Driving Me Crazy!

There are just a few things that drive me crazy:  whining...kids arguing...expecting something to work and it doesn't...when there is nothing else to snack on and I REALLY need a snack...when I've thrown something (or donated) something when I knew darn-well that I shouldn't because I'd probably need it one day and sure enough, I do!...and also, when I can't remember things...

This list could actually go on for quite awhile...perhaps I should write a new blog post entitled "Things that Drive Me Crazy"...hmm...I'll just put that on the back burner...but then again, I'll probably FORGET!!!  UGH and that drives me crazy already!

Last January/February time frame, somewhere on Facebook, a mom or a friend of a friend that was a mom posted a link or an album or something...the point is...they posted pictures of these really cute imaginative set ups.. They used pillows and blankets to create scenes...

Yes, yes I know...the Today show just did a whole segment on a mom that took pictures of her baby and what the baby dreams and all...yes, they are sweet...but the pictures I remember seeing weren't of a baby...they were of a little girl about my Little Munchkin's age...

I remember looking through the pictures and thinking, "oh my, I could do this with my girls"...and then we did:

And we had so much fun..but we only did a couple of pictures...

Well, fast forward these past months and the Today show and everything...my MIL asks me if I'd seen the segment and sent me the link...I immediately remember that I saw something similar awhile back and then immediately forget WHERE I saw it...

It's driving me nuts...the pictures I saw were so precious...this little girl...her mom just dressed her up so cute...I went through all my facebook friends and tried to figure where I saw it...I almost wish everyone had timeline so that I could go back to their January/feburary posts and see if it was linked there...

Anyhoo...if anyone remembers...please let me know...I'm the one over here chewing her nails and kickin' herself for not saving the link...but then again, just those few months ago it was a world without pinterest...ahhhh progress:)

January Intentions

It happens every January...for LOTS of people...and I'm not exempt...it's the "I-need-to-get-in-shape-oh-my-goodness-spring-break-is-around-the-corner-and-I-don't-think-I-can-pour-myself-into-my-jeans-much-longer" routine.

It always sneaks up on me.  I'm not a huge nutrition guru, nor do I tend to get overly obsessed with exercise.  I'm thankful to the "genes" God gave me...(and the fact that my mother was a beauty queen) that "weight" isn't a terrible issue for me.  I know it's not like that for some...everyone has their "thing" that hangs over their head or weighs on them (no pun intended) In may case, I have quite a few "issues" but we're not going to get into that right now...although I will share this little picture that someone posted on facebook today because it made me laugh:

However, come January, I start to realize that if I don't start working a little bit, I'm going to have to purchase more clothes...and although that would be fun...the "going up a size" isn't what I call increasing my joy:)  The problem is, as I'm nearing age 40, is that all of a sudden the "excess" doesn't come off so quickly anymore...

Needless to say, I'm a bit miffed about this...It used to be that if I just "thought" about dieting and did a bit of exercise, and maybe cut out pepsi for a couple weeks, BAM...5 lbs!

Seeing as the way I exercise with p90x causes undue damage to my esophagus, I switched over to the lovely J. Michaels...(of which I mute because good grief girl!) I've been diligent in my workouts for over 2 weeks now...I've also cut back on all the sugar stuff and keep eating fiber and more whole grain 'goodness'...this translates into "tasteless snacks and spinach salad"

Ya know what I've accomplished?  I gained 2 lbs...now, how is that working to my benefit?  AND, my jeans fit tighter than than they did when I started...

It's not that you need to know all this, but I had a few moments on my hands and thought I'd just share...if anyone has any good suggestions to get rid of the overflow coming out the top of my pants, please give a holler...well, outside of spanx or a corset...I've already attempted hiking up the pants like Steve Urkel (remember him?)  and wearing longer shirts...it works until I sit down...

Anyhoo...hope you have a good Wednesday:)

Peanut and Basketball

Did I mention that Peanut has discovered Basketball?

Yes, well...she did...I'd like to say that she inherited her knowledge and desire from her mother...ahhh, all those years getting plowed over setting picks, running line drills until I nearly threw up beating the team down the court, learning to shoot 3 pointers because I'd get trampled if I even passed the free throw line I wanted to earn points for my team!

No really, I did enjoy basketball...and I played hard...I just wouldn't say I was "awesome" at it...and my favorite part was actually sitting on the bench eating the orange slices and hoping that the coach wouldn't put me in and make me guard the mammoth girls on the other team.  I loved practice though...when I finally figured out a lay-up or when I could swish a 3-pointer.  I think being a perfectionist made playing basketball a little bit harder for me...because I was never quite "perfect" at it:) 

however, Peanut, is more her daddy's personality...and therefore, she's out there for the pure joy of it...she loves scootin' her feet and dribblin' the ball...and if she double-dribbles...eh, no big deal...she's got black shoes with red trim...so she's feelin' Pretty Cool!

Unlike her mother who apparantly needed lots of hair product and cute bows in order to look "cool"

I just made a pair of earrings...

I'm weird like that...

background:  One of my besties, Sara, bought me a beautiful bracelet from Kenya.  It's green and gorgeous...and because of my ridiculously gangly arms, it's too big for my wrist and falls off all the time.  So I can't wear it much.  I LOVED wearing the beautiful black/brown earrings that she got me, but my youngest took them off my dresser one day to "look at them" and I havent' seen them since...I'm VERY sad about it because besides my grandmother's tiny diamond earrings, they were my favorite! (BIG HINT TO SARA:  if you go to back to Kenya, feel free to get me another pair of those earrings...I'll pay ya for 'em)

Anyhoo...this is what happens to an A.D.D. mother of 3 on nights when she could be revising her blog, or organizing her basement or cleaning her desk for heaven's sake...I decide to 'fix' the bracelet, and create earrings to match...

I just took out a couple of the green beads and rethreaded the bracelet...but how to make the earrings?  Goodness, WHAT did we do without the internet back then?  I just googled me some 'DIY earring making" videos...and POOF...I've got myself some new earrings:) 

It's amazing what your husband's old leatherman can do...and what spare parts you can find inyour basement when you KEEP EVERYTHING...I had extra filler beads and claspy things...Just needed to get the posts from Michaels and I was set to go!

That was my evening...I made earrings...and thought I"d just write and tell you about it...I'll post some pictures later:) Make your time GREAT!

Little Munchkin Montage

So, yesterday we stayed home...

all day...

It was cold outside...blustery, wintery, snowy, bitter...C.O.L.D.

and as much as I'd like to think that I"m an outdoorsy type of woman...

I'm not...

especially in winter...

So, Little Munch and I hunkered down, built a fort in the living room, danced to music, read some books, mopped the floor, fixed the fort, did some laundry, made some hot cocoa, watched some Wild Kratts, did some more laundry, listened to more music, played a game...and then I took some pictures...

This is Little Munchkin beating the pants off her Mommy:

She has SUCH the expressions so I asked her to make lots of faces while Mommy "practiced" with her camera...Here's what she came up with...although, she was giggling so much that I'm not sure we got the full spectrum of which she is capable...but, it was fun nonetheless!

that's my baby:)

I forgot to mention that I broke the toilet...

Remember BAD DAY TUESDAY?  Yeah, well, it was just so overwhelming to begin with that I didn't even mention the "other thing" that happened as well..

...the part about when I broke the toilet...

the long and short of it was that it wouldn't flush and so instead of being my normal, patient self...I just put my entire weight (and believe me...there's a LOT of that to go around!) into the teeeny, tiny, shiny, flusher-handle-thing...

it broke...I heard it crack...it was not a happy sound

Italian Stallion has been working on fixing THAT all week along with everything else...

this is not boding well for me right now with regards to all things hygeine either... as my children were frustrated with me already this morning...in their own words, "Mom, you are being extremely wasteful by making us change our underwear everyday!!  think of the laundry!"  to which another one replied, "yeah, why do we have to put a new pair of underwear on every morning, you're just going to make us change it again tomorrow!!!"

Suffice it to say, I STILL made them change their underwear...but we are STILL dealing with toilet issues over here...and sorry for the TMI, but we have clogging issues as well...which is why Little Munchkin does a little dance everytime she has to "go"..."Mommy, is this one clogged?  is it broken?  which one can I use???"

But hey...we're going to keep goin' with the clean panties...rest assured!

What's Been Happenin'

Does anyone remember that show from a longggg time ago called "What's Happenin'"  No idea why that just popped into my head, but I'm just going to roll with it...

Anyhoo...so, a lot has happened since Tuesday and I thought I'd fill you in...because I'm one of those people that apparantly doesn't mind just lettin' all hang out...for everyone to see...(and/or laugh at)

So Tuesday was a bad day...a bad bad bad bad bad bad day.  Now, I know that I could try to spin it positively...I could focus on the fact that I don't live in a 3rd world country and have to eat my shoes to stay alive (not that eating shoes and 3rd world countries go together...and I"m NOT trying to poke fun or make light of struggling peoples)  My point is, if I really wanted to have a better perspective, I could focus on those types of things and just be grateful for all the good in my life...

and believe me, I DO...it's not like I take for granted all the blessings that we have...but for the PURPOSES OF THIS BLOG POST...I'm going to assume the roll of GRUMPY and complain just a bit...HAPPY (or DOPEY) to whomever you best associate with me, will return at a later date...for now, I'm taking my cue from Once Upon a Time and going with the "dwarf theme" at present...(again, no idea where all this tv montage is coming from...but we're rolling people...we're rolling!)

Back to BAD DAY TUESDAY...For my husband it was many weeks leading up to Tuesday and then including Tuesday in those weeks...suffice it to say, although my husband is not an outwardly emotional person, he is one of the most thoughtful, insightful, and compassionate persons I know...and therefore some situations were weighing on him like nothing I've seen before where work was concerned (and no I'm not going to elaborate anymore than that...sorry, gotta draw the line somewhere:)

this translates into BLEH at home...and I knew Tuesday was the worst of it...and so, to add insult to injury, I thought it's be a GREAT idea to hit a pot hole and completely blow my tire and bend the rim. 

I KNOW!!!

My neighbor came to my rescue to pick up Sweetpea from violin practice while the younger two and I waited for Al's Towing to come give us a hand...Mr. Al (I have no idea if that was his name, but for the sake of the story, let's just keep it at that)...Mr. Al was the epitome of what I'd expect in a towing company man...he had strong hands completely greased up with oil and dirt, his blue striped jumpsuit, heavy duty boots, a jack and all the tools...and a blue tooth so he could find me the best price for a new tire/rim by callin' all his buddies...He was exceptionally kind and got us on our way quickly...however, I had to make a call to my husband whilst standing there...I'm not sure Italian Stallion was too keen on the status report...but Mr. Al hung in there with me and I drove under 45 mph on my sweet little spare all the way home...

JUST IN TIME to run right back out the door..because, yours truly, somehow went and got herself signed up for a redistricting committee for our local school district...FUN TIMES I tell you!  I honestly can't tell you HOW I got myself into it...but, I'm here nonetheless...and so my evenings are spent looking at spreadsheets and maps and envisioning all the crazy, angry parents that will want to rip our heads off once we come to a consensus...JOY!

Are you getting the common theme here?...

On top of this...I'm still coughing...I put myself back on Nexium and that has helped...I'm also finishing up a dosage of antibiotics, so pretty much, I"m the safest person to be around right now:) I have found that by putting Vicks on the bottom of my feet at night accomplishes two things: 1) it somehow numbs my throat to the tickles that cause me to cough uncontrollable 2) completely grosses out my husband who can't even face me in bed due to the "aroma" that I send off.

OH...and I almost forgot...since my doctor informed me that the strenuous activity of p90x is not doing me any favors currently, I've decided to check out my old friend, Jillian M...

I'm reminded once again that we aren't really friends...

Infact, I just mute her completely and then say nasty things about her in my head (so little munchkin doesn't hear)

I'm happy to announce, that STILL no amount of exercising or eating healthy for the past 2 weeks has procured any change in my weight or body structure...so, I'm thinking that I"m just gonna make my chocolate chip banana bread and EAT it too:)

signing off for tonight,
Grumpy (and a little bit sleepy too)