I'm packin up and movin out...

I got a facelift...and a new home... come check it out!

(No, not that kind of facelift... yet!)

www.my2girlsandmy2cents.blogspot.com

Sisterly Love

Lainey has gotten to where she HATES to wipe herself, because that means she will have to wash her hands. Which she hates even more. I've made a deal with her... that I will wipe her one time a day, but she's on her own the rest of the day. Its working, but today I overheard that she has a partner in crime to help her work around my new little rule.

Lainey: Okay Gracie, you want to wipe me?

Gracie: Oh sure!

Lainey: Okay, wipe me really really good, get all of it.

Gracie: Otay!

Little sneak!

(Wish Gracie was that enthusiastic about her OWN restroom visits)

Karma's A...

I should have known when the beer girl gave me $5 more in change than she should have, that something was going to go wrong that night. Now, I seriously, always, tell someone when they give me too much change. (My mom brought me up to feel all kinds of guilt if I didn't :) But on this particular day, after having paid and extra $25 for admission because we were 5 minutes behind schedule, I decided on principle alone to keep my mouth shut.

I told Leigh Ann as soon as I got back to them... just wait, something's going down tonight! I won't get away with this. Sure enough, two posts below you see (sort of) what went down.

The four of us are sitting in our comfy lawn chairs, enjoying the awesome spring night, live music, lukewarm beer, and good company. Out of the blue, up stumbles the fellow you see below. Jamming to Johhny Cooper like he's watching Pantera. Yelling out every lyric, banging his head to every drum beat. Oh, and lighting up what I'm guessing were cigarettes just as fast as he could finish the previous one. If it hadn't been for our kiddos jamming directly behind him, we might not have noticed him. (Okay, we would have noticed, but he wouldn't have made us quite as nervous as he did.) On more than one, two and even three occasions, he came within inches, if not closer, of leaving the girls a permanent little round reminder on their porcelin cheeks that they got just a bit too close to his cigarette (or whatever it was?). Atleast we were able to laugh about it, but only after we got the girls to steer clear of him and dance a little closer to us. We did hope for the best that since he apparently was the biggest J.C. fan in the place, he wouldn't stick around for Miranda Lambert. Uh huh. No such luck. Like I said, karma's a...

The little nap he took was between the two acts. Actually I don't think he ever fell asleep, and if he did he is one amazing smoker to be able to continue lighting up while snoozing. Nope, he just laid there, and we waited and waited for him to leave. Never did. All we could do was laugh. Then Miranda Lambert comes on. He gets up, lights another, and keeps on jammin. Only this time, he didn't know any of the words, just gave her many, many shout outs with each new song. Still at the Pantera concert, we assumed.

All in all, it was just about the funniest thing I've seen in a very long time. I have many more pictures I snuck in of him, but out of respect for him (?!) I won't post anymore. Had he gotten one of the kids with his "light"... it would not have been such a happy ending. But he didn't... so karma didn't TOTALLY get me back, but she did make me think twice about short-selling the mathematically challenged beer girl at the next concert I attend.

Made my day

I am on cloud 9. My sweet, silly, hard-headed, rebellious THREE year old made me SO proud today. And happy. She sat.on.the.potty.

(If you are not a mommy of a toddler, you might want to save time and quit reading now. You will find this extremely boring.)

Anyway, back to the topic of making my day. Potty training has become such a power struggle, I don't even try anymore. I have decided, instead, to spend Gracie's college fund on pull-ups. More expensive than diapers, but I refuse to put her in a baby diaper these days. And she refuses to wear big-girl pants, so here we are. Packages upon packages of pricey pull-ups. And not a word coming from my mouth to try to get her to potty. I've all but given up. Take that back, I HAVE given up.

Then today, out of the blue, she decided to sit on it. Now, I did coax her just a bit and told her that Lainey was going to get a popsicle because SHE used the potty like a big girl. Gracie took the bait, and in less than 10 seconds had her pull-up at her feet and climbed right up there. (Wait a minute.... you can pull down your OWN pull-up?! Okay, where have I been?) Anyway, nothing happened, but she sat on it. And it is ridiculous how proud I was. And thanks to Lainey for offering her up some advice that she would NOT fall in. That probably helped.

So later, off I go to tutoring with a spring in my step. (Small victories in my world, small victories.) I come home, only to find out that she sat on it AGAIN, without being asked, and again, although nothing happened, Jeff gave her some m&m's for trying.

Fast forward to bath time, and I make a big deal about "Who wants to sit on the potty?!?!" MEEEEE! She yells...and climbs right up. No popsicle or candy this time, just a couple of high-fives from Lainey and me. She was soooo proud when Lainey noticed and gave her a high-five too. (Again, thanks Lainey!) So, although I know we are probably not near the end, I feel so very proud of her! Mostly because she has been so very against it from the start. And to backtrack, I had tried many times before to bribe her with candy, cookies, stickers... the kid could not care less about any of those things. Not sure why it clicked today, but it did. And it totally made my day!

If you've made it this far listening to my potty talk, bless you. :) I will have a different more grown-up topic next time, I promise!

A night at the races

Admission into the park, 2 adults before 5 pm: $6.00

Admission into the park, 2 adults after 5 pm: $30.00

Price for 2 budlights: $11.00

Change from a $20 for that $11 when the beer girl can't count back how much she owes you : $14

Being able to laugh when this tattoo-covered, chain-smoking stoner dude decides to take a nap where your kids are playing: Priceless

The great storm of '08

Just like everyone else in the area, we were awakened around 4 a.m. with a storm that sounded like no other. Actually, for some reason, I had woken up about 5 minutes before it started and went to get a drink. As soon as it started raining, I could hear that something was different about this storm. I started yelling for Jeff to get up (he was like, what the hell are you doing?!) and I ran upstairs to get the girls. Not sure what I thought I would do with them, but I wanted to get them away from their window. Once Jeff realized the severity of what was going on outside, he grabbed the flashlights just as the electricity went out. We waited it out, and although it seemed to last forever, it was probably just a few minutes at best. Gracie slept through it all, and woke up bright and early perkier than ever. The rest of us, though, have felt sleep-deprived all day and are pretty much running on empty right now. We did manage to get back to sleep around 5:30 a.m. and got a couple of hours in there. Now the cleanup begins...

This is what we woke up to...










Any fun plans for the weekend have been replaced with fence repair! Oh well, I can certainly supervise from the sidelines while I sip a cold one. :)

... and, this is actually nothing compared to one street over. Lots of roofs torn off, fences completely gone... we feel very lucky.

We finally heard a who!

Being swayed just a bit by the hangovers from Saturday night, we decided to venture out Sunday afternoon and take the girls to see Horton Hears a Who. Sitting in a cool, dark room drinking coke and eating popcorn is just one way to make yourself feel better when you went all out the night before. (I have details and pictures when I get them downloaded!)

I knew Lainey would do great, but I wasn't so sure about Gracie. It can be a very expensive outing if you have to take your 3-year old out of the movie and you have to miss it! But, I was so very pleasantly surprised that Gracie did GREAT! The previews ran a little long, and she got a little antsy toward the end of those, and just slightly nervous at the 5-second clip of a dinosaur, but once the movie started she sat as still as can be on my lap.

But... about halfway through, she started laying her head on my chest. I started getting hotter and hotter. I felt her head. Burning hot fever. NO!! Within minutes, she turned herself around to lay on my shoulder and fell asleep. Yep, she was definitely getter hotter and had a high fever. Didn't we just get over a virus a couple weeks ago? Yes, we did, and it looks like we probably have another. She ended up sleeping on me the rest of the show (but I still give her credit for being "good" the entire movie!) and woke up once we got to the car. That was late Sunday afternoon, and she spiked fever every 6 hours until this morning. Poor kid... no other symptoms, so I'm confident it was the same virus she just got over. As I've mentioned before, we've been to the pediatrician's office so many times in the last four years that I just diagnose them myself now! Spend that $25 copay on something fun. Anyway, two days of missed school (which I don't mind so much... I like her here with me!) and it looks like she'll be good to go tomorrow. (knock on wood... don't want to jinx the poor girl.)

So, we are all washing our hands and praying no one else gets it... and counting down the days till this loooong sickness season is over. I hope this is the last one I have to report.

Oh, and the movie was just too cute. Lainey loved it... never once took her eyes off the screen. And I thought it was great too... of course, when its been almost a year since you've seen a movie, anything you watch is oscar-worthy! :) (and the two i did see before that were Bee Movie and Ratatouille... I see a pattern here.)

In a nutshell

At the risk of getting myself all worked up again over Gracie's school situation, I'll try to keep this short and to the point... if you were wondering what in the heck happened with all that.

Basically, we agreed to send Gracie to Lainey's school (mostly consisting of 4 & 5 year olds) under the assumption that she would be in Lainey's class. Considering she had been 3 for only a day, we felt that having Lainey there with her would provide some comfort and security. Also, we know and trust Lainey's team of teachers. They have helped her come so, so far. We know they can help Gracie oversome some of her shyness (and fear of boys!... which may not be such a bad thing!). Well, apparently if you don't ask, demand, and shout it from the rooftops, you have no say in what class your child goes into.

Now, I've never been one to question authority. And I try to be the parent who goes with the flow and agree with both teachers and principals on just about everything. But on this, I couldn't keep quiet. I knew, and still know, that being with Lainey would be the best transition for Gracie this year. The poor kid has already been to 3 different schools this year for various reasons. Its no wonder she's so stressed out! And so am I! Anyway, I heard through the grapevine that she wasn't necessarily placed in the class she was placed because it was the best fit for her. Teacher favoritism, the assumption that Gracie was going to be an easy-going kid to manage, and other school politics were thrown in the mix. Thats where things got sticky for me. This is MY child whose got the most to gain, or lose, and a lot of it depends on the classroom environment she's in. Do not play games with her, or me, and certainly please don't make decisions where her best interest is not the number one priority. I would never have placed her in a class that #1 is team taught where the kids switch classrooms every 3 weeks and #2 where the classes are combined for the majority of the day, making for a classroom of about 20 toddlers. An extremely shy kid who has trouble adjusting to new situations? Yeah, lets throw her in there. Makes absolutely no sense.

In my attempt at "making a change", I spoke with both the teacher and the principal. I told them my concerns, complaints, and requests. Fell on deaf ears. She's still in that class, and unless I *escalate*, which I've considered, she will be in there until the end of the year. I'm keeping a close eye on her, and so far, she does seem okay. She walks in happy, comes home happy, and seems to be adjusting the best she can. That is what I will be basing my next move on. I have already spoken with the principal about next year, finding out what I need to do if I want her to have Lainey's teacher (which I do.) I learned a hard lesson this time about not asking questions soon enough.

There are many more details involved in all this, but I think I've written enough to even bore myself! I've learned a lot through this entire process, both about myself and the school system that we trust our kids in. (Trusted... past tense). I'm sure there will be many more road bumps in the coming years, so this was good practice and warm-up for me for what may lie ahead.

What I've Learned This Week

*We send our kids to school, trusting that administrators and teachers will have the kids' best interest at heart. Not always so. Sometimes, politics override best interests.

*The best-made plans can be history in a matter of minutes if questions aren't asked and demands not made. Think it through, and ask, ask, ask.

*You can mess with me all you want. Heck, I'm the biggest pushover when it comes to myself. I'm so non-confrontational its not even funny. But don't mess with my girls. All bets will be off.

*I'm a lot tougher than I ever thought, and can stand up for what I believe in now more than ever. Mommyhood has brought that out in me.

*Its okay to question authority. They are not always right. They will never see it, or admit it, but thats okay. I know it.

*Bad-mouth an administrator to her favorite teacher, and it just might come back to bite you. At least I hope it does.

*When I go back to teaching, I will be 1000 times a better teacher than I was before I had kids. Now I see it from both sides. The parents do in fact know their kids better than teachers, and I will listen.

*I lose lots and lots of sleep over things that are out of my hands. I worry too much. I think too much. And tylenol pm helps both.

Thanks for allowing me a therapy session. Details will follow, once the dust settles.

Off to the medicine cabinet I go...

She's Gwowing Up! Happy Birthday Gracie!

My sweet girl turned 3 last week! I seriously cannot believe she's already 3. I remember her first birthday, second birthday, and the first time I met her as if it was yesterday. Now, thats not to say there weren't some sleepless nights that I sure wanted to rush by, but all the other times we have with her... I want time to slow down! Maybe its because I know she's my last, but I've really taken notice to all the little things she does that make her who she is, and I still find myself watching her play, sleep, etc... just like when she was an infant. So cliche when you hear people tell you to enjoy them because they grow up so fast... but its so true.

Gracie makes us laugh on a daily basis. She loves to "pay pay-doh", run around the house and give a little "jump" every few steps, and before she goes to bed at night, reminds us to give her a "biiiiiiig hug". (always stressing BIG... as if we need reminding!) She's so affectionate, and will spontaneously pull us to her level to plant a kiss on our cheek, and no matter what she's doing, if you rub her back, she'll freeze. She loves her rubs!

Turning 3 has brought some overnight changes for her. Everyday we find ourselves hearing or seeing something new and "big-girl" she is doing. As happy as I am for her, I sometimes miss my baby! For as long as she has talked, she has called Lainey "Nee." No more (unless she's in a hurry). Now she calls her "Yainey." And the 24-piece puzzles that just last month we dreaded helping her with because it took FORever to complete... she is practically doing them by herself. She also started going to Lainey's big girl school last week. Now that was a hard one. I still stake out the playground to make sure she's not getting trampled by the bigger kids! That fence isn't too tall for me to jump over if I needed to. ;)

So, happy birthday(a week later) to my sweet, silly, loving Grace. We love you too much!

Wiggles party pics coming soon...

Maybe I should have stayed in bed!

Today I'm having one of those days when I wish I could crawl back in bed, make the room as dark as possible, and just SLEEP until tomorrow morning! I went to bed around 10:30 last night with every intention of falling asleep within 15 minutes like I normally do. But nope, I was wide awake. Around 11:30, I got up, walked around, laid on the couch, thinking maybe a change of scenery would make me sleepy. Around 12:15 I went back to bed, convinced I would be asleep shortly. Just as I was about to fall asleep, Gracie gave me a wake-up call... LOUDLY! I ran up to check on her, and she wanted milk. We haven't had a milk request in the middle of the night in a loooong time. I head downstairs to get it, and as I get back to her room to hand it to her, I hear Lainey's little voice, "Don't forget about mine!" Nice, both girls awake. I go down to get her some milk, then very sternly tell them both to go back to sleep.

I head to the guest room to see if maybe I can fall asleep there, and if she does wake up again I'll save myself the stair climb. But that didn't work either. So I go back to our bed... and toss, turn, and sigh for the next 2 hours. At 3:00, I decide to turn off my 5:30 alarm and choose sleep over working out. It didn't take me long after that, and before I knew it my eyes popped open at 6:00. Three blissful hours later, but I didn't feel so blissful. I gave myself 5 minutes to fall back asleep, and if it didn't happen I was getting up and going to the gym. The latter happened, as I was thinking about the group of girls I work out with already there, and felt totally guilty for skipping. So off I go to the gym.

The group had already started working out, so I went to a treadmill to warm up. In my 3 hours of sleep daze, I didn't notice the one treadmill I chose was ON. As in, running speed and I stepped on it. Then tripped, fell, and tried unsuccessfully to get back up. I hardly noticed the pain in both my chins as I was more worried about who saw me do it! Bleeding from one leg, and the other scraped pretty badly, I turn the thing off (I called it something else at the time) and got on another one and tried to save some face and warm up for a few minutes. What I really wanted to do was get off, drive home, and go back to bed. And I might have, but after so many hours of being awake in my bed last night, I didn't care to see it again till tonight.

Now, I'm keeping busy cleaning the house as we (I) get ready for Gracie's birthday party this weekend. The couple of times I've sat down, I almost fall asleep, but it is short lived as I get called to either break up a fight or fix some lunch! So, I think I'll be okay as long as I stay on my feet and try not to dwell on it. I'm definitely watching the clock, but I need to stop that too as it is still a LONG way away from bedtime.

To end on a positive note, I did find my rings the other day. Actually, Lainey's photographic memory came in handy and she went right to where she had last seen my rings. And this morning I finally found the garage door opener (not sure if I mentioned I had lost that this week too:)

I will have lots of pictures after the weekend as Gracie turned 3 this week and is SO excited about her wiggles party! We're having the grandparents over for hotdogs and wiggles cake... keeping it small as Gracie will want it. Lainey's already asking how long till her birthday because she knows hers is after Gracie's. I'm getting ready for two months of that question!

Have a great weekend, will talk again soon!

I've been tagged!

I have been blog-tagged... I'm supposed to come up with 10, yes 10 facts about myself and post them here. This is a tough task to write about myself... and I'll try to keep the girls out of it as they are my main topic of choice to write about! Okay, here goes... maybe 10 things you didn't know about me...

1. I am a word nerd. I can find a spelling or grammar error in just about anything and everything. Its so annoying... I can't watch the news without checking the ticker scrolling along the bottom of the screen... looking for errors. And there are always errors.

2. I have a huge aversion to feet. Always have, even when I was little. My mom once told me that someday when I had kids, I would let them touch me with their feet. I told her she was SO wrong about that... that's how bad I hated feet. Well, many years later she is right... my girls are the ONLY feet I will touch or let touch me. Not even Jeff's. Ewwww.

3. Even though I'm a math teacher/tutor, what I've really always enjoyed doing is writing. I went to regional every year in high school for feature writing. My weakness, though, is always in the closing of a story. I use all my energy in the opening and body... I get lazy on the ending.

4. I graduated with 10 people in my high school class. There would have been 11, but one guy didn't make it. Two girls, 8 guys. It was so much fun going to a school so small, but looking back, that was TOO small! Definitely didn't prepare me for college, but I adjusted. :)

5. This is probably not the best fact to follow up with after sharing how small my high school was, but I was a two-time homecoming queen (yea me!). Jeff just loves to tease me that I won by default because of the lack of female population, but truth be told there were about 30 girls in high school, so there! And in addition to this fun fact, being homecoming queen got me nowhere when it came to dates. All prom/homecoming dates were with guy friends (who were all great dates by the way.) I was the girl the guys would call to see if I could set them up with my friends. So, not the most popular when it came to "girlfriend" material I guess, but I did have lots of friends!

6. I am the biggest bargain shopper. I'm not cheap, just refuse to pay full price! Nothing makes me happier than finding the perfect expensive outfit for cheap, cheap, cheap! And on that same note, I love to shop. Its ridiculous how long I can walk up and down the aisles at Target, or make circles around the mall. My shopping habit is the reason I have to tutor. Bargain shopper or not, I shop way too much for someone without a full time job!

7. I am a loser. Meaning I lose EVERYTHING. My current possessions I lost just yesterday are my wedding ring and the ring Jeff got me for my birthday. (Safe to post that on here... hopefully by the time he reads this (if ever) I'll have found them.) I'm stressed about it, but they've GOT to turn up. Anyway, if not my rings it would have been something else. I lose at least one thing a day.

8. I am a list-maker. And I lose the lists. I like to make lists of things to do, things to buy, etc. Problem with the list-making is #7. If its not on the fridge, I will lose it. But they're still fun to make anyway!

9. I cannot stand seafood. I don't like to see it, smell it, and definitely not taste it. A couple of years ago, I took a sample off a little oven in the grocer store thinking it was chicken. Took one bite to realize it was fish, and I gagged. I quickly walked to another aisle and spit it out. Then went straight home to wash out my mouth. That's how bad I hate it.

10. Semi-related to #9, Jeff made me get certified to scuba dive before we got married. I say he made me, but really just persuaded me. My biggest hesitation was the possibility of fish coming within 10 feet of me. Now, I'm so glad I did it and the very few times we've gone, I loved it. However, when we were testing in Lake Travis I was surrounded by the biggest, ugliest catfish ever. I almost didn't pass because all I did was try to stear clear of them. Nastier than feet even!

A short Saturday funny

Lainey: Daddy, will you come to my dress-up party?

Jeff: Sure, what are you going to dress up as?

Lainey: A fairy godmother.

Jeff: Cool! What can I dress up as?

Lainey: (Pointing to him) An old man, just like you are.



I just might be laughing alone on this one, but that's okay... I've been laughing for 3 days about it! He SO doesn't like to think he's OLD!

Gracie got caught in a bear trap...

... or at least thats how Jeff describes the sound we heard coming from her room at 5:00 this morning. The poor kid was screaming NO NO NO at the top of her lungs... followed by MOMMY! MOMMY! MOMMY! when she saw that Jeff was coming to her rescue. We still haven't figured out what woke her up or what scared her, but she was soon pacified by him laying down with her and was back asleep within 15 minutes. He figured all was well and came back to bed. Knowing Gracie, I knew she would be awake again shortly when she saw he was gone. So I stayed awake. And sure enough, about 10 minutes after he crawled back in bed, she's at it again. Screaming loud enough to wake the neighbors. This time, I took my pillow and told him I would see him in a few hours! She had tears streaming down her little face, but when I told her I would lay down with her, she grinned from ear to ear. I couldn't be upset with her after she smiled. She loves it when I lay down with her, and unless I'm really, really tired and just can't sleep in her bed, I like it too. She's a snuggler. It didn't take her long to go back to sleep, but I couldn't. After tossing and turning for a while, I ever so gently crawled out of her bed. I thought it had been just a few minutes, but when I went to check the clock to see how much time I'd have to snooze, it was 7:00! No matter, while the rest of the world is getting up to start their day, I tried to sneak in one more hour. And I did... and I think I felt better at 5:00 than I did at 8:00!

I should have seen this all coming from a mile away. This week, I made the mistake of saying, "Gracie has been sleeping great lately... this is the most sleep we've gotten in forever." Yeah, I jinxed it. We have a rule around here... that we never say the girls are healthy or haven't been sick in a long time, because just as soon as we say it, one of them comes down with a fever or gets sick in one way or another. New rule... no commenting on how good she has been sleeping. Unless I want a sleepless night! Now, I wonder if this would apply to potty-training.. "Gracie hasn't gone on the potty in ages!" Then, maybe she would?? Yeah, I doubt it too.

Two in one day...

... this rain is making me crazy!

I've been searching online sites for cute quotes, plugged in every cute saying I can think of to see if its taken... I'm so over my title already... and want a new one! This is the OCD in me... I make a decision, then lose sleep second guessing myself. Wait a minute, that's not OCD, is it? Who cares what it is... it drives me crazy! Someday I'll let you all in on all the things I second guess myself on and truly lose sleep over. For today, its the name of this blog. Not that I don't like it, but I do want a new one. Something that maybe doesn't mix mommyhood and a strong drink. Not so cute. I remember when I was trying to think of one... I'm so not creative like that... and finally thought of this one. I was never completely sold on it, but really wanted to start the blog THAT day. So, here it is. Oh, I've come up with some cute ones today... and they're all. taken.

For example:

i should be doing laundry

because i said so

mommy needs a timeout

my two girls

See, all relatively cute and not alcohol-related (woo hoo!). And all taken.

Well, I'll keep searching. I'm having someone I found out in the blog world to design me a cute page, and I really want a cute title to go with it. Until then, I'll keep plugging away to see what else is so darn cute someone else already has it!

Now, excuse me while I go have my 5:00 cocktail. wink wink.

Of spring break rain and Saturday night

Two days into spring break, I want this rain to GO AWAY! My plan of spending a little bit of time everyday at the playground just doesn't work with this rain around. Today its raining, tomorrow it will be muddy... whats a mommy to do? The Easter cookie idea was fun, but lasted all of 15 minutes. Pre-cut-out bunny cookies don't require much prep, and the girls enjoyed eating the icing straight out of the container better than they liked to frost the cookies. Oh well, they are currently at the peak of a sugar rush and are playing somewhat nicely in their playroom. I've threatened that with the sound of the first fight (won't be long now) we will be heading to the grocery store. Of course I'd rather not get them out in the rain... actually its not so much getting them out as it is loading the groceries into the car... so I'm hoping they will keep the peace for a while longer.

This past Saturday night was spent with my sister and her hubby as a third wheel to listen to some texas music and drink some yummy cold ones. Truth be told, I'm not a big beer drinker, unless I'm in a bar surrounded by nothing but beer drinkers, then I can get in the mood. Anyway, our babysitter is out of town and we don't exactly have family members beating down the door to keep our angels, so Jeff graciously suggested I go along with them without him, and I had to think about it for about 2.3seconds before I accepted their (and his) offer. And what fun we had! It was so laid back, and it was so fun to eat dinner and not have to clean up anyone's mess but my own! (I spilled two drinks on myself... Lainey gets her clumsiness honestly. One was my first drink of the night... so I had no excuse really.) Unlike last time I was let loose without Jeff for the night, I kept myself in check since I drove myself there and kept the drinking to a minimum. Some highlights...



This excited party-goer got REALLY pumped to hear Owen sing Steve Earle. He basically pole-danced.



I feared for her life! Watch out! (Luckily, a bouncer was between the pole dancing patron and my sis!)




My sister and her hubby. He's a big Owen Temple fan... and Kristi and I are now too! :)



My sis and me.

So much fun, we've got another one planned in a few weeks!

Its Friday!

tgif.

Just made a pitcher full of margaritas and I'm good to go. What a week.. as fast as it went, I thought the weekend would never get here. Last weekend was spent with Jeff on a weekend retreat, and me holed up in the house with the girls. Saturday morning I woke up with the worst cold. Ever. It was made worse by the fact that I had two soccer games to attend, and two mouths to feed 6 meals to on my own. Single moms, I both admire and feel for you. Being sick and not having anyone around to help... it was awful. By Monday night, I was finally over it and the crazy week could officially begin.

(One ray of light last weekend... before I woke up sick, I spent Friday evening with my good friend Rebecca and her two sweet, sweet girls. Lainey had so much fun playing, and I had so much fun trying a new drink (or two?!) and getting in some fun girl talk. It was much needed, and so much fun.)

A highlight of the week was all the time we spent outside. Snow angels last week, hop scotch this week. I'll post pictures once I get them downloaded. I made a chalk hopscotch game for the girls in the driveway and I swear they did it 100 times. Gracie loved it... she can't quite jump, but she would belly laugh every time she galloped over the numbers. She had me laughing so hard, it was hilarious to see her having sooo much fun with something so simple. I see lots of hopscotch in our future next week with spring break. And I'm getting equipped for the week of no school:

* Easter cookie dough bought today, in the shape of pink rabbits. I can stretch the fun out with icing and sprinkles.

* Wooden craft projects to paint from hobby lobby. (thanks rebecca for the idea!)

* Will attempt to dye easter eggs. I haven't done this in years. And never by myself, preparing the eggs and all. I don't even know where to start!

* Krispy kreme one morning. The girls spend FORever watching the donuts being made. The last time I took them, I didn't even get a donut. Now that's discipline. (some might say crazy). Will try to be good this time too.

* Anything else I can come up with between now and Monday, I will plan it. Anything to keep them from zoning out in front of the tv all week, because that's what they'll do if I let them. Taking Lainey to see Horton Hears a Who is definitely on the list, and I'm not sure whether Jeff or I will win that one on who gets to go. Neither of us have been to the movies in so long, we couldn't care less what we see!

That sums it up... I'm heading outside to join the rest of the gang and start enjoying this crazily (is that a word?) beautiful night. Have a great one!

If you leave them alone...

Jeff left the girls unattended the other day... okay, I actually left them for what I thought was just a few minutes while I went to work, and I thought Jeff would be down shortly. He might have been, but he took long enough that the girls turned their pudding snack into finger paint. He said the table had more pudding on it than their tummies did... and their faces got just a little bit too.

Quotes from a 4-year old

Me: Lainey, I love you and Gracie soooo much!

Lainey: I love you too, but I love Daddy more.

Me: Excuse me? Why?!

Lainey: Because he doesn't make us go to Target.

(I couldn't make that up!)

More from last week...

Me: Lainey... hurry up... we're going to be late for school.
(5 minutes)
I'm serious, get your shoes on.
(5 minutes)
Lainey, you can't go to school today if you don't get ready!
(5 minutes)
Fine, this is your last warning and I'm not going to ask you again.

Lainey: Good.

I'm Baaaaaack!

I'm digging myself out of the trenches of having a sick little tot. Finally... Gracie was fever-free yesterday. Don't you just love viruses... you just have to wait it out and "treat the fever." Blah. I like bacterial infections so we can get some antibiotics and get the show on the road! Five days of fever, five days of not eating, five days of waking up at night when her fever spikes to 102 in under 5 minutes... we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. She is feeling much better today, and I'm already getting her clothes out so she can go to school tomorrow. Whoo hoo!

Lainey's first soccer game was a riot. I think she enjoyed cheering for all the girls (even the other team) best of all. No matter who would score (and 9 out of ten times it was the other team!) she would put her hands up like a touchdown and yell, "SCORE!" She and her little friend had so much fun. Still working on the technique of soccer and trying to get her to understand that yes, we've been telling her to share for 4 1/2 years now, but there is no need to share the soccer ball, especially with the girls with a different color of shirt on than you. Needless to say, Daddy marched straight to Academy to buy a soccer net to show her the ropes. So funny to watch... I like her rules better.

This morning was so much fun to share the snow with the girls. As far as we can remember, it was Gracie's first... and she loved it. She was hesitant at first, but after she finally touched it she was hooked. I dragged her back in kicking and screaming. Lainey loved it too and made snow angel after snow angel. She has seen it on many of her shows and thought it was the best part of it all. That, and the hot chocolate she had when we came in. She reminded me twice while we were out that we would need to drink hot chocolate with lots and lots of marshmallows when we got in. It was probably only her second snow. She was bummed to see it had all melted by lunchtime. It was fun while it lasted!

I have more to catch up on... just need more time... and a very good friend told me ever so nicely that my updates are a little wordy... and where do I find the time?!?! So this is short and sweet!

Its good to be back!

And the prize goes to...

What does Gracie get for finally branching out at school, playing with the toys and making new friends????

Her very own stomach virus... complete with 36 hours (and counting) of high fever and sore throat! Yea!!

A day in the life...

Every month, a local magazine features a working or stay-at-home mom that journals a typical day for her. I thought this would be fun to do sometime. Today should definitely make the cut...

6:45 a.m. I am awakened by a sweet voice saying, "goldbish? goldbish?" That would be Gracie, up an hour earlier than usual, requesting the healthiest of breakfasts. I'm so sleepy, I roll out of bed, give her the goldfish crackers, give Lainey her request of yogurt, and get back in bed for a very short 5 minutes.

6:55 a.m. "MOMMY!! We want to watch Max & Ruby!!" Turn on their show, and start getting ready for the day.

7:30 a.m. Took a calgon bath last night (needed a few minutes of peace) so no need to shower. No washing hair on Tuesdays. No time for that. Put on a little bit of make-up and put my hair in a ponytail. I do try to atleast dress semi-cute to make up for the lack of hairstyle.

7:45 a.m. Join the girls in the kitchen with a bowl of cereal. As part of my recent attempt at a health kick, put some fresh blueberries on top. Not my cup of tea. But I eat them anyway, telling the girls how FUN it is to try new things. They each take a berry and shove it to the bottom of what little yogurt they have left.

8:00 Spend the next 30 minutes gathering their clothes, fighting Gracie to get dressed, reminding Lainey to hurry and put on her gymnastics suit. We are always late... and my goal is to be ON TIME today.

8:30 Head out to the car. Getting us all loaded and buckled in is an event in itself. Finally pull out about 20 till 9. Yea!! We will be on time!!

9:00 Pull into parking lot. Unusually busy, its hard to find a place to park. Oh yeah, voting going on here today. Wonder what they're voting on? (I kid, I kid)

9:05 Run through the 30 mph winds and 40 degree chill... and make it into the gymnastics center. Out of habit, I look up at the clock to see how late we are. Oh yeah... not late today! But I wonder why the clock says 9:05? Its 10:05. Hmmm guess it must be broken. Walk Lainey in, and I don't recognize any of the little tots. Wait a minute. Its not 10:05, is it? Oh. My. Gosh. We are a freakin hour EARLY. We have been coming to the 10:00 class for over a year... what the heck?! I give my sob story to the teacher... she says Lainey can stay... thank you! Oh my gosh, I want to sneak out to my car and avoid all other mommies I will have to admit this to. But I don't. I get caught, and a good laugh is had by all. Deep down I know its funny too, but it was such a beating (as always) to get out the door... we had another HOUR?!

10:00 Head home to change Lainey for school. I let them watch a little tv while I do a little laundry. Lunch plans won't change, even after my major mix-up. I promised Lainey pizza, so....

11:00 Out the door to CiCi's. Very convenient, right next to her school, so no need to rush them eating. We get halfway there. I look in the backseat (I have no idea why) and see we've let her backpack at home. Cuss word under my breath. Lainey thinks its soooo funny we're going back for her backpack. Kids can seriously find the humor in anything.

11:25 Make it into Cici's... get the girls a pizza and myself what they call a salad and a little bit of so-so-pizza. The girls eat it up.. they love the stuff... and are rewarded with a brownie for eating so well.

12:00 Time to go to the restroom before we leave, as Lainey cannot go out to eat without really having to go to the potty. Gracie touches anything and everything in there, so I have to wash both their hands. Gracie sees the games on the way out of the restroom and we leave with her kicking and screaming to play. As always, we're now in a rush and have to get Lainey to school. Sorry Grace!

12:20 Drop Lainey off and head to the grocery store. This has become relatively easy because Gracie loves to ride and request things. She got the chocolate donuts she asked for, and off we head for home.

1:15 I turn on the tv for Gracie to watch one of her little shows... after the hecticness of the morning I need a few minutes to watch a little of one of my shows. Though I know its complete waste of 30 minutes, I love every minute of it.

2:00 Get off my rear, get Gracie a snack, and continue on the laundry. I also check emails and nosy around the internet a bit. Gracie and I play with her Little People.

3:00 Leave a couple minutes early as my fuel light came on coming home from the grocery store. Get gas and head to pick up Lainey.

3:30 Lainey in the car, we head to Target for some soccer shoes for her. The inevitable question, "WHY do you love Target SO much, Mommy?" Well, dear, this time its for YOUR soccer shoes... do you want them or not? She wants them. We go in.

4:00 After wandering around the store for a while, and being reminded we need to get the shoes, we find them. They're black and gray. She wants pink. I have to admit, they weren't the cutest things. I promise her we'll go somewhere else tomorrow and try to find some more girly ones.

4:15 We are now heading home, and the suggestion of a pajama party comes up. I love pajama party days... we change into our pj's, I turn the girls on a movie, and dinner is usually whatever can be eaten in the living room floor. I agree to it, and off we go.

6:00 All in our pj's, Cinderella on the tv, and a cold glass of wine in my right hand. Not a bad way to wind down from the crazy day. I cut the girls some strawberries and peaches. Since they're into the movie, I can sneak fruit in and they won't ever know what hit em. They eat every bite, and are content to lay around till bed time.

7:30 Time to go upstairs and read books. No baths tonight... some nights I just gotta skip!

8:00 Tuck the girls in, we talk about our favorite parts of the day, and I kiss them good night. With any luck, this will stick and I'll only have to go upstairs if someone needs a drink or loses a stuffed animal under the 100's they sleep with. Lots of giggling going on, but as long as they are in bed and not tackling each other, they can giggle all they want. Any more wine and I'll be giggling too.

8:15 Get all situated in bed to watch my Tuesday shows... big brother, american idol, millionaire matchmaker. Yes, all a waste of my life, I am aware. :) I save all chores for during the day... after all, that is my job, isn't it?! (According to Jeff) Once they're in bed, so am I!


Riveting, isn't it? I'm a little long-winded, and I even left some gaps as I'm getting tired of typing!

When it rains...

Jeff and I have spent the last several Saturdays with not a thing to do. With our crazy weekday schedule of two completely different school schedules, my two nights of tutoring, his one night of church responsibilities, and all the other stuff in-between... we enjoy our lazy Saturday mornings just lounging around, letting the girls watch way too much tv. Well, yesterday that all changed as we actually had TOO much to do... and as hectic as we thought it would be to sqeeze it all in... it was way more fun than I had anticipated. Some highlights...

First up was Lainey's first soccer practice. I have to say, for the past 4 years, we drive by the soccer playing fields and just shake our heads at all of "those" parents who spend their Saturdays at their kids' soccer games. "Not us," we say, "We won't ever spend our weekends that way!" Um, yeah, just like all the things we said we'd never do as parents... we are eating our words. For most of her life, Lainey has loved kicking a soccer ball around. So much to the point that her teacher at school said we should really look into placing her on a team. After Lainey's resounding "YES!" that she would like to give it a try, I signed her up and the first practice was yesterday. I think it was a little different than she had thought it would be, as she was much more nervous about the whole thing once we got there. In her defense, it could be that she, at best, came up to the other girls' shoulders. She looked so little compared to most of the other girls. And Lainey is tall for her age. We decided those girls must be closer to 6... so Lainey's going to have to step it up so she can hang! Lots of practice at home is in her (and my) future. Anyway, having said all this, the highlight of the practice was one of the moms who has... for the last 24 hours anyway... given Jeff something to hang over my head. It was colder on the fields than I had anticipated, so I left my jacket in the car. We are all standing there and I comment to my friend Julie how cold it is. Jeff chimes in with an offer to go get my jacket out of the car. I tell him "No, I think I"ll be alright."... and don't think anything else of it. Well, this very nice mommy beside us says, "Oh my gosh, that was sooooo nice. My husband would never have offered to go get me my coat! He would have told me to go get it myself! Or that that's what I get for leaving it in the car. He never would have gone to get it for me!" Yes, she really did say all this. On and on. Within Jeff's earshot. Now, I do know that this was nice of him to offer. And after she said that, I realized that I hadn't really thanked him for offering, and perhaps I should. So I did. That wasn't a big deal, I never thought about it again. But Jeff has. How many times since her comments has he brought it up? Tooting his own horn over how thoughtful he is? I can't even count. I keep having to remind him that I do many, many nice things for him too... and will be sure to mention one in front of this new soccer mommy who probably thinks I am the most unappreciative thing around!

After soccer, we rush off to the Sesame Street show. First, must grab drive-thru for the girls. Make the 45-minute drive with plenty of time to spare, and change them out in the car. Oh yeah, after we paid the $12 parking fee. Is it just me, or did we totally get bent over on that deal? Maybe I need to get out more, or maybe I don't since I obviously need to take on yet another job to pay for all this entertainment! Anyway, we get into the auditorium and are easily outnumbered by all the little people running around with their $4 cotton candy and $15 spinners. Yes, I do know how much they cost because my girls had to have both after seeing the smiling faces of all other 1000 children with cotton candy and spinners. I did draw the line, though, on the $10 elmo balloons. I want my kids to enjoy themselves, but within reason! And I do pity the poor parents who paid the $10 for the balloon, only to watch it float to the very top of the auditorium. And I also pity the two mommies I saw on the way out to the car whose balloons popped on a sticking out part of the fence. You could see it in their eyes. It made them sick. Anyway, back to the show. Considering we were only 6 rows from the front, the girls did great. The first 15 minutes were a little nerve-racking, as Big Bird and Elmo that close-up even scared me just a little! But they really got into it, and it was fun to see. Don't ask me how many times Jeff and I made goofy grins at each other b/c we could tell they were having so much fun. (He'll kill me for saying that.)

After the show we met up with some friends who had also taken their little one to the show (hi LA and N!) and shared a couple cold ones over good mexican food (what else?). It was a perfect way to wind down from the day. It felt so late as we were heading home, and as we passed a country bar we had gone to when we were dating, I told Jeff that they must be closed down now b/c there were no cars there. Amanda, its only 6:45. Oh yeah. It feels like 10:45. Dang, we're old.

Closing these little stories of mine has never been my strong suit. I prefer to open, write a little, then get lazy on the closing. This one will be no exception, especially since it is such a long post... is anyone still even with me?! Have a great week... I will be back soon!

I've been duped!

... by my easy-going/eager to please/always the rule-follower 4 year old. I've been having the most frustrating battle with Lainey lately... over taking her vitamin. Flintstones, no less. The same vitamin my sister and I almost od'd on when we were tots because we thought they were sooooo yummy.

Long story short, we have been having this battle for weeks, maybe even months. She just doesn't like them. To the point that she's agreed to eat broccoli every day if it means she can avoid the vitamin. Funny, that hasn't come to fruition either. Anyway, this morning I had had it with watching her flick it around her plate, gag on it and chase it with milk, etc. So when she asked for her second waffle, I told her she could have it as soon as she ate her vitamin. After much whining, she asked if she could pleeeeease have another color b/c I alllllways give her a pink one. Fine, I'll eat the pink one, here's a purple. I leave the room for 1 minute, no more, and come back to her telling me she ate it and she's ready for her next waffle. I knew this was too good to be true. I hadn't heard her gagging it down, whining, crying... We had a few words, all of which I won't even share, and the truth came out.

"Well, Mommy, maybe its under the couch."

I was speechless. You, Lainey, lied to me, and hid it under the couch?! Not you!! Yes, her. I bee-lined for the bottle of flintstone's, gave her another, and told her I would stand there till she ate it. We may miss gymnastics today, maybe even school, till she ate it. (Of course I was hoping she wouldn't call my bluff there!) Sure enough, she gagged it down and chased it with milk. After some time had passed and we made our ammends, I told her she had two choices. Either go retrieve the vitamin from under the couch and throw it away, or we would tell Daddy about it and he could go get it from under the couch. She ran to the couch. The far end, where I never would have looked. I have to admit, it was kind of cute seeing her being so sneaky. Until she came back with it. I mean them. THREE vitamins. She's been doing this for 3 days!!! I couldn't even get on to her at that point. I was so blown away that she was so sneaky... only b/c she lives to please, and hardly ever, ever disobeys. Deep, and I mean deep down inside, I was a little tickled that she did break a rule and got by with it for a little while. I would never let her know this, but for her benefit I just shook my head and had her throw them away. And then told Jeff the story as quick as I could.... I knew he wouldn't believe it either... and once he did, he would love it too.

So there you have it... hiding vitamins under the couch today... sneaking out of the house tomorrow. I'll look back on this someday and wish hiding vitamins from me was ALL she was doing behind my back!

The Wiggles Challenge... and other stuff

Gracie will soon be 3, and she is set on having a Wiggles party. I was able to bypass the Wiggles w/ Lainey... I don't think she even knew what they were until (somehow) Gracie discovered them. When you ask her what she wants for her birthday, all she can say is "Wiggles!" So there you have it, we will have a Wiggles party. Which wouldn't be worth even mentioning, if these 4 dudes from Australia weren't so hard to find! I've been busy bidding on ebay, getting at least the bare minimum to make her little party a success. One highlight for me is that she didn't pick Dora. I've done Dora 2 years in a row at Lainey's request, and I'm just about out of ideas on making it original. So ADIOS, Dora cake pan!

I was speechless for at least a little while earlier today. I was getting a manicure, and two high school seniors who looked and talked like they should be college seniors, discussed very openly their big night out last night. This wasn't a big deal, until they started talking about who the latest people in their little group are to have STD's. (Their words exactly) They talked about it like it was an everyday occurence. I tried not to eaves drop, but you mention STD's and OOOOH GROSS in a manicure place, and my ears perk up. Writing what they said won't do it justice, so I won't try. Their inflections on words and how they pause every other sentence to check a text message, it is just not the same if you don't hear me say it. But I'll give you a summary. In a nut shell, Jordan got an STD from Natalie... definitely not from Ashley because she broke up with him before he got it... and he won't tell what it is exactly as his mom doesn't want people to know... but she's pretty sure its AIDS or something "gross" like that. Um. Yeah. Something gross like that. Please, please, please don't let my girls grow up if this is how it is! And is it too much to ask that if they do grow up to be what is unfortunately probably "the norm" these days, please let them have the respect and courtesy not to talk about it while you're rubbing elbows with 10 other women (mostly older women) getting their nails done! Keep that information to yourself, please! I wish this weren't all true, but this stuff is too good to make up.

No, Gracie isn't potty trained, and we are nowhere closer than we were a week ago. Or a year ago for that matter. I didn't even try. Jeff gave it one shot each day, but I think he's beat-down on the idea too. She's so very stubborn, and we are so very tired... not a good combination for success!

Here we go, getting ready for another crazy week. It was a fun weekend that went by way too fast. Getting ready now for Sesame Street Live next weekend. Don't rush to grow up too fast, kids. Aerosmith concert one day, and the next thing you know you're getting excited to go see Elmo dance around onstage. I really do need to get out more.

Heart Day

Well lets see... I've been out of the loop for over a week now... this abstaining from both target and sweets has really got me down! Not really, but even though I have cut out the two, there is still....no....time.

Valentine's Day was different - in a good way - this year. Instead of wondering days in advance what, or if, Jeff would do anything, it was all about the girls. Lainey had been looking forward to it since Christmas, and they had really talked it up at her school. She was counting down the days. Honestly, I was glad to see it come and go so we could stop talking about valentine's day for a while! When we got home from picking her up, Jeff had put each of them a balloon on their chairs and a little cupcake for each of them. You would have thought Santa had come! I wish he could have seen it, but he was on a call. Lainey first gave me all the credit for the goodies, but I had to quickly fess up that it wasn't me. After all, there was a *little* something at mommy's seat too. Anyway, as they are sitting there, eating what was probably their 18th cup of sugar for the day, she said, "I think this is the best surprise ever." Ahhhhhh.

Then today, when she got in the car from school, she quickly opened her backpack; said she had a surprise in it. Oh really, for who I ask her? For Daddy and Gracie! Do the mommies always get the shaft or what???

Well, all are asleep so I better go join them. Gracie has improved greatly on her sleeping. Only one time of night waking this entire week. Yea! Jeff says tomorrow is the big day for potty training. Gracie has already said NO. Good thing I've got a few plans away from the house... I don't care to see how that's going to go down!

My (not so) Fat Tuesday

In the last month or so, we have started going to church regularly again. I'm ashamed to say just how long we didn't go regulary, so I won't. For quite some time, it turned into a wrestling match... trying to keep the girls from bothering the people around us, running the aisles, and spilling goldfish at our feet. I have never really cared for the daycare there, so we always took them with us. Whether it was more of a hassle b/c of the girls young ages, or we were just too lazy, we took a hiatus. However, in the last month we haven't missed yet and its been kind of nice. The girls are great, as long as we feed them and give them lots to color. Okay, so I've strayed just a but in what I was going to talk about, but it is related I promise! Since we've been going to church, I knew exactly when ash wednesday would be this year. Normally I don't know till I get the phone call from my mom the day of... "You do know what today is, don't you?" Uh-huh.

I decided this year, for the first time ever, to give up something I really really like and go all out for fat tuesday. This year I decided to give up sweets. Not that I'm even a big fan of sweets, but lately I've been eating more than my fair share, and its starting to show. Still can't shake those damn holiday pounds. The girls get one sweet treat every day, and I've been sneaking bites here and there. Or two or three bites. Of oreos. And ice cream. Hello fat. So, in my somewhat selfish motive to lose a few pounds, I decided this would be my motivation to do it. I had great plans for fat tuesday. Cookie dough. Brownie batter. Baskin Robbins peanut butter chocolate ice cream. Those are my 3 faves. I was going to go all out, make myself sick about it, then give it up for 40 days!! About 4 a.m. tuesday morning, someone else had other ideas.

I was awakened to Lainey being awakened by the stomach bug we've been hearing so much about. Poor thing was up for the next few hours not able to keep anything down. This went on allll day Tuesday. I have a tremendous amount of mommy guilt over lots of things, and stealing away from my very sick child to go make some cookie dough... I just couldn't do it! The fact that she was sick and couldn't eat some too didn't help my conscience. She LOVES sweets. SO... I didn't have my fat tuesday, my big hurrah, that I had planned. However, once all was quiet that night and she was tucked neatly in my bed, I snuck into the kitchen to get the carton of baskin robbins... I HAD to have a little something after all. As I was eating it, I was trying not to think of where the fat and calories would be going. I loved every bite. Then I threw it away. There was enough left for one more bowl, and I couldn't have that sitting around in my freezer, teasing me. Tempting me. I hear that it takes about 21 days to break a habit, and I hope these 3 weeks pass quickly enough that I can break the habit. No more just one oreo while the girls eat theirs. And no more chocolate peanut butter ice cream in the house... ever! I'm the only one who likes it anyway, so we don't need it!

So, my fat tuesday didn't end up being nearly as big of a sugar party as I had planned, but that's okay. Hopefully the scale will thank me for it. The girls did have a cookie today, and I passed. It was actually easy. Just 38 (or is it 39?!) more days to go!

I might just be addicted...

It was recently brought to my attention, first by a very smart 4-year old, then by my husband, that I might have a problem. I first started noticing something might be up last week, when I told Lainey where we would be stopping in after school, and she replied, "Not TARGET AGAIN!!! Mommy, can I PLEASE stay in the car???!!!"

Gasp! You, my little flesh and blood, don't want to go into Target?! How can this be??

Yes friends, maybe just maybe, I am addicted to Target.

I talked her into running in very quickly with me with the promise of a cookie and popcorn, and just yesterday decided to look at my charge card online to see where in the world she came up with the idea that we go to Target too often. Lets just say, what I saw nearly brought tears to my eyes! Out of 30 or so transactions this past month, about half were from there. Doesn't sound like much, till you see that that's in about a 4 week time span. Atleast 15 trips to target. And truth be told, I don't always buy something when I go in, so I definitely went more than 15 times. Sad, sad, sad!

As long as I'm admitting my problem, I might as well go all out. On one particular day, there were 4, yes FOUR, transactions. Now, in my defense, two were from the concession area... which is how I get the girls to sit oh so nicely in the basket for hours at a time. $1 popcorn and fifty-cent cookies, what a bargain for the time it buys me.

What do I possibly buy, and spend practically alllll my tutoring money on? Sadly, nothing I can't live without. Usually, new workout clothes... I like to buy these since I don't currently buy work clothes, and Target has some cute ones. I love the kids clothes and almost always buy the girls something. Other than that, maybe a few little toys or books here and there, an outfit or two, and whatever else I see that I think I just have to have. (If the price is right... I can be a real cheap-o... which is why my balance at Target blows my mind!)

Having said all that, I made the decision last night that I will be banning myself for a week. Its out of hand! Actually, I looked at the bill yesterday afternoon... then made one more quick trip there to get Lainey a box of beads that she had been asking for and was promised for good behavior. THEN, no more visits for a week!

I will miss it, but I need to do this. Just as badly as Britney needs to stay in the psych ward! Wish me luck. :)

More of the same!

Not a lot of new news on the sleep/potty-training front. We DID manage to get Gracie to go to sleep without us in the room... though I hesitate to say that because that will sure enough cause it to change tonight, and she'll need us in there again. It did take one good night of crying... on her part and on mine... but we might have rounded that corner. A little benadryl here and there never hurts. Hey, I did see her nose running a little. Just a little. And, we did manage to get about 3 nights in a row where she didn't wake up screaming, "DADDY DADDY DAAAAAAAAADY!!!" Why is it that even though she screams for him, I have to go up every other time?! Anyway, we did get three good nights of sleep until last night, when I, out of habit I suppose, woke up at 2:00. And could not, would not, go back to sleep. I tossed and turned and tossed some more, till finally at 4:30 I drifted off. For 15 minutes. I was awakend at 4:45 to, "DADDY DADDY DAAAAAAADY!!!!" Now, granted, it was his night to get up with her. But since I was already going on 4 hrs, 15 min of sleep, I thougth I'd do him a favor and go check on her. That, and I felt a little guilty that my tossing and turning woke him up for about an hour straight. Anyway, I got her back to sleep in under 10 minutes, then went ahead and got ready for the gym. In my dilusional state I figured I would feel worse not working out, and getting just about an hour more sleep, than working out on 4 hours of sleep. So off I go to the gym, and feel nauseous the entire time, but determined to get though it and try to squeeze in a nap sometime later in the day. When the girls were babies I used to joke that I was so tired I felt nauseous. Jeff never believed me, but I swear that's how tired I was. Anyway, I did manage a 30-minute cat nap today between dropping Lainey off at school and picking Gracie up, and I felt like a new girl!! I went grocery shopping, played with the girls, I'm writing... amazing what a little sleep can do!

I have already warned Jeff that I will be taking a little white pill to help me go to sleep tonight... immediately after dinner... and am looking forward to hopefully one more good nights sleep before its my turn to get up again. But I really do feel like we're making progress in Gracie's quest to keep us sleep-deprived, and I see an end in sight!

As for the potty training... that's about as far away as I thought the sleeping was at this time last week. She has made it clear that under no circumstances is she giving up her diaper, even going so far as to almost being able to change it herself. (Bad, I know!) But the kid has to be potty-trained to go to summer camp, so she's getting trained one way or another! I'm hoping one of the grandparents will offer that up as her birthday present... hint hint!

The terrible 2's blues!!

When, oh when, will Gracie be potty trained? And when, PLEASE when, will she stop waking up at night... for hours at a time?! As they say, this too shall pass... or shall it?

The girls are alike in so many ways... sensitive to a fault, emotional at the drop of a hat, best friends and worst enemies (already). And yet, they are so completely different in so many ways. When I was in the depths of sleep-deprivation despair with Lainey, I thought it would never end. Will she ever sleep through the night? What seemed like forever was actually only 6 weeks... at the 6-week mark she slept through and never looked back. Fast forward two years to potty training time. We decided one weekend to give it a shot, and she did it. Piece of cake. And while friends would tell me of their kids getting out of their beds at night to come crawl in bed with them... I was slightly envious to have one of these little slumber parties as Lainey, in 4 years, has never even seemed to know you could get out of bed in the middle of the night. Kinda funny when we think about it!

And then we have my head-strong second born! At the 6-week mark with her, I just knew she would follow in her sister's tiny footsteps and come through for us. Didn't happen. With each passing week, I went to bed each night with hope that *this* would be the night. Not only did it not happen at 6 weeks, it didn't even happen at 6 months! Try a YEAR. That was a looooong year! And potty training? Don't even think about it. As we are approaching her 3rd birthday, I hear the grandparents and family's questions (to her, always) more and more frequently, "When are you going to stop wearing diapers?! When's your mommy going to potty train you?!" Believe me, I'm so ready to stop buying diapers its not even funny. Do you know how many cute clothes I will be able to buy once my diaper/wipe budget is gone? Unfortunately, we have tried but have had zero luck. I've done exactly what we did with Lainey... bribes of m&m's, promise of popcicles... but to quote Jeff, "She doesn't give a sh*t about rewards!" Its true, she couldn't care less. She wants the candy, but she doesn't care to work for it. She'd rather go without. Its funny to an extent, but it is getting frustrating. And the whole idea of being able to get out of bed that Lainey STILL doesn't know about? Not only does Gracie know about it, she's a pro at it. We're on week two of her getting up either before she goes to sleep to just sit and look over the banister, or get up in the middle of the night and scream at the top of her lungs for me to come get her and either lay down with her or get into bed with me. I feel like I have a newborn again! UGH!! Except this one talks back!

Jeff has reassured me this all will pass... she will not go to Kindergarten in diapers... and she will sleep alone once again... and I know he's right. But you know how when you're deep in the trenches of these situations you don't think they're ever going to end? Like this is your life for the rest of your life? I'm feeling that way just a little right now. Luckily, Gracie has the funniest sayings, cutest smile, and is one of the two best huggers I know. That buys her some time... and some patience from me. She'll need it!

Letter to Me

Oh, Amanda. What were you thinking? I know, you hadn't been out in a loooong time and got caught up in the fun of it all. But, really, did you have to go so overboard?!

For starters, what happened to the 2-drink limit you were going to abide by? "I'm having only 2, and not staying out late. I want to feel good on Saturday." Not so much. I will give you credit that on drink #3, you offered to share with a friend. That was one of the only good decisions you made that night. The two drinks you had after that one you shared ... not the best road to go.

And couldn't you have eaten just a little more over dinner? Friday night was not the time to watch your waistline. Your two slivers of quesadillas were hardly enough to absorb all the alcohol that was flowing. And so much for the waistine... since you had nothing in your stomach that night, you woke up so hungry (and hungover) that you tried THREE different fast-food places to try to feel better. A hamburger, fries, bean burrito, breadstick, and one asian fried dish later... still no relief. So much for that whole "greasy food" theory on curing a hangover. And so much for your diet.

And by the way, dehydration does not look good on you. Sure, you tried on Saturday by drinking loads of gatorade and a gallon of water. Sorry that didn't work out for you. Next time, try to follow that rule you used to follow of drinking one glass of water for every margarita you have. It will pay off the next morning.

I will give it to you... you made a few choices that night that should be commended. You did pop into *a club* to dance with random strangers so you could sober up a little. The dancing won't get you a pat on the back, but not ordering a drink while there was a smart idea. That thirty minutes of going without definitely helped you out. And another good choice that night.... wait, I can't think of any. At the very least, you learned some lessons:

1. You are no longer 21. You shouldn't pretend you can handle to drink like you are. Your 30 something body just doesn't recover like it used to.

2. You really should get out more. That way you won't feel the need to party like its your last night out forever.

3. There is absolutely no need to ask every guy at the bar to take you and your girlfriends' picture. One is more than enough. If you all don't look good in it, that's okay. You're drunk, you're all a little squinty-eyed anyway.

4. After you've had what you said would be your limit, STOP. To be specific, don't think it would be the greatest idea ever to go to yet another bar. The one you're at has all the fun you need.

5. Last, but not least, you remembered how much fun it is to go out with your girlfriends and just let loose. So... do it more often, but with a bit less intensity. Oh, and you've learned to not plan a night out when you have to tutor the next morning. Graphing linear equations is a bitch when you're hungover.

Take care, and come back and re-read this before you go out again!

I'm starting to think...

... there's a reason most moms drive suv's. As I just got my hands on a cute, sporty, make me feel young again car... I have to ponder what I was thinking. Three days into it, and I think I've got it...

Was it when I hadn't even pulled out of the driveway and I felt little feet kicking the back of my seat? I didn't dare tell her to stop; she'd just kick harder. Scoot my seat up any closer and I'll be sucking face with the steering wheel.

Or was it when we were in the car for about 4 hours out of the day yesterday and Gracie cried for oh, 4 of those hours? All her short 3 years knows is "watching movies" while in the car. The new sporty car has no movies. Bummer for her. Even bigger bummer for me and anyone else within ear shot.

I know, it was when I pulled into the girls' schools and realized that suv's outnumbered cars 20:1. There's gotta be a reason for that... and I'm quickly learning why!!

About 2007

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?

Ran a 5K... two in fact.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Didn't make them last year, didn't make them this year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Two anyones. One had a sweet little boy, one had a sweet little girl. I'm jealous!

4. Did anyone close to you die? No, was a good year there.


5. What countries did you visit? Does Vegas count? That's all the traveling I did. Oh, and San Diego.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? free time... and no guilt when I get free time!

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Mmmm honestly my memory is so awful... I don't remember a lot! Lainey's second week of school, when she got out at the carpool lane instead of me walking her in... I do remember that moment. But the date??... I don't even remember the month.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? The 5K's felt REALLY good.

9. What was your biggest failure? "Failure" sounds kinda harsh.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Just minor knee, ankle, wrist "injuries" working out. I must be getting old.

11. What was the best thing you bought? My ring is pretty cool.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Lainey's good manners. Gracie's working on it!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Though it doesn't affect me personally, Ms. Unfitney Spears. And her little sister... geez!

14. Where did most of your money go? The girls, and I have proof. I opened an account to use on things I buy for them... I'm cutting back in '08!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Oooooooh do I get THAT excited anymore?!

16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Lips of an Angel, Hey There Delilah

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? The same. Very content.

b) thinner or fatter? nip. tuck. thinner.

c) richer or poorer? I'm working more, I'd say richer. And yet I'm spending more, so poorer. About the same I guess.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Writing in my girls' journals. I really slacked this year.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Computer time.

20. How did you spend Christmas? Three Christmas with families, and Santa. Christmas overload!

21. Did you fall in love in 2007? I have 3 loves...

22. What was your favorite TV program? This would be hard. Desperate Housewives, LOST, The Office, and of course Big Brother... (back in February... yea!)

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I actually don't HATE anyone.

24. What was the best book you read? Reading Eat, Pray, Love. That's all I've started, and I'm sure I'll be trying to finish it at the end of '08.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? The Wiggles aren't quite as annoying as I once thought. A few catchy tunes. (If you can't beat em, join em.)

26. What did you want and get? New floors.

27. What did you want and not get? New floors that don't scratch.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Did I see any? Bee Movie is all I can remember, because I saw it last.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 34?! Ouch! Dinner and margaritas, what else?!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Less stress!

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Same as last year... I do the best I can not to look my age...

32. What kept you sane? Tequila.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Keith bumped Tim down my list.

happy new year!

Okay, so I'm a day late on the happy new year wish. Where is all that free time I thought stay-at-home moms had? Wherever it is, I'd like to find it! Seems there is always something to do. Anyway, as for new year's resolutions, the only one I've made is not to make any this year. By next week, I probably would have forgotten them anyway. I just don't think I can work out anymore than I already do (not that I go above and beyond, but I can get out of bed at 5:30 only so many times per week!) ... I have no time or energy to keep the house any more clean... and my diet is just about as good as its gonna get(as I'm not yet willing to cut back on wine or margaritas... though I am trying to keep it to a weekend event.)

That being said, there are a few changes with the girls I'm trying to do, and though its only day 2 its going okay! I bought into the new cookbook hype of the "hiding veggies" in your kids' food so they'll eat healthier. After just two days, Lainey has had more veggies in her little system than she's had in 3 years (basically, since she gave up jarred baby food. Pickiest eater EVER.) Although I've tried 4 recipes, Gracie has yet to eat any of them. Not that she tastes any veggies in them, because she won't even try. Stubborn, stubborn little one. I'll get her... if Lainey will eat what I'm fixing, anybody will. The latest was a fruit dip... with carrots inside. Lainey helped me make it, and I just told her the orange stuff was a special, secret ingredient. Luckily she didn't ask to lick the spoon before the chocolate was added or she would have turned up her nose for sure! All in all, its going well. Hopefully we can keep it up.... yeah, its only day 2 so we'll see!
Moms of toddlers will probably get what I'm trying to do... there's only so many chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, and grilled cheese sandwiches I can serve without feeling guilty! If its green, my girls won't go near it.

Anyway, 2007 was a good year, but I was so ready for it be over. I'm looking forward to 2008... not really sure why as lots of things are up in the air (are we moving? are we trading in the car? will lainey do okay in kindergarten? will i keep tutoring)... but I'm still excited to see how it all turns out.

Here's hoping you all have a great 2008. And I'm toasting a big ole glass of wine that I can keep on tricking my kids into eating carrot-filled fruit dip!