Whew! The Sun Came Up!

Last night stunk. Nate slept very little and when you are in the moment, it always feels like it will never end.

Nathan is now happily destroying the basement with all of his toys and you would never know he slept so little. That is certainly not true for me. I'm still in my pjs, haven't brushed my hair and I cannot stop yawning. Good thing for all interested parties that I brushed my teeth. :)

Grandma got Syd ready this morning. She's all dolled up in an early Christmas present. She looks so grown up and she is staring at herself in the basement mirror. She is quite impressed with herself. :)

Now, Syd says it is time to play with the Wiggle stickers. It is a plan! :)

Hope you are having a sunshiny day!

Whew! The Sun Came Up!

Last night stunk. Nate slept very little and when you are in the moment, it always feels like it will never end.

Nathan is now happily destroying the basement with all of his toys and you would never know he slept so little. That is certainly not true for me. I'm still in my pjs, haven't brushed my hair and I cannot stop yawning. Good thing for all interested parties that I brushed my teeth. :)

Grandma got Syd ready this morning. She's all dolled up in an early Christmas present. She looks so grown up and she is staring at herself in the basement mirror. She is quit impressed with herself. :)

Now, Syd says it is time to play with the Wiggle stickers. It is a plan! :)

Hope you are having a sunshiny day!

Worst Mother Ever!

I'm the perfect mother when my kids are happy and well. I cringe and crumble at a cry that lasts more than a minute and am impatient when I'm woken from my sleep. Tonight was no exception.

Not even three hours ago I was gushing about how fortunate I am, how good my kids were today and how I need to remember my fortune. All of that sorta went out of the window tonight when Nathan woke up with gas pains. I couldn't will the patience with that. He screamed for 45 minutes before my mom took him. Now, I think he may be asleep,but not because of me.

I hate that I get frustrated so easily and that sense escapes my body at the drop of a hat. My kids will not grow up to look to me for comfort, but will look for it with their father or almost anyone else. I fear that they will think I don't love them, but that is certainly not the case.

Thankful Indeed

Moments just like this one make me appreciate all I have in this world. I'm fortunate enough to have many things, but nothing means more to me than my family.

Tonight, I am snuggled in bed with my pup listening to the blissful quiet of mom and Tom's house. I miss my husband who went home because he had to work today, but he shall return tomorrow with big hugs. I'm thinking about the great day I had with my mom and the babes. They were so good today. I had a great dinner with mom and Tom at one of my favorite restaurants. I could eat homemade pie, but I'm so full from dinner that it wouldn't be safe. :)

I'm reminded, yet again, that I am blessed with so much and tonight, I'm humbled and appreciative because I do not deserve this life anymore than a neighbor. I had to take a moment to capture this moment so that when I am acting bratty or entitled, as we all do at times, I can be reminded of this wonderful day and this feeling of content.

Nighty night!

Wish I Could Be There!

Today is Sydney's first trip to the dentist. It is also Rachael D's b-day so, happy birthday to you!

It sounds silly, I know, but I really wish I could be there for Sydney's first visit to the dentist. Instead, I'm at work. Some might think it is no big deal, but it is a missed first and I'm sentimental. I wonder how she'll behave. Will she be scared or think it is no big deal?

Speaking of teeth, sorta, Nathan has ANOTHER tooth coming in. This is number five, I believe. He is just a tooth factory. :) Poor little guy. I know this one is bothering him a bit.

So, turkey day is right around the corner. Are you ready? My mom's got it covered so, I just have to show up. :) That is the best. It is always sooo good. I'm looking forward to turkey sandwiches. I cannot wait!

Well, we've got lots going on right now and I'll have to fill you in later, but for now, I've got to run. I hope you have a great day!

Hot Chocolate Time!

So, is it freaking cold where you are? I cannot believe how chilly it is, even if it is November. It makes me want to sell our house and move to the Caribbean. I'm sure it wouldn't be expensive at all. For now, I'll have to settle for a cup of hot chocolate.

Work has been busy today, which is fantastic! BRING IT ON!!! The day is so much better when I can feel like I have a reason to be here. Otherwise, I just sit and think about being with my kids all day. It makes me sad.

Rach-I did manage to get a bit ahead this week. Thank goodness! I threw a towel in the hamper this morning and realized that I'd better get on top of it next or I'm going to be in trouble.

Allie-No, I just used the chx and rice recipe from the soup can. What is Jess' recipe? Oh and Kim CANNOT sing and she doesn't even know, despite repeated attempts by the voice coach and the producer. Very arrogant. OH! Did you hear her spell cat the other night as K-A-T? Are you kidding me? She didn't even flinch and no one called her on it.

Speaking of food. I tried to preplan our meals for a month. I went shopping once for the entire thing, which was quite expensive and found it very useful. The biggest problem I have with cooking at home is that I never know what to cook and the second is that I am always craving something. The latter problem should actually be the first problem simply because I can talk myself out of a preplanned dinner because I want something specific, which usually requires purchasing new ingredients or going out. BAD! The whole idea is to save money and then I let my stomach be my guide. Oh, and like Jess G., I love to read cookbooks, but I actually get so excited to try a recipe that I will focus on it until I've tried it. Again, out to buy more ingredients.

Let's talk about lunches. What do you eat? I'm stuck with frozen lunches half of the time because of that whole cravings thing. At least that way, I can pick something close. For the most part, I dislike sandwiches, except after Thanksgiving. :) I could eat leftover turkey sandwiches for two weeks! I love it! MMMM!

Jess-I'm working on my tag, but I'm having a hard time coming up with 7 strange things about me. Perhaps I should ask those closest to me. :)

Hugs!

7 Strange Things About Me

Okay, so, I got tagged by Jess G.



1. I always like to sit with my left side protected.



2. One of my favorite holiday traditions is to snuggle on the couch and watch QVC. I've never called in though. I have ordered stuff online.



3. I want to take a knife skills class. No, I don't want to be a secret ninja fighter. :) I'm talking about cooking.



4. I'd like to stay in a haunted house sometime, if I weren't such a chicken.



5. I still abbreviate chicken as chx, even though I haven't waited tables in years.



6. I typically read only non-fiction and get very excited about it.



7. I have a ridiculously sensitive nose, but it is fading with age. One day, I was called to the kitchen to identify a smell. :) The fridge had been cleaned, but it still smelled. I guessed a piece of rotting citrus. We looked around, nothing. We pulled out the drawers and there it was! We found a tangerine or clementine that was half rotten. It had fallen back there somehow. :) My strongest memories are often associated with smells, which is true for many.

Tuesday, Nov 18th and Randomness!

First, Happy Birthday, Jane!

I feel like Nathan was just born and here I am in the middle of November. Where does the time go? Really? I want to know.

Marc has been working late the last few nights and I've been in charge of the kiddos alone. Tonight, Sydney was so exhausted she was in a terrible mood. Thank goodness I had prepped dinner last night. Whew! In fact, I'm covered for the next two nights. Last night, I made a chicken and rice casserole, cooked kielbasa and put a roast in the crock pot. Yay! I love it when I have the opportunity to do things like that.

So, can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week?! I cannot. It will be yummy. :) So, what are you having? Anything non-traditional?

I know I'm supposed to take all of my antibiotics. I do, but...I really want to stop taking them because they are making my stomach yucky! It really is nutty how those things work, isn't it?

Have you seen The Real Housewives of Atlanta? Well, I'm a bit of a Bravo nut, no matter how bad the program is and I got sucked into this one. It is like a blue flame. I just don't want to look away. Anyway, there is a woman on there (Kim) and tonight, I saw her smoking (yuck, but okay) and drinking (whatever)...IN HER CAR?! What the crap?! She was parked, but who would think this was a good idea at all let alone on national tv? Good grief. I'm especially sensitive on this subject.

Well, I think I have sufficiently babbled long enough. I think it is time to hit the hay!

Stay warm, ya'll. It is BITTER out there. Brrrr!

Jess

Warning-Gross!

So, I just love the taste of phlegm first thing in the morning, don't you? Well, actually all day. I spoke too soon the other day when I thought I was getting better. I took two steps back the other morning and finally gave in yesterday and went to the doctor when I was seeing the colors of Fall in my tissues. YUCK and OUCH! Thank you sinus infection! Sadly, the antibiotics my doctor prescribed is doing a number on my stomach and it makes me feel like I'm going to puke at any given moment. I'm not sure which is worse, nausea or a ripping pain in my head. Hmm...but how thankful am I that I can go to the doctor and get the medicine I am complaining about!? VERY THANKFUL!

It is another foggy, wet day here. It appears that it might be another quiet and dull day. I'm only happy about this because I am under the weather a bit. Honestly, I am just plain worried about it. I want us to be booming with business, but for now...I wait. I'll spare you my woes of worry for me and all of America right now. It is ugly out there. You know, I know and enough said.

Sydney is supposed to have a playdate tomorrow with a little buddy that used to attend her school. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to visit her. Sydney is such a little social butterfly and very concerned about her family and friends. :) She rubbed my back this morning and told me, "You'll feel better soon, Mommy." How cute! I just want to squish her when she is that sweet. Of course, not five minutes later she was yelling at me. "I want blah blah blah. NOW!" she says. Hmph! That crap doesn't fly with mommy, chick! I certainly can appreciate the urgency in wanting what you want when you want it. We are a very impatient society, aren't we?

I'm really in need of a movie day. Seriously! I want to take an entire day, dress in my pjs, make grilled cheese and watch movies or old re-runs all day, in between naps. Doesn't that sound so nice? Throw some hot chocolate and warm chocolate chip cookies in there and I'm in heaven. Mmmm. I wish Syd would sit still long enough to snuggle and watch A movie. With the Madagascar movie out, we thought we might take her to see it, but two seconds later we came to our senses. It would probably be a huge waste of money and we'd have to leave. It is almost Frosty the Snowman time! She LOVES that movie. We must have watched two hundred times last winter. I'm not kidding.

So, I keep hearing about Christmas shopping this and Christmas shopping that and I just haven't gotten on board yet. I suppose I need to move on that. I guess I just don't feel like Christmas this year, even more so than normal. I feel guilty! There are people out there that don't have jobs and don't know where their next meal will come from, like every year, but it is even more in my face now. I just don't feel like it is wise to spend money right now and I feel helpless. A long time ago, I read an email forward that told a story about an old woman who made a huge Thanksgiving dinner (Christmas too!) and she would go out and bring homeless people back to eat it. A client of ours buys warm clothing and hands it out down town. I think that is just wonderful, both. Not exactly safe, unfortunately, but very sweet. I've often thought about working in a food kitchen on a holiday, but I think my family would have a fit. I think it would be great to raise my children in that environment so that they can see how fortunate they are and how nice it is to help others. I'd actually like to do something on a regular basis, but what?

When I think about where I am in my life and where I am going, I get really upset. Not because I think I'm in a bad place, but because I feel like I should be doing more. I want to feel like I have a purpose other than taking up space. I want to inspire and be inspired by others. I want my children to be kind, wise and compassionate people. I want to give without giving up my limited time with them. How do I get there? What can I do? I love law and still hope to go to law school one day, but until then...? Here's another question...I have this desire to reach out, show my emotion and create, but I'm ridiculously shy! Isn't that something? Go figure. Perhaps this is too heavy for a Friday. :)

Well, before I go on to discuss my religion curiosity, I think I'll leave. :)

I wish you all health, wealth and happiness!

Hugs!
Jess

Rainy Thursday

I'm having trouble looking away from my office window this morning. It is pouring rain outside and it is so grey out. It is lulling me into a far away place.

Got an email alert this morning that a woman was abducted from the bank across the street the other day at 1:30pm! That is a VERY busy shopping center. On top of that, a cab driver was shot and killed outside the new parking deck I have to park in now. NOT COOL! Our Landlord is taking the steps necessary to prevent people from walking to and from the parking deck. They feel that it is dangerous now that it gets dark so early and now THIS. They've started running a shuttle all day until 9pm. I was still walking in the mornings before I heard this, but now, I think I'll catch the bus. It just isn't worth it.

Well, I think I'll finish my coffee and find something to do. My boss is out of town until Monday and it is extremely quiet today.

Feelin' Better All Around

I'm coughing so much less today. It is wonderful. Of course, that leaves nothing to break up the peaceful silence in my office. Hmm...maybe I'll just start yelling at random intervals to wake everyone up.

A friend of mine received an invitation to a Housewarming Party. Nice, right? Well, it turns out this person added a "I'm registered at..." on the invite. Tacky? I think so. The point of such an event, at least as I see it, is for people to see your new house and congratulate you. Typically, I bring a little something, but I do it because I want to and not because I feel it is a requirement. I also find it even more distasteful in this economy. There are people losing their homes left and right because of lost jobs, etc. and you want a gift because you were able to buy one. Not cool, at least I don't think so.

So, those Sydney-isms I've told you about are fading. :( I'm sure they will be replaced with something new. She no longer says, "va-ella," but now says, "vanilla." She no longer sings, "If you're happy in your nose..," she sings "If you're happy and you know it." I know who should receive the blame for stealing my "va-ella." Marc! Nathan, thankfully, still tries to butt heads with me to tell me he loves me and shakes his head furiously each time he hears the word "no." He's too sweet.

Well, I am off to stalk everyone else since I don't have anything interesting to say. :)

Getting Over Sickness and Grumpiness

I've been a bit grumpy today. Okay, a lot grumpy. See my last post.

Good thing my plans were cancelled last weekend because I ended up feeling so terrible on Saturday that I spend as much time as possible on my couch. The gook finally started to break up on Sunday afternoon and I'm on the mend. I'm still pretty congested, but I've greatly improved.

Not much otherwise is going on here. I'm trying to see through my cruddy new contacts. They are Acuvue Advance and I HATE them! How can something that is supposed to be better for your eyes annoy the crap out of them incessantly? Makes no sense.

Well, I think I'll take my foul mood elsewhere for today. :) I hope you have a great day.

GRRRR! MISSED CALLS!

If you have a missed call on your cell phone, or any other phone for that matter, do you call the number back and harrass the person on the other end?! Seriously! Perhaps someone dialed the wrong number and realized it when the wrong voicemail picked up. If someone isn't ringing your phone off the hook, don't call back and say, "Hi! Someone called me from this number." Then, proceed to get irate because you think I am playing games with you. By the way, you didn't identify yourself! Chances are, dummy, if someone really wanted to talk to you, they would leave a message! OR, call me crazy, but they just might call you back. Maybe you'll answer this time, MR. JERKPANTS!!! By the way, no one here called you!

I think I am going to call your number right now and hang up. Just for spite!

WHY AM I SURROUNDED BY MORONS?! THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!

Friday Funk!

I'm happy it is Friday, as always. I'm bummed that my weekend plans to visit my dad got squashed because of our germs. We've rescheduled for the 22nd so, that is good.

Marc is working the entire weekend so, it is me and the babes. I know they are excited. NOT! They totally have more fun with their daddy.

Well, I hope you have a good weekend! Perhaps I'll attempt to finish altering my skirt. That would be a fun goal.

GERMS, AWAY WITH YOU!

Seriously! This time, I'm not talking about my kids. I'm just talking about the germs they carry and all the other little snotty kids at their school. This is PRECISELY why I hate this time of year. I had a cold a month ago. NOW, we have ANOTHER! It really is quite ridiculous.

I went to bed last night at 8pm. I'm trying to stay rested so this crap will go away. I slept until 6am. I'm thankful I got to sleep that long, especially uninterrupted. I do, however, have things that need to be done after the kids go to bed and if I'm tucked in, how will it get done? I'm talking about my chores. Marc does LOTS around our house.

I have to journal a few funny things Syd has said over the last week or so.

First, the other morning we were getting dressed to head to the polls and Syd asked why we were up so early. I told her, "We are going to the voting booths." She instantly started twirling around and squealing, "Yay!" I was a bit surprised that she had such a reaction. After all, she is only three. I do that, but she doesn't even know about voting yet. It wasn't long before she ran around screaming, "We're going to the FLOATING boots! Yay! We'll float and float and.." You get the picture. Pretty silly, huh? :)

Then, she asks me for some "rotten balls." What? She then pulls a bag of cotton balls out of the cabinet. Oh.

She does a very good job of pronouncing things, but she still says, "va-ella" instead of "vanilla." I just let that one slide because it is so cute. She'll be corrected soon enough.

She's great at letter recognition, provided the letter is capitalized. If not, she struggles with the lower case version. Every night when we read stories, it has become routine for mommy to "point to the letters" so that she can guess what they are. She gets pretty excited about guessing her letters. In fact, if I am too tired and try not to do it, she reminds me. :) I'll indulge her as much as she wants.

Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching and Sydney is learning about Pilgrims and Native Americans. I always love this time of year. I've got to pick up some fun books on our next library trip. The library is sooooo great. I've been so thankful for our local library the last several months. They have saved me from reading the same stories over and over again at night. We bring home a big shopping bag of books every two weeks and there is always enough for two stories a night. Occasionally, we'll repeat a few. I've heard that libraries have really picked up. That is wonderful news!

Well, I'm off. Have a great day!

Democracy Lives!

No matter who you were rooting for yesterday, you could feel democracy in the air. We knew that the country was divided and last night, once again, the results proved it. It is my sincere hope that Barack Obama will bridge the gap between the parties and turn this country around.

If you haven't heard, which I'm sure you have, we are receiving major props and praise from all across the globe for our decision. No matter how you feel, how wonderful is it that America elected its first African American President? I'm so proud. I'm also proud of John McCain for giving, what I hear was, a gracious speech last night. Truly, nothing can be accomplished without working together.

I'm exhilarated by the election results and, like many of my countrymen, ready to get back on the horse and start anew!

History in the Making!

How exciting it was to stand in line to vote this morning! I'm always excited to put my two cents in on election day, but today was about as exciting as it can get. Marc and I started our hour wait at 6:40am (Got up at 5:15am!). I've voted at this center several times and I have never seen such a diverse crowd. It was inspiring.

So, like a child on Christmas Eve, I'll most likely be watching the tv tonight waiting to see who will be our next President. No matter the direction, it will be a historic event and we will have been a part of it. HOW COOL IS THAT!?

If you haven't voted yet today, get out the door! Lines are long and your vote does count! :)

Crossing my fingers and toes!

Hugs to you!
Jess

One Step! Holy Cow!

It seems like just last week, and it very well could have been, that I told you that Nathan started standing unassisted. Now, today, he's taken his first few steps. I cannot believe it! Nathan is 9 mos old and he's just physically whizzing around. I was waiting all day yesterday for him to take a step. He was so close, but nothing. Today, while I was at a baby shower, he did it. DANG IT!!! I did get to see him do it again though. I'm just so bummed I missed the first one. :(

Yay, Nathan. Slow down a bit!

Nutty! Nutty!

So, I've been MIA for a few days. Well, sadly, the dinner didn't go well. Well, at least that is how I felt. It felt like I was on a four hour job interview and I was grilled about law school nearly the entire time. It was extremely uncomfortable. I know they mean well and that they want to see me live up to my potential, but it can really be suffocating at times. I've got a lot going on and really, it isn't as much of an "if" as it is a "when." So, PLEASE!

After that, I kicked into high gear to finish Syd's costume. That stinkin' sewing machine gave me the hardest time. Wednesday afternoon, I had spent so much time trying to finish and it just wasn't moving as quickly as I wanted. Of course, not having the luxury of spending all of my time working on this costume, I headed to Costco with the kids to pick up some necessities. I slipped down an aisle to go to another part of the store and there, as if sent to me, was a cute little Singer sewing machine. It was quite reasonable and I contemplated it for a few minutes and then continued on my way. I was on the other side of the warehouse when Sydney asked me if I was going to get the sewing machine. Seriously. I let my three year old talk me into buying it. What does that tell you? You guessed it! It didn't take a lot of persuading. I've seriously been asking for a new one for at least four years. So, whatever. I hit the house and moved at rocket speed (for me) and finished the costume in the nick of time. Sydney wore it to school on Friday. What a relief! :) I was excited. Isn't it always fun when something turns out like it should? Of course, I have a lot to learn. I haven't packed it away like I did my old one. I've ripped apart a skirt that was too big to alter. We'll see how it goes. Since it took me almost two hours to undo the skirt, I have a whole new appreciation for seamstresses. I still don't want to pay them $700-800 a year anymore though! Yes, nearly everything I buy has to be altered. This particular skirt needs to be taken in at least two inches in the waist and over a quarter inch per hip. Worst case, I wreck the skirt. I couldn't wear it anyway.

Halloween was very fun. Sydney had a friend over, Trinity. She and her mom went walking around our neighborhood with us. Thankfully, it was a very mild evening and we really enjoyed ourselves. Sydney and Trinity had such a good time. It is so nice to watch your kids interact with other kids. Nathan was a little panda bear. He was soooo cute. He was smiling ear to ear the entire time.

I hope everyone else had a great weekend. It was a challenging week with a nice ending. Whew!