Tuesday, March 28, 2006

We've got to talk

That's what I told RD when I called him this afternoon.

For the past several days I thought I was pregnant. REALLY thought I was pregnant. I told RD, "This would be horrible." I had been urging him for months to consider taking on the responsibility of putting an end to the growth of our family - you guessed it - SNIP SNIP.

So why was I so sad when I started my period this afternoon? Not the relief I was looking for, but truly sad.

Oh RD...we need to talk.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Plug this

I'm always falling in love with different products...AND FOOD...so I thought I'd share! It's been awhile.

Weight Watcher's Snack Cakes - These are so good AND if you're counting, they're only 1 POINT each! My favorite is the Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. DELICIOUS!! They come six in a box and I usually end up eating a box at a time...so even though they're only 1 point each, it's usually a 6-point snack for me. eek!

Healthy Choice Zesty Gumbo and Fiesta Chicken Soups - Again with the WW points, they're great tasting soups and they're each only 2 points a can!

South Beach Diet Peanut Butter Cereal Bar - No, I'm not on the South Beach Diet, but I have tried several of their food products, and I've liked all of them so far. My favorite is the Peanut Butter Cereal Bar (WW = 3 pts.). It comes in chocolate as well - also yummy!

Elizabeth Arden's Prevage - Very pricey ($150 for 1.7 oz. bottle), but well worth it if you can afford it. I started taking care of my skin way too late in life, but better late than never. I've been using this product a little over three weeks and have already noticed considerable changes in my skin. I started using it after I saw my MIL's results. We had her over for dinner awhile back and I noticed how great her skin looked. She honestly looked ten years younger. I asked her if she'd been doing anything different and she mentioned this product. I'm so glad because I love it!

Method Products - I couldn't find a link to any of their products. I think they're a Target-brand, but I'm not sure. That's the only place I remember seeing their products. Two of my faves are their leather-cleaning wipes and their stainless steel wipes. Whether it's cleaning everyday messes off the couch or getting little finger prints off the fridge, their wipes work wonders. And it's so easy! I also like their marble-cleaner for the shower. It's the only all-natural cleaner I could find that I knew for certain wouldn't harm our marble. I just bought a lavender plug-in air freshener for our masterbath and am loving it so far.

Half.com - I read one or two books a week and it sure can get expensive. One of my friends directed me to this website. It's affiliated with Ebay, but it's not run as an auction. You can buy USEDUSED books for as low as 25 cents or books like new for just a few dollars. I've bought many books from them and have had all positive experiences.

Family Fun Magazine - I just recently subscribed to this magazine. I've kind of grown tired of Parents magazine, only because about only a third applies to me right now. Most of it is baby stuff, then the rest older kid stuff. What I do like in Parents is the craft and game ideas. That's what this Family Fun Magazine is all about. Front to back it's all fun craft, game, and recipe ideas for all ages. I would say I have about 80% of each issue dog-eared so far. Great mag for parents!

That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure I'll think of many other things while lying in bed tonight. If I do, I'll post them tomorrow.

Have a great night! Remember...chant with me now...SNOW SNOW GO AWAY! (okay...the snow is gone, but it's still damn cold)

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Winter Blues

It's the first day of Spring and wouldn't you know this morning we were greeted with three inches of SNOW. blech.ugh.glach. I'm itching for Spring like you wouldn't believe.

Now I know I shouldn't complain. We had quite an easy winter. A few snows - just enough to get my snow-fix. Only one snowfall did I have to shovel the driveway...and I probably could've gotten away with not doing it at all. I was just that bored. Hard to imagine, isn't it? There were many days this winter that we took the kids for a walk, ate out on the deck, played outside. Maybe that's why I'm yearning so bad for the Spring. So many little teasers.

Last week we had the kids out in the yard playing on the new swingset. I made excuses to run to Lowe's just so I could check out all the new plants and flowers they're setting out. RD and I have been circling the yard, exchanging ideas for what we'll plant where. It hit me - that rush of excitement I get every year at this time. I was cleaning out drawers and closets. Doing something with all the crap (mostly pitching) I had stashed away when we moved in, not knowing what else to do with it. I started cleaning out the basement, making way for the play-area we're going to set up for the kids so they can run in and out during nice days. I painted the laundry room a nice sunshine-color and RD put up cabinets - making it feel like an actual room now. And while doing all this, I had the windows open, breathing in the fresh air, listening to all the kids in the neighborhood playing outside. I'm ready. Loving the projects. Taking in the energy a new season brings.

Then snow. NO!NO!NO! Snow, snow go away! How quickly I fall back into my winter slump. I tell ya I'm getting cabin fever being cooped up in here like this. I want to feel the warm sun on my skin (gooped up with sunscreen of course because I'm a walking Melanoma waiting to happen). I want to run with the kids. I want to go to the park. Have a picnic.

I'd like to come on here and talk about how wonderful everything is instead of bitching. Oh wait. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. sigh. Patience never was my strongsuit. Spring will come. Until then, I think I'll kick back with some hot chocolate and sit by the fire. Might as well make the best of it.

Monday, March 13, 2006

Stay in the game

Going to parties just isn't the same when you have three two-year olds in tow. It's so much work we sometimes find ourselves asking each other why we bother going out in the first place.

We went to a birthday party Saturday (first of two that day - joyjoy) and of course the kids wanted to play outside with all the other kids. The other kids ranged in age from three to ten. Our little toddlers thought they could do everything the big kids did - this kept RD and I on our toes intercepting one fiasco to the next.

As we're taking turns minding the madness, sweat beading up on our brows, it's hard not to wish we were back in the comforts of home. It's always easier on the hometurf, right? But that's what you do. Stay in the game I guess. Reach out to all friends for that small chance of adult interaction. Throwing out reminders that we're still among the living. Don't forget us, we hint! Yes, our kids can be terrors, but we're still fun!

Of course other parents are more than eager to point out that three is harder. "Just wait," they say, "You think it's bad now, wait until they're three and talking back." "Bring it on," I say. It's not the attitude that challenges me when out at parties, it's the constant supervision that a two-year old requires. Correction - the constant supervision that THREE two-year olds require - three two-year olds going in three different directions. I know the supervision never really STOPS, but you can let a three year old play in the backyard and watch from the deck. You have to physically be IN the yard when the two-year old is out playing. You have to be ready, always ready, always ready. I just want to relax. I can't wait until I can let them out to play and be able to turn my back for even a minute. Sigh. I can't wait to go to a party and actually eat an entire plate of food while the food's still warm. Okay, that might be years off maybe, but it's got to get a wee-bit easier, right?

But there will always be challenges. Once you get over one hurdle, there's a new one to face. Ah...the joys of parenting.

Friday, March 10, 2006

Spanx Me

If you like my body and you think I'm sexy, c'mon baby let me know. dadadadadadada. If you really need me just reach out and touch me...

Okay, I'll stop now.

What am I singing about now? Spanx. Yes, Spanx. What is Spanx? Glad you asked! I could get into all the details on how it's made, what it's made out of, who made it, but let me just sum it up for you real easy - it's something that makes you look SUPER SKINNY! Lovin' it!

At my girls' trip to the lake last October (or was it November?) my cousins were going on and on about this new girdle that doesn't feel like a girdle and works wonders and hides your love handles and conceals your cellulite and pantyline and makes you look all svelte and beautiful and...and I forgot all about it once I got home. Then watching The Ellen Show, she was raving about it all week. Glad to have the reminder, I went right to the computer before the invention called Spanx once again escaped me. I bought the "Higher Power" panties - one in nude and one in black.

My package arrived today and I rushed to the bathroom to try one on. Lookin' goooood, girlfriend!

So if I'm looking extra svelte, sshhhhhhhhhhh, it's our little secret! ;)

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

How do you use your Noggin?

You've heard this all before. I might as well go back to an earlier post and copy and paste to save me some time.

Life.... Life.... Life is just crazy. The house is a mess, there's laundry in piles in nearly every room, the kids are out of control, there is cat puke stains EVERYWHERE, we're almost out of diapers but the thought of dragging these three crazy toddlers to the store right now is enough to make me break out into a sweat. SERENITY NOW!!

I'm stressed. I'm tired. So why does everybody keep commenting on how amazingly calm and relaxed I always am? Things aren't always as they appear, dear friends. It's either put on a brave face and bottle things up or risk acting out on these emotions raging inside and face the possibility of being locked up in a very small cell. "Your house is always spotless," they say. It's spotless because I'm constantly cleaning during every spare moment because when things spin out of control like they do today, my efforts to catch up might just be the straw that breaks me - so I do little bits each day. I have not the time nor energy to spend a day or more catching up on what I've put off in the days preceding.

Some days I feel like Superwoman - thinking I am truly awesome to accomplish what I do each day. Then other days I think I'm not only fooling everyone else, but I'm fooling myself. It's so hard to keep up. So hard to stay focused - focused on what really matters. I'm just so drained...and I CAN'T GET LAURIE BERKNER'S SONGS OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!! I just can't stop singing these damn songs. I'm a Googlehead. Shake your Noodlehead. I'm a Googa-Googa-Googa-Googa-Googlehead, too.

Yes, folks, I think I might have officially lost it. Deep breath. I may have temporarily gone a wee-bit insane, but I promise I'll be back on track tomorrow. Okay, maybe not tomorrow, but surely it'll happen soon, right? I can't stay like this forever. Can I?

I'm not perfect. No, I'm not. I'm not perfect, and you know, I like it that way.

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Blippity Blab

Due to my total procrastination in getting my butt to the pharmacy, I have been off my happy pills for over a week now - and boy does it show. Poor kids. I even scare myself. eek! Let's move Go to Walgreen's to the top of the list tomorrow. Wait...I don't have a list. First up, make a list.

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I have been one gassy broad lately. I don't know what my deal is. And it's not just little let-em-slip farts, these are the stankiest things I've ever smelled. Even I think they stink, and that's saying something. I've almost driven poor RD out of the house. Anyone ever try that Beano stuff? Does it work? Maybe I should try Maalox or something. I better try something before I'm living in this big ole' house alone.

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I'm pleased so far with the tattoo-removal process. You don't get immediate results with each treatment; the tattoo fades progressively during the weeks following the treatment. Black is supposed to be the easiest color to get rid of - most of the black outlining has disappeared. Unfortunately the colors most difficult to treat are green, yellow, pink, and purple. Wouldn't you know Betty Boop is wearing a purple nightie and holding a rose with a looong green stem, and the daisies are purple with yellow centers. Of course. You know I think the hardest part of the whole healing process is what the adhesives from the Band-Aids are doing to my skin. YAACK! My tattoos don't look irritated at all, but the skin surrounding the tattoos are red, swollen and starting to blister. Ah...the price one pays for the comfort of sleeveless shirts.

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Our yard is becoming a more kid-friendly zone. Our fence was installed today and their new swing set is being installed the week after next. We were planning on waiting awhile to get the swing set, but Rainbow was having a big sale last month, so we thought we better jump on the pre-season sales while they lasted. I was thinking we better wait awhile before we let the kids go at it - thinking they're too young yet - but I've been told time and time again that I'd be surprised at how fast they figure it out. Big Sigh...let it out... I keep seeing visions of trips to the ER...let's hope it's just my overactive imagination and not a taste of tomorrow's reality. Fun times. Fun times.

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There are four homes for sale in our subdivision. Our subdivision is just a bit over a year old! I guess it's fairly common. I know the one on our street has been relocated to Florida, and the others are the build-to-sell houses. People that build then sit a year and sell to make a buck. I don't see how they do it. I HATE, HATE, HATE moving - to do it as a job. Ugh. That takes some drive. The good thing is that these houses are asking $100,000+ over the original sales price. We're not planning on moving for quite some time, but it's good to see the property value rising. Well let's hope anyway. I guess I should wait and see if these houses actually go for these high dollars.

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The diet's going well for me. I've hit a plateau at 7 pounds, which doesn't sound like much, but I'm definitely seeing results. Even though I haven't lost a whole lot, I've gone done two sizes and people are finally starting to notice. Woo hoo! Maybe I'm gaining muscle from working out...maybe my weight's just shifting...I don't know. Either way I'm hanging in there. Our anniversary is this month and we're going away for a night. I've been talking pretty big about our night, so I better keep working out if I want to have the guts to stand behind all this big talk. teehee

Friday, March 03, 2006

No Pain No Gain

YOWZA!!!!!! I'm not one to dish out unsolicited advice, but lend me your ear if you will. If you wish to get a tattoo, you better be damn sure it's something you're going to be happy with for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. Let me repeat...THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!! When people questioned me at eighteen years of age on whether or not I would like Betty Boop when I'm say...oh, I don't know 32, my answer was, "Of course!! I looove Betty Boop!!" Well, I'm now 32 and could give a rat's ass about Betty Boop. I could also give a rat's ass about the ugly purple daisies on my right ankle. That's why I had my first round of laser-tattoo removal. Everybody say it with me now, "PAAAAAAIIIIN." The woman said it would hurt worse coming off than it would going on. She said it would be intense. The woman did not lie.

This was excruciating pain. My only saving grace was that it goes super fast. She lasered both tattoos in under 10 minutes, probably 5 really. The kicker is that it will take up to ten treatments or more to totally get rid of them AND I need to wait six to eight weeks between each treatment. I need six to eight weeks to get the courage to go through this torture again. But it will be worth it. I haven't worn sleeveless shirts for years because I hate this Betty Boop tattoo so much.

The cashier at the grocery store, noticing all my x-tra large bandages said, "Someone get hurt?" Always one to share my every personal detail to anyone who will listen, explained what I was having done. She seemed genuinely surprised that I would do such a thing. Why...she has Eyor (sp?) on her back and she's quite sure she'll never tire of him. I smiled at her innocent 18-year old face and said, "I'm sure you'll love Eyor forever."

*Little Disclaimer for all tattoo-bearing folk: I have nothing against tattoos. In fact I have one on my foot that I am keeping that I still really like. So spare me the slams. ;)