The Ditzy Duo

We’ve Moved…Sort Of

2010-12-15T15:06:00.001-06:00

We’ll still be posting Thelma and Louise stories here. But come on over to Boy Crazed Momma where I’ll be posting the majority of the time. I think you’ll like the new look!

Wordless Wednesday—11/17

2010-11-17T08:22:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite sleeping pictures of him.

Gaga and Penguins and Buzz, Oh My!

2010-11-16T08:21:00.001-06:00

Better late than never, right???

I really had two Halloweens. My first one was at Bunco , and then the second was taking the boys trick-or-treating on Saturday night.

We happened to have Bunco the Thursday night before Halloween weekend. So, of course, it was a costume party.

Lady Gaga stopped by:

And a penguin and flapper

And here we all are…the ones who dressed up…

Up next, the trick or treating! We had Buzz and Thomas at our house. It was hard to keep Buzz out of his costume before Halloween. He wanted to wear it all of the time. Thomas had a hat to go with his costume, but he wasn’t about to wear it. The battle was not worth fighting.

This year was fun because my 3-year-old really got into it. He kept saying, “Can we go to another [house]"?” as soon as we’d get finished at one. It surprised me that he really didn’t mess with the candy while we were walking through the neighborhood. We trick-or-treated around our house for a while and then we headed over to my in-law’s house so my 3-year-old could go around their neighbor with his cousins. If the proof is in the candy stash, then the evening was a success. And the bonus was that the boys are still too young to know which is the good candy, so mommy and daddy scored some good stuff. (Oh, don’t act like you don’t do it too.)

99 Things

2010-11-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

I’m pretty sure I stole this from my friend Laura’s blog. I have had it in my drafts for a while now and had forgotten about it. I stumbled upon it today, so here you go. A little get-to-know-me post. Feel free to lift this for your blog. Laura won’t mind. Promise.

Instructions: The post is a list of 99 random things. Bold the ones that you yourself have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disney World
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (No, but I have on a plane.)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (With a little liquid courage)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing (And threw up the entire time)
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling — snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching (Sort of—Got lucky and saw them)
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House (Just from the outside)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

The Season of Giving

2010-11-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

The Sears family in Canada needs our help. I met Dana on Twitter, & we have since become e-pals. Her family is struggling to pay for the care her son, Mason, needs. I know many of us look for ways to help those in need, especially this time of year. PLEASE consider helping this family. Thanks to Bonnie’s Bows you can even get some Christmas shopping done at the same time! Here is a sample of Bonnie’s goodies:

Here’s Dana’s story in her own words:

Hello, My name is Dana Sears & I am Mason's Mom. Mason was born with Special Needs. At this time we do not fully understand the "Special" but we do understand Mason's "needs". Because Mason doesn't have a diagnoses, Drs dont really know what causes his issues, we do not receive government funding for Mason's needs. In 2009 Mason received his G-tube, this is a tube implanted into his stomach to allow us to bypass his swallowing. Mason's feeding costs are around $100 a day, that works out to $36,000 a year, just to feed him. That is impossible for a young family. Mason also needs Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Developmental treatment, Behavioral intervention & tools to help us in our day 2 day life.

Many families with Special needs Children struggle financially due to the extraordinary costs of raising our children. Our Family has gone $64,000 dollars in debt just giving Mason the bare minimums for the last year and a half. We are unable to supply Mason with everything that the Drs. and specialists say he needs. We have had help from Variety-The Children's Charity, they supplied one year grant of $5000 when we were weeks away from having to give Mason over to the Ministry, we had no where left to borrow money from.
I never thought by Blogging my feelings, or our journey trying to solve Mason's Riddle that I would run across someone like Bonnie. Bonnie is an amazing woman, to want to help my family is more than I can thank her for. I am not good at asking for help, but we are again needing some funds for Mason. We are stuck waiting to hear about our appeal to the government and waiting to hear from Charities. As the next couple of months go by we will be in need of more medical supplies again.

What will we use the Donations for? The specialists have asked for Mason to have a swing that he can use at all hours of the day. Swinging is a long acting drug in Mason's body, better than any pharmaceutical available. Mason is the happiest when he is swinging. Over time we have purchased most of the parts like the swings, rope ladder, rings, and just need to purchase the lumber and bolts to complete it! This swing will allow Mason to use one anyone type if swing at one time and will sit in a room in our house. Also we need to purchase some more feeding bags, and a few Mic-key buttons. We go through a Mic-key button every two months, these cost just over $400 a piece. On average I spend $30-$45 a week in parking for appointments. This is a huge expense that most people don't realize. We have one credit card, right now it's maxed out at $1500 for just parking dues. It's crazy.

Our family can't thank you enough for helping. Complete strangers helping my family, it just amazes me. When everyone around us has left, complete strangers have picked us up, encouraged and now want to help support us. It's.Truly.Deeply.Amazing.

Warm Regards,
The Sears Family
www.DanaSears.com
Twitter: DanaSearsFam

So, how can YOU help? SIMPLE.

1) Head on over to Bonnie’s Bows and make a purchase. Twenty percent of her sales will go to Dana’s family.

2) You can go directly to Dana’s blog and make a donation through PayPal. There is a donate button on the right hand side of the page.

3) Spread the word. If you blog- steal as much of this as you want and re-post. Twitter? Link us up! Facebook, Myspace, Message Boards- we will take any advertising we can get!

In this season of gratitude and giving, please consider helping this family out in any of the above mentioned ways. Anything is appreciated!

‘Tis the Season

2010-11-06T11:55:00.001-05:00

W.O.W.! Have you seen the selection for Christmas cards and invitations over at Shutterfly? And there are some really unique ones! Let’s take a look, shall we?

I like this one just because it’s pretty without being too girly. Living in a house of testosterone, I look for things that meet that criteria. Love the colors. Love the simplicity. And I totally have a picture of the boys that would go great there. I found this one here.

The story cards are INGENIUS! I love getting caught up on my friends and families lives, but sometimes those Christmas newsletters are just a little too long. These story cards solve that problem. Hit the highlights of what happened during the year without giving every single detail. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. this one.

And who doesn’t love a party? Shutterfly has a great selection of invitations. If I was having bunco at my house in December, I would be all about this cookie swap invitation. Who doesn’t love cookies, right?

My choice for a card for my family would be this one. I love the short, sweet updates you can put on it, but, most of all, I love the colors!

Go take a look for yourself at the traditional Christmas cards, the story cards, the Thanksgiving cards, and the holiday party invitations that Shutterfly offers. They really do have a plethora of choices.

AND….

If you are a fellow blogger and would like to receive 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly, go here. Clever 1000 is the referral source I used.

Moms: Let’s Stop Judging Each Other!

2010-11-04T21:07:00.001-05:00

After reading this post over at the Heir to Blair my heart went out to her. You see, I’ve been there—a work-outside-of-the-home mom. And it’s though. Really tough. I totally get the guilt and frustration it can cause. I also get how exhausted you are at the end of the day. But I also think I have a unique perspective because while I was a work-outside-of-the-home for 3 years, I am now a stay-at-home-mom. (Do I sub one day a week, but that’s just for my sanity and because my MIL wanted to watch the boys one day a week still—perfection!) I am lucky to have such a great gig. Incredibly L.U.C.K.Y. As a mom who has been in both positions, I will just say each has their pros and cons and leave it at that for now.

Here’s what killed me, absolutely KILLED me about Blair’s post. It was the comments. The judgmental ones. I kills me that we moms judge each other so much. Now granted some of the comments could have been from people who do not have children, and let’s be honest, they have no clue what they are talking about and I can dismiss those. But some of the commenters where very specific about having children, so we know they are moms (or maybe dads). And some of the things those moms or dads said…Oh my. The GALL of some people.

Here’s an example:

I’m just curious about something here. Why isn’t you not working an option (I know, kinda personal, maybe you make more money than your hubby). But the work seems to be at the base of every problem you complain about. So quit. You don’t NEED the double income, no one NEEDS two incomes in a family. You just want one so you can keep buying pretty shoes and trendy hair bands, keeping your kid in the coolest clothes, and your hubby with the newest golf clubs. Life is about finding balance, and learning what is most important to you. You say it’s time with your kid, so than spend time with the kid.

Two things that got my feathers ruffled here.

1) Really? You don’t NEED two incomes? WHAT? You don’t know the financial situation of other families. A lot of families out there can’t survive on one income, especially in this economy. And they DO NEED two incomes to make ends meet. And they should be made to feel guilty about that. Yes, we are now a one income family. BUT we are doing A LOT of scrimping , pinching pennies, and rearranging of expenses. We are sacrificing quite a bit to make it happen. And? Here’s the other thing. I am a teacher, so once the boys both get into school, I will go back to work full-time. It’ll be a perfect situation again—on the same schedule as the boys. But some, no most, moms don’t have that luxury. Their careers aren’t so mom-friendly. And you know what? At that point my family will NEED the two incomes because you know what we aren’t able to do right now on one income? Save for college.

2) Apparently this whole comment isn’t even true, but even if it was, who cares? It’s none of your business why moms work. If they choose to work or if they have to work—not your concern folks. Priorities are different for everyone. Some people might work because they want to be able to take their families on nice vacations. Well, I can’t fault them for that. Think of the value of the cultural experiences, think of what you learn by visiting national parks. Honestly, I have big plans for vacations I want to take the boys on. That’s another reason I’ll be going back to work when they get in school. And some moms might work to give their kids nice things. And if that’s what they want, then more power to them. And? I’ll just say it. Some moms are not cut out to stay at home and, likewise, some are not cut out to work outside of the home. Love, love, love my boys, but I couldn’t get out of the house to sub fast enough today. They were driving me batty. I need this one day away to keep my sanity. Some moms may not need to work for the money, but they might need to for the sanity. I get that, and, even if I didn’t get it, not my place to judge.

Another example of a comment that made my blood pressure boil:

Blair has blogged about at least two weekends away without Harrison since he was born. I (and most moms I know) have had exactly zero weekends away from my baby at almost a year old; I already have very limited time with my daughter and I cherish what I do have. I would miss her if I went away.
Then again, I didn’t have the severe PPD/PPA issues, which I imagine would make you want to escape in a bad way so that’s a different situation that I don’t claim to understand.

Wait a minute. Hold the phone. Did this person really just insinuate that you have post partum issues to need time away from your kids? I can imagine that MAYBE, just MAYBE that might exacerbate the situation (and I am totally speculating here) but what mom out there can’t say she needs some time to herself? If you raised your hand, you are LYING. I’m just going to go ahead and call you on it. We all not only WANT some me time, but we NEED it as well. In fact I’ll just go out on a limb and say that I’m a better mom & wife when I get my me time. And how dare we judge moms who leave their kids for an evening to go out for some girl time. Or on a date with their husbands. Or whatever they need to do to have some time for themselves. And if a mom takes a weekend away to go to a conference, or a scrapbooking retreat, or a shopping trip once in a while, well, that’s her prerogative. More power to her. Heck, my husband & I have been known to take vacations without the boys. GASP! Judge if you want, but it has, dare I say, saved our marriage. We all love our kids, but sometimes we moms and dads need a break, yes?

My bottom line? This motherhood gig is hard enough no matter which side of the working fence you are on. We mommas need to be supporting each other, not tearing each other down. So the next time a mom is doing something you wouldn’t dream of, try to remember, you are doing something with your family & kids that another mom wouldn’t dream of. We are all different. Need different things. Want different things. Have different priorities. And just like with a society, shouldn’t we embrace our differences?

Fantastic Friday—10/29

2010-10-29T08:50:00.001-05:00

What an awesome week I’ve had! A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

1) I really did finally get back on the horse with my running and eating. I’ve been half a$$ing it for a few weeks now and had gained 2 pounds. This week I was finally able to drop them. AND I MADE A BREAKTHROUGH DECISION!

2) Hubs and I went to the Thunder season opener game on Wednesday. So much fun! I forgot how much I love basketball season. The game was exciting; we played the Bulls, and the score was close the entire game. We finally were able to pull ahead in the last 3 or 4 minutes and won our first season opener.

3) Bunco was last night. I play with several ladies I used to teach with, & they are such a fun, amazing group of women. Oh, & Lady Gaga, Marilyn, & a penguin showed up to play last night. (More on that in a later post. I know. I know. I’m leaving you hangin’.)

4) I got to hang out with my girl, Louise, last Friday night. It had been awhile since it was just she and I out together sans husbands and kids. We went to The Melting Pot for some chocolate. What better way to send some girl time, right? The best part? I got a good Thelma & Louise story out of the night! Again, that’ll be for another post, BUT here’s a little reminder to tide you over.

5) Although I know it is still a work in progress, I feel that I am FINALLY starting to find a good balance in playing with my boys & being a domestic goddess (okay so maybe that’s a wee bit of an exaggeration) in this crazy, chaotic, awesome SAHM life. This past week, I was able to keep my house at a point where I was comfortable with it. If someone where to show up unannounced, I’d have been fine inviting them in.

6) This week I have been a blogging goddess. No really. I mean that this time. I blogged all week—except for yesterday. And for me that is incredible. When I get in over my head with the house, the boys, and running, this is the thing that gets taken off my plate. BUT, like I said above, I am finding that balance. I am figuring out how to get the housework, the playtime, the writing, the socializing, the family time all into one day. Some days (like yesterday) something has to give, but, at least this week, I did something right.

I’d love to hear about the good that happened in your week! Leave some comments & let us know what you are grateful for in your week.

Wordless Wednesday 10/27

2010-10-27T18:00:00.000-05:00

The east side of Cozumel that a lot of visitors don’t see. I highly recommend taking the drive around the island if you are there. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!

Say No to Double Strollers!*

2010-10-26T21:33:00.001-05:00

(*Not THIS particular double stroller, just double strollers in general.)

Today was the last straw. I will quit running before I run with the boys in the double stroller again anytime soon. What’s that you ask? You want to know why? Well, let me just give you my two (Yes there are only 2) reasons I’m going on this little strike.

1) It is an absolute ~~mad house~~ ~~zoo~~ three-ring circus getting all three of us ready to go.

I have to wrangle the boys, get them dressed, get socks & shoes put on them, get my contacts in, put my running clothes & shoes on, pour sippies of something to drink, pack a snack for the boys, grab the blankies, grab some small toys, put jackets on the boys, open the garage and push the double stroller out, close the garage, grab all the above mentioned crap, shoo the boys out the door, grab my keys and iPhone, get the boys buckled into the stroller, hand out all their “goodies”, get my headphones in ears, turn on the iPod, and start my Joglog.

Fun, eh?

2) Getting them to sit still and just enjoy the ride AT THE SAME TIME is next to impossible.

I am still at the point that running is a challenge for me. I can usually run 2 or 2.5 miles and consider it an easy run. BUT I need to focus, concentrate on breathing correctly. NOT GONNA HAPPEN WITH THE MUNCHKINS. EVER. This is my 2 mile run on a typical day.

9:00—Start running (Goes pretty smoothly until the snack is gone.)

9:13—Help 17mo find his sippy cup

9:15—Pick up said sippy cup out of the street 17mo threw it into & put it in the cup holder with me so he can’t throw it again.

9:15-9:23—17mo throws a fit for the sippy cup.

9:23—17mo finds his blankie & all is well with the world.

9:25—3yo asks me the 3,564th question since we began the run. I answer the question only to get the 3,565th question of the run.

9:26—Turn the iPod up to tune out the incessant question asking by the 3yo. (Yes, I do this & I don’t care if you think it is mean. You aren’t there. You don’t know. And the questions are NEVER important. And I can still hear him if by some chance is ever was important. He just thinks I can’t hear him.)

9:29—Tell 3yo to stop messing with his brother.

9:30—Tell 3yo to stop messing with his brother in a stronger tone.

9:31—Stop my run, look into 3yo’s eyes, and tell him to stop messing with his brother or we aren’t playing outside when we get home.

9:35—Stop my run to pick up the train 17mo has thrown in the street.

9:41—Again with the questions

9:44—17mo hits 3yo—crying ensues

9:46—Return home vowing to NEVER run with the boys again.

So, be honest. Do you blame me? My new plan is to go on my runs as soon as my husband gets home from work. Ahhh, nice, peaceful runs. The absolute bliss.

Sleep: I Need It

2010-10-25T21:31:00.001-05:00

Picture it. You’re all snuggly in your bed. You’re sleeping so soundly you have a drool spot on you pillow. (Gross? Maybe Satisfying? Definitely.) The window is open so you can hear the storm rolling outside. You you are dreaming the BEST dream you have ever had, and it is gettin’ good.

Cue the 17 month old. Screaming. Bloody murder. You wake up and look at the clock. It’s 2:00. IN THE MORNING. You’ve only been asleep since 11:30. You get up, stumble into his room, change his diaper, and determine his tooth must finally be coming through. You go ahead and take him into the living room, give him some ibuprofen, and—what else?—watch a Blue’s Clues so the medicine can kick in. Finally you get him back in bed, and you go crawl back into your warm, cozy snuggly bed. It’s 2:30.

Cue the 3-year-old. Up and down for the next TWO HOURS. He has to go to the bathroom. He has to put a bath toy he found in his room back in the bathtub. (WHY???) He needs a drink of water. You get up with him no less than 3 times. Finally you get back to sleep somewhere in the neighborhood of 4:30.

And then, per the norm, the 17 month old is awake for good at 5:15.

This has been my life the past three nights. Not all three nights have been this bad (This was the first of the three & by far the worst.) I mean, come on. I feel like I have a newborn again—in a fog and running on autopilot. Sure I am used to getting up at 5:30 or 6:00 everyday courtesy of the younger little man, but really? What is up? Shouldn’t my 17 month old be sleeping better by now? (My 3-year-old is BY FAR my better sleeper. This particular night was so out-of-character for him.) I have tried putting the littler one to bed later. Still gets up at 5:30. So, I out him to bed earlier. Still up at 5:30. Limit his naps during the day. Hello 5:30. Let him sleep the day away. You guessed it. 5:30. So, my next plan of attack? Back to baby basics. Get him back on a schedule. Starting tomorrow. At 5:30 AM.

Do you other mommas have any words of wisdom? How do I get this kids to sleep later?

Splish Splash!

2010-10-17T08:41:00.001-05:00

We discovered this splash park near our house late this past summer when our air conditioner was on the fritz. We spent just about every afternoon there that week because that’s how long it took the AC people to get out to our house. The boys LOVED it! (Well, it took the 16 month old a bit to warm up to it, but he loved it after a few minutes.) It was a great place for them to cool off from the 100 degree temperatures. As soon as the splash park opens again Memorial Day weekend, I’m sure we’ll be there.

5 Years & Many More to Come

2010-10-15T09:54:00.001-05:00

Today my husband & I celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary; it feels kind of like a small milestone.When I decided I was going to write this anniversary post, I had trouble deciding between writing about our actual wedding or writing about our actual marriage. I decided on the latter. Too often I think people go into marriages thinking it will be a piece of cake. That everyday is going to be full of honey and sweetie and sugar pie. That the hot passion will last forever. And please don’t get me wrong. Some days are like that; sweet, kind, passionate. But it’s rarely like that ALL day, EVERYday. Because, you know, real life happens. Kids, careers, merging two families, creating a home. So here are a few “lessons” I have learned in the past five years. (I can’t speak for my husband, but I’d venture to guess he has learned a few of the same things too.)

In the case of my husband and I, we are both first borns (i.e. stubborn) and we were older when we got married (i.e. set in our ways), so you can imagine how much we can butt heads some days. The words, “You know you don’t always have to be right!” have come out of both of our mouths on more than one occasion. We have learned to fight (Yes, we fight. You’re shocked I know!) in a way that works for us. I have continually discovered through these past five years just how important it really is to know your partner’s “fightin’ style”.

I know this isn’t a new concept; that you have all heard “experts” say this, but I am here as a non-expert to say it is OH. SO. TRUE. You have to make time for date nights & time for each other. When hubs and I have a few days in a row that aren’t just peachy-keen, one of us will realize it has been a few weeks since we had time just us. Ideally, we try to have date nights at least twice a month. (This doesn’t always happen.) But they really do rekindle & refresh us. And these date nights are all well and good, but want to know the secret that I think really works for us? We go on a vacation every year sans kiddos—yes you read that right. EVERY YEAR. And while we miss our boys like crazy (I almost cried when we boarded the plane this year—ALMOST I said), we find we reconnect on so many levels while we are away. We are reminded that the most important thing we can give each other and our boys is a strong, loving relationship between us. And while being the best parents we can be is so very important, being the best wife/husband might be even more so. Because, let’s face it, the boys will leave this house eventually, and it will be just my husband & I living here. I want that day to come and be looking at my best friend not a total stranger. My point is I’ve learned it’s important to make time for you as a couple.

Another lesson I’ve learned? I feel closer to my husband when we do activities together. Sounds weird right? Let me give you an example. We are both divers. There is nothing we enjoy more than diving together. There’s just something about experiencing something together that not everyone sees that makes me fell close to him. And the conversations about the dives last way past the dive itself. Heck, we still talk about the dive when my husband touched a shark at least once a month. Other activities we enjoy together? bike riding and following our local NBA team. Simple things.

The most important thing I’ve learned is that for my husband and I both is to know we each have the others’ back; that we are on each others’ side. And I am going to leave that one just that simple.

So, that’s my wisdom I have to impart on you. Please don’t read this and I think that I think we have it all figured out. Because I don’t. We are still learning daily, but I do feel like we are pretty good at some things. That’s ok, right? No matter how long you’ve been married, I believe you always are learning new things. What have you learned in your marriage?

Jack-O-Lantern: McMelon

2010-10-14T22:04:00.001-05:00

We have a new member of the family: our jack-o-lantern. The other night we were all outside playing, and E asked his daddy if they could make a jack-o-lantern. So, my husband dropped his workout, and they got started.

Once the face was drawn on and the top cut open, it was time to clean out the pumpkin, E got grossed out and went to ride his bike. So much for the father-son bonding time (not to mention the workout that daddy dropped).

When E did grace us with his presence, getting him to pick up the stem was about the only touching of the pumpkin we could convince him to do.

Of course daddy would have had to do the carving part by himself anyway.

We thought he turned out well. E is so proud of him that I think he thinks he carved the jack-o-lantern himself. And we’ll just let him think that cause, well, he’s 3 and what’s it going to hurt? But I know the day is coming when E will carve a pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern all by himself & not get bored or grossed out because, you know, time flies.

A Little Hike

2010-10-10T06:20:00.001-05:00

These are my boys in action this summer. We were at the Grand Canyon. this was right after we had a picnic lunch; they took off with their daddy on an exploration. I didn’t realize how closely their close matched until my husband showed me this picture. Love that each of them have a foot off the ground. Yep, this picture pretty much depicts my life—always on the move!

Fantastic Friday 10/8

2010-10-08T08:25:00.001-05:00

Still love this idea. My goal is to do a fantastic Friday post every week. It really does make you realize what you have to be thankful for. And I’ve got a lot of gratitude to express for things that happened this week.

1. We got the garage cleaned out! This bares repeating. WE GOT THE GARAGE CLEANED OUT! Finally put all of the baby stuff in the attic while we figure out if we’ll have a third child. And we got all of the boxes full of my “classroom” put away on selves or in the attic.

2. While cleaning out the garage and the attic, we re-discovered 12-18 month fall/winter clothes that my 1-year-old can now wear. AND we found 4T clothes friends & family passed down for my 3-year-old. Now we don’t have to spend money on clothes for the boys this season, which is awesome since we are still figuring out this one paycheck household thing.

3. The stars aligned, & I got to sub yesterday. It looks like this will be the Thursday norm of me. I’m thankful for this for a couple of reasons. 1) Though small, it is a little extra money for us. 2) It keeps me in the loop for when I go back to teaching in a few years.

4. I am thankful for my husband who wants me to be home with the boys as badly as I do. He worked his rear off the past couple of days to figure out more ways we can cut expenses to give us a little more wiggle room every month.

5. The scales are finally headed in the right direction again! After two weeks of the numbers going up (Remember that vacation my husband & I took?) and then holding steady, I’m FINALLY down one more pound. Yay!

6. It’s been a great week home with my boys, but the best part was Wednesday afternoon when my 3-year-old took a nap (That was a good thing, but that’s not where I was headed.) & woke up wanting to cuddle. I got 30 minutes of cuddle time with my sweetie pie.

7. Thunder tickets came in the mail this week. I am so excited for the season to start. Going to really enjoy going to games this year because next year me might have to sell off several tickets. No way we can afford season tickets with me staying at home.

8. Can’t believe I almost forgot his one, OU BEAT Texas! BOOMER SOONER!

How was your week? What happened that you are thankful for? Remember, sometimes it’s the little things. :)

Paradise Found

2010-09-29T13:33:00.001-05:00

A Little Slice of Heaven

2010-09-29T13:24:00.001-05:00

Putting It Out There

2010-09-15T10:41:00.001-05:00

I know this is supposed to be “Wordless Wednesday”, but this photo needs a little explanation. I have been really working to lose weight for a little over a month now. I posted about my plan of attack in July, but I didn’t hit it really hard until mid-August. I have been running, lifting weights, and watching calories, and I have lost 13 pounds. So, while this number is still about 35 pounds higher than my goal weight, I am proud of it for now. My scales have not shown this number since before I got pregnant with my now 3 1/2 year old—so what? Over 4 years, right?At this rate I should be right around 130 (my goal) right around the new year. :)

Mexico Moments

2010-09-14T09:39:00.001-05:00

This is a repost of one of the first stories I wrote for this blog. I need to write about Thelma and Louise again soon. But in the meantime, I thought some of you would enjoy reading this now that you have gotten to know us a bit better.

Let's just say there is a hotel cleaning lady in Mexico still cursing our names. It all started in 2003 with a trip we took to Ft. Lauderdale (There are some stories there too!) when we spent the week talking about going parasailing but never did. Once we arrived back home, we both regretted not taking advantage of the opportunity to fly high over the ocean. We promised each other and ourselves that if the moment ever presented itself again, we'd dive right in and not let it pass. Ok, jump ahead four years--a wedding and a child later. We, along with our husbands, finally took that trip to Mexico we had been talking about for years. Before we even left, we decided this was it; we were going to parasail over the Carribbean. How beautiful and tranquil, right? So, finally the last day of our trip we did it, and it was an experience neither of us will ever forget. EVER.

Nerves were building as our scheduled parasailing time crept closer and closer. One of us even tried to back out, but, true to our friendship, the other part of the duo twisted her arm and reminded her of the promise she'd made years ago and guilted her into holding up her end of the bargain. (You thought I was going to say something sweet about providing support and encouragement, didn't you? Yeah, that didn't happen.) Our husbands, being the supportive men they are--who are we kidding; they wanted ammo on us--bought a seat on the boat. So there we were, on the boat full of people who were also going parasailing. After the first person took his turn, we were up. The guide had told us each turn would last around 15 minutes, what sign to make to come down early, and that they'd try to bring us in so we'd land on the platform but there was a chance we'd end up in the water. Getting into the air was no problemo; it was smooth sailing (after all of the screaming and prayers on the way up). Our experience started off as we had envisioned--beautiful and tranquil--then it all went south in more ways than one.

We couldn't have been in the air for more than five minutes, maybe not even that long, when it hit--quite literally. Have you ever seen Sex in the City: The Movie? Remember Charolette's experience in Mexico where she did everything she could to avoid consuming any of the water only, when she accidentally did, she went running for the nearest toilet only to find herself unable to hold it any longer? Well, we are here to tell you, those "Mexico Moments (MM)" really happen, and this one happened to one of us 500 feet into the air! So, there we were in quite the predicament. The "accident victim" begged the other one of us to make the sign for an early landing and prayed we'd end up with an ocean landing (Who cares about the possibility of attracting fish and maybe even sharks? Landing in the water might at least give us the chance to get out of this situation with a little dignity). No such luck. We landed on the platform and were welcomed by questioning looks from our husbands. We did the only safe thing we could do in that situation; we said one of us was feeling sick. Now the trick was to get the boat to the dock and fast. The problem? There was still one person on the boat who hadn't had their turn not to mention the guides who's English was limited. At this point we can't even recall how the conversation went, but somehow we convinced the driver we need to get back to shore. And as luck would have it, a couple on the boat with us told us of a close bathroom once we got to the dock--the VIP lounge.

We both took off to the VIP lounge as soon as the boat got to the dock. I'm pretty sure neither of us had ever run that fast. We burst through the lounge and into the restroom. Let's just say there was no salvaging the bathing suit--never mind the HOURS it took to find that suit--so luckily she was wearing a cover up as well. And then another "MM" hit. She was in luck, right? We were in a restroom with a toilet right there. Well, if you have ever been to Mexico, you know the toilets don't flush like they do here. (At least this has been our experience.) So to make a long story short the toilet got stopped up. So there we were, one of us sick at this point, a toilet full of well, you know, and a RUINED bathing suit. What do you do in that situation? No amount of life experience could prepare you for this, right? Like any good girl would do, we PANICKED. (Here is where the bathing suit cover up came in handy since the swimsuit was now IN THE TOILET right along with--well, you know.) We ran out of the VIP lounge as fast as we could and across the resort to our rooms, where we stayed for the next three hours. We just knew somehow the hotel people would find the culprits.

Now we are sure you understand why we wish to keep this story anonymous. We promise this really happened; we couldn't make this story up if we tried.

Make Yourself at Home—Part 2

2010-09-09T21:08:00.001-05:00

First it was a tour of my fridge and deep freeze. Now, I invite you in to see my pantry (or pantries). I don’t really have a pantry per se. I’d kill to have a good sized pantry, but until we move I’ll just have to dream. (In my dream I also have an island in the kitchen, beautiful countertops, tile that does look dirty 5 minutes after I mop it, plush, cozy carpet, a big laundry room where I can actually do laundry, great, big walk-in closets, a huge, relaxing master bath, a bonus room for the boys play area, and a maid to clean it ALL. But I digress.)

So for now we have made this book self in the garage work for us. It mainly is used to store our canned goods. We go through a significant amount of tomato sauce and paste, so we always stock up on that. The boys like their fruit. We’ve been buying a lot of fresh, but we like to keep some canned on hand in case we are out. The ravioli is a quick, easy lunch when we are in a pinch.

Inside the house, I have a couple of sets of cabinets (Oh and a basket) I use for the rest of the pantry type foods. One set is above the microwave. It has cereal, pop tarts, fiber one bars, oatmeal, & that kind of stuff in it. The Bisquick is now gone thanks to Elle the Heiress pigs in a blanket craving on Twitter the other night. She had several of us craving them by the end of the night.

Another set of cabinets has our coffee, tea, jello, cake mixes, pastas, and such in them. Apparently I have Hamburger Helper. I forgot that was even there. And it is almost cornbread weather! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE me some Jiffy corn muffin mix. I can’t make it better from scratch.

And we of course have a snack basket above our fridge. Don’t you to? This is where we store the travel snacks. You know? The ones moms grab in case they need saving while running errands with the ~~hellions~~ ~~monkeys~~ children. Goldfish crackers, animal crackers, graham crackers, regular crackers. Are you seeing the theme here? We also keep our chips up in the basket too. Or sometimes they are beside the basket if it is overflowing, which it is right now.

That’s really it. I think it’s pretty normal stuff that we have. Now let’s be nosey and see what Elle the Heiress and Katie over at Cleared for Takeoff have in their pantries. They are giving us a tour today too! But my real question is what’s in your pantry? Care to show me around?

That’s What I Call Progress

2010-09-07T12:06:00.001-05:00

Thought I’d write a weight loss update in case any of you are wondering how that’s going. Well, it’s going. Slowly but surely. Since I began trying to lose weight and get healthy back in May (I didn’t really hit it hard until the second week of August.), I have lost 12 pounds and am almost down one size. But I am also building muscle—lifting weights, running. I can see more of a difference than my scales portray.

My arms are not nearly as flabby. My waddle when I wave—you know what I am talking about—is smaller. Now that it is getting cooler out, my arms are looking good for sleeveless shirts! I’m come to terms with the fact I will always have big thighs. It’s something my family has passed on to me. But I decided I would rather have big, muscular thighs than big, fat thighs. The running has started making a HUGE difference in this already.

I was surprised how quickly I was able to work up to running two miles. I don’t do it very quickly and sometimes it isn’t pretty, but I can run just a little over 2 miles without stopping. I don’t do this everyday. Like today, I was lucky to get a mile in before I had to stop and walk for a bit. I just wasn’t feeling it this morning. Not sure whether it was the humidity or the constant multitasking between my run and my boys in the stroller. Some runs are like that. Then there are the mornings my husband (Who I am so thankful for. He has been my biggest cheerleader through this process.) is home and I get to go for a run by myself. Without kids. Without the monster stroller. Now those are the mornings I really enjoy my run. Those are the mornings I can really push myself.

Now to really start focusing on my belly. Oh my how that area of my body has been neglected. I’ve always had a little pooch there and now, after two kids, Mamma Mia! I’ve been doing some Pilates and ab work, but I really think it’s time to kick it up a notch (or two or three).

So, yes, I have made progress. Quite a bit actually. I have a ways to go yet, but this has been the best start on getting fit and healthy I’ve ever had. Wish me luck on the rest of this journey.

Fantastic Friday-9/3

2010-09-03T10:11:00.001-05:00

I love this idea! What a great way to look back at the week and remember the positive and be grateful. Thanks Cameron Crazy Mom and Elle the Heiress for turning me on to this FANTASTIC idea!

Great things that happened to me this week:

1. Got to go have a girls night out and play bunco with my much missed teacher friends last night.

2. Weighed yesterday morning and I am officially down to my pre-baby weight.

3. Having a date night with hubs tonight.

4. Looking like we probably will get my oldest into the school district I’d love for him to be in. (After camping out overnight.)

5. My boys are playing more and more together. It’s so much fun to hear them laughing with each other.

6. I got my fridge and deep freeze cleaned out and organized!

7. My oldest is getting better and better at learning the “basics” of soccer. The whole family played in our street one evening.

Okay, I know there is more. Next week I’ll keep track as the week goes. :) What made your week so fantastic?

Parenthood Craziness

2010-09-01T11:16:00.001-05:00

This is crazy. I am sitting in a long line full of other people to try to get my 3-year-old into a school for NEXT year. Yes, that’s right. The 2010-2011 school year. My oldest will be going into Pre-K. The craziest part of this is that I have been in line—technically my chair as been—since 9:00 last night. I have been in the back of the Explorer tweeting, eating ice cream & sleeping (for a whole hour) up until now. I am number 86 on the unofficial list to get my kid in here. But I’m number 27 on the Pre-K list. The people at the front of this line have been here for a week. Yes, a week. They have pitched tents and barbequed food. I drove by here Friday night, and there was a smoker going in the parking lot. The superintendent of this district even provided port-a-potties. Craziness, no?

We won’t know for sure until May whether we are in or not. I’ve been told by the other parents out here who have done this before that being 27rd we have a pretty good shot. I’ll try not to get my hopes up though. We’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed until then.

Make Yourself at Home

2010-08-29T21:37:00.001-05:00

Welcome to my fridge! Are you hungry? Feel free to whip up dinner while you are here. When I first heard of this idea for a blog post courtesy of Elle the Heiress, who got the idea from Katie over at Cleared for Takeoff, I thought it was a little kooky. (Check out Cameron Crazy Mom too.) I believe my first thought was, ‘I wouldn’t want to show my cluttered fridge and freezer to the world. Why just the other day I was thinking about how I need to clean it out. And don’t even get me started on the deep freeze. I should really clean it out too. I have no idea what all is in there. I bet I’m wasting a ton of money buying food we don’t need because it’s hidden in the black hole.’ Okay so it was a rambling thought, but that’s what popped in my head. BUT the more I pondered this idea, the more I thought what great incentive to get this chore I hate to do done. So, here we go. Mi casa es su casa.

First up: the deep freeze. WARNING: IF YOU ARE A VEGETARIAN YOU WILL NOT LIKE THIS PART. YOU WILL QUICKLY SEE WE LIKE OUR MEAT. We are the stock-up-while-it’s-on-sale kind of people. And you’ll see that when we stock up, we stock up.

Before the Clean-out :

After the Clean-out :

This is a collage if the goodies in the nooks and crannies. We have enough mozzarella cheese to make pizza for the entire neighborhood. (This is why I need to do this little project.) We also have a ton of steak; it was on sale a couple of weeks ago. That deli cheese in the middle there on the left is THE BOMB. We get it at a place on the way to Branson. We’ll stop to eat at Lamberts, and then we go buy cheese while we wait on our table. In the middle are the pre-made meals—some by me and some store bought. Some nights you just need something EASY, you know? With the buns and bread, I have banana breads and Amish Friendship breads I made and froze for later. My husband smokes the best ribs, so we have four racks of those. And the crown jewel of the deep freeze? The Blue and Gold Sausage. This is made in Oklahoma and is BY FAR the best sausage around. In addition to all of this, we are stocked up on chicken, pork chops, and ground beef. There are a couple of roasts in there and a pork roast too. Should we not be able to leave our house for some reason, no one worry about us going hungry. I think we’ll be just fine. (as long as we don’t lose power.)

Next up let’s journey back into the house to the fridge. I know there are all kinds of goodies in there. Meet my fridge. (Sorry these pictures are the best. I had to do this project quickly while my 1-year-old was sleeping, so I grabbed the first camera I could find, which was my iPhone and got moving.)

After I finished organizing the inside of the fridge, I cleaned the outside. Here is the reality of what it looks like now. I think it’s a nice compromise of the above two pictures. Because, let’s face it, I gotta entertain the boys while a cook, and they love the magnet toys. Oh, and I have since found the M, so my boys will only have 3 letters they don’t know. The collection of magnets on the side of the fridge are from various places we have traveled. The little measuring cup on the front is my lifesaver. it contains all kinds off cooking helps. Substitutions, equivalent measures, those type of things.

And now on to the inside of this monster. Yes, this is going to be a long post. Go grab a drink and some popcorn. Maybe take a potty break if you need to. And then come on back and settle in again. Go ahead, I’ll wait for you…

Okay, are you back? Here’s the inside of this bad boy. And, yes, these are after I did a little cleaning and organizing.

Oh my. The left side of that picture is way blurry. No need to fret! I have some close ups! Let’s take a closer look at what my family is eating.

We have two open bottles of ketchups and 2 open jars of mayo because we went on vacation and had to buy more. Those then got brought home and added to our fridge. I have no idea why we have 3 bottles of open BBQ sauce. None. My 3-year-old would not survive this life without his strawberry milk. We never run out of this. We are trying to eat healthier, which explains the many bottles of salad dressing. Most of it is light. (A quick apology here to my Dad who works for Borden. Sorry about the milk. The boys where in meltdown mode, and I wasn’t making another stop. I know you understand.) Of all of that yogurt, we have three left in the fridge as I type this. My boys eat at least one a day and usually more. Oh, and the homemade jarred stuff? Most of it is courtesy of my mother-in-law and my grandmother-in-law. Just wanted to give credit where it is due.

Almost finished. Only have the freezer left. This is the one place that I really needed to throw some things out. There was a lot hiding in there. This is what I pulled out of the freezer. Crazy huh?

And here it is all cleaned out and pretty:

I was excited to see that we had more fish and seafood than I thought we did. Those Whips yogurts make great little low cal treats when frozen. I found the pecans, almonds, and walnuts I thought had disappeared.

AND BONUS POINTS: RANDOM FIND

Now tell me how in the world that crayon got on the top self in the door of the freezer.

And just as I was finishing all of the cleaning and organizing, my toddler woke up from his nap. He helped me finish the job.

Your turn. What’s in your fridge and freezer?

Will you help me?

2010-07-09T09:41:00.001-05:00

I’m on a mission, and I need your help. ~~PLEASE~~. ~~PRETTY PLEASE~~. PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP. My mission is to be COMFORTABLE in my own skin for the first time in a LLLOOONNNGGG time. We are talking since middle school maybe—20 some years ago. For as long as I can remember, my weight has always been an issue for me. In middle and high school I think it was more of a negative self image thing than really being overweight, but that still prevented me from being comfortable in my own body. So, here I am, entering my mid-30’s (Can’t believe I’m going to be 34 next month; I feel like I should still be 23.), married with 2 little kids, & part of a family chalk full of diabetics. It’s time to change things. NOW. Here’s what I want to do:

1. Be comfortable in my own skin. I’m realistic. I am never going to be a supermodel. I just want to be halfway comfortable in a bathing suit.

2. Not be diabetic. My family is WONDERFUL and I have inherited their sense of humor, their love of family, and their boisterousness. I, however, do not wish to inherit their diabetes. No thanks!

3. Be able to play and run around with my boys and not be out of breath. I want as much energy as they have. Okay, I’ll be realistic and say half as much energy as they have. There no way at my age I’ll have the energy level of them. They’re crazy! (You moms of boys know what I am talking about and are nodding your heads right now.)

That being said, now I need a plan. This past week and a half I have started implementing one (and am already feeling the difference). Here’s what I have been doing:

1. Drinking WATER. Yes, I know it is a novel concept, but I was drinking 64 ounces of Diet Dr. Pepper a day. Now I know this is stupid, but I have a 32 ounces mug I got in the hospital when I had one of my boys and, for some reason unbeknownst to me, I will drink water out of it and not anything else. (I think it reminds me of how thirsty I was when I was breastfeeding.) I’m talking will GULP it down if water is in it. So, that’s what I did. Got it out and started drinking up! Pretty sure in the past few days I have drank no less than 3 mugs full each day. And I haven’t totally dropped the DDP, but I have limited it to one a day about every 2-3 days. (Drinking my first Sonic DDP in probably a month while I edit this post, and it is SOOOOO good. I’m sorry if you are reading this and don’t have Sonics where you live. You really are missing out. But I digress.)

2. South Beach eating. I know, I know, some people thing this low-carb thing is from the devil, but let me tell you why this is right for me. With me already being predisposed to diabetes, I decided to look at this diet a little closer because it focuses on leveling out your blood sugar. And it makes sense to me. The focus isn’t on NO carbs; it’s on GOOD carbs. And the way your body processes the good carbs. In fact, my mom’s diabetic doctor told her this is the way everybody—especially those with diabetes—should be eating. That all being said, I also believe the saying everything in moderation. (And confession here. I took a break from blogging to eat dinner and I ate WAY TOO MUCH tonight. I feel sick. I’m pretty sure the three pounds I lost in the past week and a half are back. Back on the horse tomorrow.)

3. Exercise. I’ve discovered I really like running. When my husband and I where dating, he introduced me to running. (I had never been a runner—still wouldn’t consider myself a runner but working on it.) I actually worked up to about 2 miles at that time. We also started bike riding. I’ll never forget the time he took me on a bike ride from our house to Yukon— a 30 mile round trip ride. I had no idea it was that far and he acted like it was just a little jaunt down the road. I almost killed him halfway through the ride. Then life happened, the kids came, and now here I am still needing to get my rear up and moving. I needed to quit using the kids and no time as an excuse not to exercise. So, this past week I picked up running again. I ran one whole mile without stopping yesterday. Yay me! And that being said, I promise I will go run as soon as my 1-year-old wakes up from his morning nap.

So, here’s the part where I tell you how you can help me if you’d be so kind. I’d like you to just randomly ask me how it’s going. If I’m drinking my water. If I’m eating right. If I’m running and riding my bike. I tend to do better if I know people are going to be checking up on me. Because (Here comes the sarcasm.) believe it or not, this isn’t the first time I’ve said I was going to lose weight and get healthy. BUT I really would LOOVVVEEEE it if it were the last. Will you help me along the way, please? Tell me your tricks? Send me a message on Twitter? Come back to this post and leave a comment every now and again? That would really mean a lot to me. :)

The Best No-Name Dinner

2010-07-02T20:42:00.001-05:00

I remember walking into our former babysitter’s house to pick my boys up on a few occasions and smelling the aroma of something wonderful for dinner. Come to find out it was roast. Now this wasn’t your typical potatoes and carrot roast. It was roast—Mexican style. You see her mother-in-law is Hispanic, and this was a recipe she taught to my sitter. So, based on the smell and the rave reviews she gave it, I had to make the roast.

And that was what my family had for dinner tonight. The only word I can think of to describe it is PHENOMENAL. No exaggeration. It was easily one of the best meals I have ever cooked. And it gets even better. It is also one of the easiest meals I have ever cooked. Score! The only downfall is it takes all day to cook, so you have to babysit it a little bit. But if you are going to be home all day anyway, you ~~might want to~~ ~~need~~ HAVE to make this for dinner.

Note: I’m sorry I have no pictures of this. I was too excited about making it and then way too excited about eating it to remember to take pictures. Next time I make it, I’ll add some shots to this post.

Here is how simple this is. Get a roast ( I don’t think the type of roast really matters, but you might find one cut is better than another. I don’t even know for sure what kind I used tonight; I think it was a rump roast.) Put the roast in a Dutch oven and cover it with water. Chop 4 or 5 or 6 garlic cloves and add to water along with a healthy amount salt and pepper. Put the Dutch oven on a burner set on medium-low-ish heat. You kind of, sort of cover the pot with a lid. Don’t put the lid on all the way; put it on kind of crooked-like. Leave it so that some of the steam is able to escape. Hope that makes sense.

Now you babysit it. Let it simmer for 5-6 hours adding water to the pot every so often to keep the roast covered throughout the process.

Isn’t this difficult so far? (Hope you sense the sarcasm there.) Now here come the hardest part. Get ready. You might need a nap after this part. Here we go…

After the 5-6 hours (or when the roast is tender and done) take the roast out and shred it. Pour off some of the water. Put the shredded meat back into the pot. Slice up onion and bell pepper—as much as you like—and add it to the pot . You should have just enough water to cover the meat and veggies. Do the kind of cover the pot thing again and let it simmer for 1-2 hours longer.

Make sure you have a margarita while it is cooking because you know you have been slaving away over this meal all day.

When ready to eat, serve in tortillas (We liked the corn best.) with guacamole. We had sour cream, cilantro, and lime juice with ours too. Yummy! Go crazy and figure out what condiment-type things you like to serve this meal that doesn’t have a name with. What should I call this meal???

My Heavy Heart

2010-06-02T14:23:00.001-05:00

I can’t quit thinking about this. It has really consumed my thoughts since I got the news, so I thought I’d write about what is on my mind. Maybe that will help.

Yesterday I woke up to a text message letting me know a student I just had in class this last semester had been in an ATV accident on Memorial Day and had died. He was 13 years old. 13. So young. Too young. He had so many friends; I know he will be missed. I can’t even imagine what his family is going through right now. I just keep picturing his mischievous smile and that ornery look in his eye. He was so full of life.

I just keep hugging my boys and telling them I love them.

Adventures in Motherhood

2010-06-01T15:05:00.001-05:00

Well, I’ve done it. I’ve quit teaching to be a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) for a few years. Isn’t it funny how one thing in life leads to another? And sometimes it’s the decisions other people make that effect your life. In this case what started out as a terrible morning for me, ended up being the best “bad news” I’d ever gotten.

It all started on Friday morning a couple of weeks ago. I dropped the boys off at the sitter’s (whom my boys and I LOVE) like normal, but, when I told her my parents would be picking them up in the afternoon, she broke the news to me through tears—she wouldn’t be able to watch my boys next year. She and her husband were going to try to get pregnant this summer, and she wanted a light work load in the fall. My boys were the last kids she took on (not to mention part-time), so they were the first to go. I didn’t mean for that sentence to sound as flippant as it did, but that’s the gist of it.

As I was on my way to school after the tearful convo with her, I called my husband to let him know hat was going on. I had to pull over when the water works started again. Being a man he immediately started looking for solutions to the problem; one of them being me staying home. Now, mind you, we’d had this conversation before with it all circling back to not being able to afford for me not to work. I told him that he knew that wasn’t a possibility, but he said he’d “run the numbers”. When we hung up, I was trying not to hold my breath as I realized that staying home with my boys was exactly what I wanted.

Fast forward to that same afternoon. My phone rang while I was on the bus with 130 eighth grade boys on my way to a sex ed field trip. Yes, that was loads of fun. But I digress. So, my phone rang. It was hubs. He told me he figured it out. The finances. He figured out how to make it work so I could be at home with my boys. I never in a million years would have believed we could figure out how to afford for me to stay home, but, thanks to my wonderful, number-savvy husband, we did!

Gotta be honest here. As much as I knew this was what I wanted, I had mixed emotions about it. I was super excited about getting some of these treasured years home with the boys, but I was also nervous. Nervous about money and nervous about the lack of adult interaction in my coming days as a SAHM. I was also sad about leaving my fellow teachers whom I love. But, I have to say, as soon as this decision to stay at home was final, and I saw the smiles on my boys faces as I played with them that night, I knew hubby and I had made the right one.

And besides, I always have Twitter and Facebook for my adult interaction, right?

Feeding Frenzy 2

2010-04-03T10:27:00.001-05:00

Here we go. My family’s dinner menu for this month. (I’m a little late in posting it, sorry.) I lived and learned with last month’s. And now I will pass my new-found knowledge on to you. (I’m a giver; what can I say?)

1. It’s okay not to stick to the menu EXACTLY. I found even when I digressed from the menu, it was still helpful because I knew exactly what was in my freezer.

2. Having a menu REALLY did the trick on helping us not eat out. Dinner no longer felt nearly as overwhelming every night now that I had a plan.

3. I have re-discovered my crock pot. And, oh how I have missed it! I have a friend who was gracious enough to share some of her recipes with me. I’ll let you know how they turn out.

4. I found in making the menu out for a month that if I went from what I had in the freezer and pantry already and then filled in the rest, my grocery shopping list wasn’t nearly as large and expensive.

Have you ever meal planned? What tips do you have? Recipes? I’m always up for new recipes.

Super Simple Brunch Ideas

2010-03-14T15:05:00.002-05:00

This is actually the menu I served for a family brunch we had one Christmas morning. I needed something E.A.S.Y. since it was such a busy time (And did I mention this was my son's first Christmas?), but I also wanted something that was nice since it was Christmas. So, I made this menu and broke out the china. I think it turned out beautifully if I do say so myself.

All of these recipes are ones that can be made ahead of time which makes it nice the morning of the brunch because you won’t be rushing around trying to get everything prepared and cooked. (I even set the table the night before.) I promise they are just as tasty as they are simple.

Almond Bread

(I got this recipe from Claudine—see Haunted Texas. She made this for us before our San Antonio Trip.)

Do the prep work (as simple as it is) on this gooey bread the night before you want to eat it. Then in the morning pop it in the oven.

24-28ish frozen Rhoades dinner rolls
1 stick butter or margarine
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. Almond extract
1 small box dry vanilla pudding
¼-1/2 cup sliced almonds

Liberally (And I do mean liberally) coat a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place the frozen dinner rolls around the pan. Melt the butter and brown sugar in the microwave. Add Almond extract. Pour mixture over rolls in pan. Sprinkle dry vanilla pudding over rolls. Sprinkle sliced almonds over rolls. Spray a piece of plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray and place treated side down and cover pan. Let rolls rise over night. In the morning, remove plastic wrap and bake at 350 for approx. 30 minutes. Let cool for ten minutes and turn out onto platter.

Sausage Balls

My dad has been making these for years, and they are a family favorite. I’ve seen a lot of variations out there, but these are the easiest to made and, trust me, they are just as good if not better. These little treats only have three ingredients and are simple to make. Make two or three batches and freeze them. Then you can pop them into the microwave to defrost and reheat as needed.

1 lb sausage
2 1/4 cups Bisquick
12 oz. shredded cheese (I like cheddar and pepper jack the best.)

Preheat oven to 375. Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and combine using your hands. Roll into balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Doesn’t get much easier than that!

Fruit Salad

Ok, so I know fruit salad isn’t the hardest thing to make anyway,but this truly is the EASIEST fruit salad ever. It’d be something you could really just throw together at a moments notice. It’s the canned fruit cocktail that is the base. You can basically add whatever other fruits you like. Here’s how my mom always does it.

2 cans fruit cocktail, drained
3 bananas, sliced (If you aren’t serving this right away, dip the slices in lemon or lime juice to keep them from turning so fast.)
1 apple, chopped
3/4 cup miniature marshmallows

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, chill, and serve. Walla! Fruit Salad!

Try them and let me know what you think. :)

Haunted in Texas

2010-03-12T21:34:00.004-06:00

Thelma & I went to Austin, TX to visit a fellow Phi Omega Sigma pledge sister a few years ago. (We’ll call her Claudine.) When we got there, she had a big, wonderful, exciting surprise for us--an overnight road trip to San Antonio! Woohoo! Let’s repack our bags and get moving! Nothing like a road trip with the girls.

We titled the theme of this Austin trip “Are We There Yet?”. It all started with plane delays because of weather in Dallas. (I refer you back to a previous post: Stuck on a Plane.) Our theme continued as we traveled south by land to San Antonio. The traffic along the stretch from Austin to San Marcos was bumper-to-bumper.

When we finally made it to San Antonio, we found out Claudine had booked a room for us at the historic Menger Hotel. It is adjacent to the Alamo and next to the Riverwalk. Could she have picked a better place??? It wasn’t until we were checking in that Claudine informed us the hotel was said to be haunted. Yes, you read that right HAUNTED. Here, see for yourself here. There were problems with our first room, so Claudine (who is a read head so picture the fiery temper) promptly called the front desk and told them the room was unacceptable, and we were upgraded to a suite. Yay!

Once we switched rooms, we got ready for a night out on the Riverwalk. Before we left for the evening, we turned on a few lamps, so the living room in the suite wouldn’t be dark when we returned. (And, of course to ward off any ghosts that might be lurking about.) Before dinner, we went shopping for a girls’ best friend—SHOES! The previous year we had a girlfriend reunion and all of us bought toe rings. This year it was shoes. And, yes, by the end of our evening walking around the Riverwalk, our feet were killing us. But weren’t our feet cute?!

Upon returning to our suite in the supposed haunted hotel, we found the lamps we had left on had been turned off and the lamps we had left turned off were on. Hmmmm, me thinks we had visitors while we were away. Caaaa-rrrrreeeeepy. Luckily, before we left Claudine’s house that morning we grabbed some of those little sample-sized bottles of wine she had in her refrigerator. We did what any group of FREAKED out girlfriends would do--took that opportunity to crack those bad boys open. While we were sitting there ~~getting tipsy and more paranoid~~ talking, the lights started to flicker. Now, we realize that lights flicker all the time, especially in old buildings. The weird thing about this particular light flickering was that the flickering only happened when our conversation got steered back to the possible ghost in the room. Seriously. It was like the ghost was letting us know he was there in the room with us. As we carried on our conversation, the phone rang (again when we were referencing the possible paranormal activity). When we answered it, no one was on the other end (Claudine said she could hear breathing). At this point, we had convinced ourselves a ghost was among us. (And the wine might have been making was even more sure of that.) If one of us had to go to the bathroom, we all went. We didn’t want to be alone. In fact we had this huge suite to stay in, and we all three slept in the same bed that night. Yes, picture it. Three grown women in one bed. I have to laugh when I think back on it.

So, is the Menger Hotel really haunted? We really don’t know. We might have been creating it all in our heads; you know how girlfriends are when they get together. And I don’t really even know if I believe ghosts exist. But even I have to admit there is the possibility that we had visitors that night. Ahhhh, never a dull moment with Thelma around. Love her!

“Wawk”

2010-03-10T20:32:00.002-06:00

If I think about this too hard, I get a little watery-eyed. My three-year-old is PRECIOUS and in the midst of this trying age where he is testing boundaries night and day (and I sometimes feel like I am losing my mind), I sometimes forget just how precious he really is. And sometimes I get a much needed reminder. Last night was one of those times.

Last night he slept for the first time in big boy underwear (and no changing sheets this morning either!) He woke up at 2:30 hollering “Momma” because he needed to go pee pee. Annoyed because he doesn’t get that he could do this on his own just yet, I got out of my cozy, warm bed and stumbled down the hall to his room to get him. All I wanted to do was get him to the bathroom and then get back in bed. As he washed his hands, he kept telling me he wanted to “wawk”. I kept guessing what we meant. Walk? Work? Water? I couldn’t figure it out. I was frustrated at this point because I was clueless as to what he was telling me, and I also realized going straight back to bed was probably going to be a struggle.

Now, I need to back up here and say that when he tells me something that I don’t understand, I always tell him to show me. So, when I couldn’t figure out what “wawk” was, and I was just trying to shuttle him back to bed, he said, “Let me show you.” and proceeded to run into the living room. You moms out there can relate to my mood at this point; you know how grumpy I was that he was fighting me on going back to bed. All I could think about was the fact that I had to be up in three hours.

But then he did something that is making me tear up as I type this. My non-snuggly boy who I have always had to BEGGGG to let me hold him (even as a baby he wasn’t big on being held) ran to the recliner, patted it, looked at me, and said, “Wawk”. My heart melted. M.E.L.T.E.D. The annoyance was gone. My attitude immediately changed. He wanted me to rock him. And of course I obliged. Gladly. I didn’t care that it was 2:30 in the morning anymore. My baby wanted me to hold him. Rock him. Scratch his back. I could have held him all night.

Yes, sometimes I need those little moments that make me realize life goes too fast, and kids grow up too fast. If I get ~~a little less sleep~~ very little sleep in this phase of life, it will be okay. If my house isn’t perfectly clean (okay a mess), my kids won’t care. If we eat out every now and then, it isn’t the end of the world. There is a country song by Trace Adkins that my husband reminds me of every now and again, especially when it seems like life is getting too chaotic. The chorus goes like this:

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These Are Some Good Times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

And, yes, I am going to miss this. I am going to miss my precious son being three. I already miss him being a baby. Savor the moments, Jami. Stop when everything around you is a whirlwind and savor the moments.

My Bucket List

2010-03-08T22:15:00.001-06:00

My husband and I were talking the other night about the things we’d like to do before we die, so I have mentally been forming a list. Today I decided to put it down “on paper” and share my list with you. (I’m sure this list will grow as I think more about it.) And, I admit these are all about me, me, me. We will have to take out a ~~small~~ gigantic loan for all of this to be possible, but a girl can dream can’t she?!

Take our Alaska trip
Travel Europe
Dive the Great Barrier Reef
Go on a picture safari in Kenya
See the Pyramids of Giza
Drive through the NE in the fall
Eat lobster in Maine.
Camp at the Grand Canyon
Swim with dolphins
Play Blackjack in Vegas
Write (& maybe publish) a book
Throw a fancy party
Ride in a hot air balloon
Stay in a bungalow over the ocean
Skinny dip in a hot tub while it snows
Be comfortable in a bathing suit
Run in a 5k race
Surf

So, what’s on your bucket list? Do share. I might steal some of your ideas. :)

Feeding Frenzy

2010-02-23T06:32:00.003-06:00

So, I feel I need to apologize to you up front about this post. It’s really not that exciting, but I am trying something new in my house and wanted to share it. It is a step in the right direction for my resolutions in my Happiness Project. The other reason I choose to share this tonight is I am looking at my house and have the laundry that needs to be put away staring me in the face and the kitchen I still need to clean calling my name. So, here it goes…

I had heard of this mom who scheduled her family’s meals a year in advance. Wow! I have a hard time planning dinners out for the next night. But as I made all of those meals to freeze this past weekend, I decided I’d try to schedule things out—just to see how it would go. So, here is my family’s meal calendar through March. I tried to schedule the frozen meals during the week and make meals on the weekends. As you can see, I altered my plan on day two, but, as my dad said, even the best laid plans get ruined some days. Smart man.

(Click on image to zoom.)

***A little explanation on my notations: We had to be somewhere last night and I read the thawing and cooking directions wrong for the Shepherd’s Pie and didn’t allow enough time to cook it. (P.S. The Shepherd’s Pie was so good!) So, I moved that to tonight and tonight’s meal to Friday. The arrows on the roasted chicken to the chicken enchiladas is to remind me to use the leftover chicken for the enchiladas. Same thing on the roast.

So, now I (along with my family)shall embark on this meal menu adventure. Wish us luck!

Just Call Me Rachael Ray: Part 2

2010-02-21T14:21:00.001-06:00

So, as I finished up making my meals to freeze today, I thought of a few more tips in case you need them. Mind you, I am not an expert on this (This is probably the fourth or fifth time I’ve have a meal-prep-a-thon.) but these are some things I have learned while doing this. (The first three are repeats from yesterday’s post.)

1. If you are making a “casserole” type dish that is going to require some cooking, make a double batch. It’s really not that much more work, and you’ll be happy you did.

2. Have plenty of freezer bags, 9 x13 pans, and a Sharpie on hand.

3. I find picking one day to make the meals is easiest for me. That way I am only making a complete mess of my kitchen once. (I hate doing dishes.)

4. If you are making meals that require you to brown hamburger meat, brown it all at once and then separate it out to make your individual dishes.

5. You will need plenty of plastic wrap and foil for the “casserole” dishes. (The first three times I did this I run out. You’d think I’d learn.)

6. Clean out your freezer and make room for the meals you are going to create before you get started.

7. If you are using pans that don’t have lids, you can use pieces of cardboard to put between the dishes so you can stack them in your freezer. (Look I took a picture for you!)

And now for another recipe. Before I go on, I feel I must tell you that I am one of those g als that doesn’t really measure while I cook, especially if I am making something I have made hundreds of times. That being said, I tried to really pay attention as I made my lasagnas today so I could give you the recipe, but if you like yours saucier or meatier or whatever, feel free to tweak this to your liking. (I know you feel better now that you have my permission to change the recipe.) This recipe came from a friend of mine’s mom. I couldn’t believe her DELICIOUS dish was so simple. It tastes like you slaved over it. But homemade lasagna really is this easy. I promise. You trust me, right?

Lasagna (This makes 2 lasagnas.)

2-3 lbs hamburger meat (depends on how meaty you like it)
2 boxes oven ready lasagna noodles (Key here! This is part of what makes this recipe so simple, no boiling the noodles.)
2 large containers cottage cheese (I hate cottage cheese by the way, but in this it tastes wonderful.)

2 blocks cream cheese
3 jars 1 lb 10 oz jars Ragu, (I use the traditional, but whatever you like would work.)
Salt and pepper
Whatever Italian-y type spices you like. I use oregano, garlic, & basil.
6 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Set the cream cheese out to soften. Brown your hamburger however you normally do. I put chopped onion and grated garlic cloves in mine. Drain it off and put it in a big bowl. Add the Ragu, salt, pepper, and spices.


Put both blocks of cream cheese and both tubs of cottage cheese in a mixing bowl. Using a mixer (a hand one works too) blend the cheeses together until semi-smooth.

Now it’s time to start layering. Get two 9 x 13 pans and lay them side-by-side. Put just enough of the meat sauce at the bottom of each pan to make a very thin layer. (This is to keep the noodles from sticking.) Put a layer of noodles over the sauce. Put a layer of cheese on top of the noodles. (Don’t worry about spreading it out perfectly. It will spread out when you cook it.)

Place a layer of the meat sauce over the cheese.

Repeat the layers. Noodles, cheese, sauce. Top with a layer of noodles and finish off with mozzarella cheese.

Cover with plastic wrap and foil and freeze.

Thawing and cooking directions: Take the lasagna out of the freezer the night before and place in refrigerator. When ready to cook, take off plastic wrap and re-cover with foil. Place in oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. (I let the cold pan heat up with the oven.) Bake covered for about an hour*. Uncover and bake 15-20 more minutes until cheese is browned.

*Check the lasagna to see that it is heated through. If not bake covered until it is.

Enjoy and happy eating!

Just Call Me Rachael Ray: Part 1

2010-02-20T22:39:00.002-06:00

My feet hurt. My legs are sore. I feel like I have run miles today, but the only place I ran today was the grocery store—twice. But it was totally worth it! I spent the day making meals to freeze. I do this every now and then, usually when it hits me how much my family has been eating out. And just how much spaghetti and tacos we’ve eaten lately. I find when I have meals in the freezer, dinner on the weeknights doesn’t seem so overwhelming, and I feel so much better feeding my family home-cooked meals.

Today was no different than any other time—I set my sights high and planned too much for one day. I did, however, make a lot of meals. I’ll have to finish up tomorrow. Here was my plan of what I wanted to make. Yes, the crossed off ones are the finished ones that are sitting in my freezer right now. :)

Lasagna (2)
Sour Cream Enchiladas (2)
Dijon Chicken
Apricot Pork Chops
Mini Meatloaf (3)
Maple Mustard Pork Chops
Tortellini Soup (2)
BBQ Meatballs
Apricot Chicken
Cinnamon-Braised Pork Tenderloin (2)
Pecan Crusted Orange Curry Chicken
Pork Chops and Apples
Curried Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie (2)

So, tomorrow I'll finish up the lasagnas, enchiladas, and the BBQ meatballs. The bulk of this list is the staples of what I make when I freeze meals. I did try a few new ones though. (The last four are new to me.)

If you have never done this cook ahead and freeze thing before, here are a few tips.

1. If you are making a “casserole” type dish that is going to require some cooking, make a double batch. It’s really not that much more work, and you’ll be happy you did.
2. Have plenty of freezer bags, 9 x13 pans, and a Sharpie on hand.
3. I find picking one day to make the meals is easiest for me. That way I am only making a complete mess of my kitchen once. (I hate doing dishes.)

I’ll leave you with one of my recipes and then I’ll continue to post more in the coming days. If I tried to put all of the recipes in this one post it would be super long. :) Apricot Pork Chops are one of my favs. Here’s how simple they are:

Apricot Pork Chops:
4-6 thick cut pork chops (can also use chicken)
1 cup Catalina or Russian Salad Dressing
1 cup Apricot Preserves
1 pkg dry onion soup mix

Place pork chops in a gallon freezer bag. In a bowl combine other three ingredients. Pour into bag over the pork chops. Get the air out of the bag and seal. Work the dressing mixture through the pork chops. Label the bag and place in freezer.
Thawing and cooking directions: Take the bag out of the freezer the night before you plan to cook them and place in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, pour the entire contents of the bag into a baking dish and arrange pork chops in a single layer. Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

And on that note, I am off to bed. My eyelids are so incredibly heavy. Please forgive any typos in this post; I’ll edit it tomorrow.

The Happiness Project--Week 2: Personal Commandments

2010-02-17T21:33:00.006-06:00

Personal Commandments: “The overarching principles that you want to guide your actions and thoughts”

For some reason I have found this particular assignment to be difficult. (And this is only the second week. I’m in trouble.) I should be working on week three’s assignment, but I have been milling the second assignment around in my head for a couple of weeks now and just couldn’t really pen-point exactly what I wanted/needed my personal commandments to be. But the longer I thought about it, the more I discovered that the list I was creating boiled down to the principles of the Fish! philosophy that was made famous by the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle. So here we go; my personal commandments in a nutshell.

1. Be There--Being emotionally present for people.
Savor the moment. Be with my boys. Take in there smiles. Their laugher. Their innocence. Value my husband. Stop and smell the roses. Stop multi-tasking with people—tasks yes, people no.

2. Choose Your Attitude--Taking responsibility for how you respond to what life throws at you.
Everyday is a new day. I can make it a good one or a bad one. It is my choice. Will I made lemonade with any lemons thrown my way? I hope so. Remember…I can only change me. I can only control myself. My thoughts, My words. My actions. My mood.

3. Make Their Day--Finding simple ways to serve or delight people in a meaningful, memorable way.
Spend time figuring out what I can do to make someone else feel special. By focusing on making someone else's—husband, kids, family, friends, co-workers, and students—day a little brighter. It’s the small things.

4. Play--Taps into your natural way of being creative, enthusiastic and having fun.
Act like I want to feel. This is big for me, especially lately. Between my 9 month old and my post-op husband, I am pretty much tired everyday. I must act as if I am full of energy, so I will feel as if I am. Put a smile on my face and go. I believe I read somewhere that just making yourself smile will put you in a better mood. My boys are little and I want to play and be silly everyday with them. I need to remember not to take life so seriously. It’s okay for me to let loose and have fun.

That's a tall order if I do say so myself! Wish me luck on my journey…

Red Lobster Giveaway

2010-02-16T10:06:00.000-06:00

My twitter friend, Laura (@cameron_crazy) has a wonderful review of Red Lobster on her blog. If you read her review and post a comment, you will be entered in her drawing to win one of two $25 gift cards. There are a couple of other ways to enter too! Here’s the link:

http://cameroncrazymom.com/reviews/?p=10&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CameronCrazyReviews+%28Cameron+Crazy%3A+Reviews%29

Good Luck!

The Happiness Project—Week 1:Resolutions

2010-02-15T14:35:00.000-06:00

My Happiness Project--I don't plan to tackle all of these at once. The bold text are the resolutions I am working on now. I will add the rest in a little at a time so all of this isn't so overwhelming.

Patience/Attitude:No road rage; Take three deep breaths when I feel my temper rising; Pick my battles; Choose to have a good attitude everyday; Get up on time so mornings aren't rushed

Gratitude: Write down one small thing each day I am thankful for. Make a list on my phone and read it weekly to remind me of the good things in my life that I can miss if I’m not looking.

Energy: Daily Vitamin; Water—64 oz daily; Only 1 pop per day (32 oz max.);Minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night; exercise at least 3 times per week for at least 20 min.

Family & Friends: Spend quality time (even if it is just a few minutes) with all three of my boys everyday (Be there ) Have a GNO at least once a month; Have date night at least once a month; Tell Everett how much he means to me at least once a day; Do something special for Everett at least once a month; Have a mommy/E.J. date at least once a month

Clean house:Dishes out of the sink each night; Sweep kitchen floor each night; Put laundry away after doing it (Can’t live on the chair or on the window seat); Vacuum M, Th, Sat, & Sun; Dust on Tues.; Clean bathrooms on Wed.; Mop tile floors every weekend

Scrapbooking: Finish Levi’s baby book by his birthday; Finish E.J.’s baby book by Spring Break;Start family scrapbook albums this summer; Take a PS or PSE class soon

Organization (Home): Make dinner menu once a month & freeze meals (Sat. after payday); Keep current lists on iPhone for Target, Groceries, and “To Do”; Clean out--Medicine cabinet, Kitchen cabinets, Computer room, Hall Closet, Front Closet, & Garage; Buy dresser for bedroom

Organization (Work): Clean out my filing cabinets by Christmas; Clean out my cabinets by May

I'm Back!

2010-02-14T08:44:00.003-06:00

Boy has it been awhile! Took a bit of a hiatus to get our newest little addition to our family all settled in. It's hard to believe he is almost 9 months old; he's crawling and wants to walk so badly he can't stand it. He and his big brother are developing quite a big bro/little bro relationship. One minute the 3 year-0ld loves his little brother and the next he is yelling at me to get him off of his train set. Ah, a look into the future!

Just as life seemed to be getting back to normal, my husband tore his ACL and had surgery. It's been about a month since the surgery, and he has come a long way, but he still has a long road of recovery ahead. Luckily, we know an orthopedic surgeon personally, so he is getting plenty of attention and help. He was told he is looking at a 4-5 month recovery time, but I am guessing his will be faster. He's kind of determined that way. I'd guess we'll be going on family bike rides at the beginning of the summer. After the surgery, we found out he will no longer be able to run long distances because his meniscus was too damaged to repair. He was so glad he ran a half-marathon last April. Thankfully, that's one regret he won't have.

I realized after using the Stuck on a Plane post in my classroom as an example of a personal narrative just how much I missed blogging. I had just gotten started and then Levi was born. My plate got full and something had to give. But now we are settled--well, as settled as we are going to get--and I am ready to get back on this horse. Will there be times I can't post something for a (Hang on I have to pause for a hug from E.J., my 3 year-old. Okay, I'm back.) a few days? Absolutely. There is never a day around here that is normal or typical; most are hectic as ever. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

I started reading The Happiness Project recently with a group of fellow Twitter ladies and am really looking forward to what is in store for me. I'll be posting on that soon. My goal is to blog about whatever comes my way--the boys, day-to-day life, how tired I am of Thomas the Tank Engine (I am watching the SAME Thomas movie for the fourth time in 2 days as I type this.), My happiness project, and last, but CERTAINLY not least, Thelma and Louise. :)

Kidnapped!

2009-07-15T09:25:00.001-05:00

The two of us have been kidnapped together. Seriously. Put in a car and taken to an undisclosed location in the middle of the night. Phone calls where made by the kidnappers to our friends. The works. Okay, okay, so it wasn't a for real kidnapping, but a kidnapping while we were pledging together in college. If you have ever pledged a sorority, you'll appreciate this story.

One week during our eight weeks of pledging was designated kidnap week. During this week, members of our sorority would kidnap the pledges and visa versa. Once one of your own had been kidnapped, clues where called in as to the location, and you had 6 hours to find her. This was very much a week where the member and pledges were totally against each other and the tension was high. Well, one night our members got a little over zealous and kidnapped BOTH of us at once. It actually all started when another one of our pledge sisters had been kidnapped. After a couple of clues, our pledge class thought the members were holding her at one of our fraternity brothers houses, so Thelma, another pledge sister, and I headed out to see if she was there. Well, she wasn't, but we ran smack into some members of our sorority and our kidnapping ensued.

We had pulled up to the house we thought our pledge sister was in, and two members drove up beside us. We quickly rolled up the windows and locked the doors. A wave of absolute panic washed over us. The way we were acting you really would have thought these ladies were armed and dangerous. They DEMANDED we get out of the car. So, being the obedient pledges we were, we cracked one of the windows. This only served as a catalyst for getting us deeper into hot water. The details here are fuzzy to me now, but we somehow ended up getting out of T's car and into the member's. As we were driven around town, one of the members in the car (who we think had a VERY bad run in that day with one of our pledge sisters) gave us a verbal lashing on how pledges have no respect for members and yadda, yadda, yadda. The way she went on made us feel like we were Charlie Brown listening to his teacher. So, after listening to her go on and on we decided we had had enough. The three of us started to sang "Row, Row, Row, Your Boat" at the TOP of our lungs. (And bear in mind none of us can carry a tune to speak of. ) Mistake! She stopped the car in the middle of nowwhere in the middle of the road and repremanded us in a way remnisent of our own mothers when we had missed curfew. After we got back on the road and came to a stop light, we decide it was the ideal time for a Chinese fire drill. You know what that is right? You get out of the car at a red light, run around it, and get back in. Hey, if these gals were going to kidnap us and break the rules, (You were only supposed to kidnap one person at a time.) we weren't going to go quitely. Finally we ended up at someone's house at which point we started demanding academic supplies. Kidnapping rules were that if the kidnapped needed any studying supplies, they must be given them. So, I would demand something, they'd go to campus to get it and then T would demand something sending them right back. This went on and on and they were driving back and forth the entire 6 hours. I am not sure how we survived; they had to be ready to kill us. I am sure the members involved in our kidnapping were rethinking it after they returned us to T's car, which had been beautifully decorated by our frat brothers whose house it was parked outside of for those 6 hours. Ahh! Fun times!

The Little Joys in Life

2009-07-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Ever wanted to go to the beach, sit next to the ocean, look out over that crystal clear blue water, and enjoy a bologna sandwich and coke with your girlfriend? We've done it, and we would HIGHLY recommend it. There is just something about enjoying a simple beach picnic with your girlfriend to brighten your day. Feel free to share some of those simple, yet special, moments you've have with your girlfriends.

Things that go bump in the night

2009-07-01T08:00:00.003-05:00

Warning, Warning, Warning: This story is rated PG-13.

Thelma and her husband had "marital relations" while I was asleep in the same room!

Yes, it is true. I was shocked too. And I didn't find out until two years later when one of them let it slip. On one hand I totally understood, but on the other, I still can't can't believe it.
We were in Ft. Lauderdale. T's hubby had gone out there a week prior for a class. It was the first time they had ever been apart in six years of marriage. His company was paying for the room, so T said I could stay with them in that room to make the trip cheaper. (This was before I got re-married.) We were all close friends, so I figured what the heck! Cheap trip, ocean, sun, beach. The room had a sleeper sofa and a partial divider wall (Thelma would probably want me to mention that in her defense.) So, apparently one night while I was asleep they went at it. SOOOOOOOOO glad I slept through it. I'd really be scarred had I woken up.
When this all came to light, T's defense was that they had been apart for a week and what did I expect? I have to admit; I did understand, but wouldn't that have been the PERFECT time to fulfill that sex-on-the-beach fantasy and actually be on the beach--not just nearby?

Grab a Kleenex

2009-06-29T08:00:00.002-05:00

For us this is an especially touching story; this was the moment, at least for me, that I knew this friendship was going to be life-long. So, grab the tissue; you might need it for this one. If you are feeling "PMS-y" or extra hormonal today, you might read this one another day....

Why is it that even though we know our girlfriends will always provide that shoulder to cry and lean on, sometimes we--for whatever reason--don't chose to take advantage of it? For some girls maybe it's denial that they are in a situation they're in. One of those "this can't really be happening to me" times." For others it might be embarrassment. Maybe you might be fearful that if you tell her about whatever it is that has happened, you will have to face the reality of the situation. For me it was all of the above. But we all know that once we do finally get it off of our chests, our girlfriends seem to make it all better, or, at least, help get us started on the healing process.

The lowest point in my life to this point has been getting divorced at 23. Thelma and I married, within a year of each other, to two men who were good friends --her in May of '97 and me in December of that same year. My ex and I actually introduced Thelma and her hubby and were there when they got engaged. We were all bridesmaids and groomsmen in each other's weddings. Just the type of "couple" friends who thought we'd always be inseperable. Even when he and I had to move to another state, we all remained close. Thelma and her husband's home got destoried by a tornado in May of '99; even though we lived 3 hours away at that point, we were there the next day doing what we could to help. I have no doubt they would have done the same for us.

Then on Valentine's Day of 2000, my now Ex hit me with the news--he'd had an affair. Great timing, huh? As if having the affair wasn't bad enough, why did he have to tell me on V-Day? (Don't feel too sorry for me; I've had plenty of great Valentines days since to make up for it.) For some reason--I still don't really know why--Thelma was the last person I wanted to tell. I think it was the fear of disappointing her mixed in with a lot of embarrassment. Not to mention the I-Can't-Believe-This-Is-Happening-To-Me phase I was going through. It was kind of like having an out-of-body experience for a few weeks. In the back of my head I think I really thought my ex and I would work it all out and then maybe I could get by without having to tell anyone except my immediate family. Long story short, in the end, he didn't want to work it out, and we filed for divorce.

I'm not exactly sure at this point how long it was between the time he broke the news of the affair to me and the time I finally told Thelma. I do remember avoiding her calls for at least a couple of weeks. Finally one day she called my house and I wasn't home. For some reason my dad was there and he answered. He is the one who broke the news to her. I felt terrible that she found out that way--still do. But every cloud has a silver lining, right? Even with my fears, embarrassment, and anxiety, the experience brought us girlfriends closer together. I owe God, my incredibly supportive family, and Thelma for picking me up and carrying me through. I wouldn't be where I am today--happily married, great career, and two wonderful boys--without all of their love.

All of us girlfriends have had those sisters who we can rely on to be there for us through anything. (Even when we are boneheaded enough to hide something from her.) Share your story with us and then pick up the phone, shoot an email, or drive on over to tell her thanks and that you love her.

Things that make you go WHAT?!

2009-06-27T10:28:00.000-05:00

So my two-year-old boy has done a few things in his short life thus far to make me wonder if those "gender roles" are nature or nurture. He went through a phase where he LOVED wearing my shoes and if they had heals on them that was even better. One day I even caught him with heals on walking down the hall and carrying my purse. The best one happened just the other day though. He had his "baby" (a teddy bear) and he was pushing it around the house in his own stroller swaddled in a blanket. He got the baby bear out of the stroller, took it to the couch and started whispering to it. Then I heard him say, "Baby hungury; I feed." The next thing I knew he pulled his shirt up and started breastfeeding his baby. Guess they really do watch and listen to every move we make. :) (And yes I got the blackmail picture taken.)

Bouncing Baby Boy

2009-06-23T18:07:00.001-05:00

I'm back! And feeling like my hormones are under control--well, somewhat anyway. They are at least better then they were those last few weeks of pregnancy. Yeah! So sorry it has been a while since I have posted anything. I FINALLY feel like life is starting to resemble normal again. I told Thelma just the other day that if I could blog while taking the baby and big boy on car rides, then I'd have it made. It has been crazy; having two kiddos is definitely different than just having one, but that's so another post. :)

Here is my big life update: My second son was born on May 19th. And, I know I am a bit bias, but he is ADORABLE. I'm pretty sure it was the fastest labor and delivery EVER. We actually went in to the hospital at 5:30 that morning for a scheduled induction. But the little man had other plans. At 6:30 right as we were finishing the paperwork and getting situated, the nurse was putting my IV in and I started having contractions on my own. I guess the key for me to go into labor is to actually already be at the hospital. (Same thing happen with my first son--went to the hospital to have something checked and an hour later was in labor.) Short story even shorter--went from a 4 to a 9 in about an hour and had him at 8:54. My doctor informed us that if we have anymore kids, we need to seriously consider scheduling an induction right at 39 weeks because they don't think we would make it to the hospital in time. My docs exact words to my hubby--"She's the kind of woman who would end up giving birth on the side of the road." GREAT! That is my track record though. Carry the baby right up to 39 1/2 weeks and have short labors and deliveries. On one hand it is a great thing--get it over with fast. BUT, on the other hand, labor was especially intense this go around. And here we are a month later and doing well!

Breaking News!

2009-05-19T09:44:00.003-05:00

Hello! Thelma here with some breaking news.

Louise had her little bambino this morning! Don't have all the details yet. . . All I know is that she was only in labor for about 2-3 hours! I will post more as I know more.

Congrats Louise & Family!!

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!

2009-05-07T09:30:00.002-05:00

Hormones. They are funny little creatures, aren’t they? And when you are nine months preggo they are OUT OF CONTROL…literally. Right now I feel like a ticking time bomb. Any thought running through my head is liable to come out of my mouth, which, trust me, is not a good thing. You know that filter we all have—well, most of us anyway—that keeps those thoughts we shouldn’t say in our heads? Mine is just almost gone; I think this baby has eaten it. Oh, and have I mentioned I’m a teacher—to teenagers. Which makes this hormonal imbalance that much more unbearable.

And here’s the deal. I know I am being cranky and ridiculous; I just don’t care. Really I don’t. It’s like the worst case of PMS, ever. My husband, friends, and family will all attest to this. In fact my hubby’s loving (and I use that term as sarcastically as possible) response to me asking him what is wrong with me, was “You’ve been this cranky to me for weeks now.” I’d have smacked him if we hadn’t been having this convo over the phone. Smart man—knew not to say that to my face.

So, in the hopes that venting will release, stifle, kill, destroy, etc. these hormones and in good girlfriend fashion, here is a list of what is irritating me at the moment (Know that this list can change and be added to at any given moment.):

1. Teenagers. That’s probably enough said right there. Normally, I love them, but right now, even the ones I really do love are driving me nuts! I mean how hard is it to get out your novel and read???!!!

2. Other drivers. When you aren’t turning right at an intersection, don’t get in the right hand lane and make those of us that are turning right have to wait through the ENTIRE light for you to get out of our way.

3. Oh, and you have turn signals on your car for a reason. Use them!!!!

4. Technology. Really the only thing I need to do at school is keep my grades caught up for when I do have the baby. (In anticipation of his arrival, everything else is already taken care of.) But, of course, we do grades online now and the gradebook is down. Has been since yesterday afternoon. Seriously, I need it to be functioning!

5. Two-year-olds. I love my son. Wouldn’t trade him for the world. But if he asks me “why?” to one more thing, well, I don’t know what. But I do wonder why I was so anxious for him to talk sometimes.

6. Back to teenagers. What part of “No” is hard for you to understand? Quit arguing with me! That only makes me stick to my guns even more—and that’s on a normal day.

7. My house and the fact that I can’t seem to get it cleaned or organized. I get the front part of it done and then the back half is a mess and visa versa. Does housework ever end???

8. Mail order pharmacies. We are pretty much being forced to start using one, which I HATE. There’s just something about getting to talk to the actual pharmacist and knowing who is filling the medication, you know? But that luxury is not one we can afford anymore. Yet another way insurance is controlling our lives.

9. Body temperature. Apparently this is what menopause will feel like and it sucks. Our thermostat at home is set on about 72 degrees and I am BURNING up. Sweating actually. How ridiculous is that?!

10. Well, I don’t have a number ten and that irritates me!

We're Still Here!

2009-05-06T11:02:00.004-05:00

Sorry it's been a while since our last post. Louise, who does most of the blogging, is about to have a bambino any day now so her focus isn't really on the Ditzy Duo right now. She's getting a little impatient and cranky so PLEASE leave a comment giving her some encouragement and cheering on. PLEASE! I don't know if I can take it anymore!!

**Hugs**

Thelma

P.S. We'll have some more hilarity for you soon, I promise!

What Can I Say?

2009-04-28T19:59:00.001-05:00

Here is the conversation between my husband (who is sick himself and home with a 2-year-old who was sick but apparently is feeling much better) and I just a few minutes ago:

Phone at my desk rings.

Me: Hello?

Hubby: (in his most "I am not feeling good" voice possible): Can you cancel you dentist appt. after work today and just come home?

Me: I can try to reschedule. Why? What's wrong?

Hubby: I'm just not feeling good, and I am SOOOOOO tired. Oh, and our son is eating trash.

Me: What?! He is eating trash?

Needless to say the appt. was re-scheduled.

Pastry Chefs We Are Not

2009-04-21T10:26:00.005-05:00

Leave it to Thelma to come up with the idea to make French macaroons. I mean besides Martha herself, who makes these? It took a little coaxing, but she got me to agree to a girl’s night of baking. And who knew these little treats were so DELICIOUS; I am still craving them a week later. Should you ever decide to be ambitious and attempt to make French macaroons, please learn from our mistakes...

Mistake #1: Not Having the Proper Equipment
YOU WILL NEED AN ACTUAL, FOR-REAL SIFTER . . . you know, the one with the squeeze handle or crank. Don't think you can "make do" with a colander/strainer thing as a sifter. Believe us, You. Will. Regret. It. After making two batches, sifting each one three times, we decided we did not have the patience to be pastry chefs. In fact, I vowed during one of the sifting cycles (while Thelma was desperately calling neighbors to find a good sifter) to never make French macaroons again, but I quickly reneged on that as soon as I tasted them.

Also, if you don’t have the right pastry bag tip, the chocolate macaroons will turn out looking like dog poo (see exhibit 1).

Mistake #2: Mismanagement of Time
Don't attempt this little endeavor when you are on a time schedule. Poor Thelma had to finish baking and cleaning her kitchen without me (which she claims took 2 hours!). We had no idea how long making these jewels would take (in part due to the fact we didn't have a real sifter) and I had to get home to relieve my sitters.

Mistake #3: Being Overzealous
We were so excited about making these delectable desserts that we wanted to try several different flavors. We planned on making a butter cream, a chocolate butter cream, Italian cream, and chocolate ganache filling but only were able to finish the first three (see mistake #2). You should chose one flavor and go with it. In our opinion, the Italian cream filling on chocolate macaroons are TO DIE FOR! That's all you need, we promise.

Mistake #4: Misinterpretation of the Recipe
When using Martha's recipe (which we did), know that when it says it will make 35 cookies, its means 35 actual cookies. Somehow we interpreted this to mean we'd get 70 cookies and then have 35 once they where sandwiched together. My husbands exact words were " You two worked that long and that hard to make three cookies?" Okay, granted we got more than three cookies, it wasn't much more.

We really do plan on doing this again, but next time we will be more prepared. Isn't it true you learn as you go?

Yes, we know, they aren't as pretty as some of the pics you've seen on the web but they sure were tasty!

Adventures in Victoria's Secret

2009-04-08T20:32:00.002-05:00

We love Victoria's Secret; laughter always finds us there. You know you are with a true girlfriend when you go lingerie shopping together. Put yourself in our shoes and join us on one particularly hysterical adventure. You might want to grab an extra pair of panties because if you were truly there with us, you probably would have peed in your pants for sure. We both almost did.

Those of you who have either had a baby or have had someone close to you have one know just how much your body changes during pregnancy not to mention childbirth. So much so it takes a LLLOOONNNGGG time for you to get back into your pre-kid body--if you ever do. Needless to say, you aren't going to be there in six weeks, but that is when the doc more than likely gives you the go ahead to, well, you know. So, six weeks after having my first child, my hubby and I planned the perfect date night, which included dinner, a glass--or two, or three--of wine (If you have been there, you know you need that little bit of liquid courage) and giving our new bundle to grandparents overnight for the first time. Are you catching my drift? Even though I in no way, shape, or form, looked like I wanted to look, I still wanted to have that little extra VA VA VOOM for our special night. So, I called up Thelma, and we went lingerie shopping.

So, there we were standing in Victoria's Secret. I had no clue what size or style might fit and look good--oh, okay, I would have settled for halfway decent--on me at this point. Like I said earlier everything seemed to have shifted around--and not for the better. We grabbed so many things, the sales ladies had to think we were going to stuff our purses full while we were in the dressing room. I have no idea exactly how many "outfits" I tried on, but it was getting to the point we were so tired we were delirious. (You know that point you reach when EVERYTHING is hilarious?) Like I said, my body was totally different than it had been pre-baby, and some of the things I put on looked down right awful--to the amusement of us both. So, there we were in the dressing room together already laughing out loud so loudly that we had to be causing a scene, and I had one more outfit to put on. It was one of those that looks so good on the hanger that you pray it looks just as good on you. Well, I don't know what happened--I think it was the material and the fact that it was skin tight and WAY too clingy--but I got it on and knew IMMEDIATELY it wasn't going to work, but, when I tried to take it off, it wouldn't budge. The harder I tried, the worse I made things. By the time I looked to Thelma for help, I had the thing all twisted up, backwards, and inside out. And to top it off, the thing was so tight I couldn't breathe. Thelma and I might have been able to get it off if we weren't laughing so hard. We got it as far has my chest and then it got stuck again. There I was with the bottom half of my chest sticking out and my panties--that was it. You could only be in this predicament and not be embarrassed in the presence of your best friend. By this time we both needed to go bolting for the nearest toilet, but obviously we couldn't. We finally just had to stop trying to get the lingerie off and just stand there and laugh until every one of our stomach muscles ached. You can imagine what people on the other side of the dressing room door had to be thinking. Finally--and I don't know how--we pulled it together long enough to get the thing off.

In the end I did find a cute little number. You'd think after that major escapade we'd never set foot in Victoria's Secret together again. Not so. Just a few months ago we went bra shopping together. We got fitted for the right size bra, which we'd recommend. You know how they say the majority of women are wearing the wrong size bra? We both fit into that majority, and me...I was wearing bras TWO sizes too small. Talk about uncomfy. So, grab your girlfriends and head to the nearest Victoria Secret. You too can create some fun memories.

Macaroons

2009-04-05T19:13:00.007-05:00

Hi!

Thelma here. Louise and I are planning on making some French Macaroons next weekend so if any of you have a good recipe, please send it our way. (Maybe we'll send you some if they turn out) ;D

Crazy Moments with the Girls

2009-03-30T20:41:00.003-05:00

Thelma and Louise have had some crazy times together (like parasailing). We've written a few of our stories for you already and those are just the tip of the iceberg. But for today, we'd like to hear some of your stories. What's one of the craziest things you have done with your girlfriends? Come on, spill the beans!

Stuck on a Plane...AGAIN

2009-03-25T08:07:00.003-05:00

You know that movie Snakes on a Plane? We could make a movie called Stuck on a Plane. Don't ever go on a trip with us if you don't like being stuck on a plane--for HOURS--seriously. We can guarantee that if you go on a trip that requires air travel it will more than likely result in spending more than your fair share of time on the plane. And not just time in the air; we are talking sitting on the plane on various runways. We have taken three trips that had us checking bags, going through security, and whipping out our boarding passes. Two of the three trips resulted in a total of eight and a half hours of sitting ON THE PLANE at the gate or on a runway. And you know just how roomy and spacious planes are. Fun times! (I do have to interject here that the one trip we took where we didn't put in runway time, we did get bumped to first class; however, the odds are not in our favor for that to ever happen again. I also feel inclined to mention on that flight, we did not have to go through Dallas, which, as you will see, seems to be the problem.)

Our first air travel was a trip to see another pledge sister in Austin, TX. My memory is a little sketchy since this trip was several years ago (7 years ago this summer to be exact.), so Thelma feel free to correct some of the details. Our flight left home at 7:30 PM, we had a lay over in Dallas, and our entire flight (including the lay over) was supposed to be around two hours. That put us getting into Austin around 9:30. Our flight ended up boarding an hour late, and then when we finally did get on the plane, we taxied to the end of the runway, turned back, and then sat at the gate ON THE PLANE for three hours. The hold up? "Weather in Dallas" (This is the key phrase; watch it will come up again) We did finally leave the gate around 11 PM and got into Dallas about 45 minutes later. We proceeded to the gate where we were to wait on the plane for additional passengers to board, and guess what??? Apparently the "Weather in Dallas" had cleared enough for us to land but not take off again. Go figure. So, there we were sitting ON THE PLANE at the gate AGAIN. I think we finally left Dallas an hour and a half later and got into Austin about 1:00 in the AM. (Oh, and Thelma just had to develop a sinus infection during all of this, so you know that made the fight that much more fun. Are you sensing the sarcasm?)

So, fast forward five years--a wedding and a kid later. We--Thelma, her hubby, me, and my hubby--took that now infamous trip to Mexico. (If you missed it, see our first blog post.) The flight there was smooth sailing so to speak. It wasn't until the flight home that fate reared her ugly head. First of all, our plane left Mexico two hours after its scheduled departure time (ARE you seeing the pattern here?), which we found out after we'd already left our resort and gotten to the airport--bye, bye beach. Little did we know at the time, that two hour wait in the airport would be WELCOMED after the delay we were still yet to experience. Once we left Mexico, we were flying into, of all places, Dallas and then driving the rest of the way home--a 3 hour trip. (Watch. Here comes that key phrase.) So, we got to Dallas and noticed we were continually flying in circles. The pilot finally came over the PA system and said (Here it is.) we weren't going to be able to land because of "Weather in Dallas" (Told you it was coming.) and we were being re-routed to Houston. Now I have never been to Houston and really would love to go, but not at the end of a trip when all I want to do is see my then six-month-old son we had just left with his grandparents for a week and sleep in my own bed. But we were stuck on the plane, so what were we going to do at that point? Sure enough, we landed in Houston and sat ON THE PLANE for 5 hours waiting for the "Weather in Dallas" to clear. When it was all said and done, we ended up getting home 7 hours AFTER our scheduled time to our own comfy and snugly beds.

The moral of the stories: Avoid any flights that require you to land in Dallas if you are traveling with Thelma and me; it can only end up with countless hours of your life wasted while sitting ON A PLANE. Bad news for you though--How are you going to know if we are on your flight? I guess if you end up sitting in a plane on the runway in Dallas, you can start looking for us on your flight. Chances are pretty good that we're probably on it.

And the Winner is . . . . .

2009-03-23T17:02:00.003-05:00

The winner of our first ever Girlfriend Giveaway (generated by random.org) is . . . . .

Robin!

Congrats Robin!! Email your addy to us at ditzyduo[at]yahoo.com and we'll get your goodies shipped out right away!

Thank you to all who commented and started following us! We hope to continue to keep you, our Girlfriends, entertained and encouraged. If you have any questions or post ideas for us, we'd love to hear them!

One of THOSE Days

2009-03-20T12:23:00.002-05:00

So, I got back from vacay and wished I had just stayed there. Reality is too much to deal with some days. You know when things just seem to things pile up one by one by one until you have one of those days where NOTHING goes your way. Yeah, I had one of those days.

My life in the last 24 hours:

1. Somehow, I have managed to lose my keys. Really, they are nowhere to be found. They have been lost since we returned from vacay and I threw them NEXT TO my purse. That was my mistake, and I knew it at the time. In the back of my head I told myself, "You need to put those IN your purse or you are going to lose them." And now they are G-O-N-E. I guess if I wanted to be a glass half-full kind of person, I could look at it as I was right and I am a brilliant person!

2. My babysitter for my following day full of doctor's appointments fell through at the last minute, so I had to call my sis-in-law (who is also 7 months preggo) at 11:00 at night to see if she could rescue me. I just knew I was going to be waking her up, but, thankfully, she bailed me out.

3. Putting #1 and #2 together, I had dr. appts. to get to, but no keys to my car, house, etc., which poses a problem. So, I had to take my hubby to work, so I could have his truck for the day. I only had one hour between appts. for lunch and I had already scheduled a date with my mom, but my hubby was supposed to go with me to my ultrasound appt. in the PM. There wasn't enough time for me to pick up my son, pick up my hubby, and have lunch with mom. What's a girl to do? Ended up my hubby had a meeting he had to be at in the afternoon, so he wasn't able to go to the doc with me anyway, so Mom went and helped me with my 2-year-old.

4. My morning appt. was a 3 hour blood glucose screening. It sucked. Sorry there is just no other word to describe it. I failed my 1 hour screening--I think in part due to some banana pudding. The pudding was good, but definitely not worth having to do the three hour blood work. I had to fast from midnight the night before--no food or drink until noon for a preggo woman is NOT a good combo--even on a normal day. I, however, had to drink this really sugary lemon-lime thing and within 45 minutes felt sick--about to toss-my-cookies sick. Really? Can the medical community not come up with a better way to test blood glucose? The current one can not be good for the baby. (And it's not so good on the preggo hormones either. I'm pretty sue those poor ladies in the lab were glad to see me leave.)

5. My PM appt. was at 1:00. (Remember, I had a 2-year-old with me who normally naps at 1:30ish.) At 1:30--yes, 30 minutes after my scheduled time--I finally got called back. You know how patient 2-year-olds are, so you can imagine how incredibly LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG those 30 minutes of waiting really were. The tech did her part of the ultrasound and my mom and son got to see the baby, which was the cool part of the day. Then she left to do her report and send the doctor in, and my mom took my son back out to the waiting room (He was too "curious" about the ultrasound room we were in.) I spent the next 30 minutes waiting AGAIN. Thelma and I texted each other while I was waiting, which passed the time for me, but I had to just pray Mom was okay out in the waiting room with the 2-year-old tornado. All-in-all I was at that appt. from 1 to 3.

By the time we got home, both of my son and I needed a nap. I called my hubby and asked him if he would find a ride home from work because we were both going to be snoozing at 5 when he got off. Being the nice guy he is, he said sure.
(I'm sure there is some humor in here somewhere; I am just still too close to the situation to see it yet. Give me a week or so.)

Anyone else ever had one of those days??? Leave a comment. You know it helps to vent.

Ditzy Duo Giveaway!!

2009-03-18T22:57:00.002-05:00

Ok, as promised, we are having a little giveaway.

Thanks to A Scrappy Design, we are giving away (2) Girlfriend Note Cards and a cute little stamp set. There are two ways to enter and win. Tell us what you think of our new blog by leaving a comment and you will receive (1) entry. Become a Ditzy Duo follower, you will get (2) entries. Do both and receive (3) entries!!

Winner will be drawn Monday March 23rd.

A Town Called Cemetery

2009-03-13T09:33:00.001-05:00

Did you do it? Did you follow through on the challenge of our previous post? We girlfriends know just how precious that time spent with each other really is. We provide that shoulder to cry on, vent to, and laugh with. Sometimes we even learn a little about our girlfriends when we take the time to just be together, even if we don't really have a plan. I learned just how much of a city girl Thelma is when we took a random, aimless road trip one lazy Sunday afternoon while we were in college.

We had been sitting around bored out of our minds until we had a brilliant plan--ROAD TRIP! Like the young, freshman, college gals we were then, we got in the car and drove without any destination in mind, exploring every back road highway we could find around our college town. And, like you will see along the road, there were many signs, including those that point you in the direction of those little country cemeteries. We drove on our random road trip for probably three or four hours while making several twists and turns along the way. We spent our time talking, laughing, car dancing--you know like we girls will do--when all of a sudden Thelma said in her most EXASPERATED voice while throwing her hands in the air, "Where is this Cemetery, Oklahoma?" And, yes, she was serious as a heart attack; she actually thought those "Cemetery" signs were referring to a town! Gotta love that! Now go get some face-to-face girlfriend time this weekend.

Take a minute...

2009-03-11T20:03:00.002-05:00

Have you had your girlfriend time lately? Has it been entirely too long since you called or emailed your girlfriends? Take a few minutes now and pick up the phone or shoot an email to her. You'll be glad you did; you know you will.

What Happens in Mexico...

2009-03-09T20:36:00.008-05:00

O.K. we have to admit, sometimes our funny stories roll out of the M-O-S-T embarrassing of situations; we are sure many of you girlfriends out there can relate. This particular running-to-the-bathroom-story is so embarrassing that we have made a pact with each other to never let out which one of us it happened to because, well, you will TOTALLY understand when you get to the end...

Let's just say there is a hotel cleaning lady in Mexico still cursing our names. It all started in 2003 with a trip we took to Ft. Lauderdale (There are some stories there too!) when we spent the week talking about going parasailing but never did. Once we arrived back home, we both regretted not taking advantage of the opportunity to fly high over the ocean. We promised each other and ourselves that if the moment ever presented itself again, we'd dive right in and not let it pass. Ok, jump ahead four years--a wedding and a child later. We, along with our husbands, finally took that trip to Mexico we had been talking about for years. Before we even left, we decided this was it; we were going to parasail over the Carribbean. How beautiful and tranquil, right? So, finally the last day of our trip we did it, and it was an experience neither of us will ever forget. EVER.

Nerves were building as our scheduled parasailing time crept closer and closer. One of us even tried to back out, but, true to our friendship, the other part of the duo twisted her arm and reminded her of the promise she'd made years ago and guilted her into holding up her end of the bargain. (You thought I was going to say something sweet about providing support and encouragement, didn't you? Yeah, that didn't happen.) Our husbands, being the supportive men they are--who are we kidding; they wanted ammo on us--bought a seat on the boat. So there we were, on the boat full of people who were also going parasailing. After the first person took his turn, we were up. The guide had told us each turn would last around 15 minutes, what sign to make to come down early, and that they'd try to bring us in so we'd land on the platform but there was a chance we'd end up in the water. Getting into the air was no problemo; it was smooth sailing (after all of the screaming and prayers on the way up). Our experience started off as we had envisioned--beautiful and tranquil--then it all went south in more ways than one.

We couldn't have been in the air for more than five minutes, maybe not even that long, when it hit--quite literally. Have you ever seen Sex in the City: The Movie? Remember Charolette's experience in Mexico where she did everything she could to avoid consuming any of the water only, when she accidentally did, she went running for the nearest toilet only to find herself unable to hold it any longer? Well, we are here to tell you, those "Mexico Moments (MM)" really happen, and this one happened to one of us 500 feet into the air! So, there we were in quite the predicament. The "accident victim" begged the other one of us to make the sign for an early landing and prayed we'd end up with an ocean landing (Who cares about the possibility of attracting fish and maybe even sharks? Landing in the water might at least give us the chance to get out of this situation with a little dignity). No such luck. We landed on the platform and were welcomed by questioning looks from our husbands. We did the only safe thing we could do in that situation; we said one of us was feeling sick. Now the trick was to get the boat to the dock and fast. The problem? There was still one person on the boat who hadn't had their turn not to mention the guides who's English was limited. At this point we can't even recall how the conversation went, but somehow we convinced the driver we need to get back to shore. And as luck would have it, a couple on the boat with us told us of a close bathroom once we got to the dock--the VIP lounge.

We both took off to the VIP lounge as soon as the boat got to the dock. I'm pretty sure neither of us had ever run that fast. We burst through the lounge and into the restroom. Let's just say there was no salvaging the bathing suit--never mind the HOURS it took to find that suit--so luckily she was wearing a cover up as well. And then another "MM" hit. She was in luck, right? We were in a restroom with a toilet right there. Well, if you have ever been to Mexico, you know the toilets don't flush like they do here. (At least this has been our experience.) So to make a long story short the toilet got stopped up. So there we were, one of us sick at this point, a toilet full of well, you know, and a RUINED bathing suit. What do you do in that situation? No amount of life experience could prepare you for this, right? Like any good girl would do, we PANICKED. (Here is where the bathing suit cover up came in handy since the swimsuit was now IN THE TOILET right along with--well, you know.) We ran out of the VIP lounge as fast as we could and across the resort to our rooms, where we stayed for the next three hours. We just knew somehow the hotel people would find the culprits.

Now we are sure you understand why we wish to keep this story anonymous. We promise this really happened; we couldn't make this story up if we tried.

(If you liked this story, stay tuned!)

Let the Stories Begin.....

2009-03-07T20:44:00.004-06:00

Ever had one of those friends who you knew anytime you got together hilarity and calamity were bound to ensue? Well, that's us--literally never a dull moment. Just ask our husbands. Whether it is a trip to the mall or a trip out of the country, good times follow us everywhere; we tend to be our own version of Thelma and Louise. (Let's just call her Thelma and me Louise--you know, to protect the innocent.) Granted, some of the laugh-out-loud-so-hard-you-pee-your-pants-times we have together are those "you had to be there" moments, but, believe me, we have had plenty of moments any living, breathing person would be running for the nearest toilet. And that reminds me of a story....