Fricking Fracking!!

My email still refuses to let me send stuff, so Jimbo will be accessing my email at work and sending it out for me.

Just letting a special someone know. ;)

Message

What kind of message do you think it sends when your 13 year old, in a fit of rage, breaks not one but two of his $200 glasses and then informs you that he wants contact lenses and he will only break any other glasses you buy? And you get angry and tell him - rightfully so- that you will not buy him contacts and he can forget it. Only to reneg on your original promise later because - well - he needs to see after all.

I have an idea. Get some black electric tape, ply those pieces together and have him go to school Steve Irkel style. If that doesn't clear up his attitude then at least he'll realize for once you mean business.

Crazy in Alabama

First, the news story that inspired the entry HERE. Preacher's wife found dead in freezer, never reported missing, body has been there 3 years.

I know sickos roam all across the USA but we have our share here. This story reminded me of something that happened years ago when I was just a child.

One day we'd went yard selling, pulling through the back of the trailer park. I was in my Momaw's maroon Chrysler and we rounded the hill when I saw the police, ambulance crews and cadaver dogs. Back then the news crews weren't tipped off early on so they hadn't arrived.

As we drove by, my child's mind thought it saw an arm leaned against a tree, near the ground. Of course, I told myself it wasn't what I thought it was and we drove by to Momaw's house.

I would discover later it was indeed an arm I saw as the man who lived in the house with his wife and children got pissed, killed her in the trailer and then cut her up, burying her under the new porch and then painted the sucker red to cover the stains. She was reported missing by him - he claimed she had skipped town and the smell (and obvious freshly painted porch) led police to her body.

Crazies in Alabama - the not so nice place to live when your husband is a psycho.

Some Crazy, Well you Know

Last night as the most freaky, scary and honestly weird thing I've experienced.

I was in bed, trying to drift off when I noticed this odd - how do I describe this - tingly/pain in my left leg. When I reached down, my foot was cold. I moved it around, flexing my calf muscle and tried to fall back to sleep when my left arm starting going numb and got the tingles.

I had to stop sleeping on my right side and moved to my left in an attempt to change blood flow and it helped at first but it just did the same thing. Left leg was numbish and painful, as was the left arm.

I had a test on my nerves in these a few months back and it came out alright. I've also had a MRI scan which was clear too. I have no idea what it is, but it's freaking me out.

NO!

NO! You cannot...

Have more cereal, ice cream, chips, cookies, crackers or whatever other food you want right now.

Watch the same Thomas video over and over.

Play with the blinds.

Destroy my room.

Smear food into the floor.

Climb over the gate.

Play with the remote.

Eat that food you found on the floor.

Hit your sibling.

Yell and scream.

Throw a tantrum.

Break various objects.

Throw your toys.

Whine and cry about it.

And NO, I won't change my mind!

Twilight Popularity

As I've written before, I'm in love with a book series. It started innocently enough, I was intrigued by the cover of the book (two hands, holding a red apple, signifying eating of the forbidden fruit) and decided to give it a shot. I brought it home and a love affair began.

I've read Twilight at least 7-8 times now, New Moon (my least favorite) 3-4 and Eclipse 7-8 times as well. There is something about the characters that pull you in and make you care about them so much so you simply cannot stop thinking about them, even when you've closed the book.

So I was speaking to my husband about a few controversies with the books.

The first being the Mom's who say they refuse to allow their daughter's to read them because it portrays girls as worthless unless they have the love of a beautiful boy - valid I suppose. And they claim it is a negative example that Bella is willing to forsake everything, her life, her family, her mortality, all for the sake of this boy she loves - also valid.

Which brings me to the other thing Jimbo asked - why are these books so insanely popular??

I really thought about that. Why is it "I" love the books so much. Basically the story is a romance novel about Bella and Edward.

Then it hit me.

I think the reason so many people relate to this story, especially girls and women, is because Edward isn't around anymore. We live in a society today where men teach their boys to be "manly". Where it's acceptable to call girls and women "bitches and ho's" and to ask a girl out by saying "hey baby, can I dip those digits?"

Gone is the guy who holds opens the door, brings you flowers on the first date or tells you how amazingly beautiful you are in his eyes. The romance has faded and in it's place are men who think we're lucky they will give us the time of day and there are girls convinced enough to buy it.

I'm fortunate that my husband was raised by a woman who taught him early on how to treat a woman like a lady - with respect and kindness. The sad thing is that most women wouldn't want a man like mine because he didn't fit the description girls are brought up believing will make them happy. A huge 6' plus guy with bulging abs and a temper.

Mom Confession of the Week

If you asked me 6 years ago what my favorite noise or sound was I'd tell you this:

My Children

If you asked me today what my least favorite noise or sound is I'd tell you this:

My Children

It's all about perception isn't it?

Let me take care of That

Scene - Playroom. Vincent is screaming after getting into trouble for flicking the light switch.

Arwen: MOM! I can't hear the movie!!!!

Me: Well Jeez Arwen, let me use my Mom super power silencer frequency waves to mute your brother!

Another day in my life.

Internet Woes and Sloppy Children = Annoyed Mommy

I have had it with this PC. It's the biggest piece of junk and I solemnly swear to all you fellow bloggers as soon as I replace this P.O.S. (read between the lines, its rhymes with Please Don't Hit) I'm taking this hard drive out into the drive way and having a good old time, Office Space style. Right now I cannot access my email without it crashing. It lets me read the email but when I begin to create mail or attempt to send it out...well it just locks up and I have to reboot.

So to my fellow blogger who emailed me, I will write back, please bear with me.

Now to the children - and my intense desire to rip each individual hair out of my head by the roots.

My days have stared off badly due to simple sleeping arrangements aka my sleeping on the couch. Annabel simply will not sleep through the night when I am in the room and right now, I cannot place her with Arwen because I'd never get any sleep at all (Arwen is a night owl that won't go to bed, we are working to resolve that issue too, just one of many).

So I wake up less than refreshed and usually pretty cranky, then I deal with these gems that make me want to take a nose dive off the Mommy train.

Arwen - staying up all night (waiting until we are in bed to get up and play). She's been waking up later and later, until the final straw came Saturday. She normally plays in her room and we'd noticed she was unusually quiet, not even getting up for any cereal. I guess she must have been up all night because when I went to check on her, she was still asleep...at 1pm in the afternoon. Since then she's been given an early 6:30am wake up each and everyday.

Vincent - still refuses to potty train and is having severe temperamental issues. He thrashes and throws himself around, not pretty.

Logan - is finally potty trained but hasn't figured out the concept of how to put his clothing back on. I've tried and tried showing him how it works and unless he keeps his shorts on when he potties I'm running up the stairs to help him dress. There is nothing better than when I've just sat down to eat and I have to stand up to go wipe a rear, maybe that would explain my lack of appetite.

Then there is the collaborative effort by all of them to make the biggest messes the world has ever known. They remind me of tornado's touching down in my house that leave debris all over the place. At first I would pick the messes up, having them help. But recently it's become constant and I'm always picking up something.

Then today the boys woke early from their nap while I was cleaning the basement. I heard a boom and went upstairs (got to love the "boom" that signals trouble) and I found all of them, in Arwen's closet, her clothes all over the floor.

I don't know how I managed not to lose my shit. Instead I calmly told Arwen she has two options. She can clean her room and rehang her clothes OR I could take them to goodwill and she could get by this first semester in her old stuff.

I'm reaching a breaking point with my children and their total lack of respect for their belongings. I shoulder a huge portion of the blame. If I hadn't bought so much junk that they honestly don't need, I wouldn't have to worry about cleaning it now.

If this keeps up, I am cleaning house and throwing everything I see into the trashcan.

An Update

I just wanted to check in, quickly, while the kids are behaving (for once!)

Things have been absolute hell here the last couple of weeks. Logan and Vincent fight constantly, Annabel refuses to let me put her down (or move out of her line of sight), and Arwen is as mouthy as ever.

At the start of the summer I could slip away for a little private internet love but not so much now. I learned two weeks ago that my boys will merely use the opportunity to ransack the house, breaking anything and everything in their path.

On a positive note, I've finished school clothes shopping and I'm counting the days until I can read all of your blogs without interruption, while sipping a hot cup of coffee. And Annabel celebrated her 1st birthday Sunday, I took pictures and will try to put them up this weekend. I can't believe it's been a year already.

Hope you all are well! And Tania, I've marked my caledar, I'll be getting Breaking Dawn at midnight, reading it from start to finish in one sitting. Jimbo has been advised!

WATCHMEN Trailer - AMAZING!

This movie has me all tingly inside, I cannot wait!

The Dark Knight

After months of waiting, I finally got to see this movie, and the rumors are all true. Heath Ledger is amazing in this or should I say, the Joker is amazing in this film. There is zero trace of the young man who's tragic death shocked so many. He's brash, he's crazy and while you want to look away you just can't pull your eyes off the screen. He is mesmerizing in his insanity.

Go see the movie if only to enjoy this performance if you can. This is the best comic book film I've ever seen. And while Ledger is fantastic the story here is compelling enough to make you happy you made the trip.

Only 10 minutes to Nap Time

With the summer full on here there is one phrase I find myself saying/yelling/screaming over and over again.

"I am only ONE person!"

Each morning starts off pretty good (unless it was another repeat of sleeping on the couch as now Annabel cries for me whenever she wakes at night and smells me). I get up, make drinks, get coffee,and settle down with the kids to attempt to rouse myself. Normally this serene scene lasts a total of 5 minutes, usually less, when it starts.

What is "it" you ask? It is the different commands/requests/demands I hear from this moment in the morning until I put my bundles of sunshine and joy into bed each night. The requests range from the obvious, "Poopie da pottie Mommy!" to the annoying, "more drink please!" But the worst part is when I receive requests from not one, not two, but all of my children followed by crying from the baby who either wants to be held or fed herself.

When they all start up my teeth grit together and my brain struggles to decide which request deserves to be seen to first. Of course bodily functions are a no-brainer but what about changing the TV, making a snack or drink or dragging out a particular toy. And believe me, this goes on all day long. The only time I receive a reprieve is when they all settle in to take a nap.

Did I mention that nap times are the best part of my day? I live for nap time.

Sinus / Allergy?

As you know I've been struggling with this strange cold the last few weeks. It started out with just sneezing, no big deal other than a mild annoyance. But as time passed I started to feel tired, fatigued and just plain off. The only symptoms I have is the sneezing and a constant headache. After talking to my Mom I think it might be allergy related so I wanted to ask...

Do any of you know if allergies or sinus problems can cause you to feel just plain tired and crappy? I thought all it did was cause you to sneeze a lot. If so, what are my options really? I can't have antihistamines because of Annabel. Do I just have to grin and bear it?

I also should mention tomorrow I'm heading in to see the Neurologist who has decided to try me on a TENS machine. We'll see how it works.

MeMe

Borrowed this from Erin ;)

A is for age: 31...I'm getting old.

B is for beer of choice: Killian's Irish Red, nuff' said.

C is for career right now: Stay at home Mom who does it all...cleaning, feeding, and butt wiping at every turn.

D is for your dog’s name: Ceasar

E is for essential item you use everyday: Baby Wipes, they are the best invention since the toaster.

F is for favorite TV show at the moment: None but looking forward to the last season of ER and then Tru Blood on HBO.

G is for favorite game: The tickle monster. We turn out the lights, give the kids flashlights and race around the house. It's a blast.

H is for Home town: Hunstville, AL.

I is for instruments you play: Clarinet

J is for favorite juice: Orange Juice

K is for whose butt you’d like to kick: My drunken Aunt Glo.

L is for last place you ate out at: Cracker Barrel, I love that joint.

M is for marriage: 6 years this November of wedded bliss (yeah right lol).

N is for your full name: Jaime Jaime Jaime

O is for overnight hospital stays: Birth, Birth, Birth, Birth, Gallbladder removal, Neck nodule removal.

P is for people you were with yesterday: The kids, Mom and Jimbo.

Q is for quote: Ok I have two: " Men are like parking spots, the good ones are taken and the free ones are handicapped." and "What are the three words guaranteed to humiliate men everywhere? 'Hold my purse.'"

R is for Biggest Regret: Not saying yes the first time Jimbo asked me out. I think about that one often.

S is for status: Status? Right now? Exhausted.

T is for time you woke up today: 4:20, thanks Bel.

V is for vegetable that you love: Sweet Potatoes!

W is for worst habit: Stacking crap onto the dining room table until it becomes so crowded I'm forced to put it away (like I should have in the first place).

X is for x-rays you’ve had: Hmm, one on my ankle when I tore the ligaments, one of my arm when I broke it and uhh...can't remember if I had one with the gallstones.

Y is for food you ate today: Banana's with peanut butter. It's all about the energy here baby.

Z is for Zodiac sign: Pisces aka the fishes.

Sales Person?

Ok this was just plain weird. I'm sitting down after putting Annabel, Logan and Vincent to nap. I'm breathing a sigh of relief and DING DONG! The doorbell rings. Now, after my run in with DHR courtesy of my deranged drunken Aunt, each time I hear that noise my heart begins to pound and I start to freak. I hurried upstairs and through the window I saw this young lady with a bag and clip board. I had an "oh shit" moment before I composed myself to answer.

She told me she was a foreign student here in the USA trying to do a study on parents, children and schools in the area (and her English while superb was definitely accented). She was very friendly and warm and tried to talk to me outside in the blazing sun. After a few minutes I invited her inside and she was very cordial, took her shoes off at the door and sat down. At first I answered her questions about the things we do with the kids during the summer but I noticed she wasn't jotting it down. In fact, she kept asking the same things: "so what do you do? What activities"? It slowly became evident what she was up to...

She was a solicitor, or at least I think she was. She asked if it were possible to return to speak to both myself and my husband about the book programs parents can use for their children and after attempting to tell her numerous times Jimbo wouldn't been too keen on that she finally accepted defeat. She turned instead and asked me about the other parents and children on our street and I told her I honestly had no clue about them as we keep pretty much to ourselves.

As she got up to leave she turned to me and said, "I'm sorry but I forgot my lunch at home, do you perhaps have an apple or a granola bar?" I hurried into the kitchen and grabbed an apple before washing it off and handing it to her. She was very gracious and thanked me before leaving.

I'm still trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Was she a down on her luck solicitor without food? Was she some kind of weirdo? Or was she exactly what she said she was, a college student who got money from selling so many of those programs a month?

Me V/S Pappaw : 4th of July Smackdown

I can't believe I only remembered this today to share with the blogosphere. But at least I did recall what transpired between myself and my Pappaw aka my Dad's Father on the 4th.

We arrived early, around 11am. The kids immediately ran to the playroom and settled in. Shortly after my cousin arrived with his brood (another 4 children) which meant there were 8 children in all running around wildly. Jimbo and I stayed inside to supervise but after an hour or so I decided to take a walk outside to visit. It figures as soon as I did Vincent would take note and come along with me.

So I get outside and Vincent bounds off the porch to the playset. I'm talking to my Father, Pappaw, Nana (his wife), my cousin and my new uncle (by marriage). All is right with the world until I hear Vincent's cry. I know the cry very well, it's his "pain" cry. I turn to see he's hit his head on the corner of the wooden stairs. Obviously it hurts.

"Come here Vince." I soothe and reach out to him. He limps over to me as he also tripped after hitting his head and hit his shin.

"Momma," he whimpers as he walks into my arms.

As I'm comforting my child Pappaw says:

"Tell that boy to suck it up."

I look up slowly, hoping he is joking but the look in his eyes tell me he is most definitely not.

"What? Suck it up? Are you kidding?" I say.

"He's a boy, he needs to suck it up and shake it off." He stares at Vincent with the oddest expression and I feel that Lioness roar up inside me.

"Well you know what?" I say back hotly. "He doesn't have to suck up shit and do you know why? Because I'm his Momma and I will suck it up for him!"

We stare for a moment before I stand up with Vincent in my arms and go back inside. Once there I hurry to Jimbo to bitch and rant. I'm so furious I'm shaking. How dare this old fart tell my 3 year old to suck it up? He's just a kid! Jimbo is shocked and when I tell my Mom she is livid. I spend the rest of the day avoiding Pappaw until he's about to leave. As if he knows I'm still angry he hugs me and tries to make small talk. I'm polite as he is my Grandfather but I'm still angry. He leaves and sadly I know deep down my opinion of him has changed, quite possibly forever.

Want to know the incredibly funny part of all of this? My Grandfather and Grandmother left my Dad and his siblings when they were just little babies (my children's ages). They were raised by my Mammaw instead, I still remember the grief my Dad experienced when she passed. It's the only time I've ever seen him cry. So forgive me if I don't take parenting instructions from someone who never had it in him to parent.

Sharp Teeth - A Sample

Want to see why I was up most of the night reading this book?

Browns v/s Titans

I'm so excited.

Jimbo and I purchased tickets to see the Cleveland Browns v/s the Tennessee Titans this season. The Browns only come to Tennessee once every 4 years so we couldn't let the opportunity pass us by, not this year.

The only thing that sucks is we are stuck in the nose bleeds section. The tickets were gone as quickly as they went up for sale online.

Sharp Teeth

It's 1am and I'm still awake. It's not because the children are up and it's not because I don't need to sleep. It's because I picked up a book I've heard some raves about and I cannot put it down.

Sharp Teeth, written by Toby Barlow, is a modern day werewolf tale with a twist. It's written in verse aka it's written as in the form of a free flowing poem. I thought it would be difficult to follow or that I might have issues escaping into the story. Obviously I was wrong as I found myself immersed by the second page.

I will go to bed soon...I cannot stay up all night to finish this book...

What if I said NO?

The one thing Jimbo and I do most as a couple is watch movies. It's something that doesn't take too much time, isn't that expensive (if we eat here first) and it allows us a reprieve from the kids. We enjoy our movies very much.

So yesterday afternoon we decided to see Hellboy II. My Mom (in law) said she'd watch the kids and we headed out for the 5:00pm show. As is usual for us we arrived 30 minutes early, picked our seats and waited.

Without fail, a group walked in a couple of minutes as previews were starting up. One sat directly next to me (instead of finding seats in the mostly empty auditorium) and I look at Jimbo and roll my eyes as this has happened more times than I'd care to remember. Suddenly one of the men looks at me and says:

"Hey, could ya'll scoot down a seat?"

I sat there for a moment and considered how to answer because I didn't want to move for these assholes. I'd gotten to the movie early to pick out my seats and while it's not a big deal to move over it's just the principal of the matter. The theater was practically empty, there was no shortage of places to sit. Who in the hell do people think they are nowadays?

I looked at him and finally said "fine" and moved down before adding "it doesn't matter we got here 30 minutes before you to sit here, whatever you need man, I live to serve".

But it gets better.

Why oh why do people think they need to replay each moment on the screen to their nearby companions. Do they think everyone needs a play by play or a "hot damn!" or "Oh my god" or "did you see that" or "oh shit!" or...you get my drift. These morons talked the entire duration of the movie, filling in everyone within earshot about the previous film, the powers of each character and so on.

I enjoyed Hellboy II but it was definitely dampered by these fools. I'm going to start telling people like this to shut the fuck up and to hell with the consequences.

Amanda Peet is a Moron

Don't you love it when people make a blanket statement and come out looking like the biggest moron?

Recently Amanda Peet spoke out in favor of childhood vaccinations. She worries about not eating organic, giving her tiny daughter medicines and doesn't even like to use sunscreen on her delicate skin. But a talk with pediatrician's put her mind right at ease about vaccinations, so much so she's becoming a spokesperson for the cause.

Reading the article it's hard not to notice the stab made directly at Jenny McCarthy and I'm sure it's an easy jab to make. You see, Ms. Peet is blessed with a perfectly healthy baby girl who doesn't display any signs of autism. I'm sure that's a huge boost of security that gives her the courage to call parents of autistic children "parasites" for choosing not to vaccinate.

I vaccinated all of my children faithfully, I made each appointment. I thought it was the right and responsible thing to do. Then one day my little boy wasn't my little boy anymore. Instead this shell was left behind and our lives were turned upside down. I'll never forget hearing those words: "we think Logan has autism".

After that day we approached everything differently when it came to our children. Right now we are hesitant to adhere to the guidelines of vaccination which overwhelm little system's of those who needs us to protect them most. Instead we have researched and discovered safety in spacing out vaccinations and most importantly, speaking out and speaking up for yourself and your child.

I have to say, Ms. Peet has a serious case of diarrhea mouth that could very well backfire in her face soon. I'm not sure if she's aware but many parents (including Jenny McCarthy and myself) are not anti-vaccine. Rather they are advocating spacing out vaccinations, removing the harmful toxins within each syringe that is injected into such tiny little bodies and ultimately making it safer and healthier for our children.

What's so wrong with that??

Nevermind...

Never mind what I said about energy...it wouldn't matter if I had some anyway since my soon to be 1 year old little girl can't stand to be put down for anymore than 10-15 second durations.

Out of all of my children she is by far the most clingy. It's so bad I've learned to use the toilet with the use of only one arm (while she is held in the other).

I need a Mommy vacay...

Where's the energy??

Have you ever had days when the most simple of tasks drained the life out of you and left you sitting on the floor thinking to yourself, "god I'm so out of shape?!" Well I have and it's been ongoing the last few days. It doesn't matter if I'm walking up the stairs, cleaning, or doing laundry. My energy level has plummeted.

I had Jimbo bring in my stair climber and I attempted to use it 3 times yesterday. But each time I was interrupted and I'm the type of person I have to get into a "zone" to work out. The music has to be there, the motivation has to be there and I have to have zero interruptions. It was so frustrating because I was actually looking forward to a nice 15 minutes of aerobics on the climber followed by an easy set of arm work (with my measly 5 pound weights).

I'm hoping to begin working out each evening after the children go to bed. I figure 3-4 days a week, starting at 10-15 minutes on the climber (working up to an endurance of 30-45 minutes) followed by some mild to moderate stretching and weights. I also want to throw in a little bit of bootie exercise into the routine.

I hope once I start my energy will rise. If not, I'll end up a couch potato who's house is an abyss of filth and nastiness.

AT&T Warranty My Ass

So, for Christmas my husband decided he wanted a Blackberry. At first I wasn't too keen on the idea but eventually figured if that is what he wanted then that is what he'd get. We purchased a refurbished phone through AT&T who Jim's Mom has a plan with (he shares a plan with her as they don't use a lot of minutes) with a 1 year warranty...

A few days ago Jimbo told me his phone wouldn't charge. Upon inspection the little power hook-up area had a tiny little nodule missing. We dropped by the store after a trip into town and were given a phone number to call since we had a warranty and were assured they would send out a replacement phone asap.

Well, that was some nice smoke they blew up our asses. The defect is considered a "physical" one and therefore doesn't qualify for a warranty. Instead our only option is to buy another phone all together. Jimbo argued with them but they refused to sway on the issue.

"You can buy another phone or renew your contract and get a discount".

I'm so steamed that I manged to talk Jimbo into leaving AT&T wireless and heading on over to Verizon with me. Now I'm faced with a minor decision. Do I contact AT&T and rub it into their faces that I've converted their once customer to my own phone provider since he received shitty service and warranties? Or do I just have him cancel the plan and move over being the bigger person about all of this?

I think I'm going to call. That phone wasn't cheap and it didn't even last 7 months. And what's worse? The phone is in perfect condition other than you can't recharge it. Talk about a waste!

Picnic

I took these a couple of days ago. I took all the kids to the park and we had a picnic. It was fun but exhausting. 4 children v/s 1 adult isn't the fairest of odds.

Falling Objects...

Note to self: When you arrive upstairs to yet another mess made in the boys room, pick each toy up carefully. Don't grab toys at random and begin chucking them behind you to make a path. Because you never know, you might accidentally peg your son in the head with something and feel like an absolute douche the rest of the day.

Logan, Mommy is a idiot and she's sorry.

Formulating a Plan

So, as you've noticed, I've been offline recently. It started out with the funk I'd caught (and still lingers on here) but was also agitated by recent developments here at home.

The thing is, I knew eventually I'd have to consider what I'd like to do with my life. Being a stay at home Mom is amazing and I have at least a couple of years left before I'll return to the workforce but I'm coming to the realization I have no plans for the future.

I was 6 classes shy of my degree when I stopped attending college to give birth to Arwen. After she arrived I discovered my only want and need at the time was to stay here and care for her. Shortly after the decision to stay was cemented by the impending arrivals of Logan, Vincent and Annabel. I'd told myself I would return to school and finish off my degree in Education as soon as they began attending school themselves. But I'm not that same girl I was before and I'm slowly realizing I don't want to be a teacher any longer, instead my future is uncertain.

I've been discussing it with Jimbo. I have to finish out my degree in something...but what? I'd truly considered a career in nursing but find myself unsure now. I feel like I've boarded a time machine and landed myself right back at the start when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to be in life 12 years ago.

The good news is, I still have time to decide, there is no rush. But I have to address this and I know the sooner I do so the better. Is it wrong that a huge influence in my decision revolves around how much money I'll make? Or is that normal? Back when I was a fresh faced 18 year old it was all about the romantic notion of doing what I "enjoyed". Now it's all about that cold hard cash which will be used to house and feed my bottomless pits!

Thanks for all you well wishes too! I'll be back to reading up on everyone starting today. I'm feeling much better but still have the cold. At least my stomach has kinda settled down.

What The Hell?!?

I'm not sure what this funk is but it had best make it's way out of my body. I'm sneezing, running low grade fever, I'm achy and my stomach can't make up it's mind to either let me eat in peace or make me suffer.

I'll blog more when I'm feeling a bit better. We had a fun 4th at least!

Have I told you lately...

Today my husband called and I was instantly suspicious.

Jim: "Baby, have I ever told you how glad I am that you are in my life?"

Me: "Oh shit, what's wrong?"

Jim: "Does something have to be wrong for me to call and tell you I love you?"

Me: "No but I know you hun, go ahead."

He told me he'd ran to Office Depot to look for an organizer during his lunch break. He noticed someone he thought he knew and when he realized it was indeed his old girlfriend he attempted to duck behind the nearest aisle. But she saw him anyhow and walked up to strike up a conversation.

They talked about their lives now, how long it's been, the usual things. But the thing that Jimbo said that amazed him was "nothing was there, nothing at all" anymore. Now, I could be the jealous bitch wife and say, "well there'd better NOT be anything there!" but I realize the human heart doesn't always function in the most rational of ways. He said instead he realized how happy he is and how happy I've made him.

On a side note, while I appreciate his honesty and I'm glad he had that moment of clarity, discovering she'd asked for his phone number to "catch up" didn't sit so well with me.

Ok so maybe I am a jealous bitch of a wife, so sue me.

Mess

So I hear it. BOOM!

Then I hear it again only louder and deeper. BOOM!!!!!

I get up and trek up the stairs, as I round the corner to the second set I announce I'm on to them.

"Logan, Vince, time to get up!"

I hear them shuffling around and begin walking up the stairs when they appear at the top.

"Come on down guys...wait get your drinks please," I begin walking up the stairs when Logan places his hands outward, palm toward my body.

"Messy Mommy!" he tells me.

"Oh, messy huh? Well I'm definitely coming up now!" As if to give the go ahead he motions both hands to the left and under, kind of like Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune.

I walk past and the picture above was the sight that greeted me. One things for sure, it's NEVER boring in this house, EVER.

Bad Day at the office! (COMPILATION VIDEO)

This cracked me up!

PMS Blues

You probably think I've crawled into a hole thanks to my devious children but I'm here to tell you it's nothing as dramatic as that. Last week Jimbo had the sniffles which he passed on to the boys, then Arwen and finally to me.

To add insult to injury, I also got that unwelcome little visitor women have to greet each month. I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later but I'd hoped I'd have more time as I continue nursing Annabel...no go though.

I forgot how much I detest PMS.