Things I have Realized Today.

1. Sometimes you need to cry in your minivan on your way to work because it was a rough morning and you feel bad for screaming at your kid because they refused to get ready.

2. I need to find a way to communicate with a stubborn, highly independent three year old who only listens to half of what I say.  Any advice is appreciated.

3. While I thoroughly enjoy pumpkin flavored pastries, I am not a fan of pumpkin flavored coffee….especially when the office is out of cream and sugar. (Send a vanilla latte now!!!)

4. I drink too much coffee.  How do I know? Well because I am rather impatiently waiting for the girl to return from the store with creamer. Need. Coffee. NOW.  (See, drink too much coffee.)

5. I need some time away from work.  Annoyed.

6. I am burnt out.  This isn’t necessarily a new realization, but I don’t admit it often.

7. I just found some more long black hairs on my neck and chin.  I think I need to start waxing. OH. MY. GOSH. I. AM. OLD.  Not fair. Grrrrrr.

8. I am getting my first massage in 3 years this Friday!!!  But that does mean I am going to have to shave.  The ying and yang of life….

Have a good day!!

And So It Begins……Selling Stuff For Your Kids (Not to be Confused with Selling Your Kids for Stuff)

Today when I dropped Henry off at school (which ended up going so smoothly, I think we are getting this down….YAY!) I was greeted by a series of forms in his cubby.  Since he only goes one day a week, I am use to this and the sheets are usually just miscellaneous things we throw away.  As I left I skimmed through to see a magazine from the library, a flyer from a portrait company, and a Little Caesars fundraiser form?!!

Yep.  So it begins. 

My name is Jenn and I have a kid in “school” which means, like every other parent out there, I now fall into the category of annoying parent selling overpriced items on behalf of their kids to raise money for their school.

Sigh.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know this is a fundraiser and to help raise money for his daycare and it is a small daycare and I am MORE than happy to sell.  But for me, I am not a fan of asking others to buy things from me.  (One reason I am not selling Tastefully Simple anymore!!)

I actually worked at the Kidney Foundation for a year and a half right out of college and it was event planning and fundraising.  I hated asking people/companies for things.  It just makes me uncomfortable and it is not in my nature.  I think I am more like “No, you don’t want to donate 1000 plates?!?!  Oh, that is OK, I will just buy them and for way more than they are worth….i am sorry for the inconvenience.”  Obviously you can tell why this job and I didn’t work out.

Yeah, I have pushover written all over me when I ask for stuff, especially from strangers.  And asking friends or family makes me even more uncomfortable. 

But now I am a parent.  I understand it is good for his school, and when he gets older HE can go around and ask people.  But right now, I am the mom who gets to bring the form into work and make a sign to put in the kitchen area and feel all uncomfortable about it.  Infact today someone asked me and I said, “well the cost for 3 pizzas in a kit is $19 but you can get 3 hot and ready for $15.” 

JENN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!  THAT IS NOT HOW YOU SELL STUFF!!  Ugh.

Unless no one sells more than 4 kits I think we are out of getting a week’s worth of free tuition for Henry….sorry buddy!

Mom and Dad….I am also sorry for making you sell all those chocolate bars for so many years while I was in school!!!

So do you sell things for your kids school?!  Do you feel as awkward as I do about it or do you embrace it and go door to door and sell?!?!  

I wish I was comfortable enough going door to door but I would have major anxiety doing that....though if I was forced to, I would do it for Henry.  But only Henry!

This and That

I haven’t been blogging much the past couple weeks and I have to say part of the reason is the past couple weeks have just been FULL of emotions.  Good, bad, scary, frustrated….all of them! So here is my This and That - Emotion Edition.  

P.S. This is probably the most random, unorganized, wordy post I have written!  My mind is just everywhere and out of control!!

1. Excitement coupled with a hint of sadness: My son turned TWO this weekend.  Sigh.  Leading up to this I was excited but sad.  The idea of two has been harder, he will always be MY baby but he is no longer A baby.  But the day came and went and as I rocked my two year old to bed Sunday night he cuddled up to me and held my hand and we sang our song like we do every night.  I loved this so much.  I think Henry is going to let me ease into this two year old thing…..and I can handle that.  Birthday post and pictures coming soon to a blog near you!!  

2. Joy: “Boppy, Baby” I sing this song (in henry’s words) to him every night, while he cuddles up on me and quietly whispers “boppy, boppy baby” along with me. It is Baby of Mine from Dumbo. See HERE.  I tear up nearly every night singing it to him.  I love this time, our time together.  No one else, just me and my son singing together.  So much joy.

3. Fear: We went to the ER a couple weeks ago because Henry had croup.  It started when we were awaken at 3:15 in the morning to him making a noise, sort of convulsing and when we picked him up he had puked everywhere and was just very lethargic and non-responsive.  He also had a very high fever.  That was the most scared I have EVER been. My stomach still turns thinking about it.  After an hour of getting him fluids and awake and cleaned up we took him to the ER.  Of course by the time we got there he was walking around, talking and didn’t even look or act sick. He got a steroid and by the next day started feeling better! But those moments....scary.

4. Anticipation: I am listening to Christmas music already and getting so excited for not only Christmas but FALL.  I feel like I am jumping out of my skin with excitement for fall, pumpkins, thanksgiving, Christmas…everything!

5. Frustration: The terrible twos have made their way into our house and it has come in the form of extreme independence and not listening. 

I feel like this is the only thing I say anymore:

Henry, NO.  Put that down! NO, Get away from that! DON’T touch that!! You will get hurt!  Don’t stand on that!  Don’t put that up your nose/in your ear! Henry, STOP IT!!!

To which his verbal response to me is usually: holds out hand in the stop motion “STOP IT” or “No Means No” or “No, Go!”. And most of the time continues with what he was doing.

I feel like in his mind when I am saying NO to him he is thinking:

What this, you don’t want me to touch THIS?!  This thing in my hand that is not a toy, I should put it down?!  You are not being very clear, do you want me to put THIS down or did you say put it in my mouth?!  So to summarize, I am putting this in my mouth like you wanted, right?!  Oh no, I am suppose to put this down…gotcha.  Ok, I will put this down in the microwave and turn the microwave on.  Great, I am glad we talked this through.

Now I have to give credit where credit is due and in some ways he is actually a very good listener.  He will hold my hand in the parking lot and around cars and is VERY good with routines.  It is mostly at home where he just feels he can do whatever he wants and get into everything or in places that there is just a lot to get into to, like a store.

And on top of that, everything, and I mean EV.ER.Y.THING. IS….NO.  ME. I DO IT. NO. MEMEMEMEME.  He basically thinks he is an adult and can do whatever we do.  Even grab a pot holder and open the oven (not on folks!) and pull out the tray.  Two time outs yesterday for that alone.

Sigh.  There is this constant battle between letting him be independent and teaching limitations.  It can be frustrating for all of us!

6. Confusion: I started couponing a couple weeks ago.  I have done really well a couple shopping trips and saved a lot, and a couple other trips I made a few mistakes and didn’t do as well.  I am still learning, but it has made me more aware of what we are buying and sales out there.  I spend a few hours a week clipping coupons and preparing for sales and it is so confusing and a bit annoying.  But it works and saves money so I am giving it a try.  I will update more in a month or two!

7. Anger: A while back Terry told me I was very angry and if I needed to talk to someone I should.  His words (which were a lot more than just that) hit me, pretty hard and then over the past few months things have happened that really have made me stop and gain perspective.  What is important.  Who is important.  Why am I acting this way.  I have been working to control those anger outbursts and feel like I am more focused on my family and this precious life we have and making moments count…not perfect, just making them count.  Just by stopping, talking a step back, breathing, and putting things into perspective has really helped me not get angry in some situations or AS angry as I used too.  In the sing-songy words of Daniel Tiger’s mom….when you feel so mad that you want to roar, take a deep breath and count to four. 1…2…3….4.  Ok, I will do that! Good bye anger :-)

8. Funny: I have my own sense of humor.  I think I am funny but many times it is a funny that I feel only certain people who know me really get.  With that said, I think it would be hilarious to make a FB page for Henry and post status updates like “Dids you see the last episode of Caillou?!  He got to go on a boat for real!!  Rosey was so scared…what a baby!!” or “Don’t tell my mom, but I hid her keys in the large drink mommy and daddy sit on!  I can’t wait to watch her run around looking for them and then finding them in there!!”  What, no one else thinks that is funny?!?!  I think it is hilarious!!  Coming from the girl who when she had a Myspace account she would post journals written by her cat. So…..

So there you go.  That is what I have been thinking about the past few weeks and what is going on in my mind right now.  

What are you up too?!

Talk to Me – Yes Ma’am

So I was just curious, what are your thoughts on getting called Ma’am?  Or in turn, calling others Ma’am?

This question was triggered by a few things. 

I first started thinking about it when I was watching an episode of Tia & Tamera (oh hell yeah I do) and Tia was throwing a fit complaining that she was called Ma’am. 

Then last week I went and got lunch and as the person handed me my sandwich he said “Here you go Ma’am.”

And then a girl I work with in her early 20’s (oh that age seems so far away) hates that another women older than her in the office calls her ma’am.

And on top of that Terry and I are constantly using Sir and Ma’am when talking to strangers.

It got me thinking, do women take offense to this?  Should only women of a certain age be called Ma’am?  What if it is someone my age? When is it appropriate vs not appropriate?

I can’t imagine men get offended being called Sir no matter what age, so why does it seem different for women?

What is the dealio – yo?!

Isn’t it just a term of respect you use when addressing other women?  That is what I was always taught.  Why has this turned into such a touchy word to be on the receiving end of?

I personally was not offended when I was called Ma’am at lunch, I thought it was very polite.  But I am not going to lie; there was a part of me that felt older.  And well, no one wants to feel older. But is it because I already had it on my mind from watching that episode that triggered it or was it my own thought of feeling old?!

I mean, IS THAT IT?!?!  We feel old when we are called Ma’am because that is how we have addressed adults when we were kids or how we address people older than us?!  And like I said, after a certain age we never want to feel older.

Definition of ma’am: Used as a form of polite address for a woman; short for madam: used as a title of respect, esp for female royalty

I like to consider myself a princess (that's for you mom & dad), so I shall be OK being called ma’am.  Well unless it is by some gorgeous 20 year old with perky boobs and great hair and she says it to me all valley girl like….then I will punch her (in my mind of course).

What are your thoughts? YAY or NAH on the Ma’am?!

This and That Monday

* I strongly dislike Mondays.  That is it.

* New Blog - A Must Read:  My sister has started a fitness blog.  This first post is extremely well written and very relatable.  More than a fitness blog.   Read it HERE.


* At work last week someone brought in these large muffins.  Well I was getting some coffee when a female coworker was walking by and a male co-worker came over and said “wow, those are some muffins”.  My response was “don’t talk about J. like that at work! I am telling HR!” I also wanted to say “why thank you” but thought that would embarrass him even more than what I did say.  I think I probably need to get a filter on me, but when comments like that happen in my presence it is pretty much physically impossible for me to NOT say something!!  Luckily he laughed and thought it was funny and it was only sort of awkward. Now excuse me while I go talk to HR….. ;-)


* I like Kristen Bell. Please do not confuse with Kristen Stewart.  I believe if she met me, we would be friends, you know after my initial bout of awkwardness because that is how I am around people.  She just seems real and fun and this article talking about her post baby body….YES!!  EXACTLY.

“I like my Lincoln Leftovers because they’re proof I did something extraordinary. I gave life to my new BFF & she gave me a comical amount of midsection skin”.  “I had to surrender to not worrying about the way I looked, how much I weighed, because that’s just part of the journey of having a baby. I am not a woman whose self-worth comes from her dress size.”

Love her.


* Confession. I like to put suntan lotion on my hands or on Henry’s head/face, not for protection but because I like the smell. And I like to smell Henry’s head.


* I have this constant internal struggle with being a working mom, like I am sure every parent has. It has been really bad this summer due to the fact that Henry is now getting older and does more and I feel like I am missing so much because I work and our crazy schedule.  Because of this I have been trying to do everything possible (within reason and his temperament), whenever we have a hint of free time.  Fair Thursday night, friends Saturday evening, baseball game Sunday.  Last weekend the zoo.  Outside every evening.  If you know me you know I am NOT a social person, but for Henry/family time I am and I am ignoring my own fears and insecurities.  It has been emotional, but I am trying to soak up every opportunity I can with him and try not to miss more than I am or think I am.   It is funny the ways kids change you.


* Because of the previous point above, cleaning of the house has been….er….not something I have kept up on.  Guess something has to give…


* My son turns two in about 5 weeks. HOLY SHIT.


* THIS is AWESOME.

* We went to the first Mud Hens game with Henry.  Except for the trying to fold himself up in the chair, trying to hand out flyers to the people in front of us, wanting to go on the field to get a ball, and screaming every time we made him walk it was pretty fun!  He clapped when everyone clapped (so cute), danced a bit, and enjoyed some baseball food!  It was fun to get out of the house as a family for a free baseball game, even if we only got to watch 3.5 innings :-)  He really is such a goof!

Checking baseball STATS.

 What IS this face?!?!?!

Again, every picture he makes this face. Henry, not Terry :-)

Hope you have a good week!!!

Twinkies Are Back!

 Twinkies made their comeback on Monday after about 8 months of being off the shelf.

 (back from the dead!!!)

I for one hardly noticed except for the extra space on the shelf and the excessive cries of a near 40 year old in my house that is missing his Suzie Q’s.

I admit I have never been a huge fan of Twinkies.  I do like Hostess products as a nice treat (prefer Little Debbie more), but I guess there are other sweets I would much rather have if I am going to eat sweets.  Or just skip the sweets and give me a big bag of chips and some sort of dip and I will be happy!!

But, Terry HAD to go to the store on Monday and buy a box of Twinkies.  I tried one, and I have to say that a fresh twinkie (compared to the ones that are on the shelf for months) do taste better.  Still not a huge fan, but it was tasty! 

Henry tried a bite as well….the boy feverishly signed “more” while wiping away yellow cake and cream from his face and onto his shirt.  Basically, I think he enjoys them too.

I will say that I am sort of happy they are back.  Not necessarily because I love them so much and will be running out to get them, but because it is nostalgic.

Plus, if you didn’t have Twinkie’s you couldn’t make these!!

Or say this….  

That’s a big Twinkie.

So are you happy Twinkies are back?  Have you had one yet?!  What are your favorite Hostess products?

My favorites are the Ho Ho’s, Cupcakes, and the donettes. 

The Hostess products a refuse to try are the Sno Balls, Zingers, and fruit pies. (ew)

As a side note, these Twinkies are apparently smaller andhave fewer calories…so you can now enjoy that much more :-)

Random Stuff Wednesday

Henry said I love you this weekend.  Ok, it was more like “ylub you”, but after I laid him in his crib for his nap I rubbed his back and said I love you and he turned to me and smiled and said ylub you.  Yep….my heart melted.  All weekend we were trying to get him to say it again and when he felt like it he did, though most of the time it was just “you too”.  (Which we are finding is typical; this child does nothing on demand and is very stubborn independent.)  My kid may only say a handful of words, but those are two of THE BEST words as a parent to hear!

I have been trying to wear my grown up fancy bra lately instead of my el cheapo bra.    Normally my boobs mantra is “Do your boobs hang low, do they wobble to and fro” but when I wear my fancy bra it is more like “Push’em up, push’em up….push’em WAAAAAY Up.”  I like when they are up and closer to my face and not my belly button; but damn, those fancy bras are super uncomfortable.  Ugh, if my boobs didn’t hang down to my knees, I would not wear one at all.

"It is freezing. It is freezing. It is sweating." I hear this ALL day long at work.  It is annoying, that's what it is.  Apparently the new thing at work is to complain about the temperature of the office if the temperature is not perfect for just YOU.  It is set at 72 and yes, it can be chilly in the office some days and other days it is warm.  Who cares.  There are a bunch of us in the office and we all prefer a different temperature but guess what, you are not at your house so get over it and dress appropriately to work inside an office.  (P.S. Please don’t say it is freezing when the thermostat says 72. UGH )

We have too much STUFF.  We had a lot of stuff before Henry and we wanted to get rid of it then but never did.  NOW, we just have stuff everywhere.  Henry has SO much stuff.  We hope to have a garage sale this June, but that takes time and hopefully now that Terry is done with school for the summer we can go through the boxes of crap we haven’t even looked at for the last 6 years.  We need to declutter.

I am SO GLAD Terry is done with school for the summer.

I scratched my forehead this morning and saw a ton (yes, literally a ton) of dry skin fall onto my desk.  I think I need to start moisturizing more than 2 days a month.

This weekend I had a larger snack sized bag of Sun Chips.  I was just going to eat half as I am counting calories. During Henry’s nap I watched a movie and next thing I noticed the bag was gone.  While I still think  the cats had something to do with the disappearance of all my chips, ultimately I did have to shamefully put my calories into My Fitness Pal.  I hate counting calories.  I also hate that I have nearly zero self control with chips/salty foods.

I got up this morning and walked a mile.  I wanted to walk more, but that required me getting up at the time I set my alarm for and NOT hitting snooze 4 times. After I did get up I rather enjoyed listening to music and being outside for ME time, which is pretty much the only ME time I get all day.  Just wish my ME times wasn’t spent working out.

This child turns TWO in exactly four months from today.  I don't believe it, I can't believe it, I shan't believe it!  Where does the time go....

This And That....

* I am sorta over reality TV.  It just seems like TV now is all reality shows but none of it has any substance and is the farthest thing from actual reality (Uh, Kardashians).  I have gone back to watching real TV programming; you know where real actors get paid too much money to make shows with real scripts and have real story lines. So no more reality TV for me. Well of course except for Top Chef. And Tori & Dean. And Project Runway. And…ok about 10 other reality programs. BUT THAT IS IT, NOMORE. For now....

*Speaking of TV, T. & I have been watching the series Metal Evolution.  I have realized the older I get the more I enjoy documentary type shows.

* I love cream soups, but I not a fan of how as you get down to the bottom of the soup it thins out and breaks down because of the saliva left on your spoon. ew

* Terry and I have always been that gross couple that share stories about poop or pick things off each other’s backs (we haven’t moved as far up the evolutionary chain as maybe some of our peers have), but I didn’t realize that poop and vomit would be the topic of many, I mean many of our conversations.  I also didn’t think I would have such an interest in my sons poop.  I am totally that mom who exams her child’s feces. No, not like I am all up in that shit; I just mean I like to keep a mental note of the consistency and look of his poop.  I also love picking toe jam from between his toes. 

* I am all about Half-Caff coffee right now.  We have a Keurig at work and we have half-caff cups.  I know I can have caffeine but I have really tried to limit my intake, not just for Henry but for me so half-caff coffee is perfect. LOVE IT! Of course, maybe having 3 cups of half-caff coffee instead of one cup of regular defeats the purpose of half-caff. hmmmmm

* There is a new movie coming out this summer called Magic Mike (HERE) and it stars Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, and Matt Bomer (oh Matt, how I love thee) and they are male strippers. Yeah, I will be going to see that movie….alone.

* I really like new magazines.  I like the way they feel when you go through them the first time. I like the crispness of the pages. I like that there are no creases or wrinkles.  The same is true for new books, you know, if I actually read books.

* When I was pregnant and watched my belly grow it didn’t seem like it was all that big, maybe because it was such a slow progression of growth.  However, when going back and looking at pictures I think “DAMN GIRL! Your belly was huge!”  I also think, “HOLY SHIT, a baby was in there! A BABY.” (It still blows my mind that Henry was growing inside me. Really?! How?!)

Lets flashback shall! Me the day before Henry was born. HUGE BELLY!

 

* Our son is 5 months old, 22 weeks. WOW. I mean it, WOW. I remember thinking that first month that 5 months seemed so far away. And now we are here and it seems like it has gone by so fast (and also not fast enough some days, strange).  I just can’t believe how quickly our little one is growing. It is cramazing. 

(Yes, this is also a way for me to sneak a picture of H. into a post.)

* Parents are coming up this weekend to celebrate my dad’s birthday.  I am really looking forward to this.  Besides the fact that I get to see my parents, Henry gets to hang out with his grandparents, and my parents get to see Henry it is a much needed break from weekends where I am home alone with Henry until 6:30pm both days.  I hope it allows me to get down our Christmas tree (I KNOW!!) and clean the house.  Also on the agenda: eat, eat, eat, watch TV, eat.  Yep, sounds like a great weekend.

So what’s up with you?!

Welcome To My Mind…..A Little Bit of This and That

Yes, this is all totally random and maybe unblogworthy....but this is how my mind is right now, completely scattered!!

- Went to the grocery store for the first time in 3 weeks last night to do some real shopping. (we go for bread and milk, but that is pretty much it because no one is home really but me.) I strongly dislike that place mainly because people are annoying.  And WHY when you are in a hurry, and tired, and really have to pee do you run into someone you know who wants to talk?!  Or in my case someone I know who wants to talk for 20 minutes and then some darling old lady who tells me ground turkey is on sale and what she will do with all that turkey. (Ok, the little old lady was sweet and I will make time for her!)  But you get my point.  However, I now have some food in our house again which includes some of my favorite things like apples, bananas & grapes as well as granola bars, fresh veggies, 5 lbs of turkey (thanks darling lady!), and 3 bars of cheese. YUM! On a side note, I spent $55 and saved $22!!!  HOLLA!

- I got a call that our crib arrived and is at JcPenney’s!  Yes, we have our crib already and no, we don’t have a place for it.  I wonder if they can store it there for 5 months.  Holy crap, we have a baby coming in less than six months and we have so much to do! Oh well, I will think about that another day.  Worst case scenario, we get a cage and throw some blankets in it….the piglet will be fine! Here is our crib.

- I really wish I would have brought my Tropical Starburst to work today.  I could use a pick me up of high fructose corn syrup right about now.

- My parents are coming into town this weekend and we are celebrating both Kristen and my birthday!  Hers was in March, mine in April.  I am excited!  We are doing a mini-Spa morning on Saturday and with that I am finally getting my hairs cut!  Would you judge me if I said it has been a year since my last haircut?  If so then ignore that last sentence.  (But seriously, I have stopped myself SO many times the last couple months from cutting it myself because I knew I had this appointment….it is driving me crazy!)  Also, we are also going to PF Changs for our birthday dinner....yum.  Oh yeah, and let us not forget about the cake and presents that are coming!! Good weekend ahead.

- My parents are also bringing up our new stroller and car seat! Yes, we also already have the car seat and stroller.  But that is only because Sebastian, Belle and Charlie are going to test it out for us first to make sure it is safe for the babe.  They are good cats. (This is the stroller. Opting for gender neutral incase someday we have other animals who need this stuff.)

- I have been in the mood for quinoa and made it last night with red & yellow peppers, asparagus and ground turkey.  It was delicious.  Sadly, that was the high point for me yesterday and as I am really looking forward to leftovers today at lunch it may be my high point for today as well. I am boring lately.

- I am thrilled to be going on vacation in a couple months!!  I think this trip will be amazing and I am so excited!  It has been 7 years since our last vacation.  However, I am not as thrilled to try to find a swimsuit – I seriously cannot find one anywhere!  Why if you are bigger and pregnant do they make swimsuits with ugly patterns or animal prints on them?! YUCK!   All I want is something that will hide my legs, does not have some ugly pattern on it, and that will let people know I am not just fat but also pregnant.  Jeans and a tank-top should work perfectly.  I am also less than thrilled to have to wear that swimsuit in a couple months.  No crash dieting for me….guess people will just have to get use to seeing my pale, big butt walking around on the beach for a week! Sorry folks at that beach :)

- I haven’t even started looking into child care.  I didn’t think it was a big deal, but apparently I was told I should have already started looking into this. OOPS!  I figure as long as the piglet is in its cage the cats can watch over to make sure everything is ok.

- You may not have been aware of this, but parents are awesome.

- I am trying to think of things to blog about and I have a bunch of ideas….the problem being when I step in the front door of my home I have no choice but to put comfy clothes on and sit on the couch and watch TV.  It is not that I necessarily want to do that, but it is like my body is taken over by an uncontrollable force and I have to do that.

This and That....

I love the addition of Sea Salt on foods instead of things that are just “salted”. I am currently snacking on peanuts with pure sea salt. Delicious.


I am listening to Christmas music on the River online. LOVE IT. Can I also say that Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban literally give my goosebumps every single time I hear them sing. *swoon*

Speaking of Christmas music, the only version of the song “Twelve Days of Christmas” that is good is the Muppets version with John Denver. All other versions are annoying and can suck it! Now that’s the Christmas spirit. ba-dum-bum-bum


I was SO happy that it was lightly snowing this week! Beautiful. It was the first snow of the winter and that is just fantastic. I will say that while I loathe ice, I am a big fan of the snow.

I cannot believe it is December. Seriously?! December. Holy crap, it is almost 2011!! To me the slowest part of any year is May – August. It drags for me. But come September (which kicks off 4 of my 5 most favorite months), the time fly’s by SO fast and before you know it, Christmas and then the New Year is here. WHAT?! It is Nuck’n Futs people, Nuck’n Futs.

Speaking of Christmas, we picked up all our Christmas stuff from the storage unit today and will start putting things up today and tomorrow. EXCITED!

PLUG: Tastefully Simple is a great gift for the holidays! It is not too late to pick up some tasty stocking stuffers for Christmas! Email me, leave a comment on this post, or go and order directly online. You can even have it delivered anywhere and to anyone! Click on the links to the right of my blog for all the information you need.

Terry finished his last week of classes this week and next week is finals. I know he is thrilled and to be honest, so am I. Three days a week he gets home after 10pm and the other 2 days he is home at 8pm. And then he works on the weekend and studies. I know he is burnt out, so for him mentally and physically he NEEDS to have a few weeks off. But to be selfish for a second, I am excited to have a little more time with him in the evenings. He will still be working till 8pm and have to work on the weekends….but it will be so great to have those extra hours each night to spend together!

I need to clean up my personal email. I have WAY too many emails in my inbox. I wish I could keep it clean, but as I have a horrible memory I just keep a lot of stuff I want to remember in my inbox.  It is just a mess and annoys me.

I have said this before, but as I just used them I must say that I love Biore pore strips. And even more, I love looking at all the dirt that comes out of my pores under one of T’s magnifying glasses that he uses for his coins. I could literally just look at that strip for an hour. Gross, yes. But also interesting. And speaking of interesting is this book that came out in September that I feel I would love. Microcosmos: Discovering The World Through Microscopic Images From 20 X to Over 22 Million X Magnification. You can see your eyebrow, or skin, or nail, or bugs magnified!! COOL. It is a book of photographs that capture incredibly magnified images of Microorganisms, botany, the human body, zoology, mineral and technology. This book looks awesome!

I didn’t feel like making this photo challenge picture its own post so here it is mixed in with my random post.

Day 04: photo/s of a place/s you’d like to visit. There are many places I would like to visit that I may or may not ever get around to visiting, but this answer is based solely on the top 5 places I feel I have to visit someday even if we never went anywhere else.

#1. Ireland & England. I MUST visit Ireland and England before I die. I JUST MUST. I really really would love to take T. there after he graduates Mortuary College in a couple years. If we can only take one vacation the rest of our lives, then it must be this one. Now if they can just figure out teleportation in the next couple years so I do not have to fly over water then that would be even better.

#2. Hilton Head, South Carolina. Ok….this is a cheat one because we have plans to go there NEXT MAY, but I am putting it on my list because I have always wanted to visit Hilton Head and that area. Infact, I originally wanted to move there after school and work at a resort in North or South Carolina. Plus I needed to put one warm beach location on my list!

#3 Maine & The New England Region. I have never been anywhere up there and I have always felt just based on pictures and what I have seen on TV that the area up there is just ME. I love the look of the area, the history, the fishing/seafood, the weather (yes, I know it gets cold), the homes…everything! I know we will never move there, but I think it would be such a fun and interesting (and tasty) place to visit.

#4 Nova Scotia, Canada. Oh my goodness, this town looks like it would be an AMAZING place to visit (or live). It translates to New Scotland and is where many Europeans settled a long time ago. It just looks like a place rich in culture, history, and beauty…and I love that.

#5 Vancouver, BC, Canada. Ok, so do you notice a trend of places I would like to visit? Yeah, me too. What can I say, it just looks like such a wonderful and beautiful place to go.

Ok, feel free to share places you would like to go or whatever else you want to share!

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

As I seem to be having difficulty of late writing any sort of blog post interesting or otherwise, I thought in an attempt to make an effort to blog more frequently I would do a completely haphazard blog of things that I am thinking and feel like sharing. So please enjoy these few tasty morsels of randomness.



- See that little girl with me? I love her and she makes me smile.

Her name is Macey and she is ADORABLE, HILARIOUS, and SO STINK’N SMART! (So is the girl next to her…but we already knew that.) I also love her mommy very much too and was SOOOO excited when a couple weekends ago my cousin, her husband and their daughter Macey spent the entire weekend in our house!! We colored, played, watched kids shows I had never heard of!!! Having a child in the house was awesome, hilarious, eye opening, and tiring….I loved it. 

Her and her new friend Ivan!  It is hilarious watching two 3 year olds interact.

Here they are being crazy.

Basically because they wouldn't just lay there for a real picture!

And here they are teaching my sister a lesson. 

Don't worry, she was ok and only suffered minor injuries.

- So we my sister got a another cat. Another cat you say? Don’t you already have two too many? Egad…I can’t believe you would say that!! In a moment of weakness for cute kittens and so I could nurture something I agreed to let Kristen get a kitten. (For the record T. agreed too and said “I don’t care, she can do whatever the hell she wants but I am not going to f@$k’n take care of it for her. Oh and she better pick one that is cute and gets along with our cats." Translation: “I really want another kitten so of course.”) 

This is Charlie. (He is waving hello)

He is a pet of Lucifer bit of a handful, but when he is asleep and not moving he is adorable…and a cuddlier, which is purrrfect. (sorry)

This is him trying to figure out why he can now lay flat. 

It is because they just took his little kitten balls from him.

"Someone get me my evening paper, cigar, and warm glass of milk!! 

I had a hard day and wish to relax....is that too much to ask for?!"

"What about now?  Is this sexy?"

He is a little cuddle bug....I enjoy that and he enjoys how soft and squishy I am.  He can stay!f

- I bought this nail polish from Rite Aid a few backs back and I have to say I LOVE IT. It is from Sally Hanson and called Complete Salon Manicure. The idea is that all 5 steps of a manicure are in a bottle. (Base Coat, Strengthener, Growth Treatment, Color, Top Coat.) Now for the record I bought this stuff only for the color below (Fairy Teal….awesome) and I still used a base and top coat because, well I didn’t even realize it was a 5 in 1 until a couple days after I used it. Top coat or not this stuff goes on beautifully, comes in SO many fun colors, lasts a long time (mine lasted nearly 3 weeks…but I cleaned with bleach which didn’t help), isn’t clumpy or thick, and has really fun nail polish names! It also has a different design of a brush, which I wasn’t sure of at first but then thought was rather brilliant. I also got Commander in Chic which I will be trying this weekend.

Pretty

 

I heart these colors.

Funky brush but works wonderfully.

- I bought these gaucho pants at Target.com for $10! Yep, very comfy and just something to lounge around in or wear out to do errands. I enjoy them a lot. The material is a bit on the thinner side, so take that into consideration when buying them….but remember they are only $10 so you can’t beat that for lounging pants! But seriously, if you have any cellulite (and so help the person who says they do not) you may want to avoid white as I am sure it will show everything. But black and brown, like I got, are well worth it!

- These are my other cats. They saw I put something on here about Charlie and got pissed and tried to ship him to Bali so I promised I would put pictures of them on the blog if they unwrapped him from the bubble wrap….or at the least poked holes in the box.

Sebastian being fancy for the camera.

This was Belle being dramatic. 

She was laying over the steps looking down and meowing and then.....

......She pretend to fall down the step.  Drama queen.

- I have officially lost 50 pounds in a year. I am excited as it is about a pound a week, but really wanted to lose more as I still have a ways to go. Slow and steady right?! At this rate I should be at my ideal weight right before I hit menopause! But seriously, I am excited…hopefully by this time next year I will be at my goal weight.

- I have always been indifferent about The White Strips but lately I cannot stop listening to them. Their music can be rough and sound like a mess, but it is actually fantastic. I watched their documentary on Showtime called Under Great White Northern Lights that came out last year and it is awesome.  My husband also told me to watch It Might Get Loud with Jimmy Page, The Edge & Jack White.  Suh-weet.

A little random fact….their song “We're Going to be Friends” is the song played at the beginning of Napoleon Dynamite.

Ok, that is it.  I think I have bored you enough! 

Be Warned.....

......I am about to bombard your inboxes over the next 24 hours with comments. I am seriously coming at these blogs like a spider monkey all jacked up on Mtn. Dew*...so look out. I FINALLY have a few minutes to catch up on blogs at lunch and this evening. Seriously, this funk I have been in is taking up precious blogging time and is ridiculous.

I have a couple blogs to post as well, but will most likely not be blogging much until after my birthday (April 22nd) as I like to celebrate for no shorter than 2 weeks but preferably at least 3 weeks, when it comes to my birthday. (Unnecessary 30th birthday plug – inserted) So if my blog posts and comments are far and few between after today or maybe completely random and stupid please know that I will be giving my blogs and your blogs the attention they deserve when I am 30, as then I will be far more mature and responsible and able to focus on the blogs.
 
 
*Can anyone tell me why Mountain Dew now has their name stylized as "Mtn. Dew" on their cans?!  Seriously, it looks SO stupid. Your product is MOUNTAIN DEW, two words, do not abbreviate it...not everything these days needs to be text-message shortened.  At the rate we are going kids are not going to be able to spell anything because everything has to be shortened.  Even the words NO or YES are going to be hard....they will just write the letters N or Y.  So please feel free to udate the style but spell out Mountain Dew on your cans for the sake of our children.  Plus it looks like generic pop and makes you look a fool.
 

Totally Random Quote of the Day....

From the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Talking about FOX news being bias:

"MSNBC wishes they were as good as FOX. They are the Toledo Mudhens to the FOX's Yankees."

I Was Just Thinking...

....I think (and have always thought) Nancy Reagan is just lovely. Strong, beautiful, smart, kind....seriously just a lovely person. I want to give her a hug, but just a little hug as she is so incredibly tiny.

Ok, that's all.

VERY Random Thought of the Day

So I often wonder, why do people whistle while they walk, NOT to be confused with whistling while you work (which the seven dwarfs made perfectly acceptable back in the 30’s). I understand whistling to get attention or whistling in the shower but just casually whistling whilst walking around, I want to ask why. According to Terry, who is an occasional walker who whistles, he says it is either to pass time because he is bored or he is in a good mood. (I am saying it is 99.9% the former of the two)

So what brought this random thought to the forefront of my perceptive mind, well at work TWO people at separate times were walking through the office whistling and I was at the grocery store and someone was pushing their cart while whistling. And so it begins. And the thing is it doesn’t really annoy me, which is a surprise as I seem to get annoyed with people easily, and I am ALL for people preventing boredom and to promote people being in goods moods so if that means a world of walking whistlers I will take that over a bunch of assholes ANY day. HOWEVER, when I hear a person whistle & walk I get easily distracted and my overly active imagination goes in overdrive and I start to think......

First I envision them walking with a little bounce in their step. I just don't think you can whistle and walk without a little skip thrown in. Enter MY mind and imagine with me, if you will, a person most likely wearing something along the lines of a pale colored polo shirt with a stripped matching collared shirt underneath and khaki pants and brown penny loafers walking in a very bouncy way through their suburban neighborhood (or an office) bobbing their head and swinging their arms in tune with whatever they are whistling. You can look into their eyes and see them smiling…you know, exactly what Tyra tells her potential “Top Models” to learn...smile with your eyes, folks. I feel as though you just can’t have one without the other, the whistle, the smiling eyes and the bouncy walk that is.

Plus, what tune would you whistle to while strolling. I feel that this is a very important decision and could make or break the whole walk and affect the mood you are in or trying to go for. (too stressful for me) Would you make up your own or would you whistle to, lets say Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” or maybe “Human” by the Killers or maybe you would go with a good 80’s song like "Build Me Up Buttercup". I mean, for sure you would not try walking and whistle something from the likes of Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd and for sure not Beethoven’s 9th. You whistle something like that you are bound to walk slowly and you would be gloomy and I feel as though it would defeat the entire purpose of whistling while walking. I know I don’t fully support the whistle/walk combo but IF you are going to do it, I say lets do it right. And I often want to ask people who whistle and walk if they will take requests....our office is a bit quiet at times and I am all for a good upbeat song to make the day go by.

I don’t ever see myself, no matter HOW good a mood I am in, whistling while I walk. Partly because it just seems odd to me, partly because I can not sustain a whistle for a long time without an excess amount of spittle coming out of my mouth, and partly because I am fairly certain I CAN NOT whistle and walk at the same time. I can barely walk and look to my right or left without falling down or running into something, so try to add a whistle, a bounce in my step, a head bob, swinging of my arms, smiling with my eyes and oh boy I see my stroll ending ugly……with lots of tears, blood, screaming, and me all curled up in the fetal position shaking. I would hate to find others in the middle of a whistle/walk of mine gone bad.

And yes, in case you were wondering, this IS where my mind went when I heard people whistling and walking.


This has been Random Thoughts by Jenn

Just Thinking....

I haven't really had anything blog worthy to say the past week, but I have had a few random thoughts/stories, so I thought I would share.

- So this past Friday I met up with my mom in Columbus to spend some quality time together whilst my dad was in a conference. We went to the Nicci Debro Spa, the same Spa we went to for my mom’s 50th Birthday. (P.S. It is a great Spa, I highly recommend it.) When we arrived they asked if we had been there before because we looked really familiar and when we said yes they remembered it was for her birthday. However, I did feel a little concerned about them remembering us so quickly because I wondered if A) We were just THAT awesome that they talked about our pure awesomeness on a daily basis or B) We caused such a ruckus that they had nightmares about us and were a bit scared upon our return. I am thinking the latter as typically where ever my mom, sister and I go – chaos ensues.

- I created a test a couple weeks ago and I believe both my husband and sister failed, tremendously. I went to the restroom and the soap dispenser was empty. I thought to myself, well surly the person before KNEW they used the last of the soap and was just lazy and didn’t refill it. So as I was lazy and also didn’t feel like refilling the soap dispenser I thought I would create an experiment by putting the large, Costco sized bottle of soap out next to the soap dispenser to see if anyone refills it. Outcome: 2 weeks later and NO ONE has refilled the soap dispenser. I know people have used that bathroom, but I imagine they are just squeezing soap out of this tub-o-soap and see nothing wrong with the situation. That, or they are just not washing their hands. It is an interesting experimental observation and I would like to conduct more of these. Next on my list, seeing how high I can stack the dirty dishes in the sink before either they fall or someone washes them. Oh, and one of my favs, how long can we go with a burnt out light bulb in a major room in the house. (Currently, we are going on 5 days in the landing of the basement…who needs light as they walk down the stairs to the basement.) Of course many say, Jenn why don't YOU stop being lazy and do this stuff yourself. And I say to that, if I don't do this they will never learn people, they will never learn. What are they suppose to learn, not sure yet...but I am sure it is something very important.

- I am reading Russell Brands new Book, entitled “My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Stand-Up”. I know, *gasp* I am reading….a book! Crazy, huh?! Don’t get too excited, the book DOES contain a few pics as well. Anywho, I just started reading it and will write a review when I am done (4-6 months), but I would just like to say I really love this man....seriously. He recently did a special on Comedy Central (Russell Brand in New York). Hilarious. Watch it.

- I crocheted this scarf. I LOVE it! I picked out the colors and wanted something colorful but also a bit more earthy. Once mom and my sister pick out their favorite colors, I am going to make one for them as well. I know it is nearly summer and I am crocheting scarves, but I have a cold neck so it makes sense. And the best thing about this scarf, besides how cool it is, it is longer then I am tall! Brilliant. (My sister the beautiful model)

- A Little Caesars opened in BG. A $5 large pizza is da bomb and will be our dinner for tonight. Can't wait!

- After 5 hours in the car Friday I have determined I am actually a REALLY great singer....... In the car......... With the music turned up loud..........And the windows down. I am just say’n, I have some mad skillz.

I Have Come to the Conclusion That Celebrities Just Stink

Yep, celebrities must smell something awful! Why do I say that, because so many of them have their own perfume. Everywhere you look a celebrity is creating a perfume.....an Eau De Themselves to share with the world.

I have compiled a list of some celebrities who sell their scents and what I imagine their perfumes smell like.

Kate Moss – Crack and Cigarettes
Donald Trump – Old Spice & Hair Growth Cream
Hilary Duff – Not sure why this perfume is even as popular as it is.
Reese Witherspoon – Sweet Flowers. It would be a bit too much at times but overall it is a very pleasant smell
Avril Lavigne – It would try to smell like it was punk and a badass but it wouldn’t be anything of the sort
Sarah Jessica Parker – Smelled it; Didn’t like it
Kylie Minogue – Peaches & Cream (I really like her)
David Beckham – Sweat, Grass, and Pure Hotness
Britney Spears – Cheetos and Bubble Gum
Jennifer Lopez – Bitch with a hint of lilac
Christina Aguilera – At first it would smell a bit raunchy, but eventually it would mellow out and be more tolerable
Paris Hilton – Skank
Mariah Carey – Cherries, vanilla, flowers, peaches, sweetness, spiciness, gold, diamonds, chocolate cake, shrimp, caviar….basically everything out there
Gwen Stefani - Bananas
Celine Dion – Moth balls, espresso & Icy Hot
P.Diddy – What does a tool smell like?!?!

I would like to create my own perfume. I think mine would be generally sweet but every so often you would just get a whiff of tartness.

Rock Bus Of Skanky Crazy Whores

So does anyone watch Rock Bus Of Skanky Crazy Whores? Come on, I know we all love this show! I am not so much a fan of Mr. Pouty Lips Michaels but I absolutely LOVE watching these girls throw themselves at him so they can either live out some fantasy of sleeping with a rocker or think they really have a chance to marry the cowboy hat / doo-rag combo wearing man whore. I mean, come on girls this is the third season already – get a clue! I don’t think he is going to find the love of his life on a Vh1 reality show.

And these girls, oh these girls are an interesting group of idolizers. They love them some attention from Bret or more specifically maybe they just love attention from middle age rockers. As always the producers of the show did a great job of picking a good balance of crazies, dumb asses, shy girls, alcoholics, loud mouths, and the clique “fan of the music” girls. Thank you for not letting me down.

As for favorites, well I have a list of girls I think should stay on the show because they make me laugh, cringe, and crave more of the drama each episode. But as for actually “winning” the “love” of Mr. I Just Want To Bang These Girls Michaels ...... I really have no favorite.

I would like to share some of my favorite quotes. The first section is from Ashley, the girl that looks like a skanky version of Juliette Lewis, who tends to have the best nonsensical quotes ever.

Favorite quotes so far:
Ashley: “Get over it. Everyone pukes, and poops their pants.”
Ashley: “Bret is a rockstar. If your gonna date a rockstar get used to falling off the stage BITCH.”
Ashley: “I'm not here for you. I'm here for Bret. I want a cheeseburger!”
Ashley: “I'm gonna puke on your mom. She loves it.”


Kelsey: “I have no clue where Champagne is but all I know is that we're going to the bottom of the bottle.”
Marcia: referring to how heavy her suitcase is "Brittaney is in my suitcase.... BRITTANEY! Why'd you have to eat all those cheeseburgers?"
Brittaney: “If people could have sex behind closed doors,what's wrong with putting it on camera”
Brittaney: “I haven't put on skates in a really long time, but it was kinda nice cause when I was growing up I was actually a competitive ice skater. I was so good I was competing against 18 year olds winning gold medals at the age of 7... I prolly would have been an Olympic hopeful if I didn't have to quit... But I really like how my life turned out in the adult industry...”
Natasha: “OMG the pornstar stole our dirty socks!”
Melissa: “OMG I popped my freaking implant”
Beverly: “I will not marry Bret Michaels looking like a hooker”
Marcia: “crazy va jay jay”


Aw….I LOVE this show.