Classified

My question this past week was “What would your personal ad seeking someone else say? (you know, SWF seeking boyfriend, friend, etc.) In 200 words or less.”

MWF seeks pool boy (must have your own pool).

No Black Coffee In Bed

I have done it this time, really done it. I gave up coffee. I am sure you are very surprised, I mean what the hell? Why would I do that. Well, two reasons. The first main reason, I am off work and I drink a lot, too much, coffee when I am home. All that coffee has a lot of creamer and hot chocolate (how I take my coffee) in it. That adds up to a lot of calories that I do not need. Secondly, but more important, pesticides. Coffee has a ton of pesticides in it, unless you can buy (afford) organic. Which I can't. So, there it is. Surprisingly, I do not miss it as much as you might think I would.

I have instead switched to one cup of tea a day. Now you know why I have been cranky and uncommunicative!

Good and Bad

Tonight I had one of those nights. It started of crazy and ended up touching me so deeply I can hardly express it. I took my oldest and her friend to their Irish dance class, and after it was over, we picked up my baby (who was uncharacteristically fussy) from my mom's and headed for home. It being late, we decided to stop at McDonalds so she could get some dinner. I ended up in line behind a woman in a Mercedes who was ordering one of everything I think...seriously waited 5 minutes behind her. (I know, big deal...but it is fast food...not fine dining!) Anyway, we get to the window, she gets her food and pulls ahead...then stops...blocking me. She proceeds to get out as I am reaching for the disgusting kids meal and shouts at the girl in the window that she did not get her drink. I then say to her "would you mind pulling forward so the rest of us can get on with our lives?" (I know, surly right....I was out of patience).

So I get home, my oldest drops said Happy Meal 3 times on the way in to the house, in the rain. Thus turning it into an unhappy meal. Took her the usual 45 minutes to eat and she did not finish the fries, but whatever, I am not going to make a deal out of it. In the meantime as she is eating, I am getting the babies bath ready. Upon undressing her I notice that her pants are wet...diaper soaked through. So I take it off, have her naked in the room sitting on her rug, I leave for literally a minute to put her towel and tub in the bathroom, come back and she peed on the carpet! Which I only discovered because I kneeled right in it! Bloody hell!

So she is bathed and fed, then both kids are put to bed. My oldest calls me in to look at her cool book we bought the other day that is all about the human body. I am talking pretty in depth her people, with cutaways of organs, brain, muscles, bones, etc., because she is just that kind of kid that digs science. Anyway, she starts telling me all about the endocrine system, and how the kidney is so cool because of all it does, then how fascinating the body is, etc., etc. Twenty minutes we lay in the dark on her bed talking about all of this. I LOVED every minute of it. I wish I could put that in my pocket and bring it out for those times she tests me or frustrates me. Because those twenty minutes, they were perfect bliss.

Easter Weekend

We had a great Easter weekend - warm weather, surrounded by family and friends, and reminded of God's love and promise for our lives. Here is a brief snapshot of what we did.

Baby's Birthday Party

On Saturday one of my oldest and dearest friends came up with her baby son and we let the kids play, talked, and had a nice day together.

Sunday we went to church, where there was an Easter Egg Hunt, then we had another one at home. Our oldest got way too much stuff, but had a lot of fun. For Easter dinner we had my mom and her husband, my father in law and sister in law, and the Grand-Wa's (some dear family friends) over. Everyone pitched in with different parts of the meal and it was all delicous. Best of all was the company and the time spent with family and friends.

Happy Birthday Baby

OK, I meant to post this on her birthday, but with my oldest out of school, Easter, Job Interviews, etc., time ran away from me.

My baby just turned 1 and I am awe struck that a whole year has passed. It seems like just yesterday that we brought her home and she was just a little peanut.

From the very beginning she has had her own mind and ideas about how things need to be done. My two girls are so very different and so similar in some ways too. Both are independent, stubborn, loving, and inherently funny. Yet, the baby is built different, eats better (hooray), is more fiesty, is stronger, and her temper is a lot closer to the surface. She is also busy, busy, BUSY. I can never leave her alone in a room even for a second as you just don't know what the hurricane will get in to. I am so blessed to have had 3 incredible children who each in their own way teach me so much about life, but mostly about myself.

Happy birthday fiesty spice!

Ashamed

I am so ashamed, I never do this if I can help it all as I feel it is such a disservice to someone who put so much effort into something, but this time I had to, I just could not carry on any longer.

I gave up reading a book (gasp).

What makes it worse is that it is one on Ireland, but I just could not get into it. It honestly had been sitting there, with barely a page read each day for over two months now. All the while the Stephen King book was taunting me, so I picked it up and have started it. (No comment yet on how it is).

Putty In Your Hands

Share with us an event or person that early in your life helped shape who you are today?

There are so many events and people that helped shape my life, that it is difficult for me to just pick out one. Unfortunately, I tend to remember the negative ones, as they either hurt more or seemed to have the most impactful lesson. Instead, I will pick a positive experience. When I was about 11 my mom asked me if I wanted to join the International Order of Jobs Daughters (IOJD or Jobies for short). She had been in it as a young teen/young woman and thought that it would help me come out of my shell, make some friends, and develop a stronger sense of self. She was completely right. One of my dearest friends is a direct result of my being involved in Jobies and I am forever greatful for the experiences, lessons, and opportunities that this provided me. I would hope one day to have my girls join, but the organization is fading fast, so it is hard to say if it will still be around then. I hope it is.

Projects

Since we are behind, or missing (ahem) topics for Project Say Something, and I have not done a favorite five this week, I am combining them into the top 5 projects that I need or want to do while I am off work.

1. Read, Read, Read - I have a stack of books on my nightstand that is only getting larger. Of the ones that are there is The Art of War (again), Just After Sunset, Ireland, An Incomplete Education, two HR books, 1 management book, and on and on. I am not even going to talk about the stack in front of the nightstand or the other two stacks next to and as tall as the nightstand. (Lord help me!)
2. Go to the Museum - I will say several of them, on my own or with the kids and my mom
3. Organize the pictures and put them in the album - I have the photo album updated to last June, and I cannot let it go a full year
4. Spring Clean - Wash windows, clean out closets, donate clothes, toys, etc.
5. Volunteer - YCC, St. Annes, my church.