get to brag every Sunday at our family dinners about how much money I’ve saved for Africa!  And if I find that I won’t be able to afford the trip after all, then I’ll have some extra cash to put towards something else.  I should know whether or not I’ve been successful enough with my savings by about the end of May.  Again, stay tuned!

 

Okay, I think I’m done writing for one entry.  Please do forgive me for being such a slacker.  Lack of time and desire for writing has left my blog pretty empty and boring here lately, sorry!  Also, I haven’t made my rounds lately to my favorite blog places.  I’ll try to visit everyone soon.  To Bridget, Bob, Al, Paul, Grace, Toni and all my other favorite blog-people, hellooooooooooo out there!  I haven’t forgotten about you ~ just my typical slackness is all.  I’ll be by to say hello soon! 

 

Until next time, these are the days of my life….

 

Be great!

 

   

 

 

I made no resolutions for the New Year.  Rather, there are things that I “hope” for in 2009 for myself and for those I love.

 

~ 2009 ~

 

In 2009 I hope to maintain my focus on my children.  May they always remain the center of my universe.  For them, I hope that they continue to be healthy, happy, safe and secure.  I hope they always know how much they’re loved and cherished by H and I.

 

 

 

 

In 2009 I hope to strengthen my marriage.  May I learn to let go of that which holds me back from giving more of myself to achieve this.  I sincerely hope that H and I grow in friendship and in love.

 

 

 

 

In 2009 I hope to maintain and strengthen my friendships.  I hope to surround myself with strong women who will be positive influences in my life.  For my closest and dearest friends, I hope their lives will be filled with love, happiness and stability.  May the “triangle” live on!  J

 

 

 

 

In 2009 I hope to live a healthier lifestyle.  I won’t commit myself to losing weight or sticking to some ridiculous diet.  No, instead I hope to get to the gym a few times a week and pick back up with training in swimming, biking and running.  I do not aim for perfection.  I simply want to strengthen my body and build my stamina by living a healthier lifestyle.

 

 

 

 

In 2009 I hope to

 

jump out of an airplane,

 

complete at least 2 triathlons,

 

run the Peachtree Road Race,

 

and visit another part of the world....

 

 

 

 

 

In 2009 I hope to eliminate from my life all that hinders me from being the best that I can be.  May I once and for all master the art of letting go.  No more wondering “what if?”  No more holding onto the past.  No more looking back through rose-colored glasses.  No more looking back…

 

 

 

 

In 2009 I hope to live each and every moment with appreciation for all that is good in my life and hold fast to those who love and cherish me.

 

 

 

 

In 2009 I hope that my life is filled with peace, love and happiness.

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year, Blog People!

 

Stay tuned for more days of my life and as always,

 

be great!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, today is my anniversary and H has made plans for us to eat at a fabulous restaurant in downtown Atlanta this evening.  I went out and bought 2 new dresses for the occasion, one of which will be returned.  I’m leaning towards the aqua-bluish one as opposed to the black one.  Then again, a girl can never have too many “little black dresses.”  Decisions, decisions, I know…J  I’m looking forward to it, although I’m a bit stressed out at the moment as well.  See, I wrote up the Christmas lists and did the majority of the shopping back in November.  I gave H a very small, simple list of things to purchase to contribute to the Christmas shopping, but he never followed through!  Therefore, we now have a list of items that must be purchased and…a day and a half to git’r done.  Ugh…I could strangle him sometimes!  So I’m thinking we’ll have to make a stop or two before we head out to dinner to knock most of this stuff off the list.  Otherwise I’ll continue to stress over it.  I’m sure we’ll manage to get everything done, but it does perturb me that he neglected to take care of his shit.  Men….. J 

 

So last Friday was a very crappy day for me for reasons I won’t mention here.  Trust me, it sucked.  I struggled through the workday and barely had the energy to collect myself for that evening’s Christmas party at Val’s.  Knowing, however, that I would get to spend time with my “triangle girls” was enough of a push to get me in gear and to the party.  Originally it was to be the girls and kids only.  Later I learned that the hubbies and significant others were gonna be there too so H came with.  It ended up being a very fun night!  Didn’t get my “girl-time” however, because there were just too many people there and we kept getting interrupted.  But it was definitely a good time and exactly what I needed after the day I had. 

 

Saturday and Sunday I pretty much laid low and hung out at home getting things done there.  Of course I had a houseful of kiddos at all times, but I never mind that.  On Sunday I read the second book in the “Twilight” series.  The entire book.  About 600 pages.  In 1 day.  I know, right?!  I absolutely love this series!!!  I’m so glad I jumped on the bandwagon after the movie came out.  I’ve already got the 3^rd and 4^th books too.  I’m just afraid to pick the next one up and start reading it because I know I won’t be able to put it down and I just don’t have time for that right now!  Oh, I love these books…love em, love em, LOVE em! 

 

Oh yeah, with all the college bowl games going on right now, we decided to do a family pool.  All five of us made our picks and it is game ON.  I positively have THE most competitive kids on the planet, I swear.  I have no idea how they got that way either. J  We had a blast watching college football all weekend and guess what…  Mommy is winning the pool so far!  Yay Mommy!!  My boys are in utter disbelief over this, it’s a trip.  Of course we’re only like 5 games in so things are bound to change soon, but still…I have to enjoy my “victory” while I can!  Much fun…

 

“Elfie” is still present in our home and continues to cause quite the fuss.  I must get pictures before he makes his departure!  He’s the coolest thing ever.  The boys had friends over this weekend and the first thing they did was introduce their buddies to Max.  They would then proceed to study Max…and study him….and study him some more trying to figure him out.  Oh my gosh, it was the cutest thing!  I heard things like, “I know he’s real because of the way he’s sitting,” and “HOLY GOD” when Max would move and show up in another place.  It’s way too much fun being able to trick 8 year old little boys.  Is that wrong?  J  Nah, it’s all in fun and it’s been an absolute blast having that little guy in our house!

 

Quick story…  I was driving home from work one day last week.  It was dusk, starting to get dark and I’m driving along and all of a sudden I come up on this strange man.  He’s running down the side of the road at break-neck speed, his jacket flapping behind him, and he kept looking back, looking back, looking back like someone was chasing him!  I’m thinking…what the hell???  It was like a scene out of the movies, I swear it was so odd.  All of a sudden, the running man veered to the left towards the parking lot of a big warehouse.  I was so distressed!  I wanted to know what the heck was going!  Why was this man running in such a panicked state and who or what was chasing him?  So what do I do?  I proceed to turn into the same parking lot at the next entrance.  Without thinking, I totally made the turn and ended up in the parking lot on the lookout for the running man.  Once I took stock of where I was and what I was doing, I was sorry I’d made that turn.  I was in a dark, desolate parking lot – the backside of the warehouse where there was no lighting and not a soul in sight.  At that moment I totally freaked myself out and made a u-turn and got the hell out of dodge.  I never did see where the running man went nor did I ever figure out what in the hell was chasing him.  It was just the oddest thing to come upon. 

 

That’s about all I have so I suppose I’ll check out.  I hope everyone out in blogland has a fabulous Christmas and happy New Year!  See you all in ‘09’!  Until then, stay tuned for more days of my life…..

 

Be great!

   

 

 

Warning ~ what I’m about to write is gonna be all over the place.  Please don’t expect anything in this post to make much sense.  It is what it is, so hang with me, blog people!

 

Can I just say that I am *very* distressed that I cannot organize my pictures in my most recent album here?  What’s up with that?!  It is seriously bothering me.  Seriously.  I think I may have to delete and start over at some point because I just can’t get past this…;)

 

Anyway, I have an elf in my house!  Yes, an elf!!  It is the most exciting thing about this Christmas season so far, I can barely stand it!!  I heard about these suckers one morning on the radio and did a little more research about them online before ordering one of my own.  He arrived in the mail yesterday and my kids are freakin’ nuts over him!  The anticipation of his arrival was positively painstaking.  I wasn’t sure if the elf would work for my kiddos because they’re a little older and wiser.  Isabelle informed me last year that she knew there was no such thing as Santa and told me not to even try to tell her otherwise.  What do you say to that?  She totally caught me off guard and I had nothing, so I told her not to tell her brothers or anyone else who still believes in Santa.  Thankfully, she’s good at keeping secrets. J  Needless to say, she wasn’t the one I was worried about in regards to “elfie”.  I wasn’t sure how the boys would react to it, but when I mentioned the possibility of an elf coming to live in our house, they went crazy!  Who knew?  The boys were totally diggin’ on elves and couldn’t wait to get one of their own.  So the deal is ~ a little elf comes to stay with you the weeks before Christmas.  He flits in and out of the house and chooses the most interesting of hiding places.  You never know where he’ll show up!  He leaves the house every night to report back to the North Pole to inform Santa on the goings on in the house so everyone must be sure to be on their best behavior at all times.  And you can’t touch him.  No touchy!  If you do, he loses his magic and has to return to the North Pole for good.  Seriously, it is the most fun thing ever!  “Max” (aka elfie) made his first appearance in the boys’ room last night and I told them it must be because he wants to keep a close watch over them.  You could just see their little minds spinning, so cute!  This morning he showed up way up high on a window sill in the living room.  The kids are super excited about this little guy and what a wonderful thing to be able to threaten your kids with during the holidays!  Gotta love it… J

 

Christmas in 8 days?  Really??  How did that happen?  Finally got my decorating done, however I’m still waiting for H to complete the outside stuff.  I don’t know why it takes him so long to get the job done out there, but it’s the same story year after year.  We’re gonna have to work on that!  I spend an insane amount of time decorating my house inside and out.  That’s just how I roll.  Of course I curse myself every year, but I do it anyway.  The kids love it and it just makes everything feel so…happy and Christmassy. 

 

Speaking of happy, Christmas has gotten me in a real funk the past few years.  Obviously when things were bad between H and me, I had a really tough time getting through the holidays.  Now, I’m not sure what’s up.  I’m not in a total funk…just a little…I don’t know, I can’t really explain it.  It hits me at different times and I manage to push it away.  The kids always brighten my mood though, so it’s not such a big deal.  My guess is that it has something to do with the past few years and that in time it will just go away altogether.  I am enjoying everything about the holidays so far, but I have to be honest and say that I’ll be glad when January rolls around.

 

Also coming up in…6 days is my 13^th anniversary.  Wow, I didn’t think we’d ever get here, but here we are 13 years later.  Just wow…  Two years ago we went through the motions of “celebrating” our anniversary if that’s what you want to call it.  It was more like us just trying to tolerate each other on an evening that was not a happy occasion.  Last year we didn’t even bother.  This year, we’re back to celebrating in our traditional sort of way.  H’s mother always takes the kids overnight on our anniversary and H plans a super special night out.  We get dressed up and spend way too much money, but we’ve always had wonderful anniversary dates so I’m looking forward to next Tuesday evening.  It’s been weird.  There have been moments when H and I have really connected, but those moments have been few and far between.  When we went to Tybee Island in October, we were in a really good place for a few days.  We also had some really good moments during our recent St George trip too.  Hmmm…maybe we just need to spend the rest of our lives vacationing, ya think?  J  I don’t know what it is, but I feel like I’m the one holding back and not putting forth the effort I should.  Something way deep down inside just won’t let me.  Some part of me is still resisting.  Several factors come into play here, “things” that I need to change in my life, “things” that I need to completely remove from my life altogether.  Texas Girl Jen, one of my all-time favorite bloggers, recently wrote a piece about “editing” her life; removing those things which hinder peace and harmony for her.  I need to do the same thing.  I need to do some serious editing of my own.  I know what “things” stand as obstacles in my life, obstacles that keep me from truly moving forward to where I need to be.  You would think that since I’m able to identify these things it would be an easy task to simply “delete” them and remove them from my life altogether.  Not so much.  It is definitely something that I need to work on.  I do believe that a lot of the uneasiness that I continue to experience is due to these things which I haven’t yet let go of completely.  As Texas Girl Jen said, I really need to get out my red pen and start editing my life…

 

On the agenda ~ I am attempting to make peanut brittle for the kids’ teachers this evening.  Ever since winning the “baking contest” at the beach last month, I think I’m Betty-Freakin’-Crocker.  This should be interesting…J  Friday night, me,Val, Renee and T are getting together with our kiddos and other friends for our annual “cookie party” at Val’s place.  I’m definitely looking forward to seeing my girlfriends and getting the kiddos together!  It is sure to be a fun time!!  Saturday night we’re getting together with T and her hubby so that the guys can put the kids’ electric scooters together!  My 3 kiddos are getting them for Christmas and T’s little boy (the twins’ bestie) is getting one too.  We’ve been storing them over at T’s house and it is time to piece those suckers together!  How fun!!  This will likely turn into a late night party over there ~ that’s just how we roll when the four of us get together.  I’ve got my anniversary date next week on Tuesday and my family’s traditional Christmas Eve at Mother’s on Wednesday…two stops to make on Christmas day…then hosting Christmas dinner at my house for H’s Mother and stepfather’s family the following Saturday…and on and on and on…  The next 2 weeks will be busy for sure, but I am looking forward to it all. J  My kids are an absolute joy this time of year and I am thankful beyond words for their health, happiness and safety.  Above all else in my world, that is all that truly matters to me ~ the greatest gift of all, at Christmastime and always.  My Little Lovies…

 

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas!  Until next time, these are the days of my life…     

 

Be great!