Pondering

I know that I don't have all the answers...I know that I mess it up more times than I do it right...I know that they will probably have to deal with baggage that I've brought upon them in later years...I know that I will do everything in my power so that they will never doubt my love for them...I know that I am fiercely protective...I know that they will probably think I'm not all that cool in just a few years...I know that they get a lot of their little quirks from me and a lot of their really neat qualities from their daddy...I know that their hugs melt me...that their sweet voices will be missed when they grow up and have families of their own...I know that I love them more than I ever thought possible...

My girls:

Mom

Mom, Mommy, Mom, Mom, Mom...Mommmmmyyyyyyy

Mom, Mom, Mom, Mommy, Mom, Mommmyyy, Mom, Mom

Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom...

wait for it...

wait for it...

Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mommmmyyyyyy

This, my friends, is what I hear in my house, in what feels like, every moment of my day...

In the bedroom....MOMMMMMMMYYYYY
In the laundry room...Mom!
Talking on the phone with a customer service rep....Mom...I need you NOW!
After just finishing reading books and playing a game with Peanut, I just need to hop into the bathroom for a quick relief session....MOM, Mom, Mom...

I can't seem to make it 5 steps away from my children that they NEED me again...and not for any earth shattering reason...nope...just wanted to call my name to tell me that they:
wantsomethingtoeatneedatreatwantmetochangeherdiaperplayagamereadabookIpinchedmyfingerdoyoulikethecolorblue?

I was able to scientifically answer the call of MOM today when my daughter asked me something about a book she was reading about Whales.  Peanut chose some really cool nonfiction books to read about sea animals and she was reading them to me while I was washing pots and pans...and intermixed with her reading aloud, every ohhhh about 45 seconds, she felt the need to say my name, "Mom, look at this picture." "Mom, I think whales are neat""Mom, since we're a family, are we a pod too?"...but, my personal favorite was the question asked in which I was able to use my quick thinking and MOM skills...

"Mom, whales have blubber...what is blubber?"...

"Oh dear one...check this out around Mommy's middle...see this(as I get a solid grip of my leftover baby #3 fat that is hanging overtop of my jeans) this honey, is blubber...keeps me nice and warm!!"

Peanut replies, "MOM, does it jiggle?"

"yes dear....it jiggles"

Peanut again, with a big ole smile, "MOM, I love you!"

I could choose to wallow in the fact that I'm amusing to my children because of my "jiggly"...I could keep lamenting that i think I might actually forget my real name due to the overuse of MOM on a continual basis...

I KNOW there will be a day that I will miss that perpetual sound of "Mom" being called out...and though it jiggles now, it is a reminder of my "war wounds" of carrying my precious cargo for 9 months each...

But for now, I may seriously think about investing in some earplugs from time to time as I continue to curse the day Jillian Michaels entered my house and made me start doing pushups..

EDIT:  Amy left this link I think it proves my point:) 

I Would Rather...

My college roommate, Sarah, (see her link over to your right:) had this fun idea on her blog the other day and it got me thinking...so here we go:

I Would Rather...

Read a good book than watch TV
Change a diaper than clean up dog mess
Stay up late than wake up early
Be on the computer than play Wii
Eat the dough than make the actual chocolate chip cookies
Drink a fountain Pepsi than drink a can
Do laundry than fold it
Wear a sweatshirt than a tank top
Cook than clean
Photograph others than be photographed
Shower than take a bath
Clean the bathroom than exercise the Shred
Pull out my hair strand by strand than deal with whining & arguing
Vacuum than clean floors
Load the dishwasher than wash the pots and pans
Wear jeans and a long sleeve tee than a bathing suit
Have Italian Stallion chauffeur me than drive myself
Be too hot than too cold
Eat a hotdog than eat a cheeseburger
Talk on the phone than write a letter
Have a few really close and real friendships than just know a bunch of people (but I still like knowing lots of people too:)
Eat at Chick Fil A than any other fastfood place...well maybe Panera (is that really considered fast food?)
Wear flats than heels
Save than spend
Say Hi than goodbye
Not buy than pay full price
Wear neutral colors than hot pink (although with a house of princesses, I have been known to don this color from time to time)
Talk really loudly than whisper
Chomp on gumballs than eat a bag of chips
Watch Blues Clues than Special Agent Oso
Exercise the Shred than watch Blues Clues (and yes I realize that Shred was on my "rather not" a few lines up...oh the irony)
Do jumping jacks than push ups
Pretty much do anything else than push ups
Laugh than cry
Smile than frown (unless it's pouty and it gets me my way with Italian Stallion...but, that can be TMI...)

and so...have a great day!

Twilight Versus Tuck Everlasting

Let me set the record straight right off the bat:  I have NOT read the Twilight series. 

From what I understood about them: sci fi-ish, vampires, werewolves and the like...nah, I think I'll just pass. 

Now, before you start booooing me right off my own blog, please know that I have many friends that have absolutely LOVED the series...and, as a former teacher and AVID reader myself...ANYTHING that gets people reading is awesome in my book (no pun intended!)  So, if you are a lover of the Twilight series, please know that I'm sooo glad that you are reading and that you have found something that keeps you coming back for more!

The other night, the movie Twilight came on...I was exhausted from a photo shoot and Italian Stallion had to WORK on a Saturday, sooo once the kiddos were in bed, we plopped on the couch too pooped to pop!  We thought, hey, let's just see what all the hype is about...so we watched the movie...

side note:  kudos to my husband for watching a teen/chick flick after a longggg day

Anyway, we watched the movie...which is something I normally don't do BEFORE I read a book, but at this point, I was too tired to care...

Let me just say that it made me more confident and assured of my decision in the first place...NOT because it was a poorly written film or book for that matter, it was good!  NOT because there wasn't a sweet love story in the midst of ripping limbs off of vampires or sucking blood, Bella and Edward are cute!

The thing is...I read this Newbury Winner book a longggg time ago that captured my heart and I kind of felt like this Twilight phenomena was the vamped up/new generation version of it...

Anyone read Tuck Everlasting?  NOT just watched the movie...but read the book?  It's thought provoking and heart wrenching...and I loved it.  I felt like, after watching Twilight, that it played right off the premise of this book...except that instead of drinking water...they suck blood....and instead of lessons learned, it was mostly just a love story...

As I said before, I haven't read the series...but I have a feeling that Bella chooses to become a vampire at some point...that's the difference...Winnie chooses NOT to drink the water, even though her heart breaks to not be with Jesse...

Who knows...I'm not all that eloquent at this point...my head is still swimming with details from the movie and memories from my read of Tuck...but, did anyone else see that similarity?  or have some thoughts?  I'm open!

Woman Versus Weather

I wish I could admit that I was some big outdoorsy type woman...the lover of the outdoors, just me and nature, that I could brave the weather: rain or shine, cold or hot...

NOPE...it's just not me...

I DO love being outside: when the temperature is a fair mid 70 degrees, slight breeze, with a glass of ice cold water to sip on...no mosquitos or bugs of any kind...

I also love being outside in the fall time, when I have access to warm jackets and roaring bonfire...fully equipped with smores mind you!

However, cold weather is just not my idea of a good time...Sure, I love to get out there and make snowmen with my girls during the first snow and I'll be the first to slide down the hills for sledding...but ask me to brave that weather for more than an hour or just take a walk for "fun"...I"m going to turn to you down flat!  I'd rather be inside with a piping hot cup of white chocolate mocha than trying to get circulation to my toes...

Fortunately, I haven't passed on these negative feelings toward "winter" to my girls...as my youngest decided today that it would be fun to go outside sans coat and play in whatever snow was left on the ground...with boots on the wrong feet and big ole smile...Little Munchkin was having the time of her life...

Well...for the 15 minutes that her mother allowed her before she was ushered inside with a bribe of cookies or candy or wahtever it took to get her IN THE DOOR!!!

I Just Spent and Hour in the Bathtub...

...with my DOG!

Now, before you go getting some pretty nasty pictures goin' in your head, please understand that there was no water in the tub and I was fully clothed...

My reasoning for being in the bathtub with the dog was for grooming purposes only...she needed a trim...or a cut...or a shave...but, lord have mercy on me, because He did NOT create me to be a dog groomer...

Mistake #1:  do not attempt to shave your dog after you have run 2 miles and are incredibly sweaty...the dog fur will stick to your legs making them even more hairy than they already are during these winter months and it's just pretty disgusting all the way around.

Mistake #2:  the bathtub is slippery...trying to make the dog stand or sit in the tub whilst holding an electric shaver will result is sliding...sliding of the dog...sliding of the scissors...sliding of pretty much everything...and slipping around in a tub, with a sweaty body...again, only results in more hair stuck to you...

Mistake #3:  don't attempt to be on a time schedule...the girls were due back from the bus stop at 4pm...the bus normally comes that time everyday...so I figured I had enough time to shave the dog, give her a quick bath, and dry her down before the bus came...

the bus came at 3:56...I ran outside with my hairy legs, the dog soaking wet, wrapped in a towel...I can't imagine what the neighbors think...

And to just top it all off...I didn't do that great of a job...as I said, I'm NOT a dog groomer...and I"m sure Macie could give you a ton more reasons why as she nurses a little nip on her underside and stays hidden under the bed for the remainder of the night...

But, I thought I'd share with you my story...and I"m not showing pictures this time...unless you'd like to see the bathtub that looks like I am housing about a million hamsters all sliding down to one end of the bowl...or, you'd like to see the lopsided look for my dog's new do!  I'm thinking not...so, just feel sorry for me as I go take my second shower for the day!!

Have a great night!

I'm supposed to be...

cleaning...

I can't seem to stay on top of it these days...which may be due to the fact that 1) my darling family never seems to remember to put anything back where it came from and 2) I keep getting distracted by everything else BUT keeping things De-cluttered

So far this morning, I've managed to run my 2 miles (which I might add that is the ONE thing that I- glory be- make time for every day...I swear to  you, I WILL look nice in a bathing suit...with a cover up and towel... when we go to Florida!!! 
I love my home and I really do have good intentions of keeping it in order...I do...REALLY!  

However, you wouldn't know that to go look in my closet and see a basket full of dirty towels that have been there since...ummm... yes, well...let's just say that spraying them with febreeze isn't doing the trick...

Why don't you wash them  you ask?   Yes, well...that's the other problem...I am only "allowed" to do 2 loads of laundry a day...and let's just face it...underwear takes priority on towels...wipe yourselves down with paper towels girls, at least you've got panties!!! 

In case you were wondering...we can only do 2 loads of laundry because after running the dishwasher and going through 2 showers and 3 baths...our front septic system can only take so much water before the overflow and stench that would emminate from our front yard would cause our neighbors to...I don't know what they would do, but visions of firey poop bags on our front stoop and nasty anonymous letters keep flying into my head...and who wants firey poop bags on your steps when your front lawn already smells like an overflowed toilet?

Man, this post went downhill fast!!! 

So...again,...I'm supposed to be cleaning...I threatened my girls to clean their rooms because Mommy already has umpteen million things to get accomplished today...I mean heavens to betsy...I've got to write a post on my blog, stare at my bulgy zits in the mirror and contemplate whether to pick at them or not...and then there's the hummus and crackers that are just waiting for me downstairs...not to mention that there are 3 loads of laundry sitting on my bed waiting to be folded, dining room chairs in the living room because I was supposed to start washing the floor but got distracted by an exploding diaper on Little Munchkin...

I did manage to clean out the junk drawer...now the junk is just little baggies instead of spread out all over the drawer...I did this while allowing the girls to watch a movie because,  seriously if they KNEW what I threw out...I'd be stuck on the "worst mom in the world" list for at least a week! We all know that there is a NEED for broken polly pocket legs and what would life be like if we couldn't locate all the dead batteries from the toys in the house?  Sad...that's what...just sad!

And even with that all accomplished...I'm not really any closer to an organized house than I was about 2 days ago!  And, I'm sure you can tell how distraught I am over the whole thing as I sit here typing away and staring out the window listening to some  neighbor's crazy dog barking...

Not very motivated I thinkin'...maybe I should make myself work around the house in my bathing suit...I suppose that would get me scrubbing those floors with some UMPH...yes, but if those pesky neighbors showed up with poop bags...man, they may just gag looking through the window...

Perhaps I should get going on that cleaning and a touch of febreeze for one more day...have a great day!