I Should Be Folding Laundry

She's Four

Lately Ariel has been saying the strangest things. 

Her love for her mother is evident in almost everything she says, which warms my heart, but some of the things do concern me.

Over the weekend, she stood on a kitchen chair and jumped off.  I said to her "Ariel, do not do that again, you could break your neck."  She then told me "that's okay, you'll put it back on."  Which may also explain why when she hurts her arms and legs, she declares them as "broken."

When they are not.

I fear a crying wolf incident, that some day, her forearm will be dangling from her elbow while she screams "my arm is broken!" and I won't look up from my nachos because her arms breaks currently about seven times a day.

She did insult me today.  I loathe the bratz dolls.  Ariel will ask for them after seeing their funky faces on television and I will simply, but firmly, tell her that she will NEVER EVER own a bratz doll.  If she ever gets one as a gift, it will go back.  They're awful pieces of plastic.  (It's nice to know I'm not the only one who feels this way.)  Today, the kids were strapped into their car seats, when I had to run back into the house to grab my sunglasses, I put them on top of my head, when I came out of the house Ariel yelled "YOU LOOK LIKE A BRATZ BABY."  I didn't know how to reply, so I didn't.  I just hope she never says that again.  I better re-evaluate how my make up is being applied.

Ariel has also decided that she wants to get married. to me.  She's even planning what we are going to wear and what her Dad and brother are going to wear.  The first time she said it, I thought it was cute and did not say much except that I was already married to her father, whom I love very much.   But many times a day I would hear her say "Mom, I'm going to marry you!"  I explained to her that you can't marry your mother, and I can't be married to two people and I almost told her that she can't marry girls.  But, I couldn't say that.  It felt like I was lying or like I was potentially taking something away from her future.

Because when she's older, if she wanted, she could probably legally marry a woman.  And who am I to say if that is right or wrong.  (Lord, help me if my mother is reading this.)  To be honest with you, before I had children, the thought that my children could be a homosexual did cross my mind, and I could never decide how I would react to that lifestyle.  But now I know.  I just want them to be happy.  Whether it's with Tom or Nancy, for either one, I just want them to be loved and feel love and give love. 

What most important to me now is what is most important when they're older. 
I just want them to be happy.

summuhtime.

I can already tell you that I am going to love this summer.  Not just because I hate snow and not just because I really dislike cold weather and not only because I love bratwurst, potato salad and smores, but mainly because my kids are SO tired.

I'm not saying that because it may give me more free time (it does!) and it allows me to sleep past 8 o' clock (yee haw!), these are fine things, no doubt, but the FUN the kids are already having is rockin' my world.  I have heard more laughter in this past week than I did all winter.  sad...but true.  What makes my heart almost explode is how well the kids are getting along.  Last night I was mowing the lawn while Brian was putting this baseball toy together and they just played and laughed and rolled and jumped and got so dirty.  I would just look over my shoulder while mowing with awe knowing that we created this amazing relationship between these two children.

For those that don't know, when Ariel was just four months old, we found out I was pregnant with Racecar.  I can remember the feeling I had after taking the pregnancy test, a mixed feeling of disbelief and sadness.  I felt sad and I felt sorry for Ariel, I felt like we had ripped her off in some way.  I can remember the day before my c-section was to take place, Ariel was six days shy of turning one and we went to lunch with her and I just wanted to cry the whole time. I wanted to cry because she wouldn't be with us for four days, I wanted to cry because I couldn't pick her up for two weeks and I wanted to cry because we were going to miss out on just focusing on her.  oh the guilt.  The Ridiculous Guilt.  I felt this despite feeling the incredible excitement of adding to our little family.

Little did I know, one of the greatest gifts Ariel would ever receive was growing steadily in my belly for a long time. 

The first year was difficult, we didn't sleep much, we had very little free time, Brian and I were constantly bickering, our house was always disorganized and Racecar cried A LOT. 

And then one day, life became a little easier.  With each summer we've discovered new things with our kids, amusement parks, different zoos, the beach.  But this summer our discovery was seeing how much our two children really do love each other.  They value each other.  They laugh at each other.  Make no mistake, we have moments when Ariel is sitting quietly watching TV when Racecar comes and puts his feet on Ariel's face.  And we have times when Ariel tricks her little brother so she can have the better swing, but that comes with the territory.

This past week Brian and I have been busy improving our yard and making it a safe beautiful place to play and relax and our amazing children are certainly exploring every inch of it...all day long...until they collapse into bed at night.

I love summertime.

Works for Me Wednesday

There is nothing better than the smell of fresh, natural lavender  growing in your garden.

I planted a small plant of lavender underneath my bedroom window a few years ago and when the wind blows in, the scent drifts into my bedroom.  It is amazing, the best, I recommend it to everyone.

Lavender is a very easy plant to care for and it's inexpensive.  It is a perennial (comes every year), loves the sun and likes to be planted in well drained soil or even in a pot!  So, go to Lowe's, pick up some lavender and enjoy it's amazing, calming aroma.  Nothing is better than laying in bed at night after a long day of yelling at my kids and not folding laundry and smelling my lavender.

For more Works for Me Wednesday, go here.

Wordless Wednesday

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Wrong Way

My goal was to lose one pound this week, instead I gained one pound.  And that sucks and everything, BUT my body feels different and I know that it is because I have been so active over this holiday weekend. 

To say I'm not frustrated would be a lie, this being a holiday weekend I had planned healthy meals on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  Friday night we went out to eat and that was our big splurge for the weekend.  (the fact that we feel we need a big splurge is a whole other issue that still needs to be uncovered.)  Other than that, it was a healthy weekend, so I am frustrated, but it just makes me realize that bigger changes need to take place. 

Here is what is going to happen this week:

-No more stopping at Dunkin' Donuts for coffee during the week.  This is a BIG BIG BIG deal to me because I am addicted.   If I do stop, I must have my own fat free creamer with me, if I don't have it, I won't stop.  (Dunkin Donuts creamer is terribly high in points)

-I'm going to weigh in on Wednesdays, not Tuesdays.  The great thing about the challenge is that you can weigh in anytime during the week, you just need to report on Tuesday's post.  (whoever created those guidelines is just brilliant)  When I was on WW last year, I weighed in on Wednesdays and it worked very well for me, so I'm going to continue with that.

-I need to walk or exercise or something.  I need to firm up this flubbery, bouncy, jelly belly of mine and firm up the floppy arms.  Yard work is good for additional activity, but it is not THE activity, I need to get my heart pumping.  I'm considering Curves, I just don't know when I'll go.  Is anyone reading this a member of Curves?  Do you like it?

-One thing I have done is I have increased the amount of sleep I am getting, so I really want to focus on this habit.  The more sleep I have, the more energy I have, the more activity I'll do...which will make me tired, which will make me sleep better.  I like that cycle!
Not too mention that when I sleep more I'm a much nicer, more patient person.  Usually.

See you next week.

My achy achy legs.

The weather has been gloomy this weekend, but today's weather has turned out to be glorious after a rainy, cool morning, we grilled and ate outside, it was perfection!

The last post I wrote was about picking up sticks in my yard and how tired I was.  I had no idea how tired I was going to REALLY be after this weekend.  Because we have been working in our yard for many hours everyday and now I can hardly walk.  In fact, it feels so good to be sitting down right now, but I know when I finally do stand up, it is going to hurt so bad.  My legs, my back, my neck, my legs.  After tomorrow, I'm not going to do any yard work for at least three days, you have my word.  It's kinda sad that Brian has been working almost as hard harder than me, so I'm not really getting too much of a reprieve from the typical household crap.  But, the end is near, which makes me think maybe I'll blog more, like everyday, since blogging now means picking up my laptop which requires upper body strength and also requires a little bit of brain power, which I do not have, so with that, I'm going to go to bed, before I fall asleep while writing this ldkjfwoeowaldjvnlakdmvlakdjfalkewdsfja;elirtjuo4iehgvnalkzsfm
LQKWJER;OEIWHJTlkjgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

sorry about that. 

Have a great holiday everyone.  Thank you to our veterans, our troops and our troop's families for all you do, for all that you sacrifice.  And most of all, to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.  We hang our flag in honor of you.
Thank you, in particular, to my brothers who are currently serving in the US right now.

My brother, Dan, is in the center, third from the right.

Also, if you have an old cell phone, please consider donating it to the Cell Phones for Soldiers organization, which donates phones cards to our troops in exchange for your old phones.  Click here for me info.

God Bless America.

all photos courtesy of Jack Gruber from USA Today, who was embedded with my brother's company during his first tour in 2003.

Exhaling

Finally.  All is calm. Well, things are calmer than they have been for a long, long time. These past two and a half weeks have been overly hectic and now things are calmer and I am enjoying the change in pace very much.  I could not wait for Wednesday night at 8:00pm, because I knew my overly scheduled schedule would be wiped clean, what a feeling!  I even celebrated with my favorite ice cream, I was so excited I didn't even wash my face before bed.  (stupid, yes.  Lazy, oh yes.)  The past few weeks held trips to LA for Brian, Mother's Day, multiple meetings, a new job, a day in Chicago, more meetings, fundraiser parties, conference calls, Mommy's Group (at my house, no less), a trip to Kansas City and a storm that created a massive mess that we are still cleaning up.

See what I did today?

Every stick you see in that pile I touched with my hands today, and they all sat in my backyard, buried by the growing grass.  Needless to say, I am very tired and terribly sore, spending the day bent over isn't very fun.  (get your mind out of the gutter.)  This pile is after Brian spent two days cleaning up the backyard.  so.many.sticks.  We planned on completing the storm clean up this weekend, but our forecast looks like this:

So, it was up to me.  Luckily the kids cooperated wonderfully and I was able to get this done, I even mowed so it's almost like we have a real backyard again!  What a wonderful feeling.  It's still not quite done, I mean, every step you take you still step on small sticks, you can hear then cracking, but at least it looks better.  We won't be going barefoot for a long time. Now if we could just get the branches of off the roof, the gutters cleaned out and the siding power washed, we would almost feel normal again.   Maybe I'm glad it's supposed to rain all weekend, I could actually catch up on blogs and even comment on one or two, now THAT sounds good to me.

By the way, I love Taco Bell.  Do you?  I know there are some people who don't like it, but I think it's the best dang fast food out there.  We treated ourselves to that tonight because I was way too tired to cook, and quite honestly, not finished with my PICK UP ONE MILLION STICKS PROJECT, and if I don't cook, well, everyone starves, so we went to Taco Bell.  And it was delicious and we all ate like kings for ten dollars.  And even though Racecar calls it Taco Belt, it still my favorite place.  And his, too.

400

We finally finished watching the season finale of American Idol.  I was terribly disturbed by the amount of Sanjaya that I saw tonight, but I was even more disturbed that he was singing with Joe Perry, from Aerosmith, which is a band I love. 

In the beginning of the season, the show would get cut off every week by Tivo, so we'd miss the last minute or so.  Finally, I created a two minute buffer, because God forbid you miss that last minute of the poor voted off person singing their Final Ballad.  I should have taken notice last night when my boyfriend's performance was cut off.  But I didn't take notice and yes, I am an idiot, because after watching the finale for two hours and two minutes, Tivo ended the show and we did not get to see won.  Two minutes after the show was supposed to end and it still hadn't ended.

Can I just talk about how irritating that is?  I mean, it wasn't that big of a deal because I can go to www.anywebsiteanywhere.com and find the winner, but STILL, are they just milking the whole two hours and then some for advertisements??  C'mon, end it on time, already!

By the way, this is my 400th post.  WOOT.  HOOT.  HOLLA. 

American Idol--FINAL TWO

Okay...here we go.

What the heck is Randy wearing?  He has charms and gold and bling n' stuff.     dawg.

Where did Paula get all of that hair?  She looks like a dog.  and apparently she tripped on a dog last night and almost broke her nose.  Because she's always drunk.

And Ryan Seacrest just said "bitch." All of this in the first three minutes.  good times.

A coin toss.  How cute.  Do they do this every year?  I'm tired.

Blake Lewis--"You Give Love A Bad Name"  I loved this performance when he sang it the first time.  It's just as good, if not better.  He's pretty.  I do feel like he was a little flat and out of breath....and Simon agrees.

Jordin Sparks--"Fighter" I can't even stress how much I love her hair when it's straight like that.  So pretty.  just like Blakey.  well, not just like him.  But they're both pretty.  She sounds good. 
She's tall.

Blake Lewis--"She Will Be Loved"   I just think this song is boring, BUT, I think he sang it better than Maroon 5.  Well, maybe except for the one part when his voice cracked.  And WHEN WILL HE SING WITHOUT ALL OF THOSE SHIRTS ON???  I'm sick of it.

Jordin Sparks--"A Broken Wing"  I LOVE her outfit.  Very cute and her vocals were flawless.  Excellent.  I don't think I'm a huge fan of the song, but her voice really sounded good.  (Randy said she was flawless, too.  yo dawg)

Blake Lewis--"This is My Now." (a song written by some random people)  A ballad.  How sad for Blakey. Vocally he sounds really good.  I actually enjoyed this performance, at first it seemed awkward, but I liked it, although he did have some vocal snags.  He needs some lemon water or honey or something.    Maybe a juicy kiss would make him feel better. What?  I'm just trying to help.

Jordin Sparks--"This is My Now."  (a song written by some random people)  This song is much better when she sings it.  It's a vocal match.  Wow, she's crying on stage, she can't get through the song.   Is she disqualified now or something?  That would suck.

Who should win????  

As long as Sanjaya is gone...I don't care.

Okay, I honestly think Jordin should win.  Blake would be better off not winning.  And she is a better singer. 

We'll find out after a seven hour season finale tomorrow night.  Seacrest.  Out.

Works for Me Wednesday

If there is one thing I am not good at, it's deep cleaning on a daily or weekly basis.  I tend to do it on a random Saturday or when company is coming over.  To help me with that Day of Cleaning when I MUST get every inch of my house cleaned, I create a cleaning schedule.  I plan it around kid's lunches, picking up kids from school, my lunch and naps.  This is what my schedule looked like today:

by 10am--plant flowers, fold laundry
by 11am--Clean master bedroom and kitchen
by NOON--vacuum master bedroom, dust living room surfaces, wash windows and mirrors
by 1pm--Clean bathroom, clean living room (while kids eat)
by 2pm--Vacuum living room, mop kitchen floor, wipe down kitchen table and chairs (after lunch)
by 3pm--clean kids bedrooms, clean and mop foyer and laundry room
by 4pm--use weed whacker outside and sweep porch. (during naps.)
by 5pm--shower and relax

It works wonders.  I find myself finishing much earlier then my schedule, I tend to clean more thoroughly and I mark off my to-do list after each hour mark, which gives me a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

Definitely works for me.  For more tips, go here!